And I Darken

This is a twisted tale of Lada Dracul and her brother Radu. They are used as hostages when their father Vlad Dracul of Wallachia disappoints the Sultan and forfeits his children. Lada is a warrior even a small child. She is ugly and mean and incites fear in everyone she meets. Radu is a gentle soul, afraid of his own shadow, and his sister. They meet Mehmed, the Sultan's son and the three become inseparable. But Lada will never be happy until she is allowed to go home to Wallachia. Even when she falls in love with Mehmed. She does not want anything to do with the Ottoman Empire and resents her role as a female. Powerless, she finds ways to fight back, training with the Janissaries and finding a way to make herself useful and beholden to no one. Radu finds himself in love with Mehmed too. This makes for a difficult life for him as this is not an acceptable way of life. So he suffers in silence, doing all he can to keep Mehmed safe from those who would kill him. Together, Radu and Lada work to make sure Mehmed will one day become Sultan and to keep him alive. But trouble is around every corner, from even those they thought could be trusted. And in the end, Lada Dracul is really only loyal to herself and her beloved Wallachia. Will she become the Dragon of legend or stay by Mehmed's side living in the shadows? I love a good Dracula tale, especially one based in history. And I love the switch of gender. Lada is not exactly likable, but you do find yourself rooting for her, especially since it's all about girl power! This was a good read, not a favorite but definitely a like. Happy reading my friends!

The Meduim

Emily is a well know Medium in the 1800's. She lives with her sister Celia and they conduct seances for those who wish to communicate with loved ones. Celia unwittingly releases a demon who is set free to kill innocent people. Jacob Beaufort is a ghost. He is sent to help Emily find the demon and sent it back from whence it came. Jacob isn't like other ghosts Emily has dealt with. He is much more, shall we say, solid. And handsome. Did I mention handsome. Emily and Jacob must figure out who is controlling the demon and then find a way to send it back. Over the course of their adventures, they (of course) develop feelings for each other. But what kind of result will there be if one of you is a ghost? Jacob doesn't know how he died or where his body is and Emily wants to help him figure this out (all while hunting a demon) but she knows once she does, Jacob will cross over and be lost to her. This was a fun ghost story with some highly shady characters. But Emily is a fierce girl in a time where fierce girls were not accepted or acceptable. She just doesn't care. So I'm hopeful in the next book or two, she uses that fierceness to help Jacob. I do suspect that Jacob may not be lost to the mortal world forever, but that is just a guess using my foreshadowing skills. My students would be proud. Beware people selling lockets, you never know what they may hold. Happy reading my friends!

Three Dark Crowns

Three sisters born to be queen. But only one can hold the crown. One a poisoner, one an elemental and one a naturalist. Separated at a young age so they could be trained in their respective craft so that one day they could kill the other two. Mirabella can call storms and she is having memories of her sisters. She does not want to kill them. But she is the strong one and the one who most likely will gain the crown. Katharine can consume poison. But she is sickly- I wonder why- and it takes the love of a boy to make her strong enough to take on her sisters. And then there is Arsinoe, who is still waiting for her naturalist power to come forth and bring her a familiar. But she is angry and unsure and relies on her best friend Jules, who is actually the most powerful naturalist in a long time. Everyone has a stake in who will become the one queen and everyone is willing to go to any length to achieve that goal. Except possibly the three girls whose fates are at stake. This is an interesting twist to the fairy tale genre. No one is really all that likable and everyone is extremely flawed. It was hard to decide who to root for and I'm still not sure. This is going to be a series, so I guess I'll have to wait and see if anyone becomes redeemable. But then again, no one is perfect so maybe this is just what a fairy tale should be- flawed characters finding a way to fulfill their fates. Anyway, if you like this genre, you may enjoy this story, I don't regret reading it, but it wasn't a favorite yet. I'm willing to give it time though. Happy reading my friends- it's back to work on Monday so my time for uninterrupted reading is at it's end.

Scythe

I wasn't sure what book would catch my attention after finishing the Illuminae files. But leave it to an old favorite Neal Shusterman to do the trick. In his latest, Shusterman creates a world where death, corruption and politics have been conquered. Where kids jump off buildings to feel something and all it costs is a trip to a revival center. The Thunderhead is in charge of everything and the scare of an AI being evil is gone. But population must be culled so a new group is formed called Scythes. They are tasked with gleaning a certain number of people every year to keep the population down. The Scythes are like rock stars but only if you were terrified every time you saw one. Are they coming for you or your family or do they just want a hot meal? Citra and Rowan are teenagers who both come in contact with Scythe Faraday and impress him with their forthrightness. He invites them to become apprentice Scythes and both- after much thought- agree. Their training makes them stronger, smarter and with his tutelage the kind of Scythes society needs. But there is a faction of Scythes that are out for the glory, out for the kill and they are led by Scythe Goddard. In an attempt to undermine Faraday, he proposes a twist to the apprentices. The one who isn't chosen, will have to glean the other. This wasn't the plan. So now Citra and Rowan are forced to become rivals, a position neither desires. Interwoven in the story are the journals of famous Scythes. They ponder some pretty heavy topics and some very relevant topics. They gave me much to think about. I couldn't put this book down. I loved the ending, and hope this is the beginning of a series, but even if it isn't I am satisfied. I love a book that makes me think all the while entertaining me. Well done sir! It's a rainy day here in SoCal, so I plan to hop into my next book and use what little vacation time I have left. So happy reading my friends!

Gemina

So we left off with the Hypatia on the run to Heimdall Station. Kady and Ezra holding down the ship. Cut to Heimdall. Hanna Donnelly, the commander's daughter is flirting with her boyfriend Jax. Nik Malikov- son of the Russian mobster is selling her some Dust. All Hanna has to worry about is what to wear to the upcoming Terra Day party and how to get some party favors from Nik. Until Nik inadvertently lets members of Bietech on board. Their mission is to wipe out the space station and then eliminate the Hypatia so no one knows of the crimes they have committed. They didn't bargain for two teens who have been raised for this particular situatation. See, Hanna's dad has prepared her to be a warrior. And Nik's dad has prepared him to survive a criminal organization. They team up and try to create enough havoc to disrupt Bietech's plans. Many are lost along the way, some sad, some not so sad. Betrayal will happen. Choices will be made. I cannot get enough of this series. It is written through blogs, reports, concrete images, data pad communications and the voice of the AI on the Hypatia- AIDAN, who is truly a poet. This has even more beautiful imagery than the first one, I highly encourage you to buy a hard copy of this book. Nothing is as it seems in space. I am so looking forward to these four characters teaming up in the next book- they are a force to be reckoned with. I think I love Nik the most, I mean who doesn't love a bad boy with a heart of gold? And these girls!!! They kick some major tail. I think these books may have set my bar pretty high for all others and I cannot wait for the final book. So, take my advice and go through the wormhole. You'll love what is on the other side. Happy reading my friends.

The Glittering Court

So for the last book of 2016, I went with one that had been sitting on my shelf for a while. This is the story of Elizabeth, a countess who is falling on hard times. When faced with the marriage to an unacceptable cousin, she changes places with her maid Adelaide and runs off to the Glittering Court. The Court is set up to create ladies out of the common girl to send to the new world to be the wives of the new nobility. Anything sounds better than marrying a cousin, so Adelaide sets off to court with the son of the owner, Cedric. Of course, sparks fly between the two of them but Cedric certainly can't afford the bride price that Adelaide will fetch. She finds out something that may put his life in danger and she becomes determined to help him, even if it means marrying someone else so she can give the money to him. Her two best friends are Tamsin and Mira, both with secrets of their own, that are not revealed in part one of this series. This is a book about traveling to a new frontier to find freedom, be it from the norms of society, a bleak future or religion. The girls have all the power as they select the husband that most suits them, but in the end, they must assert that power if they are to be truly free. Adelaide is a tough girl who isn't afraid to literally get her hands dirty to save the boy she loves. And Cedric is willing to give it all up to live a life of freedom with the one he loves. I liked this book, complete with mustache twirling baddie. I finished this yesterday but I suppose it will go down as the first of a new year. Happy New Year and happy reading my friends!