Book Dump

See?  Gwyneth Paltrow lets her books pile up too.

Well I have a few confessions to make . . . exactly ten of them, actually.  That's right, I'm ten books behind in my reviews and it's totally stressing me out.  Lately I feel as if I only have time to read OR write about reading, and I seem to be choosing the former most often.  So, I've created this "Book Dump" for two reasons.  1. So you can see what I've been reading (I'm sure there are at least a few people out there who find my book selections utterly fascinating from a scientific standpoint).  2. To tell you that I'm considering quitting the blog and taking up Goodreads.  By switching to Goodreads I would be able to continue to rate, review, and sort the books I've been reading with far less effort than I'm currently expending.

So, choose among the following:
1. Get a blog review once a month or so.
2. Follow me on Goodreads and see ALL the books I'm reading.
3. I continue the blog, but in a Book Dump format where I basically throw up everything I've been reading in one post every few weeks or so.

In the meantime, here's what you've been missing out on!

The Goblin Wood (Goblin Books, Book 1) by Hilari Bell
The Selection (Selection, Book 1) by Kiera Cass
The Body Finder (The Body Finder, Book 1) by Kimberly Derting
The Pledge (Pledge, Book 1) by Kimberly Derting
Wicked Business (Lizzy and Diesel, Book 2) by Janet Evanovich
Firelight (Firelight, Book 1) by Sophie Jordan
Vanish (Firelight, Book 2) by Sophie Jordan
Heir to Sevenwaters (Sevenwaters, Book 4) by Juliet Marillier
Seer of Sevenwaters (Sevenwaters, Book 5) by Juliet Marillier
The Golden Lily (Bloodlines, Book 2) by Richelle Mead

I've written short reviews and rated these books on Goodreads if you'd like to check them out.  Find them here:  www.goodreads.com/hmclayton

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Book 1)
by Laini Taylor
September 2011
Little, Brown and Company

She had been innocent once, a little girl playing with feathers on the floor of a devil's lair.  She wasn't innocent now . . . 

I must sadly report that this book has been yet another example of what I like to call the "Graceling Effect."  Allow me to explain to you what exactly this phenomenon involves.  The "Graceling Effect" covers all instances in which I was supposed to absolutely love a book and for some reason I skimmed at least half and clawed my eyes out during the rest.  "You will love it!"  They said.  "It's exactly the kind of book you read!"  They said.  "The cover looks awesome!"  I said.  "The premise is perfect!"  I said.  Alas, the stars were not in alignment.  This has happened to me a number of times over the last few years.  Graceling by Kristin Cashore was the first.  To this day I still have people recommend that book to me (I usually reply with hysterical fits of giggles).  I had so many people tell me to read it, in fact, that I gave the series a second chance and read book two, Fire.  It was worse.  So this is what I want to tell you about this book.

I did not like it.  I don't know why I didn't like it.  Perhaps I have some sort of mental block against a romance with angels.  (Fallen suffered similarly at my hands.)  However!  That doesn't mean you won't like it.  In fact, I strongly encourage you to read this book.  Not only does it have stellar reviews, but the writing itself is fantastic and the witty dialogue had me laughing out loud in a few places.  Why this wasn't enough to save it for me, again I don't know.  I will say that the first few chapters (and the European setting!) had me completely hooked and it wasn't until the great reveal and unravel at the end that I got bored, bored, bored.  Maybe it was the romance that killed it for me.  I'm honestly very upset about not liking this book, which is why I keep trying to figure out what was wrong with it.  Especially since the alternative is that there's something wrong with me!  *gasp!*

With her bright blue hair and sketchbook full of monsters, Karou is a mystery not only to others, but to herself.  Raised by demons, Karou has no idea who or what she is.  Until the day she meets Akiva, a gloriously handsome angel, sent to destroy her family.  Now Karou must put all the pieces of the puzzle that is her life together, and accept that the truth will be stranger than anything she has ever imagined.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone Series
Daughter of Smoke & Bone
Days of Blood & Starlight (TBR November 2012)

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce ★

Sisters Red
by Jackson Pearce
June 2010
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

The wolf opened its long jaws.  Rows of teeth stretching for her.  A thought locked itself in Scarlett's mind:  I am the only one left to fight.  So now I must kill you.

A few months back I read Sweetly by Jackson Pearce and absolutely loved her twisted retelling of Hansel and Gretel.  I was delighted to learn that Sweetly was in fact book two, or at least a companion novel to an earlier book, Sisters Red.  Happily, they are definitely companion novels in that they one can be read individually, out of order.  But I did learn a lot about the history and methods of the villains that appeared in Sweetly by reading this book, which focuses on a retelling of the story of Little Red Riding Hood.

Scarlett and Rosie March hunt Fenris - werewolves that not only killed their grandmother, but also stole Scarlett's eye when she was a young girl.  Using red cloaks, sweet perfume, and their feminine charms, the sisters lure the wolves out before slaying them with hatchets and throwing knives.  Scarlett has always lived for the hunt, and ridding the world of one Fenris after another is her passion.  But even though Rosie excels at hunting, she doesn't enjoy it, and longs for a different life where her feelings for a young woodsman wouldn't mean betraying Scarlett.

This book's premise had me devouring page after page, eager to delve deeper into the darkness that is a Jackson Pearce fairy tale.  I only had one disappointment, and that revolved around the romance.  There was a sister that I thought needed a little love in her life and I wasn't thrilled with the way it was resolved . . .   Nevertheless, this book is an excellent addition to Pearce's fairy tale collection and I can't wait for more!

For more fairy tale awesomeness check out this list of retellings!

Companion Novels
Sisters Red
Sweetly
Fathomless (TBR September 2012)

The Council of Mirrors by Michael Buckley ★

The Council of Mirrors (Sisters Grimm, Book 9)
by Michael Buckley
April 2012
Amulet Books

Once upon a time there was a sleepy river town called Ferryport Landing . . . 

So begins the last book in the Sisters Grimm series about a town full of fairy tale characters constantly getting themselves into trouble.  Luckily for the townsfolk, Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are on the case, ready to take on their own possessed Grandmother as well as an entire army of magical creatures in order to finally end the Everafter War.  This is a series that would be very difficult to read out of order so be sure to read it from book one!

I have never understood why these books aren't more widely known and read as I think they are absolutely fantastic!  That said, and this being the last book I really wasn't looking forward to ANY kind of ending the author was going to give me.  But then, in a surprise twist of fate, I got my wish and instead of everything being wrapped up prettily in the last chapter, it turned into the book that would not end.  First the book ended.  Then it had an epilogue.  Then it had another epilogue.  Now normally this might be okay, except that it actually opened up way more questions than it resolved!  I wasn't curious about Sabrina's adult life before, but now I am!  And I'll never know.  Unless of course there's a new market for Sisters Grimm fan fiction . . . ?  Just putting that out there . . . You're more than welcome to write me some . . .

The Sisters Grimm
The Fairy-Tale Detectives
The Unusual Suspects
The Problem Child
Once Upon A Crime
Magic and Other Misdemeanors
Tales from the Hood
The Everafter War
The Inside Story
The Council of Mirrors

The Shamer Chronicles by Lene Kaaberbol

The Shamer's Daughter (The Shamer Chronicles, Book 1)
by Lene Kaaberbol
First published in English in 2002
Henry Holt and Company, LLC

Who dares look into her eyes?

If I had stopped reading this series after the first book, I believe I would have given it a star.  Instead, I found myself desperately slogging through book after book waiting for things to pick up and improve.  Sadly, for me they didn't.  Even sadder is the fact that I liked the characters less and less the more I got to know them.  By the end of the series, I was completely disgusted with even my favorite characters from book one. I think what I'm trying to say here is, if you're going to read these books, try to be satisfied with the ending in book one, because it honestly doesn't get much better.

Dina's mother is a Shamer, a person gifted with the ability to reveal the soul's deepest secrets simply by looking into their eyes.  Frequently called upon to look at hard criminals and common thieves alike, Dina knows the stress and sadness of her mother's lonely life.  For who would willingly look into the eyes of someone who knows all your darkest thoughts and actions?  Which is why Dina is so unsure and even a little ashamed of her new power when she learns she has inherited the Shamer's ability.  But when her mother is called to Dunark castle to assist in the investigation of a triple murder, Dina will come to know the true burden of the Shamer's gift.

Dina is a plucky little heroine all throughout the first book and I enjoyed her adventures and encounters.  Young fans of literature that features dragons, magic, and a little political intrigue may enjoy this series.

The Shamer Chronicles
The Shamer's Daughter
The Shamer's Signet
The Serpent Gift
The Shamer's War

The Man With the Golden Torc by Simon R. Green

The Man With the Golden Torc (Secret History, Book 1)
by Simon R. Green 
June 2007
Roc Hardcover

All those things you heard about as a kid?  The boogeyman under the bed?  The creature in the closet?  The ghost in the . . . er . . . garage?  They're for real, people.  Believe me, I know.  I'm Eddie Drood.  And if it weren't for me and my family, all the things that go bump in the night would be mucking the world up, big-time.

You can call him Bond.  Shaman Bond.  Or at least that's what he goes by when he's on the job, working for "the family" as a secret agent who quietly dispatches those too familiar bumps in the night.  And he's good at it too, or at least he thought he was until the family sent an entire army of dark elves, aliens, and witches to kill him.  Now Eddie's running for his life, from the most elite agents in the world, looking for the answer to questions such as "Why does my family want me dead?", "What secrets are the droods hiding from the world?", and "When did Molly the evil witch get so dang hot?!"  Together with a few new friends, Eddie will go deep into the world of the evil creatures he's hunted his entire life in order to expose the dark truth about the family he's always held so dear.

Filled with plenty of fun parody, action, magic, and even a little romance, Eddie's adventures as the world's most top secret agent won't disappoint!  It may not be my new favorite book, but when you're in the mood for a little Bond action with a sci-fi twist then give this series a try!

The Secret Histories
The Man with the Golden Torc
Daemons Are Forever
The Spy Who Haunted Me
From Hell with Love
For Heaven's Eyes Only

Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross ★

Kill Me Softly
by Sarah Cross
April 2012
EgmontUSA

She'd never looked more beautiful, more perfect, than she did when she was dead.

Before I say anything else about this book, there is something about it that you have to know.  I just wouldn't feel right not warning you about the terrible, horrible thing that happens on page 331 of this book.  The thing that makes you curse your very existence and gnash your teeth as you shake your first at the heavens screaming "Why?!  Why has this thing happened to me?!"  That's right, this book . . . ends.  You heard me.  After 331 pages of delicious bad boys, twisted fairy tales, and dark forbidden romance this book ended.  *sob*  It wasn't even a bad ending.  Everything is very nicely wrapped up, HOWEVER, the author must understand that she cannot simply create an amazing world with such seriously messed up characters and not expect us to need more of their stories.  That's right, Sarah Cross is putting the grimm back in fairy tales.

Mirabelle has spent her entire life with her two guardians who have told her nothing about her parents nor her birthplace, Beau Rivage, beyond warning her that she must never go there.  Fed up with the secrecy surrounding her beginnings, Mira runs away from home right before her sixteenth birthday to find her parents' graves.  Upon arriving in Beau Rivage, Mira begins to notice that the town's inhabitant's seem a little off.  Especially since her new friends include a very pale girl who likes apples, a charming boy who wields swords, and an obnoxious playboy with a beastly personality.  Mira feels like she has fallen into a fairy tale but which character is she?  And will she have a happily-ever-after?

Fast paced and utterly enchanting, I highly recommend this fairy tale where good and evil are not always as black and white as they seem.

Check out this list for more modern fairy tales!

Bewitching by Alex Flinn

Bewitching
by Alex Flinn
February 2012
HarperTeen

Once, I put a curse on a beastly and arrogant high school boy.  That one turned out all right.  Others didn't.

Everyone knows the story of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid.  But we rarely get to hear these tales from the Fairy Godmother, or in this case the witch's point of view.  Enter Kendra, the teen witch from Beastly, who discovered her powers in England in 1666 while everyone she loved was dying from the plague.  Kendra has tried her best over the last three hundred and fifty years to only use her magic to help people.  But despite her best efforts mermaids turn to sea foam, and she's constantly banished from kingdoms and countries.  So when she runs across Emma, and her Cinderella-like tale, Kendra hesitates to help.  But Emma might just need a little magic to get her happily-ever-after.

Sadly I didn't enjoy the parts of this book that were written from Kendra's point of view, but I loved Emma's story!  This was such a unique retelling of Cinderella with a wonderful twist!  I found myself sympathizing with all the characters, as there were no villains or heroes here.  Just a lot of misguided people making bad decisions, just like we all do.  Even though I loved Emma's tale I can't put a star on this book, simply because Kendra's stories bored me a bit and I found myself skimming and then skipping over them completely.  But if fairy tales make your heart sing, I wouldn't pass this one up!

For more fairy tale goodness, check out this list of retellings!  I also highly recommend The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey if you're looking for a similar, more adult read.

The Kendra Chronicles
Beastly
Bewitching

The Stolen One by Suzanne Crowley ★

The Stolen One
by Suzanne Crowley
June 2009
Greenwillow Books

No one wanted you.  But I did.

I'm not normally a fan of historical fiction, so it's surprising to me that not only have I reviewed two of them this week, but that both garnered stars and a "favorites" label.  I actually began this book very grudgingly.  One night I flung myself onto my bed and sighed loudly "I'm bored and have absolutely NOTHING to read!"  My husband glanced at my towering pile of books waiting to be read and (thankfully) didn't say anything.  He simply walked over and began to go through them.  After a few minutes he selected this one from my pile and said "Here, read this.  If you're not happy in fifteen minutes we'll go watch a movie or something."  Fifteen minutes later I shooed him away because I was completely engrossed in Kat's story.

Kat doesn't know who she is.  Abandoned as a baby, she and her "sister" Anna have been raised by Grace in their tiny village outside Sudeley Castle.  After Grace's death, Kat declines her childhood friend's marriage proposal and runs away to London in order to discover the truth about her parentage.  Through her talent with a needle and a few small twists of fate, Kat soon finds herself a member of Queen Elizabeth's entourage.  Graced with the constant presence of a Queen she's always loved and respected, and surrounded by many flirtatious men at court, Kat has everything she's ever wanted.  But as the mystery of her birth unravels, Kat may learn more than she wants to know, and sacrifice more than she knew she had to lose.

This book does an excellent job with the mystery surrounding Mary Seymour's disappearance from all records after the year 1550.  I cannot believe it has so few reviews on Amazon as it has nothing less than a four star rating for a reason!  My library doesn't own it, and chances are yours doesn't either.  But if you're a fan of historical fiction or "love dodecahedrons" then find this book and read it!  I promise you won't be disappointed.

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers ★

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, Book 1)
by Robin LaFevers
April 2012
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Why be the sheep when you can be the wolf?

Okay, first of all, who doesn't want to read a series called His Fair Assassin?!  Sqeeee!  So cool!  No?  Not your thing?  Alright then, how about killer nuns in medieval Europe?  Ahh yes, that got you, didn't it?

Ismae was only fourteen when the man she knew as her father promised her to a lecherous, old man in an arranged marriage.  Through the help of a secret order, she managed to escape her husband and find refuge in the convent of St. Mortain, the God of Death.  Now, at seventeen, Ismae is a trained assassin, using whatever means necessary to kill those whom her blessed Saint has marked for death.  With St. Mortain for a father, Ismae has never questioned her abilities, nor her destiny.  Which is why she eagerly embarks on a dangerous assignment where all of Brittany is at stake.  Her mission: to watch the mysterious Gavriel Duval at court and look for opportunities to dispatch him.  But what's an assassin to do when she finds herself falling for her mark?

Rich in history, romance, and political intrigue, Grave Mercy is an adventure not to be missed!

His Fair Assassin
Grave Mercy
Dark Triumph (TBR 2013)
Dark Hope (TBR 2014)

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Just Ella
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
September 1999
Simon & Schuster

I was cold.  I was lonely.  I was engaged to be married in two short months to the most handsome man I'd ever seen - the prince of the land, the heir to the throne.  But I had never felt so alone in all my life, not even shivering in rags in my garret the day they came to say my father was dead.  This was happiness?

Most people know the story of Cinderella, but we seldom get past "and they lived happily ever after."  Well what if she didn't live happily ever after?  What if promising to marry a prince was only the beginning of her problems?  For Ella, it is.  She may be living comfortably in the palace, waiting to marry the local stud muffin, but her days are filled with endless lessons on manners and propriety, and absurd restrictions.  Is this what she wanted?  Is Ella doomed to live happily never after?

I love that this story continues a tale that we almost never hear more about.  The premise of the book was definitely interesting as the love at first sight story that we all know has always seemed a bit silly to me.  The awkwardness of that encounter can definitely be felt throughout this book as Ella and the Prince rarely have anything to say to one another except "Boy, you are SMOKIN' hot!"  But the book also got a little ridiculous at times with the insane restrictions placed upon Ella and the other ladies at court.  I'm no historian (and yes, I know we're in fairy tale land here) but the world is definitely more strict than is traditional.

*SPOILER*  The book also gets a little darker at the end, when Ella faces the possibility of being raped and murdered.  But the number one thing that bothered me happened near the end.  Ella has been imprisoned in a cell until she can come to her senses about actually going through with the wedding to the prince.  Happily, her servant friend brings her a shovel, with which she is able to dig her way to freedom through the crap hole in her cell.  That's all fine and plausible, but what did she do with the dirt?!  Surely someone would have noticed all the dirt piling up in the cell, so she can't have put it there.  Did she hide it under the bed?  Fill her empty food dishes with it?  I don't know!  Perhaps Ella really did have a fairy godmother who magicked it all away.  In any case, this question of what happened to the dirt bothered me so much I was nearly incapable of enjoying the rest of the story.  *SPOILER END*

If you're a fairy tale fanatic like me then this book (which only takes a few hours to read) is definitely worth your time.  Or, try these other fairy tale retellings!

The Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore ★

I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies, Book 1)
by Pittacus Lore
August 2010
Harper

Three are dead.  I am number four.

I knew when they were making this movie that I was going to have to read the book first.  What I cannot believe is how long I had to wait for it to be available from the library.  This has been a seriously popular series in my town!  Happily, having to wait forever for book one meant I got to read the first TWO books in the series and I only have to wait a few more months for book three.  See?  Bet you wish you'd waited to read these too.  (I'm under no delusions.  There can't possibly be anyone else out there who hasn't read these who wanted to.)  But for those who saw the movie and loved it, or have never heard of this series, get ready for an extraterrestrial action/romance/suspense that kept me so entertained I never stopped to question the logistics.  (Unlike other alien reads . . . )  But let us not speak of unpleasant things.

Number four was marooned on earth with eight other children when their home planet, Lorien, was destroyed by Mogadarians.  Luckily the Loriens look completely human (again, this really didn't bother me) and they have spent years hiding on earth, developing their special talents and abilities in preparation for the day when they can strike back at those who took their home.  But the Mogadarians know they are coming, and have begun hunting the children, who are now in their teens.  A spell that was cast on them makes it so that they must be killed in order of their numbers, or they will not die.  Number four has three scars on his leg that tell him the first three are dead.  Which can only mean one thing . . . number four is next.

I highly recommend these books for reluctant readers, and anyone looking for a different kind of paranormal series.  The Lorien Legacies are among the few books out there that successfully deal with aliens;  a subject which secretly fascinates us all.

The Lorien Legacies
I Am Number Four
The Power of Six
The Rise of Nine (TBR August 2012)

The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons ★

The House at Tyneford
by Natasha Solomons
December 2011
Plume

Please treat the church and houses with care; we have given up our homes where many of us lived for generations to help win the war to keep men free.  We shall return one day and thank you for treating the village kindly.  ~ Notice pinned to the door of Tyneford Church by departing villagers, Christmas Eve, 1941

It has been a long time since I last read a book that brought me this much joy while simultaneously causing me to sob uncontrollably upon finishing it.  A friend recommended this one and I started it thinking "I'll just read it slowly in between my other more exciting young adult fantasy books."  Well within about ten pages it was the only book I was reading, as fast as I could, desperate to completely immerse myself in the beautiful English countryside and the stately house at Tyneford.

It is 1938 and nineteen-year-old Jewish Elise Landau can no longer stay in the glittering city of Vienna.  But visas are extremely hard to come by, and Elise is forced to find work as a housemaid in an English home in order to escape Austria.  Now, rather than attending glamorous parties with her friends, Elise is serving drinks.  When she would have once donned beautiful gowns, she is now hemming them.  Instead of meeting new and exciting young men, Elise is, erm, still meeting new and exciting young men.  The young master of the house to be exact.  (nudge nudge wink wink)  But no place is truly safe, and war is coming to Tyneford.

I don't want to give much more away.  Yes, the characters are a little cliche.  Almost to the point that I was using characters from Downton Abbey as points of reference.  But that was perfectly forgivable seeing as how I love Downton Abbey and don't currently have any new episodes to watch.  The story itself wasn't groundbreakingly original either, but the background story that deals with a novel in a viola was powerful and mysterious.  Elise endured so much in order to love not just once, but twice in her life (I have to admit to being a little disgruntled about the love story, but never mind that).  The House at Tyneford is a beautiful, romantic tragedy set against the backdrop of Jane Austen's English countryside, right before it disappeared forever.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking, Book 1)
by Patrick Ness
September 2008
Candlewick

"If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel's heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence."  ~George Eliot, Middlemarch

I recently read an article that outlined fifteen young adult books that could be the next big movie (that teens would willingly do chores to go see).  The Knife of Never Letting Go (which has an impressive collection of awards) was one of the books listed that I had never heard of.  This offended me on a very personal level.  How dare anyone consider making a book into an enterprise without me knowing about it?!  To correct this gross affront, I read the book.  (Whew!  Crisis adverted.)

From the very first sentence of this book I was completely engrossed in the strange new world where Todd lives.  A world where Todd's parents and their friends settled after leaving their homes on a former planet that was dying.  A world where you can hear everyone else's thoughts and the endless stream of internal chatter that accompanies it.  It's never quiet.  You always know what people think of you.  They will always know what you think of them.  And it is all but impossible to escape their plans for you.  How do you run from someone that knows your every move?

I'm surprised this book was listed in this article, as it is nothing like most of the other titles.  No one falls in love with any paranormal creatures (aliens included).  There is no love triangle.  (There go all the "team" t-shirt businesses.)  Have I mentioned the absence of romance?  That's not to say there isn't some potential for a cute romance in the future (there are three books, after all) but for the most part the relationships in this book are based on friendship and a mutual fear of the insane murderer who is chasing them.

Even without a "so hot it's practically flammable" love story, this book is thought-provoking and disturbing in a way that keeps you turning the pages.  There are no black and white characters here.  Everyone makes decisions in shades of gray.  But it is these choices that will ultimately shape the destiny of their new home on this alien planet.  Lionsgate has already purchased the rights to make the Chaos Walking Trilogy into a film series.  To claim full bragging rights, be sure to read these books now so you can snottily turn to your friends in a year or so and say "Oh that old thing?  Yeah, I read it before it was a movie."

If totally messed up societies are your thing, give these other books a try.

Chaos Walking
The Knife of Never Letting Go
The Ask and the Answer
Monsters of Men

Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

Blood Magic (The Blood Journals, Book 1)
by Tessa Gratton
May 2011
Random House Books for Young Readers

I pushed the knife against my skin, puckering it but not breaking through.  My whole body shivered.  I was about to find out if magic was real.  The electric thrill of terror was sharp on my tongue.  I cut deep.

"All the blood with none of the vampires" is how this book is being marketed to fans of Stephenie Meyer and Carrie Jones' dark paranormal teen romances.  (And for a good reason!  Vampires will weep and tear at their parched throats when they see the amount of blood that is causally spilled and let go to waste here.)  After finding her parents brutally murdered in their own home, Silla has a hard time fitting in at school and pretending not to see blood everywhere she looks.  When a mysterious spell book arrives in her father's own handwriting Silla must try even harder to act "normal" as she discovers that her blood has the potential to create magic.  With the help of her older brother Reese and Nick, the handsome new boy in town, Silla is willing to drain every last drop of her blood in order to find her parents' killers.

This was definitely a bloodier novel than most, though not unmanageable for young adults.  It did concern me, however, that the characters had no problem cutting themselves in order to perform their magic spells.  They almost didn't seem to understand the price that they were paying to simply watch leaves dance around the yard.  Instead, they took pleasure from the act and enjoyed the way the magic made them feel.

I also didn't appreciate all the kissing.  Now I do love me some kissing (both in actuality and in my fiction) but the making out was seriously getting out of hand.  And not even in a too hot and heavy kind of way.  It's simply inappropriate for the scenes in which it occurs.  The characters found every possible excuse to shove their tongues down each others throats, even in situations where I couldn't possibly imagine ever feeling like kissing someone!  To demonstrate what I mean, here is some actual dialogue from the screenplay I've decided to write for this book.

Silla:  Nick!  Everyone I love is dead!
Nick:  Nooooooo!  We should kiss!  (smush smush smush)
Ten Minutes Later
Silla:  Oh my darling Nick!  I missed you so much while I was around the corner talking to that other character about our plans to murder someone.  (flings herself into his arms)
Nick:  Dearest Silla, never shall we part again.  (loud kissing noises)
One Minute Later
Silla:  I just figured out who the evil witch in our town --- (Nick grabs her and starts kissing her)
Silla: mmph Nick mphh what are kiss kiss you mphh doing?
Nick:  I just love you that much baby.  Now what were you saying about the evil witch that we've been running from this whole novel who is probably killing everyone we know and love as we stand here wrapped in each other's arms?
Fifteen Minutes Later
Nick:  Are you going to eat that sandwich?
Silla:  No, but I am going to KISS you!  (Silla flies across the table and lands gracefully in Nick's lap.  She proceeds to eat his face.  Nick finishes sandwich during breaks for air.)

Are you starting to get the picture?  I have a man in my life that I absolutely adore.  But I'm almost positive that sucking on his face would be the last thing on my mind if I was running from a psychopathic witch while digesting the news that my father was a sorcerer and everyone I loved was dying while I knelt in an ever growing puddle of their blood.  But I suppose we all have our own ways of coping . . .

The good news is that even though this is part of a series, the book is a standalone!  So feel free to indulge without fear of attachment or the anxiety that today's authors constantly produce with their so-called bestselling series.

Check out this list for other books that run on the side of paranormal.

The Blood Journals
Blood Magic
Blood Keeper (TBR August 2012)

Darkness Rising by Kelley Armstrong ★

The Gathering (Darkness Rising, Book 1)
by Kelley Armstrong
April 2011
HarperCollins

The world seemed to dip and darken, and I smelled wet earth and thick musk and fresh blood.  The wind whipped past, like I was running.  Running so fast the ground whizzed beneath me, the wind cut across my skin.  Exhilaration filled me.

Dear Kelley Armstrong,

You'll have to forgive me if I come off a little too strong but there's something I've been meaning to tell you . . . I absolutely love your young adult books!  Last year I spent two glorious days engrossed in your Darkest Powers trilogy.  Two truly magical days in which my child had to fend for himself until my husband got home because I couldn't go a single moment without the story.  How pleased I am to be able to tell you that once again my son had no mother while I read the first two books in your new Darkness Rising series.

I am seriously in love with the characters and the premise of this follow up series to Darkest Powers.  Maya Delaney has always lived a somewhat carefree life with her adopted family in a small town on Vancouver Island.  But strange things are happening; such as the mysterious drowning of Maya's best friend, visions of cougars, her friend's spot-on intuition and premonitions, and a scrappy new bad boy who comes to town and seems particularly interested in her birthmark.  Maya is about to discover that her forest, home, and friends all have secrets that they're not sharing.

These books suck you in completely from the very first paragraph.  The characters don't waste time being idiotic and uncertain.  Instead, as revelations occur and the mystery is pieced together everyone is quick to process and move on.  I love this assumption of intelligence and strength!  I read so many books where the characters are unwilling to accept that someone has special powers or who feel betrayed by their friends and take off without waiting for an explanation.  The dialogue and revelations all feel very natural and the characters never forget the friendship and loyalty they have built from childhood.

I also really appreciate Maya's mistakes with love.  Very rarely do authors address the imperfections of falling in love, especially young love.  Rather, they choose to emphasize love at first sight, or throw a perfect man at the teen protagonist so there is never anything to forgive or accept.  And speaking of love . . . please, please, please let her end up with Daniel!!!  *swoon*  With a scorching pace, intriguing mystery, and a romance that never gets in the way of the story, Darkness Rising is a series I will be recommending!

Love from one of your biggest fans,
Heather

PS - Please write fast!  I needed book three yesterday!

Darkest Powers
The Summoning
The Awakening
The Reckoning

Darkness Rising
The Gathering
The Calling
The Rising (TBR 2013)

Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter ★

Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society, Book 2)

by Ally Carter

June 2011

Hyperion Book CH

This time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.

Recently I've been so disappointed by sequels that I almost decided not to read this one.  I am SO glad I did!  It is very rare for a book to not only live up to the first one in a series but to exceed it!

In Heist Society, Katarina Bishop shocked her friends and relatives by leaving the family "thieving and conning" business.  Unfortunately, old habits die hard and Kat finds herself back in the game, only as a sort of modern day Robin Hood.  Stealing from those who've stolen and returning the items to their rightful owners is what we find Kat doing at the beginning of book two.  But when she's asked to steal the Cleopatra emerald, a cursed gemstone that even her uncle failed to lift, Kat must reevaluate her ideas about being a one man show.  Now she must once again pull together her team of teenage super thieves and set out to do what no one has ever succeeded at before.  This is such a fun series and I highly recommend it to both teens and adults for the non-stop action and adorable romance.  2013 and the release of book three can't come too soon!  (Neither can a film version.  Oh and cast this man as the incredibly sexy, always dependable W.W. Hale please and thank you.)

Heist Society Novels

Heist Society

Uncommon Criminals

Book 3 (TBR 2013)

Blood Ninja by Nick Lake ★

Blood Ninja (Blood Ninja, Book 1)
by Nick Lake
August 2010
Simon & Schuster

Real adventure involves pain, loss, and blood.  Sometimes all at once.

I absolutely love discovering a new series just as the last book is about to be published!  Sadly, my library doesn't own them all yet, leaving me with only one book to share.  But that's okay!  Because there is plenty to say about this marvelous book with a premise that sounds like a train wreck but is in fact a masterpiece!

Premise: Ninjas are stealthy, creatures of the night.  It therefore follows that all ninjas are actually vampires!  Cheesy and preposterous are just two of the words that come to mind, right?  Well Nick Lake is a genius because not only did this work, but vampires in general make so much more sense now as a plausible fictional creature.  Lake explains so many of the things that we wonder about vampires.  "Why do they drink blood?" and "Why can they only come out at night?" are two questions that Lake addresses beautifully as he combines vampires and Japanese mythology.

Fans of Japanese culture and history will absolutely love all the historical references and the Japanese terminology throughout.  This is definitely a book for young Japan enthusiasts and manga readers.  I can't imagine anyone with a love of Japan not enjoying young Taro's adventures as a vampire ninja during one of the country's most defining moments; that of the rivalry between Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

If that isn't enough to convince you, here in the author's own words is his reasoning for the outcome of a fight between Twilight's Edward and Blood Ninja's Taro.

Absolutely no one at all has asked me who would win in a fight between Taro, the vampire ninja hero of BLOOD NINJA, and Edward, from those obscure, hard-to-find books by Stephenie Meyer.

Which is a shame, because I could answer them very simply: Taro would win. Why? Dude is a NINJA. As we all know, thanks to the mine of valuable information that is the internet, a ninja can whale on anyone's *ss. Even a pirate's. And yes, even Edward's. ESPECIALLY Edward's. Even if Taro wasn't a vampire, he'd win. Has Edward got throwing stars? No. 

I see no flaws in his logic.

For more books about Vampires, check out this reading list!

Blood Ninja Trilogy
Blood Ninja
Blood Ninja II: The Revenge of Lord Oda
Blood Ninja III: The Betrayal of the Living (TBR August 2012)

Crossed by Ally Condie

Crossed (Matched, Book 2)
by Ally Condie
November 2011
Dutton Juvenille

Rules are different outside the society.

For reasons beyond my comprehension these books continue to enjoy raging popularity.  Don't get me wrong, this is a great series.  But there are so many other wonderful dystopian young adult novels that follow a similar premise that one might think the success would be more evenly spread . . . In any case, I've finally read book two in the Matched Trilogy, which began (unsurprisingly) with Matched.  If you haven't read Matched, you should.  (Before you're the only one left on your block who hasn't.  Even the 11 year old boy next door who plays video games all day and eats dirt has read it.)

Crossed picks up close to where Matched left off.  Ky has been shipped off to who knows where and desperate to find him, Cassie takes on jobs in the outer provinces.  But before Cassie can go bounding into the wilderness in search of Ky, Xander shows up (Yes of course he's in this book.  What?  You thought the love triangle was completely resolved and tied up nicely in the first book?  Silly you.  Didn't you realize this was a trilogy?).  Cassie knows she needs to find Ky because she loves him.  But does her heart still long for her childhood friend Xander?  How does she keep them both?  And will she stay alive long enough in the wilderness to choose between them?

So many questions raised . . . that mostly went unanswered.  Crossed builds a nice bridge between Matched and what shall be the conclusion of the series.  This book takes you away from The Society and allows the characters the opportunity to get to know themselves and each other better than they were able previously.  Having gotten this far I will definitely be reading the last book in this series.  But if you haven't already, I do recommend that you try other dystopian novels such as Divergent or Legend in addition to the Matched Trilogy.  (Even if the other books don't have the same visually rockin' covers that these books do.)

The Matched Trilogy
Matched
Crossed
Reached (TBR November 2012)

Sweetly by Jackson Pearce ★

Sweetly
by Jackson Pearce
August 2011
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

"Where's your sister?"  They asked us questions.  They wanted to know why we had let her go.  What we last heard.  What we last saw.  They didn't believe me when I said it was a witch. 

Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I love two things:  1. Dark Chocolate and 2. Fairy Tale retellings.  Sadly, my passion for both leads to similar misfortune in the form of decreased supply and an ever increasing demand.  With fairy tale retellings especially, there never seem to be enough titles or authors to satisfy my craving.  Which is why I was particularly pleased to find this book!  Not only is Jackson Peace a new author for me, but the retold fairy tale is also new to me!  And I bet it'd be new for you too as it is none other than . . . wait for it . . . Hansel and Gretel!!  I know, right?  Jackson Pearce just blew your mind.  How in the world does one take a twisted story about a cannibalistic old crone and greedy children and make it into a young adult book with action, mystery, and even (gasp) romance?!  (Oh and there are also some werewolves thrown in for good measure.)  Like this of course:

Ansel and Gretchen don't like to talk about the day that their little sister disappeared.  But Gretchen swears it was a witch who stole her twin in the dark forest behind their home.  Years later, Ansel and Gretchen try to make a new life for themselves by moving to a sunny beach with no creeping woods to remind them of their past.  When their car breaks down, however, they find they are deep in the forest, at the mercy of a kind, and beautiful young woman who owns a chocolate shop.  Sophia is the most warmhearted person that Ansel and Gretchen have ever known and they are immediately drawn to her and her home in the woods.  But Sophia has a secret . . . and not everything is as sweet as it seems.

Darkly mysterious, with warm, lovable characters, Sweetly is a must read for fairy tale enthusiasts!  And now you'll have to excuse me while I go and read Sisters Red, which is apparently the first installment in this fairy tale inspired series.

If you love fairy tales too, check out this list of retellings!

Companion Novels
Sisters Red
Sweetly
Fathomless (TBR September 2012)