Another Day

I love David Levithan's books. Haven't read one I disliked. One of my favorites was Everyday. It is the story of A, who jumps to a new body every day. He meets Rhiannon and falls in love and for the first time, tells someone about his life and his rules. He leaves her with Alexander, in hopes she can find happiness with him. Well this book is the same story from Rhiannon's point of view. It shares her feelings as she learns of A's life, his feelings for her, and her dysfunctional relationship with Justin. She must decide if the outside of a person matters if you love the inside. She must decide if she can deal with the life A presents to her. She must decide if her own happiness is more important than what other people think. I couldn't put this book down. I put off reading it for a while because the first one made me sad and happy, but mostly sad. This one leave me with more hope. If I could send David Levithan a post-it note, it would have a big, red heart on it. It doesn't matter which book you read first, it just matters that you read these books. It will make you question what is important and reaffirm that YOU are important. The kids in my classes who have read this will love this tale told from the other side. Know I did! Happy reading my friends!

After the End

Well, that was fast. I picked up this book earlier today and couldn't put it down. This is Juneau's story. She is living in post apocalyptic Alaska with her clan. She is set to become the Sage of her clan when she gets older. When she is out on a hunt, her clan goes missing and she sets off to find them. To do this she must go outside the barrier her clan has set. Only one thing- there was no apocalypse. There was no WWIII. Life is normal outside their isolated land. Miles is the spoiled son of a pharmaceutical
owner. He is biding time until he goes to Yale. He has done something stupid and is trying to get back into his father's good graces. When he hears that his father is looking for a missing Alaskan girl, he decides if he can find her, maybe his father will help him get back into Yale. Juneau gets a message to look for someone who's name will take her far. Lo and behold she finds Miles and they team up, each with ulterior motives. What they don't expect is to actually like each other, despite the betrayals. Juneau must convince him that magic can exist and Miles must defy his father to keep her safe. You see, Juneau holds the key to a revolutionary drug that Miles' father will do anything to possess. Of course, Juneau doesn't realize this is one of the multitude of lies her family has told her. Together they go on the run to find the answers Juneau is looking for as she searches for her family. I loved this book, especially the beginning when you aren't sure if these are characters in the same story! It is told in alternative chapters and the action doesn't stop. So make sure you have a couple of free hours to get lost on their journey. Looking forward to the next book, which I will be picking up on Monday! Happy reading my friends!!

Cruel Beauty

Nyx was raised to save her world. On her seventeenth birthday, she is to be married to the Gentle Lord. She is then to kill him and avenge her mother and the deal her father made. She has spent her life resenting her father for making this deal and her sister for being the twin her father loved. As she goes to her new husband, Ignifex, she finds that killing him isn't going to be as easy as she thought. Then there is Shade, who only comes out at night and looks stunningly similar to Ignifex. He is the opposite of her husband, kind and helpful. She looks to him to help her take down her husband and restore her world. But things take longer than she had planned, and Nyx finds her husband to be more and more interesting. Eventually she falls in love with him. But she has made promises to her family that they are not going to allow her to break. She must decide if she can betray the only one who has ever loved her for a family who never really cared. Her choice may reset the world and leave Ignifex and Shade to the whims of the Kindly Ones who are not what their names may imply. Nyx must find a way back through her memories to save her husband and outsmart the demons. What will this cost her? Is it a price worth paying? This book wasn't my favorite. It was okay, a little confusing in parts and probably not something I would recommend considering all the great books out there. It is an interesting concept, the duality of the villain and how that is portrayed, but not enough to make my favorites list. With only a couple of days of vacation left, my next book awaits. Not sure what it will be, but there is no end to my stack. Happy reading my friends!

Fairest

It is always interesting to see how a villain becomes a villain. Sometimes, you even feel sorry for them a little bit. But then you catch yourself and remember that just because bad things happen to you doesn't mean you have to make life miserable for others. This is the story of Levana from the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer. It's one of my favorites and since the last book has just come out, I thought I should quickly read the companion novel of Levana. So, sitting in the sand at Newport Beach, I learned how the evil queen became the evil queen. I learned how Selene was born, how she was disposed of and how the next book will be about Winter, Levana's step daughter. I learned that Levana had a horrible childhood thanks to her eviler sister. And how she took that out on Evert, the man she loved who didn't love her back. I learned why she is determined to marry Kai. Meyer is a great writer, who has weaved so many fairy tales together into an epic series. I enjoyed this book and can't wait to get my copy of Winter so I can see who gets a happily ever after- and it better be all my favorites! Thorne, Cress, Scarlet, Wolf, Cinder and Kai. I'm counting on the end of this fairy tale series to have the ultimate fairy tale ending! Happy reading my friends!!

The Dead House

I picked up this book and flipped through it and loved the way the story was going to be told. Diary entries, video transcripts, post it notes, emails etc. Unfortunately, that is the thing I loved best about the book. This is the story of Katilyn and Carly. They share the same body. Carly is in charge of the day and Kaitlyn is in charge of the night. They speak to each other through post it notes and a message book. They have different friends and personalities. They have experienced the trauma of their parents dying and cannot remember what happened. When Carly goes missing, Kaitlyn is determined to bring her back. Carly's friend Naida offers to help. She is versed in the art of Mala and Grundi, dark arts. She thinks she can get into Kait's mind and search out Carly and bring her back. Several other friends offer their help, but one of them may actually have caused the problem.  This is a creepy story and may be complicated for some readers to follow. Some terrible things happen and the ending is unresolved- as any good haunted tale will leave you. The concept of this book is interesting, sharing your body with another person and having no control for half the day. But overall, I don't know that I would recommend it to my 8th graders, maybe for a more mature high school age kid. The author definitely is creative and has a beautiful way with words. Approaching a week long vacation with a stack of books a mile high. Happy reading my friends!

Queen of Shadows

Aelin. Aedion, Chaol. Rowan. Lysandra. Manon. Dorian. 645 pages of heart in throat reading. This is book 4 in the Throne of Glass series, so if this is your first time hearing about it, go back to book one and begin your epic journey with these spectacular characters. Aelin has finally come into her power and she is back in Rifthold to take out the King who has imprisoned her friend Dorian. She has actually come to kill Dorian and release him from the evil Valg prince inside him. Along the way she must reconcile with Chaol *sigh* and free her cousin from his execution. Oh, and free magic so that she can regain her kingdom. Busy assassin. Sarah Maas has created an amazing world filled with unforgettable characters. I am part glad I am finished and part sad that this part of the journey is over. I have mixed emotions about the romantic aspects of this book,  I really love Chaol and Rowan equally. I'm a little sad ,if truth be told, by the current situation. But I'll remind myself these are fictional characters and try and move on with my life. I love this series for the strong, independent female characters like Manon, head of the 13 who must decide if blind obedience is really her path. Or Lysandra, who gives up her own safety to protect a young girl. Or Asterin who must face death at Manon's hand for speaking up for what is right. And also for Sorscha and Nehemiah who gave up their lives in previous books to do what was right. This may be my favorite series ever, right up there with the Demon King series. Maas also has another series I am anxiously awaiting a sequel too. If you enjoy a world of Fae, shifters and supernatural shenanigans, I think you will fall in love with this world. It may even break you heart a little. Happy reading my friends!