Fantastic Fairy Stories

Radiant Shadows is a book I recently finished. I love the fairy world that Melissa Marr has created in this series. Let me lay out the books I've read of hers: Wicked Lovely- the love triangle of Aislinn and Seth; Ink Exchange-Aislinn's friend pursued by Irial; Fragile Eternity- continuing the story of Seth and Aislinn after she becomes Summer Queen; and Radiant Shadows- the love story of Ani and Devlin. Ani is only half fairy, but her fairy half is strong and taking over more of her body everyday. Devlin is an extremely powerful fairy created by two of the rulers- Sorcha and Bananach, his sister/mothers. He's a killer; sent to deal with problems that trouble order in the world according to his queen Sorcha. However, there is one time that he defied her orders, and it's when he's sent to kill Ani. When their destinies cross paths, they can't resist the love that draws them to each other.
What I love as much as the fairy world are the numerous characters that have been introduced in the various books. They are complex and intriguing. There is no black and white- well, maybe Bananach is all bad, but everyone else is shades of grey. They may be fairies, but they manage to deal with just as many complex relationships and emotions. Awesome books.

Trackers

Patrick Carman's new series is Trackers, in the vein of Skeleton Creek with the videos that you periodically watch between chapters. Only this one is a suspense/adventure/mystery. I liked it a lot better than Skeleton Creek actually because I thought it was more suspenseful. Or maybe it was just more believable to me being about computer hackers as opposed to ghosts. Oh wait, maybe I missed the part where you "break the codes" according to the cover. Hmmmmmmmmm. Need to check into that.

Reading, but not time to post!!

Well, I finished Mockingjay, of course! Excellent. I even like the ending, although of course I hear some people didn't. I like gutsy endings. And I enjoyed the reaslism of the love triangle throughout the trilogy. Because, you know what, it's not all love at first sight and star crossed lovers. I was thrilled to see People do a page on the trilogy. I love it when YA books cross borders!
Anyway, there's a book I finished up this summer that won't be published for a couple months yet, so I'll give it some advance promo. It's called Fixing Delilah Hannaford. The main character is obviously Delilah. She's just learned that her grandmother has passed away and now she'll have to spend her summer at her grandmother's house: cleaning up the remains, reconnecting with her old friend from childhood, and digging up the secrets of her her family's past. It's a tough summer, full of raw emotion, which makes it a cathartic read. Is it ok that I identified with her bossy, busy mother more than the rebellious and reckless Delilah? If you like a good realistic fiction book full of strong female characters and fraught with every concievable emotion, then check this one out when it's published.

Sorta Like a Rock Star

I'm not talking about myself, but about a book titled Sorta Like a Rock Star. It's a great read. The heroine of the book is really likable: a high school girl  named Amber who is an eternal optimist despite the adversity that she and her mom face- living in a school bus to be exact. But she's got her friends- the Five- her dog, a caring teacher, and a few other eccentric adults in her life to look out for her. They come through for Amber when she needs them most- after the death of her mother. As a reader, you experience the depression with her and wonder if she'll ever pull out of it. But with the help of her friends and the community, she manages to come out sorta like a rock star.

My Take on Feed

The most recent advanced reader copy I've read was actually an adult novel. But I have to write about it on my blog! I mean, it's all about blogging. How, in the future, when zombies are attacking people all the time, bloggers are the real reporters. "The media" can't be trusted because they're too political. And when the zombie virus hits, it's the bloggers out there telling the world how to fight them. Intriguing premise, huh? It only gets more complex when the young protagonist bloggers are invited to cover the upcoming presidential campaign by the most promising candidate. Throw in a few assassination attempts, and needles full of the virus, and bingo- you have a book that you just can't put down.

And if that wasn't creepy enough, let me share another thriller- Monstrumologist. This one is a Printz Honor book by Rick Yancey. Man, can he write. The main character, aside from the young apprentice narrator, is  a dark, brooding scientist who studies bizarre creatures. The novel opens in fact, with a grave digger bringing to his door the body of a corpse that had been fed on by one such- an anthropophagus. These creatures are mentioned, however rarely, in ancient books by the likes of Heroditus, Pliny, and more recently Shakespeare, but whose existence has never been proven. Imagine headless giant hominoids with eyes on their chests and giant sharklike mouths where a stomach should be- but the most horrifying aspect of all is their diet- human flesh. And a colony is thriving in their town- below ground. This is one you may not want to read at night...