Last Song by Eva Wiseman

225 pgs.
Target audience: Young adult
Rating: Wizard

It is the late 1400’s in Toledo, Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. Torquemada, the Grand Inquisitor, is intent on ridding the city of all but devout Christians, his main target are those practicing the Jewish faith. Isobel, whose father is a respected physician in the court of King Ferdinand and Queen Isobella, thinks her family immune to the persecution afflicting the city. When she becomes betrothed to an arrogant and abusive man, she fears for her future. She befriends Yonah, the son of a Jewish silversmith, and learns the terrifying truth behind the Torquemada’s agenda. When her parents reveal to her their secret Jewish roots, the family becomes a target and her father is arrested and tortured. Desperate to save her father and family, Isobel seeks help from  Yonah and the underground Jewish community. This story is well told with a strong, believable heroine. The plot is gripping and builds toward the end as Isobel learns whom to trust and about her heritage. The main theme of solidarity against adversity is expressed primarily through Isobel and Yonah’s growing friendship. It is a refreshing take on Jewish persecution setting it during the Spanish Inquisition rather than the more familiar Hitler’s Third Reich landscape. (This book provided for review by Children's lit  - www.childrenslit.com)

 

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Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel (The apprenticeship of Viktor Frankenstein, book two)

310 pgs.
Target audience: Young adult
Rating: Dragon

After the death of his son, Konrad, Viktor’s grieving father burns down the dark library. It was there that Viktor, Henry and Elizabeth used the ancient tomes to produce the elixir of life which in the end failed to save Konrad’s life. One mysterious book survives the flames and gives Viktor hope of getting his twin brother back. He and Elizabeth discover a portal to the spirit world in which the Chateaux Frankenstein exists with the dark library intact and where Konrad is trapped. They decide to use an ancient spell to grow Konrad a new body out of mud and a bit of hair. The new Konrad grows at an alarming rate and forms a special bond with Elizabeth. The spirit world is seductive and returning there becomes impossible to resist – for Elizabeth because she’s reunited with Konrad whom she misses and desperately loves and for Viktor because of the power and vast knowledge it gives him. What they do not know is that with each visit a monstrous evil trapped in the caves below feeds on their power and life force while growing ever stronger. This deliciously gothic series which began with Dark Endeavour gets even better with this latest installment. Viktor’s desire to bring back his brother builds into a deeper, much darker obsession, which will eventually consume him. His need to play God over life and death puts a strain on his relationship with Henry and Elizabeth. His original plan to save his brother’s life becomes less an less about family and more about the power he obtains. It is a fascinating look at power, obsession, family and life over death.

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Transcendence by C. J. Omololu

325 pgs.
Target audience: Young adult
Rating: Wizard

On a visit to London with her dad and sister, Cole, a gifted cellist, gets a very up close and personal view of Britain’s history. Objects and places keep triggering intense visions of places and times from the past she doesn’t know. She thinks she’s going mad. When she passes out after a particularly gruesome vision of her own execution on a visit to the Tower of London, a handsome young stranger named Griffon Hall helps her. She feels a strong connection to this boy and upon returning home to San Francisco discovers he lives nearby. Her disturbing visions become more frequent the more time she spends with Griffon. He tells her that like him she is an “Akhet,” a person who can remember past lives and use this knowledge for good. Of course not all “Akhet” uphold this philosophy. Her visions now seem to focus on a Italian cello player involved in a murder. The book builds slowly centering around Cole’s thoughts about her visions which are depicted in italics. Once she and Griffon discover that a rogue “Akhet” is after her, the pace picks up dramatically as they race to find out what exactly happened all those years ago and how to fix it. The closer she grows to Griffon, the more she withdraws from friends and family. Her love for classical music is a constant underlying theme. Cole is a realistically drawn character with whom teens can easily identify. This romantic mystery hints at a sequel and will be sure to appeal to teens who enjoy paranormal romance. Recommend to fans of Die for me by Amy Plum.

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Crystal Bones by c. Aubrey Hall

313 pgs.
Target audience: Young adult
Rating: Griffin

Half Fae twins Dielho and Cynthe, born of a Fae mother and human father, are painfully aware of the prejudice against half breeds and know it’s better just to blend in. They eagerly await their thirteenth birthday when their mother will bestow upon them their magical gifts. But when the day arrives, nothing goes as they planned. Instead of celebrating at the village fair, they’re given chores and sent on a boring errand. After delivering cloth to the castle, the temptation is too great to check out the fair, but this detour proves deadly. They are spotted and pursued by a goblin. They escape and return home only to find it burned to the ground, their mother dead. Their father’s last words plunge them into a world of family secrets, enemy goblin hordes, powerful swords and magic. Along with a talking wolf pup, and a half goblin creature named Scree, they set off to find their only relative, a Fae uncle they’ve never met. This fantasy has many traditional elements – magic, mysterious swords, sorcery, quest. Although the plot moves along at a good pace, the characters develop slowly at first giving the book a sluggish appeal at the beginning. The magical gifts of both children seem to be injected into the storyline making it seem like they just knew stuff without learning it. The author cleverly uses language to alter words for this world like “walner” for walnut tree, giving the descriptions a multi-textured, magical feel. The heavy issues of grief and prejudice are addressed realistically keeping the story from becoming too depressing. The end is left open for the next in the “Faelin Chronicles” series.

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Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl

201 pgs.
Target audience: Young adult
Rating: Dragon

Crawley castle, a fool designed structure perched on a cliff edge, is in desperate need of maintenance. In addition to keeping the home repairs at bay, seventeen-yr.-old Althea must support her widowed mother and two stepsisters who claim to have no money. Her only solution is to marry rich and to do it quickly. She sets her sights on Lord Boring who has newly arrived to stay with relatives. Unfortunately Lord Boring never seems to be without the company of his cousin and business manager, Frederics, who derails Althea’s well-laid plans at every turn. Her stepsister, Charity, also aspires to become Lady Boring and unlike the impoverished Althea, she has a healthy dowry. This is a delightful read perfect for fans of Jane Austen. Althea is strong, clever, courageous and brazenly bold. Her fierce devotion and love for her family and ancestral home captures the heart and doesn’t let go. The author effortlessly transforms the relationship between Althea and Fredericks from annoyed acceptance to respectful alliance and finally to love. The humor is witty and light, especially Althea’s constant inner monologues. Although this book is targeted for a young adult audience, adult readers will find much to like, particularly those familiar with Georgette Heyer’s regency romances.

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Slayers by C. J. Hill

373 pgs.
Target audience: Young adult
Rating: Wizard

The dragon invasion is coming and mankind’s only protection are the slayers, kids who are descendants of dragon lords and have special dragon fighting powers. The daughter of a state senator, Tori, is spoiled, smart and determined to attend a dragon camp. Ever since she could remember she’s had a sense that dragons are real and can’t wait to be with other kids who feel the same way. However St. George’s Dragon Camp is not the modern camp she was expecting, instead she’ll be living it rough and working hard. The camp is divided into two teams led by their captains – the sullen, moody and darkly handsome Dirk and the charming, popular, and gorgeous Jess. While there are classes on dragon lore, lessons in archery and horse riding, other activities are shrouded in mystery. As it turns out Dr. B., the camp director, runs the camp as a training ground for future dragon slayers. Tori’s special power is slow to manifest but when it does it reveals the secret location of the dragon eggs. Their task is to destroy the eggs before the evil dragonlord, Overdrake, uses them to destroy the world. The majority of the story revolves around the slayer training and picks up with a bang toward the end where all their battle training is put to the test. The fight scenes are thrilling and believable. The romance is sweet and not overpowering as Tori gets caught up in a love triangle between Dirk and Jess. The dragons are vicious and cunning and sure to appeal to a wide teen audience.

(This book provided for review by children's lit - www.childrenslit.com)

 

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Starling by Lesley Livingston

341 pgs.
Target audience: Young adult
Rating: Wizard

Dedication to the fine art of fencing takes on a whole new meaning for Mason Starling during a team practice in the gym of the elite Gosford Academy. A severe thunderstorm erupts in the quad causing an ancient tree to crash through the ceiling ushering in a horde of unearthly zombie-like creatures. Mason and her teammates owe their survival to a mysterious, extremely handsome and naked guy who materializes out of the rubble to battle the demons. Their rescuer who remembers nothing but his own name, Fennrys, heals the injured, magics them all to sleep and then vanishes. Mason finds herself inexplicably drawn to Fennrys and he to her. Soon they are spending as much time together as possible in order to make sense of the strange events occurring around them and to retrieve Fenn’s lost memories. The Starling clan headed by Gunnar Starling has ties to the ancient Norse Gods. The family’s greed and ambition release a dark and deadly dangerous prophecy that puts Mason’s life in jeopardy. Mason and Fenn are a great paranormal team – equal parts romance and action. There is a fair amount of foundation building  with a cliffhanger ending.  The youngest of Mason’s three brothers, Rory, is an easy to hate villain paired nicely with the charming and protective oldest brother, Roth. There’s no shortage of sword fighting with new and ancient weaponry and a truly hair-raising train ride. This fantasy debut is perfect for fans of Starcrossedby Josephine Angelini.

(This book provided for review by children's lit - www.childrenslit.com)

 

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Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (Advance Reader's Copy - to be published Feb 2013)

452 pgs.
Target audience: Young adult
Rating: Dragon

Get ready for a full-blast, futuristic roller coaster ride of fairytale fun in this spectacular sequel to Cinder. Scarlet lives and works with her grandmother on a farm in the small rural French town of Rieux. Her grandmother has gone missing and disgusted with the lack of success by the police in finding her, Scarlet sets out on her own to find out what happened. When a strange, charming and very handsome man named Wolf claims he can help her, Scarlet cautiously agrees. Meanwhile cyborg and missing Lunar princess, Cinder, escapes from the castle prison and with the unexpected help of another prisoner manages to elude capture on a stolen military ship. The worlds of Cinder an Scarlet collide when Cinder tracks down the woman who rescued her from Queen Levana when she was a child and by saving her life made her into a cyborg. Lunar Queen Levana raises the stakes in her war against the commonwealth by creating an army of human-wolf hybrids. The action is non-stop propelling the reader through the book at lightning speed. The new characters are integrated smoothly into the familiar structure emerging from the pages as if they’d belonged there all along. The author blends fantasy and science fiction into a wholly new and compelling concoction. If you love gripping action, fantastic plot and characters, and stellar writing, don’t miss out on this fabulous series, though it is recommended that they be read in order.

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Summer of the wolves by Polly Carlson-Voiles

340 pgs.
Target audience: Ages 10-13
Rating: Wizard

Nika and her brother have been subjected to the foster home shuffle for almost two years straight when a phone call gets them sent to stay with their long lost uncle, Ian McNeil, who lives and studies wolves in the remote wilderness of Minnesota. Surrounded by lakes, thick forests, and wild, raw nature, Nika wonders what her new life will be like. While her younger brother, Randall, stays with a family on a neighboring island, Nika joins her uncle on a mission to find a tracked wolf. What they find instead is a lone wolf pup whom they bring back to the cabin to raise. Nika forms a close bond with the  pup who fills the hole in her heart left by the death of her mother. She names him Khan and through their relationship Nika learns all about wolf behavior and habitat. She knows he’ll never be able to survive in the wild again and that he belongs in a protected habitat with other wolves. This poignant and heartwarming story is about finding family in unexpected places and understanding the fragile balance between loving wild animals and leaving them be. It will tug at the heartstrings of all animal lovers. For those like me who stress over the fate of animals in books, Khan survives. This book would serve well as a source for environmental projects and reports.

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Fallen star: troll hunters, book four. – Michael Dahl.

104 pgs.
Target audience: Ages 9-13
Rating: Wizard

Dr. Hoo and the four children return to Zion Falls after defeating the troll army in the underground gathool kingdom only to find their beloved city under attack from their friends, family and neighbors. The citizens of Zion Falls are under the trolls’ hypnotic control. The doctor and the young light bearers are the town’s only hope. The threat lurking deep beneath the surface of the quarry lake is far more sinister than any foe they’ve faced so far. It is the Mooloom, the father of the gathool race. The final battle against the evil trolls is packed full of rip roaring action with sword fighting, tangling with a many tentacled beast, and amazing underwater feats. Victory is achieved at a terrible cost. Now that the light bearers have triumphed releasing the townspeople from the thrall of the enemy, life in Zion Falls returns to normal. Update notes and gathool vocabulary are provided at the end. The final book in this series promises hair raising moments and great battle sequences for young adventure seekers.
(This book provided for review by children's lit - www.childrenslit.com)
 

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