Robin Sloan. MR. PENUMBRA'S 24-HOUR BOOKSTORE **Updated**

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore was just awarded the Alex Award on the freshly released ALA Awards. The Alex Awards is a list of outstanding adult books recommended for teens. It's in the vein of THE WESTING GAME and THE DA VINCI CODE, sort of. It's acutally a pretty unique puzzle/mystery/fantasy book all in its own.

Clay Jannon wanders into Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore because of the "help-wanted" sign. Little does he know that the store will change his life forever. It's no ordinary bookstore. Behind the few shelves with new books are these other mysterious looking, extremely tall shelves filled to the ceiling with one-of-a-kind books. Not simply rare books, but books that are literally the only one with those words.

After getting hired, Mr. Penumbra gives Clay an unusual set of instructions. After each customer transaction, he must write down everything about that customer's actions, clothes, and state of mind in the log book. Although the term "customer" seems to be incorrect, since the customers are merely exchanging their books for other books off the shelves in the back. No one pass any attention to the "regular" shelves in the front.

Mr. Penumbra told Clay not to look inside the books in the back, under any circumstances. But as things get weirder, Clay may not be able to resist any longer. What's in those books, and who are these quirky characters who are reading them? And why is the store open 24-hours, but rarely has any customers?

I loved this unique adventure! It's filled with secret societies, rare books, puzzles and codes, as well as Google headquarters! I'm not sure whether or not the information about what Google is really like, but it sure was fun reading about it. I loved the weaving together of old books and new technology. I also enjoyed the cast of characters, who were charming and fun.

Highly recommended!!

Check out this video of the author. I love when he talks about people asking him to pick between Books or Cool Stuff. I agree with him that we can love both! Click and the link will open up to the video on Amazon.

**NEW** Check this out! Macmillan Audio has graciously allowed me to share the first 13 minutes of the audio book! Click here to listen. The narrater is perfect! 

Rae Carson. THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS: 300th BOOK REVIEWED!!

What a wonderful book to mark this milestone! THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS is the 300th book I've reviewed for this blog. And it happens to be a spectacular debut by Rae Carson!

Elisa is the bearer of the Godstone, the chosen one. One person is chosen every hundred years to bear the stone and perform an act of service for her people. Elisa still wonders why she was chosen when her graceful, beautiful sister, Alodia, seems like the more obvious choice. Even though they are both daughters of the king, Alodia seems more the natural princess.

Elisa is even more confused when her father marries her off to become queen in the neighboring kingdom. Surely her sister is the more appropriate daughter to help rule an entire country. But when she realizes that her new husband wants her to be the savior for his people, she begins to understand her role. In fact, she's just getting used to the idea of being a wife and queen when her life takes a huge detour. During the detour, she begins to realize just how many groups are hunting for the "chosen one" and that some do not care whether they find their prey dead or alive. 

The continual challenges thrown Elisa's way help to build her confidence. She slowly begins to realize that she is more than a frumpy little sister. She begins to realize that only she can help her people with the coming war. Even so, Elisa still worries whether she will succeed in her act of service or if she will she fail herself and everyone counting on her.

Elisa is one of my favorite characters in recent years. She is smart, spunky, and never complains when she is challenged beyond what she thinks she can handle. I also love the new friends that she makes. There are many layers to uncover with a few of the characters. The story is so engaging that it kept me up late flipping pages anxious to find out what would happen next. 

Read it! Trust me on this - you will adore Elisa, her friends, and her story. 

Read more about the author at her gorgeous website here. I'm thrilled to discover that this is the first novel in a trilogy. The sequel is due out in September. Plus, we get a digital novelette in July! It's a prequel told from the point of view of Elisa's sister, Alodia. I can't wait!

Check out the video of the author's teaser video below:

Laini Taylor. DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE

"You were true to her, even if she was not to you. Never repent of your own goodness, child. To stay true in the face of evil is a feat of strength."

DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE is one of the best fantasies I've read in a while. Laini Taylor is truly a gifted writer. Let me tell you right up front that my review won't even come close to doing it justice. But I'll forge ahead anyway.

Karou is a mystery to those around her. She attends art school, most of the time. But she tends to disappear from time to time, and she returns from these trips with injuries or illnesses. Her best friend has learned not to ask her about the details of her mysterious personal life.

What her friends at school don't know is that Karou was adopted as a baby into a family of chimaera, or what one might call monsters. Her father figure, Brimstone, is an interesting combination of lion, ram and dragon.

Although Karou has already moved out to her own apartment, she still visits Brimstone and his chimaera friends often at his shop. When she disappears on those mysterious trips, she is collecting odd items for Brimstone, who needs them for his sorcery. He's not forthcoming about what he does with these rare items. In fact, he's not forthcoming about a lot of things. Karou's own history is a mystery that she wonders about often. Then Karou meets an intriguing, beautiful angel named Akiva, who nearly kills her.

Karou discovers that she and Akiva are enemies on the opposite sides of a war between the chimaera and the angels. But Karou also feels an unusual connection to Akiva. Perhaps he can help unlock the mysteries of her past.

This is an original fantasy complete with fascinating characters, epic battles, and a fiery romance. The writing is exquisite. Laini Taylor has created a rich world that is pure perfection down to the tiniest detail. I was so delighted to see that this will be a trilogy!

You won't be able to put this one down!

Check out the author's website here.

And one of the trailers:

Erin Morgenstern. THE NIGHT CIRCUS

"Someone needs to tell those tales...There's magic in that. It's in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict. From the mundane to the profound. You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words."

Wow, truer words were never spoken! Isn't that why we read? And before books, isn't that why we listened to stories? Clearly, it's my favorite quote from THE NIGHT CIRCUS, and I highlighted quite a few.

THE NIGHT CIRCUS is more of an experience, than a story. Although it does have a story, otherwise you wouldn't keep reading. In fact, as evidenced above - even the characters realize the significance of storytelling.

The Night Circus arrives without warning or promotion. It opens every day at nightfall. It is like no other circus you've ever seen. When you enter, you experience the grandest of adventures, the dreamiest of dreams, and you will want to come back again and again.

The circus began as one man's dream. Then he gathered the most amazing entertainers, illusionists and creators in the world. It became a world-wide phenomenon. But lurking behind the circus are secrets and illusions even bigger than those going on in the performances. How long will the secrets remain hidden?

As I mentioned, this book is an experience! You will enjoy every minute of the circus, the intrigue, as well as the mystery and romance. It's so well written. The characters are unforgettable. I loved spending time in this fantastical, completely original world.

THE NIGHT CIRCUS won an ALEX award at this year's ALA Book Awards. Go here for the author's website.
Also, check out the trailer below:

Amanda Hocking. SWITCHED

New St. Martin's Cover

This book was originally self-published and sold a million copies in eBook format. I even  purchased it myself back when it was 99 cents. But, I never got around to reading it. I’ve read self-published books before and been disappointed, so I was reluctant to begin this book. But, I finally relented, after perusing the list of books on my Kindle looking for one I hadn't read.  And, lo and behold - I really liked it! I think it’s an interesting cross between THE PRINCESS DIARIES and  BEAUTIFUL CREATURES.

On Wendy Everly's 6th birthday her mom tried to kill her, with a knife. Her mom kept telling Wendy that she was a monster and wasn't her real child. She was convinced that her own child had been stolen and Wendy was left in his place.

Now a teenager, Wendy has never really fit in anywhere. She's gotten kicked out of schools for various reasons. Friendships elude her. But her brother and aunt have always taken good care of her and tried to help her as much as possible after the incident with her mother.

One day, Finn, a strange new guy at school begins watching her. Finally, she confronts him and he has an interesting tale for her. Apparently, she isn't really human. (Was her mother right, after all?) She belongs to a secretive supernatural society. And he wants her to come back there with him.

Although Wendy senses that he may be right, she is reluctant to leave her brother and aunt. They're all she has, and they've been good to her. But the decision is made pretty quickly for her a few days later when a mysterious looking team of kidnappers try to nab her. Finn rescues her in time, but it's too late for her to stay. She must go with him.

As I said, I really liked it. Yes, the copy I read was the original self-published version, so it had some grammatical/spelling issues. But, in my opinion they were very minor. They certainly did not hamper the story for me at all, the way I've seen self-pubs do in the past.

I'm really curious about how the newer version looks compared to the original. On the author's website, she mentions that it will be "cleaned-up."

Original Self Published Cover

The story was interesting enough to keep me wanting to read it, even with the minor issues. I'm really excited to read the sequel. Since I missed the sequel when it was for sale previously, I'll have to wait until the re-published date in February - darn! But that's okay, because it will be the "cleaned-up" version, so it should be more polished.

I have to say, overall, it's a pretty great start to a unique series!

Check out the author's website here.


And, of course...the trailer:

Rebecca Lim. MERCY

Mercy is an angel, but she doesn't know it. She has no memory of her life before her current situation. She wakes up in a different person's body every so often and she isn't sure why or how. She does what she can to improve that person's life and then she moves on with little memory of the details.

However, this time it's different. She wakes up as Carmen, a soprano singer on a bus traveling to a neighboring town to rehearse with a group of schools. She's staying with a family who is dealing with life after a tragedy. The daughter was kidnapped two years before. The parents are still deeply sad, but are trying to move past the incident. The brother, Ryan, is still searching for his sister, Lauren. He insists he can still feel her presence. She is not dead; she is calling to him for help.

Mercy believes Ryan. She feels like Lauren is still alive too. Mercy wonders if she was sent there to help Ryan find this missing girl. Then when another girl goes missing, she feels even more certain that she was sent there to help. Another interesting aspect of the story is that Mercy discovers Carmen is a remarkable singer. Everyone is stunned at her angelic quality. Mercy realizes that the other two kidnapped girls were also sopranos with unmatched talent. What is the connection? Is Mercy herself in danger?

This intriguing novel is part mystery, part supernatural, and part romance. I was immediately drawn in to the story. I want to read more about Mercy and the mysterious boy she dreams about. Fortunately, more books are coming. It was released already in Australia as a trilogy, and the second book should be coming out here in the U.S. soon. For more on the series, go to the Facebook page here.
Also, check out the trailer:




Don't be confused if you go looking for the book and see several different covers!

The Australian cover is on the left. There is another US cover that looks like the one on the right!

Fortunately, they are all beautiful.

Ellen Booraem. SMALL PERSONS WITH WINGS

This book is SO MUCH FUN!! I really adore it! It's creative and truly one of a kind.

Mellie Turpin spends her early years with a fairy named Fidius. She enjoyed Fidius, especially when he turned her squash into candy corn and flicked his wrist to clean up her room. She thought her friends in Kindergarten would enjoy him too, but when she shared her idea to bring him to school, Fidius disappeared. The only thing she had to remember him by was a porcelain look-alike fairy. Unfortunately, Mellie had already promised to bring Fidius to school, so reneging caused a lot of name-calling from the kids at school. They dreamed up the nickname "Fairy Fat."

After hours with the school counselor and her parents convincing Mellie that there really is no such thing as fairies, Mellie finally went on with her life. She convinced herself that Fidius must have been in her imagination.

Years later, when Mellie's grandfather dies, they inherit his small inn and pub. The family decides to move there and fix it up. Mellie is glad to start over in a new town and lose the "Fairy Fat" moniker. However, when investigating the basement pub, she discovers something that she though she left in her crazy past for good. Small persons with wings (don't call them fairies). A bunch of them. They are real and her parents knew it! Not only are they real, but her family has a complicated relationship with them. Furthermore, they have some tough decisions to make about their future.

I loved this for so many reasons. First of all the characters are wonderful! The fairies (I'm just going to call them that here because it's quicker to type & easier to use in sentences than small persons with wings, although after typing all of this, I guess it would've been quicker to just..) anyway, the fairies have such great personalities. Durindana is a riot with her attitude coupled with her sweetness underneath. OMG, I love when she yells "Ai-yi-yi!" Maybe I can start using that on the kids at school. The fairies really are entertaining. They are obsessed with fine things, fancy clothing and high drama. Since they are about 1300 years old, their speech is part English, with Latin and French intermingled.

Melllie is witty and smart, yet still self conscious and afraid to make friends. It's believable that she would resist her neighbor Timmo's friendship. I love the way Mellie's mom tells her that she will "grow into her grandeur." That is one line I will always remember. It's beautiful. Mellie's parents, her grandfather and her friend Timmo are all original, interesting characters that you will adore. (That grandfather - what a sharp tongue. And so funny!)

The plot is unexpected, suspenseful and fast paced. Overall, this is clever and brilliantly executed. I was so sad it was over. I enjoyed spending time in Mellie's world.

Check out the author here - she must be so much fun, since she's written such an entertaining book!

Jennifer Trafton. THE RISE AND FALL OF MOUNT MAJESTIC

"Life is a mess and a miracle. So pick up a broom and dance."

What delightful debut by author Jennifer Trafton! I really love this one!

In a small town in the southern part of the Island at the Center of Everything lives a girl named Persimmony Smudge. She longs for adventure, something more exciting than her basket making, boring existence. After accidentally breaking an important family item, she runs off to go get another one before her mother gets home. Later that night, she loses her way in the woods and ends up hiding from the poison-tongued jumping tortoises in the hollow of a tree. While crouched down in the tree, she overhears a conversation that changes her life. Her adventure begins. She must travel to the top of Mount Majestic and warn the king about the plot against him.

She meets some fascinating characters along the way, discovers an even bigger secret, and learns more about her missing father.

What an exciting tale filled with so many wonderful characters! Worvil the worrier is a sweet little guy, who only needs a little push to become the hero he is inside. The Rumblebumps are light-hearted people who help everyone stay positive. Theodore the potter is a wise helper to Persimmony and her family. The bumbling king is hysterical and mixes up so many words. (one of my favorite king quotes "No one can feel discumbersomebubblated except a king.")

"Most people may think you’re short, but I know that inside of that shrinking body there’s a giant waiting to burst out." Persimmony encouraging Worvil.

There is so much adventure, wonder and sweetness in this book. It would be a fantastic read-aloud for the whole family. I'm still amazed that it's a debut novel. It's witty and brilliantly written! I wish I could do it justice in my review, but I can't. You just must read it yourself! You will love it!

The cover and illustrations sprinkled throughout the book are by the amazing Brett Helquist (CHASING VERMEER, SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, etc.). His illustrations are a perfect match for MOUNT MAJESTIC!

For more about the book and the author, visit here website here.

Michael Grant. GONE

I cannot believe I haven't heard about this book earlier. Well, I'm glad I stumbled across it. It is fantastic!
It begins with one seemingly normal day in social studies class. The teacher is talking about the Civil War, the students are listening. Then the teacher suddenly vanishes No flashing light or funny noise - he just disappears. After some investigating, the kids realize that all the adults are gone. In fact, anyone over fifteen is gone.
People begin to look to Sam for leadership. After all, he did save a bus full of children when the bus driver had a heart attack. Sam begins to make decisions to try to keep the kids from panicking. Sam, Astrid, the girl they call the genius, and his best friend Quinn all begin trying to figure things out. They make temporary plans, hoping this will all end soon.
Then a week or so later, Caine and a group of kids come into town from Coates. Coates is type of school for smart delinquents. Caine begins by charming everyone into making him "mayor." Of course, Sam and Astrid realize that he's trouble, but go along with Caine. Otherwise they would fall victim to his team of bullies who sit by ready and willing to enforce all of Caine's new rules.
We also met Lana, who was in the passenger seat of a truck when her grandfather vanishes. The truck crashes and she is badly hurt. After days of suffering, she's able to mysteriously save herself only to be attacked my coyotes. Fortunately some unusual creatures save her.
When it looks like things can't get any worse (no phones, no Internet, no doctors, no TV, no way to leave the area to get help) ...they do get worse. Animals are mutating. People are developing unimaginable powers, which some decide to use for evil.
I won't give too much away, because I had so much fun discovering all of the many twists and turns in this book, and I wouldn't want to deprive you of that fun. It's suspenseful. I couldn't put it down. It literally kept me up at night all last week! It has action, some mystery, some science, fantasy and a little love. (It really does cross many genres).
I haven't even mentioned how well written it is. The author did such a wonderful job with creating mood and tone. One of the most disturbing scenes is when the kids were walking through the houses to find any missing children. That deep feeling of loneliness and dread the kids were feeling hit me like a ton of bricks. And that is only one scene. There are many more unforgettable moments in this book.
It will leave you very curious for more. Lucky for us there is a sequel, and the series is planned to be 6 books.
Here is more about the author. He's married to KA Applegate, the author of the Animorphs and Everworld books.

Book 2 - which is on my "to read" pile

Patrick Carman. THE DARK HILLS DIVIDE

What an intriguing book! A student recommended that I buy this series, and boy, am I glad I did. I could tell it would be one of those books that’s hard to move without reading it yourself. It’s not one you can sum up in a short catchy sentence to get kids to check it out. So, I took it home.

First off, you see a map of the Land of Elyon right at the beginning, which I completely adore in a fantasy book. I bookmark it & refer back to it continually. Maybe I’m just a visual person, but I love maps and they help in made-up worlds.

Anyway, Alexa Daley is the daughter of the mayor of the town of Lathbury. The book begins with her going to another town where she spends many weeks each summer. Her father meets the other mayors and spends his time busy with work. So Alexa is free to roam around almost completely on her own. She spends a lot of time reading in the library, but mostly she likes to explore.

Her town and several towns around her are surrounded by huge brick walls. They were built to keep creatures out, but Alexa feels trapped. This summer, she has made it her number one goal to find a way through the wall to the unknown. She knows there must be adventure out there waiting for her.
What an amazing world the author has created. I can’t even tell you much of it without revealing a lot of spoilers. I wouldn’t ruin it for you, because I had such a wonderful time discovering this little gem myself.
This is a trilogy and I’m already into the second book!

Plus, I just read that Patrick Carman just wrote one of the 39 Clues books. I’m going to have to read more by him. Here is his website. Here is an awesome page with all of the books in this series! There are some great videos.
Check it out! I highly recommend it!

Rachel Hawkins. HEX HALL

I love this stellar debut by Rachel Hawkins! It’s so full of awesomeness! It has witches, faeries, shapeshifters and vampires all in one book. Actually, they're all under one roof going to school together. Well, that isn’t entirely correct – it’s more like reform school, but still. Let me back up and start from the beginning

Sophie Mercer found out she was a witch when she came into her powers around twelve years old. Her mom, who is not a witch, told her as much as she could about her powers. Sophie has tried to keep her powers under wraps since then. She has used them from time to time to help people, but usually that’s when a human discovers her, freaks out, and they have to leave town. The most recent spell attracted too much attention from the powers that be, so now she is being sentenced to Hecate Hall – a reform school for wayward Prodigium (witches, faeries, shapeshifters, etc.).

Sophie is somewhat relived to be able to finally make friends and feel at home around others like herself. But when her roommate turns out to be the outcast vampire that everyone hates, her popularity doesn’t exactly soar. The three popular supermodel-looking witches view her with disdain. To top it off, she makes a fool of herself in front of the super hot warlock that she has developed a major crush on.
Then darkness envelops the school. A witch had been murdered several months before Sophie’s arrival. Everyone assumed it was a one time event. But after another girl is attacked in the same manner, people are spooked. They all assume it’s Sophie’s roommate, the vampire. But Sophie gets the feeling it is something way worse that has made its way inside the school.

The author called this a cross between Harry Potter and Mean Girls. That’s a nice succinct description. But it is so much more! I love the mythology and lore behind these different creatures. I love that they all live together in this school (although with some discrimination among the different species, which is to be expected). I love how Sophie learns of her intriguing ancestry. Really, I could go on and on. The writing flows beautifully. The characters are so much fun! I couldn’t put it down!

To find out more about this intriguing new author go here for her website and here for her blog.
Highly Recommended!! I look forward to more from Rachel Hawkins!
*******T-Shirt GIVEAWAY!! COMING TOMORROW!!!******

Neil Gaiman. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK

Sometimes the Newbery award book perplexes me or makes me wonder why it was chosen. Not this one. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK is truly deserving of all the honors it is receiving.
Nobody Owens was named by his parents. Not so unusual. Except Nobody’s parents are ghosts. Nobody, or Bod as his friends call him, wandered into the graveyard as a baby after his family was murdered. The inhabitants of the graveyard had a feeling he was in danger and adopted him. Mr. & Mrs. Owens became his parents, while someone named Silas became his guardian. Bod grows up in the graveyard, learning from ghosts teachers and playing with ghost children. Except for the ghouls, witches, dreamwalking and trickery, Bod has a perfectly normal childhood. But one day Bod learns that the man who killed his family is still after him. He will never truly be free to live his life with that man after him. So, he must make some difficult choices.
This book is filled with adventure, intriguing characters, spookiness and dread. It is the quintessential children’s book that will be adored by all ages. I love the way Gaiman writes. There is something about the way he describes things. Whereas normally I’ll get annoyed at an overly descriptive scene to the point where I begin skipping over stuff, here I relished every phrase, every well-chosen word. For example:

“The knife had a handle of polished black bone, and a blade finer and sharper than any razor. If it sliced you, you might not even know you had been cut, not immediately.” and…

“The street door was still open, just a little, where the knife and the man who held it had slipped in, and wisps of nighttime mist slithered and twined into the house through the open door.”

I mean, really, don’t you have distinct pictures in your head after reading these excerpts? Don’t you want to read them again? That’s just the beginning. When we’re introduced to the different characters from such wide-ranging time periods, we get to enjoy an array of dialects and quirky people.
I thoroughly enjoyed this Newbery and really want to read more by Gaiman.

But this book trailer does a much better job of creating the mood of the book. Check it out. It has the illustrations from the book (which are stunning, by the way) created by Dave McKean.
Press play & be patient, it takes a moment to start.

The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean from booksamillion.com on Vimeo.

More on the book and video of the author reading the book click here.

LOVE IS HELL

I love short story collections! This one is a collection of love stories. But before you start envisioning gooey love letters, puppies and rainbows, let me explain further. It's called LOVE IS HELL. These are all supernatural stories with ghosts, vampires, fairies, and some futuristic sci-fi thrown in for good measure. Each story has its own unique supernatural/sci-fi/fantasy vibe, yet they all have one thing in common - love. If you think about it, that's an interesting combination. Fantasy & love. And I loved every word of it. I loved all of them for different reasons.
I would give too much away to talk about each and every story (and they each deserve equal amounts of attention - lots). So instead, I'll just mention the authors, and that should give you more than enough reasons to want to read the book.
*Scott Westerfeld (the UGLIES saga & the MIDNIGHTERS trilogy)
*Justine Larbalestier (MAGIC OR MADNESS trilogy) *Gabrielle Zevin (ELSEWHERE & MEMOIRS OF A TEENAGE AMNESIAC)
*Melissa Marr (WICKED LOVELY)
*Laurie Faria Stolarz (BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARES).
All those authors together in one book was enough for me to pick it up without even reading the description.

Now I want to read the other "Hell" short story collection from this publisher. Looks creepy & intriguing:

Stephenie Meyer. BREAKING DAWN

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

I just emerged from the bunker I was hiding in so I could finish the 754 page enormous end to the TWILIGHT saga. It’s going to be hard to write this without spoilers. So, let me warn you – there will be spoilers – so stop reading now, if you haven’t read the book yet. There is just no way around it. Let me begin by saying, WOW, what a roller-coaster ride. Frankly, it needed the ups & downs, otherwise at that length, it would’ve gotten boring. But it didn’t. There is a lot of positive and negative discussion being thrown around on the Internet about how this series ended. I avoided the Internet like the plague to ward off spoilers. Now that I’ve seen the discussions, I must ask – what is all the fuss about? I think this was a fitting end to the series. It did surprise me in many ways. I thought for sure that Meyer would put off the wedding, but she didn’t. I thought for sure that she’d put off the change, but she didn’t, although it was done in a “we had no choice” manner, which I think was the only way she would do it. I didn’t think she would write it as a willing choice by Edward. Even though he had agreed to it, he still would’ve tried to postpone it, if he could. I certainly wasn’t expecting the baby – was anyone?? Um, how about that name? Yeah, I know it’s a combo between the two mom’s names, but…I didn’t really like it.*

Let's move on to Jacob. At first, I was annoyed at the change of point of view, right when things were getting suspenseful (isn't that always when they do it!). But I was surprised at how much I enjoyed hearing Jacob's point of view & his story. It ended up being so crucial to the novel. I remember this happened in an earlier novel too, where I was annoyed, but then glad to hear more about Jacob. Was it New Moon? Or Eclipse? It doesn't matter. I'm glad he ended up being tied to Bella forever, along with Edward.

Another aspect I loved was the way things evened out between Bella & Edward. I was getting a little tired of the clumsy girl routine that Bella had in the first three books. Plus, not to be rude, but you really did wonder, along with Bella, why Edward would love her so much in the first three books. Now that she's a super-vampire, it just seems like she grew into the person he always saw her to be. Also, in this book, the choice of changing her didn’t seem so tragic as before, because it really did seem that she was made for the life. Everything seemed right with the world. Meyer did a great job in wrapping up the series, in my humble opinion. As a bonus, the last page of the book announces that there will be an encyclopedia-like OFFICIAL GUIDE to the TWILIGHT saga. It’s due out in December, which is right around when the movie is due out, so TWILIGHT fever will burn a while longer. Yay :)


**Addendum: After further pondering, I feel I need to add something. This book is a very different book from the first one in the saga. TWILIGHT was a beautiful love story that happened to have a vampire in it. NEW MOON & ECLIPSE had a lot more vampire and werewolf lore and action. BREAKING DOWN is full on vampire story, in my opinion. So, if you aren't into any gore whatsoever, then this isn't for you. The gore isn't that explicit, but it is there, and I don't want to mislead you. It is not TWILIGHT at all. I feel the story evolved and ended well. And I'm a fan of the entire sage. But, I just wanted to be clear.

*To be fair, what name could she have chosen that all the fans would like? A regular, everyday name surely wouldn't do. The sentiment of combining the two most treasured women in her life into one name was the only way to go, I guess. The nickname isn't too bad.

Rick Riordan. THE BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH

Yay! I finally got to read this one!
The latest installment of Percy Jackson and the Olympians may be the best yet, in my opinion. The story begins with Percy getting in trouble at another new school. And it’s not even the beginning of the school year yet! But he attends the new school’s orientation and has a major run-in involving some demon cheerleaders and fire. Then when he gets back to Camp Half-Blood, he learns that the camp is soon to be under direct attack. The battle between the Olympians and the leader of the Titans, Kronos, is drawing near. Somehow Kronos is getting stronger and will soon begin his attempt to take over the world. Percy and his demigod friends must find a way to stop the Kronos army from getting into the camp through the ancient labyrinth. Percy feels the pressure of saving the world on his shoulders, once again.
I’ve really enjoyed the way this series gets bigger and better with each installment. There are more characters and more engrossing storylines than ever before, plus the same great action and humor we’ve enjoyed in all the books. Definitely a must read!

By the way, the author has a great website here.
And a cool blog here. (he's from Texas, always a plus in my book, as you know)

Deborah Lynn Jacobs. CHOICES

Wow! What an intriguing book. Kathleen has just lost her brother in a car accident. She’s devastated. Then strange things begin to happen. She wakes up to a different reality each day. One day she’s Kathleen, another she’s Kate, and then Kay and Kathy. In one reality she’s lost her best friend and her mother is in a downward spiral, while in another she’s still has her best friend and her mom is doing great. But one aspect is constant in all realities – Luke. He seems to follow her to each world. Perhaps he has some answers to what is going on? She also wonders if she can find the “reality” where her brother is still alive.
The premise of the book really piqued my interest. Fortunately, it turned out as cool as it sounded. I really enjoyed this book. Now I’ll have to check out the author’s other books.

Alex Flinn. BEASTLY

If you know me at all, you know I love Alex Flinn. I have multiple copies of all her books in the library, but they’re never on the shelf because I’m constantly booktalking them. But somehow I couldn’t warm up to this one- until now. It never appealed to me. Flinn’s written such wonderful realistic fiction that I wasn’t sure about her doing fantasy. Boy, was that a stupid idea. I finally read it & it’s awesome! It’s a modern twist on the Beauty and the Beast. It begins with a privileged teen named Kyle Kingsbury. Kyle has everything. He’s rich, good-looking, and the most popular kid at school. He’s even elected Homecoming prince. But, he only cares about himself and treats anyone who can’t do something for him really crappy. In fact, he even seems to enjoy hurting people. Then one day, he pulls a prank on the wrong person. His life changes dramatically. She places a devious spell on him that he must find a way to break.

I couldn’t put this down. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I should never have doubted the great talents of Alex Flinn. I look forward to her branching out into whatever directions she wants as an author. I’ll read it all!

Here's her website: http://www.alexflinn.com/

Here are some of her other great books:

Libba Bray. A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY

Gemma Doyle just lost her mother in an unexplainable situation. Gemma foresees her mother’s death in a vision that becomes true only a few minutes later. With her mother gone, her father sends her to a boarding school in London. After having grown up in India, the boarding school is quite a change. It’s 1895 and The Spence academy prepares girls to be proper wives, who know their place. One night Gemma is led to a secret diary written by a Spence girl about 20 years earlier. She shares it with her friends and they become entranced by the stories of magic and the mystical order of women. They decide they’ll be the next “order” of women and attempt to enter this other realm. Then when Gemma discovers that she can enter this realm and see her mother there, she takes the other girls there. Each of them is enamored by the power they have in the realms. Gemma wants nothing more than to continue to spend time with her mother. Pippa enjoys the company of a handsome knight, while Ann becomes beautiful and Felicity becomes a huntress. Things get a little tricky when the girls try to take the magic out of the realms into the school. They may have inadvertently brought back dark spirits into the world. And when one of the girls’ lives is threatened, Gemma must find way to save her, if she can.
This one is difficult to describe in a paragraph, because there is so much depth and dimension to this book. There’s adventure, magic, mystery, and danger. I thoroughly enjoyed all of it and will be reading parts 2 and 3 soon. And did I mention the author is originally from Texas? (that always scores points with me).

More about the author, Libba Bray http://www.libbabray.com/

Her blog http://libba-bray.livejournal.com/

Part 2 and 3 of the trilogy:

Mette Ivie Harrison. THE PRINCESS AND THE HOUND

Prince George is being groomed to become King. But he has a secret. It’s a secret he shared with his mother, but now she is gone and he has no one to understand him. He has animal magic, which means he communicates with animals. However, his kingdom punishes those with this magic. They think it’s evil. His father has arranged a marriage to the Princess of the nearby rival kingdom in hopes of joining the kingdoms. When George meets Princess Beatrice, he is intrigued by her unique relationship with her hound. Could she have animal magic too? The Princess is indifferent and cold towards him. George wonders if they will ever be able to have the kind of marriage his parents had. And will he ever be able to fully appreciate his animal magic and see it as the gift it truly is?
This was quite a moving novel. Fortunately, it lived up to all the hype I’ve been hearing about it. If you relate to the bonds people form with animals, you will really enjoy it. If you don’t, probably not so much. I personally loved it!

Laura Anne Gilman. GRAIL QUEST: THE CAMELOT SPELL

This is the first in a trilogy set in King Arthur’s time. Just before a quest for the Holy Grail was about to begin, a spell has been cast that put all of the adults to sleep in Camelot. Fourteen-year-old squire Gerard has dreamed of being a member of the Knights of the Round Table his whole life. Now, he sees this as an opportunity to find the source of the spell and bring Camelot back to life. He reluctantly teams up with a stable boy, Newt, and the female servant to the queen, Ailis. I had no idea I would be interested in reading about this time period. But it was quite enjoyable. The three main characters are a delight. I’ll look for the other two in this series.