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!

Fracture by Megan Miranda (pre-publication review)

17-year-old Delaney fell while crossing the iced-over lake near her Minnesota home.  She heard the pings and snaps that meant the ice was cracking, but before she could move she was gone, falling down into the frigid water. She couldn't figure out which way was up, and when she did finally locate the surface she couldn't find her original entry point and the way out. And then it was over. Delaney drowned. Only she didn't. Despite spending eleven minutes under water, despite six days in a coma with severe brain damage, Delaney woke up. And she was fine....and not fine. Delaney can feel death and those who are dying. A strong pull when death is imminent and a light, almost faint, flutter when death is in the future. Delaney must find out why she now has this ability. Is she supposed to use it to save people...or to help them die?


One of the fun benefits of going to the American Library Association Annual Convention is getting free copies of yet-to-be-published books (aka: ARCs). I went this past week and picked up several titles, but this one grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I thought it was going to be a supernatural/paranormal book. Instead it was a tightly-paced thriller with interesting characters and an unusual premise. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. Unfortunately it doesn't come out until January 2012...

Misfit by Jon Skovron (pre-publication review)

Jael is tired of moving around so often. Every time she gets settled in one Catholic school her father whisks them away to yet another, in another out-of-the-way place. Jael understands, really. After all, the demon Baliel has been hunting her since before she was born. He hates halfbreeds, and he really hated Jael's demon mother, so if he finds Jael he'll kill her. But Jael's uncle, Dagon, believes that Jael may have the untapped potential to destroy Baliel and bring back the era of the gods. If, that is, Jael can learn to harness her power before Baliel destroys her and everything that she loves.

I found this novel difficult to read. The omniscient narrative created an emotional barrier, keeping me from truly caring about Jael and her worries. The dialog was also problematic, sometimes spot-on teen and other times rather stilted and dryly academic. The flashback scenes of the relationship between Jael's parents was much more touching and realistic. The story has potential, though. Many aspects of the plot are unique and original, which can be difficult to find in today's teen lit. And somewhere around the last third of the novel it began to really catch my interest, though it was primarily the secondary characters who sparked my interest. Hopefully any sequel will develop Jael to the same level. Finally, as with many series openers, the climax wrapped up very easily, belying the drama of the buildup and the worries of Jael and those around her. The book will move because of the plot description, but readers will need to be determined to keep reading.

This review refers to the NetGalley digital advanced readers version of the novel. Misfit has a publication date of August 1, 2011.

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

Nailer works light crew. His job is to shimmy into the tight spaces of wrecked ships on Bright Sands Beach and strip out the usable copper wire. He's the reason his crew makes quota each day. Then one day the Fates take their eyes off of him and he almost drowns in a hidden oil reservoir. His survival earns him the name Lucky Boy.

But Nailer doesn't feel lucky.  Not with a father who's most always sliding, high on whatever he can find and unpredictably mean. Those times Nailer hides out in his friend Pima's home with her and her mom, Sadna. In fact, Nailer was with Pima after the city killer storm, when they found their Lucky Strike. It was a ship, one of the swank ones, and it had run aground during the storm. The crew was dead and there was valuable salvage all over. They even found a dead girl about their age, with a diamond nose ring and gold on her fingers. Pima was going to cut the girl's swollen fingers off to get the gold when the dead girl's eyes opened.

Nita's survival is unexpected, and it starts Nailer down a new path. For Nita he will stand up against his father. For Nita he will leave everything he's ever known. And for Nita, Nailer will kill. This thrilling futuristic story is set in a time when killing hurricanes have flooded the Gulf Coast and life is an unending cycle of death and hunger. I highly recommend this novel to fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent and The Maze Runner.

Love Story by Jennifer Echols

More than anything else in the world, Erin wants to be a published writer. Erin's cold and stern grandmother, her caregiver since she was 12, plans to send her granddaughter to college in New York to major in business and take over the family horse farm.When Erin reveals her dream, her grandmother responds by cutting Erin off and naming Hunter, the stable boy, her new heir.

Erin doesn't care. She heads to New York to take her place in the creative writing program of a prestigious college. She gets a part time job, scrimps and saves, and just about manages to hold everything together - until Hunter walks into her class. Erin is convinced that Hunter hates her, that he has stolen her inheritance and is so manipulative that every conversation, every story he writes, is just another way to humiliate her. But could she be wrong?

Love Story is an engrossing novel about very likeable and realistic characters. I read it in 24-hours, stopping reluctantly to eat, sleep and work and returning to my marked page with anticipation. I highly recommend this book to fans of Sarah Dessen and Justina Chen Headley. The publication date isn't until July 19th, though, so you'll have to wait a little while. In the meantime, check out Echols' other novels, Going Too Far, Forget You, Endless Summer, Major Crush and The Ex Games. And check out Jennifer Echols herself here at the Homewood Public Library on June 25th!

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

When Tiffany Quinn disappeared, 178 of the 212 residents of Cryer’s Cross, Montana, searched their small town and the surrounding farms., calling out in vain for the missing teen. They searched for five days but Tiffany was nowhere to be found. Juniors Kendall Fletcher and her best friend/boyfriend Nico Cruz helped in the search. Kendall has OCD, and her mind cannot escape the endless whir of thoughts about Tiffany getting lost, getting abducted, and being murdered in horrible ways. It doesn’t help that she’s spending her days riding a tractor on her parent’s farm. Long, hot days with nothing to distract her from the fear. But when school starts back Kendall begins to forget some of her fears, exhausted by soccer and dance and back into her normal routine. Then Nico disappears, too, and Kendall doesn’t think she can survive his absence.

This thriller is packed with great characters, a creepy mystery and an unexpected evil. It’s also a quick read, so you have time to devour it between study sessions! 

Thirteen Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman

Jacob Fielding should have died in the car accident. But right before the car slammed into the tree, his foster father whispered three words: you are indestructible. With those words a powerful force entered Jacob, saving him from certain death and dooming Mr. Fielding. But is this new indestructibility a gift or a curse? Can you really cheat death?

When Jacob tells his friends Milo and Ophelia about what happened, they experiment with transferring the power to each other and even people they don't know. Ophelia in particular becomes obsessed with cheating death, asking Jacob to transfer the indestructibility to strangers in order to protect them from what could be dangerous or deadly. But everything comes at a price, and as the days go by Ophelia begins to change. Her vibrancy turns to lifelessness, deep shadows appear under her eyes and she gets more violent and moody. Jacob and Milo have to figure this power out before they lose Ophelia - but they only way to stop her may be to give death it's due.