Fiction Addict

Genre: Thriller

Publisher: Harper

Publication Date: November 2011

Reviewed by Josh Olds

It’s everywhere, but you never see it; it could kill you, but you don’t even know it’s there. It’s another world completely, one you’re a part of even though you hardly ever realize it. It’s Micro and what you find there will be nothing like what you expect. Is this posthumous thriller, Richard Preston builds on the manuscript left by the late Michael Crichton to throw readers into a world every bit as terrifying as Jurassic Park. Only much, much smaller.

When seven graduate students jump at the chance to take a job with the startup company Nanigen MicroTechnologies, they think it’ll be a great opportunity to pad their resumes. They’re promised tools and funds unlike anything academia could offer. And Nanigen delivers in a big way. Of course it’s not all about science. Nanigen has a dark side as well, one that’s much more profitable than scientific discovery—at least in terms of cold hard cash. The students see Nanigen as an opportunity to discover the undiscovered, to explore where no one else has explored. But Nanigen CEO Vincent Drake has other applications in mind.

A few of those students uncover Drake’s plans and end up in a battle for their lives—shrunk to the size of the insects in the micro world. David versus Goliath plays out on a grand scale across the island of Oahu as the students must not only deal with their minute size, but the terrifying Micro world they’ve been thrown into. Each of their specialties and skills come in handy for their survival, but not all will make it back alive. It’s only a matter of a time before the effects of being shrunk kill them, so it’s a race against the clock to get back to Nanigen and somehow reverse the process. And even then they’ll have to find a way to stop Drake.

Micro is a truly immersive thriller, taking readers to a place they’ve probably never been before and showing them the true terrors that surround them and would certainly kill them if they were only smaller. Sometimes this causes the plot to get bogged down in explanation as readers need to be able to understand this new world. Sometimes the action gets broken down to explain some sort of scientific fact. But it does a have a purpose and overall the science of the book does not get in the way of the story and rather adds to its interest.

The group dynamic—these seven grad students who aren’t exactly the best of friends and have to figure out how to work together—is sometimes good, sometimes poor. Crichton and Preston do a good job of showing their struggles, idiosyncrasies, and petty feuds, but at points their pettiness just seems unbelievable given the fact they know that they need one another to survive. (Or maybe I somehow have some faith left in the human race.) Each character is also more-or-less an obvious achetype (The Leader, The Bully, etc.) rather than being three-dimensional.

In the end, Micro isn’t the instant classic the inside flap promises. The writing suffers at points (for example, at one point, a character who has had an arm paralyzed by a wasp sting is said to remove the stinger with both hands), the dialogue is somewhat stilted at points, and character development is somewhat weak, yet I still found myself drawn into the journey and kept turning pages. Micro isn’t Crichton’s best, but if you’re a fan of science or a fan of Crichton, you may want to pick this one up.

Genre: Science Fiction

Publisher: Scribner

Publication Date: November 2011

Reviewed by Jen Roman

Just about everybody wishes he or she could change the past to make the present better, but in 11/22/63, Jake Epping actually gets that chance. In 2011 Maine, his dying friend asks him to time travel back to 1958 to stop the Kennedy Assassination in 1963. While in the past, Jake changes a few other pieces of history and falls in love with a high school librarian. Eventually, Jake makes it to Dallas and is able to prevent Oswald from assassinating Kennedy, but not without some other strange events taking place. Of course King won’t let us have the happy ending we want, but he does give a “good enough” ending that sits well with the reader.
I have been a fan of Stephen King since I was about 12 years old, and I have come across various genres within the author: horror, sci fi, fantasy, and just plain novel. His latest manages to combine several things into one while making a fantastic story.

I imagine this story is written for many baby boomers who lived through the days of Camelot, but for those of us born after the assassination, it rings just as relevant. King produces a real hero in Jake Epping. He’s just a regular guy, but he does the right thing at the right time with what he has available to him. He “fights the good fight” and really cares about his friends and family. Best of all, he truly loves being in the past and living a simpler, although at times more awkward, life. It’s clear that King remembers a lot and has researched a great deal about the times, and he peppers scenarios with wonderful bits of nostalgia. Even those of us who are not Boomers remember a lot of the products and name brands he mentions. King is kind to his readers by making the time travel simple and easy-to-understand; we can take it at face value and just focus on the story at hand. Best of all, King throws in a few characters from his previous, and possibly upcoming, novels, for his loyal readers to see. We get to see how Bev and Ritchie from It are doing and we get to take another trek up Up-Mile Hill. It’s a delightful experience to see people from the past and possibly connect characters in this story to future ones. Leave it to Stephen King to make the story that much more fun!
As is typical of Stephen King novels, it contains adult themes such as profanity, sexual situations, and violence that are not appropriate for all readers. The book, however, contains a good message for everyone: we can’t change the past so we need to accept it and make the best of the present and future.

Genre: Drama

Publisher: Dafina Books – Kensington Publishing Corp

Publication Date: June 1, 2011

Reviewed by Chrystal Dorsey

Deception, lust, and murder are a few of the ingredients that will keep readers turning the pages of Mama Ruby, by New York Times Bestselling Author Mary Monroe.

The story opens in 1934 in Shreveport, Louisiana – and is the prequel to Monroe’s The Upper Room, and takes place during Ruby’s formative years – and boy how influential those years were in shaping Ruby into the character she became.

The down-home Southern names are earthy to match the thickness of the characters – Ruby Jean, Othella Mae, Beulah, Simone  are just a few of the names that are used to express the time period the story is set in.  Ruby is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter – supposedly meaning she has mystical abilities she wants nothing to do with. She didn’t need or want the responsibility, after all just being the daughter of a preacher was enough of a burden as far as Ruby was concerned.

You would think by being the daughter of overly religious parents it would have had a positive influence on her but it did not. Instead Ruby was the promiscuous ignorant young daughter of a preacher and the horrific and somewhat unbelievable consequences that occurred throughout her childhood followed her into adulthood and only seem to be compounded by her own actions.

The human elements of this story may cause many readers to become angry and perhaps even sympathize with the characters.  I was angered enough to put the book down, but had no sympathy for the characters; I did not like the characters, their lifestyles or what they represented. However, I wanted to know what happened, how the characters did or did not prevail over their grim circumstances.

This book contains some gritty as well as offensive language therefore; the recommended audience should be mature readers of ages 18 and older.

Review copy provided by author.

Genre: Drama, Romance

Publisher: WaterBrook Multnomah

Publication Date: September 2011

Reviewed by Elizabeth Olmedo

Karen Kingsbury’s Forever Faithful Trilogy brings together three heart-wrenching stories that confront readers with some of life’s most difficult trials. Kingsbury takes her readers on an emotional rollercoaster ride they will not soon forget.

In Waiting for Morning, Hannah Ryan’s closest companions are bitterness, anger, and hatred. A drunk driver took the life of her husband and oldest daughter. Propelled solely by revenge, Hannah is determined to see the driver pay dearly for his actions. In the process, she shuns God, alienates her only surviving daughter, and rejects anyone who doesn’t support her agenda. Soon her life has spiraled so far out of control that Hannah is not sure she can find her way back. It will take a kind prosecutor called Matt, a widow, and her husband’s dying words to set Hannah on the path to healing.

The second novel, A Moment of Weakness, follows the lives of Tanner and Jade, two childhood friends, who are separated only to find each other again as adults. They enjoy a wonderful summer together falling in love, growing in their faith, and learning who they are. Nonetheless, bad choices tear them apart once more. This time, it appears that all their dreams are gone for good. However, ten years down the road, Jade’s cheating husband wants to destroy her in a custody battle that is obtaining national attention and the only person who can help save her son is none other than Tanner himself.

Halfway to Forever, the final novel in the trilogy, reunites the readers with Hannah, Matt, Jade, and Tanner. Hannah has rebuilt her life with Matt. They are in the process of adopting a little girl, but when new information comes to the light, Grace is ripped from their home and lives. After having lost two loved ones already, Hannah isn’t sure she can survive losing yet another daughter. Meanwhile, Tanner and Jade are fighting a life-threatening illness. After years of waiting for the woman he loves, Tanner could still lose her and this time forever.

With these two couples, tears will be shed and lessons learned. In Waiting for Morning, Kingsbury explores the world of drunk driving and its devastating effects for everyone involved. She also shows that when hate and bitterness creep in, they corrode the soul like rust. Suicide is another topic touched in this novel. In A Moment of Weakness, Kingsbury expertly tackles the issue of sex outside of marriage and all the pain and suffering caused by stepping outside of God’s perfect plan for our lives. The last book, Halfway to Forever delves into life-threatening illnesses, abortion, and adoption. All three novels cover themes such as repentance and forgiveness. They show us, as the name of the trilogy so clearly states, God is Forever Faithful. This series is not a light read. It is for those who are willing to be challenged and confronted with truth. One doesn’t have to experience these specific issues for the books to apply. I was continually amazed at how many times I felt like the lessons or scriptures were written just for me.

The novels are infused with raw emotions and gritty reality that seize the reader. Relevant themes make the stories relatable. And while the author embarks upon controversial issues, Kingsbury handles them delicately from a faith and love-filled stance. Be prepared for tears. I had to pull out a Kleenex on more than one occasion. Many of the characters wiggled their way under my skin as I rooted for some and became utterly frustrated with others. Each book in this series forced me to stop, think, and analyze experiences in my own life. I recommend the Forever Faithful Trilogy to readers who are looking for happy endings without completely sacrificing realism.

Genre: Dramatic/Suspense

Publisher: Urban Books / Kensington Publishing Corp

Publication Date: January 2012

Reviewed by Chrystal Dorsey

D.L. Sparks, recently voted in as the newest member of the Atlanta Georgia Peach Authors, caught the attention of readers with her debut and sophomore novels is back with her latest dramatic suspense novel Between Friends, about A DEA agent and an APD Lieutenant who lock horns during a joint investigation that unearths cold-blooded corruption and heartless manipulation in this fast paced drama.

Between Friends opens as DEA Agent Orlando “Trip” Spencer has returned to his home town Atlanta to help with a complicated investigation. Trip didn’t want to take the case, he didn’t want to be back in Atlanta, but what he least wanted to do was to work with APD Lt. Lincoln Briscoe.

Between Friends, draws heavily on drug kingpins turning up dead and weapons being funneled into the county jail, but there is more than just a cat and mouse game of intrigue being played as this drama unfolds it is also packed with romantic complications and there is no telling what will happen when Trip and his closest friend, Idalis Arrington come face to face again.

Although they have been friends since early childhood, there is a wedge between Trip and Idalis’ relationship and that wedge is none other than Lincoln “Linc” Briscoe, Trip’s nemesis who’s been on a collision course with Trip since college. And just so happens to be engaged to marry Idalis, a complication that may very well affect Trip’s ability to focus on the case.

Trip learns that Idalis is in trouble and his efforts to protect her and investigate the slaughters taking place on the streets of the Dirty South take him all over the city of Atlanta – from Atlantic Station through Spaghetti Junction to a house in Cascade – a house full of secrets.

As the investigation gains speed the novel peaks up even more; emerging secrets threaten the pending marriage between Idalis and Linc. Unfortunately while trying to protect Idalis Trip’s partner, Philip “Big Phil” Porter is shot and left for dead.

Readers will appreciate that Between Friends does not disappoint once the mystery of Phil’s shoter is revealed,  as other suspense dramas tend to do. The adrenaline does not stop pumping and instead the rapid pace continues. The story does not become boring and readers will learn that the innocent aren’t always as innocent as they seem.

Sparks may not win an award of excellence (though there’s no reason she shouldn’t), she is still an author of quality that deserves recognition and merit for the realism she brings to her characterization skills. The realistic characterization of Trip comes to life while he investigates corruption, his relationship with his best friend Idalis and some childhood demons.

Some books defy expectations, some books defy critics, they are often the books readers call a darn good read – and Between Friends is one of those books. I have no doubt that Between Friends could very well become a New York Times bestseller and I’m hoping it will be adapted into a big-screen movie.

Between Friends is a must read and highly recommended for anyone who wants to become engrossed into a suspenseful entertaining storyline. It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a book for the story content and the characters that come alive throughout the pages. I want to thank both the author for her talent for being able to tell a story in such an entertaining matter.

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Supernatural, Speculative

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication Date: June 2011

Reviewed by Kaci Hill

Halloween, haunted towns, creatures that live in the dark and feed off people’s dreams—what more could a writer ask? Feast: Harvest of Dreams is the first book of Destefano’s I’ve read, a dark, otherworldly tale with a contemporary setting.  It starts out simple enough: a best-selling young adult fiction writer and divorcee named Maddie finds herself in need of inspiration for her book and relief for her soul, so she returns to a place she hasn’t been since childhood, a little cabin in a town called Ticonderoga Falls, taking her son and their dog with her.

Now, I would say that “little does she know, this is the wrong time to visit the woods,” but, to a writer, the lurking doom that awaits her really is a bit of a sadistic thrill and absolutely perfect for inspiration.  The downside, however, is that the inspiration luring Maddie is also likely to kill her. She doesn’t know what happens over Halloween weekend.  She doesn’t know about the creatures in the shadows who feed off people’s dreams and memories, or of the curse that’s settled on the town.  Nor is she aware of a childhood savior whose grief is responsible for all of this. She is, however, aware of something following her and the bodies that turned up, and she’s determined to find out what’s responsible.

Meanwhile, she’s met Ash, a strange man who claims to be the son of a man she met once as a child. We quickly learn Ash’s identity, but Destefano is very careful and very particular about how much she reveals when.  I’ll admit, it took forever, even in Ash’s point of view, to figure out exactly what kind of person he was, but I very much appreciate her care in not saying too much too quickly.  The truth is, Ash is all too familiar with the curse and its origins, and the creatures—eventually named Darklings—who feed off dreams and memories and once a year have a great hunt in which all of their marked humans are prey. Ash is master of Ticonderoga Falls and in command of the Darkling hunt, but he has a hidden wound that spells the end of the town if his enemies find it.

As a fair warning, Destefano’s story structure is different, and might it might take a few chapters for some readers to acclimate. However, she develops three-dimensional characters, even the bad guys, and her tale is steeped in rich history and various layers.  Maddie’s described as the protagonist, but in many ways, I believe that really falls to Ash, even if he’s a bit complicated and difficult to define as especially good or evil for most of the book.

I very much enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Merrie Destafano.

Genre: Young Adult/Science Fiction

Publisher: Zondervan

Publication Date: December 2011

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

Abby Goyer doesn’t know what her dad was thinking when he decided to move the two of them to Alaska. It seemed crazy – so remote, so out of the way. But that has Abby’s mind overworking: why would her dad move out here? When strange circumstances begin to circle her life in Alaska, Abby becomes convinced something evil is happening in the town, something her dad might just be involved in. And when a strange bald boy calling himself Martyr ends up with her, all Abby can do is piece together the strange facts and boil it down to the truth. The only problem is that when the truth is more horrible than a lie, how can anyone face it?

Jill Williamson has created something otherworldly all right with Replication: The Jason Experiment. She immediately captures the reader within the first few pages and never lets go. I found myself staying up late nights reading until my eyes couldn’t stay open any longer. I loved the characters, the plot, and pretty much everything else Williamson has done here. Taking a break from the fantasy worlds she built in her Blood of Kings trilogy, Williamson takes a definite turn into a realistic sci-fi world. No space ships or aliens, but plenty of creepy science to fill the pages.

The strongest thing going with Replication is definitely the characters: Martyr, who is so innocent and naïve, is written extremely well. The parts of the book told from his point of view are amazing. Williamson never deviates from describing the world Abby lives in with those innocent lenses over Martyr’s eyes. A parking brake becomes a strange stick with a button. Anything green is always related in shades relative to peas. It’s perfect. Martyr feels new and fresh even as he learns more about the strange world he’s arrived in.

And Abby Goyer comes across as a well-rounded female lead – going through the motions of a new high school, but retaining a very fresh voice and style in the writing and her actions and dialogue. Abby goes through some subtle character growth by the end of the novel, and it feels just right.

The plot twists around well enough. Sometimes it was a little easy to see where things were going to end up, but then Williamson surprises. The epic finale felt like something right out of Fringe or the X-Files. There’s a creepy tone in some places, and once a few parts of the story are revealed, it’s easy to be slightly put off by the implications. But by the time the book was finished, I kept thinking there had to be a way to continue the story in a sequel. Things do wrap up by the end, but it’s the characters I wanted to spend more time with.

Christianity comes up quite a bit in the novel, and at a couple of moments, it did feel like there was a lot of it. But that’s Abby’s character. She’s trying to work through her father’s issues with science vs. belief, and without her conversations with different characters, she couldn’t have had that growth. And that leads in to the large ethics questions Williamson raises throughout the book: how far is too far with science? Can there be places it can go that cross over a line? In the end, Williamson answers these questions through Abby and Martyr’s journey.

Replication is definitely a must-read. It’s got all the right things going for it: a creepy sci-fi plot, raw characters, and a great ending. Don’t miss this one. I know I’m now eager to go back and read Williamson’s other books, because one thing is certain: she has a very unique voice. And that makes for very unique books.

Genre: Science Fiction

Publisher: Marcher Lord Press

Publication Date: October 2011

Reviewed by Tim George

Man is man regardless of the century. Every struggle is ultimately with one’s self. Every decision a choice. An opportunity to be either zero of one. More often than not, we choose zero. But sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we win over the darkness. Exceed our specifications. He stoops. Touch the steam. Be a one.

(from Freeheads)

Sandfly is a debugger. For all us freeheads that means he serves at the whim of my masters, the Abduls, to correct whatever goes wrong with their machines. And they have many machines, all designed to do their work for them. But is hard for us to understand that since we are freeheads, unhindered by the constraints of an implant that prevents us from disobeying our masters in any way.

Sandfly is sent by his master to a place few of his world ever go – space. There he discovers a fantastic secret tool of interstellar exploration known as Dark Trench. What happens next is left for you to find out. You, meaning all you freeheads that dare read A Star Curiously Singing. People like Sandfly have paid a terrible price for instant and direct access to all the information of the world, freedom to think for themselves. And, freedom to know the truth.

More importantly it leads the reader to consider what Sandfly discovers on Dark Trench. “A” is not God. There is another. One who is so much more. He is “A³”.^. Does “A” stand for Allah in this story? We are never told. But there is no doubt who “A³”is. He is the One “who stoops” down to man and becomes one of us. He is the One who created all. The One who the stars sing about.

Continuing Sandfly’s story in The Superlative Stream, Nietz carried us on an adventure with Sandfly and his female companion, Hardcandy that is both dazzling and introspective. What they discover when they reach their destination challenges everything they have ever believed and known. With Dark Trench disabled, Sandfly and Hardcandy find themselves on a world of seeming blissful perfection. On this planet, the beings all seem to work in perfect harmony with no laws or implants to force them to do anything. But like many things in life, Sandfly comes to wonder if there might some hidden agenda in the beings’ interest in earth. What follows is beyond description.

Completing the Dark Trench Saga, we now have Freeheads. Sandly is determined to return to earth and see what has become of those he sent back with his revelation of a Star Curiously Singing. But Einstein was right about the speed of light (more or less). The 300 or so days Sandly has been on his journey equates to 40 years when he returns. Much has changed – much has not.

In spite of a brief stop on the moon and a reunion with an old friend, Sandfly can’t shake the calling he feels to take his newfound freedom to Earth. He’s been found by the One who Stoops – one totally opposite to “A”, the tyrannical god invoked to enslave earth’s masses. Now faithful to the true God, A Cubed, he determines to stoop as low as required to free mankind. In the words of Eric Wilson, “Burroughs and Bradbury, it’s a thrilling, deeply intelligent and deeply spiritual journey through a future that is all too real.”

Review copy provided by author. 

Genre:  Historical Fiction, Romance

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc

Publication Date: Feb 2012

Reviewed by Melody Ballard

When Owen Allen began his journey from England to America, he left with the hope  of a new life for his sister Annie and himself.  Owen, selfless and optimistic knew that this new beginning would release his sister Annie from the tyrannical grip of their aunt, Eleanor Hargrave.  And so he sailed on that fateful voyage of the Titanic with shoots and seeds that he so carefully cultivated in order to renew the garden that was both his life’s work and his heart’s desire.  It was in America that 30 acres of Owen’s land was being cared for by his Aunt Maggie and it was here that he knew he would fulfill his destiny.

Owen’s journey intersects with that of Michael Dunnigan, a young stowaway on the Titanic from Shannon Ireland.  Michael was also a victim of  cruelty and was tormented by the fate that had befallen his mother and young sister. Michael’s life was forever changed by Owen’s kindness and strength that was a manifestation of Owen’s strong and unwavering faith. As Owen saw that Michael was safely in the lifeboat of the Titanic, he asked him to promise that he would continue his journey, would see that the garden in America would prosper, and that he would take care of his sister Annie.

Annie Allen, Owen’s sister was devoted to her brother.  She endured the difficult  times with cold-hearted Aunt Eleanor by believing that she would somehow complete Owen’s dream in America.   Her will was fueled in part by her anger toward Michael because he lived and Owen died. The fact that she had never met Michael had little effect on this grief and anger.

Twists of fate continue to impede Michael’s promise to Owen of bringing Annie to America. In time, through correspondence with her Aunt Maggie and later with Owen himself, Annie found that she could forgive. Her heart once hardened, opened through her faith; and hope and anticipation took the place of the darkness that had so consumed her. World War I soon changed all this.

Promise Me This is filled with characters so complex and alive that one might believe they are members of ones own family. This riveting story is mesmerizing and compelling  as well as historically accurate. Cathy Gohlke has extensively researched the times and lifestyles of those who may have lived during them; Owen was an actual person on the manifest of the Titanic. This novel of hope, redemption and promise amidst profound despair is one that will bring the story of the Titanic alive during her 2012 centennial.

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Children’s / Young Adult

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

Publication Date: September 2011

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

It has been such a long time since I found a book I truly could not put down — a book that made me want to skip sleep because I had to finish. And finally, I’ve found it: RETURN TO EXILE by E.J. Patten. Rarely can a book keep surprising me, keep me flipping pages faster and faster, and genuinely thrill me as a reader. But Patten has succeeded on so many levels.

Sky Weathers is a loner. He’s always been a loner, and probably always will be. Especially since his family moves all the time. Just as soon as the Weathers settle in somewhere, they pick it all up and leave. But at least Sky’s Uncle Phineas is usually around. Uncle Phineas always has a new puzzle for Sky to solve, another riddle to figure out, or some strategy game to play. And then the family makes the final move. To the town of Exile. And that’s when everything goes haywire. Uncle Phineas is missing, something terribly strange is going on in the creepy manor across the road, and Sky cannot figure out why oversize crows seem to be following him everywhere. But that’s just the beginning. Because Sky has landed right in the middle of a massive battle — between evil monsters and sinister hunters. But what’s even worse: all of them are out to kill one person: Sky Weathers.

Patten’s debut is exactly what middle grade fiction needs: a high action, thrilling mystery, with enough original monsters to fill up the pages. And top all of that off with some great characters — including the lead, Sky. While he is a loner, he never comes across as a cliché: he has a complicated history, and a very complicated personality. In many respects, his attitudes felt very real to life, and his conflicts unfold naturally throughout the story. The surrounding cast is fun and quirky, and the villains are equally complicated and highly surprising.

There is a high amount of fantasy that sneaks into this novel, and it is some downright fun stuff. Just when I thought Patten couldn’t top the last monster, he introduces another one just as frightening. One chapter later on introduces a pretty scary monster and delivers an epic action sequence that just does not let up. Throughout the entire book, whenever there is action it never drags. It keeps moving the reader along nonstop and straight to the end. The last third of the story is one epic final battle that really reminded me of Rick Riordan’s THE LAST OLYMPIAN. It’s one of the best climaxes I’ve read in a novel in a long time. It felt like this could be the last book in a series, not the first. I cannot wait to see what happens next in book two.

The plot twists around well, and if a reader isn’t following super closely, they might miss what’s happening. Patten often brings back small details from the beginning that have great meaning later on. In some ways, Patten uses some very J.K. Rowling-esque writing in his use of distraction. Rowling often had a reader looking off to the left when everything was actually happening on the right. Patten does this often as well, and it’s brilliant.

There isn’t much more to say. In some ways it’s astounding that RETURN TO EXILE is Patten’s first novel. He executes it so well that it makes anything else coming next that much more exciting. Time cannot pass soon enough until book two.

Review copy provided by the Amazon Vine Program.

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publication Date: January 2012

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

Colt McAlister thought they had beaten back the evil alien race, the Thule. After shutting down a plot to mine earth’s resources, Colt hopes he can now return to regular life. You know, that thing where you can just go to school, hang out with friends, maybe get a part-time job at the local pizza place? But that’s where Colt is very wrong. Because the Thule are already plotting a new way to destroy humans and take the planet. Word has spread of a deadly virus appearing throughout the globe. The virus is incurable. People are dying. The government is hiding. And now, to top everything off, Colt and his friends Oz and Danielle are about to head out to the C.H.A.O.S. Academy to train. But before he can get there, someone is trying to kill him. Someone who looks very familiar. Someone he thought he could trust. Because it looks more and more like everyone he knows might just be in on it. Colt will have to trust in God more than ever before if he’s even to survive another day.

Jon S. Lewis introduced us to the world of Colt McAlister in book one of THE C.H.A.O.S. TRILOGY, INVASION. And now, about a year later, we finally get to see what happens next. INVASION was a great first book, filled with action, suspense, and some pretty good twists to the plot. Picking up ALIENATION, book two, I was really hoping for more of the same. And to a degree, that is what Lewis delivers again. The first half of the book seemed to wander a little bit. It did have some great action sequences, and even right up front there is a pretty startling revelation about Colt, but it wasn’t until Colt and his friends arrive at the C.H.A.O.S. Academy that things really get rolling. In the last half, Lewis really returned to what made INVASION so great, and topped it off with two great climatic battles, all leading up to the final few pages, and a very exciting cliffhanger for book three.

Colt in some ways suffers from what seems to plague all “chosen ones” in books such as this. Colt is expected to lead C.H.A.O.S. against the Thule invasion, and he whines about it for a good chunk of the book. While not too excessive, and while it is the emotions Colt is feeling as his world is swept from beneath him, I couldn’t help but be reminded of other such heroes in YA fiction. Colt does go through some character growth as he battles these feelings, and that does make for a stronger ending to the book.

Lewis once again shines highly in his action scenes, and these are some of the best moments of the book — as Colt flies through the air on a hoverboard, facing down alien creatures and robots. The chapters move swiftly, and it’s not long before you realize quite a few pages have gone by.

ALIENATION definitely took a more futuristic approach in its setting and gadgets. Not that INVASION didn’t have a futuristic feel to it with aliens and planets and such, but INVASION had such a great throwback feel to it as well — with the idea of jet packs and the many World War II nuances. ALIENATION begins to move in a new direction as Colt moves on to the Academy, where future tools and ideas abound.

This volume also has some great bonus material, such as a graphic novel opening, and essays from Lewis on writing comics. He also provides a script for the comic pages, showing what goes into creating panels. Some drawings from different artists, rendering characters such as Oz, Danielle, and even Grandpa McAlister, are also included in the back.

All said, Lewis has delivered another great entry into this trilogy. And although it does suffer a bit from being the middle book of a series, it definitely promises good stuff to come for the finale. For fans of good YA science fiction, ALIENATION is worth a read.

Book purchased by reviewer.

Genre: Horror, Suspense

Publisher: Quirk Publishing

Publication Date: September 2011

Reviewed by Jennifer Roman

New York City residents Susan Wendt and her growing family need to find a bigger home. When Susan sees an ad for a walk-up brownstone in a good neighborhood at a steal, she can’t believe her luck. She and her husband Alex fall in love with the home and rent it immediately from an elderly and eccentric landlady. Almost immediately, Susan hears noises and learns of the horrible fate of the previous tenants. Susan starts to see bedbugs in her bed and on her body, but nobody else can see them. She even sees bedbug bites on a person in a portrait she has painted. It’s only after she almost loses her sanity that her family believes her, but by then things have turned for the worse.

It’s been a long while since a book has been able to capture this reader’s attention by being scary. Most scary books really aren’t, but this one is an exception. Maybe it’s because it is a psychological thriller and the story affects the mind. Maybe it’s because the story deals with creepy-crawlies, and one can just feel them on the skin while reading. Many times this reader has stopped and looked at her arm to check for bugs or bug bites. In short, Winters is able to scare the reader because he grabs the imagination’s attention and sends it to wild places. Not many people can tolerate bug infestation stories, and that is part of the fun. Truly, the reader will get the willies.

Bedbugs gets at that niggling little feeling that, even though the reader knows the story is fiction, it COULD happen, and that makes things all the scarier. While it doesn’t come at the reader with blood and gore and tons of suspense, it makes up for it by planting that seed of fear in the brain. From there, the reader takes over and helps to create a wonderfully fun and creepy story. Readers who want to be given a good scare won’t be disappointed. Because of the subject content, it is suggested for mature readers only.

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Romance

Publisher: Little, Brown & Company

Publication Date: October 2011

Reviewed by Jennifer Roman

A far cry from his usual fast-paced, gory, psychological thrillers, James Patterson’s Christmas Wedding instead focuses on family, love, and happiness. Gaby Summerhill, widowed at a young age, has decided to get married again. In a surprise twist, though, she is not revealing who the groom is- not even to the potential grooms! She has three dear friends, each of whom has asked her to marry him. Only when she walks down the aisle will she reveal her new husband. Of course, her adult children have to arrive at her home in time- and safe and sound. Each child’s arrival brings a back story that brings life to the characters.

Since it is such a sharp contrast to Patterson’s usual storyline, it takes the reader a few chapters to become accustomed to the different format. Obviously, Patterson is not a romance or family drama writer, but he manages, along with the help of DiLallo, to do a decent job crafting a nice family story. The only thing that is somewhat distracting is the fact that Gaby believes it is fun to make such an important decision all by herself. By not telling anyone else who the groom will be, she appears a bit self-centered and spoiled. Readers will get to know her warm and caring personality as the story progresses, but this one major point keeps sticking out as well. Of course, the story has a happy ending, so everything is neatly tied up with a bow by the last page, which is probably what most readers of this genre want. In this particular situation, it works.

The Christmas Wedding deals with spousal abuse, alcohol abuse, and drug use, so it is intended for mature readers only. Otherwise, it is full of quirky family love. Patterson and DiLallo understand that families are not perfect, and they demonstrate that in the Summerhill family dynamics. While not everything will be resolved, there is definitely a strong sense of family love and support that makes the reader happy with how things go.

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Suspense, Drama

Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.

Publication Date:  June 2011

Reviewed by Chrystal Dorsey

Since only a handful of books are worth reading past its opening paragraph, chances are most readers will pass on a novel and perhaps opt for mindless television, unless the author manages to capture their attention, and propel them to read chapter-after-interesting-chapter, and that’s what Miranda Parker has skillfully been able to do in, A Good Excuse to Be Bad.

Miranda Parker’s debut novel, A Good Excuse to Be Bad showcases a female heroine, Angel – but don’t get it twisted, the name Angel was given to her, but not necessarily earned. This former investigative reporter has become a tough bail recovery agent, aka – Bounty Hunter, with ballistics training, a black belt, and an array of weaponry; and she’s on a mission to save her twin sister, Ava from a scandalous murder charge, and when I say scandalous, I do mean the murder of Bishop Devon McArthur was scandalous.  The action, humor, and thrills keep this fast-paced suspense intriguing while the anticipation unfolds and until the final pages are turned.

Although Angel reluctantly promised the annoying pain-in-her-side detective Salvador Tinsley, that she would not interfere with the investigation, and despite the animosity between Ava and Angel, she is still compelled to save her sister from the death penalty or at the very least, life in prison – so Angel launches a private investigation of her own.  The road to the truth, leads her on a journey of lies, deceit and more dead bodies. At the same time, Parker throws Rev. Justus Morgan, the lavender scented handsome pastor into the mix as Angel’s wanna-be sidekick with hints of a taboo romance on the horizon – to learn how far it will blossom, readers will have to follow the story to a close.

While on the trail of clues, evidence and motives – not to mention romance, readers will discover some surprising elements that will keep them perplexed and captivated to find out where and with whom the trail will end.

Ms. Parker has cleverly added some twists and turns that are sure to keep any suspense reader fascinated until they uncover every mystery, including why Angel detested her brother-in-law and what caused her, her sister and the Bishop to be on such bad terms – how does their estranged relationship and the six-year old history between Angel and the sizzling-voice Detective Tinsley fit into this web of deception and the murder investigation?  Oh and then there’s finding out who Rachel is and what if anything, is her connection to Bishop McArthur’s murder.  This story will have readers on edge as they continue to clutch the pages to find out who amongst the suspects is actually guilty of the murder(s).

Readers don’t pass on A Good Excuse to Be Bad, by talented author, Miranda Parker – if you do, you will regrettably miss out on a very interesting read of dramatic-suspense with a cultural trip through the streets of Metro Atlanta and its surrounding areas.

After reading A Good Excuse To Be Bad, I know I want to find out what happen to put Angel on bad terms with Ava and Devon – so I’m really looking forward to joining Angel on her next manhunt in the latest Angel Crawford installment, Someone Bad and Something Blue, scheduled for release in July 2012 from Dafina Books.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Genre: Romance

Publisher: Penguin Group

Release Date: November 2011

Reviewed by Jen Roman

The latest installment of the Elm Creek Quilters series, the Wedding Quilt jumps ahead approximately 25 years to celebrate Sarah and Matt’s daughter Caroline’s upcoming wedding. Friends and family from near and far congregate at Elm Creek to share in the happiness of the event. Instead of spending a lot of time and detail on the current wedding, however, the book focuses on “catching up” on some of the guests and giving their back stories. While the readers certainly get to indulge in the fun of a wedding, they also learn “whatever happened to…” in relation to many key characters throughout the series.
At first, I admit I was a bit confused by the story. I understood that the story took place 25 years in the future, but I felt as though I were missing certain story elements, even though I had read all the previous books. I kept reading and found the stories of various previously-known characters to be interesting and fun. Some relied on historical events, while others were purely fictional. It was fun to “catch up” with people and to learn the history of the area. Best of all, we got to read about a surprise at the wedding: a secret gift Sylvia had set away for each of Sarah’s twins before she died. Of course, the story has a happy ending.
Despite the initial confusion, the book quickly warms up Chiaverini’s fans to another installment of her beloved characters. As usual, Chiaverini keeps things clean and friendly. Even people who have disagreements do not become violent, and there are no sexual undertones or vulgar language. People who love quilting, people who love to read historical fiction, or even people who just love a good story will be happy with this book. Even older teens will be able to read the story without parents worrying about offensive content. The only caveat is that the chapters are very long, so if planning on reading before bed, the reader may have to stop in the middle of a chapter. While not terribly upsetting, it does create a bit of frustration for those of us who like to finish a chapter before closing the book. Still, the Wedding Quilt provides enough heartwarming scenes to keep its readers happy.

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Publisher: Scribner

Publication Date: August 2011

Reviewed by Elizabeth Olmedo 

As thousands of fans flood Charlotte for Race Week, a body is discovered in a barrel behind the speedway. When the news gets out, a pit crew member walks into Temperance’s office and tells her that his sister, Cyndi, and her boyfriend, Cale, disappeared 12 years earlier, but no bodies or traces were found. At the time, Cale’s involvement with an extremist group brought in the FBI. However, a few weeks later they closed the case and walked away.

When Temperance delves into the case, strange things start to happen. Examination of the remains uncovers the presence of a deadly substance. Then the body disappears from the morgue shortly after. The FBI returns with more secrets then ever and an employee of the Centers for Disease and Control goes missing. As always, the harder the mystery, the more determined Temperance becomes to unravel it.

Kathy Reichs returns with yet another winner as she transports us into the world of NASCAR. Flash and Bones is packed with the intriguing forensic descriptions and suspense that her fans have come to love and expect. There is no question why Reichs keeps hitting the bestsellers list. Throughout the novel, she will introduce her readers to both fans and fanatics of racing. As always, Temperance is brilliant at work; however, but her personal life is in shambles. The heroine juggles three men in her life; each one has been her lover at one point or another during the series. They continue to depend on her emotionally, but in return are unavailable for her needs. She also deals with the pre-wedding meltdowns of an ex-husband’s fiancée. Flash and Bones is another must read for anyone who enjoys a good suspense novel.

Genre: Inspirational

Publisher: Howard Books

Publication Date: November 2011

Reviewed by Jake Chism

Thomas Brandt and his family have had a rough year. Because of his Dad’s drinking and abuse, his Mom was forced to move Kevin and his sister to a new town with a new school and a not so new trailer. Try as he might to fit in, he’s become the target of the school bully and to make matters worse, his mother can’t even afford their Christmas this year. Desperate for help, she reluctantly decides to sign her kids up for the Salvation Army Angel Tree program.

Kevin Morrell can’t believe his bad luck. With Christmas just around the corner and the birth of his twins on the horizon, he finds out his business might be forced to close. As Kevin swims around in a sea of self-pity and worry he tries to be strong for his family. He wants to have the faith of his wife, but he feels farther away from God than ever before. Despite his doubts, he decides to do one small act of kindness that will unknowingly change the lives of two families.

Paper Angels is one I’ve been anticipating for some time. Jimmy Wayne’s hit song, “Paper Angels“, has been a source of inspiration to his fans for many years and I couldn’t wait to see how Thrasher and Wayne translated that message into novel form. Fans of both will instantly be aware of the dual story line throughout the novel that subtly (and sometimes not-so subtly) reflects the personal experiences of both. For this reader at least, those personal touches made the story lines and characters that much more intriguing.

Despite how much or little you may know about this partnership, rest assured Paper Angels can be enjoyed by all. The timeless messages of sacrifice and hope are on beautiful display throughout, all set perfectly against the backdrop of the Salvation Army Angel Tree program. Yes, this story tries hard to bring awareness to that program, but it also accomplishes much more in the end. As a parent I walked away from this story with a greater appreciation for my family and how blessed I truly am. More importantly, this story has stayed with me throughout this holiday season reminding me that true joy comes from giving.

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Children’s Series

Publisher: Abrams, Harry N., Inc.

Publication Date:  November, 2011

Reviewed by Chrystal Dorsey

Writer Jeff Kinney continues his diary entries about the adventures of his stick figure Protagonist, Greg Heffley in, Cabin Fever – Diary #6.  In this installment Greg finds himself in trouble again and this time he is somehow involved in vandalizing school property. The other perpetrator is of course, his closest friend, Rowley who, as usual is along for the ride.

The winter holidays is the setting for this Wimpy Kid installment.  While Greg is trying to figure out what to put on his Christmas list, he chronicles a number of events that take place prior to the blizzard that trap him and how he manages to deal with them – including, looking for ways to earn money to buy Kritterz Kash to care for his demanding cyber pet.  At the same time, Greg’s little brother, Manny has his own solution to Greg’s virtual pet problem, and it’s a doozy.

And like any average stick-figure adolescent, Gregg has finally grown up a bit, and is a little less whiny.  Although his primary goal is to earn money to care for his virtual dog and not get busted for defacing school property, Greg brings attention to the fact that recess has become like a prison yard after the last of the playground equipment is taken away – because according to Greg, the school was having trouble paying the insurance for the playground, so each time there was an accident or injury they removed the offending piece of equipment – until there was none, and the children were left with no recess-time activities.  Greg may very well be on to something,  because, that may be the lame explanation for the lack of physical activity in today’s public schools.

After successful eluding the school authorizes as well as the police for his accidental crime, to Greg’s surprise he is anonymously ratted out by none other than one of Westmore Middle School’s usual suspects.

An entertainingly quick, easy read for young children.

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Lucas Lane Publishers

Publication Date: December 2011

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

Travis Thrasher hit his stride when he began releasing The Solitary Tales a year ago. With both Solitary and Gravestone, Thrasher set up a complex and multi-layered world for Chris Buckley to enter and explore, while dealing with his own heartaches. So many mysteries surround the small town of Solitary, North Carolina, and many of them have yet to be solved in the first two books of the series.

So, keeping readers happy while waiting for the next installment in this astounding series, Thrasher has released this “b-sides,” Something I Can Never Have. If you have not read both Solitary and Gravestone, stop now and go back to read those first. I promise you won’t be disappointed. But for those who have finished those dark and creepy tales, read on.

Something I Can Never Have is a collection of letters written by Pastor Jeremiah Marsh, who is introduced in Solitary and continues to scare throughout Gravestone. Some dark mysteries circle around the pastor, and here, we have a glimpse into his life before coming to pastor the large church just outside the main town of Solitary. What follows is definitely a frightening collection, and truly begins to show Marsh’s slip toward madness and suddenly chilling recovery. There are definitely a few surprises lurking here, and while not solving the greater mysteries of Solitary, this short novella does give us a few bits of information about Pastor Marsh.

Since Jeremiah Marsh is penning the letters comprising each chapter, the writing style differs from the main books. It doesn’t come across as choppy, but instead flows in the unsettling manner you’d expect from Marsh. Parts of this one reminded me more of Thrasher’s Isolation, and the letters definitely dive into some deeper topics and very disturbing scenes.

In some ways, reading this short book was cruel: it truly reminded me why I loved The Solitary Tales, and it also reminded me of how much I couldn’t wait before Temptation, book number three, is released. It would be great if Thrasher released more “b-sides” – more short tales of various characters from the series. Fans will definitely eat it up. I know I did. And maybe, Pastor Marsh did too…

Book purchased by reviewer.

Genre: Drama, Suspense

Publisher: Osmyrrah

Publication Date: September 2011

Reviewed by Jen Roman

Antigone Brown is flighty and impulsive; when she gets flustered or depressed, she takes her vintage Ford Mustang and drives the open road to clear her mind. This upsets her logical, grounded husband, Sam, to no end. When Mercy hits the open road when she finds out she is pregnant, she not only frustrates Sam, as usual, but surprises him as well when she brings home a young runaway, Ryder. Ryder is from the inner city and has run away to avoid his abusive mother. Being the caring people they are, they take in Ryder as one of their own. Shortly after this, Antigone hears that a group of “concerned citizens” in her hometown of Mercy, North Carolina, has decided to ban books. Although Antigone is dyslexic and has a love/hate relationship with books, she takes a stand against this group of powerful women in Mercy. Of course, this affects not only Antigone and her family, but her friends and co-workers.
Sherry Roberts weaves an interesting story that immerses readers in the lives of the characters. We understand Antigone’s struggle and Sam’s frustration with her. We feel terrible about Ryder’s tough family situation. No matter one’s opinion of book banning, the reader is sure to understand Antigone’s standing up to the bullies in her life. It’s refreshing to see her stand up for what is right, even if it’s something that gives her grief. Reading is not Antigone’s strong suit, but she still risks so much so that students can have the freedom to read what they want.
In general, the story is tame and doesn’t have much in the way of violence. Many people do curse, however, and use some pretty vulgar language. Ryder comes from an abusive home, so those sensitive to the plight of abused children may not be comfortable reading certain sections of the book. There is also a scene in which a beloved pet dies, so anyone uncomfortable with deaths of animals may not be willing to read it. For a story on a different topic, however, Book of Mercy manages to entertain and delight the reader.

Genre: Military Suspense/Thriller

Publisher: Barbour

Publication Date: January 2012

Reviewed by Elizabeth Olmedo 

Nightshade protects those in need.

But who protects Nightshade?

Someone has dismantled the covert group, scattering its members around the globe. Kazi Faron accepts the task of rescuing and reuniting the team. Her plan is to get in and get out. A plan that is easier said than done. Those who don’t want Nightshade back in operation will stop at nothing to keep the group apart. Kazi brings her own ghosts to the mix and if Nightshade’s enemies don’t finish her off, they will.

Griffin “Legend” Riddle sits in a maximum-security prison, charged with a murder he did not commit. When a mysterious woman shows up to break him out, he only has seconds to make his choice. He decides to follow. What comes next is a journey across countries and continents to bring home his team and uncover the threat to their lives. But can he depend on this independent, hot-blooded woman who likes being in charge?

Ronie Kendig hit a grand slam with the writing of Firethorn. It is the fourth book in the Discarded Heroes Series and she did not disappoint those of us who eagerly awaited her next turn at the plate with the bases loaded. The first three books were definitely hits, but Firethorn delivered the much-anticipated homerun.

Be prepared for a tear jerker. Kendig brings home the horrible and unfair cruelty of war, making readers aware of what our real, true life heroes and their families face every day. This book requires a box of Kleenex at your side. Saying goodbye to these characters who have become like best friends throughout the series is not easy.

Through Griffin and Kazi, two individuals with serious faith issues, Kendig shows the reader the importance of learning to trust, not only those around us, but God—the Ultimate Protector. Kendig’s fans won’t want to miss the conclusion of the Discarded Heroes Series.

Genre: Children’s

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Publication Date: December 2011

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

Every step of the way, Dan and Amy Cahill have fought against treacherous relatives, dangerous traps, and puzzles designed to break them apart. But now, Amy and Dan are facing their biggest threat yet: a mysterious figure only known as Vesper One. All they know is Vesper One has kidnapped members of the Cahill family from each of the five branches: Lucian, Ekaterina, Tomas, Janus, and even from the Madrigals. And unless the siblings steal priceless artifacts and artwork, Vesper One is going to kill the prisoners. One by one. And now with Interpol after them as well, it seems like the whole world is turning against them: no one can be trusted. There is no where to hide. And time is running out for the hostages. And when the phone vibrates with a text message from Vesper One, Amy and Dan must now try to track down another strange piece of an even stranger master plot. And with the revelations on the last few pages, not even the Cahills are prepared for the dark truth waiting for them in the end.

Jude Watson returns in her fourth entry for The 39 Clues saga, first in the Cahills Vs. Vespers series. A King’s Ransom begins with a bang, and continues with more clue-hunting and globe-trotting for the Cahills. Some might think after so many books ideas are running thin for the series. But Watson manages to bring things up another notch and creates some crazy puzzles that will leave readers scratching their heads until everything falls into place. And there are definitely many surprises waiting in this one. I couldn’t help gasping out loud at the final pages, and then declaring to anyone nearby, “I knew it!”

Dan and Amy continue to grow as characters, and there is a bit of a darker side to Dan emerging throughout The Medusa Plot and A King’s Ransom. Both of them have grown up a bit, and this is showing through in their thought processes and actions. Dan has reached almost a point of depression in trying to deal with the evils facing them, while Amy watches helplessly – wondering how she can ever get her brother back to the carefree and prank-loving kid he used to be. With the revelations in the end of this book, however, whatever comes next in The Dead of Night will be completely new and heart-breaking for the entire Cahill clan.

Watson is a master of action and just when you think she’s run out of ideas, she brings back some more to surprise and really shake things up. From a treacherous car ride in the Alps to a super creepy bone mausoleum, the Cahills will face some of their worst fears. Many of the supporting cast is back, including Hamilton Holt, Ian Kabra, and the infamous Jonah Wizard.

There are hidden messages to be decoded scattered in the book once again, and these are tough ones to crack. But readers who persevere will find more interesting clues to the Cahill world. The book also contains six new collectible cards featuring more puzzles and characters.

Be forewarned: if you have not read any of the previous 39 Clues books, it really is best to go back to the beginning: The Maze of Bones, and start from there. Otherwise, too many nuances and small details will be missed. And with one full eleven book series, two companion books, and now two more entries in the second series, this is definitely not something to miss.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Genre: Chick Lit, Drama

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publication Date: March 2011

Reviewed by Jen Roman

All her life, Lexi Baill has been neglected both emotionally and physically. Her single mother is a drug abuser who is frequently incarcerated or just plain missing. She has no other living relatives, so Lexi spends a great deal of time in foster families, where she just blends into the background. After her mother’s death, seventeen-year-old Lexi is both scared and thrilled to know she has an aunt who is willing to take her in and give her a home. Lexi moves to a small, mostly affluent island in the Pacific Northwest and, being an outsider, quickly befriends a girl sitting all by herself. They become the best of friends and are inseparable. Lexi’s new best friend, Mia, has a twin, Zach, whom Lexi likes romantically, but she will not act on her feelings out of respect for Mia. Eventually, Mia gives them her blessing, and Lexi and Zach become a couple. One night of partying right before graduation causes Mia to drive while intoxicated, and there is an accident in which Mia is killed. Lexi takes full responsibility and is incarcerated for the crime. The rest of the story reflects her and Zach’s family’s time of healing and eventual forgiveness.

Kristin Hannah has been a bestselling novelist for a while now, and it is easy to see why when she writes provocative and heart-wrenching stories. Every story is based on a charged, difficult subject, and she manages to throw a wrench into the system so that readers will be even more intrigued. She does this again by introducing Zach and Lexi’s baby, who is born while Lexi is in jail. She must give up custody of the baby to young, scarred Zach, so that the baby doesn’t end up living the same kind of life she had. Readers are easily torn between blaming Lexi for driving drunk and feeling such pain for her losses. Kristin Hannah winds up a good story with not necessarily a perfect ending, but an acceptable one. In the long run, it is probably more realistic.

Night Road deals with mature themes and may therefore not be suitable for younger readers. There are some curse words and sexual situations. There are scenes in which underage students drink and smoke marijuana, and of course there is violence in the tragedy of the accident. Because of these themes, readers who are not tolerant of difficult situations may want to steer clear of this book. Readers who are able to handle such adult themes will enjoy a sad but eventually hopeful novel.

Genre: Children’s / Young Adult

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: February 2010

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

It all began with a package. A package sent by Jake Ransom’s dead parents. When Jake and his older sister Kady both took out the last thing their archaeologist parents had left them, they didn’t know what to do with it. And then — the letter comes. Inviting both of them to be at the unveiling of a new exhibit featuring the last artifacts dug up by the Ransoms. But when Jake and Kady arrive, something strange and powerful is about to happen. Soon, Jake is sucked into another world: a place filled with lost civilizations and ancient secrets. And a brewing threat: the evil Skull King is waiting for his chance to strike against the peaceful land. Jake knows he has come for a reason. But it can’t be to defeat the most powerful man alive… Can it?

The premise of Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow was exciting: an Indiana Jones style adventure filled with fantasy reminiscent of Brandon Mull’s Beyonders. And James Rollins definitely delivers an adventure sprawling over worlds and through many different mysteries. Even by the end of the book, some things are left untouched — sure to be answered in further installments. Jake battles his way from one danger to the next, and Rollins provides a rollicking good story to match.

Jake Ransom himself comes across as slightly bland. He’s a somewhat typical hero for a middle grade fantasy novel: kind of an outcast kid in school who has a love for archeology, and an insatiable curiosity. And his curiosity ends up getting him into the most trouble. His friends, Pindor and Marika, round out the principal cast and keep things fun and lively. But one place where Rollins truly shines is in the dark creations he has stuffed into this fantasy world. There are a few truly terrifying creatures he’s described here, and some he’s pulled from ancient mythologies. The only problem I had was with his main villain, who seemed to be a direct knock-off from Lloyd Alexander’s Horned King in The Book of Three.

The story takes a slowdown in the middle as Jake and his sister explore their new world and try to figure out exactly where they are and what has happened to them both. Rollins definitely takes his time building up this world and describes the scenery — sometimes to excess. But every few chapters, he drops a key plot twist that ends up keeping the reader wanting to find answers. It all climaxes with a huge battle and Rollins does a very decent job of giving the last section of the book a very epic feel. I kept thinking the scenes would play out in a great movie sequence.

Fans of books like J & P Voegel’s Middleworld or other archeology stories filled with puzzles to solve will have some fun with Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow. With the heavy fantasy element, Rollins has delivered a story with a lot of fun — and worth a rainy day to read.

Book purchased by reviewer.

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Date: August 2010

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

I knew going in that Mockingjay wasn’t necessarily a happy-go-lucky ending to an action-packed and highly controversial series about teenagers killing each other. The Hunger Games and Catching Fire were both equally bleak, and painted a world seemingly devoid of any sort of moral compass. Things ended badly in Catching Fire and with some major twists. And now, Katniss Everdeen returns to face her biggest challenges yet. The question remains: will the forces against a young girl from District 12 make her stronger? Or will they break her completely?

Suzanne Collins picks Mockingjay up right where Catching Fire left off – with Katniss flying in a hovercraft to the mysterious District 13 – a place where a revolt against the evil Capitol has been brewing for some time now. The new society is stark and organized, and offers much more to people like Katniss and her family, but the question keeps egging at the back of her mind: where exactly is her freedom? Sure, she has food to eat now. She has quarters assigned to her family in a hospital-like environment. But still there are those in authority even in 13 that would control her. That would seek to use her. And now she has to decide which path she will take: Revolt against everything, or join a revolution that merely views her as a pawn? With her friend Peeta captured in the Capitol, and a war looming on the horizon, death is only right around the next corner.

I will say this up front: I highly dislike Collins’ first chapters. They seem to take too much time setting things back up and often seem highly over-written. But once this book takes off in the second and third chapters, things just don’t let up. Katniss is faced with one terrifying decision after the next, and as every bulwark in her life is torn down, she has to learn to rely on herself to make it. Her character evolution is very interesting. In The Hunger Games, she begins as an idealistic and brave girl who will save her sister’s life. As she grows in Catching Fire, she begins to seek independence, but comes to see everything requires dependence – her dependence on others, on the Capitol, on the hope of a resistance, on Peeta. On Gale. But in Mockingjay, those things are slowly stripped away, until all she has left is herself. With Peeta captured and Gale caught up in the resistance, Katniss doesn’t know where her place is. And this book is her struggle to find that place.

Collins, as always, shines in the action. I couldn’t help turning pages faster and faster as Katniss and Gale enter wartime situations to battle the Capitol. The writing was charged with excitement, and with some of the plot twists right up to the very last few chapters, it really did leave me breathless. Panic overcame me many times as I wondered: Who is going to possibly survive any of this? I began to dread the ending, wondering if Collins would finish painting her depiction of society in a bleak way or not. While I refuse to spoil the end, I will say that I was satisfied with it. Collins does wrap things up in a beautiful way, the perfect ending that she could have chosen for such a trilogy.

Readers who enjoyed the actual Hunger Games in both books one and two, will probably come to Mockingjay expecting more of the same. What is here is very different. The whole series had to change positions and switch over to this sort of a finale. Collins has been building her viewpoints on what war and an oppressed society does. In so many ways, the Capitol reflects Western Civilization – a place that has everything and wastes everything, while the Districts mirrors places the West relies on for food and exports. It’s a fascinating look at the way societies interact and work with each other, and it definitely is sobering to the reader to consider the possibilities of such a society in the real world.

Dystopian fiction can’t find a better series than The Hunger Games. It truly is an epic trilogy that will be around for ages to come. And while Mockingjay slips a little with momentum, the end of Katniss Everdeen’s story is one that must be read. For when the end comes, then a new beginning can truly start to grow.

Book purchased by reviewer.

Dragons of the Watch  by Donita K. Paul

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Adventure

Publisher: Waterbrook Press

Publication Date: October 2011

Reviewed by Kaci Hill

Several years ago, Mrs. Paul introduced us to the world of Amara with The DragonKeeper series.  It was instant love. Two years ago, though, Mrs. Paul went back to a time before the Dragon Keeper with two of her characters, the wizard Fenworth and his librarian (and unwilling partner in crime) Librettowit. She tells of a time they hopped continents a place called Chiril who had never heard of Wulder, Paladins, dragons, or dragon keepers.

Book one of this new series, now called The Chiril Chronicles, was originally titled The Vanishing Sculptor but has been renamed The Dragons of Chiril, where we were introduced to the lovely emerlindian Tipper, an emerlindian prince named Jayrus, and a tumanhofer artist named Bealomondore. It’s through this band of oddball questers that Wulder is introduced to Chiril and a world literally coming apart. Book two, Dragons of the Valley, took us further in-country and into a plot of treason, enemy invasions, war, and a flavoring of a love triangle, wherein the cruel Oddidodex tries to take advantage of the outcome of the previous book.

Dragons of the Watch, however, is a bit of a different bird. It centers around the artist-turned-soldier, Bealomondore, a couple years after the war.  Now, I have to admit: Bealomondore has probably been my favorite throughout The Chiril Chronicles, and I’ve always felt he got a bit shortchanged in the previous installments (other characters’ faults, not Mrs. Paul’s).  He’s a lover first and a fighter second, reserved and comfortable with his sketchpad. By Dragons of the Watch, though, dear Bealomondore has transformed from starving artist to well-renowned sculptor, painter, military hero, statesman, and friend of Prince Jayrus and Princess Tipper.

We’re introduced first, however, to the female lead of this story, Ellicinderpart (Ellie), a tumanhofer goatherdess  living in the hills some distance from the Amber City. She’s a sweet, determined little thing with a big heart. Her family receives an invitation to the royal wedding, and her aunt and uncle agree (or, rather, insist) to take her.  No sooner have they started out, though, then one of the goats gets loose, and she’s got to get him back on her father’s land. Ellie hops off the wagon, intending to rejoin her aunt and uncle in a few hours, and then finds herself inside an invisible, enchanted glass bottle in a giant city, being chased by giant six-year-olds.  A dashing, slightly gruff, young man saves her from these rude enemies. Oh, yes, it’s Bealomondore, also headed to the wedding, also trapped, and hiding in a giant library. And that’s just the beginning.

Again, Mrs. Paul creates fully developed, lovely characters and spins a dense story laced with themes of justice and mercy, honor, and family.  She’s always been elegant in her ability to weave truth naturally into a story, and she does so this time, too. Reading her books is much like visiting with an old friend, and I look forward to whatever she’s got next.

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Brilliance Audio, unabridged CDs
Publication Date: June 21, 2011/CD  July 17, 2007/paperback
Reviewed by P.J. Coldren

In this continuation of the Dragon Keepers series, Kale has grown up some and is now married to Bardon.  They have been blissfully ignoring the world around them for a while as they celebrate their marriage and get to know each other better.  It has been a wonderful time for them and now they have to come back into their real world, which isn’t going as well as they’d like.

Amara is threatened by an evil couple, married to each other and not the happiest couple to come down the pike.  Paladin is very ill, perhaps dying.  Amara, as many countries have done in bad times, hopes that if they ignore the evil threatening them, it will just go away all by itself.  Paladin gives Kale and Bardon their missions.  Already Kale is upset; she doesn’t want to be separated from Bardon.  Their connection is deep, and she is afraid that being apart will change that.  She is also unhappy about having to work with her father, a man she barely knows and is not at all sure she trusts completely.

Bardon has his mission, too.  He is also working with people he doesn’t know well, and misses his wife.  He’s not sure her father knows how to handle her, and Bardon thinks he has a lock on that skill.  He does trust Paladin, however, and is sure that good will triumph.  At least he really hopes so.

Paul has, as in previous books, a definite message to send.  Those looking for Christian concepts won’t have to look very hard to find them.  Paul has the grace not to beat the reader over the head, always a pleasant surprise.  Grafton does an excellent job reading this story, as she did with the previous book I listened to on CD.

Caveat Emptor: Obviously fantasy, but nothing else.

Review copy purchased by reviewer.

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Publisher: Baen Books
Publication Date: October 2011
Reviewed by P.J. Coldren

Stephanie Harrington is a very bright eleven-year-old, an only child.  She and her parents are recent (as these things go) settlers on Planet Sphinx in the Manticore Binary Star System.  Her parents are scientists and allow her considerable freedom, but not nearly as much as she’d like.  Something to do with hexapumas and peak bears.  She’s tired of being indoors, or of having to deal with months and months and months of snow.  She just wants to have a little freedom.

Her parents suggest, in an off-hand kind of way, that she try to find out what has been sneaking into the greenhouse and stealing all the celery.  Celery, of all things!  Still, it’s something to do, and Stephanie is convinced that she’s seen the creature – and it’s not something she’s seen before.  She’s right.  It is, at least in human terms, a treecat.  A sentient being.  The first anyone on Sphinx has encountered; the first anyone on any settled planet has encountered.  This presents Stephanie and her family, as well as the treecats, with a great many problems.

David Weber, if his list of prior publications has any bearing on it, has been writing for a while.  It shows.  His ability to build a character is quite good.  The setting is given to the reader a little at a time, so that by the end of A Beautiful Friendship readers have a good idea of what makes up Sphinx.  The story is believable, as is the plot.  Involved parents can find many sources for discussion.  Peer pressure?  Got it.  Gifted children dealing with a world not always accepting of their gifts?   Got it.  The ramifications of xenophobia?  Got it.  Negative and positive ways to deal with new things?  So got it.  The possibility of more books to come?  One can only hope.

Caveat Emptor: Some violence, mostly off-screen (as it were)

Review Copy provided by The Amazon Vine program

Genre: Historical Noir Crime

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publication Date: September 2011

Reviewed by Tim George

Turn of the century Detroit, Michigan was once called the New Paris. But by 1911, it is a town embroiled in wars between the visionary owners of the fledgling automobile industry, mob sponsored unions, and corrupt law enforcement. Finding himself at the center of everything is Will Anderson whose family owns the Anderson Electric Car Company.

Motor City Shakedown by D.E. Johnson continues Will Anderson’s story begun in The Detroit Electric Scheme. In that installment, Will and his fiancée barely survived a vicious encounter with crime boss Vito Adamo. The aftermath was the murder of Will’s best friend, a disfigured hand, horrible pain, and a nasty morphine addiction.

We pick up Will’s story here as he finds himself suspect for a murder he did not commit. The DA and police are convinced Will carried out a murder of revenge and there a few willing to take his side. As Will awaits trial for months, his family’s company teeters on the edge of bankruptcy and the mob, using the unions, looks to take control.

A trial that seems all but lost comes to a sudden end and Will is released. But he is far from free. What ensues is a classic noir story of crime bosses putting the squeeze on an innocent man caught in the middle. With the lives of his former fiancée and his family at stake, Will soon comes to believe the enemy of his enemy may be the best ally he has.

Author, D.E. Johnson, spins a thrilling story of the Motor City a century ago.  His description of characters and settings captures the essence of a city and population in a headlong dash toward both wealth and the price they will pay for it. Civic corruption, labor unions, organized crime, violent teenage gangs, and families intent on remaining united and strong combine to make the perfect platform for the story of one man’s determination to survive against all odds.

Historically based novels are always a tricky affair. Balancing story and plot with factual intrusions require a skilled writer and Johnson proves to be just that person. He does a great job of including recognizable and historic figures like Henry Ford, William Anderson of Detroit Electric, Edsel Ford, and Vito Adamo (Detroit’s first crime boss) in a story line that is seamless. Will Anderson is the perfect flawed hero. With all of his faults, failures, and addictions, you will root for him all the way as he puts his life on the line to avenge the murder of his friend and protect his family at all costs from the crime ridden labor unions.

As one might expect in this kind of story, there is a good deal of graphic violence and some decidedly non-family friendly language. But if you love a rousing good crime story where you learn something about another time in the process, Motor City Shakedown is an excellent read indeed.

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Comedy

Publisher: Salt River (Tyndale)

Publication Date: September 2011

Reviewed by Josh Olds

Matt Mikalatos has a problem. His neighbor is a werewolf. Honestly, it really isn’t his problem. The real problem when his adventure begins is the zombies that are chasing him. But they’re just zombies, so they’re dispatched easily enough. Matt’s a good guy and he’s devoted himself to helping other people, so he’ll stop at nothing to help Luther Martin get his life back on track and eviscerate his inner wolf…which leads him to some interesting characters.

Matt and Luther decide that the best way to get rid of the wolf is to go to church—Christians live redeemed lives, after all, right? Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! Or at least that’s what the good book says. But there’s something wrong with the church. Something’s amiss. The people don’t seem to think here, but just mindlessly believe what they’re taught. The people of the church soon begin manifesting their zombieness and are soon after Matt and Luther’s brains.

After a series of similar (mis)adventures that hold scattered insight into the transformed life of the Christian, Luther is finally faced with the only way to rid himself of the beast within. For I am crucified with Christ, and I no longer live. But that would require facing the father he hates and the death of the spirit he loves.

Through it all Matt discovers a series of monsters ranging from the unthinking zombie hordes, to werewolves who struggle to control their base desires, to vampires who put their needs before the needs of others. Matt even discovers a bit of the monster inside himself. The Night of the Living Dead Christian is a humorous, campy monster parody/allegory that combines both fiction and non-fiction to ask the question: What does a transformed life really look like? Ranging from wildly absurd and hilarious to deeply serious and thought-provoking, Matt Mikalatos’s newest novel (following Imaginary Jesus) is a blending of genre to create a unique reading experience.

The idea of humanity as monsters isn’t a new one. Some of the great classic novels of the horror genre were meant to teach us about the shortcomings of our own natures. But the Mikalatos twist of making it humorous and campy really makes the novel. Once I got used to the writing style and the fact Mikalatos doesn’t always take himself seriously—and once I saw Mikalatos’s themes wouldn’t be so much implicit but overblown to be obvious—I was able to really enjoy his novel.

Don’t be expecting a serious treatise or a serious novel from The Night of the Living Dead Christian, but do expect to come away with some serious thoughts. Amid the humor, Mikalatos manages to ask some deep and relevant questions about what it means to be a Christian.

Genre: Legal / Horror

Publisher: Pinnacle

Publication Date: August 2011

Reviewed by Tim George

Mallory Caine is a lawyer with a taste for intelligence in her men.  She goes for the brainy college types- especially the brain portion.  Being a zombie will do that to you.  But Ms. Caine isn’t your average, stiff-armed, head-cocked, moaning zombie.  No, a healthy dose of night cream applied liberally every morning helps keep the decomposing flesh at bay.

Mallory is not a zombie without a conscience, either.  Every life, every meal haunts her.  But she must feed in order to keep the fraction of life she has.  Otherwise, she would die without her soul, and she can’t do that.  No, Mallory must stay alive in order to find out who murdered her, who turned her into the monster she is now, and why.  Is there any cure for being a zombie?  Pay Me In Flesh puts a whole new spin on leading a double life, with its main character trying to make her living by defending in the court of law and getting her meals by picking up men on the street.

It’s tough to catch a break in a city like L.A., especially when Mallory is hearing voices and constantly getting dive-bombed by birds.  Things get complicated when her vampire friend Traci Ann is framed for murder- a murder that Mallory knows her client didn’t commit.  How does she know this?  Because Mallory herself was responsible for the policeman’s death.  When Mallory decides to defend the shape-shifting supernatural, she must go head to head with her ex-boyfriend and prosecutor, Aaron Argula, in a battle of wits and desire.  Whether the desire stems from hunger or passion, Mallory couldn’t say.

As she progresses, Mallory must deal with a corrupt system of police, lawyers, and judges who thwart her at every turn.  At night, the battle rages on to a fight for her undead life against a sword-swinging, head-slicing zealot with a vendetta against zombies.  Will Mallory be able to defend her friend without revealing her own secrets? A wry read, the story dips and twists at every turn, keeping the elusive conclusion just out of sight.  The gore is kept at minimum, with our heroine using her trusty hook-nosed pick instead of the traditional zombie method of biting.

The book promises more to come, as Mallory Caine’s story is far from over at the end.  She has yet to solve her own murder, or come to any sort of resolution with her ex or the green-eyed detective that she quarrels regularly with.  Pay Me In Flesh will keep you intrigued until the end, with its wit and unpredictable plot.

K. Bennett displays a broad knowledge of his home city, Los Angeles, as well as the law profession he once worked in.  This is his first zombie book, following his bestsellers Deadlock and Try Fear, published under a name familiar to many, James Scott Bell.

Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy

Publisher: Backlit Fiction

Publication Date: November 2011

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

Zoe Calder just wants to survive high school. To make it past the snobby girls who constantly laugh behind her back, or perhaps to find at least one guy worth dating. But so far, it’s been rough going, and she’s just looking forward to the end of her junior year. Because then she’ll join her aunt and uncle in Greece on an archaeological dig. But there is something much more dangerous waiting for Zoe than a few petty high school jerks. Destiny is calling, and it has terrible things in store for her. When Zoe is sent back in time to ancient Greece, she discovers the Greek gods are real. And some of them are just as petty as high schoolers. The only problem is, when a powerful Greek goddess is bent on Zoe’s destruction, the only thing to hope for is a quick and painless death.

Audrey Hart’s The Dig: Zoe and Zeus is the first installment in a three part series, and it definitely starts off perfectly. Hart brings us the most original and probably most fun look at Greek mythology in a long time. I would say her interpretation of the Greek gods and goddesses is better even than Rick Riordan’s take in the Percy Jackson books. She takes the whole cast of them, Zeus, Athena, Hera, and nine others, and turns them into teenagers with emotions, fears, and hormones.

The story is told from Zoe’s perspective, and she has become one of my favorite female characters in a fantasy novel. She’s funny and highly relatable – someone who’s always on the fringes of the group and an underdog. But then she finds herself on a crazy journey back in time. At first she only wants to get home, but later begins to appreciate the adventure she’s on. Most characters put in similar situations only whine about wanting to get home, but Zoe is tough and wants to try and figure things out. It’s a lot of fun to root for her as she battles monsters, outwits crazed goddesses and begins to fall in love.

The chapters are short and quick, and the whole book is pretty easily read. Hart keeps things light, but doesn’t shy away from some darker moments that really shine. Hart has a wonderful grasp of Greek mythology, and uses and twists it in good ways to suit the story. Frequently, she introduces things like the Minotaur, or nymphs, or other creatures, and they play their parts in the story in a natural way. It never felt like a Percy Jackson adventure with random encounters with vicious monsters. Each encounter plays a part to unfold the plot.

Some of the best moments are Zoe explaining life to the reader. Often, she’ll use her time at boarding school as ways to explain what’s happening to her. Some were downright funny, and others were sobering. The story ends up being a blend of fantasy adventure with touches of teenage drama. The mix is good, and the drama never overloads the story or becomes obnoxious.

Readers who enjoy a good Greek mythology story will definitely have some of the best fun they’ve had on Mount Olympus with The Dig: Zoe and Zeus. Others who enjoy coming-of-age tales will have something to like as well. Overall, I can’t imagine Hart giving us a better first entry. And that said, be warned: the ending escalates and leaves the reader waiting for the next installment. It can’t come too soon.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Genre: Drama

Publisher: Howard Books

Publication Date: September 2011

Reviewed by Jake Chism

Two years ago Beth received the news that turned her life upside down. Her son, James, went missing while saving the life of a fellow soldier on a mission in Afghanistan. Beth has refused to give up hope and continues to send James letters, despite the advice to “move on” from those around her. Each day brings more struggles, making it harder to hold on and harder to believe. As Beth and family strive to cope with their heartache, she finds solace in the letters from war her son has written.

Travis Thrasher teams up with Dove Award winning artist Mark Schultz to breather new life into Schultz’s 2003 hit song, Letters from War. Thrasher’s writing style mixes perfectly with this touching message of hope and sacrifice that so many American military families can relate to. The timeline bounces around between James’s old letters and Beth’s ongoing letters, with the present day narrative couched between. Thrasher is no stranger to time altering storytelling and he handles these transitions easily, both making the story easy to follow and hard to put down.

Letters from War accomplishes much more than just re-telling the story from a popular song. As a matter of fact, even if you’ve never heard the song or seen the music video you will be moved by the unwavering faith of a soldier’s mother and the honor of a son setting out to fight for his country. The story is balanced out well with some glimpses into James’s relationship with his wife and son, and the emotional rift between Beth and her daughter, Emily. Each is hurting in their own way and their reactions never come across as manufactured for the sake of a good drama.

Thrasher and Schultz bring us an emotional ride to be sure, but one that will warm the heart and remind us all of the sacrifices our soldiers make each and every day to ensure our freedom.

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Date: January 2009

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

Angela Cardenas is one of the worst. She’s been kicked out of school after school and gotten into more trouble than she’s worth. At least that’s how her parents think of her. So with nothing else to do, they decide to send Angela to Hidden Oak, a school tucked away in the snowy Colorado mountains. The staff is ready to be tough and make Angela into a model citizen. No matter what it takes. Only as Angela goes from her classes to strange group therapy to breeding, she’s beginning to wonder if it’s not the students who are dangerous, but the staff. Something is going on at Hidden Oak, and now, with the few friends she can find, Angela vows to find out what is going on behind all the closed doors. The only thing is, how long will she be able to survive? Because the closer she noses to the truth, the closer she is to being hidden away. Forever.

Eliot Schrefer has put together a highly intriguing novel in The School For Dangerous Girls. All the students at the school have either been in trouble with the law, or just never rose to their parents expectations, or have some inner demon chasing them down. And so they have been sent to Hidden Oak in a last ditch effort to rehabilitate them. The mystery begins from the first pages, as Angela arrives in Colorado. Things don’t seem to go well for her as she tries to rebel against the set-up authorities in her new life. It’s apparent something very dangerous is happening throughout the school: like what happened to all the abandoned buildings? Where are people disappearing to? What is this school really all about? And who is the mysterious headmistress no one ever sees?

Questions swirl around throughout the book, and just as some things are solved, others are introduced, creating new levels of paranoia for the main characters. Angela leads off the cast as the questioning rebel, who just wants to figure out what is really going on. She really drives the novel, and everything centers around her. She’s brazen, but funny, and definitely fits the mold of dangerous. A lot of her actions near the beginning of the book go beyond simple angry rebellion. But she grows, and doesn’t even realize as she begins to turn her life around and use her bravery for something other than sticking it to the authorities. Some typical characters bleed into the novel, with wallflower Carmen and leader-punk Juin, but they revolve around Angela so well it ends up working.

There isn’t necessarily a lot of action in the plot. The story weaves in and out and sets up more scenes where the reader is wondering if the girls will get caught or escape. There is some gang-type violence near the end of the book, and some of the violent moments are somewhat gory. But it fits the tone and the atmosphere as Schrefer approaches some very dark subject matter. This is definitely a YA book with some language littered throughout, and heavy themes of abuse in various forms come up often.

Fans of mystery novels with an edgy twist will definitely enjoy The School For Dangerous Girls. It kept me up, wondering exactly what would happen next, and even delivered a couple of pretty frightening revelation moments. Near the end, things go a little sideways, but Schrefer manages to bring it back around. Almost a grittier Tower Prep, this book is one you’ll want to finish for that book report. Because you never know what your teacher might do if you don’t…

Review copy provided by Amazon Vine Program.

Genre: Drama

Publisher: Word of Mouth Books

Publication Date: October 2009

Reviewed by Chrystal Dorsey    

Holler At The Moon is a stimulating descriptive, though sometimes bittersweet, dramatic novel.  This story definitely offers a heavy slant towards the importance of family, friendships, love, and loyalty – which I’m certain readers will enjoy.

As ghastly as it was, this story is not just about three young sisters witnessing the murder of their mother at the hands of their father.  It is about the trials and tribulations that they suffer following the senseless act committed by their father. It is about three sisters who are seemingly delightful, talented, and gifted individuals, and who in spite of their youth must somehow triumph over adversity. But is it possible for them to do so, or has their fate already been sealed by the dreadful situation and the blood that runs through their innocent veins?

The author’s skill, imagination, and gifted storytelling provide a captivating story for readers. The realism of this story is what makes it heartfelt, yet frightening because it is the life-story far too many children live daily.  And it’s certain that more than just a few readers will be able to identify family, friends, or even themselves  depicted throughout the pages of this challenging story – and because of this or in spite of it, this story will cause readers to, laugh, become angry,  and even want to cry.

Tinesha Davis manages to dab a bit of humor throughout the novel as she tells a horrific tale of the abandonment the girls experienced and the never ending grief they suffered, as well as the horror they were made to endure at the hands of those that were suppose to love and protect them. However, the strength that the main female characters continued to maintain throughout and in spite of their horrendous circumstances is to be admired.

The three Jackson sisters are separated, and must live hard lives far away from each other. The oldest Jackson sister, Dominique is sent to Virginia to live with her father’s cousin Rhanda.  Unfortunately, Rhanda’s home is absent of any type of love and Dominique seeks comfort elsewhere. Unable to grieve so she can embrace her past, Dominique finds herself on a destructive path.   Dominique later becomes a well adjusted twenty-five year old professional, living a seemingly perfect life…or so it seems – she’s in love with a man who once saved her, but is now threatening to destroy her.  Will she be able to break free from him in time?

The middle Jackson sister, Donya  was sent to live with her father’s sister, Aunt Chuck, and tries hard to keep in touch with Dominique and look after her younger sister,  Damita.  But as a young teen Donya is forced to leave her Aunt’s house and falls into troublesome circumstances, and has to claw her way from living on the streets to being a self-made Bohemian whose life becomes filled with rainbows and dance.  But then she finds herself stuck in the middle of two disasters and not certain which she should try to resolve.

And then there’s the youngest of the Jackson sisters, Damita, who is also sent to live with Aunt Chuck; and learns quickly that in order to survive she must gravitate and become indispensable to the only person left in her immediate circle, and that is Aunt Chuck – another mean character who needs Damita to run errands, that her obesity won’t allow her to handle.  Damita becomes a fast-talking, straight-A high school student with a serious sarcastic wit and an attitude and temper inherited of her father and his desire to resolve issues by any physical means necessary. She is an intellect with a promising future, but will she allow her hot-headed ways to ruin her the way her father allowed his to ruined him?

Author Tinesha Davis displays a writing talent that is so polished that it is difficult to believe, Holler At The Moon is her debut novel.  The story was awesome, and I believe that readers will find this book to be an enjoyable and fascinating read, so if you haven’t had the pleasure of reading this book, be certain to pick up a copy before the sequel, Twice On Sundays hits the stands.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Genre: Suspense/Thriller

Publisher: Little, Brown, and Co.

Publication Date: October 2011

Reviewed by Melody Ballard

The Outlaw Album is classic noir with rural flavor.  This anthology of twelve stories is filled with the same twists and turns as an Ozark river.  Without exception, as we journey through the minds of madness, eerie and unsettling footprints mark our journey.

In “Uncle”, we feel the terror of a young girl faced with a nightmare existence as her uncle continues his rampage of rape, murder and unimaginable terror.  We look through her eyes as she journeys to her breaking point, and the inevitable conclusion of her nightmare.

In “Returning the River” we are able to relish the sweet taste of vengeance and   savor every moment of pursuit as our victim Harky desperately tries to avoid his inevitable fate.  We thrill at the chase but are left with an almost disappointing resolution upon its completion.

“The Horse in our History” leaves us curiously unsettled as calliopes of recollections converge to paint a picture that captures the disjointed events of a specific period of time.  Or do they?  The uncanny nature of this story leaves our mind churning to find semblance where none is to be found.

Perhaps the most disturbing story of all is the one presented at the beginning of The Outlaw Album. “The Echo of Neighborly Bones” is filled with a curiously calm but vengeful rage that mingles with tenderness as a husband avenges the death of his wife’s dog. The first two sentences set the tone for not only this story, but all the others.  “Once Boshell finally killed his neighbor he couldn’t seem to quit killing him. He killed him again whenever he felt unloved or blue or simply had empty hours facing him.”

Throughout these twelve tales (The Echo of Neighborly Bones; Uncle; Twin Forks; Florianne: Black Step; Night Stand; Two Things; The Horse in Our History; Woe to Live On; Dream Spot; One United; and Returning the River) runs a curious logic intermingled with desperation and violence. Somehow the dark, twisted, chilling events and the extraordinary actions of ordinary people seem curiously plausible.  The Outlaw Album is an amazing collection of eerie stories that is sure to not disappoint fans with an appetite for unnerving suspense.

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Sci-Fi

Publisher:  Putnam Adult

Publication Dates: Sept 13, 2011

Reviewed by Lori Twitchell

Eve Dallas is a woman of strength, courage and above all, honor. These are not traits that she learned during her childhood or her formative years. Instead, they’re traits picked up, honed and sharpened to a deadly point in the years since becoming a police officer. And each and every one of them are about to be tested.

On her rookie assignment, just out of the academy, Eve had the misfortune to come across Isaac McQueen, a sick, foul and deeply disturbed man whose favorite hobby was taking young girls, using and abusing them and then killing them. He also kept careful track of each one with a number carved into their chests. Dallas was baptized by fire with the McQueen case and she was beyond relieved when she was able to put him away. Now years later, Dallas is a seasoned homicide detective –the best on the force. But it still rattles her to the core when she discovers that McQueen has escaped prison and that he’s got a personal vendetta against her. More concerned for the others in the case than herself, Dallas dives headfirst into the investigation with her team and loved ones all close around her for support. Little does she know that the case that pushed her to be the exceptional cop that she is today is about to
take an even darker and more personal turn than she’d thought possible.

McQueen, knowing just enough of Eve’s past to be dangerous, takes his talents to Dallas which requires Eve to leave behind her comfort zone and go back to the place where she earned her name. With Roarke in tow to keep her safe, Eve throws herself heavy and hard into bringing McQueen down.

Just when I think that J.D. Robb has taken me everywhere she can with Eve Dallas, another layer is pulled back, revealing more depth and history for an already complex and well beloved character. This book brought Eve, Roarke, and everyone around them to a new level of intrigue, danger.  Mixed through it all Eve has to deal with a lot of self introspection. How did she become the woman she is today? How did she evolve? Is it something wrapped in her DNA or is it choices she made along the way?

I loved this book. I had only just decided that Robb’s earlier outing Treachery in Death, was my favorite Dallas book but now, Robb has handed me a dilemma. Rich with backstory and history of Dallas and the struggles of everyone around her on how best to protect and love her, this book opened up my favorite characters and gave me even more respect for each of them. I could not read this book quickly enough and have already recommended it time and time again to people that I know would love it. Though it’s heavy in backstory, you can still enjoy the murder mystery without knowing all of the fine details of Dallas’ early life. If you have read any books though, and are a Dallas/Roarke fan like myself, this book will tear your heart out, stomp on it, and then slowly piece it back together and hand to you completely remade.

If you like murder mysteries, futuristic books or romance, this one’s for you.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: New American Library – Penguin Group
Publication Date: April 2011
Reviewed by Chrystal Dorsey

Lynne Bryant grew up in rural New Hope, Mississippi – outside of Columbus – and admits she had little interaction with “Black folks”, yet it was not until she reached adulthood and moved away, that she became intrigued with the history of her hometown and her obliviousness of the issues of race raging around her and uses many of the events as inspiration for her debut novel, Catfish Alley.

Catfish Alley is about a White woman in the South whose research into local Black history introduces her to several elderly Black women, and their stories of tragedy and endurance in the days before Civil Rights. In Clarksville, Mississippi, Blacks and Whites live largely separate lives, and racial prejudice maintains a powerful hold.  Although she claims not to have a self-serving motive, Roxanne Reeves didn’t take on the task of adding African-American history to the town’s famous annual Antebellum House tour, because she had an interest in, or some deep desire to examine Black history, no, she did it so that she could get the contract to do the restoration at Riverview  – the most beautiful property in Clarksville. Not only would it be a feather in Roxanne’s cap, but the money she’d earn from getting the contract  to restore it, would be substantial.  However, she thought it was going to be some simple little list of places that Grace Clark would come up with and they’d be done- Roxanne never thought she would get so pulled into their lives and their history.

Catfish Alley is a story involving Grace Clark, a retired Black schoolteacher who mysteriously owns one of the grand plantations of Clarksville.  She becomes Roxanne’s guide to undistinguished places that are sacred to the Black community because of what happened there – even a senseless photographed hanging used as an initiation into the Klan.  Grace and a few of her friends share stories of the past, especially 1931, when they were young, happy and full of hopeful promise – yet a racist’s hatred for Grace’s brother, Zero, led to events that changed all their lives, and continued to touch people decades later.  Bryant manages to do a good job of maintaining the White characters’ tone of entitlement throughout the novel with ease; and sadly during this journey much is revealed about how the majority, if not all of the Black characters suffer terrible tragedies at the hands of White people. Yet they continue to pursue their personal dreams, refusing to allow grief and loss to make them bitter, resentful or angry.

Books of this nature generally depict Blacks living with the expectation that law enforcement would offer little if any protection against violence so they try not to make waves or seek help against their oppressors – but instead opt for the old turn-the-other-cheek mentality, and Lynne Bryant vividly expresses how her characters in Clarksville, Mississippi are content to preserve the status quo.  In the beginning chapters, the multiple points of view, and multiple time periods are slightly distracting, but evidently the reader can become accustomed to it and follow along easily, as the author’s writing skill kicks in and demonstrates how  she can readily maintain the flow quite well.

As Bryant wraps up the story, Roxanne and Del have gained a whole new perspective about the Black community in Clarksville Roxanne so easily dismissed, and her life opens up in unexpected ways;  thereby making Catfish Alley a somewhat heartwarming story of hope, self-discovery, and friendship.

This book contains extreme racially offensive content, strong language, and descriptions of horrible scenes of White brutality.  This book can also be considered extremely insulting and a challenge for anyone, but more so if the reader is African American.

That said,  I’m not certain if there was a need for yet another derogatory book written by a White woman about Blacks in Mississippi – after all,  The Help managed to stir up enough controversy surrounding this subject to last the readers for quite some time.  The two books may not be exact in their content, but they are not far off the mark from one another.

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Romance / Historical Fiction

Publisher: Doubleday

Publication Date: October 2011

Reviewed by Jen Roman

After being abruptly dumped by her childhood love, Gideon, Mattie Eash leaves her home in Apple Ridge, PA, to Berlin, OH. She rebuilds her life around a bakery, which is famous for her decorated cakes. She also finds a new steady, Sol. Unfortunately, her bakery is destroyed by a fire and she is forced to go home to stay with her family until the bakery can be rebuilt. Being at home again is wonderful, until she sees Gideon interacting with the English girls. She believes he is establishing a romantic relationship with this new girl until she learns the horrible truth: he dumped her when he found out he had a rare form of leukemia and didn’t want her to have to deal with the knowledge and his possible death. He believed he was setting her free to find a new love.

Woodsmall demonstrates her knowledge of the Amish world by the peppering of Amish words in the conversations and shows how idyllic life in the Amish community can be. She also shows the hardships and support the community shares. The story itself is not new, but it is charming and simple. This one is particularly charming because it occurs at Christmas, and readers get to feel that special Christmas magic. The characters are likeable, and even though Gideon breaks Mattie’s heart, the reader still feels sympathy for his situation. The only drawback is that Amish families are so big, it is hard to keep the characters and their relationships with one another straight. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the large families offer opportunities for more stories. The book, at only 189 pages, is a quick and easy read. For those tempted by the descriptions of Mattie’s famous cakes, there are some recipes at the back of the book.

Because the book is about the Plain folk, who live upstanding, decent lives, this book doesn’t contain any offensive language or sexual situations. Teens are just as likely to enjoy this book as adults because it is a sweet romance that is not inappropriate. In fact, it takes us to a time when dating and courtship involve a lot of interacting and getting to know one another. This book would make a good read for anyone interested in romance and the Amish way of life.

Genre: Young Adult / Children’s

Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks

Publication Date: May 2011

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

The War is all any adult will talk about. How the War has changed everything: ID bracelets must be worn by everyone. No longer do miles of shopping centers line the highways busy with traffic. Places once thought safe aren’t anymore. And now Louisa’s parents feel they have one choice left: Send their daughter to Country Manor School — where she will be safe. At first, Louisa loves the new school – she even manages to set aside her new friend Evelyn’s crazy conspiracy theories about the place. But then, strange things are happening. And now, Louisa begins to wonder… if Country Manor is so good… can it really be true? But no matter what question she asks, all she hears is: “It’s for your safety.” Soon Louisa’s only question becomes: exactly how safe is she?

Behind The Gates, book one in Eva Gray’s new series, Tomorrow Girls, opens things out slowly. Most of the novel read like a contemporary high-school type drama. There’s the preppy girls looking down on everyone else, there’s the more nerdy types, and there are those just trying to blend in with the wallpaper. What really changes things up is the underlying intrigue Gray lays down. Throughout the book, it appears something strange is going on as Louisa and her friends go through classes, some normal, and others teaching the girls basic survival skills. And while Louisa doesn’t buy into all these conspiracy theories about the school’s sinister motives, there’s enough to keep the reader wondering.

Louisa is a fairly typical character: she has fears, questions, and worries just like anybody else. What does make her interesting though is how Louisa isn’t the girl worrying about the school. She’s just trying to forget the terrible things happening in the world while trying to stay afloat with classes and friends and popularity. Most books like this would have been written from the paranoid character’s perspective, making this one a bit refreshing.

The story moves along swiftly, and by the end, there are a few good plot twists that leave the series wide open for book two to pick things up. Gray has definitely created a fascinating future world where resources are scarce, and people can’t really be trusted. More secrets will be unveiled as time unravels in the series.

Behind The Gates is a quick read perfect for fans of shows like Cartoon Network’s Tower Prep or books about boarding schools. This story ends up as an interesting take on the dystopian fad running strong in YA literature. And it’s definitely a worthy addition.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Genre: Young Adult / Children’s

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Publication Date: February 2009

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

Alex Taylor didn’t think much of the strange looking bookshop. But then there was the blinking sign. The wooden, hand-painted blinking sign. The sign that kept telling him to come inside. As soon as Alex walks through the door, his life changes forever. Questions he’s always had will be answered: who is he? Why does the “real” world feel so strange? Who are his parents? Alex discovers another world: a place where he can travel with elves and dwarfs, and face countless danger and adventure. And now Alex has his first quest: Find an evil dragon’s lair and rescue the hoard of gold. The only problem is: no one has ever come back alive from a quest to the dragon’s rotting domain. On all accounts, this adventure is a not much more than a death sentence.

Mark Forman’s debut book, Adventurers Wanted: Slathbog’s Gold, is a pretty fun, adventure story, with some heavy borrows from The Hobbit and RPG-esque ideas. The story world is firmly rooted in high fantasy with trolls, goblins, wizards, dwarfs, elves, and quests. I wondered about this book for a while: would I be inwardly groaning over the obvious similarities to other fantasy titles of the past? Or would Forman manage to pull his own weight and give us something fun and exciting to follow? As I read, many of the plot devices and elements reminded me heavily of The Hobbit, but the writing drew me in. Forman keeps things moving along at a steady pace, and there are mysteries and questions to be answered unique to the world he’s created.

Alex is a fairly typical and straightforward character – he doesn’t know who his parents are, or who he really is. And as he begins to discover the secrets surrounding his life, he humbly embraces them. This aspect of Alex’s character won me over. A lot of characters traveling from the “real world” to a fantasy world end up whining their entire way through their journeys. Those characters question things in a very grating way and just want to get home. Alex, however, is different. He starts out wondering what is happening around him, but not in a whiny-sort of way. And slowly we can see his wide-eyed wonder at the magical world he’s stumbled into.

Forman doesn’t drag us into long and drawn-out descriptions either, which was definitely a plus. It didn’t take long to get to the action or the mystery. And by the novel’s end, he delivers a couple of interesting twists that made me excited for the second book. There’s also the interesting dose of RPG elements into the book from the use of inventory-holding magic bags to the dividing of gold based on a character’s adventurer level.

All this said, the book did feel like a more modern-day telling of The Hobbit, and die-hard fans of Tolkien will definitely turn up their noses here. Being a fan of The Hobbit myself, I wondered if by the end I was going to be annoyed or not, but I was surprised to have really enjoyed the book as a fun epic fantasy that didn’t feel dragged through the mud in description or utter clichés.

Fans of Brandon Mull’s Beyonders series would do well to pick up Slathbog’s Gold and check it out in between books. Light-hearted readers of fantasy will definitely enjoy this adventurous romp through magical worlds and into the very mouth of danger.

Book purchased by reviewer.

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Entangled

Publication Date: November 2011

Reviewed by Elizabeth Olmedo 

Adrenaline junkie, Deznee Cross has one goal in life, to make her father as angry as possible. So when she stumbles across a boy near the river embankment, she takes him home. However, Kale isn’t a normal teenager. The simplest things fascinate him and he avoids contact acting like his touch is lethal. When her father returns home pointing a gun in their direction, Deznee realizes that there is more to this strange boy and to her “lawyer” father than she ever imagined.

Now on the run with Kale, Deznee’s life goes from worrying about where she’ll find her next adrenaline high or wild party to how she can stay alive. In the process, her strength and courage will be tested as her life is turned upside down and everything Deznee thought she knew will be taken from her.

X-Men meets Twilight (minus the vampires and werewolves!) in Jus Accardo’s debut novel, “Touch,” the first book in the Denazen Series. Deznee is the typical ignored daughter acting up to get daddy’s attention. Kale is the tortured, naïve boy that gives her a new outlook on life.

“Touch” is a fast-paced thriller that keeps the adrenaline pumping and the pages turning. This is a book that will appeal to readers who enjoy stories with mutants and villains. That being said, while it is clearly written for a younger audience, mature content keeps me from recommending this book especially to those on the lower end of the young adult spectrum. Readers should be aware of some vulgar language, underage drinking, and sex before picking up this novel. Though all of them may be part of many teenagers’ daily lives, I cannot, with a clear conscious, recommend a book that contains these to a young audience. They were not necessary for the plot and the lack of vulgar language, drinking, and sex would have made the novel both YA adult friendly and more about romance than lust.

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Date: November 2011

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

Malcolm is a loser. At least according to all the others: the jocks, the cheerleaders, the perfect people who surround him every day. He’s gliding through life, just trying to make it through. The past haunts him in many ways, and until now he’s never shared the truth with another living soul. For three days, Malcolm disappeared completely. Most people think he just lost it and wandered into the middle of the desert on purpose. But Malcolm knows: he was left there. After being taken by aliens. He never thought anyone would believe him: until he met Hooper, a strange man with strange secrets. Soon, Malcolm and the only people he would ever call friends, head out deep into the desert to discover the truth about Malcolm and Hooper.

Cecil Castellucci has crafted a very intriguing, yet strange, coming-of-age novel in First Day On Earth. Parts of the writing reminded me of Travis Thrasher’s The Solitary Tales – with sudden and deep introspection, coupled with strange events that at first seem to have no meaning. But Castellucci weaves everything together deftly, and by the end of this short novel, Malcolm discovers himself and the truth about who he is.

This isn’t a mystery or a thriller. And most action is relegated to flat tires and typical high school bullying. A definite sci-fi thread winds its way throughout, however. Some parts of Malcolm’s story are truly depressing, and at moments, I found myself really hurting for him. Other moments are so raw and honest, I put the book down just to sit and think about everything Castellucci had written. And the entire time, I kept wondering, was Malcolm really abducted by aliens? Or not? It drove me through the book – wondering if Malcolm was truly crazy. Or was he really the sane one?

The surrounding characters seem fairly typical at first: there’s the nerdy kid who just wants to fit in, brown-nosing to everyone. There’s the picture perfect girl who seems to have the perfect life, and then Malcolm: the loser kid who is just barely surviving day to day. But as the book moves along, Castellucci opens them all up and truly makes them complicated in a good way. Their stories became so interesting, I kept stopping to read parts aloud to people around me. And some of the book’s hardest moments come when Malcolm describes his relationship with his father: staring up at the stars together, memorizing constellations… and then the morning Malcolm heard the soft click of the door shutting, and the footsteps of his father leaving for good.

There is a fair bit of language and some eyebrow-raising content throughout, definitely putting this book on the edgy side of YA. Readers should be aware there are a couple of graphically-described physical traumas. But even through the heavy issues, Malcolm’s journey is truly one that ends with hope.

This is not a book I’d come back to again and again, but it is one that will weigh on me. Fans of coming-of-age novels will enjoy First Day On Earth. Castellucci has done a fine job here, relating raw emotions and the true pain of living in a world where you feel truly alone.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Genre: Romance, Suspense

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Publication Date: October 2011

Reviewed by Elizabeth Olmedo 

Megan Connors lives in a man’s world. As part of the secret service, she’s constantly fighting to prove she’s just as capable as her male counterparts. And for the most part, Megan has succeeded. She is being considered for an opening in the PPD (Presidential Protective Division). However, before any decision is made she has one more assignment—protecting the vice president’s daughter. In order to do this, she must work under the command Ash Zanders who is known for being tough, critical, and completely against women in the special service. To make matters worse, he’s vying for the same PPD promotion she is.

Ash has been on Lindsay Hall’s protective detail for a couple years. He has watched as drugs and alcohol have spun her life into a downward spiral. Her years of running with the wrong crowd have caught up with her and someone wants her dead. To keep Lindsay safe, they secretly transport her to a ranch where she can undergo rehabilitation. But, protecting Lindsay from herself will present as great a challenge as finding the person or persons behind the threats. Ash isn’t happy either with the new agent assigned to his team. Megan may have an impeccable record, but the secret service is no place for a woman.

When those after Lindsay discover her location and make it clear that they can reach her whenever they want, Ash and Megan will be forced to work together to keep her safe. In the process, the two will come to understand and respect the other and with that will come feelings and emotions neither one is prepared to face.

In Attracted to Fire, Diann Mills delivers everything you would expect from a suspense/romance novel. The characters are likeable. I found myself especially rooting for Lindsay as she struggled to regain control in her life and make the difficult journey of self-discovery. Ash is the classic “woman-hater” and Megan the typical woman who breaks through his defenses and eventually takes over his heart. Though I didn’t find any shocking twists, I did enjoy reading Attracted to Fire. This is novel for those looking for a story with romance, suspense, and faith.

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books

Publication Date: September 2010

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

Sara’s life seems anything but exciting: long, boring days sitting in a Turkish hotel waiting for her father to return from the hydroelectric plant. But then she discovers the carpet – a magical flying carpet. And everything changes for her and a Turkish friend, Amesh, when they board the carpet under the light of the stars. They sail out over the ocean and find themselves on the Island of the Djinn, who will grant wishes – for a price. And now they’re both in over their heads as their very souls are in danger. But then the real question looms: who will Sara be able to save? And at what price? Because in the end, she must learn to be very careful what she wishes for.

Best-selling author Christopher Pike dabbles into Middle Eastern mythology in The Secret of Ka. He carefully unfolds the story and the djinn legends as the book progresses, steadily gaining speed until the very last pages. It’s been quite a while since an author has truly surprised me, but Pike did so multiple times. At first things seem so simple and straightforward, and I believed I was settling into what might end up being a long, drawn-out book. But I was glad Pike proved me wrong. He strings the reader along with just enough mystery to keep us going. And the plot is fairly tight and interesting. Pike has said this is one book he didn’t really sit down and plan, but the little pieces come together near perfectly by the end – creating a tapestry almost as impelling as the flying Carpet of Ka.

There is a heavy romance throughout the book, and it drives much of the narrative along. Sara and Amesh’s relationship is highly strange – especially as the more fantasy-esque elements of the story emerge – and sometimes I didn’t always believe it. Near the end, they both make a few choices that left me baffled. I didn’t think the direction their romance headed in the end always felt right. And this was the one downfall of the book. If Pike had led the romance in a slightly different direction, I think it would have worked very well.

The beginning is firmly rooted in a very real, young adult world, with Sara first encountering Amesh. But things really pick up just a couple chapters in, and the payoff for what some might consider a slow start is worth it. Pike definitely aims at a slightly higher audience with some light language and a higher romantic tension throughout.

Not much more can be said about The Secret of Ka. To say more would ruin the surprises to come. And there are surprises. I love when a good book really picks me up and twists around near the end. And that’s exactly what Pike has accomplished here. I’m eager to try a few of his other novels now.

Readers who have grown past books like P.B. Kerr’s fantastic Children of the Lamp series would do well to find Pike’s The Secret of Ka. Wrapped up in this delightful book is a great blend of magic, mystery, and a dose of romance. The Secret of Ka leaves the reader wishing for their own flying carpet to float on under the stars.

Review copy provided by the Amazon Vine program.

Genre: Suspense

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publication Date: August 2011

Reviewed by Jen Roman

Just in time for our own “doomsday” predictions, The Leftovers allows us to imagine what would happen if the Rapture, or End of Time, really did happen.  In Perrotta’s version, there is a Sudden Departure in which people absolutely vanish in the middle of whatever they happen to be doing.  Some entire families disappear, but in most cases, only one family member or close friend disappears.  Kevin, the mayor of his small suburb, doesn’t lose anyone directly, but his wife joins a cult-like group in order to deal with these changes.  His teen daughter becomes despondent at losing her mother, and his college-student son quits school and follows a corrupt evangelist.   While Kevin’s family is the main focus of the story, Perrotta introduces us to other characters who are intertwined in the lives of Kevin’s family.

I have never read one of Perrotta’s books and didn’t know what to expect, and to be honest, at first, I was confused.  Each chapter focuses on a different character, and at times it was difficult following who was who and what he or she was doing.  I also had a hard time understanding how the concept of the Sudden Departure was explained; it left me wondering what exactly happened.  I am glad I stuck with it, however, because the characters quickly developed and established relationships with each other.  The whole notion of the Sudden Departure made more sense, and I was able to see the thought process behind the characters’ decisions.  I don’t necessarily agree with some of the decisions the characters made, but I can understand their motivation.

Due to the topic of the book, some people may be offended by its content.  Readers interested in seeing how people react to such a tragic event will appreciate the storyline.  The whole plot was thought-provoking and managed to keep my attention, once I got into it.  Because it does address cult-like behavior, some readers may not enjoy this.  Additionally, Kevin’s daughter Jill starts rebelling and engaging in promiscuity, which may also offend some readers.  While not described in graphic detail, readers will get an eyeful of sexual situations.   For those able to overlook the sexual content, give it a chance.  The Leftovers grows on the reader and engages in a completely offbeat manner.

Genre: Children’s

Publisher: Harcourt

Publication Date: April 2011

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

The Little Red Pen is grading school papers. She has to. If she doesn’t, the students won’t learn, the school will close, the sky might fall and it will be the end of the world! So she tries to enlist the help of Eraser, Scissors, Stapler and others to finish the work. All cry, “Not I!” But when the Little Red Pen falls into the Pit (the trash can), the other classroom supplies must somehow rescue her from certain doom, grade the papers and prevent the end of the world!

From the sister-sister team of Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel comes a delightful retelling of The Little Red Hen, combined with hints of Chicken Little, told from the perspective of school supplies. Almost like an animated short, the story is told largely in dialogue and illustration, with only a few snippets of narration.

Mixed media illustrations take children into the larger-than-life world of the classroom, as viewed by highlighters, rulers and others. Touches of Spanish from the Pushpin (Senorita Chincheta) increase the classroom value of this book. Creative problem solving is also in abundance here. The supplies think on their “feet” to save the day.

This delightful mix of feisty characters, goofy wordplay and daring rescue will make a great back-to-school present or teacher gift.

Genre: Children’s

Publisher: Clarion

Publication Date: November 2011

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

A Middle Eastern boy is learning his father’s trade—recognizing a certain type of tree, assessing its readiness and collecting precious “tears,” or drops of resin, from the trees. Then one day, the boy harvests a particularly large, special tear, a proud moment for the young man. Later, strangers in the market decide to purchase the tear as a special gift. A gift for a strange recipient.

The Third Gift by Newbery Medal-winner Linda Sue Park offers a unique historical look at the uncommon practice of tear collecting. Not the usual picture book fodder, this book beautifully portrays Middle Eastern culture in expressive, clear language. An author’s note features further historical details.

Bagram Ibatoulline’s stunning acrylic-gauche paintings bring a definite realism to the book and capture the setting’s climate. Truly masterful art.

An unexpected surprise awaits readers; wonder will dawn on them as the book’s twist is unveiled. Park skillfully weaves small clues into the text, never revealing too much, until the satisfying moment of realization. A book to warm the heart and invigorate the spirit!

Genre: Suspense / Mystery

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: October 2011

Reviewed By Jen Roman

Tom and Abby have a wonderful life: good jobs, good friends, and a wonderful family that includes their twelve-year-old daughter, Caitlin. All of this shatters when Caitlin is abducted while walking the dog. Tom starts a relentless campaign to find her, and Abby turns to the church, and more specifically, Pastor Chris, to deal with the pain. Four years later, Abby insists that they hold a memorial service to help them move on with their lives. Within days of the service, a young stripper contacts them with information about their daughter: Caitlin may still be alive.

Sure enough, Caitlin is found and reunited with her parents, but all is not well. She refuses to tell what happened to her and where she was, and even tries to escape and go back to where she was. She remains sullen and withdrawn, which makes her parents wonder if it is better to have her back home with them. Eventually, Tom and Abby find out what Caitlin has been doing for the past four years and why Caitlin has been acting so withdrawn.

Cemetery Girl is one of the saddest stories I have read in a long time. The story is engaging and tugs at the reader’s heartstrings immediately. After reading the story, I did some research and found out that Caitlin’s behavior is not uncommon to children who have been abducted, and Tom and Abby’s marital troubles are also common as they try to deal with a terrible tragedy. Tom blames himself, and Abby turns to religion.

While neither of these things is bad, they spend so much time trying to heal themselves that their marriage dissolves. Abby wants to move on, and Tom sees that as abandoning their child. Tom wants to keep Caitlin’s room the way it was the day she left, and Abby sees this as not accepting reality. I can’t imagine being in such a situation and feel genuine pain for people who have to deal with it. Bell manages to entertain while giving people a glimpse into how life is for people who have to live with a child being abducted. While interesting, it certainly is uncomfortable. The story is fast-paced and compelling, but the ending is not uplifting. People expecting a happy ending will be sorely disappointed.

Readers must decide if they want to read a story that is difficult to stomach. While it does not explicitly describe anything, it implies that there was a sexual relationship between Caitlin and her abductor. Earlier, the witness describes a sexual situation between Caitlin and a man in a seedy bar. There is also a smattering of profanity. If readers are able to handle the adult situations, they should be touched by Cemetery Girl.

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Publication Date: November 2011

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

Deep in the middle of the forest, way beyond any normal highways, is a place called Fort Eden. It’s a place where those with deep fears – who have come to the very end of themselves and can’t live another day – can go to find peace. But only seven are allowed. And Will Besting has been chosen. His psychiatrist believes that if Will can just get through the treatment, he can be cured of the fears stopping him from living a normal, teenage life. But Will soon discovers that the treatments seem to be harming each of them. And then Will discovers a place where he can hide. But how long can he go before the caretakers of Fort Eden find him? And what dark secrets will he discover? His only hope is to escape before his turn to be “cured” can come.

Patrick Carman has really hit the sweet spot. Dark Eden is a top-notch under-the-skin sort of thriller. Carman isn’t a stranger to writing scary stories – his Skeleton Creek books, as well as 3:15 Season One: Things That Go Bump In The Night, show that Carman can crank out stuff that will make your skin crawl. But Dark Eden takes it to another level:  a subtle, yet disturbing story about what truly makes us afraid.

Will Besting is a very interesting, underdog sort who has a deathly fear along with the other six teens sent to Fort Eden. Only he manages to escape from the Fort and is frantically trying to unravel the mystery of the place, along with dealing with the fear that keeps trying to eat him alive. Will’s odd conversations with others and himself really are unnerving and leave the reader in one sense deeply disturbed, and yet wanting Will to survive Fort Eden and figure it out.

The storyline is superb, and Carman takes us on his typical twisting ride, leaving the reader gasping near the end. He really manages to quietly weave the characters and plot together in a way that keeps us moving, and yet reflecting on the ideas of fear. A quiet sort of action persists throughout as Will continually tries to stay hidden and merely survive. The story moves pretty quickly, up to the final few moments. There are only a couple of minor, unanswered questions by the end, but nothing that will leave the reader hurting for the answers.

There is some violence and truly disturbing moments – one of them forcing me to put the book down because I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep afterwards. The different fears of the teens are things that many people face in their lives, and it was a definite mystery to discover which teen feared what.

Along with the book, there’s a downloadable app that can take readers deeper into the story with videos, audio segments, and maps. The audio and video are typical of Carman’s high-quality videos done for Skeleton Creek or the Trackers series. Teens who are more reluctant readers will love this different way of interacting with the story.

Fans of more complicated psychological-type thrillers will love Dark Eden, and the strange, twisting route it takes to the very end. It’s the sort of book to read on a dark night, when fear is at its highest. Maybe you’ll beat Fort Eden and make it through to the morning… or maybe you won’t.

Review copy provided by the Amazon Vine Program.

Genre: Children’s

Publisher: Candlewick

Publication Date: July 2011

Reviewed by Jaci Miller 

King Hugo suffers from a swollen head. He lets everyone in the land know how marvelous he thinks he is. But when this tiny king accidentally insults a sorceress, his head grows even bigger. Literally. Every time he proclaims his superiority, his noggin balloons a bit more in size. Will King Hugo ever learn his lesson? And will he ever fit back into the castle?

In the style of Shel Silverstein, this cautionary tale blended with fairy tale traits will leave children smirking at the pompous king. Van Dusen’s gouache illustrations bring to mind caricatures and highlight the absurdity of Hugo’s situation. A sort of glow effect painted around many of the characters provides a cartoonish, animated film-type feel to the pictures.

The rhymes work well, with only a rare bump in rhythm, but children will unlikely catch this occurrence. The ending, where the sorceress falls for the repentant ruler, feels a little contrived, but again, children will be so delighted with the outrageous situations and playful illustrations that they probably won’t mind.

Good fun, with a solid message to boot.

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Publication Date: September 2011

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

Scary stories can be a lot of fun – especially when they’re coming from the mind of Patrick Carman, author of the wildly popular Skeleton Creek books. And with 3:15 Season One, Carman delivers another spooky, multimedia piece of work that will leave readers gasping and pulling the covers up and over their heads.

Containing nine stand-alone stories and one tie-in to the Skeleton Creek books, Things That Go Bump in the Night boasts a good variety of scares. Each story begins with a passcode to enter on the 3:15 website, where readers can first hear an audio introduction to each story. The introductions are told by a man known as Paul Chandler, who has mysterious secrets of his own to hide away. After each intro, readers dive into the book to find out more of the story. And finally, as they finish reading, they log back onto the website and enter a second passcode that will unlock a video to finish the story.

The creepy introductions do well to set up the mood and perhaps a burning question, and then the written parts add to the general feel. But the scariest part of these stories is definitely the videos, which had me jumping multiple times and checking over my shoulder. I was wondering how the acting and production of each video would be, and I was pleasantly surprised. The actors and actresses do a good job portraying their characters, and even the small spattering of special effects are well done. A couple of times, it seemed like little details from the videos and the book didn’t always match up – such as a certain piece of clothing Carman described characters wearing. But otherwise, the videos fit very well with the format and leave things pretty chilling.

The ten stories are pretty varied, some taking place in the past such as “Buried Treasure” – the story of a boy living in the 1940′s, who ends up letting his greed get the better of him. Some of the stories were downright frightening, and ending up being my favorites, such as “The Lift” – a story about a teen who goes snowboarding and never comes back from the mountain. The atmosphere created in the audio introduction and throughout the written part definitely left me jumping out of my skin during the final moments of the video. Other tales don’t come off quite as well, and I found myself shrugging through them as just being slightly disturbing. One of the best payoffs and frights is in the final story “Night on the Dredge,” which is related to the Skeleton Creek books. The final film is very frightening, and had me reaching over to turn on the lights before I did anything else.

Carman’s writing is top notch as usual, and he uses the written parts of each story to set up fairly creepy tales. One of his best here is in the story “Heart of Stone,” in which Carman writes about a young girl who builds a strange obsession over checking to see if the gargoyle on her family’s high rise building is still there each night. The slow build up of the girl’s obsessive behavior added to the overall tone.

Fans of horror type-story collections such as Anthony Horowitz’s Bloody Horowitz or The Complete Horowitz Horror will have a lot of fun with these slightly lighter tales. The multimedia format works well to engage reluctant readers, who can work well with the video, audio and written parts of each story. Hopefully, 3:15 Season Two will be along shortly to give more scares and make all of us wonder just what those bumps in the night really are.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Genre: Suspense

Publisher: New Hope

Publication Date: September 2011

Reviewed by Jaci Miller 

Enslaved in the sex trade for nearly ten years, Mara’s daily life is filled with brutality inflicted on her by her clients, Enforcer and Jefe (the boss).

Jonathan, a high school senior destined for Bible college, is more focused on earning enough money to keep his car running than he is on the horrors in his own neighborhood. That is, until he delivers a pizza to a hotel and encounters a half-naked girl fleeing from one of the rooms. The awareness of a sex trade in America comes crashing around him.

Deliver Me from Evil by Kathi Macias is the first in the Freedom series and one of those books that reviewers long to recommend. For its addressing of social justice issues, for the love that has been so evidently poured into the pages, for the good it could do in society. However, the book has a problem. Jonathan’s family feels stilted and one-sided. Their lives and discussions revolve around sex trafficking and little else. It feels as if this is all the family thinks about. They come across as boring, perfect Christians, a big no-no. This reviewer found herself hurrying through the sections about Jonathan and his family to reach the far more compelling stories told through the eyes of the trafficking victims.

These scenes drove home the reality of prostitution rings and offered insight into how such things can happen. And it is here that Kathi Macias shines. She manages to convey the atrocities inflicted without being graphic. The numbness of the seasoned “prostitutes” is especially well-conveyed.

Macias manages to give a face to countless unknown victims, and although flawed in style, the book should be read for awareness’ sake.

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Children’s

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Publication Date: August 2010

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

When the world is threatened by the Dread Foe, only twelve kids can save us. And only Mack MacAvoy can lead them to victory. Hopefully. If he doesn’t get beat up by the school bullies first. But Mack will face many more dangers than a fist pummeling his jaw: The evil Pale Queen is trying to rise once again, and Mack is only one of twelve who can speak a magical language and defeat her. Mack will have to find the other eleven kids, and figure out how to destroy her forever. Otherwise… he’ll end up being dinner to one of the Pale Queen’s evil creations.

Michael Grant drops down an age group to the magical world of middle-grade novels, and begins a new series: The Magnificent 12. Book one, The Call, starts things off on an interesting foot. Grant definitely is playing a humor card here – trying to make things fun along the way with some quirky middle school-type humor. Some of the laughs come off well, but some don’t quite make it. It was still a fun read and Grant pulls off the action scenes very well. Even the main character, Mack, is fairly likable. But even putting all that aside, the quirky humor style didn’t always work for me.

The plot is interesting enough: Mack ends up being one of twelve kids who can speak a magic language. And he’s contacted by a three-thousand year old guy who pushes him onto his quest to defeat the Pale Queen, who is pretty evil. The story switches back and forth between present day and “a really, really long time ago” following the story of the old man when he was twelve years old. The switches are often, and a little bit jarring at first, but after a few chapters, the alternating storyline becomes easier to follow.

One thing that Grant has done right and very well is the action. Whenever an action scene begins, Grant really shines through – keeping things moving and very slick. Strange monsters abound and are constantly attacking Mack and his friends. And some of the creatures Grant has come up with are truly terrifying. The nice thing is Grant doesn’t get Mack into trouble and get him out very easily. There’s a good level of danger the whole way through that keeps the reader pretty engaged. From fights in the school bathroom to dangling twenty thousand feet in the air to the rugged Outback, Mack faces more than any typical pre-teen could handle.

The Call doesn’t always take itself seriously. When it does, it shines. When the humor begins to take over and Grant delivers joke after joke, things go a little sideways. Middle grade readers will probably love the puns and funny moments, while getting a pretty solid story that promises to be a fairly decent middle-grade fantasy series.

Book provided by the Amazon Vine Program.

Genre: Detective Mystery

Publisher: LL Publications

Publication Date: April 2011

Reviewed by Chrystal Dorsey

Peg Herring’s novel, The Dead Detective Agency, is the first case in The Dead Detective Mystery Series. Herring writes a stimulating, though somewhat improbable, detective novel in The Dead Detective Agency. Meaning that some of the characters are supposedly dead and the others are seemingly serving as their hosts. And yet, other scenes are somewhat reminiscent of a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mystery. And as in the amateur sleuth mysteries, this 261-page detective mystery has some twists and turns that will keep readers guessing right until the end.

The main character, Tori Van Camp, is a vibrant carefree young secretary, who wakes one morning on a luxurious cruise ship, where she is offered anything she may desire, including: food, clothes, recreation, and the companionship of congenial people.  The problem is, Tori has no memory of booking a cruise.  But what she does have a vivid recollection of is being shot in the chest at point blank range.

With the help of the stunningly handsome Mike and the unnervingly serene Nancy, Tori soon learns the purpose of her voyage.  Still, she is haunted by the image of the gun, the crack of the shot, and the malevolent face of the shooter.

Tori is determined to find out who wanted her dead and why? And to do so, she enlists the help of Seamus, and eccentric but somewhat shrewd detective. Together they embark on an investigation. Death is all around, the future is uncertain, and if Tori doesn’t act quickly, two people she cares about are the prime candidates for murder.

The Dead Detective Agency is not only a story of a young woman in search of her killer and the reason for her brutal death, but its also a story of the struggle to find some sort of solace as it relates to the afterlife.  Author, Pat Herring touches upon what may occur after death in such a pleasant yet humorous way, with a sprinkle of Christian faith as reassurance, one can’t help but be more accepting and less fearful of the eternal life she writes of.

I initially thought this book was going to be a cutesy story geared toward the less than avid reader, but, I must say I was pleasantly surprised to discover through my journey that, The Dead Detective Agency will not only appeal to the garden-variety reader or the teenage reader, but will be of interest to intermediate and young adult readers alike – as well as those with discerning taste for “detective” mysteries.

This is the first book by Peg Herring I have had the pleasure of reviewing. I look forward to the next case of The Dead Detective Mystery Series: Dead for the Money coming soon from LL-Publications.

Peg Herring lives in Michigan and writes both historical and contemporary mysteries. When not reading or writing, Peg loves travel and directing choral music.
Review copy provided by publisher.

Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: June 2011
Reviewed by P.J. Coldren

It’s winter, well March, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (aka The UP), and it’s cold and snowy.  This is not at all unusual.  What is unusual is Chief Roy Maven, from the Soo, is in Paradise at the Glasgow Inn asking private eye Alex McKnight to do him a really big favor.  One would sooner expect pigs to fly.  Alex and Maven got off on the wrong foot many years ago, and things haven’t improved.  Yet here he is, asking Alex to do something for him.

What he wants is unusual, over and above the unusualness of the asking itself.  His old partner wants somebody, a private eye, to look into his son’s death.  His son committed suicide in Misery Bay, up near Michigan Tech.  No note.  No clue.  Nada.  The local police have ended their investigation.  Charles Raznewiski isn’t buying it.  These cases never end well, as both Maven and McKnight know.

This case is no exception.  McKnight does do this favor for Maven.  Initially, his feeling is that the local police were right.  His instinct tells him otherwise.  His instinct is correct.  Somebody kills Raznewiski, Sr.  Alex begins to look back a little bit.  There is a pattern here.  Other suicides of young people, followed by the murders of their parents.  Somebody, somewhere, is not a happy camper.

McKnight and Maven work together on this case.  It’s not an easy fit for either of them.  The solution, when they figure everything out, is bizarre but not outside the realm of possibility.

Hamilton has written another marvelous book about McKnight and his cases.  McKnight’s character continues to grow, book after book.  The setting is awesome and awful.  The plot is right up there with anything Hamilton has done in the past.  Hamilton is vastly underrated by people who only read writers like Patterson and Grafton.  If you haven’t read anything by Hamilton, start with A Cold Day in Paradise and work your way to Misery Bay.  It’s a journey well worth taking.

Caveat Emptor: Minimal language issues, graphic depictions of the results of violence

Genre: Children’s / Young Adult

Publisher: Hyperion Book CH

Publication Date: October 2011

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

Percy Jackson has no idea who he is. Where he has come from. What has happened the past sixteen years of his life. All he knows is that an unnamed force keeps drawing him south. Drawing him to a place where Roman demigods – children of the Roman gods and humans – train for battle against any foe that might threaten Camp Jupiter. Percy arrives, and soon finds himself thrown in with the outcasts:  a bumbling would-be soldier named Frank, and a mysterious, and somewhat deadly girl named Hazel. And now, the three of them have to embark on a quest to save Camp Jupiter from the evil threatening to erase Rome’s mark from history forever. The only problem is the mission is suicidal. All of them – Percy, Frank, and Hazel – have been destined to die.

Rick Riordan’s return to the world of Percy Jackson and the Olympian gods is a very welcome one. Riordan knows exactly what he’s doing as he leads Percy through danger after danger. Long gone are the days of random Greek monsters cropping up to fill in the action. Riordan uses every encounter for a reason – to build up the quite complicated characters, or to deliver some devastating plot twists. With The Son of Neptune, book two in the Heroes of Olympus, Riordan definitely delivers more of his trademark myth and mystery.

Once again, Riordan splits up the chapters between his three lead characters – each chapter from one of their points of view. And unlike with The Lost Hero, where I found myself slightly annoyed (wanting to get back to my favorite character), in this book, it seemed to work much more seamlessly. All three characters are highly enjoyable, and fun to follow along as they deal with their own demons of the past. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Drama
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: 2011
Reviewed by Chrystal Dorsey

Lisa See is the New York Times bestselling author of Shanghai Girls, Peony in Love, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (which has been adapted into a film), Flower Net (an Edgar Award nominee), The Interior, and Dragon Bones, as well as the acclaimed memoir On Gold Mountain. The Organization of Chinese American Women named her the 2001 National Woman of the Year.

In her most powerful novel yet, Lisa See returns to the timeless themes of mother love, romantic love, and love of country. She continues the story of sisters Pearl and May from Shanghai Girls, and Pearl’s strong-willed nineteen-year-old daughter, Joy.  Dreams of Joy provides a glimpse of the cold, cruel damage to the humanity of people that was caused by war and the Communist regime in China in the late 1950s.  In this segment the return to Shanghai shows the Paris of Asia, may have been lost forever.

Acclaimed for her richly drawn characters and vivid storytelling, Lisa See once again renders a family challenged by tragedy and time, yet ultimately united by the resilience of love.

Dreams of Joy is the sequel to Shanghai Girls which revisits sisters Pearl and May and the continued development of their relationship while telling the story of Joy, a Chinese-American at the time of the inception of Mao’s “Great Leap Forward“.  It is an epic historical drama with strong characterization and authenticity – the reader is taken on an emotional journey to China and into the lives of the Chin family.  Joy is an idealistic and naive college-student hell-bent on helping China’s “Great Leap Forward”.  However, what Joy finds is not the communist paradise she thought she wanted to be a part of;  Instead, what she finds is that her commune is more or less a refugee camp – her marriage and life in the countryside are so deeply disturbing and the “Great Leap Forward” is an actual  “Great Leap Into Famine”.   Some may consider this to be a beautiful coming of age story, while others may view it as a story of a hardheaded teen defying her mother and trying to escape the guilt of her step-father’s suicide, while at the same time trying to process the newly uncovered family secret of her parentage that has scattered her emotionally and placed a wedge of anger between her mother, aunt and herself.

The adventure, if one can call it that, begins after naïve Joy flees to China to seek out her biological father – the artist Z.G. Li, with whom both May and Pearl were once in love. Devastated by Joy’s flight and terrified for her safety, Pearl is determined to save her daughter, no matter what the personal cost.  Against better judgment, Pearl leaves the comforts of L.A. on a quest to find Joy; once there she confronts old demons and challenges as she tries to reunite with Joy.  Added to the stress of trying to locate her daughter is the realization of the perils of the new China – including not being allowed basic freedoms of wearing a bra, sending and receiving mail, possession of her own passport, or even worst, not being allowed to leave China once there.

This story is permeated with the most vivid descriptions of sights, sounds and smells that transport the reader to a time and place where no one in their right mind would willingly want to go - yet, one will find themselves eagerly leaping forward through the story, to discover the moral fabric of China’s society as it unravels, with the abuse of its people, which sometimes resorted to cannibalism.  Readers will find themselves transfixed and perhaps emotionally invested, as old, new and restored relationships are woven within the dangers of this sage.  Not only fear for the safety of the main characters, but will root for their survival, but will Joy, Pearl and May survive the devastation of China’s new regime or will they perish along with millions of others?

Sometimes you come across a book that touches your heart, whether through a moving story-line, a narrative so beautifully heartbreaking it smothers you emotionally or a character or characters so absorbing you can’t quite put the book down – Lisa See’s Dreams of Joy is one such book.

This is a must read and highly recommended for anyone who wants to be vividly transported historically back in time – Lee allows readers to explore the details of the Maoist era (1958-1962) without restoring to dull dry statistical facts, as she unleashes a story about the worst catastrophe in China’s history, and one of the worst anywhere; but at the same time provides a story about the love, loyalty, devotion and strength of a family.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Genre: Children’s / Young Adult

Publisher: Aladdin

Publication Date: March 2011

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

I love discovering new authors. Ones who write well and keep me highly entertained are a huge plus. And Brandon Mull definitely delivers with his newest book, Beyonders: A World Without Heroes. There’s plenty of action. Plenty of humor. And some genuinely great villains and plot twists that make reading Mull’s work downright enjoyable.

Jason Walker thought life was pretty boring. Just going from school to home to baseball and back. But then he falls through a portal inside the mouth of a hippo and ends up in another world: Lyrian. It’s a place filled with danger and mysterious creatures – but that doesn’t even begin to describe Jason’s problems. When he accidentally stumbles onto the biggest secret in Lyrian, it’s up to him to band together with a handful of characters to stop the last and most evil wizard, Maldor, who rules over the land. And now Maldor is after Jason. But in order to defeat the Emperor, sacrifices must be made, friends might be lost, and everything Jason ever believed will be challenged until he can answer the question: will he choose to be a hero?

This was my first Mull book, and I must say I was very excited with it. A World Without Heroes sounded extremely interesting to me, and I’m glad I picked it up and started reading. The beginning does move a little more slowly than a typical middle-grade / YA novel might, but once this book gets rolling around chapter two, Mull gives us a ride that just does not stop. His action scenes run through very smoothly and Mull has dreamed up great solutions to get his characters out of danger’s way — at least for a little while. It was definitely hard to guess what might happen, and that made reading this first volume of the Beyonders series even better.

One of my favorite things about A World Without Heroes is just how dire and horrible things go for Jason and his friend Rachel, who face endless danger from nearly the beginning pages. And Mull has given us an utterly evil villain in Maldor, the Emperor of Lyrian – who always seems to be one step ahead, always anticipating their moves, always within killing reach through a spy or a loyal servant. I love when characters are constantly thrown into hopelessness and there really seems to be no way out. Mull delivers multiple dark moments, but saves the darkest for the end of the book putting an incredible twist onto the whole story. From giant crabs to devious puzzles and traps, Jason and Rachel must face it all. Mull manages to weave things together so well that small moments from early on become important later. There is a bit of gore splattered throughout, but nothing too outrageous or out of place.

Jason’s personal journey is interesting as well. His entire life has been utter boredom up until this point. And as he grows throughout the novel he has to choose: will he end up being a hero? Or will he succumb to the easier ways out? Soon he has to question what he really wants out of life: possible death at the hands of Maldor or living to see his family again. The side characters also make this novel downright fun: Ferrin — the loyal guide, Jasher — the noble warrior, Malar — the talking head, and many others. Mull uses these characters to bring in humor — and a lot of great plot twists.

Nothing is ever as it seems in the world of Lyrian – and nothing can surprise quite so much as Mull’s Beyonders. He stays away from many fantasy-novel cliches, or manages to twist them enough to make them his own. Fans of epic fantasy stories with humor, danger, and the unexpected will definitely enjoy A World Without Heroes.

Genre: Mystery, Romance

Publisher: Multnomah Books

Publication Date: July 2011

Reviewed by Elizabeth Olmedo 

Carrie Carter owns a small café in Seaside, New Jersey. Every morning the object of her unrequited love comes in for breakfast. However, Greg Barnes is too consumed by the horrible tragedy that took the life of his wife and children three years earlier to notice the woman who serves his coffee.

Carrie’s dishwasher is murdered and shortly after her waitress disappears, Greg’s ex-cop instincts kick into full-gear plunging him into Carrie’s world. For the first time since the loss of his family, Greg’s heart is in danger of letting someone in. But Carrie has a past of her own and the recent incidents are bringing them back to the forefront. While trying to uncover the mystery and hopefully save the missing girl, Greg and Carrie must fight their own personal wars if they hope to move beyond their pain.

With summer giving way to autumn, some of us aren’t quite ready to say goodbye to the long, sunny days. Shadows on the Sand is just the book to help readers hold on a little longer as Gayle Roper vividly brings to life late summer days by the seaside. In this mystery, the author explores the scary reality of cults. While a topic like cult-life could easily push a story to the heavy side, the novel is anything but that. Using romance and a great setting, Roper balances out the novel, delivering a light and easy-to-read mystery. I recommend Shadows on the Sand to anyone looking for a nice mystery/romance. Roper will take you on a trip to the seaside without ever leaving your chair.

Genre: Suspense

Publisher: Cascada Productions

Publication Date: October 15, 2011

Reviewed by Lori Twitchell

Amanda James is content in her life. She works at the Getty Museum and she has been making inroads in her career that have placed her squarely in the line of vision of some of the most prominent archaeologists in her field. When she receives a phone call from Italy asking her to come to a dig site, it doesn’t take her long to say yes. Ironically, the same night that she’s slated to leave California, she receives another job offer for a prominent position in Japan. Though it’s puzzling to receive both of these incredible offers in one day, Amanda chooses to stick with the job in Italy.

Once there, she discovers that she’s the only one who is able to solve the puzzle that will allow the doors to open, but she’s also the only one who can fit through the narrow opening to get to the doors. Within minutes, Amanda has solved the puzzle, opened the doors, and found herself in the center of an amazing room full of antiquities. Unfortunately, a misstep causes the doors to close behind her and she loses communication with the rest of her team. Now Amanda is trapped. Or is she? While waiting for her team to get to her, Amanda does some exploring of her own and suddenly she finds herself a witness to centuries and centuries of history.

Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Plume
Publication Date: May 31, 2011
Reviewed by Chrystal Dorsey

Missing Persons is the debut of an edgy, exciting new Kate Conway Mystery series featuring a funny, but cynical television producer turned amateur sleuth.  In the oddest chapter of her life, Kate navigates a sometimes dangerous path of lost love, bad television, unsolved cases, and her husband’s girlfriend, who keeps getting in the damn way.

Crime TV producer, Kate Conway has a pretty simple job. Gain the trust of unsuspecting interviewees to extract the true story and capture it all on camera – ideally, while they cry on cue. However, Kate finds herself on the other side of the line of questioning after she gets a call from her soon-to-be ex-husband’s lover, Vera Bingham who informs her that Frank, collapsed after playing basketball and was rushed to St. Anthony’s Hospital, where Frank dies from a heart attack. But an autopsy shows Frank had excessive amounts of digitalis in his body; And the two women in his life -Kate and Vera – are the prime suspects. To make matters worse – Frank’s grieving mistress suddenly wants to become Kate’s new best friend.

As the investigation into Frank’s death heats up, Kate throws herself into her work on a new television program Missing Persons. Her first assignment is the story of Theresa Moretti, a seemingly angelic young woman who disappeared a year earlier. Except, Theresa may not be as innocent as everyone thinks. Interviews with Theresa’s ex-boyfriend, her disinterested “best” friend, and an attractive, but amoral, local politician, lead Kate to believe she’s being lied to about the real Theresa. Although, All Kate wants is a clichéd story and twenty-two minutes of footage to take her mind off her own messy life, but when two cases appear to overlap, she begins digging into the case herself; but Kate needs to work fast before another body turns up – and it just may very well be her own.

Missing Persons is a mystery with surprising depth and smart, hip, snappy dialogue. Kate is a sharp, cynical, person who makes mistakes and learns from them – she grows and changes as the story progresses. The Kate Conway series is certain to become a favorite with mystery fans; and I, like many readers, look forward to seeing what O’Donohue does with the main character going forward.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Genre: Children’s

Publisher: Knopf

Publication Date: August 2011

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

The winter doldrums have hit the animals at the zoo—all but the young hippo and the baby kangaroo. The pair bounce, hip-hopping and toe-tapping around the zoo, and eventually the other animals join in. “Let’s put on a ZooZical,” says the hippo, and the zoo creatures all leap to combine their talents in a musical production.

Rollicking rhymes and clever variations on popular songs (“Oh, my darling porcupine,” “For he’s a jolly gorilla,” etc.) pepper ZooZical by Judy Sierra.

The gouache on gessoed wood technique provides a textural feel, almost like canvas, to the illustrations. Illustrator Marc Brown has created lively and vivid creatures with priceless expressions. From joy to dismay, from fatigue to fear, the range of animal emotions is amusing and enchanting.

The book is a follow-up to Sierra’s Wild about Books, which readers may also be interested in (a librarian accidentally drives a bookmobile into the zoo).

ZooZical is pure fun.

Genre: Children’s

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Publication Date: July 2011

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

Wiener Dog’s cushy life with Granny has become stale. He craves adventure. So he sets out into the wide world, joins a wolf pack and begins a new life! But is life as Wiener Wolf all its cracked up to be?

Rich illustrations in earthy tones stand out as the true highlight of Wiener Wolf by Jeff Crosby. Something almost Brothers Grimm in nature permeates the pictures, drawing the reader in. The textures and depth of shades, especially in the woodlands scenes, captivate.

The text, however, lacks the magic of an artisan wordsmith. The language is adequate to convey the story but lacks the lyricism and beauty found in the best picture books.

The story itself is delightful as Wiener Dog treks through an adventure of finding his roots in the woods. Crosby makes fun comparisons between Wiener Dog’s old water dish and his new (a stream in the woods) as well as his old squeaky toys and the new ones (playful young wolf pups).

One scene about which readers should be forewarned: a pack of snarling wolves chases a deer and while nothing is shown of the deer’s capture, very sensitive children could be bothered by the concept.

Amazing illustrations, average language. This would be ideal for young animal fans or for dachshund owners.

Genre: Children’s

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Date: June 2011

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

There are few books that really enchant me, but Jenny Nimmo’s Chronicles of the Red King: The Secret Kingdom is one of them. It truly felt like a throwback to an early 1900s fantasy story for children. Nimmo delivers it all: danger, excitement, adventure, and of course with her trademark style
and charm.

When the Secret Kingdom is attacked by the evil Viridees, Prince Timoken and his sister Zobayda have to escape. Lord Degal of the Viridees is after Timoken’s moon cloak — a magical web that would allow Lord Degal to rule everything. Timoken and Zobayda know that they must find a place they can finally call home — safe from the Viridees. But along the way, there is danger around every stone and tree. And Lord Degal is not the enemy Timoken needs to fear most. Someone else is after the cloak — someone who will stop at absolutely nothing to get it.

Growing up, I read a lot of old-time fantasy novels, such as The Wizard of Oz, or the Raggedy Ann and
Andy stories. Those books held a certain charm that was so hard to find anywhere else. I didn’t think
I’d ever run across another book quite like those old stories until I came across The Secret Kingdom.
Nimmo has managed to infuse such magic into the story telling here. Timoken and his sister travel
through adventure after adventure — meeting strange creatures, evil monsters, and magical animals.
And of course, one can hardly pass up the lovable, yet gruff, camel Gabar, who joins their adventures.

The language Nimmo uses in her writing here is downright amazing. This ends up being one of those
books you want to read out loud — just so you can hear the sentences come together. It’s definitely the
perfect bedtime story — reading one part of Timoken’s adventure each night.

Timoken is such an innocent character, at once brave, and yet longing to settle down in a place he can
call home. His journey is wonderful to follow, and I found myself turning page after page, just wanting
to see what happened next. The ending leaves you with that gentle ache for another story — as any good
fantasy book should do.

This book connects to Nimmo’s Children of the Red King series, and the prologue does contain a few
spoilers if a new reader has not read those books. The actual story about Timoken could be read by
anyone, however. It’s possible for readers to even skip over the prologue and start chapter one without
missing a beat. For fans of Charlie Bone, The Secret Kingdom fills in details of the Red King: who he
is and where he really came from.

I’m glad the Chronicles of the Red King have only just begun. After an astounding first entry, I’m
excited to see where Nimmo takes us next. The Secret Kingdom is great for fantasy fans and anyone
who longs to re-connect with those nights reading as a young child when a book really was magic and
could take you anywhere.

Genre: Children’s

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Publication Date: July 2011

Reviewed by Jaci Miller 

Hornbooks and Inkwells by Verla Kay follows two 18^th century brothers through the school year, from fall through winter to spring. Harkening back to a time when quills were used for writing and Teacher’s word was law, this book reveals the fascinating details of colonial life in a one-room schoolhouse, and simultaneously demonstrates how children never really change. Homework struggles, recess and even mischief maintain their places in the school day.

Kay’s short verse in quatrains flows eloquently through the pages and communicates clearly, in a minimum of words, exactly what is happening in the story. This excellence of brevity in verse is Kay’s trademark, as is her gift for revealing nuanced portraits of American history.

Filled with tidbits of historical and sensory detail (“Hard clay marbles, click, clack, click!”), history springs to life with this book. John Paul’s struggles to read and write will also resonate with children. John Paul’s story line also adds a note of tension as we wonder whether he will accomplish his goal as the seasons pass.

S.D. Schindler’s watercolor and gouache illustrations demonstrate, in an open and approachable manner, the stark beauty of colonial life.

Readers will relish discerning the similarities and differences between their own schools and the brothers’ historical one. Note from the author is included.

Genre: Children’s

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Publication Date: 2011

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

Loveliness abounds in nature. We all know this. But have we taken the time to recognize what exactly entrances us? Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman expressively examines one such aspect of creation—spirals found in nature and their beauty, purpose and fluidity.

Text notes subtly placed in the illustrations let readers become acquainted with the plants and creatures portrayed. Languorous language makes this book a great read during quiet times, while the variety of things to look at, point out and learn will transition into daytime reading as well. An explanatory spread in the back of the book delves further into the mysteries of the spiral by detailing the how or why of each example used in the book, e.g., hedgehogs roll for protection, two ocean currents meet to form a whirlpool, etc.

Caldecott Winner Beth Unique uses scratchboard illustrations to create a gorgeous, wondrous atmosphere with which to discover the spiral. The black backgrounds add a deep richness to the book’s design.

A fascinating treatment of an overlooked shape. Even adults will enjoy encountering the seemingly familiar in a fresh, new way. Swirl by Swirl reminded this reviewer of nature’s stunning power to surprise!

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: StoneGate Ink

Publication Date: September 2011

Reviewed by Josh Olds

Ancient mythologies spoke of a bird called the phoenix that, upon death, resurrected itself from the ashes of its former life. Emery Phoenix has been burned several times in her life—the scars on her face leave the physical scars but it’s the scars on her heart that brings her real pain. She thought healing might begin, ironically, when she met a boy named Arson, but that only caused her life to spiral to the point it’s at now.

Arson Gable always knew he was a special kid, a freak, an outcast who could create fire. Nobody truly understood him. Until Emery came along, that is. Together the two outcasts worked together to discover the meaning of their existence, to hope amidst the brokenness, and to find love amidst hate. But all that led them to a place of utter despair.

Estevan Vega begins Ashes where he left off in Arson. Arson and Emery have been abducted after Arson’s powers manifested itself on a major scale. Now they find themselves a part of an underground experimental facility, human lab rats on which power-hungry scientists can feast. As Vega’s tale twists and ties itself together, the reader learns the true purpose of the facility, all while learning more about the nature of Arson’s past.

Emery’s parents—their relationship broken and nearly destroyed before the abduction—struggle to pull things together and find hope in a doubly hopeless situation. Joel takes off on a whim to find his daughter. He’s not sure why, but something seems to be calling to him. Maybe he just wants to escape from the wife he neither likes nor loves.

Everything builds to a resounding crescendo as the full purpose of the underground facility known as the Sanctuary is made known. In the end, Vega leaves readers with a breathtaking ending that leaves reading hoping it’s only the beginning for more of the story. Like Arson, Ashes takes a little while to build the context of the story. So much new is thrown in that must be tied to book one, that—just like Arson and Emery—the reader is left with his head spinning, trying to figure out what’s going down. But once the story latches hold, it rockets toward a pulse-pounding finish, full of twists and turns and unexpected events.

Vega is setting himself up to be a vanguard in the realm of speculative fiction. His stories are bizarre, out of the box, and brilliant. Ashes is a strong testament to Vega’s ability as a Storyteller—he keeps getting better, which means I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Review copy provided by author.

Genre: Children’s

Publisher: Scholastic

Publication Date: 2011

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

Today is the day! Hamster’s birthday has arrived and he’s all set to party! Unfortunately his friend, Dog, seems to have forgotten all about his special day. Dog drags him around town, running errands, but unbeknownst to Hamster, a surprise awaits.

Happy Birthday, Hamster by Newberry Honor author Cynthia Lord repeats the genius of jaunty rhymes, audience participation and jubilant acrylic illustrations that brought Hamster and company to life in Hot Rod Hamster. This sequel continues its tradition of supplying readers with choices and asking them, “Which would you choose?” Children will leap at the chance to join Hamster in his exploits and revel in the exquisitely crafted rhymes.

While Birthday lacks some of the intensity of the former book’s car race, the team of Lord and illustrator Derek Anderson brings a new tension to this book: readers are clued in to the surprise awaiting Hamster, while he remains oblivious. How is he missing the signs? Readers will laugh and cheer for Hamster as he goes about his day believing no one remembered him. A sheer delight of a book and sure to become a beloved favorite.

Genre: Children’s

Publisher: Beach Lane Books

Publication Date: 2011

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

Who wants their vegetables? After reading Rah, Rah, Radishes! by April Pulley Sayre, children will shout “Me! Me! Me!”

This picture book takes readers on a veggie voyage through the author’s local farmer’s market. Rollicking rhymes explore the diversity of the vegetable kingdom and joyfully express enthusiasm for healthful eating. Vibrant photos capture the beauty and appeal of produce at its best—the gleam of peppers, the texture of sweet corn, the filmy parchment of shallots. Readers can nearly smell the freshness through the pages. A true celebration of nature’s bounty!

An additional section, labeled “A Few More Bites,” defines the term “vegetable,” explains what a healthy diet looks like on a plate and offers a few other tidbits as well.

Sayre’s creation is perfect for encouraging the sampling of new tastes. The book delights the ear and the eye, as well as making the mouth water, resulting in a refreshing change from the kid-favorite pizza and confections so often found in kids’ books. The combination of rhythmic text and succulent photography will entice youngsters to take a bite out of this book!

Genre: Magical Realism

Publisher: Howard Books

Publication Date: September 2011

Reviewed by Tim George

Sheridan Riddler is the greatest painter of modern art in the universe. We know that because he screams it to the world at every possible turn. No one can capture reality, his reality, like Riddler. His muse and subject for all of his nudes is the love of his life, Suzanna. Yet she, the most beautiful woman he can imagine, remains faceless in his paintings. Even she cannot be allowed to cause people to think of anything but the great Riddler.

When Suzanna refuses to be painted nude again and walks away, Riddler pursues her deep into a Harlem of years gone by. But, as he walks in a drug induced stupor across the bridge above the Harlem River, Riddler is struck by a car and falls into the dark waters below. What happens in those waters is both revelation and curse. From the moment he awakens on the bank of the River with a river rat of a boy attempting to rob him, Sheridan Riddler is a man obsessed. The greatest artist in the universe saw something that is so immensely beyond him he will spend the rest of his life trying to recapture what he only knows to call “the Glory.”

From Buddhist monasteries, to time with a Muslim wise man in Turkey, to Tel Aviv on the verge of Sadam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, to the Sistine Chapel, to the shrines of Mexico, Riddler spends the next decades of his life searching for what he thinks he saw in the now fleeting pale memories of “the Glory.” At every turn he is disappointed. Michelangelo’ s grand paintings of God and man are frauds. Nothing comes close to what he saw as he sank in the dirty waters of the Harlem.

And now, someone knows Riddler must still be alive. A daughter he never knew has seen new paintings that could have only come from the hand of her father. And, an obsessed collector/assassin is following her to find Riddler. The collector has spent those years hoarding up Riddler’s masterpieces and doesn’t want any new paintings on the market. For him that means killing the artist the world still thinks is dead. All of their lives, father, daughter, beloved Suzanna, and assassin, are bound up in the artist’ reconciling what he has spent a lifetime trying to recapture and what he must finally die to – The Opposite of Art.

The Opposite of Art by Athol Dickson is one of those rare novels I can manage such a detailed synopsis and yet have no fear of giving away the story. Any attempt to relate what is found within its pages in a review is as humbling as Riddler’s pursuit of “The Glory.” At best I can sketch a vague outline but only a writer with Dickson’s depth can paint the masterpiece.

This is magical realism at its best. Most of Riddler’s story is related through his remembrances as an aging man traveling with a quirky Mexican circus through the wilds of West Texas and New Mexico. Sometimes it is difficult to know if all that happens in the odd circus is the visions of a man with a mind rotted by drugs as a youth and addled by a fruitless pilgrimage.

One of the hallmarks of this kind of writing is that what is real is only known through the eyes and mind of its characters. What are we to think of an art collector assassin who believes justice is playing Russian roulette with himself before killing his target? Did Riddler really enter a circus trailer that in reality is an immense place of worship? Some of it seems wholly implausible but then again so is much of what we call reality. Magical Realism only works when the reader ceases to care if what they are reading could be true. It is true because that is the way the characters see it.

A synopsis barely scratches the surface of what The Opposite of Art is about. Take the time to read it. Read it slowly. Gaze at it like standing before the Grand Canyon for the first time. Ponder its images as Riddler does a canvas seeking to capture “the Glory.” My guess is a good number will grow impatient, flip a few pages in a book store, and go on to lighter fare. But for those brave and persistent enough to pursue the images and messages of this novel of a different kind the reward will prove more than worth it.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Genre: Children’s

Publisher: Clarion

Publication Date: October 2011

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

For centuries books have spoken to us. But in Bookspeak! by Laura Purdie Salas, books actually do the talking! In this poetry collection from a book’s point of view, readers discover anew the joys of the written word. Salas’ verse tackles subjects from the conflict component of story, to life as an index, to the publishing process and right through to bookstores. The book plate swears he is not a dish, while one book bemoans his fear of wetness. A character begs for a sequel and one book goes on vacation! Wildly inventive and delightfully clever, puns dot the pages. Salas’ wordplay is delicious.

Vastly more than a poetry collection touting the joys and wonders of reading, Bookspeak! gives personality to the world of words in a fresh, new way.

Josée Bisaillon’s mixed media illustrations demonstrate both the abstract and concrete nature of the poetry. The illustrative diversity within the collection crosses from stark and spare to bold and bright, but always a little offbeat, filled with movement and somehow still unified.

A true friend and companion for the bibliophile or writer, young or old.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Zondervan

Publication Date: August 2011

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

Erynn Mangum has been one of my favorite authors ever since a friend recommended Miss Match to me a couple years ago. Sketchy Behavior continues to deliver the quirky humor and drama of life while moving into some new territory.

Kate Carter loves art. Even though her dad wants to see her follow in the Carter family name and become some kind of engineer, that doesn’t set too well with Kate. But now she’s rethinking her passions. When a simple class assignment in sketching criminals leads to the arrest of a major serial killer, Kate doesn’t know what to do. News reporters cover her front lawn. The police applaud. The world seems grateful and relieved. But the killer wants revenge. And now he’s sending his friends after Kate. The question is: how long can Kate keep up her “I’m fine” excuse before everything crumbles? And how long will it take before the killer finds his next target: Kate Carter?

Sketchy Behavior aims to please a slightly different crowd than her previous two series did. Mangum leaves behind the twenty-something world of romance and life and enters a more suspense-driven young adult realm. Coming in less than 250 pages, this is definitely for a younger crowd, and older fans might not go for the more high-school-esque feel. The book is much more plot-driven than any of Mangum’s previous titles, and she pulls off the smattering of action scenes fairly well. There’s even a couple of interesting twists near the end that will leave readers flipping pages faster and faster to see what happens next. Romance doesn’t make it’s way into this novel, and fans of Cool Beans or Rematch might miss these elements.

Mangum’s strong suits are always in characters, and she definitely delivers here. Kate is fun to follow around, and just as spunky as Maya Davis or Lauren Holbrook. Some of my favorite moments take place in Kate’s first interactions with church — trying to understand the different quirks and nuances of the service. And as usual, I found myself laughing out loud at Kate and her antics. The surrounding cast is just as fun — from a psychiatrist mother to a logical and over-protective father — Mangum gives us plenty to laugh along with. Her villain is pretty terrifying, and definitely sounds like something stepping right out of the news and into Kate’s backyard.

This book felt like a step in a good direction, keeping a complicated and realistic main character, while giving us a little action and suspense. Teen fans of light-hearted suspense will enjoy this latest Mangum outing and be left hoping for more.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Genre: Children’s

Publisher: Clarion

Publication Date: November 2011

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

Every Thanksgiving, Americans gather around the television to view a traditional event—the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, complete with charismatic balloons. Today we take these gravity-defying wonders for granted, but where did they come from? Balloons over Broadway by Caldecott Honor-winner Melissa Sweet tells the story of Tony Sarg and the Macy’s balloons.

As a lifelong student of how things move, Tony Sarg naturally became a puppeteer when he grew up. Called upon to create marionettes for the Macy’s window in New York, he created amazing displays for window shoppers. When Macy’s decided to host a parade for its employees, management turned to Tony for assistance. At first, he designed costumes and floats. Later, he created large puppets attached to sticks. But when the crowds had difficulty viewing the low-suspended characters, Tony returned to the drawing board to find a better solution.

Balloons uses clear, accessible language and just the right amount of information to share this slice of Americana. The combination of gouache, collage and mixed media (old-fashioned toys and fabrics) results in an eclectic charm with a touch of whimsy and a smidge of the antique. The endpapers feature further history about Tony Sarg as well as an original Macy’s advertisement from 1933 featuring the Macy’s balloons.

Both enlightening and enjoyable, the book is well suited to home or classroom. Little mechanics and engineers will find a like-minded friend in Tony Sarg.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Genre: Suspense

Publisher: Revell

Publication Date: September 2011

Reviewed by Tim George

Chess is a simple and yet intensely complicated game. With just six types of pieces, each with distinct restriction on how they can be used, an older child can begin to play in less than an hour yet those same six pieces can consume the entire lifetime of a genius. And that is why it is so fitting that Steven James has carried us along on his journey of move and countermove in the Patrick Bowers Files with the continuing analogy of chess.

The Queen is the author’s latest in what has become a mainstay in late summer reading for many an adrenaline junkie in need of a thriller of just a bit different flavor than the run of the mill. One of the geniuses of Steven James’ writing is that one need not have read any of the other novels in the series to understand pretty quickly what is going on. In case you haven’t read previous installments, Patrick Bowers is a geospatial profiler who considers the Criminal Minds version of profiling to be little more than educated guess-work.

While there is a large cast of characters, this episode is very much Patrick’s story. Called away to northern Wisconsin from the case he so desperately wants to close, Special Agent Dr. Patrick Bowers must face a conspiracy of global proportions and a very personal ghost from his past that will not allow it to be ignored. This may be the most vulnerable we have seen Bowers. We see him barely overcoming childhood fears and nearly losing his life on more than one occasion. As always, there is plenty of pulse pounding action with plot twists at just the right points. But none of the dangers he confronts are as formidable as what he faces in his estranged brother and the secret that has separated them for years. Just as it seems Bowers has finally managed to sustain a relationship with fellow agent Lien-Hua, his past with both his brother and his brother’s wife threatens to derail the one mystery he has failed to crack in the past – women.

There is no way for me to review a Patrick Bowers novel without considering my favorite character. Tessa, Bower’s step-daughter, is dealing with the aftermath of events in The Bishop, and fighting demons of her own. Though she is barely present in the first half of the novel, Tessa’s search for the meaning of forgiveness and redemption intertwines itself with scenes of the basest of human character to form a contrasting tapestry of the human condition.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t some truly impressive villains. Richard Basque is back but only as an elusive shadow. Front and center is Alexei Chekov, the most interesting and multi-dimensional villain yet to spring from the creative mind of the author. Sure, there is the enigma known only as Valkyrie, a rogue CIA master hacker, and a band of misguided eco-terrorists. But Alexei Chekov stands out as what should serve as a prototype for the kind of villain that makes this kind of story rise above the ordinary.

What impresses me most is the patience the author has taken over five novels to develop the underlying themes of the nature of man’s heart, guilt, and forgiveness. Human nature, like chess, is simple at one level and utterly complex at another. James doesn’t insult our intelligence by having Patrick or Tessa resolve that complexity in some formulaic way. Instead, we are given characters with depth, hard questions and longings. And for at least one, hopefully, the only real answer to the human condition.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Listen to our recent interview with the author here. 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Howard Books

Publication Date: August 2011

Reviewed by: Melody Ballard

Childhood friends Meg and Anne share many adventures and much of their young lives together. Born in a time when women’s destinies were controlled by men, both longed for a future filled with love and happiness.  Beginning with in 1518 with the mischievous escapades of their youth, and ending in 1536 at the tower of London, we follow the story of Meg Wyatt and her closest friend, Anne Boleyn.

Both Meg and Anne were born into titled lives of privilege, but it is here that the similarity ends. Meg’s father, Lord Wyatt was a vicious, cruel and demanding man. He did not hesitate to abuse Meg with frequent beatings.  She was also subjected to the maliciousness of her brother Edmund. Her brother Thomas sympathized with her plight but would offer little support as he often stood silently by. Meg once said that both her father and brother Edmund responded to torment by tormenting others.

It was at the wedding of Anne’s sister Mary, that both Meg and Anne begin their journey within the court of King Henry VIII.  Anne was as ambitious as she was beautiful and her charms and courtly manners soon caught King Henry’s eye. Anne was as loyal as she was charming and she saw to it that Meg was in the protective embrace of court and away from the stranglehold of her family to the greatest extent possible.

As Meg watches the transformation of Anne’s life she is acutely aware of the precarious nature and dangers of the court. Meg sees Anne rise in favor with King Henry, become his Queen, and succumb to treachery; we see those around her as they really are. Throughout this novel there is woven the silver thread of possibility for what Meg has always wanted: a future filled with love and happiness. Throughout this novel there is an even greater story woven within: the Reformation.

Written from Meg Wyatt’s point of view, this well researched and historically accurate novel is mesmerizing.  Filled with elegant prose, vivid imagery and an expert blending of fiction and fact, author Sandra Byrd presents a refreshing point of view on the life of one of the words most fascinating women, the Reformation Movement, and the court of King Henry VIII.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Genre: Fantasy                            

Publisher: Center Street             

Publication Date: September 2011

Reviewed by Tim George

Imagine a world, our world, where every person on the planet is dead and doesn’t know it. Not zombies according to the current literary fad but rather a planet populated by people who are but shells of what they were created to be. Forbidden by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee paints a picture of what might happen to a world so bent on eradicating its inner demons that it strips itself of all emotion. All that is, except fear.

Nearly five centuries have passed since a select group of scientists worked to tinker with humanity’s genetic code. Their discovery of a way to eliminate all emotions save fear gave way to a unified world ensured peace by the Order. But then, on one seemingly uneventful day, 24 year old Rom, finds his life altered forever thus beginning the first installment of what will ultimately be a trilogy called The Book of Mortals.

Ironically, Rom is a funeral singer. A funeral in which, like with most of his world, there is no body and no real sorrow. When Rom leaves the funeral he witnesses the unthinkable, a murder. As the old man who has been attacked is dying he gives Rom an ancient vial of blood that can grant something Rom did not even know he was lacking – life. The kind with real emotions: love, hate, jealousy, betrayal, passion, joy, ecstasy and despair. Real life. A life the world does not even know it is missing. To tell more would be to rob the reader of embarking on this journey with Rom and seeing it unvarnished through his eyes.

As with any fantasy or epic there is a fairly large cast of characters. Central to Book One is Rom, the ultimate unlikely hero. With no frame of reference to understand the emotions he now feels all he knows to do is to employ aid from the few friends he has. And he will need them because someone else has discovered the secret of emotions as well. Saric has to be one of the most unsympathetic villains ever created. His discovery of emotion only proves what man’s heart is capable of when all boundaries are removed. Other characters of note include Feyn the soon-to-be Sovereign of the world and sister of Saric, Avra, Rom’s best friend since childbirth, and though only introduced late in the story, the boy Jonathan.

Many collaborations fail miserably but not this one. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Mystery

Publisher: Touchstone

Publication Date: July 2011

Reviewed by Josh Olds

Rosemary Thomas is about to face death. Execution. Lethal injection. Found guilty of murdering her estranged husband—God (and the jury) knows she had the motive—but she didn’t commit the crime. At least that was her claim. Of course, that’s what they all say.

Christopher Thomas had been the curator of San Francisco’s McFall Art Museum, which, by all appearances, should have been a rather posh and cushy job, relatively free from worries or stress. He, was a philanderer, yes, and used his wife only to gain power within the world of art, but really, she should be the one thanking him for putting her higher up on the social ladder. In the end, it would matter for nothing, as both ended up dead.

But ten years later, the cop who oversaw the arrest of Rosemary Thomas is now convinced of her innocence. Somewhere, a killer still lurks, and his investigation reveals a tangled web of lies, deceit, and double-crossings. Jumping between timelines of the present and ten years prior, No Rest for the Dead, takes what seems to be an open-and-shut case and peels back more and more layers to reveal a grand scheme that could implicate any number of people. Christopher Thomas was a ruthless man with shady dealings in both his personal and professional lives. As Nunn unravels the case, he finds himself shocked by how deeply tied and twisted his new suspects actually are.

No Rest for the Dead is a unique collaboration of twenty-six top-notch writers, each submitting a chapter or more for the book. The old saying goes that too many cooks spoil the broth, but editors Andrew and Lamia Gulli do an excellent job of bringing the novel together into a cohesive whole. A few chapters here and there stand out as mildly out of place in technical areas such as character vocabulary or tone, but overall the authors do well in understanding the characters they’re given. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Satire/Classics

Publisher: Quirk Classics

Publication Date:  March 2011

Reviewed by Jennifer S. Roman

Following up to the hit, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Dreadfully Ever After catches up with Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy as recently married.  Elizabeth is not looking forward to starting a family, and even with her love Fitzwilliam with her, she feels something is missing.  Since it is socially unacceptable for a married woman to fight zombies, she must play the part of the gentleman’s wife.  Her husband is unexpectedly bitten by a zombie, and she fears the end is near until she hears of a possible cure.  Willing to do anything to protect her beloved, she travels to London with her father and sisters Kitty and Mary in order to get that serum at all costs.  Of course adventures ensue while the family works to carry out its plan.  They meet colorful characters, reunite with previous acquaintances, and learn terrible secrets.

Fans of Jane Austen will have a rousing adventure reading about the new path that the Bennets have undertaken.  Written in fun and colloquial language, the book is difficult to put down because it is so entertaining.  Austen herself would probably enjoy seeing her masterpiece re-written in such a tongue-in-cheek manner that is so against social proprieties of the time.  Readers of “monster” stories will get a kick out of seeing familiar villains written into classic literature in an updated and quirky fashion.  All in all, this is a fun story that will make readers guffaw out loud.

Because of the nature of the subject, the book does contain fairly graphic violence.  Teen readers will appreciate the “grossness factor,” but for those readers who don’t like gore and violence, it may not be the book for them.  In addition to describing the fetid, nasty zombies, Hockensmith also talks about the methods of their demise.  There is no sex or profanity to speak of, as the book is written in the times of King George III, in the late 1700s and early 1800s.  Other than the violence, which some parents might object to, there is nothing that would prevent a mature young reader from enjoying this book.  Adults as well will find the book humorous and fun.

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Children

Publisher: Harcourt

Publication Date: September 2011

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

A parade of pooches is preparing to pass by! In Dog Parade by Barbara Joosse, readers meet a host of spunky mutts who must climb into their costumes if they are to make it to the parade in time.

Language stars in this book with playful verbs and fun-for-the-ear word choices, like “La-dee-da” and “Diggity, dig, diggity.” Plenty of onomatopoeia also makes for pleasurable listening. The rhythms in the book build tension through abbreviated sentences, creating an atmosphere of “Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!”

Joosse provides each pet with a personality all its own, in keeping with its breed. From the somber Saint Bernhard to the jumpy Jack Russell, the dogs sport temperaments as unique as humans’. Readers encounter fun surprises at the page turns as they wait to see what costume each dog will wear, and will no doubt enjoy searching for their favorite breeds among those illustrated.

Gouache illustrations keep the animals looking realistic, yet playful, while zany fonts keep the text visually interesting.

A delightful book that grows on its audience with each reading. Even cat lovers will enjoy this one!

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Children

Publisher: Harcourt

Publication Date: September 2011

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

Levi Strauss Gets a Bright Idea by Tony Johnston relates a new folk legend (pardon the oxymoron) of an American inventor.

During the California Gold Rush, miners scurry to make their fortunes, but the rough lifestyle wears out their britches so fast, they must walk around in barrels. Enter Levi Strauss, who heads west as well. Having missed the gold rush, he figures he can do better selling the miners durable pants. But what to make them from? He decides to create pants from the canvas of his tent!

The language in this book is pure gold (excuse the pun), and besides telling a strong story, engages the senses as well. Written in a folksy style, Johnston incorporates touches of humor that will make readers smile. Illustrator Stacy Innerst lends visual comedy with naked men in barrels and toothless miners.

It’s important to note that this story, although based in a grain of fact, is largely a tall tale. (The author states as much in his endnote.) The book can be used to encourage young people to dig deeper into the facts of Levi Strauss. Teachers could easily share this book in a compare/contrast lesson of truth vs. fact. Or readers may simply pick it up in order to enjoy a good tall tale.

Truly original (and appropriate) illustrations consist of acrylics painted on denim. They provide a scratchy rugged feel to the western setting of the book and draw the eye with their textures.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Genre: Drama

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Publication Date: September 2011

Reviewed by Elizabeth Olmedo

Austin and Mercy’s lives collide in the wake of September 11. Pain, anger, and regret threaten to wreck their lives. Austin Finley is a New York City cop haunted by the horrifying images of that day and the phone call he had ignored. Mercy Samara is the shrink who holds his job in her hands. When she deems him unfit for active duty, Austin resigns from the department, refusing to be trapped behind a desk.

Years later, Austin has built a new life for himself in Baltimore where he now works as an EMT. With the help of his new found faith in God, Austin has gathered the broken pieces of his life and released the hurt and hatred that held him back. While responding to a 911 call at a high school, his path intersects once more with Dr. Samara who works as a guidance counselor there. This time, the interest they feel toward the other is immediate as they embark on a somewhat unconventional relationship. While their reunion resurfaces old scars, their biggest challenge is her lack faith in his God. Despite their love for each other, this is one area neither one seems willing to compromise on.

From Ashes to Honor is a story of endurance and of rising from the ruins. Loree Lough delivers characters that are both flawed and loveable. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Chick lit

Publisher: Dutton

Publication Date:  June 2011

Reviewed by Jennifer S. Roman

Julia and Marissa have a friendship that has endured for years: through high school, college, first jobs, many relationships, and well into their established careers.  They need one another for support, love, and laughs.  However, after Julia suffers a severe head injury from being hit by a car, they grow apart.  The accident causes Julia’s personality to change, and she is no longer the supportive, loyal friend that Marissa knows.  Marissa, always second fiddle to Julia, must learn who she is and what’s important to her- including her friendship with Julia.

Told from Marissa’s point of view, The Art of Forgetting emphasizes the human part of a serious illness or injury.  There is grief, sadness, confusion, anger, and guilt.  Marissa is afraid to confront Julia about certain issues after years of resentment, but she learns from her other friends that she needs to be honest to Julia and to herself in order to save the friendship and her other relationships.  Once she decides who she is, she and Julia both are able to recover from the accident.  Not only does this book explore the real emotions friends and family feel when dealing with a serious condition, but it also makes us realize what we want out of life and how to get it.  We see ourselves from one angle, but thanks to the support of good friends, we are able to see ourselves as others see us, good or bad.  That’s why this book is so interesting- it encourages us to really analyze our own friendships.

The book is suitable for most readers.  There is premarital sex, but nothing racy.  There is one mention of the “f word;” otherwise, the profanity is limited.  What’s really nice is that Marissa and her friends decide to mentor young at-risk girls, so there is a lot showing women being positive role models.  Readers may even learn a thing or two about how to have good self-esteem.  This is a quick, easy read with many important messages, and it proves to entertain while teaching at the same time.  In short, this is a good beach read or a good book to read while in bed before falling asleep.

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Brilliance Audio on CD   

Publication Date: March 2011

Reviewed by P.J. Coldren

It is bad times in the land.  There was a brawl in the Inn last night.  The Chronicler is in town, making wills and the like for the townsfolk.  He is also writing down the life story of the innkeeper, Kvothe.  When the tale begins, Kvothe is a student of the Arcana at the University.  He has a small circle of friends, and one major enemy.  He is not wealthy, so his knowledge is what he has to keep his tuition costs down.  Kvothe is of the Edema Ruh, a group that sounds much like the Gypsies of our world, and as tolerated in his as Gypsies used to be in Europe.  He is very bright, both in book learning and in street smarts, but not so learned in the ways of women.

Kvothe has many adventures in WISE MAN’S FEAR, both within the confines of the University and around the country.  He learns from every experience he has.  He learns the art of fighting from the Adem, a tribe of mercenaries.  They use something that sounds very much like Tai Chi as part of their training.  Anyone not of the Adem is considered to by them to be a barbarian; their reasons for this do make sense.  He learns the art of love from Fehlurian, a faerie no man can resist; he is the only man to leave the Faey and live.

I was a little hesitant to take on a 36-CD book; I listen on my way to work, in 20 minutes chunks, most of the time.  I thought I would lose track of the people, the story.  I thought I would get bored.  I was very wrong.  I found myself wondering what Kvothe was going to do next, how he was going to take whatever trouble he was into and turn it around for himself.  The performer (as he is described on the liner notes) is Nick Podehl; he is superb.  I had no difficulty in keeping the characters straight.  His accents were subtle and distinct. I will say that the Adem tend to sound Scandinavian – not unpleasant, just consistent.

After I finished listening to this, I went to the author’s website (www.patrickrothfuss.com) and discovered that WISE MAN’S FEAR is day 2 in the Kingkiller Chronicle, of which there are at least 3 days.  I ordered day 1, THE NAME OF THE WIND, also in audio CD form.  I am looking forward to learning how Kvothe got to the University, among other things.

Warning: Minimal language issues, minor violence, sexual references. 

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Children

Publisher: Harcourt

Publication Date: September 2011

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

Pirate lass Charlotte Jane the Hearty dreams big and plays hard. She squeezes the juice out of every day and she has no time in her swashbuckling schedule for bedtime! (“Bedtime is for landlubbers!”) Her parents inform her that no one can be hearty without rest, but Charlotte Jane persists. Then, when her “oomph” disappears after a sleepless night, Charlotte Jane realizes how important sleep is to a growing young pirate.

Charlotte Jane Battles Bedtime by Myra Wolfe plays upon the popular pirate trend while addressing typical childhood bedtime battles. Wolfe weaves the typical pirate-y lingo into the characters’ speech and includes fun words to roll around in readers’ mouths, e.g., “pomegranate,” “doubloon” and “swashbuckle.”

Bright, digitally-enhanced water color illustrations in a semi-geometrical style will instantly appeal to readers. The textures create added visual interest. As in many quality picture books, the illustrations add a second layer of interest to the story, in that Charlotte Jane lives in an actual house, but the house is arranged to look like a ship, complete with steering wheel. A companion teddy bear sporting an eye patch accompanies Charlotte Jane on her many adventures.

Wolfe chooses to make her main character a girl—a refreshing twist—and this young lady’s zest for life is infectious. Even though the book is about the need for sleep, energy fills its pages. A great book for the young.

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Mystery, Suspense

Publisher: Bay Forest

Publication Date: August 2011

Reviewed by Jake Chism

Bret and Sara Vreeland have always struggled to make ends meet. Fancy cars, luxurious homes, and exotic vacations were the stuff of dreams and never within their reach. Until now.

After one of Sara’s patients dies she discovers she is the heiress to his six million dollar fortune. While Bret and Sara always believed that God had blessed them with a beautiful family and the basic needs of life, they can’t help but think now that God has truly smiled upon them.  After all, doesn’t God always reward those who are faithful?

Unfortunately for the Vreeland’s, someone in the shadows is watching. Someone who wants nothing more than to bring them harm. As their adversary draws closer, they are brought face to face with the mysteries of their past and their world is turned upside down. Now they can’t help but wonder if their blessing is indeed a curse.

Eric Wilson’s eleventh novel is the perfect blend of his early Aramis Black novels and his recent film novelizations (Flywheel, Facing the Giants, and Fireproof). To both sides of his fan base Wilson offers up edgy mystery and suspense elements mixed with the relevant spiritual struggles of so many in our Christian culture. This is a modern retelling of the story of Job, and one that effectively challenges the “prosperity gospel” that runs rampant in Christian circles today.

I was hooked early on by how relatable the main characters are. Driving the old beater car, struggling with medical bills, wondering how you can afford to pay for your child’s sports team photo….most of us know exactly what that is like. One almost gets the feeling that Wilson is writing from experience, but surely that can’t be the case. It’s common knowledge that all writers are filthy rich.

Eric Wilson also treats us to one of the most unpleasant names in the history of villains: Magnus Maggart. And yes, this guy is as bad as he sounds. He brings a nice edge to the story with his twisted worldview and his unrelenting desire to wreck havoc. This is one baddie that won’t be easily forgotten.

One Step Away is the first in Eric Wilson’s By the Numbers series, and the perfect way to introduce long time fans and new readers alike to his new blend of storytelling styles. Never preachy, yet always profound and relevant, this is the kind of story that makes you ask the hard questions while you are flying through the pages.

What happens when God lets Satan test a family with a six million dollar blessing? There’s only one way to find out.

Don’t miss our podcast interview with the author here. 

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Romance

Publisher: Multnomah Books

Publication Date: June 2011

Reviewed by Elizabeth Olmedo

Charlotte Beck has plans a galore for her life. She knows exactly where she’s going and where she wants to end up. Marriage is not on the list, especially to Alex Hambly. Though handsome, he is as annoying as they come. Definitely, not her type.

Alex couldn’t agree more. He’d rather marry anyone other than this girl who barges through his life with the force of a hurricane, leaving nothing but disasters in her wake. However, he needs money—fast. When Charlotte’s father, tired of her embarrassing public displays, sees Alex and Charlotte together, he presents an offer the young man has to consider. Marry Charlotte and his financial troubles will disappear forever.

What starts out as a marriage of pure convenience, for both Alex and Charlotte, later complicates when he develops feelings for the independent and free-spirited young woman. But winning over his wife’s stubborn heart might be Alex’s greatest challenge yet.

Kathleen Y’Barbo delivers a fun and light-hearted romance in The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck. While I believe Mr. Beck overreacted quite a bit—Charlotte’s behavior though a bit impulsive and naïve at times was never bad and certainly didn’t warrant being pushed into an arranged marriage—I did enjoy the conundrum Alex and Charlotte faced. Watching them squirm and fight their ever growing feelings and conflicting emotions was very amusing.

At times, I mentally slapped my forehead and wondered what in the world was Charlotte thinking. She could single-handedly get herself into some pretty ridiculous (and extremely laughable) situations, but then who doesn’t know a person like that in his/her own life. I can think of a few in mine. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to take a break from the “real world” and immerse him/herself into a few hours of fun and uncomplicated reading.

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: YA

Publisher: Harcourt

Publication Date: September 2011

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

The story of Theseus and the Minotaur has come down through the ages relatively untouched. Now, Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett turns this myth on its head by relating the tale as if it was actually lived by the humans of that time—the real story, if you will. Much like the film Ever After puts a realistic spin on the tale of Cinderella; Dark of the Moon does the same for this myth.

Ariadne embraces her destiny as future goddess of the moon, but she longs to learn more about the world outside her home of Krete. When a shipment of slaves arrives as a tribute fromAthens, she sneaks down to the ship to see what she can learn of other lands. Instead, she meets Theseus, the son of the king ofAthens, a young man destined to die at the hands of a monster beneath the palace. If he is to live he must kill the beast. In a twist, this monster, Asterion, is Ariadne’s brother and not a monster at all, but a freakishly strong, mentally childlike human—not a bull-human creature. Ariadne is caught in the middle of a budding friendship, her religious responsibilities and her brother.

At first glance, this book sounds intriguing and action-packed, but honestly, the story languishes a bit as it expounds on the religious underpinnings that inform Ariadne’s daily life. Dumps of information and complicated theology make this an unlikely read for adventure seekers as the book is less concerned with Theseus’s adventures and more with Ariadne’s internal struggles. Indeed, the book is a coming-of-age story with a young would-be goddess learning to find her place as goddess. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Viking Adult

Publication Date:  May 2011

Reviewed by Jennifer S. Roman

Set on the small islands of New England during the time of early American colonization, Caleb’s Crossing depicts how the early settlers, sponsored by Christian groups from England, try to “civilize” the Native Americans already living on the land.  Bethia, the daughter of the highly-regarded pastor on the island, secretly befriends Caleb, a young Native American, through their love of the land.  He teaches her to hunt and to preserve food for her family, and she teaches him English.  After Bethia’s father heals Caleb’s relative from a life-threatening illness, Caleb renounces the Indian way and accepts Bethia’s father’s tutelage.  Bright and eager, he quickly learns enough to move on to a preparatory school so he may attend Harvard.  After the untimely death of her father, Bethia is forced into servitude in Cambridge in order to pay for her brother’s Harvard tuition, where she again encounters Caleb.  Together, they all learn not only academics, but also human decency and loss.

Caleb’s Crossing is fictional but is based on the story of a real-life Caleb, the first Native American to go to Harvard.  While the writer takes liberties with history, it is somewhat justified because so little is recorded on what really happened.  Brooks identifies many themes that young people encounter during those times and shows how cruel life can be.  She also illustrates how decent people can be and how far they will go to help a fellow human.  The story is entertaining and inspiring.  Readers catch a glimpse of Bethia’s spunk and determination despite her place in society.  While outwardly forbidden to go to school or to be friends with a male, let alone a “savage” such as Caleb, she is bright enough to get what she wants while still following the rules of propriety.  How she does this is both clever and encouraging.

Because the book is based on the lives of early colonists, there is very little in the way of sexual situations or profanity.  In fact, many will laugh at what the people of the time considered to be profane.  However, the book is realistic in how life was, so there are some scenes that could be disturbing.  People died untimely deaths by means that were not always pleasant, and those scenes are described.  Women and Native Americans were treated poorly, and that too is described in detail.  Many readers will find this objectionable, but need to keep it in perspective.

Overall, this work of historical fiction is inspiring, entertaining, and educational.  After reading the story, I was inspired to find out more about those first Native Americans who studied at Harvard and about life in the early days of the Cambridge area.  When done properly, as Brooks has done, history can be interesting and educational.

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Europa Editions

Publication Date:  August, 2011

Reviewed by Jennifer S. Roman

On her way home from work at a restaurant one Saturday night in August 1997, Lou is sideswiped by another car in a tunnel just outside of Paris.  Panicked, Lou leaves the scene without reporting the accident.  She later learns that the accident was the one that killed Princess Diana.  Afraid and alone, Lou leaves her apartment and runs to avoid the media frenzy that is sure to follow.  She is momentarily relieved to learn that the authorities do not have any idea that her car was involved, until the mechanic who repaired her car puts two and two together, and kidnaps her in hopes of cashing in on her situation.  Roaming throughout France, Lou doesn’t know what to do.  She questions and rethinks every decision she makes due to the fear and guilt building up inside of her.  She truly feels helpless and out of options.

An Accident in August is interesting because in addition to being part of one of the largest stories of this century, it allows us the opportunity to think, “what if…”  We can put ourselves in Lou’s position and see if we would do the same thing.  We can also honestly sympathize with the girl: she was innocently driving home from work late at night, and was hit by another car.  Her guilt was not in causing the accident, but instead in not reporting it.  How she manages to live with the guilt and respond to it show that strange situations could happen to anyone.  It’s how one handles them that makes the difference.

This book does discuss adult themes, so it is not recommended for young readers.  The story is quick and interesting, however, and doesn’t contain a lot of profanity or sexual situations.  People especially interested in Princess Diana’s untimely death will enjoy reading Cossé’s version with a twist, but it is a fascinating story for anyone who enjoys human behavior.

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Children’s

Publisher: Clarion

Publication Date: August 1997

Reviewed by Jaci Miller

On Tuesday evening, around 8 p.m., frogs riding lily pads begin to rise in the marshes. Sailing through the nearby neighborhoods, they zoom through clotheslines and into homes, surprising some and terrifying a neighborhood dog. When the lily pads sink from the air, the frogs return home and leave behind the lily pads, baffling authorities.

Winner of the Caldecott Medal, Tuesday by David Wiesner, is a fantastical journey through a lush green and blue palette. Beautifully executed in quiet tones, the water colored pages lend an air of mystery to the flying-frog phenomenon.

While splashes of humor sprinkle the book, the plot is sorely lacking in conflict. Indeed, there is little plot to comment on: “frogs go for a ride” accurately sums up the book. Not Wiesner’s best work in terms of storytelling, nor a book for the very young, but a beautiful piece to page through. As art, Tuesday is masterful, but as a children’s book it lacks characterization and plot, two keys to winning the hearts of children. Still, some children will find the illustrations stir their imaginations and this will encourage them to make up their own stories about the book.

Although this book will not retain the coveted place of honor under a child’s pillow, it does deserve a place on the bookshelf.

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Children’s / Young Adult

Publisher: Scholastic

Publication Date: August 2011

Reviewed by Shaun Stevenson

The Cahills are back in the new 39 Clues series, Cahills vs. Vespers. And this time the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. The team of authors behind this ground-breaking, multi-media book series have really outdone themselves in kicking things off with The Medusa Plot. With six new cards, more hidden puzzles, and danger behind every turn, Gordon Korman brings us the latest, and perhaps best, entry yet.

Amy and Dan Cahill thought they could return to their normal lives after the massive globe-trotting clue hunt. And two quiet years have gone by. Years filled with training for Amy… and a sinking depression for Dan. Then the Vespers strike – kidnapping various members of the Cahill family. Every moment Dan and Amy waste could cost them one of their family members. The clue hunt never prepared them for this. Not even Grace Cahill – the family mastermind – prepared them. For the first time, they are truly alone. And unless they follow the Vespers’ instructions to the letter, people will die.

Nothing could have prepared me for The Medusa Plot. Each chapter and page held new secrets. New surprises. Korman is at the absolute top of his form, and this easily bests any of his previous entries in the series. In fact – this new set of books promises to be worlds better than the first eleven. After a couple books, it wasn’t too hard to guess what the 39 clues might be for. But this time around – things are much more mysterious. And the hidden codes in the book make things even more intriguing. As usual, pieces of history are intertwined with the plot, taking Amy and Dan on some wild excursions and into some very deadly places.

Korman has amped up the action – with some great sequences, and also some rather frightening ones as well. The tone of this new series is definitely a bit darker than before, with issues between Amy and Dan, as well as a few unnerving plot developments. While there’s no explicit gore, there are a few scenes that might make younger readers squirm. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Thriller

Publisher: Splashdown Darkwater

Publication Date: June 2011

Reviewed by Tim George

Winter … didn’t ask for the gift of prophecy. She’s happy being a freak – but now everyone thinks she’s crazy … Students at her university are being attacked, and Winter know there’s more than flesh and blood at work. Her gift means she’s the only one who can stop it – but at what price.

My reviews don’t usually begin with the author’s pedigree or personal comments but Winter by Keven Newsome begs for a different approach. When was the last time you read a novel about a Christian Goth engaging in spiritual warfare with dark powers intent on taking over a Christian College? And, when have you ever read a thriller whose author is pursuing a degree in supernatural theology? My guess is most of you haven’t.

Keven Newsome’s debut novel is indeed about a young lady, Winter Maessen, who actively embraces Goth appearance while exploring her newfound insights that can only have one source, the God she loves. Winter finds much more than she bargained for when her father drops her off at Tishbe University for her freshman year at what, for all appearances, was a safe haven of academic, social, and spiritual life. In the place of acceptance and safety she is quickly confronted with darkness, hidden agendas and outright opposition.

A masterful job is done of telling Winter’s story in two parts in one seamless narrative. Along with her present-day struggles with a secretive an evil influence attacking her school and new friends we find a much more personal story set four years earlier. Bit by bit the author helps us understand the factors in Winter’s life that led to her unusual appearance and sometimes defeatist attitude. And, as she reconciles her past with her present we see her evolve from a withdrawn and doubtful outsider to, by the time the last page is turned, a force to be reckoned with. Because – Winter is now a prophetess for a new generation. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Romance

Publisher: Penguin Group

Publication Date: August 2011

Reviewed by Elizabeth Olmedo

Ellie Sullivan is a successful trauma surgeon who is loved by co-workers and patients alike. She has worked hard and has made many sacrifices to get this far. But when Ellie witnesses the shooting of an FBI agent, her life is turned upside down.

FBI agent Max Daniels has pursued the Landry’s for years. His hunt brings him to St. Louis and to the beautiful Dr. Sullivan. Neither one of them is looking for a relationship, but each time they are around one another the heat rises from 0 to 100 in seconds. Suddenly, keeping Ellie safe becomes very personal for Max. A task that is easier said than done, especially when her past crashes down around her.

The Ideal Man is a story of intense, whirlwind emotions—and following them, sometimes to a deadly ending. Fun and snappy banter between the characters keeps the story from becoming too heavy as the reader joins them on their emotional and terrifying ride. Garwood does a wonderful job at transferring the characters’ feelings to her audience. The reader will grip the book with anger, fear, and disappointment all before the novel is finished.

While I enjoyed the book’s fast pace, I didn’t like that it carried over to the romance. The relationship went too fast. Though Garwood tried to paint it as love, I never saw more than just plain lust. The reader should be prepared for some explicit bedroom scenes and crude conversations.

Review copy provided by publisher. 

Genre: Chick Lit

Publisher: NAL Trade

Publication Date:  July 2011

Reviewed by Jennifer S. Roman

All her life, Epiphany Jones has felt that she doesn’t fit in anywhere.  Her mother is estranged from her Italian family because Epiphany’s father is African-American, and her family doesn’t approve.  Since Epiphany’s skin is darker than the white kids’ and lighter than the black kids’, she just doesn’t belong.  After being caught vandalizing a church with some kids from the wrong crowd, Epiphany has to get a job to pay for the damages.  She is assigned to cook for J. Norman Alvord, who employs her mother as a housekeeper.  J. Norm, as Epiphany calls him, doesn’t fit in anywhere either.  His wife’s recent death sends him into reclusiveness, and his bad heart prevents him from doing many activities.  In addition, his past mistakes in raising his children have left him at odds with his daughter, Deborah.  He is sure she’s trying to push him out of the house and into a nursing home just so she doesn’t have to deal with him.  Both strong-willed, Epiphany and J. Norm mix like oil and water until Epiphany has a run-in with a tough boy from her school.  J. Norm comes to her rescue and the two quickly become close.

I’ve read a lot of books in my life, but none quite as heartwarming as this one.  The plot is somewhat predictable, but it still manages to entertain and give readers an inspirational outcome.  In a time when parents are too busy to spend time with their children and when it sometimes seems risky for a young girl and older gentleman to be friends, Dandelion Summer gives readers a refreshing look at family, blood-related or not.  J. Norm is the tough but loving male figure that Epiphany needs, and Epiphany provides a lightheartedness that J. Norm has been missing in his life.  Together, they show the special bond that grandparents and grandchildren share.  It’s truly a pleasure to read a book that shows how two people from dysfunctional situations can create an appropriate and happy relationship.  I applaud Wingate for making the story realistic and engaging at the same time. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Mystery

Publisher: The Penguin Group

Publication Date: March 2011

Reviewed by Chrystal Dorsey

Leonid McGill is back, in the third-and most enthralling and ambitious-installment in Walter Mosley’s latest New York Times- bestselling series,  The Thrill Is Gone.  As he did in his first two Leonid McGill mysteries, the bestselling The Long Fall and Known to Evil, Walter Mosley brings even greater nuance and insight to Leonid McGill, an already classic noir hero.  Not only does Walter Mosley create a story with a character so powerful readers will have a difficult time putting the book down,  he also creates a vivid and engrossing world of a New York where motives are always suspect and nothing is as it seems.

Leonid McGill, is a tough 55 year old, philosophic private detective – who still works out regularly, his wife, Katrina is having an affair with a younger guy. He has a girlfriend, Aura who has chosen to longer be intimate with him – at least for the time being.  His good friend, Gordo (whose presence in the story escapes me) is dying of cancer and staying in the den at Leonid’s house.  And to complicate his personal life even more, his stepson, Twill, has dropped out of school for mysteriously lucrative pursuits.

The story springs forth after a beautiful young woman walks into McGill’s office with a stack of cash. She tells him she is an artist, who has escaped from poverty via a marriage to a Billionaire, but is now in fear of her life and claims it is her very own husband who is plotting her demise  – the same fate she insist his first two wives met.  Although McGill knows better to believe every word a potential client says, taking on the mesmerizing woman with a ghetto sense of style, was just not a job he can afford to turn away. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Thriller

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publication Date: June 2011

Reviewed by Jake Chism

Nick Heller is a guy you want on your side. Former special ops, now making a living as a private spy, he uses his unique skill set to help those who want a job done right. When a family friend’s daughter goes missing Nick is only too happy to get involved, especially when the captors send a live internet feed of the girl buried underground. Nick is now in a race against time to find her and those responsible for this unspeakable act of torture.

With only two books released in this series, I can safely say that Nick Heller is one of my favorite characters in thrillerdom. Joseph Finder always excels in keeping his audiences hooked with perfectly crafted plots, relentless suspense, and endearing protagonists. But there is just something about Nick Heller that easily places him head and shoulders above other veteran series’ characters that we’ve come to love in the ever expanding thriller genre. Much of this is due to Finder’s masterful use of the first person that makes this book simply impossible to put down.

Of course the break neck pacing of the story and the terror of Alexa Marcus only helps draw us in deeper. Even in some of the darkest scenes where we are plunged into the nightmare of being buried alive, I couldn’t take my eyes off the page. At nearly 400 pages, this novel only feels like half of that and never is there a dull moment or a wasted word. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Romance

Publisher: Multnomah Books

Publication Date: July 2011

Reviewed by Elizabeth Olmedo

“Happily Ever After”

The words inspire anything but happiness in Bridget Pickwick-Buchanan. She is a tree-huggin’ and animal-lovin’ widow who has yet to move past the death of her husband four years earlier. When the family estate is put up for sale, Bridget makes it her mission to find an eco-friendly buyer.

J.C. Dirk, an Atlanta developer known for his green projects, seems like the perfect candidate, if only he would return her calls. Not one to let go or be dissuaded, Bridget makes the trip to Atlanta where she barges in on one of his meetings. Though none too happy by the interruption, J.C’s interest is peaked upon discovering her family name. Before long, J.C. is planted in North Carolina and it seems like more than just the estate is in danger of being handed over to the handsome developer as Bridget fights to keep the reigns in on her heart. But with family ghosts rattling in the closets, real life is much more complicated than in the Little Golden Books she reads to her niece. Bridget has learned all too well that fairy-tale endings are sometimes just that…fairy tales.

Restless in Carolina by Tamara Leigh is a gold mine waiting to be discovered. Picking up the book, little did I know the surprise I was in for. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Suspense

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Publication Date: April 2011

Reviewed by Elizabeth Olmedo

“I confess that I am an accessory to a crime that is ongoing and to a murder that is going to happen very soon […] I don’t want to be a part of it, but it’s too late to stop.”

With those words the mysterious woman flees Father Aiden O’Brien’s confessional.  He doesn’t know who she is. He doesn’t know where she comes from or where she is going. And he is bound to silence by the seal of the confessional.

Alexandra “Zan” Moreland’s life is slowly coming together after her son vanished two years earlier. Her interior design business is on the brink of success. Maybe there is hope of her achieving some semblance of normality amidst the constant nightmare that has been her life since Mathew’s abduction. Then on what would be his fifth birthday, a witness reveals pictures showing Zan as the kidnapper.

Reeling with the shock, Zan insists she is innocent, but proving it becomes even harder when someone accesses her financial accounts and wipes her out, ruining her credibility. The police, her ex-husband, even her strongest supporters, Alvirah Meehan and Father O’Brien, all believe she is guilty. With the clock steadily ticking, Zan must prove her innocence before the police arrest her. However, the truth comes at a price. Every step she takes toward discovering it brings her closer to the person who wants her dead.

Once again, the Queen of Suspense lives up to her title. In I’ll Walk Alone, Mary Higgins Clark delves into the world of identity theft. Read the rest of this entry »

Genre: Romance

Publisher: Guideposts

Publication Date: April 2011

Guest Reviewer: Tara Norman

Every mother wants to see her daughters happy and settled and trust me, Caroline Dodge was no different. In fact, to add a little fun to the mix, Caroline Dodge was a hopeless romantic when it came to anything Jane Austin related.  Her last dying wish was for her two daughters, Ellen and Mimmi to travel to England together and attend a walking tour of Hampshire, England, to explore where Jane and her sister lived. The two sisters assume their mother’s wish is for them to learn about all things Jane Austen and become an Austenite like her. Little do they know….

Once they arrive in Hampshire, one last package from their mother has yet to be opened. The sisters were instructed not to open the envelope until they arrived in England. When Ellen opens the package it’s an utter and complete shock to them. Their mother has left them Cassandra’s (Jane Austen’s sister) diary!

Reading through Cassandra’s diary, Ellen and Mimmi discover that the two main characters in Sense and Sensibility, Marianne and Elinor Dashwood, were inspired by Cassandra and Jane’s relationship. They also find themselves identifying with the Dashwood sisters. This also means that the Dodge sisters work together to solve several riddles they found in the diary.

Then tragedy strikes. Just as they are reconciling and making headway with the riddles, the diary is stolen. Several people from the tour come to mind as the thieves: Mrs. Gwendolyn Parrot, the Jane Austen expert: Ethan Blakemore, a debonair descendant of Jane Austin who recently inherited an estate: Daniel, Ellen’s first real love from college who is now an antiques dealer that showed up on the tour per Caroline Dodge’s request before she died. Who could have swiped this all important precious piece of history?!

Beth Pattillo’s The Dashwood Sisters Tell All is a modern-day spin on the Jane Austen classic with a bit of mystery mixed in. Read the rest of this entry »