Are you the real princess?

The False Princess

By: Eilis O'Neal

Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia's led a privileged life at court.  But everything changes when it's revealed, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the real Nalia, who has been hidden away for her protection.  Cast out with little more than the clothes on her back, the girl now called Sinda must leave behind the city of Vivaskari, her best friend, Keirnan, and the only life she's ever known.

Sinda is sent to live with her only surviving relative, an aunt who is a dyer in a distant village. She is a cold, scornful woman with little patience for her newfound niece, and Sinda proves inept at even the simplest tasks.  But when Sinda discovers that magic runs through her veins - long-suppressed, dangerous magic that she must learn to control - she realizes that she can never learn to be a simple village girl.

Returning to Vivaskari for answers, Sinda finds her purpose as a wizard scribe, rediscovers the boy who saw her all along, and uncovers a secret that could change the course of Thorvaldor's history, forever.

A dazzling first novel, The False Princess is an engrossing fantasy full of mystery, action, and romance.

a mining colony on the moon!

Crater

By: Homer Hickam

Sixteen-year-old Crater Trueblood loves his job as a Helium-3 miner. But when he saves a fellow miner, his life changes forever. Impressed by his heroism, the owner of the mine orders Crater to undertake a dangerous mission. Crater doubts himself, but has no choice. He must go.

With the help of Maria, the mine owner's frustrating but gorgeous granddaughter, and his gillie-a sentient and sometimes insubordinate clump of slime mold cells-Crater must fight both human and subhuman enemies. He'll battle his way across a thousand miles of deadly lunar terrain and face genetically altered super warriors in his quest to recover an astonishing object that will alter the lives of everyone on the moon.

"Crater shows what is would be like to live on the Moon: to work there, to struggle, and to triumph. A fine piece of work." -Ben Bova, author of Leviathans of Jupiter

Do you want to know the truth?

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

By:Laini Taylor

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. 

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. 

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. 

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

I Am Number Four

 by Pittacus Lore 

 In this book, John Smith is an alien from the planet Lorien. He came to earth when his planet was destroyed by the Mogadorians, with his guardian Henri who was sent to keep anyone from harming him. There were 9 Lorien children sent to Earth to preserve the species. These nine have been separated most of their lives. They are connected through a Lorien charm that protects the nine children from the Mogadorians. The Mogadorians are hunting down the Lorien children one by one. The children are numbered one through nine. The Mogadorians can only kill the children in order of their number. Three are dead. John Smith is number four. They will come for him next. I really enjoyed this book. I felt that it was well written and did a good job of drawing the reader into another world. When I first heard of this book from my friend, I was somewhat skeptical about how well the book would be written. However, after I read it, I have found that this has become my favorite book. I can't wait for more! The setting in I Am Number Four was very well manipulated. The book starts out with John and Henri living in Florida. They have to abruptly leave their home there and move on to somewhere else, do to the fact that they know the Mogadorians will soon catch up with them there. John and Henri leave their pristine private beach in Florida and move to Paradise, Ohio. John and Henri's home in Paradise is surrounded with dense forests and gives the feeling of being snug in their home. Paradise, Ohio really comes to feel like a home to John. All throughout the book Lore gives a very vivid description of the setting and allows the reader to fly across the country and enter the world that involves Paradise, Ohio and John Smith. This book is very good and I would certainly recommend it to anyone out there looking for a good book!

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Teen Speak

The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles, #1) by Rick Riordan

Genre: Juvenile Fantasy

Published: May 2010

The Red Pyramid is the first book in Rick Riordan’s new series, the Kane Chronicles. Carter and Sadie are not the normal youths of this world. They are descendants of the Egyptian pharaohs. Despite what the general populous may say, Carter and Sadie find out that the Egyptian myths and gods are real, and magic doesn’t only belong at Hogwarts. On Christmas, Dr. Kane, Sadie and Carter’s dad, unleashes five Egyptian gods and as a result, he is dragged into the underworld. Set, the god of deserts, storms and evil, is one of the deities released from the stone and is intent on wreaking havoc on the world and causing trouble for the Kane family. Now Sadie and Carter must embark on a journey to save their father and restore order to the world.

A wonderfully charming mesh of magic, wit, and mythology, Riordan delivers another fantastic book that can charm readers of any age. I absolutely loved the characters, as all of them were well developed and by no means flat. The wit and well written dialogue made this book a pleasure to read. Riordan mixes modern day life and mythology in a way that is brilliant and believable. He breathes new life and fantastic personalities into the Egyptian gods and goddesses. I finally have all of the Egyptian gods sorted out and can remember which is which. After I read this book, I had to get the sequel, The Throne of Fire, and finished it off in no time at all. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a good adventure, mythology, or a fun read. People who loved this book would enjoy the 39 clues series and Riordan’s Percy Jackson series.

 ---Posted by Lauren G.

The Princess and the Cokyri

Legacy (Legacy, #1) by Cayla Kluver



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YA Fantasy

Published: June 2011

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom called Hytanica. The people of Hytanica were of a peaceful nature, but that peace was disrupted when the evil sorcerers of Cokyri waged war with them. Forty-nine newborn boys were kidnapped from Hytanica, and forty-eight lifeless children were returned. Just as suddenly as war began with Cokyri, so did it end.

Sixteen years later, Hytanica is prospering. Enter Princess Alera, heir to the throne of Hytanica. Alera is nearing her seventeenth birthday and must choose a husband to take over the throne when her father steps down. Though it is technically her choice who she marries, the king has made it known that he wishes Alera to marry Steldor, a handsome though pompous man who sets Alera on edge. This is bad enough without the threat of another war with the Cokyri, and when Alera meets Narian, a mysterious stranger, and falls in love with him, trouble ensues.  

I received Legacy as and ARC from NetGalley. I’m not going to lie, I really wanted to like this book, and in the end, I really didn’t. I really don’t like giving bad reviews, but I just couldn’t get into this one even though the cover was so pretty and the prologue captured my interest. Unfortunately, the book dragged on from there. Taking into account the author’s age when she wrote Legacy (she was just 14), I would say this book was a good first start. Ignoring Kluver’s age, I would say it needed a lot of work. The protagonist, Princess Alera, is immature, and though she was a feisty heroine, she often acted out irrationally causing herself and others to land in some very hot water. In truth, the only character I really enjoyed was London, her bodyguard, who wasn’t even in the whole book. I also found the language to be unbelievable. It was very flowery, stilted and overly descriptive. Kluver is a strong and imaginative writer, and I think that as she matures so will her writing.

--Posted by Ashley

Holy Carp, You Have Fins!

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
Genre: YA Fantasy

Published: 2010



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                                                                                    Lily Sanderson may look like your average high school student, but she is really a mermaid and heir to the Thalassinian throne. Spending her high school years on land in biped form wasn’t what Lily had imagined when she went to visit her aunt in Florida, but neither was falling in love with Brody. To Lily, Brody is everything she could want in a mermate- he’s handsome, charming, and an excellent swimmer. Too bad he barely knows she exists.

Quince is Lily’s “bad boy” next-door neighbor whose relentless teasing is the bane of her existence. But when he hatches a plan for Lily to get some alone time with Brody so she can tell him her true feelings, Lily is willing to put aside her dislike for a chance to be with the boy she loves. Everything seems to be going as planned, until Quince shows up and kisses her. For a human girl, that’s bad enough. For a mermaid, a single kiss will bond you to the other person for the rest of your lives. Can Lily convince her father, and Quince, to break the bond before it’s too late and she loses Brody forever?

If you love Disney’s The Little Mermaid as much as I do (I watched it so much as a child I broke the VHS – yes, VHS…) then you will absolutely adore this book. The sea ‘slang’ was a lot of fun, and descriptions of Thalassinia beautiful. Lily’s character was at times childish and narrow-sighted, but she redeems herself at the end. Quince was an amusing character, and why Lily didn’t like him and instead set her sights on Brody is beyond me. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to pick up the next installment in the series, Fins Are Forever.     

---Posted by Ashley

Teen Speak

Check out what our teens had to say about some of their favorite books!

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Genre: YA Fiction

Published: May 2011

            Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley is a book that follows the lives of two teenagers. The bulk of the story focuses on Cullen, a recent high school graduate, who lives in the small town of Lilly, Arkansas. This dull town is brought to life upon the recent sightings of the Lazarus woodpecker that was previously thought to be extinct. As the town becomes invested in the woodpecker, Cullen’s family and friends must cope with the inexplicable disappearance of Gabriel, Cullen’s younger brother, who seems to have not an enemy in the world. Benton is a missionary that has gone to Africa to do God’s work. He begins his mission work only to become confused as to what his purpose in life really is. These two characters, though unknowing of each other’s existence, start a series of events that will reshape the lives around them and those that are far away.

            Although I was unsure as to how this book was going to pan out, I must admit that I am glad to have read this story. It touched on the important and difficult aspects of life and portrayed them in a way that was real and understandable rather than being stilted and shallow. The author captured the meandering way that the mind works without detracting from the integrity of the plot. Daydreams were intermixed with reality without confusion and gave the reader a sense of how the character was feeling without being blunt and tactless. This truly displayed the inner conflict that Benton was going through and the stress and monotony that plagued Cullen. Where Things Come Back is a book that is difficult to describe, however, I must say that it is worth the time to read. As I understand the small town life, this book really hit home and made me appreciative of my place in this world. With a plot filled with sadness and hope, and a cast of characters the likes of which everyone knows, Where Things Come Back brings readers into the lives of several young adults and shows the challenges that they must overcome to simply function in a world wrought with difficulty. I received this book as an ARC from Simon & Schuster.

--- Posted by Lauren G.

Abandon by Meg Cabot

YA Paranormal Romance

Published: 2011

            The main characters of this book are Pierce and John Hayden. Pierce is a sixteen-year old girl and John is Lord of the Dead. The main character changes from hating John to understanding him by the end of the story. The book takes place in present-day Florida in Las Islas Huesos, as well as the Underworld. This story takes place because Pierce trips over her scarf and drowns in her pool. She appears in the Underworld and John Hayden, who is like Hades, falls in love with her immediately. He attempts to keep her there forever but Pierce throws tea in his face and escapes. Pierce and her mom move to Las Islas Huesos, where Pierce hopes she can finally escape John, but meets up with him again when Furies, dead people unhappy where they landed in the underworld, attempt to kill her.   

            I like how the story was similar to the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone, but I didn't like how Pierce thought she could handle stuff on her own when she actually couldn't. Because of this, sometimes Pierce annoyed me. Though the flashbacks were a little confusing, I liked the book and did not think it was predictable. If you liked Meg Cabot’s Avalon High series then you will enjoy Abandon.

 --- Posted by Natalie R.

Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

Genre: YA Fantasy

Published: June 2011

Emma Conner’s life is much more difficult than that of your average sixteen year old. Both her mom and twin brother have passed away, and her stepdad nearly killed her in a car accident while driving drunk. To escape his abuse, as well as the humiliation of becoming the school’s poster child for reasons not to drink and drive, Emma decides to leave town to live with her wealthy aunt in New York City.

Living in NYC and attending Vincent Academy, an elite Upper East Side prep school, should be fun. But typical high school drama ensues in the form of Anthony, the spoiled rich boy with no respect for women, Kristin, his catty on-again, off-again girlfriend, and Brendan, the gorgeous and unapproachable guy every girl wants. It only gets worse when paranormal events start happening to Emma: lights going out overhead, dreams of past lives, and ghostly visions of her dead brother warning her to stay away from Brendan. The deeper Emma digs, the crazier things seem. Did she know Brendan in a past life? And if so, why is she being warned to stay away from him when that’s the last thing she wants to do?

For fans of Claudia Gray’s Evernight series, this book is for you. Spellbound has a good mix of humor, magic spells, high school drama, and star-crossed love. Emma is a realistic character and readers will enjoy her character growth as the story progresses. All of Emma’s experiences only serve in making her more relatable to readers - from her gritty history, to her first day of school jitters, to emotions every girl goes through with a new crush. This book is a quick and fun read that is perfect for the beach! I received this book as an advanced readers copy from NetGalley & Harlequin Teen.

---Posted by Ashley

Teen Speak

Check out what our teens had to say about some of their favorite books!

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Genre: YA Dystopian

Published: 2011

 

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This is a book about a seventeen-year old girl named Lena whose world is controlled by the government and love is not allowed. When she falls in love, Lena starts to see the flaws in her perfect world. As she learns of a new world, she challenges the old one. Lena’s character changes from being withdrawn to standing up for what she wants. I could identify with Lena when she was grappling with the problem of breaking the rules to fight for what she believes in. The end of the book is sad and challenging in a good way. If you like this book, you will like Matched by Allyson Condie.

 

      

               --Posted by Natalie & Sabrina

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Genre: YA Fiction

Published: 2010



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One night, driving home from a party, Samantha and her friends crash her car and she dies. After her death, Samantha gets seven chances to right her wrongs before she can finally let go. If you like books about getting second chances, then you’ll like this book.

     

             --Posted by Natalie R.

Sabriel (Abhorsen, # 1) by Garth Nix

Genre: Juvenile Fantasy

Published: 1995



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Sabriel is a fantastic adventure through a mysterious world of old magic and necromancy. Sabriel, the daughter of Abhorsen, has kept herself away from the Old Kingdom, but now her father is missing and she is out to find him. The final showdown is amazingly well done and will leave you happy for the heroes. If you enjoy a good tale of heroism and love, then this is the book for you.

      

               --Posted by Brandon E.

Entwined by Heather Dixon


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YA Fantasy

Entwined is one of the many spin-offs of the fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses.
Azalea is the eldest of twelve sisters and destined to be heir to the throne of a formerly enchanted kingdom. After her mother’s death, the king bans dancing in observance of mourning. Determined to continue to dance in a way to stay close to her late mother, Azalea and her sisters discover a secret passage to a magical pavilion where they dance every night under the observance of a mysterious gentleman named Mr. Keeper. Although the dancing allows the sisters to abandon the stiffness of mourning, it is soon made clear that Mr. Keeper has ambitions of his own that could spell trouble for Azalea and her family.

Entwined offers readers a good mix of classic fairy tale charm and the innocence of romance. First off I must say that the reason I picked up this book was due to the beautiful cover. I also must admit that after reading several renditions of this story, it was not my favorite; however, it was good in its own right. The integration of the specific dances really brought to life the desire of the sisters to dance and gave the story a sense that the author did research in order for the story to come to life. The brief interchanges between the sisters and the suitors really made the book as enjoyable as it was. All of the male characters were likeable as many of them had a sweet innocence or a witty charm that was agreeable to the reader. Although I did like the fairy tale aspect of the story, Entwined did have two main shortcomings. Even though Dixon does make an attempt to develop the characters in the books, there were just so many that she tried to build up that the characters were rather two dimensional for most of the story. Also, the immaturity of Azalea did grate on my nerves throughout the entire book.

Despite these shortcomings, the book did serve as a fun, easy read. If the reader goes in reading the book with the expectation that it is a cutesy, princess story, it will be much more enjoyable. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good princess oriented fairy tale.
For those who like Entwined I would recommend Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier and Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley

--Posted by Lauren--

Abandon (Abandon, #1) by Meg Cabot

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 Genre: YA Fantasy

At the age of 15, Pierce experienced an NDE – Near-Death Experience. As if that wasn’t bad enough, while dead she met John Hayden, death deity and ruler of the Underworld. And he wants her for his own. Though he has the brooding bad boy image down, Pierce isn’t ready to spend eternity with a stranger in what very possibly could be Hell. So with a little help from a warm beverage, Pierce makes a run for it.

Two years later, Pierce is still trying to get over ‘the event’ while navigating the wreckage her life has become. Her parents are divorced, she’s become completely disengaged from the world, and when things get really bad he shows up to help her out. So when her mom moves them to Isla de Huesos, Florida to be closer to family, Pierce sees it as the perfect opportunity to start over. That is, for the first five minutes at least. That’s about how long it takes Pierce to run into John, causing even more uncertainty and questions to rise up: Who exactly is he? What are Furies? and Why do people around her keep getting hurt?

I’ve always been a fan of Greek mythology, and the story of Persephone and Hades is a favorite of mine. I loved Meg Cabot’s 1-800-Missing & Mediator series, so when I saw she had written a mythological spin-off of Persephone’s story I just had to read it. The book takes place over a period of three days, but most of it is told in flashback so we know what happened since Pierce left the Underworld. It takes a while to find out what the ‘incident’ was that led up to Pierce having to move to Florida and why she was so traumatized by it, which was a little frustrating at times. What I really enjoyed about this book was the modern twist to the story. The original story has Mama Demeter doing most of the fighting for Persephone. In Meg Cabot’s version, Pierce is no damsel in distress. Abandon isn’t my favorite Meg Cabot book, but I will definitely be looking out for the second installment to see what mischief Pierce will manage to get herself into next time.

Mercy (Mercy, #1) by Rebecca Lim

Genre: YA Fantasy

Mercy is a fallen angel – and she doesn’t know it. All she knows is that waking up inhabiting someone else’s body is an ordinary and frequent event for her. How many times has this happened? She’s lost count. But if you’re going to be stuck in someone else’s body, living someone else’s life for who knows how long, you may as well help them out. Right? At least that’s how Mercy views it.

           

            So when Mercy wakes up on a bus full of girls, she learns that for now she’s stuck in the body of Carmen, a gifted soprano, who is on her way to a high school choir concert in the small town of Paradise. Beyond this, she has no idea who she is, what she’s doing there, or where she’s going. The only thing she is sure of is her love for Luc, a man she only sees in her dreams, but has no way of finding.

           

            Arriving in Paradise, Mercy is met by the Daley’s, her host family during the trip. Two years ago, the Daley’s daughter Lauren was kidnapped from their home and never found. Though Mr. & Mrs. Daley have given up hope that Lauren is still alive, her twin brother Ryan insists she is and searches for her tirelessly. Seeing an opportunity to be of  use, Mercy offers Ryan her help in finding his sister before it’s too late.

            I received this book as an advanced reader’s copy from Net Galley to review. I really enjoyed Mercy’s strong and witty character. The premise of the book is intriguing, and there were only two aspects of the book that caused confusion for me:

           
A) There was no setting. I knew they were in a small town called Paradise, but I didn’t know what hemisphere they were in, let alone what country. Does this really affect the storyline though? Not so much. While I personally don’t like too much description, there were some instances where this lack of setting caused confusion.

           
 B) If it weren’t for the synopsis of the book, I never would have known Mercy was an angel, fallen or otherwise. At some point, there was mention that Mercy glowed in the dark, and in her true form was about seven feet tall and hovered off the ground. It wasn’t until the very, very end that you kind of get a grasp of what Mercy is.

           
            Nevertheless, this book was great. The mystery of the story kept me reading all the way through. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the second part to the trilogy, where I’m hoping some of the mystery will be explained.