The Feral Child by Che Golden

The Feral Child by Che Golden is an inventive twist on fairy tales.  Maddy is an orphan living with her grandparents in Ireland.  Dealing with the recent death of her parents, uprooting from London, and having her cousins and aunts make her feel un-welcomed are not the only issues that Maddy has to deal with; on top of everything else she is dealing with fairies.  After a night excursion in an abandoned castle Maddy encounters a fairy that steals children and replaces them with changelings.  She could have pretended that those stores about fairies her grandfather tells her are made; she could have just let it go, but not when the child that is stolen is none other than her next door neighbor Stephen.  Now Maddy is determined to go into the fairy world and rescue Stephen before it is too late.

I really liked how quickly the story developed and carried on.  There was never a dull moment and the imagery was very vivid.  The only complaint is that the series doesn't seem to have any continuity, I don’t know if it is because it was first published in the UK.  I hope this will be fixed in the US.

4 out of 5 stars!  Thanks Edelweiss.  

The Immortal Crown by Richelle Mead

The Immortal Crown is the second book in Richelle Mead’s Age of X series.  In her new adult series we continue to follow Mae and Justin in their search for the Elects and godly influences mixed with human lies.  Mae and Justin are still dancing around their emotions, Justin is still hiding things that could help Mae discover who this new god is that is communicating with her, and they have stumbled onto some crazy stuff.  On top of dealing with all this Elects turning on each other, which causes them to hide their true natures with charms, they are also helping Lucian Darling on a diplomatic assignment.  This assignment deals with a society outside of the RUNA, in Arcadia, where men are polygamist and women are treated as if they must uphold the Taliban rules.  On top of all this Mae is also investigating where her niece might be, and rumor has it she might be located near Arcadia.  This is not a sophomore slump book at all, filled with action and adventure, along with some interesting introductions to new gods it is a book to keep the audience captivate.  Mae and Justin still keep the reader interested with their tension and wit, and frankly the end is very promising for an exciting next book.

3.5 Stars out of 5  Thank You Edelweiss  

The Lost by Sarah Beth Durst

The Lost by Sarah Beth Durst can be explained by the following quote: “I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.”  That line is not of this book, but from The Fault in Our Stars, what can I say that was exactly how I felt about this book.  Once I started reading I didn’t figure out, until towards the end how much I really liked this book and cared about the characters.  Lauren is running away from the pain that is waiting for her.  Her mother was diagnosed with cancer and every time she comes back from a test result, or consultation there is never any good news.  Lauren cannot take another piece of bad news, especially if it means her mother is at the end of her life.  She does the only thing she can think of, she gets in her car and starts driving until she gets completely lost.  One second she’s driving and reflecting on her selfish behavior and the next she is in a town that doesn’t seem to have reception or a gas station.  Lauren has just stumbled on the town of Lost, where people go when they are missing something essential in their life until they retrieve what they are missing and then they can go home. 

There are two important people in the town of Lost, Peter (The Finder) and the Missing Man.  Peter finds those that are lost in the void, before they completely disappears, and places them in the town.  The Missing Man helps guide that person in finding what they lost in the void; once the person is complete he sends them home.  No one can leave without the Missing Man, so Lauren asks for his help, but he leaves with an abrupt No, and Lauren has now a whole town of enemies since they fault her for the Missing Man going missing.  Lauren finds a friend in Peter, the wild man who is beautiful and startlingly crazy (quotes poetry and literature, likes to jump on things, and has a weird fetish for sleeping in closets) and Claire, a six year old who is also lost finds Lauren and together the 3 become a solid unit.  Lauren’s main objective is to get back home for her mother and Peter’s objective is to help Lauren but he also has a secret.  Lauren doesn’t realize that the town of Lost might put her back together again, but in the end there will be decision that needs to be made and it will be tough one, because the town will need her and Peter will need her… but do they need her as much as her mother?

Great story, rich in characters and the supernatural is not overdone… it’s not even fully described, which lets the reader focus on the action unfolding and the characters’ personalities.  Really enjoyed this and cannot wait to continue in the next book The Missing.

4 out of 5 stars.  Thanks NetGalley!!!

V is for Villain by Peter Moore

 

V is for Villain is a quick read, mirrored to the movie Sky High.  The children of superheroes all go to the same academy; however, if your powers are not super and you are not an excellent fit (basically a conformist and one who worships heroes) than you are sent to the alternative school… and known as an A-hole.  This is what has happened to our main character Brad.  Being the younger brother of one of the well-known and worshiped heroes out there, life has never been great for him, especially since he doesn’t have any superpowers of his own.  Being dumped into the alternative program only proves that he is a disappointment to his family, but then he begins to hang out with a group of other A-holes and starts questioning the system of justice vs what the heroes call justice.  Slowly but surely, the questioning beings to form into action. 

There is a lot going on in this short read, but not so much that you cannot follow what is going on.  Between genetics, heroes vs villains, and sibling rivalry there are a lot of aspects for every audience to enjoy.  I am curious to see if this is a standalone, because the book lends perfectly into creating a platform for a long series of villains vs heroes.  If you like action and sarcastic wit, you will definitely be pleased with this selection.

Thanks NetGalley, 3 out of 5 stars.

Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

“Damn Casters.

 And damn that one Mortal roadie.  If she’d never met him, she would never have gotten into the game of Liar’s Trade that landed her in this mess in the first place.

 Damn Mortals.”   

 

—Dangerous Creatures  

 

We are at it again with our favorites from Gatlin, South Carolina.  With what occurred in the Beautiful Creatures series behind them, everyone is heading off to college that is, everyone but Ridley.  Ridley has a plan, she always has a plan; however, this time her life depends on this plan working.  You see, Ridley decided to bet at a game, and she lost.  She lost her powers and Link’s talent to a nefarious character.  Both Ridley and Link will be in Lennox Gates’ debt for a total of one year.  Ridley isn’t sure how he will cash out her debt, but one thing is for certain: she must convince Link to go to New York City and become part of Gates’ band that he manages as the new drummer, with the chance of death. 

Ridley and Link are the funny ridiculous friends you want to have around, because there is never a dull moment.  Between snarky comments, making out, and a whole lot of falling out (hence the making out) it’s hard not to find these two exciting.  The drama is ridiculous and the new supporting characters were… different than those in the previous series.  It’s nice to see into Link and Ridley’s perspectives and frankly the bad ones are always the entertaining ones.  It was interesting to see who the villain was in this book, and the connection between Lennox and Ridley (totally saw it coming after one of her flash back dreams).  The end is ridiculous.  How can you end it like that?  I just want to know what happens, please?!?!  For those of you that loved Beautiful Creatures, do make time to go out and purchase/borrow this book!

4 out of 5 stars.  Thank You NetGalley.

The Falconer by Elizabeth May

“Murderess. She did it.  She was crouched over her mother’s body, covered in blood.”

Lady Aileana Kameron has become a social pariah ever since her mother’s bloody death; because everyone is convinced she is at fault.  Kam has a secret, one that she is not ready to share or wants to share, you see she didn’t kill her mother, and she’s been hunting who did ever since.  With the help of an ethereally gorgeous and simultaneously dangerous being Kam has trained to kill those that could have had a hand in her mother’s death.  Kiaran, a Daoine Sith or Faery, has been hunting with Kam, killing the faeries that wish harm on humans.  Kam also has Derrick, a small pixie, who would do anything for her.

Armed with steamed-punk weapons, training from Kiaran, and a vendetta the size of Texas Kam is on the lookout for the female faery that killed her mother.  What she doesn’t realize is that there is a larger plot going on a war old as time, and darker than she could imagine.  Will she be able to get her vengeance?  What is it that Kiaran is not telling her, and is she strong enough for the battle ahead?  A nice steam punk 19^th century story set in Scotland with the Fey, so you know there are tricks and loop holes galore.  Cannot wait to see why Kam’s final act in the book might be one of her biggest mistakes yet, it’s never good when your enemy tells you something like that.

4 out of 5 stars!

In the Shadows by Kiersten White

In the Shadows by Kiersten White is a breath of fresh air this year.  Told in both text and illustrations it is a story of untold evil, mixed with a little Faust and Dorian Gray.  The lives of 5 young people merge when the curse that their family has been involved in finally catches up to them.  You see there is a blood debt owed by each of their families and until they can figure it out none of them are safe.  With an eerie boarder who won’t keep is distance, a witch that lives next door who seems oddly nice to be one of the bad guys, and odd connections this story is sure to keep readers in suspense.  The illustrations tend to be confusing at first until you realize that they tell the story of one particular character and that it does not run linear to everything that is being told through the text.  

*Illustrated by: Jim Di Bartolo