Net Galley Review: The Marked Son

Net Galley Review: The Marked Son

Title: The Marked Son

SubTitle : Keepers of Life, #1

Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC

Pub Date: 08/02/2011

ISBN: 9781937044015

Author: Shea Berkley

Category: FICTION - ADULT: Romance: Fantasy

            “I don’t look like you.  I don’t look like them.  I’ve got to look like someone.  I’ve got to be like someone. So, who is it?”

            Her face sinks into an unattractive pinch. “No one they know.”

            I spot her bags, still packed on the bed.  She follows my gaze and whispers, “Don’t push me, Dylan. You’ll know soon enough.”  Pg. 31

            At seventeen years old, Dylan Kennedy is disgusted by life. He is forced to live with his unstable and emotionally fragile mother who needs more guidance and supervision than her teenage son.  After being dumped at his grandparents’ sheep farm, Dylan starts to see strange things, including what he believes to be a beautiful ghost that haunts his dreams.  While in the woods, Dylan meets his ghost Kera, and they instantly sense the powerful connection between them. 

           

      For the first time in his life, Dylan experiences unconditional love, but it is challenged immediately when Kera crosses a magical barrier to Teag, where humans are not welcome.  Confusion complicates their seemingly impossible relationship, and as the two desperately struggle to be together, Dylan learns the answer to why he has always felt like a stranger in his own skin.  Preparation, precaution, and precision are the tools needed to fight to save the love that Kera and Dylan long for. Will it be enough to stop the dark powers that have vowed to destroy them?

            The Marked Son is a story filled with action and adventure, mystery and romance. The unpredictability of the plot makes it a fascinating read, and more than once I found myself gripping the book as trees swallowed up enemies and magical creatures glowed with power.  It introduced me to a magical world I have never experienced before, and combined with the strength of the characters, the story captivated me.

I give this book an A for its originality and imagination. 

Net Galley Review: The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Net Galley Book Review: The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Publisher: HarperCollins

Imprint: HarperTeen

Pub Date:09/20/2011

ISBN: 9780062026484

Author: Rae Carson

Category:  FICTION - JUVENILE: Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic

            “Juana-Alodia was the first to toddle over after it faded.  Your sister peeled back the wet swaddling and we saw the Godstone lodged in your belly button, warm and alive but blue and faceted, hard as a diamond. That’s when we decided to name you Lucero-Elisa” Heavenly light, chosen of God.  His words suffocated me as surely as his embrace. All my life, I’ve been reminded that I am destined for Service…pg. 13

            Sixteen-year-old Elisa was born with purpose, one chosen for her by God. Although she knew she was precious as the bearer of a Godstone, she was kept ignorant of the stone’s history, power, and abilities.  She is secretly married and taken away to be queen, but although she carries with her living proof that she is special, her large frame and awkward body keep her insecure and unsure about herself. Her new husband encourages her insecurities, ignoring her as a wife and avoiding her company.

            Others around her do not underestimate her power, and after Elisa is kidnapped, she is challenged both mentally and physically, as she represents hope to ending a savage war. As Elisa seeks the truth about her Godstone, she also experiences what it feels like to be truly desired as a woman. With her newfound knowledge and confidence, Elisa selflessly places herself in harms way to solve the divine puzzle of the Godstones and defeat the enemies that seek to annihilate everyone Elisa has sworn to protect.

            The Girl of Fire and Thorns was a complete surprise for me.  As I first started reading, I felt sorry for Elisa, wanting her to be strong right away, not weak and insecure. As I kept reading, I realized that she was strong; in fact, Elisa was a true heroine from the very first page. I had underestimated her character, and by the end of the book, I was cheering her on. This story provided action, suspense, and surprise. One minute I had the chills~ the next moment tears. It is a book that reminds you that true beauty and strength come from inside, and this is a message that everyone will be reminded of as they travel through sandstorms and deserts with Elisa. I loved it- every page.

I give this book an A+ : For introducing one of the strongest female literary characters I have ever met.

The Gray Wolf Throne

The Gray Wolf Throne

Cinda Williams Chima

Disney Book Group Hyperion

ISBN: 978-1-4231-1825-1

Fiction/Fantasy

Are you willing to lose everything… for love?

            “Beware of someone who pretends to be a friend,” Althea said.  “Look close to home for your enemies.”

            “Why is prophecy always so bloody cryptic?” Raisa said. “Why can’t you just flat-out tell me what’s going on?”

            The wolves rose, as if at a common signal.

            “This is the message we bring you, Raisa anaMarianna, descendant of the queens of the Seven Realms,” Althea said.  “You must fight for the throne. You must fight for the Gray Wolf line. You must not allow yourself to be ensnared as Marianna was. The future of the realm balances on a knife’s edge.”  Pg. 108

Raisa anaMarianna, heir to the queendom of the Fells, is an independent, capable young woman who flees her home to escape an unwanted marriage. Protecting her along the way is her faithful captain of the guard, Amon Byrne. Traveling under the alias Rebecca Morley, Raisa reunites with Han “Cuffs” Alister, an accomplished thief and magician. After being seriously wounded by enemies, Raisa is rescued by Han in the Spirit Mountains.  In order to save her, he magically absorbs her pain, allowing their minds to mingle together. As a result, secrets are revealed. These secrets hurt Han, and he struggles to find his place in Raisa’s life. Upon returning home, Raisa assumes her royal duties while ignoring palace gossip about a queen that would romance a thief.

The Gray Wolf Throne tells such a magical story, I was unable to put the book down. Chima expertly develops the complicated relationships between Raisa, Han, and Amon, leaving me cheering for Han while still adoring Amon.  Chima’s use of imagery brings the plot to life, allowing the reader to see, hear, and experience the action along with the characters. Filled with swordplay, mystery, and romance, The Gray Wolf Throne will keep you turning pages until the book is finished. With expertly placed foreshadowing clues, you can be assured that book 4 in the Seven Realms series will be a thriller!

“The time will come when you will be forced to make a choice,” Hanalea said. “When that time comes, choose love.” Pg. 473

Other books by Cinda Williams Chima: The Heir Series, The Demon King, and The Exiled Queen. 

Net Galley Review: A Beautiful Dark

Net Galley Review:  A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies

Publisher:  HarperCollins Publishers

Pub Date: 09/27/2011

ISBN: 9780061990656

Genre: Literature & Fiction, Romance, Teens & YA

            “Prepare to be proven wrong. Clue number one: You were late for homeroom. You’re never late for homeroom. Clue number two: Your arrival to homeroom happen to coincide with the arrival of two new hot guys~who you apparently rescued…Clue number three: You’re getting flustered and defensive. This is really a textbook case. Clue number four: You couldn’t stop turning around to look behind you, though you tried to make it look like you weren’t by rooting through your backpack~..and this brings us to the final and most important clue: You haven’t touched your lunch.” Pg. 40

            Skye believes that her life is normal: She has great friends, school is, well- school, and she is loved dearly by her Aunt Jo, Skye’s legal guardian following her parents’ tragic death on her 6^th birthday. Strange things begin to happen to her; for example, she randomly fries the thermostat in her house just by touching it. Her eyes change colors from gray to liquid silver when she is emotional. To add to her newly found complications, Skye meets Asher and Devin, two handsome and mysterious students that transferred to her school and appear to be fighting for her attention.

            After listening to a campfire story, Skye connects the invisible dots to all the strange things that have been happening to her since turning seventeen. What she finds is unbelievable, scary, and impossible. Devin wants to reassure her while Asher encourages her to fight back, but fight back against whom? Skye is hopelessly in love with both the dark and the light, and she cannot tell which one will save her life and help her find and fulfill her destiny.

            I loved every page of this book! It kept my attention, even when I wasn’t reading. I thought the tension between Skye, Asher, and Devon was entertaining- and as a reader, it’s difficult to choose which boy is more likable [exactly Skye’s predicament!]. Cassie, Skye’s best friend, offers comic relief to the story, as “drama” seems to find her everywhere she goes. The only frustrating thing… the book ended too soon! It’s a cliffhanger, and because the story is so dang good- I will have wait impatiently for the sequel. 

I give this book my highest rating: A+  Teens everywhere will love this story!

Die For Me is a WINNER!

7-18-2011

Die For Me by Amy Plum

Publisher:  Harper Teen

ISBN: 978-0-06-200401-7

Audience: YA 13 and up [tweens/teens]

Reviewed by : Beth Duncan: “For Teens, By Teens” Recommended Read Program

            “ So I can’t leave? Are you keeping me prisoner?”…

            “ You saw things you shouldn’t have. Now we have to decide how to handle the situation. You know…like damage control. You’re the one who took a bite out of the apple, Kate. Although with a serpent that handsome, I can’t say I blame you.”   pg. 89

            After moving to Paris with her older sister Georgia, sixteen-year-old Kate thinks that most of her time will be spent learning to live without her parents. Kate devotes her afternoons to reading the classics and wandering through museums, searching for some sense of normalcy. Little does she know that an outrageously handsome young man is observing her on a daily basis. As Vincent watches her, Kate watches him, and it’s not until she witnesses a tragic death that fate brings them together.

            Reality is not easy on a normal day, but throw in magic, destiny, and supernatural love and it’s almost impossible.  Kate learns who Vincent is, and although every bone in her body cries out for him, she worries that he will disappear, just like her parents. Can Kate let go of her painful past and let love heal her fragile heart? If she can find the strength to believe, she will experience love that surpasses all boundaries.

            Die For Me was such an enjoyable read, I simply could not put the book down. I laughed a lot, and found myself completely connected to Kate. Of course, Vincent stole my heart too, and his old-fashioned approach to love made for an enchanting story. The supernatural twist was fresh and unexpected- making this book the total package: fantastic characters, unpredictable twists and turns within the plot, and an irresistible romance definitely worth dying for.

This is Amy’s debut novel, and I give it my top rating: A+

Net Galley Review: Blood by K. J. Wignall

Net Galley Review:  Blood by K. J. Wignall

Publisher:  Egmont USA

Publication date: 09/27/2011

Audience: YA 13 and up [tweens/teens]

“The year was 1813 and, though it had taken the best part of a century, I had learned a valuable lesson, that death wanted me no more than life did. I was forever suspended between those two states and I believed it would always be so.”  Pg 152

Will, a 16-year-old boy, was bitten and left alone to survive in the year 1256. He knows nothing about the creature that created him, only that it has forced him to live alone without family, without humanity…without love.  He wakes on and off for hundreds of years, never gaining any knowledge of his destiny, until he wakes up in the twenty-first century. Seeking nourishment, he finds Lex, a man who seems to be alone and who will not be missed. As Will approaches him, Lex enters a trance and speaks to Will as if he knows him. Distracted by the smell of blood, Will drinks from Lex, taking his life from him. Before leaving, Will finds Lex’s notebook, and is shocked to see a name underlined on one of the pages- William Mercia. His name.

To add to his confusion, Will meets Eloise, a beautiful girl whose picture he first saw sketched in the mysterious notebook. They are connected, and Will struggles with their relationship knowing that love is impossible, even though she seems to be the girl he had been looking for… for seven centuries. As Will and Eloise face the dangerous reality of Will’s past and future, they desperately search for the evil being responsible for stealing Will’s humanity.

Blood, written by K. J. Wignall, gave me a fresh perspective on a hot teen topic: vampires.  It offers an unexpected love story intertwined with dangerous spirits and evil beings.  The characters are likable, in fact, I found myself rooting for Will to reach out to Eloise- to trust her. The fact that these two experience attraction and feelings in the midst of mystery and chaos keeps the reader captivated by the story. There is just enough violence and action to tempt teen boys, and the right touches of forbidden romance to capture the girls. Blood is a winner, and will surly attract tween/teens who love a story with all the right elements:  the undead, a mysterious past, and impossible love.