Every Other Day – Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Posted on February 12, 2012 by EHL

Kali is a strong heroine in this riveting action adventure filled with paranormal monster hunting amidst high school angst.   Kali appears like a normal teenage girl, but every other day at dawn, she shifts into something extraordinary.   She still looks human, but she gains supernatural strength and speed, predatory instincts, and can’t be killed.  She puts these talents to use by hunting down the preternatural beasts that roam freely – basilisks, zombies, hellhounds, etc.  She has no idea why she is like this.  Her father barely registers her existence and her mother disappeared from her life when she was a toddler.  Her life takes another twist when she takes on a memory-leaching parasite thinking she just has to hang on to the next day when her superpowers will kill the parasite.  In order to make it until dawn, though, she has to open herself up to the help of others, something she has resisted her entire life.  Through the process, she learns the truths of who and what she is.  There is a rather odd relationship with Zev that is quite interesting.  Kali’s new friends, Bethany and Skyler, round out the story perfectly.  The suspense made this a quick read.  I’m eager to read more about Kali’s adventures.

NetGalley review  Publication date 12.27.11

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Strinberg’s Star – Jan Wallentin

Posted on February 12, 2012 by EHL

While exploring a flooded mine shaft in Sweden, seven hundred feet below the surface, cave diver Erik Hall, finds a well preserved body holding an ankh, the Egyptian symbol for eternal life.  The press appears and for a few days the story is a sensation.  Erik contacts Don Titelman, a psychiatrist and expert in religious symbols and Nazi history, wanting to meet with him to discuss his finds.  Don finally decides to visit with Erik, but arrives at his home only to find him brutally murdered.  The police, of course, decide that Don is the murderer and promptly arrest him. Attorney, Eva Strand, appears on the scene to defend Don.  Unexpectedly, the Swedish Security Service takes over the case and transfer Don and Eva to Stockholm, but they are taken to a villa outside of the city. They manage to escape and this begins their frantic chase across Europe to understand what’s going on.  Anything more and this brilliantly layered story will be ruined for the reader.  The plot twists and turns need to be surprises.

Don Titelman is an anti-hero.  Emotionally scarred by his Jewish grandmother’s accounts of the horrible medical experiments performed on her by Nazi doctors, he becomes a drug addict.  Since he is a medical doctor he has an unending supply of all mood changing drugs and pops handfuls in every situation.  Much of the time he seems to just go with the flow, and at times things seem surreal.  Unlike most adventure mysteries where the reader is sure the hero will triumph in the end, in this book a successful conclusion is always in doubt.

Jan Wallentin is Swedish so the locale has a nice authentic feel.  The story grabs you at the beginning and won’t let go.  I couldn’t put it down and stayed up reading way too late.  This book is not meant to cross over into the teen market, it is meant for adults.

NetGalley review   Publication date  5.24.12

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Blood Red Road – Moira Young

Posted on February 8, 2012 by EHL

This dusty, gritty young adult dystopian novel is a fast 459 page read.  The pages flip very quickly because the story is told in short sentences as the thoughts of Saba, the tough twin of her brother Lugh.  Future Earth has become parched.  Twins Lugh and Saba live in isolation on a dried up lakebed with their young sister and father.  Riders appear out of the dust one day and steal Lugh, kill the father and leave Saba vowing to find him.  She is a natural born fighter, full of strength, adrenaline surges, and skill.  Those are good things because she is captured on her journey and sent to the cages as a fighter similar to a gladiator but hand to hand combat.  She earns the Angel of Death nickname in the fighting cages, makes some friends, meets a guy, escapes, has several brushes with death, survives, has fights with bad guys and these horrendous giant hellwurms, all on the journey to rescue her brother.  Saba has a rough almost southern drawl dialect that takes a few pages to get used to, but it soon reads naturally.  Saba is the star character here and so well drawn.  However, little sister Emmi, quite often steals the show as the fearless often annoying sidekick with spunk.  The author has written a fabulous debut novel, deserving all the accolades.  This is the first in the Dust Lands series with Rebel Heart to be published in October 2012.

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Bitterblue – Kristin Cashore

Posted on February 5, 2012 by EHL

Bitterblue picks up eight years after Graceling left off, when Katsa and Po rescued Bitterblue from her evil father, King Leck of Montsea.  Queen Bitterblue is eighteen now and feels the enormity of repairing and ruling her country after Leck’s perverted reign.  All of our friends are back with Po and Giddon having the biggest supporting roles as advisors.  The story follows the familiar plot of frustrated royalty sneaking into the city to understand what her subjects are like.  Yep, she meets a fella.  Saf is a wonderfully likeable and complex love interest who of course feels betrayed when he finds out who she really is.  Compared to the fast pace of Graceling, Bitterblue drags at times.  Granted Bitterblue has a lot to think about and is juggling the tasks of running a country and figuring out who she can trust and what evils her father committed and the mental scars he left on his subjects, but she does so much pondering about it.  There are many details in this book like the maze of the castle, the different codes, sculptures, bridge design, etc. that I didn’t need, but other readers might be fascinated with.  In a nutshell, the book is about putting a country back together after a horrible king has been disposed.  The author has created a brilliant story platform with the many realms, genuine characters, and the concept of graces and monsters.  The possibilities of further stories in the realms are endless.

Galley review  Publication date 5.1.12

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The Lady of the Rivers – Philippa Gregory

Posted on February 5, 2012 by EHL

Once again, Philippa Gregory has wonderfully recreated life among the royals in the fifteenth century.  This is the third volume in the Cousins’ War series, but the first chronologically.  It’s a prequel to The White Queen and tells the story of Jacquetta of Luxembourg from her youth through the War of the Roses.  Jacquetta, like most of the women in her family, has inherited the gift of second sight from her legendary ancestor, Melusina the River Goddess.  She soon realizes she must keep it carefully hidden to avoid being accused of witchcraft.  Married to the widowed Duke of Bedford, English regent in France, she learns from him to love books and learning.  She also learns that the Duke wants to use her sight to help his military ambitions.  But Jacquetta is too young and inexperienced to be of much help to the Duke.   After the Duke’s death she realizes that her friendship with his squire, Richard Woodville, has become love.  The young couple marries and returns to England to serve in the court of Henry VI and his queen, Margaret of Anjou.  Jacquetta becomes Margaret’s lady-in-waiting and close, trusted, friend.  With the loss of much of England’s lands in France, the people become restless,  royal favorites offer self-serving advice,  and the situation for the young royals deteriorates.  Through it all Jacquetta tries to be a steadying influence for Margaret.

There are some stretches in the book where not much is happening in Jacquetta’s life and that’s a bit of a slow read.  For those that like the calmness and domestic details, it is quite enjoyable because it brings the time period to life.  Gregory’s research is careful and thorough, and she makes you feel that she has been there and seen the things she describes.  The characters are complex and alive.  I felt sympathy for the young, sweet, simple, mad king, Henry and found myself hoping that somehow history would change and he could remain king.  The target market is adult, but can cross over into the older teen market.

 NetGalley review   Publication date 10.18.11

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Someone Else’s Life – Katie Dale

Posted on January 30, 2012 by EHL

Someone Else’s Life is a thoughtful story designed to keep the reader intrigued.  Rosie, a British teen, loses her mother to Huntington’s  Disease, a degenerative genetic disease that affects cognition and motor skills.  Rosie begins the genetic testing that will determine if she carries the HD gene.  She is shocked to learn that she is not her mother’s biological daughter.  She was switched at birth with a sick baby who was expected to die.  Rosie travels to the U.S. to find her biological parents and hopes to get answers.  What happened to the sickly baby that was switched?   This character-driven story is slow-paced and reflective while punctuated with plot twists.  The alternating narration adds a layer of complexity to the story.

 

NetGalley Review   Publication date 2.14.12

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Froi of the Exiles – Melina Marchetta

Posted on January 25, 2012 by EHL

Finnikin of the Rock is one of my favorite political fantasy books and I have listed it under the fantasy tab.  I was thrilled to get the galley for the sequel, Froi of the Exiles.  It is highly recommended to read the books in order.  Both are long books with multiple story lines.  Rescued by the Lumatere royal couple in the earlier book, former slave Froi is sent on a mission to assassinate the king of Charyn.  He has been trained to be an effective killing machine and fiercely loyal to his queen.  Charyn invaded Lumatere many years back, so there is bad blood between the two countries, to put it mildly.  Froi is to complete his mission and return home, but after the king is assassinated, the country dissolves into chaos and Froi is smack in the middle of the mess.  Froi is a quick tempered, multifaceted hero who is passionate about his queen, his past, his bond, his mission, his love.  Quintana is perfectly complex as the victimized Charyn princess.  Charyn’s women have been barren these many long years and it is prophesied that Quintana is the one who will break the curse and bear a child.  Many men have a go at becoming the father.  It is little wonder that she is half-mad.  Her strong will and determination resonate.  Meanwhile the Lumatere people are struggling to put their country back together after routing out the enemy. Queen Isaboe and Finnikin have small parts in the book with the focus on Lucien of the Monts.  All of the characters have troubled pasts that are smoothly interwoven and I quickly cared about each of them.  Froi is one of the most intricately drawn characters with plenty of flaws, a horrid past, and a deep desire to see good and justice prevail.  I just can’t summarize without giving anything vital away.  Every twist and turn in the novel took me by surprise, so I won’t spoil it for the next reader.  Brilliant.  Oh – the ending . . . wow!  Eagerly waiting for the next book.

Best for older teens.

 NetGalley Review    Publication date 3.13.12

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Slide – Jill Hathaway

Posted on January 14, 2012 by EHL

Slide will be a big hit in the young adult market.  Twisty mysteries are always good and this one has a unique way of delivering the clues, the pieces to solve the mystery.  Sylvia (Vee) suffers from narcolepsy.  When she passes out, she slides into another’s mind.  Younger sister Mattie’s best friend, Sophie, commits suicide, or did she?  Vee slides into the murderer’s mind moments after the act, but she cannot see whose mind she is in.  She is the only one who knows that Sophie did not commit suicide but was murdered.  Later, she slides into the mind of her best buddy, Rollins, who was with Amber moments before she was found dead.  Surely Rollins is not the murderer, but he has been acting distant.  Something is off.  Then there is her new boyfriend Zane who is wonderful, but she knows very little about him and his family.  I thought I had this one figured out several times, but no.  Riveting, twisty, and unique, Slide is everything a teen mystery should be.

NetGalley review    Publication date 3.27.12

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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again – Frank Cottrell Boyce

Posted on January 14, 2012 by EHL

I am a fan of the author’s writing, especially Cosmic, and I have such fond memories of Ian Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car, that I was eager to read this new book.  Before reading it, I pulled out my 1964 edition of Fleming’s book with the whimsical illustrations by John Burmingham, and reread.  Great, on to the new Chitty book.  At first, I was so disappointed.  The illustrations do not match the original and the writing style is different.  But I got over the differences and truly enjoyed the adventure.  This time around, the dad is newly laid off and to keep him occupied, his wife gets him a clunker camper van to fix up.  He finds an engine in a junk yard that we later learn came from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  The camper van takes flight and sets about finding its original body parts.  The first stop is Paris for the headlights, then on to Egypt for the tires.  There is a weirdly evil character bent on stealing the van and separates the parents from the children.  The clever children with their easy going approach to danger help Chitty restore herself.  The illustrations do fit the story nicely and the writing is lighthearted, fun and engaging.  The story is left open for more adventures that I hope to go on with this uniquely positive, quirky family and brilliant car.

 NetGalley review     Publication date 3.13.12

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The Night She Disappeared – April Henry

Posted on January 12, 2012 by EHL

Wow!  Another book by April Henry that does not disappoint.  Kayla is out at night making a pizza delivery and does not come back.  Her panicked co-worker, Drew calls the police.  It looks like the abductor initially targeted Gabie, another employee at the pizza shop.  Where is Kayla?  Despite Kayla’s blood found on a rock near the swift river, Gabie feels Kayla is still alive.  The police send dive teams into the river.  If Gabie was the initial target, is she still?  If Gabie and Drew figure out who abducted Kayla, perhaps they could save Kayle and Gabie both.  No way am I giving away any more details and spoil the story.  Just as in Girl, Stolen, April Henry has created another nonstop, suspense filled mystery.  The details are everywhere in this book, from the police tactics to the dive team working environment, to the pizza making.  I really enjoyed the section focusing on the dive team and the pitch dark river.  The story is told through the alternating voices of the many characters, including the man who took Kayla.  Drew, Kayla and Gabie, are all well-drawn teens with determination.  Gotta like and admire Drew with how he handles his life.  A read this quick book on a dreary, rainy Sunday and become so engrossed, I forgot dinner.  This will be a hit at my school and is every bit as good, maybe better than Girl, Stolen and that is saying a great deal. 

NetGalley Review  Publication date 4.10.12

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Witchlanders – Lena Coakley

Posted on January 7, 2012 by EHL

This fast-paced fantasy opens a generation after a devastating civil war.  The Witchlanders are ruled by witches/sorcerers who brutally drove the Baen to barren lands.  The arrival of an enemy is foretold by Witchlander Ryder’s mother.  She instructs Ryder to head into the mountains where he meets a young Baen prince, Falpian.  They are sworn enemies, yet they depend upon each other for their survival.  Their history has been twisted and distorted over many years – are they truly enemies or are they meant to live in harmony?

The author has packed a lot of story into this book.  A series of prequels could be written to fill in the volatile history of the land.  At first, I felt the absence of character background as a missing element in the book, but I came to appreciate it.  It takes time to understand Ryder and Falpian.  The author divulges their past in bits and pieces.  That’s fine.  It works.  I like how pages are not wasted on minutiae.  Ryder heads out to find the Baen (Falpian) at the end of one chapter.  He arrives nearly dead and frozen, at the beginning of the next chapter.  The author could have dragged out his journey in detail, but it isn’t an integral part of the story, so why waste words?  I like that.  The author succeeds in building an interesting world that I hope to visit again in future books.

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Ice Island – Sherry Shahan

Posted on January 1, 2012 by EHL

Tatum’s father competed in the Jr. Iditarod in his youth and she desperately wants to follow in his footsteps.  The story opens with Tatum watching for racers to cross the Iditarod’s finish line in Nome, Alaska, and being given one of her favorite sled dogs from her friend.  She and her mother and the sled dog head off to an isolated island to tend to a friend’s lodge for a week.  While there, Tatum meets Cole, a Yupik boy training for a sled dog race.  While on a training run with Cole that was supposed to be just a few hours, they end up across the island when a blizzard barrels in.  The training run turns into a fight for survival against high winds, heavy snow, and dangerously cold temperatures.  This is a very good adventure survival story that so vividly describes the sub-zero conditions, I snuggled a bit deeper into my electric blanket while reading.  The author has thoroughly researched the story and has sprinkled facts and information about the Iditarod, Alaska, Yupik traditions, and sled dog racing.  The facts could be imparted a little more subtly to the reader, but it certainly did not get in the way of the story and I did learn a lot.  Ice Island is less than 200 pages making it the perfect length for those wanting a heart pounding adventure survival story.  Plus, I really liked Tatum and Cole.  They are kids and they made mistakes but did their very best and kept their heads.  Best read in the heat of the summer to counteract the shiver factor.  For more information about the Iditarod:  http://www.iditarod.com

NetGalley review  Publication date  01.10.12  (Good timing! Before the Feb Jr. Iditarod and March Iditarod)

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The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland . . . – Catherynne M. Valente

Posted on December 30, 2011 by EHL

Twelve-year-old September is whisked away from her Nebraska home by the Green Wind and deposited in Fairyland.  She goes on a quest to save Fairyland from an evil ruler, meets curious characters, and goes home.  This book is getting rave reviews. ????  The illustrations are the best thing about the book.  The narrative is flowery and superfluous and grated on me.  The narration reminds me of Jim Dale’s narration in Pushing Daisies (short lived but excellent TV show) except the narration is annoying in this book.  September is a nice enough character with a take charge personality.  Saturday, the young Marid aka water djinni, has no real purpose in the storyline except at the very end.  We don’t get to know him at all.  It’s unfortunate that he was held prisoner and nice that he was released but I didn’t become emotionally invested in him.  I did like the young wyverary, A-Through-L, only because I have a soft spot for dragons, except he isn’t really a dragon but a wyverary.  The book is being described as Wizard of Oz meets Alice in Wonderland, maybe, sort of, but it tries too hard to be quirky and unique and clever.  I’m not sure who the intended audience is.  I love fantasy, so I really wanted to like this book and kept reading hoping that I’d come around.  Everyone has different tastes, so for some, this book obviously resonates.

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Ruby Red – Kerstin Gier

Posted on December 30, 2011 by EHL

A family with a time travelling gene eagerly anticipates Charlotte’s first time travel excursion.  Only a few people throughout the generations have inherited the gene and it was foretold that Charlotte would be the next so she has spent her youth in training.  Oh – but no!  Her cousin Gwen is the one that inherited the gene.  Gwen is totally unprepared for her forays into the past.  Fortunately, she is paired up with a dashing young man who does know his way around the past.  Told from Gwen’s point of view, she reminds me of a British E. Lockhart character (Ruby or Frankie).  The majority of the story focuses on Gwen and her sidekick in the present, Lesley.  It is the dialog, the sharp narrative, and the characters that make this story so special.  The mysterious focus of the time travellers and the guardians and the first mission happen late in the book.  There are several good mysteries interwoven to keep the reader guessing.  While I enjoyed the first part, getting to know Gwen, the story really got going in the end and was over all too soon.  This ticks me off a bit because all three books have already been published overseas and I’m ready to read the next two NOW!  This is the first book in the trilogy that was originally published in Germany in 2009 and translated into 17 languages.  Sapphire Blue will be published in the US in March 2012, and Emerald Green will follow.  The US edition is eloquently translated by Anthea Bell who also translated one of my favorite books, Tiger Moon.

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In Darkness – Nick Lake

Posted on December 25, 2011 by EHL

I finished this book several days ago and it still lingers with me and will for some time. More than lingers, it haunts me.   In Darkness weaves together two time periods in Haiti’s tumultuous history and is told through two voices.  The story opens with the Haitian earthquake of 2010. Shorty is a young gang member living in the Cite’ Soleil, a shanty town/refugee town under the control of the United Nations, but ruled by rival gangs.  He is hospitalized with a gunshot wound when the earthquake reduces the hospital to rubble.  As he clings to life, he recounts his life’s events and as his mind wanders, the story shifts to Haiti’s past.  The second voice is that of Toussaint L’Ouverture, who led the successful slave rebellion of 1790 against the French.  The time shift writing mechanism succeeds – brilliantly.  The writing is intense, the pacing fast, and the characters are very complex and genuine.  Both time periods are violent, bleak, gritty and horrific.  Because of the language and many acts of violence, the best audience is high school and adult.   Also, background knowledge of not just Haitian history but of the many revolutions during the 1700s helps the reader to better absorb the story.  My background knowledge of Haitian history is sparse.  When I finished the novel, I immediately read several articles about Haiti and Toussaint L’Ouverture.  I went about this backwards.  I recommend reading a quick encyclopedia article about Haiti’s history and then start the book.  The story of Toussaint L’Ouverture could be told by itself and be as engrossing and dynamic alone as it is when entwined with Shorty’s. It is a story that needs to be told and Nick Lake has done an outstanding job. After telling the story of hundreds of years of oppression and violence, the author ends it on a note of hope.

 As a fan of the author’s Blood Ninja books, I was eager to read In Darkness because it is quite different from vampire ninjas and I wanted to see what else the author can produce.  I am in awe and will eagerly read whatever he writes next – Somali pirates?  This will be after the third in the Blood Ninja trilogy.

 NetGalley review    Publication date 01.17.12

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