A.G.’s pastimes are reading, rollerblading, gardening, and family vacations which often include impromptu side trips to 18th century graveyards or condemned schoolhouses to appease her overactive muse.

I love beautiful prose. I've been a fan of Maggie Stiefvater ever since I read Shiver (Book 1 of her trilogy, The Wolves of Mercy Falls). So when I picked this up, I had high expectations going in and this book did not disappoint.

Blurb and image from Goodreads:

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

About the Author:

Maggie Stiefvater used to be a calligraphy instructor, a wedding musician, a technical editor, and equestrian artist. Now she's a full-time writer living in Virgina with her husband and their four dogs. She's also got mad skills as a colored pencil artist. (I worship this woman. :D)

You can find out more about her and her books at: http://maggiestiefvater.com/

The Book: YA Fantasy

Seriously, read this. Beautiful writing, characters you want to root for, and the haunting atmosphere surrounding the capall uisce (kelpies)... Sigh. I can only wish I can write as well as Ms. Stiefvater. (Fangirling here, yes.) Highly recommended. ;)

These days, my brain operates with a stealth alarm.

It's exhausting, sometimes. But hey, whatever works, right? So, here's crossing fingers I get to finish this post before he wakes up from his nap. While I have my stealth alarm, he has his mommy radar. If I'm nowhere near him, he cries. If I'm about to open the laptop, no matter how deep of a sleep he's enjoying, he will wake up.

*baby's crying*
*goes off to put baby back to sleep*
*sigh*

See? His built-in mommy radar never fails.

Anyway, I am still in reader heaven. The books I've been reading lately are all awesome! And here's the next spotlight for you, which incidentally, is one that a commenter from the previous post (Cristina!) mentioned to me.

Blurb and image from Goodreads:



Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart--he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone--but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees. This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.

About the Author:

Eowyn LeMay Ivey was raised in Alaska and continues to live there with her husband and two daughters. She received her BA in journalism and minor in creative writing through the honors program at Western Washington University, studied creative nonfiction at the University of Alaska Anchorage graduate program, and worked for nearly 10 years as an award-winning reporter at the Frontiersman newspaper. This is her first novel.

You can visit her website at: http://www.eowynivey.com/
Follow her on Twitter: @EowynIvey

The Book: Adult/Magic Realism (I think.)

Reading this, I almost wished for snow. The atmosphere, the setting (homesteading in a rugged and isolated Alaskan wilderness), and the weaving of the Russian folklore of the snow child...I was entranced by the book's magical quality. Husband and wife, Jack and Mabel, are struggling to come to terms with the death of their child ten years prior. They come to Alaska in hopes of starting their life anew, away from family and friends. Away from anything familiar, from memories. But farming in a harsh, strange environment does not solve their problems. Or make the pain go away. Instead, the couple finds themselves drifting apart...until one day, on a childish whim, they build a snow girl together.

Reality and magic mesh together in this heartwarming tale of longing and forgiveness and love. A beautiful read. :)

Hello, hello! It's September already, can you believe it? Soon it will be Christmas, and then 2013 will come rushing in. Yes, I know, it's too early to say such things. But really, in the Philippines, people start putting up Christmas trees and lights in September. No kidding. If you go to the mall, chances are, you'll be singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer along with the music blasting from every corner. Since they don't  celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas is the most anticipated holiday.

A-nee-way, that's not what I came here for. Not to talk about Christmas, but BOOKS! (Man, I'm such a scatterbrained mama. That was the worst intro to a book spotlight EVAH. Forgive me. I only get a few hours of sleep each night.) Since I can't do much (read: any) writing these days, I've been reading a lot of books. See, it's doable. When I'm feeding the baby, I only need to get the book propped up just so and voila! I'm reading. Hooray for efficient multitasking! I believe I have read about 21 books since baby boy was born a month and a half ago. Not bad for someone whose life is soooo crazy at the moment.


Blurb and image from Goodreads:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

Author:

Erin Morgenstern is a writer and a multimedia artist, who describes all her work as "fairy tales in one way or another." She grew up in Marshfield, Massachusetts. She currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts with two very fluffy cats. The Night Circus is her debut novel.

You can visit her website at http://erinmorgenstern.com/

The Book: Adult Fantasy

I absolutely enjoyed this book. I first heard of it from the Golden Eagle of The Eagle's Aerial Perspective when she posted a teaser about the book on her blog. It caught my attention and I quickly jotted down the title and author's name on my TBR list.

Things I loved about this book:

~the otherworldly atmosphere
~the prose
~the multiple, varied POVs (which added to the atmosphere. No, really. It worked beautifully.)
~the magical feel of the circus
~the sense of mystery

I'm a sucker for books with atmospheric, unusual settings. The circus itself is very much a character in this story.  There's magic, there's love, and there's a game with deadly consequences. Really, a must read. :)

What have you read lately? There's always room in my TBR list, so fire away the recommendations! I'll post more book spotlights. I've read so many good books lately, it'd be a shame not to share.

I won this book (along with 6 others) from A.M. Supinger's short story contest. (Thanks, A.M.!) I've heard rave reviews of this book before so I was excited to read it.

Blurb from Goodreads:

“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.
“Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia's mother is busy saving other people's lives. Her father is away on business. Her step-mother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia's head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps on going this way—thin, thinner, thinnest—maybe she'll disappear altogether.

In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the National Book Award finalist Speak, best-selling author Laurie Halse Anderson explores one girl's chilling descent into the all-consuming vortex of anorexia.

About the Author:

Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author who writes for kids of all ages. Known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity, her work has earned numerous ALA and state awards. Two of her books, Speak and Chains, were National Book Award finalists. You can follow her on Twitter, or find her blog here.

The Book: YA Contemporary

I have to admit I was surprised at first by the stylistic construction the author employed to emphasize the protagonist's state of mind. By page three, I was fine. I actually think it renders the book a feeling of being not altogether there...a chopped up perception, a disoriented reflection of Lia's mental being. Which is what our protagonist, Lia, is: a hollow shell of a teenage girl who starves herself to fill up the void inside her. She's not altogether there. Her body image is bloatedly skewed, and her relationship with her family is so messed up she feels like a rag doll being passed from one person to the next.

When her ex-bestfriend Cassie dies in a motel room alone, Lia's downward spiral becomes inevitable. Even though her mom, a heart transplant surgeon always too busy for her, and her dad and his new wife/stepmom, genuinely wants Lia to get better, Lia continues to deceive them by sewing quarters in her weighing robe and appearing to be the perfect, calm daughter as the pounds melt off of her. Lia also begins to see Cassie haunting her, waiting for her to die so they can be together again.

Ms. Anderson's lyrical prose reflects Lia's morbid thoughts. I thought it was really well done and not over the top at all. It is haunting and sad and beautiful at once. It is an insider's peek at what could possibly go through an anorexic person's head. I've read other reviews where someone complained the protagonist was too egoistic to be likable. Too selfish, too self-absorbed. But that's why the author nailed it--people who suffer from such disorders have a distorted sense of reality.

Very well written for a sensitive subject. I give the author a big kudos for tackling such a painful and complex character, for letting us dive into the ugly truth of anorexia and bulimia, and for opening doors to others who may be going through these same experiences. Highly recommended.

I totally bought this book the moment I saw it on the shelf at my local bookstore. Didn't know what the story was about, didn't care to know. They could have been about vamps or zombies or whathaveyou and I still would have gotten it because it's by LAINI TAYLOR!! This author can write. This author can write and blow your mind apart.

Are you drowning in my endless gushing yet?

*dials down adoration scale to prevent readers from fleeing blog*

Ahem.

Blurb from Goodreads:

Great title, isn't it? I won this book from Claire Legrand's #ARCAPALOOZA contest on Twitter. Claire is uber generous, and so much fun! Her book, The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, is due out in Fall 2012, and I wish there was a time machine so I can get my hands on her book. You can find her website here.

Blurb from Goodreads:

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18B. Hadley's in 18A.

Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

About the Author:

Jennifer E. Smith is the author of the three young adult novels: The Comeback Season, You Are Here, and The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. She earned her master's degree in creative writing from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and currently works as an editor in New York City.

The Book: YA Contemporary

When Hadley misses her flight to London, she ends up waiting in the airport for the next available flight. She's all kinds of mad, and not just because she's barely going to make it to her father's wedding to a British girl he left his family for, and whom Hadley has never even met in person. Hadley, in typical child-resenting-both-parents-for-their-divorce fashion, does not want to go to the wedding, let alone forgive her father for leaving her and her mom in an emotional mess. And did I mention she's claustrophobic, thereby making the thought of flying in a metal tube ten times scarier than meeting the new stepmom?

But Hadley meets Oliver, a British Yalie student, who's also heading to London for a family affair. He offers to help her with her bags, and when they end up seating in the same row in the plane, he helps her forget about the tiny, closed-up space.

I really enjoyed reading this (I finished it in about 2 hours!). It's light, it's cute, and who doesn't like stories of a serendipitous nature, right? While the romance aspect hovers above their heads for most of the story, it is really Hadley's relationship with her father that takes the spotlight. It's about forgiveness and love, for letting go and taking in new risks. There's also a sort of parallel-contrast between Hadley's relationship with her dad, and Oliver's relationship with his dad. While Hadley and Oliver struggled to come to terms with their own individual heartaches, they realized that together, they keep each other grounded.   

This reminds me of a cutesy summer flick that leaves you smiling and feeling fuzzy warm inside after you leave the movie theatre. The conflict's not a matter of life and death (yeah, you know me. I mostly read fantasy or dark fantasy/dystopian/horror so this was different for me), but it's a sweet reminder of how we need to put things in perspective and learn to look beyond our own (hurt) ego. In Hadley's case, her father truly loves the woman he's marrying, and while he knows this hurts Hadley and her mom, it is an unescapable truth.  

So, if you've got an hour or two to spare, or the next time your flying somewhere, pick this up for a pleasant, enjoyable read.

Blurb from Goodreads:

When you're sixteen and no one understands who you are, sometimes the only choice left is to run. If you're lucky, you'll find a place that accepts you, no questions asked. And if you're really lucky, that place has a drum set, a place to practice, and a place to sleep. For Kid, the streets of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, are that place. Over the course of two scorching summers, Kid falls hopelessly in love and then loses nearly everything and everyone worth caring about. But as summer draws to a close, Kid finally finds someone who can last beyond the sunset.

About the Author:

Steve Brezenoff is the author of dozens of chapter books for younger readers and the young adult novel The Absolute Value of -1. Born in Queens, Steve has lived in the suburbs on Long Island, on a couch on Manhattan's Upper East Side, a few feet from the 7 train in the Sunnyside neighborhood in Queens, and across the Hudson River in Jersey City--but none of those places has stuck with him or been missed as acutely as Brooklyn, where he lived on and off for much of his twenties and early thirties. Now he lives in St. Paul, with his wife and two sons.

For more on the author, visit his website or Goodreads page.



The Book:

I won this book from a giveaway hosted by the publisher Carolrhoda Lab. I had forgotten that I entered the giveaway in the first place, so imagine my surprise and elation when they contacted me about my prize. It was weird 'cause I couldn't remember what the book was about, so when it arrived, I had no preconceived notions at all (and yes, I didn't google it beforehand. It was a pure cold read).

I took it with me to my daughter's dance class, hoping to kill the hour with some quiet reading. I didn't know I would have a hard time putting it down.

The magic and charm of Brooklyn, Burning lies in its masterful, lyrical prose. The author took risks by switching into different POVs and alternating between the past and the present, but he did it so well that it didn't jerk me, the reader, out of the story. Instead, it let me dive in and then float along with the waves. I was entranced by the beauty of it all.

There are several angles in this book to draw perspectives from--we can talk about the *LGBTQ characters, the setting, the central theme, the love story, the parental units and the characters' relationships with them, friendship, music, summer affairs, arson, etc. The thing is, you can take away what you want from the novel--it's the reason why if you read the reviews for this book, you'll see varying opinions. There are ugly truths and beautiful truths, and even those in-between. For me? I simply LOVED Brooklyn, Burning.

Kid, the main character, is Kid. He/She could be anyone, could be you. (For this review, I will refer to Kid as male since that's how I envisioned him when I read the book. Others have noted how the author never really tells us what or who Kid is. But as reading is partly influenced by the reader's own perception, there is no wrong or right way as far as Kid's gender issue is concerned. For all I know, you could be reading it and thinking of Kid as a girl. Whatever works.) Kid has been living "in the streets" after his father kicked him out of the house for being LGBTQ. He hangs out at Fish's bar, down in the basement, where he plays the drums with Felix, a musician and a junkie and Kid's first love. But then a fire in the warehouse (where Kid and Felix used to sleep) broke out and destroyed everything Kid has hold dear to his heart.

The next summer, Kid meets Scout, who is another musician looking out for a band to play with. It is during this time that the police holds Kid as a suspect for the warehouse fire. We see glimpses of Kid's relationships with his friends, mentors, Felix, his parents, and Scout.

Brooklyn is a hard place to be, but at the same time, it takes in Kid just the way he is--and unconditionally. In a way, Brooklyn itself is a character as well as the setting for this story.

My favorite part is when Kid and Scout are trying to come up with a name for their band. Kid asks Scout what her songs are about, and she says it's about the world in general, about people. And so they become People. (p.144) It's very simple, and yet so poignant. I feel like this is the core of the story. That no matter who we are, or what we are, or what others think of us, in the end we are all PEOPLE. We are one and the same. It's about acceptance and tolerance and real love. The kind of love that doesn't kick out their child into the streets simply because they do not fit your definition of what they ought to be. The kind of love that hurts, and laughs, and feels sorrow.

If you like stories that make you think and look at the world in different perspectives, pick up Brooklyn, Burning and let its music seep into your soul. I highly recommend this.

*LGBTQ = Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer

I picked up Matched by Ally Condie at the library based on a stranger's review--this guy (yes, he was MALE!) was a junior high teacher and he was really impressed with the book. So, out of curiosity (and this was back in the days when I was still living under a rock), I pulled out Matched from the bookshelf and took it home with me. I finished the book in one day.

So when Jenny Phresh of The Party Pony hosted a contest with YA ARCs, and among them Crossed, the sequel to Matched, I knew I had to go crazy and try to win it. By the miracles of the universe and possibly good karma, I won the book, along with The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler (see my review here). You can't believe how much squealing and happy dancing took place in my humble abode. I believe the neighbors got together to plot my eviction...oh wait, they can't evict me, I own my house. Mwahaha!

Moving on...

Ally Condie is a former high school English teacher turned bestselling author. She lives just outside Salt Lake City, Utah with her family. (Yay, a fellow Utahn!) Her website can be found at http://www.allysoncondie.com/.

Here are the blurbs for her books, courtesy of Goodreads:


Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.**********

**************

Why I Recommend:

Though it's a typical dystopian, disguised as a utopia at first, I still enjoyed the elements of this dystopian society--a world where everything is controlled, from the amount of food one eats to what they dream at night. Think Big Brother of George Orwell's 1984. Anytime we have a government, fictional or not, that tries to suppress their people's right to choose and think for themselves, you know you want them to fail so bad you're willing to root for any sign of rebellion, however small. Needless to say, the novel's setting definitely set the tone for the entire book and made me immediately sympathize with the protagonists (I love me a rebel, you see.)

Cassia's excited to discover her match, as all the other girls are. Having lived within the Society's grip all her life, she didn't know any better...until an error in her Match card shows her an alternative life. A possible match with Ky, an Aberration, instead of the upstanding citizen and best friend, Xander, whom Society had intended for her all along. This "glitch" made Cassia take a better look at herself, her life, her family, and why did her Grandfather, who was dying, left her with a forbidden poem?

As Cassia tries to unravel the Society's secrets, as well as get to know Ky and his dreadful past, the Society keeps a closer watch on her and her family. Soon she begins to feel smothered, as her feelings for both Ky and Xander become complicated.

The writing is pretty solid, and the pace nicely done. I also liked the poem references in the book. There are so many dystopian novels out there right now, so as far as settings and politics go, this wasn't exceptionally original. Neither was the love triangle angle, which almost every YA book has anyway, BUT I still enjoyed this story. I liked Cassia and her determination. She isn't afraid to search for truth even when it meant risking her life and the people she loves. She's not afraid to pursue her heart either, which is always commendable. In a world that is tightly controlled, it takes courage to rise above the norm and stick out like a nail, even when Society tries to hammer it down. The romance angle is also sweet and not overly done. Plus Ky is an intriguing character.

Book 2 follows with Cassia looking for Ky, when Ky gets sent out to the Outer Provinces. So we get alternate POVs between Cassia and Ky with each chapter. There may or may not be a rebellion, but nevertheless, the idea of one gives Cassia hope that someday the world will be right once again. I won't say anything else to avoid dishing out spoilers by accident. But I just want to say that book 2 follows in the same vein with book 1 (pacing, writing, etc.), and the focus on Cassia's personal life is stretched out to include the bigger picture of the world around her. All in all an enjoyable read, and already, I am waiting for book 3. =)

If you want to check out other books I've read and reviewed, go here. As I've mentioned last week, I'm planning a future book giveaway so stay tuned for details.    

I was at the library three weeks ago when I realized I had room for two more books to borrow (the kiddos always grab their books first, and get this: They don't borrow just 3 or 4 books, they hog our reading list and always go for an insane number of books, say 15 or 20. If I'm not quick enough, I don't get a book for myself. It's like Battle of the Library Books, or something.) So I quickly sent out an SOS signal to my twitter friends, and let me just say they delivered with a deluge of book recommendations. (Warning: Don't do this if you're holding a book bag that weighs a ton, and keeping track of your wandering toddler at the same time)

While the recommends all sounded drool-worthy, my local library is small (and cozy!) and has a limited array of books. Most of the time I have to put books on hold or transfer requests, but at that moment, I needed a book right out of the shelf. Hail Michelle Simkins for telling me to pick up Brenna Yovanoff's The Replacement (hail the libray YA Section for having it.)

First off, the cover is just freakin' fabulous! Don't you agree? Ok, so my tastes are a little bit on the dark, morbid side, but it IS an attention-getter. C'mon, look at it!

I love cool covers! They make me excited about  reading the book. Before I gush some more, here's the blurb from Goodreads:

Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.

********

About the Author:

Brenna Yovanoff is a YA author who's good at soccer, violent video games, and making flaky pie crusts. The Replacement was her bestselling debut novel, and her second novel The Space Between is coming out this November! Check out her website here and blog here.

Why I Recommend:

Yovanoff's writing has a haunting feel to it, which I absolutely adore. Yes, I'm all for strange tales that leave me feeling otherworldly. The setting, the atmosphere, and the characters all contribute to this gothic world of deadly town secrets and raw hidden power.

Mackie Doyle is a sort of anti-hero--he doesn't belong in the human world and yet, he must go after his own kind to protect those who would readily persecute him for being different (a changeling). He is a Replacement who survived and thrived through his sister's loving care. I love this angle of a sibling relationship: Emma, Mackie's older sister, truly loves him as her own brother, despite the fact that it was Emma who first knew and saw him for what he was.

The town Gentry is steeped in fear and an age-old secret: the townfolks are willing to look away as their babies are swapped for 'others' and unnatural deaths happen every seven years, in exchange for a thriving economy. But even so, Mackie knows not to stand out--a town walking on a fragile tightrope could easily use him as a scapegoat to vent their distrust and frustration.

So when a young girl dies, Tate's little sister, Mackie becomes even more vigilant, though not vigilant enough when he forgots about the blood drive at school. Blood=iron=definitely no-no. And when Tate starts bugging him to talk to her, that is, talk about how he's different, Mackie refuses to discuss it. But that's exactly how Gentry is, everyone refuses to talk about such things...except Tate. Fiery, no-nonsense Tate who wants answers right now. (She bugged me at first, but I have a lot of respect for Tate and her courage to speak up when no one else would. So I ended up liking her a lot.)

The House of Mayhem and the descriptions of the Slag Heaps and their inhabitants are downright spooky-scary. Although Yovanoff doesn't give these creatures a name, you can tell they are from the dark side of the Fae--"dark side" meaning not your regular, pretty Tinkerbell-like faeries. What I love about Yovanoff's portrayal of these creatures is that in their ugliness, there is beauty. Despite their seemingly cruel nature, there lies an intricate need for love and acceptance. It is a precarious balance.

I truly enjoyed The Replacement for its intrigue, its complex protagonist, and for its wonderfully haunting and eerie atmosphere. As always, I leave you with my recommendation disclaimer: Taste in books are subjective, as are opinions. If you, like me, are into dark fantasy or horror books, you will most likely enjoy this as much as I did. If this is not your thing, check out my other Book Recommendations. I can't guarantee you'll find something you'll like since at the moment, it is rather bare, but I will be posting more in the future with hopefully, a more varied selection.

Thanks for reading! If there's a book you'd like to share and recommend to me, please do so. I love finding new books to read. Up next will be Ally Condie's CROSSED, the sequel to her debut novel, MATCHED.
  

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE CONTEST!
I will announce the winners on MONDAY, May 23rd, so check back to see if you've won. =) Goodluck to all!

***********

Kathleen Duey is a prolific writer, having written over 80 books for K-YA. Her works include the MG series American Diaries and Survival, chapter book series The Unicorn's Secret, and its companion series, The Faeries' Promise.

Skin Hunger was her first YA novel and the first installment in her Resurrection of Magic Trilogy. It was a 2007 National Book Award finalist and a nominee for the 2008 Locus Award for Best Young Adult book and Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best. Sacred Scars is the second installment and listed in the 2009 Kirkus Best of YA Book.

The author's website can be found here, and her blog here.

Here are the blurbs for Skin Hunger and Sacred Scars:

Sadima lives in a world where magic has been banned, leaving poor villagers prey to fakes and charlatans. A "magician" stole her family's few valuables and left Sadima's mother to die on the day Sadima was born. But vestiges of magic are hidden in old rhymes and hearth tales and in people like Sadima, who conceals her silent communication with animals for fear of rejection and ridicule. When rumors of her gift reach Somiss, a young nobleman obsessed with restoring magic, he sends Franklin, his lifelong servant, to find her. Sadima's joy at sharing her secret becomes love for the man she shares it with. But Franklin's irrevocable bond to the brilliant and dangerous Somiss traps her, too, and she faces a heartbreaking decision.
 
Centuries later magic has been restored, but it is available only to the wealthy and is strictly controlled by wizards within a sequestered academy of magic. Hahp, the expendable second son of a rich merchant, is forced into the academy and finds himself paired with Gerrard, a peasant boy inexplicably admitted with nine sons of privilege and wealth. Only one of the ten students will graduate — and the first academic requirement is survival.
 
Sadima's and Hahp's worlds are separated by generations, but their lives are connected in surprising and powerful ways in this brilliant first book of Kathleen Duey's dark, complex, and completely compelling trilogy.


Generations later, Hahp is struggling to survive the wizards' increasingly dangerous classes at the Limòri Academy of Magic. He knows the fragile pact he has forged with his secretive roommate, Gerrard, will not be enough to put an end to the evil. It will take all the students acting together to have any chance of destroying the academy. Building trust, with few chances to speak or plan, will be almost impossible, but there is no choice.

Why I Recommend:

First off, these books have a dark, gritty feel to them. There's also swearing--more so when Hahp's situation worsens at the Academy. So if you find swear words and gritty settings offensive, these books might not be for you. Which would be a shame, but everyone's entitled to their own preferences and the book business is, as always, a subjective business.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I'll tell you why I like Duey's books. (By the way, I stalk her blog to see if she has finished the last installment. I am not patient. And if you had read the other two, you'd be impatient for the last one as well.)

The story is split into two POVs: that of a young girl named Sadima, and Hahp, a boy who exists centuries after Sadima's time. In Sadima's world, magic is lost and banned. In Hahp's world, magic is everywhere--though only the wealthy could afford them, like the flying horse carriages his father owned and paid for. Transcending these two worlds are Somiss and Franklin, a nobleman's son and his servant searching for magic in Sadima's world, and teaching magic in Hahp's world.

Duey's characters and the relationships between them are complex and intriguing. There's Sadima and Franklin's love in conflict with Franklin and Somiss' relationship. Then we continue to see this relationship through Hahp's eyes.

 Magic holds a central theme, but it is the dark, ugly side of magic that we see most of the time. There is cruelty and disregard for human life, atrocity and sadism, and all for the name of magic. It is a compelling read--both novels actually, because these are not stand-alone books. It's the kind of story that makes you question things, makes you think. (I like these kinds of stories.)

I read Skin Hunger in one day and when I was done, I was itching to get to the library ASAP to get Sacred Scars. But it was already past midnight, so you can imagine my restless night waiting for the day to come. Sacred Scars did not disappoint, though I was very much disappointed to find out that there was not a third book yet. Hence the stalking of Ms. Duey's blog (I'm not normally a stalking type of girl. I pinky swear.)

The world of Limòri is fascinating and it's easy to get sucked into its vortex. I love complex characters, especially when they are put in moral dilemmas. If you're up for a dark, compelling read, explore Ms. Duey's Restoration of Magic novels.

Praise for Skin Hunger:

KIRKUS

"This double-narrative fantasy…deepens into a potent and affecting story of struggle.… Only one boy will live to graduate as a wizard, and they’re forbidden to help each other survive… Darkly resonant."

Praise for Sacred Scars:

KIRKUS

“…Thrumming with dense, meaningful tension…through despair, oppression and rare moments of hope. The text so successfully portrays Hahp’s experience in this grueling, cold-blooded wizard “academy”—isolation, starvation, abuse and constant, unsolvable puzzles—that readers may absorb his strain, confusion and desolation themselves… unwaveringly suspenseful.”

Okay, so technically they're called the Unconsecrated in The Forest of Hands and Teeth; Mudo in The Dead-Tossed Waves; and I don't know what in The Dark and Hollow Places because I haven't had the chance to read it yet (It is sitting on top of my To Be Read stack). 

Carrie Ryan is a former lawyer from South Carolina turned NYT Bestselling Author with her debut novel The Forest of Hands and Teeth (The Dead-Tossed Waves is also a bestseller). This book was chosen as Best Book for Young Adult by the American Library Association, a Best of the Best Books by the Chicago Public Library, and a finalist in the Borders Original Voices program. Impressive, ain't it?  You can find her blog here.

If you're into post-apocalyptic zombie nations, this trilogy is for you. As I've mentioned above, I've only read the first two but I'll give you the blurbs for all three (as found in Author's website).




In Mary's world, there are simple truths.

The Sisterhood always knows best.

The Guardians will protect and serve.

The Unconsecrated will never relent.

And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village. The fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

But slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.

Now she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?




Gabry lives a quiet life, secure in her town next to the sea and behind the Barrier. She's content to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. Home is all she's ever known, and all she needs for happiness.

But life after the Return is never safe, and there are threats even the Barrier can't hold back.

Gabry's mother thought she left her secrets behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, but like the dead in their world, secrets don't stay buried. And now, Gabry's world is crumbling.

One night beyond the Barrier...

One boy Gabry's known forever and one veiled in mystery...

One reckless moment, and half of Gabry's generation is dead, the other half imprisoned.

Gabry knows only one thing: if she is to have any hope of a future, she must face the forest of her mother's past.


It's out now since March 2011!

There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face when she and Elias left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the horde as they found their way to the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.

Annah's world stopped that day and she's been waiting for him to come home ever since. Without him, her life doesn't feel much different from that of the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Then she meets Catcher and everything feels alive again.

Except, Catcher has his own secrets—dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah's longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah—can she continue to live in a world drenched in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

Why I Recommend these books:

Carrie Ryan writes beautiful, haunting prose. The first time I picked up The Forest of Hands and Teeth, I couldn't put it down. (How awesome is that title?) We were out on a mini-vacation, and there I was itching to get out of the pool to get back to my room and read. She paints the setting so eloquently that it isn't hard to imagine yourself being there with Mary, surrounded by a moaning forest of undead people rattling the chain-link fences with rotten fingers as they hunger for the taste and smell of the living.

And why were the Sisterhood so hush-hush on matters of the Unconsecrated? See, I like love stories with lots of secrets. It's a sure page-turner. Plus, you have a classic love triangle with Mary and two brothers. Aha, I see you following me now. Throw in a fence breach, an unnaturally fast-moving zombie in red infecting every person she reaches, and there! You have a bestseller.

For The Dead-Tossed Waves, the plot runs parallel lines to the first one, with Mary's daughter Gabry finding herself torn between two guys (just like Mama), and her venture into the Forest to escape the Mudo and the Recruiters.It is another well-written book and it also gives us more glimpses of the state of the world they're living in. Although some of the questions I had from the first book were answered in this one, there are still more mysteries to find. So I was really glad to know there was going to be another one.

I will update this when I get to read the third installment. As always, bear in mind that the book business is a subjective business. If you're not into post-apocalyptic zombies ever, don't read these books and blame me for recommending them. But. Yes, there is  a big but. It never hurts to try new things.

I truly enjoyed Ryan's writing and stories and I'm looking forward to picking up the last one. 'Cause me like zombies =)

One of the greatest fantasy writers of all time, Diana Wynne Jones was a British writer who wrote children and adult fantasy novels. She passed away last March 26th from cancer. Her passing is a great loss to the writing community.

When I heard the news, I was shocked and saddened. I haven't read all of her books (though I will be combing the library for any available copies) but the ones I've read I have truly enjoyed. My particular favorite series is Howl's Moving Castle and the two companion books, Castle in the Air and House of Many Ways. Jones' writing is brilliantly witty and the characters are entertaining as well as endearing. When you read Jones' books, you'll feel the magic come out of the pages.

For a list of her books, click here.

Blurbs for the Castle series: (blurbs and images from Goodreads.com)

In the land of Ingary, such things as spells, invisible cloaks, seven-league boots were everyday things. The Witch of the Waste was another matter.

After fifty years of quiet, it was rumored that the Witch was about to terrorize the country again. So when a moving black castle, blowing dark smoke from its four thin turrets, appeared on the horizon, everyone thought it was the Witch. The castle, however, belonged to Wizard Howl, who, it was said, liked to suck the souls of young girls.

The Hatter sisters--Sophie, Lettie, and Martha--and all the other girls were all warned not to venture into the streets alone. But that was only the beginning.

In this giant jigsaw puzzle of a fantasy, people and things are never quite what they seem. Destinies are intertwined, identities exchanged, lovers confused. The Witch has placed a spell on Howl. Does the clue to breaking it lie in a famous poem? And what will happen to Sophie Hatter when she enters Howl's castle? When the final stormy duel with the Witch and the Wizard is finished, all the pieces fall magically into place.



Young merchant Abdullah leads a humble life. Or he did until a stranger sold him a threadbare--and disagreeable--magic carpet. Now Abdullah is caught in the middle of his grand daydreams. Waking one night in a luxurious garden, he meets and falls instantly in love with the beautiful and clever Flower-in-the-Night. But a wicked djinn sweeps the princess away right before Abdullah's eyes, leaving the young man no choice but to follow. This is no ordinary quest, however, for Flower-in-the-Night isn't all the djinn has stolen. Abdullah will have the so-called help of the cantankerous carpet, a cranky genie in a bottle, a dishonest soldier, and a very opinionated black cat. Will this motley crew be able to find the djinn's mysterious dwelling and rescue a castle full of princesses?



When Charmain Baker agreed to look after her great-uncle's house, she thought she was getting blissful, parent-free time to read. She didn't realize that the house bent time and space, and she did not expect to become responsible for an extremely magical stray dog and a muddled young apprentice wizard. Now, somehow, she's been targeted by a terrifying creature called a lubbock, too, and become central to the king's urgent search for the fabled Elfgift that will save the country. The king is so desperate to find the Elfgift, he's called in an intimidating sorceress named Sophie to help. And where Sophie is, the great Wizard Howl and the fire demon Calcifer won't be far behind. How did respectable Charmain end up in such a mess, and how will she get out of it?

Why I Recommend these books:

As I've already mentioned above, Diana Wynne Jones' books are simply magical. They are delightful to read, and you'll find yourself in one adventure after another. Wizard Howl is extremely arrogant, pompous, and rather immature but he is a funny character and his love for a certain person (won't spoil it for you) is deeply sincere. There are heartwarming themes that run throughout each novel--love, family, and friendship among others.

I urge you not to miss the opportunity to savor Ms. Jones' incredible writing. It is fantasy at its very best.

Here are the blurbs for each book: (Blurbs and images from Goodreads.)



Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.


Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life as We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event--an asteroid hitting the moon, setting off a tailspin of horrific climate changes. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican Alex Morales. When Alex's parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland, and food and aid dwindle.
     With haunting themes of family, faith, personal change, and courage, this powerful novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities.


In the year that has passed since a meteor collided with the moon, Miranda’s friends and neighbors have died, the landscape has frozen, and food has become increasingly scarce. The struggle to survive intensifies when Miranda’s father and stepmother arrive with a baby and three strangers in tow. One of the newcomers is Alex Morales, and as Miranda’s complicated feelings for him turn to love, his plans for his future thwart their relationship. Then a devastating tornado hits, and Miranda makes a decision that will change their lives forever.

You can check out Susan Beth Pfeffer's blog and website for the Moon Books. There is a poll going on right now in her blog about whether she should come up with a fourth installment of the Moon Books.

For those of you who have read all three, what do you think?