Wolf by Wolf

The age old question- what if Adolf Hitler had won the war. What would the world look like? Yale doesn't have to wonder. She is living it. As a child, she was transported to a concentration camp and chosen by the doctor in charge to be a part of his special experiments. When her barrack mates realize what new powers these experiments have given her, they find a way for her to sneak out of the camp. See, Yael can skin shift. So she shifts into a little German girl and walks out of camp where she is found by the resistance. And she becomes part of the resistance's plan- get close to Hitler and kill him. To do this she becomes Adele Wolf, a Victor in the cross continent motor cycle race. Adele is chosen because Hitler took a fancy to her at the last Victor's Ball. But in order to get to the ball, Yael must WIN the race against 16 other victory hungry competitors. They don't play fair. They aren't nice. Oh, and Adele's twin brother is also in the race and keeping a close eye on Yael. Yael doesn't know if she can pass as Adele with her twin looking on. And then there is the matter of Luka. He also has some mysterious past with Adele that Yael doesn't know about. There is danger around every hairpin turn and the stakes couldn't be higher. I enjoyed this book and Graudin's writing. It was refreshing to see someone actually get out of the concentration camps and exact some revenge, even though this ends in a MAJOR cliffhanger. No worries, I immediately ordered the sequel and it will be devoured soon enough. Hope this catches your fancy and you give it a read. Happy reading my friends!

The Beauty of Darkness

This is the conclusion of an amazing trilogy. Lia, Rafe and Kaden must race to save their kingdoms while the Komizar is coming after them. Lia and Rafe are in constant conflict as they fight over which of their kingdoms are in the most danger. Lia is sure she knows what the Komizar will do but no one will believe a runaway princess. Rate finds himself as not the prince, but the King after his father dies. If he follows Lia, he may lose his own kingdom to greedy generals. And Kaden has his own decisions- does he follow Lia, kill his father or resume his place with the Komizar as his assassin. So many decisions, so many paths that can be followed. Do you do your duty or follow your heart? Can you give up what you want the most for the good of everyone else? How far do you follow your instincts when everyone is telling you they can't be right. I love the characters in this book, especially Lia who never wavers in her belief in herself. She is no damsel in distress. She puts her trust in her friends and her own mind and faces losing the love of her life. And Rafe and Kaden are worthy sparring mates. Each brings out a different side of Lia. Both make her more powerful and confident. This is a great adventure with fun and interesting characters. I loved reading each of the three books and will check for more by this author. So, if you want to begin the journey with Lia, find Kiss of Deception and be sure and bring your sword and walking boots. Happy reading my friends!

Sea of Shadows

Sisters Moria and Ashyn are the Keeper and the Seeker. They were chosen at birth- twins who pair bonded with their animals-Daigo and Tova. Their job is to keep the spirits of the dead at bay in the Forest of the Dead. They must go into the forest and put the exiled spirits to rest. But during Ashyn's first reaping, everything goes terribly wrong. Their town is massacred and the children stolen. The girls set off to find the children and report to the Emperor. Their journey is fraught with mythical creatures, that no one believed even existed- Worms, Thunder Hawks and Shadow Stalkers. Someone is willing them into existence. And putting them directly in their path. The girls get help from Gavril and Ronan, who both have secrets of their own. There is really no one they can trust except each other and their animals. They face treachery at every turn. But they have to keep going as the children's lives are at stake. In fact,  the entire empire is at stake. This is an interesting and dangerous world. I look forward to seeing if the girls can save the world. I have no doubt they will. Happy reading my friends.

The Walled City

Dai, Mei Yee and Jin are the three main characters whose lives become intertwined in this fast paced tale. Dai is hiding in the Walled City, he has 18 days left to clear his name of three murders. Mei Yee was sold by her father to a drug lord who has her locked up in a brothel. Jin followed her sister to try and save her. When Dai meets Jin, they form an unlikely friendship and soon find their goals are intersecting. Take down Longwai, get his ledger to give to the police and break out Mei Yee and the other girls. But the pieces are complicated and one wrong move could end any of their lives. I really liked this book. It is told in three voices and deals with some very real problems. It is not for a younger reader as it does deal in human trafficking and drug use. There is violence and death. Nothing it too graphic, but it is for a more mature reader. That being said, I had never heard of the Walled City and the fact that is was real makes me sad for those kids whose lives were in their own hands to save. It is still a problem today. The characters are all interesting and strong, even the cat. The story line twists and turns as you learn what brought these characters to their present condition. As summer comes to an end for me, I still see a pile of books a mile high I need to get to. Wish me luck and happy reading my friends!

3:59

Josie's life is falling apart. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend and best friend are hooking up behind her back and something weird keeps happening at 3:59 every day. She keeps seeing shadows moving, and a bird with a large beak and then, in a mirror in her bedroom, she sees herself. But not herself, her doppelgänger. It only happens twice a day at the same time. Josie thinks this is her chance to cross through the mirror and fix things with her boyfriend Nick. She and Jo decide to switch places, but Jo's world isn't as perfect as it seems through the mirror. Nick isn't her boyfriend in this dimension, her mother is in an asylum and creatures called the Nox roam the darkness killing people. When Josie decides the grass wasn't greener on the other side of the mirror she tries to return home. But Jo has taken the mirror and made it impossible to get back to her world. Josie must figure out a way to get home and save both worlds from evil. She teams up with alternate world Nick and finds that he is a far better version than the one she left behind. She must use all her brains to put things right and find a way to bring the new Nick back with her. This was a fast paced, science filled adventure. But you don't have to understand the science to enjoy the story. I really think kids will like this one, it has adventure, evil parents, and a love quadrangle as well as a doppelgänger!! What's not to like?? Happy reading my friends!!

Lord of Shadows

Ugh. What a book, what an ending. Crushing, heartbreaking, anxiety filled. Loved every page- well, almost every page. Cried a lot. So if you are new to Shadowhunters, this is not where to start. This is about the 11th book with these characters in this world. So if you want a place to begin the adventure, it's City of Bones, if you have already been on the ride, you know where we are. Emma has just broken Julian's heart for his own good, the Institute is under attack from those who would like to take it over, and Kit Herondale is realizing who he is and what his name means. The Blackthorns are growing up. Mark is recovering from Kieran's betrayal and Diana is harboring a huge secret. Oh, and Malcolm Fade may not be dead. This book is filled with beloved characters- Jace, Clary (with an unacceptable premonition- don't do it Cassandra), Alec, Magnus, Tessa and Jem, all make appearances. And of course every time Will's name is mentioned I have to stop reading. Characters you love will die defending each other. Some you hated will become loved. And over the 600 plus pages your heart may break. I can't say enough about how much I love this series and will read it to the end. Will remains number one on my list of fictional boys- long after he has gone, but his family is a close second. My favorite question in this story- "Which kind of Herondale will you be- Will or Tobias, Jace or Stephen?" I hope we are all the best Herondale's we can be. Happy reading my friends.

Wayfarer

In this sequel to Passenger, Etta and Nick continue their quest to find the Astrolabe. With it, they can control who can travel through time. They can right the wrongs that the Ironwoods have created. They can save their loved ones. They can restore the world to the way it was supposed to be. But all of these things can only happen if they find the device. And that will be difficult as they are separated, literally in different times. Etta discovers her family and the fact that her mother isn't as she thought. Nicholas discovers that doing the right thing may separate him from Etta forever. Enemies reveal themselves to be allies and allies can't be trusted. This book shows you worlds in different times and that is so interesting to me. It also brings that eternal question to light, if you could change history, would you or even more importantly, should you? I enjoyed this book and the wanderings of the characters greatly. The girls are all tough cookies and the boys, well, most of them, are gentlemanly. There is action and adventure and a time-crossed love story. And quite possibly a happy ending. But I'll let you get to that on your own. Happy reading my friends!