Saturday, April 30, 2011

Where Things Come Back: By John Whaley

WHERE THINGS COME BACK

SUMMARY

Just when seventeen-year-old Cullen Witter thinks he understands everything about his small and painfully dull Arkansas town, it all disappears. . . .

In the summer before Cullen's senior year, a nominally-depressed birdwatcher named John Barling thinks he spots a species of woodpecker thought to be extinct since the 1940s in Lily, Arkansas. His rediscovery of the so-called Lazarus Woodpecker sparks a flurry of press and woodpecker-mania. Soon all the kids are getting woodpecker haircuts and everyone's eating "Lazarus burgers." But as absurd as the town's carnival atmosphere has become, nothing is more startling than the realization that Cullen’s sensitive, gifted fifteen-year-old brother Gabriel has suddenly and inexplicably disappeared.

While Cullen navigates his way through a summer of finding and losing love, holding his fragile family together, and muddling his way into adulthood, a young missionary in Africa, who has lost his faith, is searching for any semblance of meaning wherever he can find it. As distant as the two stories seem at the start, they are thoughtfully woven ever closer together and through masterful plotting, brought face to face in a surprising and harrowing climax.

REVIEW

You know you’re reading a fantastic book when you read the last paragraph and immediately turn back to the beginning to start it over again.

Where Things Come Back is just such a book. Personally I don’t know just what it was that made this as irresistible read as it was. I don’t know if I should praise the realistically flawed yet endearing characters. The fascinating mystery/introspective nature of the story. Or just the general captivating nature of the writing itself.

What I can say is that Where Things Come Back is a must read book for everyone, both teens and adults. And that if you had to only read one book this month (I say month because there are some other fantastic books that came out this year and I’d hate to limit you), then it should be Where Things Come Back.

RATING
9 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Atheneum

Published: May 3, 2011

Price: $16.99

The Black: By D.J. MacHale

THE BLACK

SUMMARY

At the end of The Light, Book One of the Morpheus Road trilogy, Marshall learned the truth about what happened to his best friend Cooper. Now in Book Two, the POV switches to Cooper and we get to see his side of the mystery. What does his story have to do with Marshall and the journey along the Morpheus Road? It's time to learn more . . .

REVIEW

The Black is a fascinating book, in the fact that it is much more a companion than a sequel.

The story begins at the same point in time that The Light begins, but from Cooper’s point of view. (I’m about to make a few remarks that, if you haven’t read The Light you need to stop reading this review, and go read The Light first.) While it follows the same timeline as The Light, The Black is a very different book as it follows Cooper through death (see if you didn’t stop when I told you then I just ruined the big surprise) and shows what’s going on to cause the haunting of Marshal throughout The Light.

Besides that, The Black focuses much less on a mysterious element that The Light was comprised of, and more on a fantasy adventure theme, with the adventures and magic associated with being a ghost and the history of the crucibles and the poleax.

As for the characters, while I liked Cooper and the side story revolving around Maggie, I personally found Marshal and Sydney much more endearing characters from The Light. Also I found the idea that all of the troubles of the Morpheus Road and the Watchers, which has been building for millennia, rests in the hands of two teenage boys, and can’t be solved by anyone else, a little much.

Of course that said The Black was a fantastic book that I’d easily recommend to anyone looking for a good fantasy or YA book. It is a great book for teenage boys but will easily find an audience with girls of this age group as well. And I personally can’t wait for the third and final book in this exciting series.

RATING
8.5 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Aladdin

Published: April 19, 2011

Price: $17.99

Sunday, April 24, 2011

The Berlin Boxing Club: By Robert Sharenow

THE BERLIN BOXING CLUB

SUMMARY

Fourteen-year-old Karl Stern has never thought of himself as a Jew. But to the bullies at his school in Naziera Berlin, it doesn't matter that Karl has never set foot in a synagogue or that his family doesn't practice religion. Demoralized by relentless attacks on a heritage he doesn't accept as his own, Karl longs to prove his worth to everyone around him.

So when Max Schmeling, champion boxer and German national hero, makes a deal with Karl's father to give Karl boxing lessons, Karl sees it as the perfect chance to reinvent himself. A skilled cartoonist, Karl has never had an interest in boxing, but as Max becomes the mentor Karl never had, Karl soon finds both his boxing skills and his art flourishing.

But when Nazi violence against Jews escalates, Karl must take on a new role: protector of his family. Karl longs to ask his new mentor for help, but with Max's fame growing, he is forced to associate with Hitler and other Nazi elites, leaving Karl to wonder where his hero's sympathies truly lie. Can Karl balance his dream of boxing greatness with his obligation to keep his family out of harm's way?

REVIEW

The Berlin Boxing Club is not only a stunningly well written book, it is also a brutal and engaging story that will leave readers in stunned silence while they fervently search for the next page that will never come.

The Berlin Boxing Club looks into the world of Jewish Germans during World War II, but instead of focusing on the world of religious Jews, The Berlin Boxing Club instead focuses on Jews who are instead Jews by heritage but not by religious affiliation. The story focuses on a number of important elements; from their family’s persecution, to a coming of age story revolving around the world of boxing, to understanding who someone is, not based on what they look like but instead based on the courage of their actions and the strength in their convictions.

Of course besides having a captivating and moving story, The Berlin Boxing Club also contains fantastic characters and action. All the characters, from The Countess, to Karl, to Max, are robust, realistic, and well written. Of course besides the good, Berlin Boxing Club, also demonstrates how the German people were swept up into the thick of it all. It does not paint them all as monsters, instead it paints some as hideous creatures who enjoy the suffering of others, some who choose to take advantage of those who are downtrodden, and most of all it shows the majority of people too scared to defy these groups, and so because of their own fears give in to the cruelty and discrimination that goes on.

All in all The Berlin Boxing Club is a fantastic book. It is gripping, realistic, full of both action and emotions, and is truly a superb story. This book should be read in classrooms along with other holocaust books such as the Diary of Anne Frank. And will find an audience among boys, girls, and adults; as the characters and story are developed enough to capture anyone who is willing to listen to its tale.

RATING
10 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: HarperTeen

Published: April 26, 2011

Price: $17.99

Bite Club: By Rachel Caine

BITE CLUB

SUMMARY

After discovering that vampires populate her town, college student Claire Danvers knows that the undead just want to live their lives. But someone else wants them to get ready to rumble.

There's a new extreme sport getting picked up on the Internet: bare- knuckle fights pitting captured vampires against each other-or humans. Tracking the remote signal leads Claire- accompanied by her friends and frenemies-to discover that what started as an online brawl will soon threaten everyone in Morganville...

REVIEW

If you haven’t read Rachel Caine’s Morganville series, the you’ve been missing out.

Morganville is fast paced, captivating, and above all else a terrific read. Each book ends with a soap opera esc ending that will leave the reader practically begging for more. The vampires in this series are not anything like the love struck, annoyingly weak vampires from teen love stories. Instead this is a story of survival, action, and relationships (not fake ones, but realistic ones with heart, that show the spectrums of life.)

Of course, if you’ve been a fan of the Morganville series already then get ready because Bite Club is different from anything else we’ve seen. Instead of just hearing from the protagonist Clair, we finally get to hear from some the other major characters in the series, in Bite Club we hear Shane’s story.

Shane’s tale is darker and more filled with angst than anything reader’s have heard from Claire. Part of this comes from the fact that Shane unlike Claire has a dark and seeded history with the vampires of Morganville and through his eyes we’re finally able to see what a human feels who grew up in this cattle call of a town. Readers will see the struggle Shane feels everyday with his relationship with Michael, his resistance and draw to follow in the footsteps in his father, and his love and adoration of Claire.

Of course the entire book is not told from Shane’s perspective. Instead the story alternates between Claire and Shane, allowing longtime readers of the series, who may not like Shane’s perspective to still have the normal engaging voice of the Morganville series.

All in all if you haven’t read Morganville yet then you’re missing out. And if you have, then you need to read Bite Club, the newest in a fantastic and engaging series.


RATING
9 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: NAL

Published: May 3, 2011

Price: $17.99

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Invincible Summer: By Hannah Moskowitz

INVINCIBLE SUMMER

SUMMARY

Noah’s happier than I’ve seen him in months. So I’d be an awful brother to get in the way of that. It’s not like I have some relationship with Melinda. It was just a kiss. Am I going to ruin Noah’s happiness because of a kiss?

Across four sun-kissed, drama-drenched summers at his family’s beach house, Chase is falling in love, falling in lust, and trying to keep his life from falling apart. But some girls are addictive....


REVIEW

Summer is a special time in a teens life. It is filled with adventure, flirting, and growth. Invincible Summer covers four unforgettable summers in the life of 15 to 18 year old Chase McGills and how they changed his life forever.

I think the first thing I have to say about Invincible Summer is that it is NOT a light read. Do not be fooled by the cover or the product description. While the story does contain issues of love, lust, and family, it also holds much deeper and darker issues that will shock readers to their core.

I’m not saying readers wont enjoy this book, on the contrary I found the writing superb, the characters (most specifically Gideon) interesting, and the issues deep and meaningful. But readers should be forewarned, and as long as they are expecting this deeper (and tear jerking) novel they will most likely love it.

That said I personally was bothered by the constant Camus references and quotes, and felt the book would have been better if Moskowitz had either limited it or left it out completely. Besides that I also was bothered by how sexualized Claudia was at the age of 11 (I would understand if these actions were attributed to her when she was older, but not this much this young.)

Of course these are small issues in the overall captivating nature of the book. As I mentioned Invincible Summer is well written, heartfelt, and deep. Readers will easily find themselves drawn into Chase’s confusing and troubled summer world, and find they haven’t looked up until the final pages of this hauntingly beautiful book. All in all a truly engaging book.

RATING
9 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Published: April 19, 2011

Price: $9.99

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Eona: By Alison Goodman

EONA

SUMMARY

Eon has been revealed as Eona, the first female Dragoneye in hundreds of years. Along with fellow rebels Ryko and Lady Dela, she is on the run from High Lord Sethon's army. The renegades are on a quest for the black folio, stolen by the drug-riddled Dillon; they must also find Kygo, the young Pearl Emperor, who needs Eona's power and the black folio if he is to wrest back his throne from the selfstyled "Emperor" Sethon. Through it all, Eona must come to terms with her new Dragoneye identity and power - and learn to bear the anguish of the ten dragons whose Dragoneyes were murdered. As they focus their power through her, she becomes a dangerous conduit for their plans. . . .

Eona, with its pulse-pounding drama and romance, its unforgettable fight scenes, and its surprises, is the conclusion to an epic only Alison Goodman could create.

REVIEW

If you were a fan of Eon, then you’ll absolutely be blown away by Eona.

While Eon was full of deception and struggles for power, in my opinion it still lacked both action and magic. This is certainly not the case in Eona. Eona is filled to the brim with non-stop action, deception, magic, and even a little romance thrown in for good measure.

The characters are strong and dynamic. And while I didn’t get to see as much as I’d like of some of my favorite characters from Eon (such as Lady Dela, Ryko, and Chart), readers will be introduced with much greater detail into the lives of Ido, Kygo, and Yuso, making an odd yet colorful assortment of characters.

Besides that, Eona is faced with numerous moral and ethical dilemmas that both move the story forward as well as shape Eona into an almost entirely new character from the timid yet hard working girl hiding as boy in Eon.

This, plus the action, magic, and high level of deception and intrigue make Eona a fantastic book that will be sure to captivate even the most hesitant of readers.


RATING
9 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Published: April 19, 2011

Price: $19.99

Friday, April 15, 2011

Dark Jenny: By Alex Bledsoe

DARK JENNY

SUMMARY

Alex Bledsoe’s novels featuring detective Eddie LaCrosse have drawn rave reviews for their ingenious blend of classic fantasy and hard-boiled detective fiction. Now with Dark Jenny, Bledsoe returns with an all-new tale of intrigue and murder. . . .

For twenty-five gold pieces a day, plus expenses, Eddie LaCrosse will take on most any case. But the unexpected delivery of a coffin in the dead of winter forces LaCrosse to look back at a bygone chapter in his past—and the premeditated murder of a dream.

Ruled by the noble King Marcus Drake, the island kingdom of Grand Braun is an oasis of peace and justice in an imperfect world. At least until the beautiful Queen Jennifer is accused of adultery and murder. In the wrong castle at the wrong time, Eddie finds himself drafted at sword’s point to solve the mystery. With time running out, and powerful nobles all too eager to pin the murder on Eddie himself, he must untangle a tangled web of palace intrigues, buried secrets, and bewitching women—before the entire kingdom erupts into civil war.

REVIEW

Part of the reason I love Eddie LaCrosse so much is the easy nature of the writing. You feel like your listing to a close friend (who also happens to be a great story teller and sarcastic) tell a story while sitting in a pub, instead of reading about it while safe in your room.

In Dark Jenny Bledsoe does a fantastic job bringing a different spin on the Arthurian legend. Readers will love reading this darker spin as well as the mystery element. But most of all readers will love the characters (especially Eddie.

Eddie is charismatic, fun, and smart, but most of all he is just plain engaging. He makes the story fun and different, and between that, the unique spin on King Arthur, and the fast pace of the novel Dark Jenny is a great book readers will love.

RATING
8.5 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Tor Books

Publishing: March 29, 2011

Price: $14.99

Sunday, April 10, 2011

The Iron Thorn: By Caitlin Kittredge

THE IRON THORN

SUMMARY

In the city of Lovecraft, the Proctors rule and a great Engine turns below the streets, grinding any resistance to their order to dust. The necrovirus is blamed for Lovecraft's epidemic of madness, for the strange and eldritch creatures that roam the streets after dark, and for everything that the city leaders deem Heretical—born of the belief in magic and witchcraft. And for Aoife Grayson, her time is growing shorter by the day.
Aoife Grayson's family is unique, in the worst way—every one of them, including her mother and her elder brother Conrad, has gone mad on their 16th birthday. And now, a ward of the state, and one of the only female students at the School of Engines, she is trying to pretend that her fate can be different.

REVIEW

I have mixed feelings on The Iron Thorn.

It had everything I usually like. The heroine, Aoife, is both strong and full of character. The other characters are interesting and diverse. The plot is full of both action and magic. And Kittredge does a fantastic job piecing together a larger story that is both complex and exciting. And yet I had trouble getting into the book.

I don’t know if it happened to be the time I read it or something, but I just couldn’t get into The Iron Thorn. It had almost all the attributes of books I love but I just never connected. Because of this, and the fact that I think it could be a great book and other might love it, I’m giving it a medium review, but all in all I wished I liked it more.

RATING
7.5 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Published: February 22, 2011

Price: $17.99

Sunday, April 3, 2011

The Dragon's Path: By Daniel Abraham

THE DRAGON'S PATH

SUMMARY
All paths lead to war...

Marcus' hero days are behind him. He knows too well that even the smallest war still means somebody's death. When his men are impressed into a doomed army, staying out of a battle he wants no part of requires some unorthodox steps.

Cithrin is an orphan, ward of a banking house. Her job is to smuggle a nation's wealth across a war zone, hiding the gold from both sides. She knows the secret life of commerce like a second language, but the strategies of trade will not defend her from swords.

Geder, sole scion of a noble house, has more interest in philosophy than in swordplay. A poor excuse for a soldier, he is a pawn in these games. No one can predict what he will become.

Falling pebbles can start a landslide. A spat between the Free Cities and the Severed Throne is spiraling out of control. A new player rises from the depths of history, fanning the flames that will sweep the entire region onto The Dragon's Path-the path to war.

REVIEW

Besides having a great name, The Dragon’s Path also is a truly fantastic book. It has an intricate plot, is full of both humor and action, is captivating, and is just plain well written.

Of course, my favorite thing about The Dragon’s Path were the characters. They were appealing, robust, and both hilarious and steadfast (at different times.) My personal favorite characters were Marcus Wester, Yardem, and Master Kit. Besides having personal histories that I’m sure could each fill their own book, they and their dialog were fantastically written. I actually laughed out loud at points when reading dialog between Yardem and Marcus.

What I didn’t love about The Dragon’s Path was its world building. I felt like Abraham created a fascinating world with imaginative peoples and a diverse history, and yet I feel like I barely got any taste of that at all. I wanted more about the people and their world, and I felt like it was glossed over in the beginning and that was supposed to be the entire description. Of course an example of how in depth and riveting Abraham could have made the world building can be seen in his money and banking system. Abraham creates a complex (and integral) banking system that helps establish the credibility of Cithrin’s world, and it’s obvious from the care and details he includes in this that he can build a spellbinding world, yet for some reason it seems to be rest of the details surrounding the different races and their characteristics were cut out.

That said, I think there’s plenty of time for history of the world, and possibly more information on the world to come out in the next books in the series. The characters are well written, the dialog interesting, the plot intricate and interesting, and the book as a whole well put together and utterly engrossing. Because of this I would highly recommend The Dragon’s Path to anyone looking for a good read (especially one in fantasy), and personally can’t wait for both the next book in the series, as well as Abraham’s next book Leviathan Wakes.

RATING
9 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Orbit

Published: April 7, 2011

Price: $14.99

Red Glove: By Holly Black

RED GLOVE

SUMMARY

Curses and cons. Magic and the mob. In Cassel Sharpe's world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth—he’s the most powerful curse worker around. A touch of his hand can transform anything—or anyone—into something else.

That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she's human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila's been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion worker mom. And if Lila's love is as phony as Cassel's made-up memories, then he can't believe anything she says or does.

When Cassel's oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit Cassel to help make sense of the only clue—crime-scene images of a woman in red gloves. But the mob is after Cassel too—they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. But where can he turn when he can't trust anyone—least of all, himself?

Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game too dangerous to lose.


REVIEW

I’ve been a fan of Holly Black for years but when she came out with White Cat last year I was stunned with how good it was. Needless to say I've been eagerly anticipating the release of its sequel Red Glove.

Now that I’ve read it I can honestly say that while different from White Cat, it was just as fantastic. Red Glove takes place a few months after the events of White Cat, opening with Cassel with his mother in Atlantic City trying to forget Lila. Unlike White Cat which had multiple mystery elements that felt fast paced and adrenaline filled (especially at the end), Red Glove focused on one mystery element and more importantly the blowback from the events of White Cat.

Of course getting down to the breakdown of the novel, the characters, like White Cat, are terrific. They are engaging and, while I personally have not been involved with the mob or have been a curse worker (obviously), are highly relatable. We really get to see more of Lila and Daneca, but who I found most intriguing as a fuller character in Red Glove was Cassel’s mother. She really is fascinating and through the sub-story she sets the stage for what I think will be one of the main issues in the next books in the series.

Besides this, the plot s fantastic and unique, the story fast paced, and the book as a whole purely engrossing. While fans may be a little disappointed that it doesn’t have as much of the adrenaline pounding action and intricate mysteries that White Cat did, it is still a fantastic book, and I personally can’t wait to read the last in the series and see where Holly Black takes us.

RATING
9 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Published: April 5, 2011

Price: $17.99