The One Thing

By Marci Lyn Curtis

Maggie Sanders might be blind but she won’t invite anyone to her pity party. Ever since losing her sight six months ago, Maggie’s rebellious streak has taken on a life of its own, culminating with an elaborate school prank. Maggie called it genius. The judge called it illegal. Now Maggie has a probation officer. But she isn’t interested in rehabilitation, not when she’s still mourning the loss of her professional-soccer dreams, and furious at her so-called friends, who lost interest in her as soon as she could no longer lead the team to victory. Then Maggie’s whole world is turned upside down. Somehow, incredibly, she can see again. But only one person: Ben, a precocious ten-year-old unlike anyone she’s ever met. Ben’s life isn’t easy, but he doesn’t see limits, only possibilities. After awhile, Maggie starts to realize that losing her sight doesn’t have to mean losing everything she dreamed of. Even if what she’s currently dreaming of is mason Milton, the magnetic lead singer of Maggie’s new favorite band, who just happens to be Ben’s brother. But when she learns the real reason she can see Ben, Maggie must find the courage to face a once-unimaginable future…before she loses everything she has grown to love.

I read this with high expectations, and was a tad let down. The interesting thing about this book, the mystery that you keep reading trying to figure out (why Maggie can see Ben and no one else) is a let-down. While you do find out why she can see Ben, it’s a superficial explanation and doesn’t really answer ‘how’. This is a story that isn’t concerned with detailing the fantasy aspect of the novel, but focuses on the moral and coming-of-age implications of the plot. I found that irritating and a cop-out. Even a one paragraph explanation of how she can see Ben would’ve made me a lot happier. With that said, I did enjoy learning a little more about blindness and how people are taught to live with it and function as normally as they can. I enjoy learning that way and was intrigued when I came across information I didn’t know. The love story was okay, but this was more of Maggie’s story of learning to live with a disability that changed her dreams and focus in life. It was pretty run of the mill for a YA novel though. Nothing really exciting or noteworthy.

I give it a 3 out of 5

The Looking Glass Wars

By Frank Beddor

The Myth: Alice was an ordinary girl who stepped through the looking glass and entered a fairy-tale world invented by Lewis Carroll in his famous storybook. The Truth: Wonderland is real. Alyss Heart is the heir to the throne, until her murderous aunt Redd steals the crown and kills Alyss? Parents. To escape Redd, Alyss and her bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, must flee to our world through the Pool of Tears. But in the pool Alyss and Hatter are separated. Lost and alone in Victorian London, Alyss is befriended by an aspiring author to whom she tells the violent, heartbreaking story of her young life. Yet he gets the story all wrong. Hatter Madigan knows the truth only too well, and he is searching every corner of our world to find the lost princess and return her to Wonderland so she may battle Redd for her rightful place as the Queen of Hearts.

Before we begin, I have a confession: I hate Alice in Wonderland. It has a few quotable quotes in the story, but I’ve always disliked it, starting with the Disney version that gave me the willies as a kid. One word. Cheshire Cat. Just sayin’. Then I read the book a few years ago and all I could think was “what?” I do, however, like some of the re-tellings I’ve seen or read. Sci-Fi’s “Alice” was a fun take on the story (though very psychedelic on the drug thing). So, when I saw this I thought, hmm. I liked a lot of the choices that were made with the story. The revolution and violent nature of this book intrigued me, with the playing cards and the chess pieces fighting. I didn’t really understand the power of imagination thing that Alyss and the Queen had going on though. It was a little too up in the air for me (though that was probably the intention) I like rules to magic so I know where I stand as a reader. By far the coolest character was Hatter Madigan, bodyguard supreme. I wish he’d had a bigger role.  Overall it was interesting, but fell flat for me toward the end. Expectation was built up and then fell. I didn’t even have the urge to read the next book, so probably won’t finish this series.

I give it a 3 out of 5 

The Blood of Olympus (#5)

By Rick Riordan

Though the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the Argo II have made no progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaia. Her giants have risen—all of them, and they’re stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood—the blood of Olympus—in order to wake. The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it might be able to stop a war between the two camps. The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea’s army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.

I FINALLY got through this one! I really enjoy Rick Riordan’s books, and waited until I was in the exact right mood to read this (I am a mood reader, and heaven help the book I read if I’m not in the mood for a romance/adventure/fantasy etc.). I have loved the relationships in this series and the character growth that happens with each of the main characters. I usually don’t like switching perspectives in books, and I do have my favorites, but this was great because I liked all of them. But, Leo was the one I was desperately rooting for. There’s something about a funny, loyal, and underdog-like guy that I can’t help but love. I read this book really looking for his happy ending. That’s all I’ll say! Oddly, I found that with the Percy Jackson series, I had a hard time remembering how it ended…and it’s kinda the same with this one. The books that Riordan writes are all about the adventure, the tension, the deadlines to the apocalypse. When you get there, when it’s crunch time, I start to lose interest a little. (Sorry Mr. Riordan! I’ll still read all your books!) That said, I’m happy to have read this series, and say that I liked it even more than the first series. Keep the mythology rolling Mr. Riordan, and I’ll keep coming back for more.

I give it a 3.75 out of 5

Heidel

By Anita Valle

A tempestuous princess + an arrogant prince= a recipe for royal disaster.

Heidel never wanted to be a cookie-cutter princess. She isn’t graceful. She isn’t sweet. She isn’t even skinny! Heidel would much rather cook than curtsy; is more interested in eating that etiquette.

The Nine Princesses are preparing for the annual festival known as Fenwick’s Feast. Heidel plans to enter the Kind’s Cake Contest given by the famous, but crazy, King of Bauble. But also entering the contest is arrogant Prince Eravis who sneers at Heidel’s cooking skills, insults her rounded figure, and mocks her ambition to cure the world of Red Fever.

Caught up in her culinary conquest, Heidel barely notices that another enemy simmers on the back burner, one much more deadly than a sarcastic prince. An enemy who may hold the secret to the princess’s long lost servants.

I enjoy this little novella series, though the last book about Coralina, the seductive and flirtatious princess threw me off. This one also threw me a bit. Heidel wasn’t in the last two books much, and it was surprising to see that she is super competitive, has a horrible temper, and is often a big jerk. That being said, she is also passionate about helping others and a loyal person. It was a shock to read about her this way as her personality didn’t really come up in the previous two books (that I can remember). It was an entertaining book, and I appreciate the added tidbits of mystery that have been added about the servants and the overall plot of the series. This was fun to read and entertaining. Not a huge fan of the making out stuff toward the end though. Ah well.

I give it a 3 out of 5

The Little Mermaid

By Jenni James

Is grass truly greener than ocean blue?

Pearl has always dreamed of visiting the land of humans, to walk with them, eat with them, and learn everything she can from them. But no one in the North Seas agrees with her. In fact, they are all convinced that the landfolk are a dangerous, scary group of people who would harm the mermaid if they could.

Keel, the great merprince of the North Seas, has never loved anyone as much as he loves Pearl. He knows of her fascination with mankind and realizes she will never be truly settled until she has walked among the humans. So he finally relents, giving her a potion to grow legs of her own so she can experience the world above the water. He vows to come on land and protect her, as he doesn’t trust humans and never will.

While this fairy tale retelling was more engaging than Jenni’s Rapunzel, I still was a tad let down at what I thought was a sort of cheapened view at what should’ve been a longer novel. It once more felt like the bones of a novel that needed muscle, nerves, and skin. Pearl feels like a half-formed strange character who for no discernable reason wants to be a human; she admits no one makes her feel the way Keel does and yet she is still idiotically obsessed with the land. Keel on the other hand, is a self-sacrificing character that only wants to help Pearl get over her obsession so she might have a chance to decide to be happy with him. The plot had potential but the carry-out was too simplistic for me to feel engaged as a reader. It was too easy.

I give it a 2.75 out of 5

Princess of the Silver Woods

By Jessica Day George

Petunia is the youngest of King Gregor’s twelve daughters who together battled their way out of a curse that had plagued the family for years. But while on her way to visit an elderly neighbor, Petunia’s carriage is ambushed by bandits and Petunia finds herself falling headlong into another conflict—this one between a hidden forest community and the powerful kingdom that has stripped them of their wealth. With the line between enemies and friends suddenly blurred, and a handsome young thief her only hope at escaping the clutches of the King Under Stone, it will take all of Petunia’s courage, and a little help from her eleven older sisters, to put an end to the curse once and for all and restore their kingdom to right.

This is the third installment from Princess of the Midnight Ball, and we get to hear from Petunia, the youngest of the twelve dancing princesses. This is a sort of Robin Hood/ Little Red Riding Hood retelling in a loose sense that I ended up enjoying more than the previous two books. Petunia is this little petite thing with a wicked aim and a big heart. She meets Oliver and things snowball from there. While I enjoy Jessica Day George’s books, this particular series is definitely not my favorite. From her fairy-tale retellings, Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow is my favorite, and I very much liked her Dragon Slippers books more than these. I do read a lot of fairy-tale retellings and these just aren’t my favorite. They aren’t memorable for me, just fluff and fun.

I give it a 3 out of 5- average 

Awaken

By Katie Kacvinsky

Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her. Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking. In this not so brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space.

The message in this book is a good one, and I was anticipating it crossing the line of being preachy, but Katie Kacvinsky does an admirable job of keeping things professional and not getting on a soap box. Maddie is a girl who’s been shut in a cage, and meeting Justin allowed her to start to open the door and stretch wings she never knew she had. This is a story about how isolating technology can be if we allow it to control our lives, and the dangers of letting a computer become your life. Justin is the flip side in the story, he’s a man on a mission: he wants to find those who will fight against over-using technology and bring them to safety. He didn’t bet on meeting Maddie, one of the most important converts he could’ve made, and he never would’ve guessed she’d make him feel the way he feels when she’s around. Maddie loves Justin and his enthusiasm for life, and Justin loves watching Maddie become more and more of herself. This is a journey of discovery as well as a dangerous adventure.

Content warning: teen making out and intimacy.

I give it a 3.25 out of 5- a little above average.

Stolen Songbird

By Danielle L. Jensen

For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fad from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cecile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.

Cecile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.

But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting—she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods—part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.

As Cecile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever.

This is yet another story that had overtones of Beauty and the Beast, so how could I resist when it came on sale on my kindle for 1.99$? Reading this was a fun adventure and very emotionally yanking. Cecile is forced into a marriage that she doesn’t want, and is expected to produce the heir to the Troll throne that will save them all from their curse. Tristan, her husband, is cold toward her and barely civil. She becomes confused when she realizes that the part of their wedding that marked both of their hands was a binding deeper than skin, and she understands that she is able to tell where Tristan is and what he is feeling, and he can tell what she is feeling too. She realizes that there is more to Tristan than the mask he wears in public. His feelings betray him, and Cecile starts to see that things are not as they seem, and she begins to feel for him what she never thought she could: love. And if she isn’t mistaken, he is beginning to feel the same. While this is a neat take on the beauty and the beast story, it has some downfalls for me in the fact that it has some heated scenes between Tristan and Cecile toward the end that made me highly uncomfortable, and it will only get worse as the series continues. I hate sex scenes, as I’ve repeatedly stated, and so, with a sigh, I’ll leave this to those of you who don’t mind. It’s a good tale and will appeal to people who like teen fiction with a little bit of a steamy romance.

I give it a 3.25 out of 5- above average, but the steamy parts really lowered my score.

Hero

By Alethea Kontis

Rough-and-tumble Saturday Woodcutter thinks she’s the only one of her sister without any magic—until the day she accidentally conjures an ocean in the backyard. With her sword in tow, Saturday sets sail on a pirate ship, only to find herself kidnapped and whisked off to the top of the world. Is Saturday powerful enough to kill the mountain witch who holds her captive and save the world from sure destruction? And, as she wonders grumpily, “Did romance have to part of the adventure?”

This is the sequel to Enchanted, the story of Sunday Woodcutter. Now it’s Saturday’s story we get to see. Saturday is a tomboy and has always been frustrated that she was the only one in her amazing family who seemed to not have some magic powers. It turned out that Saturday’s birth gift, an axe, turns into a sword and that Saturday’s destiny is even more than she bargained for, and she was hoping for quite a lot. Brash and impulsive, Saturday sets in motion a terrible curse, and only she can set things right with the help of her pirate sister Thursday. Saturday is in the middle of a save-the-world quest, and with her is the strangest boy she could’ve met in Peregrine. The two very opposite characters have to rely on each other if they’re going to survive this adventure, and like Saturday laments, “Did romance have to be part of the adventure?” It’s cute and fun and has a tighter plot than the first book did, while still bringing the fun of fairy tales into the plot line. My only issue is the embarrassing lack of restraint that Saturday shows with modesty. She has no problem stripping in front of Peregrine to dive into a pool to take a bath. Peregrine is a lot more sensitive than Saturday, and it makes a few scenes awkward and a little ridiculous.  

I give it a 3.5 out of 5

Throne of Glass

By Sarah J. Maas

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king’s council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her…but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead…quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

This book was an addicting sort of adventure. I couldn’t put it down until I figured out where it was going. It had a fun wit in it, but a huge problem. Our heroine in this story, Celaena, is an assassin. And not just any assassin, but the best of them, feared and respected throughout the land. No matter how I tried to twist the story to fit this fact, it just wasn’t believable. Celaena acted just like an average teenage girl, a bit full of herself, liked beauty and finery, and was immature in many ways. When the fact that she was an assassin came up, she was so flat about the fact that she’d murdered people that I ended up not believing her. There was no evidence that being a murderer had affected her at all. Big problem for me. It felt like being an assassin was just a way for the author to have an interesting plot. I was so irritated at this that the great parts about this book couldn’t save it for me. Also having yet another love triangle just put me over the edge. Especially since Dorian was an idiot. There are a lot of fans of this series, and I can see where it is going to go. I understand the general uproar about it, but I can’t condone the lack of interesting characters and their utter undeveloped nature.

I give it a 3 out of 5 for being a good book, but the details just killed it for me.

Timbound

By Rysa Walker

When Kate Pierce-Keller’s grandmother gives her a strange blue medallion and speaks of time travel, sixteen-year-old Kate assumes the old woman is delusional. But it all becomes horrifyingly real when a murder in the past destroys the foundation of Kate’s present-day life. Suddenly, that medallion is the only thing protecting Kate from blinking out of existence.

Kate learns that the 1893 killing is part of something much more sinister, and her genetic ability to time travel makes Kate the only one who can fix the future. Risking everything, she travels back in time to the Chicago World’s fair to try to prevent the murder and the chain of events that follows.

Changing the timeline comes with a personal cost—if Kate succeeds, the boy she loves will have no memory of her existence. And regardless of her motives, does Kate have the right to manipulate the fate of the entire world?

Having just read Ruby Red, this book felt strangely familiar. Let me say, the two are quite different in execution and results, but both being about girls from modern days who time travel back to the Chicago World’s fair was a strange coincidence. Kate was your typical teenage girl, though she goes through quite the ordeal when she realizes that someone who can time travel has messed with her past and the only thing keeping her from blinking out of existence is her own medallion that allows her to travel in time as well. She has to figure out how to undo the damage while dealing with her newfound abilities and a new reality forming around her. Should she trust the boy on the train who looks at her with tenderness and love, or allow herself to fall for the boy who helps her deal with her new life, at the risk of losing him if she puts everything right? This is a great time-travel story, and handles the paradoxes without too much confusion. As long as you don’t overthink it, it works. This is a solid addition to the time-travel genre. My only beef is with the introduction of the ridiculously overdone love triangle.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5 

Ruby Red

By Kerstin Gier

Gwyneth Shepherd’s sophisticated, beautiful cousin charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era! Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon—the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18^th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

I’m always interested in time travel novels. I find them fascinating when they’re treated in a believable manner. This particular young adult novel about a girl who never expected to time travel but inexplicably does, is interesting. Gwyneth is not happy about the turn of events in her life, as she cannot control her ability. Her cousin Charlotte is even less happy because she was supposed to be the one destined to have the family time travel gene. Cue haughty and arrogant Gideon, the other time traveler from a different family, and you’ve got your love interest. Of course he’s gorgeous. Of course he hates Gwyneth in true Mr. Darcy-like fashion. And of course he starts to see Gwyneth’s courage and of course they are thrown into the middle of a mystery and possible conspiracy and have only each other to trust…or do they? Well, this story moved along at a good clip, had interesting characters, and of course lovely jaunts to the past. I liked it as I read, though I was a little miffed at the fact that the other time traveler was so pompous and obviously meant for our heroine. Another huge problem for me: the book freaking ends in the middle of a sentence. I’m not joking. It’s going along all fine and then just…nothing. That is not okay. That is just ugh. Otherwise this was a fun and entertaining read, and the first in a trilogy, and also a movie (in German). 

I give it a 3 out of 5 for being average. 

Stardust

By Neil Gaiman

Hopelessly crossed in love, a boy of half-fairy parentage leaves his mundane Victorian-English village on a quest for a fallen star in the magical realm. The star proves to be an attractive woman with a hot temper, who plunges with our hero into adventures featuring witches, the lion and the unicorn, plotting elf-lords, ships that sail the sky, magical transformations, curses whose effects rebound, binding conditions with hidden loopholes and all the rest.

Neil Gaiman is amazing, in case you didn’t know…but this book kinda fell flat for me. For one thing it had a seeming random triste between one of the princes and a bar-maid that was a bit too much for my sensitivities to handle, as well as a love scene right off the bat from which our hero is the outcome. Cue awkward feelings. I read this because I enjoyed the movie adaptation so much. I’ve had to warn people that I recommended the movie to about the content of the book in case they were eyeing it, because they feel the way I do about “adult content”. That being said, normally I appreciate Gaiman’s dry wit and clever creativity in his writing, but this just seem dry with too little wit and I found myself reading it without my accustomed excitement for one of his books. I just didn’t fancy this one Neil, sorry. If you like fantasy and loveliness, try one of Neil’s other books like The Graveyard Book, or Odd and the Frost Giants. I loved both, but those are young adult genres, so maybe it’s just that I love Neil’s younger audience books? I’ve got a few of his adult books in my reading queue so I’ll let you know how those go!

This one gets a 2.5 out of 5 because it was professional and an adventure.

The House of Hades

By Rick Riordan

At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape? They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.

Yay for Greek demigods! This is the penultimate installation of the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan, and it is just as grand as the rest of the series. After loving the Percy Jackson novels, I didn’t think I would like another series even more, but this one takes the prize. I love all the characters, which is shocking because I usually dislike different perspectives (as I’ve stated many times) but this just plain works. The demigods are back and they’re into crunch-time. Gaia is rising, the Romans are marching, and the clock is ticking for Percy and Annabeth to meet the others at the Doors of Death. Follow Annabeth and Percy through Tartarus, meeting the monsters they put there, and some surprising allies. It’s a race to get to the doors, but it’s also a challenge to stay in one piece while running from the monsters that want revenge. The others up top-side are also racing to the Doors with the help of Nico diAngelo, who is shady (literally) to say the least. Leo is still tinkering and thinking of a certain girl on an island, Frank is still an awesome warrior teddy-bear with a stick for a lifeline, Hazel has some issues to work through, and Jason is trying to take the reins and lead them all to safety with the help and support of Piper. It’s difficult to review this without giving things away, so I’ll say just read it if you’ve started the series, it’s amazing and Riordan knows what he’s about.

Content warning: If it bothers you, there is a character that comes out as gay. I did appreciate how Riordan handled it with kindness and I thought it could be a teaching moment for parents and kids, whether you agree with it or not.

I give it a solid 4 out of 5 for awesomeness.

Across a Star Swept Sea

By Diana Peterfreund

Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo…is her most dangerous mission ever.

Though Persis is falling for Justen, she can’t risk showing him her true self, especially once she learns he’s hiding far more than simply his disenchantment with his country’s revolution and his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. His darkest secret could plunge both islands into a new dark age, and Persis realizes that when it comes to Justen Helo, she’s not only risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.

Here’s the second installment in the world of “For Darkness Shows the Stars”, set in a different part of the world from Eliot’s, this is the world of Persis Blake, aristocrat, socialite, vapid, and empty-headed…or is she? In this lovely sci-fi retelling of  The Scarlet Pimpernel, we see an intelligent and caring young woman risk everything to save those in danger of losing their minds to the new weaponized drug that is Reducing those born with their minds intact. While all this political play is going on, Persis’s best friend, who happens to be Royalty, asks her a favor: look after Justen Helo, a refugee and prodigy in his chosen field of science and medicine. Persis’s secret comes at a cost when she begins to fall for the passionate, and secretive Justen. Justen is smart and observant, and can’t seem to understand why a girl who is obviously almost as intelligent (maybe more) than he is would pretend to be otherwise. Persis doesn’t know what to do with the young Helo when she discovers secrets about him, because she wants more than anything to be able to trust him. This is a great retelling of a fantastic classic, and a great addition to a spectacular world that the author has created. My only difficulty with this book was centered on the relationship between Justen and Persis and the scenes where they are swimming and making out. As per usual, this kind of thing makes me uncomfortable, so I like to warn people when it occurs, in case there are other hyper-sensitive people out there. Other than that very small issue, this book was fantastic and lovely.

4.25 out of 5

Wildwood Dancing

By Juliet Marillier

High in the Transylvanian woods, at the castle Piscul Draculi, live five daughters and their doting father. It’s an idyllic life for Jena, the second eldest, who spends her time exploring the mysterious forest with her constant companion, a most unusual frog. But best by far is the castle’s hidden portal, known only to the sisters. Every Full Moon, they alone can pass through it into the enchanted world of the Other Kingdom. There they dance through the night with the fey creatures of this magical realm.

But their peace is shattered when Father falls ill and must go to the southern parts to recover, for that is when cousin Cezar arrives. Though he’s there to help the girl survive the brutal winter, Jena suspects he has darker motives in store. Meanwhile, Jena’s sister has  fallen in love with a dangerous creature of the Other Kingdom---and impossible union it’s up to Jena to stop.

When Cezar’s grip of power begins to tighten, at stake is everything Jena loves: her home, her family, and the Other Kingdom she has come to cherish. To save her world, Jena will be tested in ways she can’t imagine—tests of trust, strength, and true love.

I have heard a lot of love for this book and was just waiting for the right time and mood to read it. I was not disappointed. IT was a sort of mix of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, and The Frog Prince, except it was so originally done, you can only catch a passing resemblance to this stories. It was great story-telling. The choice of setting the story in Romania was awesome, though I was miffed with the names and even with the pronunciation guide, I still had difficulty and found it halted the flow of the story. Other than that the girls, of which there are only 5, are well fleshed out and individual, which is rare to find outside of the heroine of the story. The fairy realm is beautiful and the dwarves and other creatures were just as mystical. I was reminded of all the images that stuck in my mind as a child about fae creatures and was transported there with them. There is much about love and sacrifice, honor and choice. It’s got some great gems in it about where our choices lead us, and the love story was not straight-forward and predictable. That was my favorite part. I got a bout of dread when vampires showed up—but no worries. They are not even named as vampires, but “night people” (though they totally were vampires) and they are as nightmarish and eerie as they should be. No sparkles! It was a wonderful story full of magic and a little mayhem, and mostly a test of courage and ingenuity for the characters. Highly recommend this, not only to people who like re-tellings, but people who enjoy a good fantasy.

I give it a 4.25 out of 5

Palace of Stone

By Shannon Hale

Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city seems a thrill beyond imagining. When Miri and her friends from Mount Eskel set off to help the future princess Britta prepare for her royal wedding, she is happy about her chance to attend school in the capital city. There, Miri befriends students who seems so sophisticated and exciting…until she learns that they have some frightening plans. They think that Miri will help them, that she should help them. Soon Miri fiinds herself torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends’ ideas, between an old love and a new crush,k and between her small mountain home and the bustling city.

I meant to read this when it first came out but couldn’t really get in the mood. Even when I did read it it took forever for me to really get into the story, which is abnormal for me with a book by Shannon Hale, who is fantastic. Needless to say, I liked the original MUCH better. Miri irritated me because, once more, she has Peder there and is crushing on a stranger and doubting Peder’s affection. The actual political shenanigans and plot line was good. Typical of Shannon Hale to have it perfectly hashed out and wrap it up in a bow. Love that, also the fact that I am never quite sure how it’s going to work out is a plus.

I give it a 3 out of 5

Sense and Sensibility

By Jane Austen

The Dashwoods have just lost their beloved husband and father, have been forced to move away from their beautiful home, and have little to recommend themselves to men for their future comfort besides their beauty and personality. Marianne is the romantic, untempered, unfettered. Eleanor is ever practical and reserved. When they both gain and lose love, will they find it again? Can this new life of theirs be endured?

Finally. I have wanted to read this for years. I’m in love with the movie with Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon and have been dying to read the novel. As with all of Jane Austen’s novels, the heroine’s win the day at the end and while they wade through pain and despair, everything turns out great. I was a bit disappointed in Edward’s character. He seemed kinda…whiney. Oh well, my favorite character was good. I feel a little ashamed to admit this though, I don’t think I’ll ever read it again. I like the movie and TV versions better! There I said it. Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice are top notch books though. Even though Colin Firth is awesome as Mr. Darcy, you can’t beat reading the book.

I give it a 3 out of 5

Fox Forever

By Mary E. Pearson

Locke Jenkins has some catching up to do. After spending 260 years as a disembodied mind in a little black box, he has a perfect new body. But before he can move on with his unexpected new life, he’ll have to return the Favor he accepted from the shadowy resistance group known as the Network.

Locke must infiltrate the home of a government official by gaining the trust of his daughter, seventeen-year-old Raine, and he soon finds himself pulled deep into the world of the resistance—and into Raine’s life.

 

So I was very anticipatory of this series after reading the first book “The Adoration of Jenna Fox” which was, in a word, amazing. The second book I didn’t like as much, it took on a darker tone and was told from Locke’s point of view instead of Jenna’s. But I still was invested enough to read this last installment, and was quite pleased. It still didn’t have the same punch as the first book, but it was great in its own right. It’s got the almost obligatory love story, but it tackles some interesting issues—mainly the question “what is it to be human?” Locke is a great character and very well written and believable as a teenager turned bio-miracle. Raine is interesting and their connection was well done, not over done and not treated lightly. The plot was a little see-through to me, as I knew what was going on from almost the first few pages. IT was still enjoyable and I’d recommend fans of the series to read this last book.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5- it was above average and fun to read.

East

By Edith Pattou

Rose has always felt out of place in her family, a wanderer in a bunch of homebodies. So when an enormous white bear mysteriously shows up and asks her to come away with him—in exchange for health and prosperity for her ailing family—she readily agrees. The bear takes Rose to a distant castle, where each night she is confronted with a mystery. In solving that mystery, she loses her heart, discovers her purpose, and realizes her travels have only just begun.

Ever since I read Jessica Day George’s book “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” I have loved this particular fairy tale, most likely because it resembles Beauty and the Beast so much. This telling is creative and interesting, what with the “birth-direction” superstition and the way she describes the trolls, which was unlike anything I’d ever read or heard before. The characters aren’t all that memorable, and a little flat, which often happens in re-tellings of famous fairy tales. She does do Rose credibly, but most of the other characters are rather stereotypical, but that doesn’t make them less likeable in many cases. The story is told in a many-perspective view, mostly in Rose, but sometimes the bear, the troll, her brother, and her father. That was a little distracting, and I typically don’t like different perspectives while reading, it’s too jolting. It works, but I still would have preferred at least less perspectives to jump to and from. When all is said and done, this was an interesting and quick jaunt, but I did get tired of reading it, which is never good. I can’t really recommend it if you enjoy re-tellings, though many people really love this book. My best guess is that if you like young adult fiction and you like fairy tales, this is a fun read. If, like me, you want to find the best re-tellings of fairy tales, this one isn’t the best in my opinion for the fairy tale “east of the sun and west of the moon”.

I give it a 3 out of 5- average