Across the Library

This new take on fairy tales focuses on Violet, a prickly court seer that doesn't particularly care if she is likeable. She certainly doesn't care if Cyrus, the prince she saved years ago, earning her place in court, likes or hates her, as she rather hates him. But it is her place as seer to prophesize whether he will find love in time to break his curse and save the kingdom from war and destruction as the previous seer's prophecy foretold. This book does so many things well! The "villainous" main character - this is my favorite type of character, so the bar was high, but this book does it well. The author made Violet properly prickly and supposedly unrelatable, but that just made me love her so much. Enemies to lovers - the chemistry is believable and enjoyable, moving the story forward as well as the rest of the plot. The beasts - The beasts were described so uniquely and beautifully, a strange combination of plant, fur. and horns. Camilla - Rivaling Violet and ...

  I read in an interview with Maggie Stiefvater that this book would appeal to both fans of the Disney movie Brave, as this is a sequel to the movie, and to her longtime fans. I happen to be an adult fan of both. I decided to rewatch the movie before reading the book because even though Merida is my favorite Disney princess, I haven't seen the movie since it was released, and I wanted to make sure it was fresh in my mind in case I needed to remember any plot points. This is not necessary though, as readers new to Merida's story can still find enjoyment in the book. It picks up a few years after the movie, and though it does occasionally mention the events of the movie, it is an entirely new story, where Merida, the princess of DunBroch, must spend a year trying to bring change to her family in order to save them after making a bargain with two gods. In a way, I think rewatching the movie first hindered my enjoyment of the book, because for the first half, I kept hearing movie M...

Do you like alternate histories? Maybe mixed with a little fantasy? I just finished An Affair of Poisons, and I loved it. It's an alternate history tale of a Shadow Society that poisons King Louis XIV and then takes power. There are two perspectives, one told by a poisoned, the daughter of the Shadow Society leader, who doesn't agree with what has happened, and a bastard prince who is fighting to save his sisters. The two meet and try to take back the city in the name of the boy's brother, the dauphin Louis. I thought it was a beautiful story with strong characters. There is romance but it is slow to build and handled well. It has poison and curatives, magic and intrigue. I highly recommend it.⁣

Rayne and Delilah's Midnight Matinee is book about friendship foremost, but the characters (real names Josie and Delia) also have strong character growth individually. The girls host a horror film show, broadcasting old B horror movies that are so bad they're funny. Their hosting show is a little corny, but that's part of its charm. When one girl starts dating and talking of moving on to other things, the other is afraid of being left behind again (her dad left when she was young). The two attend a horror con with hopes of making connections and keeping the show going, but this has crazy results. Delia also goes on a search for her father. In the end the two learn how to survive as individuals, but vow to be there for each other as well. ⁣ ⁣ Strong humor and character growth. As a book about friends, is it refreshing to see that the romance doesn't overtake that story. All around, a good book.⁣

 Wow. Just finished this book, and I think it's outstanding. I admit, I found it a little confusing at first, and at times it felt too long. But overall -- outstanding.⁣ ⁣ Claudia comes home from spending the summer with her grandmamma a little upset that she hasn't heard from her best friend Monday. Then Monday doesn't show up for school, for days, weeks, ever. No one seems all that concerned about it, other than Claudia. She's determined to find out where her best friend is even if the adults won't help her.⁣ ⁣ This is both a story of a close friendship between two teen girls, and a chilling take of a girl gone missing.⁣

Thirsty? Too bad. We take water for granted. Some people won't even drink tap water, and that can be understandable. But what happens when the taps run dry? Nothing to drink, you can't take a shower, and flushing the toilet is out of the question.⁣ ⁣ In 𝘋𝘳𝘺 by Neal Shusterman & Jarrod Shusterman the drought in South California just got worse. The water has been turned off, and people are just trying to survive. This book is fast-paced and a bit haunting because you can't help but think it could actually happen. ⁣ ⁣ I really enjoyed this one, but I will say, I wouldn't have minded if it had ended on page 367. That would have been some ending, but maybe a little too macabre for a young adult book.⁣

Title: Girl at the Grave Author: Teri Bailey Black My Rating: 4 stars I've had this young adult book for a while and finally got around to reading it, and then still I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get into it.  Once I started though, it went by so quickly and and I engaged and excited.  It turned out to be a nice, kind of spooky, murder mystery, perfect for October! It is the set in the 1800's. Valentine is a teen girl who is a bit of an outsider, but not for the typical reasons one might be.  Her mother was hanged when she was a little girl for murdering a man, who was a prominent member of society.  The man's son, Rowan, is now a classmate of Valentine's, and he tends to watch her closely, in contempt she thinks.  Soon after the book starts Valentine finds out her mother was innocent, but the person who tells her this turns up dead, and it may have been murder.  Surprisingly Rowan wants to help her find out who the new murderer is ; m...

Title: Onyx and Ivory Author: Minee Arnett My Rating:  5 stars I'm not in love with the cover or the title, but the book? Absolutely! This has earned its spot in my top 3 of the year! In this young adult fantasy, the main characters are around 19-20.  Kate's father was a traitor, having tried to kill the king, and that has left her with the name "Traitor Kate." Plus she has had to hide her wilder magic ability to speak with and control animals else she be judged for that as well, since wilder magic is illegal. But then she rescues her old friend, Prince Corwin, from a drake attack and things begin to change. Corwin doesn't want to rule. He has accepted that his brother, Edwin, will likely be the heir. Then he sees Kate again as she rescues him from the drakes and old feelings are rekindled.  But there are more important issues at hand...why are the drakes, typically called nightdrakes, attacking during the day? Is wilder magic involved? Right at 500 p...

Title: Shadow Weaver Author: MarcyKate Connolly Rating: 4 stars This dark tale of friendship, magic, and secrets was enchanting. The main focus is a young girl who can control and speak to shadows. Her parents do not approve of her magic, and soon, she is on the run from those who want to take her magic. She meets new people who her shadow warns her against telling about her secrets, but she finds they have some magic of their own. The story of magic weaves into one of true friendship.  This is the first book in a duology.

Title: Daughters of the Storm Author: Kim Wilkins My Rating: 4.5 stars Five very different sisters work to save their father, the king, while trying to keep their own secrets. Bluebell, the oldest and most loyal to her father, is a warrior, a fierce fighter that brings fear to her enemies. Rose is a queen, married off to a neighboring king to bring about peace, but if her king knew her secrets....  Ash is studying magic, but is more powerful than she should be at her age.  Ivy and Willow, the twins -- Ivy is lustful and vain, while Willow has turned to the trimartyr faith, believing her family to be heathens.  Will they be able to save their father and stop their treacherous step brother from taking the throne? I really enjoyed this book, both the flow and the story.  I know some reviewers felt there were too many characters, but I think that each character had just enough individuality and personality to stand apart enough for me to keep track.  Some o...

Title: Sky in the Deep Author: Adrienne Young My Rating: 4.5 stars Eelyn is a warrior, taught to fight and survive.  She is fighting alongside her clansmen when she sees her brother fighting on the side of the enemy -- the same brother that died five years before.  Feeling betrayed she goes after her brother, only to be taken alive by the enemy, and forced to live with them for a while.  In time, she finds herself developing feelings for one of the enemy clan.  And after an attack by another clan that nearly decimates the enemy clan and her own, she has to work to bring the two clans together. I really enjoyed this well-written warrior tale.  Unlike a lot of typical YA books, the romance was not immediate, it took some time before Eelyn began to trust Fiske and developed feelings for him.  The summary on the book would have you think it happens faster than it actually does.  Eelyn is a strong female character with loyal ties to her family. T...

Title: Then She Was Gone Author: Lisa Jewell My Rating: 4 stars Ten years ago, Laurel's 15 year old daughter Ellie went missing. Soon after, Laurel and her husband divorced.  Now, years later, she has let a new man enter her life, but she is shocked when she meets his daughter and she looks just like her Ellie. We learn this much from the summary.  I went in thinking that the man's daughter might be Ellie, but in the first few chapters, you learn that the man's daughter is young, and so it seems predictable that it will be Ellie's daughter.  It is also quite predictable who took Ellie.  At first I was disappointed by these things, but then I realized that these things were meant to be known and not surprises.  Once I accepted that, and that this wasn't a true thriller, I liked the book much more. Initially, I didn't like the author's writing style and wasn't sure I would finish the book, but I kept going and got into the story and style.  I di...

Title: The Tangled Lands Author: Paolo Bacigalupi and Tobias S. Buckell My Rating: 4 stars Magic has been banned in Khaim because it causes the bramble to grow, choking out the cities and life.  If the bramble touches you, you fall into a deep sleep, never to wake. Only the Majister Scacz is allowed to use magic and yet, so many others do, causing the bramble to continue to grow.  Stories of magic, yes, but these are really tales of the lesser people fighting back, while losing people along the way. At first I was disappointed to find out this was a book of four stories set in one world, instead of a novel, but I actually found it to be well written and the stories were moving.  Each author writes two of the stories.  I think my favorite was the Executioness. In the first story, an inventor is trying to protect his young daughter who is sick.  He creates a device that can fight the bramble, but Scacz and the duke discover it can be used to find those...

Title: The Wizards of Once Author: Cressida Cowell My Rating: 4 stars A wizard boy without magic.  A warrior girl with a secret magical object.  The two meet and fight off witches, thought to have been extinct. Will they save the day and manage to stay out of trouble? Xar and Wish are a pretty cute team up, though Xar can be a little annoying and selfish.  He does have a little bit of character growth by the end, but not much.  Wish is the true star of the team.  She is much more likeable.  The story is told by an unnamed narrator, though he/she tells you it is a character in the book.  My guess is the bird on the cover or the sprite named Squeezjoos,  but I'm still not certain. Overall, this middle grade novel is a fun magical adventure romp and the illustrations add to the exciting tale.

Title: Bone Music Author: Christopher Rice My Rating: 4 stars When she was just a baby, Trina's mother was murdered and she was kidnapped by serial killers who then raised her as their own.  When she was seven, she was rescued, but her dad exploited her story for fame and profit.  As an adult she changed her name and tried for a fresh start, but then someone she trusted gave her an experimental drug that gave her powers.  What would she do with this newfound strength? I really like Christopher Rice's writing style.  I have since I read his first book Density of Souls.  I really enjoyed that first book, and his second, Snow Garden.  So I have continued to read his books, and enjoy his style, but after those first two, there always seems to be something weird about the books.  I enjoy the style, but maybe not always the story.  With this one, it's a good story, and I did give it 4 stars, but I felt that the way the term "bone music" is used...

Title: This is Our Story Author: Ashley Elston My Rating: 4 Stars Five boys go hunting in the woods.  Only four come out.  An intern working with the assistant district attorney begins to think it may not have been an accident like the boys are leading everyone to believe.  This is a well-told mystery, full of secrets and plot twists.  I really enjoyed the writing style, and the build up.  There was however one thing that annoyed me.  The author used a variation or exact phrasing of "framed her face with his hands" over and over, enough that it was very noticeable.  I was also a little underwhelmed by the reveal of who shot Grant, but the book was so well done otherwise, that I am still giving it 4 stars. The author is actually local to my area, but I did not know much about her going in.  I had not read her work before this, but I would like to read more. 

Title:  Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein Author:  Lita Judge My Rating: 4 Stars This beautiful biography of Mary Shelley is told in first person verse.  The illustrations are haunting, but lovely.  The story of her life is sad, yet told so well.  Mary Godwin was sent away from her family when she was 14, returned when she was 16, only to fall in love with a married man.  Her family shamed her, so she ran away with him, and was soon pregnant with his child.  I won't tell you the rest, because the book tells it so much better.  The back of the book has further notes on her life, as well as a summary of what happened to each of the people mentioned in the book.  It also has a bibliography.

Title: Losing Brave Authors: Bailee Madison (Actress) & Stefne Miller My Rating:  3 stars Payton was there a year ago, when her twin, Dylan, was taken, or possibly killed, but she can't remember what happened. She believes Dylan may still be alive, and now more girls, who look somewhat like her, have also gone missing. Payton is determined to find out what happened to all of them. In the beginning, Payton is pretty unlikeable, but she undergoes some decent character growth that makes her easier to stomach. However, the writing style was hard for me to stomach, especially the first 40 pages or so, but I kept going because I was interested in seeing where the story went. I wasn't exactly surprised by the story, but it did get better.  I think Madison has decent ideas, but if she truly wants to be an author, she needs more practice.

Title: Weave a Circle Round Author: Kari Maaren My Rating: 2.5 Stars I'll be honest -- I struggled to get through this book, and I think I'm going to struggle with this review. Without giving away the secrets of the plot, I'll just say that Freddy, her little sister Mel, and her step-brother Roland find themselves with strange new neighbors, Josiah and Cuerva Lachance, who have a strange house as well.  There's a strange sequence of time travel plopped into the middle that is far too abrupted.  I think iti's supposed to seem that way, but in my opinion, it is not well done, and makes the story too confusing. There were interesting bits.  I liked some of the rpg elements that were included.  I liked that there was a deaf character and sign language.  I was intrigued by Josiah, and a little bit of the secretiveness of the characters, but it just didn't play out in a satisfying way. I thought the descriptions of the three characters, Josiah, Cuerva La...

Title: The Outcasts of Time Author: Ian Mortimer This was a decent book, but not really for me. Two brothers just infected with the plague in 1348 get the chance to live out their last six days each 99 years further into the future, all while seeking redemption. They do explore a little, and learn a bit about each new era they are in, but I wanted more out of that aspect of the book.  I know they only had a day in each time period, so there wasn't much time to learn about each, but I still wanted more. That was a personal preference though, and I should have read the summary closer.  It was an interesting book though.