The Rest of the Story

What would summer be like without spending at least part of it in the world of Sarah Dessen? This time we are on the lake, reconnecting with family. And the family has part of the story that Emma Saylor doesn’t remember. She hasn’t seen her mom’s side since she was little and when complications arise with her summer plans, she finds herself at her grandmother’s hotel on the lake. The poor side of the lake. This is where her parents met, where their story started and where her mother’s troubles began. As Saylor discovers the family she didn’t know she was missing, she begins to fill in her story. She has help from her cousins, aunts and grandparents. And Roo. Roo is the boy in the pictures of Saylor when she was young. Roo is the son of her mother’s best friend. Roo is the boy who will become something more to her by the end of the summer. Saylor has to battle her father and his notions about the lake and her relatives as he struggles to let go and trust Saylor. She has to prove that she is not her mother and can embrace her new family without letting go of the old one. I didn’t cry as much as I expected to- which is a good thing. I want to spend a summer in one of Sarah Dessen’s settings, small towns where everyone knows everyone and the days are long and filled with memories. For now, I’ll have to settle for reading about them. Happy reading my friends!

The Cruel Prince

Carden, Carden, Carden. I kept hearing about this character and even received a pillowcase with his image on it, so I thought I should find out what he was all about. Well, Carden is the youngest son of a Fairy King. Don’t mistake these fairies with the cute little Tinkerbell variety. These are brutal, ruthless fairies who would slaughter their entire families for a chance at power. Then there’s Jude. She and her twin sister along with her older sister were kidnapped to fairy when their parents were murdered by Madoc, the Fairy General, who was her older sister’s father. They are humans living in the world of the fairies, where no one can lie but them and no one can be trusted. In a world of immortals, human life is frail and cheap. Jude wants nothing more than to become a real part of fairy. She loves it there, even as she fears it. But Jude has a way of antagonizing the royals, especially Carden. When she makes a deal with one of Carden’s brothers to help him take the throne, she finds herself on the wrong side of things. And possibly the only person who can get her out of trouble is Carden. He, of course, is willing to make a deal with her, but one rule of fairy is that making deals isn’t for the weak of heart or mind. When Jude double crosses Carden, she may find herself in a situation she can’t figure her way out of. I am glad I finally met Carden and look forward to seeing how he is going to take his revenge on Jude. If you love a good fairy tale or are a fan of Holly Black, check out this series. Happy reading my

friends.

Sorcery of Thorns

Elisabeth has been brought up in the library. She loves the grimoires, the smell of books, and even the book lice. Her plan is to one day become a warden. Their job- to protect the books from the sorcerers. But something is different about her. She can sense things others can’t. And she’s apparently immune to sorcery. A chance encounter with a Magister leaves her questioning if all sorcerers are bad. Nathaniel must be- right? He comes from a necromancer family. He is mysterious and sullen.  He has a demon serving him. But when Elisabeth finds herself in massive amounts of trouble, it is Nathaniel who comes to her rescue. She know something is going on in the libraries, but will anyone believe her? Even if they don’t, she must step up and fight or it just might be the end of the world. I love the idea of a sword carrying librarian who can talk to the books. Sounds like an exciting life. Throw in a dashing, brooding sorcerer and what could be wrong with this book? Oh and wait- a demon with a (maybe) heart of gold?? Sign me up. I absolutely enjoyed this book and all the characters in it. She was no damsel in distress- we need more books with empowered girls, ones who may not be queens or assassins. I highly recommend this one! Happy reading my friends.

Stepsister

Run, don’t walk , to get this book. In this retelling of Cinderella, the focus is on the ugly stepsisters. But these stepsisters are not the ones found in the classic tale. This is Isabelle’s tale. After her mother forces her to cut off her toes to fit into the slipper, Isabelle cant’ take it anymore. She is tired of being ugly. She is tired of wearing fancy clothes when all she wants it to rider her horses and sword fight with Felix. But her life doesn’t allow that making her jealous of Ella. After Ella is swept off to the palace, Isabelle makes a deal with the fairy queen to be pretty. But first she must find the broken pieces of her heart. Unfortunately she doesn’t know what those are. Behind the scenes, Fate and Chance are working to effect her life. Chance steals Isabelle’s fate map, setting a battle in motion. Fate wants the map back and is willing to send every obstacle into Isabelle’s path to keep her fate in control. Chance wants her to have a chance to change her life. So this is the story of Isabelle realizing that pretty isn’t the answer. That ugly is in the eye of the beholder. And that when you let those titles go, you can be anything you dream. And that forgiveness is divine. And that all is not what it seems. And that a smart, fierce girl with moxie can change the world. I LOVED this book more that I can say and it’s message isn’t just for young girls, but all girls, even if they are in their 50’s. The mirror shouldn’t determine our worth. We are who WE say we are. I can’t recommend this book enough. It should be required reading for all. Happy reading my friends, take your chances and determine your own fate..

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein

What if the story of Frankenstein was told from a female point of view? This retold tale is from the mouth of Elizabeth Lavenza, the orphan girl sent to be Victor Frankenstein’s playmate. She is desperate to have a home and sees early on that in order to stay, she must find a way to control the odd, young boy. She suppresses who she is, becoming who he needs. As they grow older, she stays determined to keep him by her side. And so it would seem, is he. He is extremely possessive of Elizabeth and does not want even death to separate them.. Thus his experiments to defeat death begin.   When Victor runs off, Elizabeth goes on her own journey to find him. But what she finds is what the legends are made of. Who is really the monster? And how can Elizabeth defeat what she has helped to create. This was an interesting take of the classic story by Mary Shelley. I didn’t care for any of the characters though, so I really became uninterested in what the outcome would be. I do appreciate that Elizabeth wanted to clean up the mess she created, but I never really warmed up to her. Onward, and happy reading my friends.

The Gender Game

One side of the river is Matrus- a matriarchal society and on the other side of the river is Patrus- a patriarchal society. Violet lives in Matrus.. But due to some unfortunate circumstances she is incarcerated for her violent actions. Just as she is about to be released, she kills a fellow inmate. In Matrus that means death. But someone wants Violet’s help and she finds it’s her only way to escape the death penalty. She must go into Patrus and recover some technology that they had stolen. The only way she is allowed to enter that society is if she is married. So she marries another ‘agent’ and begins to help formulate the plan. When she and Lee decide that someone must take the fall for their theft, Lee (her husband) chooses Viggo, a warden who is already in trouble with the law. Violet must gain Viggo’s trust in order to frame him. Of course, that doesn’t go as planned once Violet gets to know him- and to know him is to love him. But Violet has a lot on the line, if she doesn’t go along with the plan, she may never see her brother again. She finds herself torn in two as the night approaches. All hell breaks loose and Violet must make some rapid decisions that may change both her and Viggo’s lives for good. I enjoyed the premise of this book, a society where there is no middle ground. No where is safe, and no where is simple. I think both genders would like this book. There is enough action for the boys and enough romance for the girls. Is that gender biased? Ironic I suppose. I will look for the sequel to see where this cliffhanger lands. Happy reading my friends!

Enchantee

Paris, Marie Antoinette, Versailles and Magic? When Camille finds herself responsible for her younger sister after her parents death, she must use all means necessary to keep them from living on the streets. She uses her magic to turn metal into coins, but the magic isn’t holding. She is desperate to find a solution and does what her mother told her never to do- use dark magic. Camille works her spells to become a member of the aristocracy so she can infiltrate the card games at Versaille. She meets a circle of friends and finds herself intertwined in the goings on at court. But she doesn’t notice the darkness swirling around her at every turn. Meanwhile, as herself, she meets a balloonist named Lazare, who takes her for a ride in a hot air balloon and changes her views of life and the city. The more time she spends with him, the more she wants to know more about him. When their two worlds collide at the palace, the have to find a way to save each other from the evil reaching out for both of them. I love some historical fiction, especially this time period. So the added twist of magic made it even more interesting- what if  Marie Antoinette used magic to keep herself relevant or beautiful? Hmm. I enjoyed this novel, don’t know if it will work with the kids but I’ll find out in a month or so.. I however, found it easily readable and fun. Happy reading my friends!