The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima (A Seven Realms Novel)

The destinies of four teens begin to intertwine in this intriguing fantasy. Raisa, princess heir of the Fells, feels restricted, trapped in her royal duties. Amon, her childhood friend, has returned from Warrior school a different, more soldierly, man. Han "Cuffs" Alister is a street rat and former thief struggling to lead life on the straight and narrow. And Dancer, son of the clan and Han's friend, has become secretive and moody, prone to long silences and snappish remarks. Secrets, both those they keep and those kept from them, drive these teens inexorably toward their destinies.

This first book in a trilogy has a slow start, but the author takes that time to really develop the characters. About a hundred pages in the book really grabbed my interest, and by the end I was totally riveted. I can't wait to get my hands on book two!

Morpheus Road: The Light by D.J. MacHale

Marsh Seaver is being haunted. Or hunted. Or both, really. It started with little sounds, like creaks and drips. Then darkness where there should have been light. Then hallucinations. Finally a creature from Marsh's own imagination, the Gravedigger, appeared and tried to kill him. All of this started the day his best friend, Cooper, disappeared. Now Marsh must team up with Cooper's sister, Sydney, to find out exactly what happened to his friend and how, or why, it's tied in with the sinister Gravedigger. Before it's too late...

D.J. MacHale is a well-known author of the 10-book Pendragon series. This new series, Morpheus Road, is horror/thriller instead of sci-fi, and should be exceptionally popular with his current fans. It reminded me a little of the original Nightmare on Elm Street movie, where the evil guy seemed to pop up everywhere and anywhere and the characters never seemed to be safe.

If you're a fan of horror movies, the good ones where the suspense builds on itself and puts you on the edge of your seat, then you will enjoy this book as much as I did.