Once Dead, Twice Shy: Kim Harrison

This is the first book in the Madison Avery series from Kim Harrison for Young Adults. I am a fan of the author’s other work and I enjoyed this also. It’s a lighter story intended for the YA audience and I think that it works well. The tone is right and the storyline is good. I enjoyed that the typical scenarios are played with, generating a unique mythos for the world.

I just love the ending relationship between 2 of the characters, it seems like this relationship will be a lot of fun in future books.

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication Date: May 09

Format: Paper (library)

Author Website: http://www.kimharrison.net

Rating: Recommend, Series Read Continue

Description (Harper Collins)

My name is Madison Avery, and I’m here to tell you that there’s more out there than you can see, hear, or touch. Because I’m there. Seeing it. Touching it. Living it.

Madison’s prom was killer—literally. For some reason she’s been targeted by a dark reaper—yeah, that kind of reaper—intent on getting rid of her, body and soul. But before the reaper could finish the job, Madison was able to snag his strange, glowing amulet and get away.

Now she’s stuck on Earth—dead but not gone. Somehow the amulet gives her the illusion of a body, allowing her to toe the line between life and death. She still doesn’t know why the dark reaper is after her, but she’s not about to just sit around and let fate take its course.

With a little ingenuity, some light-bending, and the help of a light reaper (one of the good guys! Maybe . . . ), her cute crush, and oh yeah, her guardian angel, Madison’s ready to take control of her own destiny once and for all, before it takes control of her.

Well, if she believed in that stuff.

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Her Wiccan, Wiccan Ways: Traci Hall

I downloaded this book from Amazon during one of the 0$ promotions. I enjoyed this book, it appealed to me not only for the price but the story. The characters were fun and engaging. If you enjoy reading YA books with a paranormal flavor, you will enjoy this book.

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Publication Date: December 2008

Format: Kindle

Rating: Recommend

Description (Amazon )
Rhiannon Godfrey is a psychic prodigy, but her parents don’t see things her way. They think she needs a "normal" high school experienceshe wants to stay in trendy Vegas. In the small farming town of Crystal Lake, being Wiccan doesn’t exactly help the Godfreys blend in. Beyond angry, Rhiannon neglects to inform her parents the farmhouse they just bought is haunted. Instead, she decides to use the resident ghost to prove that she belongs back in Dr. Richards’s Institute of Parapsychology. Not that dispelling ghosts is her area of expertise, but really, how hard can it be? And then there’s Jared Roberts. Totally hot. For a cowboy, that is. Only problem? He comes with an evil twin sister, the shallow and popular Janet. Janet’s only goal is to make Rhee’s life miserable. So when she and her friends decide it’s time for a little payback, Rhee goes to her mother’s book of spells. Janet needs to be taught a lesson, and what harm can come from a few words? Just one little spell.

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Lord of Misrule: Rachel Caine

I requested Lord of Misrule from the library shortly after it’s release. It finally came in about a week ago.

The latest in the Morganville saga delivers another action packed volume. Readers will enjoy the latest installation in the series. Although it’s clear that there will be several more in this series. This volume does not offer resolution to the main conflict, but gives the next step in the sequence of events.

If you liked the previous Morganville books, you will enjoy this one. On a side note, there is a short Morganville story in Immortal: Love Stories With Bite (available from Borders) that was very good.

Things enjoyed: Myrnin, he is just buggy crazy. It’s delightful.

Things I didn’t enjoy: I wish that there was a bit more relationship development between the characters.

Reason for reading:

Rating: Series Read Continue, Recommend

Publisher: Signet
Publication Date: January 09 
Format: Print
Genre: Young Adult, Vampire 
Series: Yes – Morganville Vampires Book 5  
Author Web Site: http://www.rachelcaine.com/Home.html

Description (Amazon) 
In the college town of Morganville, vampires and humans coexist in (relatively) bloodless harmony. Then comes Bishop, the master vampire who threatens to abolish all order, revive the forces of the evil dead, and let chaos rule. But Bishop isn’t the only threat.
Violent black cyclone clouds hover, promising a storm of devastating proportions as student Claire Danvers and her friends prepare to defend Morganville against elements both natural and unnatural.

Graceling: Kristin Cashore

I impulse bought Graceling around Thanksgiving and since then I have read it twice. I really enjoyed this book, I am looking forward to the next in the Graceling world. The book tells the tale of a girl who is different in a land where differences are not valued. I loved watching her break preconceived molds that others placed on her and accept her differences as gifts. Along the way to acceptance the girl finds struggle, conflict, evil, love, and friendship. It’s a terrific journey.

Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books
Publication Date: October 2008
Format: Print
Author Blog: http://kristincashore.blogspot.com/

Description (Houghton Mifflin Books)

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.

She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po.

She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace—or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, debut author Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerizing world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will consume you, hold you captive, and leave you wanting more.

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The Hunger Games: Suzanne Collins

I first heard about this book on Ilona Andrews blog (Magic Burns) and I am very glad that I followed her advice and read it. I loved it. I think that I read it through in one sitting. The storyline is strong, the characters are fascinating,  and there is a quality that lures the reader in and won’t let go until the end of the book.

Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: September 2008
Format: Print
Author Web Site: http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/

Description (Scholastic)

COULD YOU SURVIVE ON YOUR OWN, IN THE WILD, WITH EVERYONE FIGHTING AGAINST YOU?
Twenty- four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.

Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

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Rating: Recommend, Series Read: Continue, Hardback Worthy

Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side: Beth Fantaskey

Hmm… not a favorite, but still entertaining. As I read the book, I found that I really didn’t care for the main characters. Jessica was a bit whiny and Lucius came of as an elitist pain in the butt.

The ending gave the book a dark and brooding romance feel. Simialr to the romances of the 80’s with the brutish wounded hero (almost Heathcliff, but not quite).

Product Description (Amazon)
The undead can really screw up your senior year . . .
Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess.
But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction

Amazon

Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

Author Web Site

http://bethfantaskey.com/

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn: Alison Goodman

I am not a huge fan of historical Asian books, but I did like Eon. The story is well crafted and moves at a good pace. Once you get into it, you won’t want to put the book down.

I enjoyed the world that the author created and the flow of magic is intriguing. I think that this will be the start of a series read for me.

Description (BN.com)

Action-a stunning magic system-swordplay galore!

Eon has been studying the ancient art of Dragon Magic for four years, hoping he’ll be able to apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. But he also has a dark secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been living a dangerous lie for the chance to become a Dragoneye, the human link to an energy dragon’s power. It is forbidden for females to practice the Dragon Magic and, if discovered, Eon faces a terrible death. After a dazzling sword ceremony, Eon’s affinity with the twelve dragons catapults him into the treacherous world of the Imperial court where he makes a powerful enemy, Lord Ido. As tension builds and Eon’s desperate lie comes to light, readers won’t be able to stop turning the pages . . .

Amazon

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn

House of Many Ways: Diana Wynne Jones

Having read (and loved) Howl’s Moving Castle and seeing the 2004 movie,

I naturally picked up House of Many Ways when it came out. I am glad that I read the book, I found it enjoyable.

It falls into the light and fluffy category for me, the magic was present and there are twists and turns trough everyday activities. Howl and Sophie make intermittent appearances through out the book, but the main focus of this book is Charmain. I think that I would have liked more interaction between Charmain and Howl/Sophie. I really loved Howl and Sophie from the first story, it really felt like they were guest stars in this book.

Product Description (Amazon)

Charmain Baker is in over her head. Looking after Great-Uncle William’s tiny cottage while he’s ill should have been easy. But Great-Uncle William is better known as the Royal Wizard Norland, and his house bends space and time. Its single door leads to any number of places—the bedrooms, the kitchen, the caves under the mountains, the past, and the Royal Mansion, to name just a few.

By opening that door, Charmain has become responsible for not only the house, but for an extremely magical stray dog, a muddled young apprentice wizard, and a box of the king’s most treasured documents. She has encountered a terrifying beast called a lubbock, irritated a clan of small blue creatures, and wound up smack in the middle of an urgent search. The king and his daughter are desperate to find the lost, fabled Elfgift—so desperate that they’ve even called in an intimidating sorceress named Sophie to help. And where Sophie is, can the Wizard Howl and fire demon Calcifer be far behind?

Of course, with that magical family involved, there’s bound to be chaos—and unexpected revelations.

No one will be more surprised than Charmain by what Howl and Sophie discover.

The Otherworldlies: Jennifer Anne Kogler

Sometimes I wonder why more “adults” don’t read Young Adult fiction. If a story is good and entertains me, does it really have to be sold in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Romance/Fiction areas of the book store? Nope. It doesn’t I learned that lesson a few years ago and I am glad that I did, otherwise I would have missed this novel and that would have been a shame.

I enjoyed The Otherworldlies very much. The author has taken a common set of fantasy ideas and re-defined them in her world. It was an enjoyable read and I want to find out what happens next for Fern and her family.

Description:

Fern communicates with her dog, blisters from just moments in the sun, and has correctly predicted the daily weather for more than two years. Even so, she’s always seemed to be a normal twelve-year-old girl . . . until one day when Fern closes her eyes in class and opens them seconds later on a sandy beach miles away from school. When Fern disappears again, this time to a place far more dangerous, she begins to realize exactly how different she is.

With the help of her twin brother, Sam, Fern struggles to gain control of her supernatural powers. The arrival of a sinister vampire in town—who seems to have an alarming interest in Fern’s powers—causes Fern to question her true identity. Who is she? More importantly, who can she count on? Soon Fern finds herself in the middle of a centuries-old battle—one that could destroy Fern and endanger everyone she loves.

Web site: http://www.jenniferannekogler.com/

Boys that Bite

I started Boys that Bite this morning. I can tell already it will be a quick read.

All three of these were a quick read, and I can seriously say that after reading them I need a break from teen angst for a while. I just wanted to bitch slap the main characters occasionally. Overall it was pure Brain Candy entertainment.

Web:
http://www.mariannemancusi.com/

Boys that Bite: Book Description
This is not your typical boybites-girl love story.

Technically Sunshine can’t get killed-because she’s immortal. Well, not quite yet. Due to the worst case of mistaken identity with her dark-side-loving twin sister at a Goth club called Club Fang, Magnus, a vampire hottie, went for Sunshine’s innocent neck. Now if she doesn’t reverse it in time, Magnus will be her blood mate forever and she’s doomed to be a blood-gulping, pasty, daylight-hating vampire. That would seriously bite.

And now, after the unfortunate slaying of the vampire leader, Sunshine, her sister Rayne, and Magnus must find the one thing that can solve her problem: the Holy Grail. They wish it were a joke but it’s not. It’s absolutely necessary that Sunshine gets out of this in time, because somehow she scored the hottest prom date in her school, the mouth-watering Jake Wilder. So she just can’t be a vampire for the prom-let alone the rest of eternity.

Stake That! : Book Description
The edgy young vampire series continues!

A fresh voice and fresh blood-it adds up to one very sassy vampire series…

Sisters. They’ll swipe your clothes, your boyfriends, your destiny. But it wasn’t exactly Rayne’s twin Sunny’s fault. Magnus, a vamp hottie and coven leader, mistook Sunny for Rayne last month and bit her instead. Now they’re doing the inter-species dating thing.

Turns out that for every generation, there’s a Vampire Slayer-and this time around, it just happens to be Rayne MacDonald. Her first mission: infiltrate a seedy vamp bar downtown and expose its vampire owner for purposely spreading a blood disease he created himself-a task almost harder than passing trig.

After going it alone once, Rayne realizes she needs help. So Magnus sends his sexy Goth buddy Jareth to go undercover with her. And, frankly, Rayne wouldn’t mind going under the covers with him. Maybe fate doesn’t bite after all…

Girls That Growl : Book Description
Third in Mancusi’s hip, sassy vampire series, featuring the heroine of Stake That!

She’s a vampire. She’s also a vampire slayer. (It’s a long story.) And now Rayne McDonald, Goth girl, has to carry out her most deviant mission yet: trying out for the cheerleading squad.

Rayne already has enough on her plate: her twin keeps whining about whether or not to go all the way; her mom’s boyfriend is moving in; and her man, Jareth, who’s now allowed out in the sun, has turned from a dark, brooding hottie vamp into a surfer dude.

But this vampire slayer is still on the clock, and she has a new assignment. A member of the football team has disappeared-and her bosses at Slayer Inc. think the cheerleaders had something to do with it. Now they want her to infiltrate the squad and get the dirt. But first, she’ll need an extreme prep makeover. If only they’d let her wear fishnets under that revolting uniform.