From Goodreads: The spell was simple…

Cruentus Protectum (Defend the Blood)

But what do you do if your blood is your enemy?

Victoria Warrick has always known she was different. An outcast at school, she is no stranger to adversity. But when she receives an old journal for her seventeenth birthday, nothing prepares her for the dark secrets it holds — much less one that reveals she’s a witch with unimaginable power.

What’s more, when she meets the dazzling but enigmatic Christian Devereux, she has no idea how much her life is about to change. Enemies will hunt her. Friends will turn on her. The terrible curse that makes her blood run black will stop at nothing to control her. And Christian has a sinister secret of his own…

Without knowing whom to trust, can Victoria survive her blood’s deadly desires? Or will she lose everything, including herself?

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According to Tori Warrick, she’s just an average teenager trying to survive the “mean girl” society that is high school.  But as she soon finds out, Tori is anything but average—in fact, she comes from a long line of extremely powerful witches, and as she comes into her powers she realizes that there are much worse things in life than a few bullies in high school.

This was a really interesting read.  I enjoyed the twist on vampires and witches, and while some of the novel was predictable, Howard does a great job making her debut novel stand apart from other vampire/witch novels.  I really enjoyed Tori, though some of the decisions she makes drove me batty.  She does, however, begin to come of age in this novel, and I enjoyed seeing her come to terms with herself and her love for Christian.  Admittedly, the on again, off again relationship between Tori and Christian did get a little old after a while, and I wouldn’t have minded if some of that were cut out.  But overall, I think the climax of the novel was extremely worth it, especially as it becomes clear who the true enemies are and we learn just how sinister and evil warlocks, witches, vampires, and even humans, can be.

For a debut novel, Howard really blew me away, and I’m excited to read the next book in the Bloodspell series, Bloodcraft, when it comes out next year.  I love the idea that Tori’s blood is so powerful and can cause such devastation, and I love that we get to see so many different paranormal factions in action throughout this novel.  Four stars.

I purchased a copy of this novel from Amazon.

From Goodreads: It’s been over six months since the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano. Alex and Darla have been staying with Alex’s relatives, trying to cope with the new reality of the primitive world so vividly portrayed in Ashfall, the first book in this series. It’s also been six months of waiting for Alex’s parents to return from Iowa. Alex and Darla decide they can wait no longer and must retrace their journey into Iowa to find and bring back Alex’s parents to the tenuous safety of Illinois. But the landscape they cross is even more perilous than before, with life-and-death battles for food and power between the remaining communities. When the unthinkable happens, Alex must find new reserves of strength and determination to survive.

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Mike Mullen really knows how to spin a terrifying story that wraps the reader into its clutches and doesn’t let go until the final sentence.  I am in absolute awe, once again, with this sequel to Ashfall, and cannot wait for the third installment in this riveting story.

Alex and Darla are back, stronger than ever now that they’ve had time to recuperate on Alex’s uncle’s farm.  While no one would say they’re living in luxury, they have survived the volcanic eruption, figured out how to grow kale to stave of scurvy, and things are about as good as they can get when its constantly below freezing and ash and snow cover the ground, having knocked out technology as we know it.  But the chance encounter with thieves, brandishing the rifle Alex’s father was last seen holding, once again stirs up Alex’s unease and determination to find his parents, and so the trek back into the wilderness begins.

I love Darla.  She has a good head on her shoulders, and while life is anything but easy, her ingenuity and previous life on a farm make her one of the most valuable characters within the novel.  Together, with Alex, they seem to be an unstoppable force, and I absolutely love them as a couple.  Though Alex is lacking in some of the rudimentary skills needed to survive the freezing wilderness, with Darla’s help he is able to preserve, but it isn’t until things go very wrong that we begin to see just how driven Alex really is when it comes to saving those he loves.  Darla is my hero, but when Mullin pulls her from the action for a hefty portion of the novel, Alex easily slides into her place, becoming a favorite for all who read.

It’s impossible not to root for these two lovers, and Mullin keeps his story packed with fast paced action and heart pounding drama, making it a must read, in my opinion.  As it’s a long novel, I wasn’t able to finish it in one sitting, but putting it aside was pure torture.  Alex’s plight and the peril the characters find themselves in is excruciating, and I couldn’t push them from my mind, even when other tasks were before me.  My mind kept replaying the events, trying to figure out how to make things right again, even when I wasn’t reading—that’s how much the book affected me!  It’s a beautiful story and is extremely captivating, and though I screamed aloud at the characters (mainly Alex) throughout the novel, I still love them all, even the newcomers Alex meets along the way.

Mullin introduces his readers to even more terrifying possibilities throughout this second novel—from unfrozen waterfalls and barricaded towns, to cannibalistic leaders set on trading slaves, Alex and Darla must trudge through the wilderness in hopes of surviving long enough to cross paths with Alex’s parents, if they’re still alive.  And I just can’t get enough.  Five stars.

Tanglewood Press has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its release on October 14, 2012.

From Goodreads: Tales From Under the Bridge, all you ever wanted to know about trolls, and a few things you probably didn’t. Life and death, myth and legend, magic and mayhem, all rolled up into six fabulous stories that lift the lid off the dark world of these wonderful, horrible creatures. With a supporting cast of drunken gnomes and angry fairies, Tales From Under the Bridge drags trolls out of the darkness, kicking, fighting, biting, drinking, belching, and farting, into the light of day. Just don’t expect them to be happy about it.

Join these marvelous monsters as they practice their own, well, different, flavor of magic in a school for troll wizards. Observe them prepare for parenthood, question their morals and fight for their bridges. Experience their seasonal festivals and intrude upon their mating habits. Prepare to witness secrets never before revealed.

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This book is hilarious. It’s really gross too, but so hilarious that I enjoyed it.  Generally I won’t read compilations of short stories, but I was so interested in the life of trolls that I couldn’t pass this up, and I’m so glad I didn’t.  They are a disgusting creature, trolls, but getting to know them, aside from their looks, was a lot of fun.  Observing their “mating” rituals was really amusing (no worries, this book is pretty much clean aside from farting, belching, and drinking) and so far off the beaten path that it just works.  I mean, I guess if you think hard enough about all the folklore out there concerning trolls, you’d probably assume that everything they love is backwards from what we love, but I still wasn’t expecting it.  The more disgusting the troll, the more enticing they are to their own populace, and watching them all interact with one another was quite entertaining.

I loved the little billy goat versus the trolls, and the school for troll wizards reminded me of Harry Potter, only for the most despicable types of pupils, using various gasses to promote their magic.  Honestly, I don’t know where Blake came up with all these ideas and stories, but I really did enjoy them, and I’d say most YA+ males would really enjoy these short stories as well.  If you like prim and proper romance, then this definitely isn’t for you, but if you’ve ever wondered what the troll thought of the goats, or what gnomes and fairies really do during the day, then this is a novel for you.  Four stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

From Goodreads: As Charlotte steps through the gate, she has a strong feeling that nothing will ever be the same again.

Moving back to South Carolina after three years away, Charlotte knows she’s going to have to face people from her past and adjust to a new high school, but she’s completely unprepared for what else waits for her in Charleston.

Drawn through an old garden gate, Charlotte discovers a hidden world where she meets Calvin, a boy to whom she is inexplicably attracted. As Charlotte is pulled deeper into this hidden world, it’s up to her older brother Kevin to rescue her. No matter how hard Kevin tries, the rescue depends upon Charlotte fighting her intense feelings for Calvin while mastering a set of abilities that she has only just discovered she possesses.

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Lovers of Alice in Wonderland, The Secret Garden, and C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books will highly enjoy this first novel in the Afterglow trilogy!  Ivy paints a beautiful world on the other side of the garden door, and I felt like I was traveling there alongside Charlotte as she ventured over to start her new life. Of course, looks can be deceiving and as the story unfolds, we learn the many intricacies of the new world Charlotte inhabits… and not all are good or what they seem.

I really enjoyed Charlotte’s character in this novel.  While there is “instant love,” Ivy takes the time to explain the culture and magical connections behind it, making it feasible and swoon worthy.  The love connection is also not portrayed as “perfect,” like so many stories out there, and I loved that Charlotte is a strong young woman,  able to keep her wits about her and make decisions that, though extremely difficult, elevate her to a mature young woman intent on doing what is right for the good of all, and not just for her own selfish desires.  I really enjoyed getting to know her throughout the novel and I can’t wait to see what happens between her and Calvin/Liam in the next installment of this enticing read.

I also really liked that this novel, though mainly focusing on Charlotte’s plight, is told through the point-of-view of both Charlotte and her brother, Kevin.  This allowed me to know what was going on in all aspects of the story, and I always love having multiple perspectives.  I can imagine it makes writing a story extremely difficult, but Ivy does a superb job focusing on each character and flawlessly bringing them together, though I would have liked a little more information about Kevin’s time with Monty and his group as I felt that section was a little rushed in order to get to the climax of the story.  In the end, though, I thought Ivy did a superb job and I really enjoyed this novel.  Four stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

From Goodreads: My name is Gemma Lucas and my life’s a mess. Alex is gone, my dad’s trapped in his own mind, and my mom’s working for the dark side. Not to mention Nicholas refuses to quit haunting me.

The world has also entered apocalyptic mode. Everyday more vampires, witches, and fey run the streets. Innocent people are dying. The Mark of Malefiscus is showing up everywhere. And I’m the only one who can stop it.

The only problem is I have to die in order to do so. And I have to let Alex die. Something I’m not sure I can do.

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This final book in the Fallen Star series is, actually, not the final book at all.  It is, but it isn’t, if you follow what I just said.  Having just completed the novel, I was sad to see that the series was over, especially because not all my questions were answered.  However, at the very end of the novel I was informed that The Lost Soul is already out and it’s a spinoff of the Fallen Star series.  It’s a new series, but it continues the story of Alex and Gemma.  Happy dance, the story does continues!

In the fourth installment of the Fallen Star series, Sorensen gives the reader both Gemma’s and Alex’s viewpoint throughout the story.  It’s a first for the series, but I absolutely loved having two points of view and I hope this continues in the Fallen Soul series.  Being able to follow both characters throughout the novel was amazing, especially as Gemma and Alex were away from each other throughout much of the story.  This allowed me to stay connected to both characters as Sorensen begins to bring them back together again, which I really enjoyed.

I have to say that the ending wasn’t really what I was expecting.  Based on all the twists and turns within not only this novel, but also the entire series, I really thought there would be some sort of knock down drag out fight at the end in order to save both Alex and Gemma from death.  There isn’t.  It all sort of neatly resolves itself, and while I love a happy ending, it did leave me scratching my head.  However, like I said, there is a spinoff to the series, so it’s not over yet, and I’m sure we’ll learn even more enticing information and perhaps some of my questions will be answered as well.

Overall, I really liked this series and I highly suggest picking it up if you haven’t tried and of Sorensen’s novels yet.  Four stars.

I purchased a copy of this novel from Amazon.

From Goodreads: Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that’s not the problem.

The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it’s not a fiery inferno, it’s certainly no heaven. It’s gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn’t leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what’s really on her mind.

Bonesaw.

Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she’s figured out just how to do it. She’ll haunt him for the rest of his days.

It’ll be brutal… and awesome.

But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen’s obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she’s willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker.

Velveteen can’t help herself when it comes to breaking rules… or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.

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I had a very hard time getting into this novel.  I loved the synopsis and the cover, so I was really looking forward to reading this one, but in the end, it just wasn’t what I was expecting.  I really wanted to learn about Bonesaw, and I figured that a majority of the novel would deal with Velvet’s terrible death and her attempt to bring Bonesaw down.  What I found, instead, is that the novel touches briefly upon Bonesaw here and there, but more often than not, deals with Velvet’s sexual frustrations alongside her life as a salvager in purgatory, which, in my opinion, ended up sounding very much like life in middle school.

I really didn’t care for the way the characters talked to each other.  Kipper and Quentin drove me insane with their commentary and, as far as I’m concerned, sitting around talking about conquests and calling each other sluts didn’t make any of the characters very endearing.  While I realize they are “young,” I expected that they would have grown up a bit seeing as some of them have actually been dead for a very long time.  Perhaps it was just me, but I really thought the characters would be a bit more mature than they turned out to be, especially as they get upset when others refer to them as young or as children.  Likewise, the characters didn’t really talk about anything substantial that I cared about, and so I had a very hard time connecting to them.

While Velvet was very self absorbed, her obsession with Nick and his obsession with sex was just weird.  Nearly every time Velvet sees him or interacts with him, all she can think about is how hot and sexy he is.  In turn, all he can think about is how much he wants to be with her, even though he thinks she’s a jerk, and even 40% into the novel I still didn’t feel like any substantial information was given to spur the reader on.  I was dying to hear about Velvet’s death and Bonesaw’s murderous tendencies, but as I said, that was much too few and far between.

Something else I struggled with throughout the novel was the peppering of SAT words.  Velvet and her friends would be talking about something mundane and suddenly an SAT word would pop up where, I felt, it didn’t really belong. Generally, the words showed up in the narration and not the dialogue, and don’t get me wrong, I love the use of the words and I hope it helps teens learn them, but I don’t necessarily feel that the words fit in with the story all that well.  Childish, immature actions don’t really mesh well with high end SAT words, in my opinion, so that threw me off a little bit.

Overall, I have to say I was disappointed in this novel.  It had a very high potential, but wasn’t what I was expecting in the least.  Had I known ahead of time that Bonesaw wouldn’t be the main issue and that purgatory was much like middle school, I may have liked the novel better than I did.  As it is, however, I really didn’t care for this novel.  One and a half stars.

Random House Children’s Books and Delacorte BFYR have both been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its release on October 9, 2012.

From Goodreads: What if the greatest love of your life never existed?

What if they did, but someone was trying to erase them from your memory?

When Corentine arrived, she couldn’t remember her past, and all I wanted to do was forget my own. We fell in love, traveled the world, and started a life together. I never wanted it to end.

… and then she vanished.

I knew that she’d been visiting with a doctor who specialized in memory disorders and that he worked for a company called Synchro Systems, but the company was under federal investigation after several volunteer patients had died undergoing experimental, cutting edge treatments, so finding information about Corentine’s case was difficult, to say the least.

This is the story of my journey to discover what happened to Corentine.

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This is one of those stories that has so many twists and turns, including mind bending explanations, that it’s over my hear.  Just like the movie Inception. I didn’t understand that movie at all because my mind doesn’t work that way, and that’s how I feel about the book [Corentine].  But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  I am one of those people who easily gets frustrated by puzzles, doesn’t understand math past Algebra 1, and who doesn’t care for the sciences in the least.  [Corentine] has all those things, and it’s a mind jumbling roller coaster ride as it all unfolds.  I just didn’t get it.  I believe Willard explains everything fairly well, but it’s a little bit too technical for my tastes.  Broken into three sections, I started out understanding what was happening, but soon found myself lost due to the mind games the characters were playing with each other, which might be something other readers really enjoy.  Just because I didn’t care for it doesn’t mean you won’t… give it a try, especially if you enjoyed Inception or The Dream Metropolis by Miles Cressman.  [Corentine], unfortunately, just wasn’t for me.  Two and a half stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

From Goodreads: What if your TV could “tune in” tomorrow?

In sixth grade, Logan Styles was a game show contestant with all the right answers. Two years later, the move to his grandmother’s suburban L.A. home wasn’t his idea, but his show-business father took a job in New York and didn’t leave him a choice. Logan certainly wouldn’t have chosen Thousand Oaks, where boredom and new-kid obscurity pose a hazard to his health…until he discovers the DVR attached to his television records shows before they air.

Suddenly able to “predict” the scores of ballgames, the outcome of reality shows and even the weather, Logan becomes a breakout hit among Sunset Ridge Middle School’s most popular crowd. But his digital ESP comes with a burden. As he learns the DVR’s downside, Logan will have to answer a question tougher than anything he faced on the game show: Is having all the answers all the time everything it’s cracked up to be?

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I think at some point in our lives, we all wish we could predict the future, see what tomorrow holds, and possibly get rich doing it. In Field’s latest novel, Instant Preplay, that’s exactly what Logan Styles gets—a DVR that shows tomorrows news—but with this great insight also comes great responsibility, as Logan soon finds out.

I think this MG novel is great for children and parents alike, with its sound morals and enticing plot, it’s sure to keep kids interest as well as teach them a few important things, like that fact that true friendship is more important than popularity and fame isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be.  Likewise, parents will enjoy having this clean read as something their child will enjoy—it’s easy to read and I’d say most kids up to age 14 will probably really enjoy this story.

While MG books aren’t necessarily my favorite genre, I always enjoy a clean read that I can recommend to my students, especially when I know they’ll get even more out of it that I do.  And the antics of Logan, Patrick, and Ronnie are enticing enough that I really think this is a must read for the younger generations.

Personally, I was really able to connect with one of the instances in the novel regarding report cards.  Not the ones you’re thinking of, but ones that rate a girl’s beauty and popularity.  I think it’s almost a (terrible) rite of passage in middle school for children.  I don’t know why they think it’s such a great idea, but it happens a lot in middle school.  When I was in 8^th grade, the boys in 7^th rated some the girls in 7^th and 8^th, just like the report cards in Instant Preplay, and while I have no idea if I was even on the list (probably not), I do remember overhearing that the boys rated girls’ butts and faces.  And I do remember it being spread around that if a certain girl walked around backwards, she’d have an A on everything, but her “butterface” dropped her score a lot… yeah, not so nice.  Because it didn’t deal with me, I didn’t really think anything of it, but I wonder how it affected the girls on that list?  And, why didn’t they say anything?  Seriously, middle schoolers are mean. The same holds true in this novel and without the possibility of the DVR and Logan realizing he had the potential to do good and really help others, terrible things could have happened.  Honestly, I think it’s the perfect fit for a MG reader and I highly suggest putting this on your “to be read” list, especially if you have kids (I also suggest reading Field’s The Odd Job Squad).  Though there are a few typos here and there, in the end it really doesn’t take away from the story at heart and I don’t foresee most readers being bothered by it.  Three and a half stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

From Goodreads: A secret peace with the Taliban. Complete U.S. troop withdrawal. Secured with a huge Central Asian oil deal. Virtually guaranteeing the re-election of a President. The backers will garner enormous wealth. CIA officer Harry Brennan’s moral conscience compels him to get in the way of this plot. In doing so, he faces political enemies at home more dangerous than the terrorists who have kidnapped his daughter, Laurie. And her fate is tied to that of Russian spy Sergei Nemsky’s daughter, Anya, in need of treatment for a rare disease. The two adversaries, drawing on their respective spycraft skills and connections, form a secret and risky pact to save their daughters’ lives. Harry’s career takes off after he falls in love with Camilla Loomis, a young and politically powerful Washington socialite. But the resulting tension between his career and commitment to the truth compels Harry to balk and unilaterally take on the powerful men and women behind the pay-for-play scheme. Harry finds himself running for his life from jihadists in Afghanistan and Predator drones in Yemen, a target of his own CIA…

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I usually love first person narratives, but I had a really hard time connecting with Harry, or even understanding much of what he was talking about, as I read this novel.  He describes what’s happening around him in what I consider a rather choppy format, jumping from idea to idea, and I found it all to be a little too disjointed and technical for me to follow, personally.  I’m not one who really keeps up with politics, though I usually do love a good political thriller, but I was unable to connect to this novel.  I thought the premise was interesting, but otherwise, it just wasn’t for me.  I think those who enjoy very technical political thrillers will really enjoy the novel, and if you check out Goodreads and Amazon, you’ll see that there are many who really did enjoy this book, so I highly suggest checking out their reviews as well and then deciding if this is a book for you.  Personally, though, I can only give it two stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

From Goodreads: This suspenseful debut follows a group of teenage misfits in their delicious quest for revenge on those who have wronged them at their high school. When a mysterious note appears in Charlotte’s mailbox inviting her to join the League of Strays, she’s hopeful it will lead to making friends. What she discovers is a motley crew of loners and an alluring, manipulative ringleader named Kade. Kade convinces the group that they need one another both for friendship and to get back at the classmates and teachers who have betrayed them. But Kade has a bigger agenda. In addition to vandalizing their school and causing fights between other students, Kade’s real intention is a dangerous plot that will threaten lives and force Charlotte to choose between her loyalty to the League and her own conscience.

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This novel really blew my mind.  I think part of the reason it affected me so much is because, as a high school teacher, I see students try to fit in and impress their peers all the time by doing incredibly silly, dangerous things.  Thank God it’s never gone to the extent of Kade’s group, but I can understand where Schulman’s characters are coming from, and I can see how easily they can be misled when they’re looking to fit in.  In reality, something like this really could happen, and probably does, as scary as that seems.  But, rest assured, most of the population isn’t like this at all, however, it only takes one charismatic leader to twist the minds of others (take Hitler, for example), and where better to start than with those who are yearning for a friend, looking to fit in?  It’s very easy to fall for the charismatic, good looking, sweet talking person; it happens to people all the time, and that’s exactly what Charlotte finds as she gets to know Kade.

Now, I do believe that Charlotte and her friends were extremely naïve.  Charlotte, for example, wanted to fit in so badly that she ignored the many warnings signs that presented themselves, changing her entire persona, but so did everyone else, and when you’ve grown up completely shelter all your life, you’re going to be naive and miss the warning signs.  It’s no different than an abusive boyfriend—why do girls go back to the boy time and time again?  Feelings that they fit in?  Feelings of love?  Afraid no one else will ever like them? Scared for their own life?  Been there, but I was lucky enough to have real friends to help me out of the situation.  Charlotte doesn’t.  Big difference.  And so, I completely understand where all the characters in this novel are coming from, even Kade, with his psychotic tendencies… he’s no good.  Just no good. But with his background, it doesn’t surprise me he acts the way he does. In fact, I think Schulman got her characterization exactly right, and that’s what makes this novel so amazing.

I loved how I was on pins and needles from start to finish.  From worrying about the initial meeting to worrying about the police and Charlotte’s safety, every page sucked me in and I couldn’t read this one fast enough.  While I cringed at Kade’s directions and the luster with which the League of Strays complied, save Charlotte, I found myself easily drawn into the story.  And what I really loved about this novel is that it very blatantly shows the reader what not to do in their own lives.  As it’s YA, and I see so many young women nowadays falling into terrible relationships because they just don’t know any better… it really is beneficial for them to see just how detrimental falling for someone like Kade can be.  So even though the story is dark, as is the message, it’s one our society really needs to hear.  Especially when it deals with revenge.  Who hasn’t wanted to get revenge on someone?  But I believe this novel shows readers exactly why revenge is a terrible thing.  In my opinion, this is a must read. Five stars.

Abrams and Amulet Books have both been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its release tomorrow, October 1, 2012.