The Iron Daughter - Julie Kagawa

I was hungry. My stomach growled, and the apple felt cool and crisp in my hand. Before I knew it, I’d taken a bite. Sweet, tart juice flooded my mouth, with just a hint of bitter after taste. “He was a perfect gentleman,” I said with my mouth full, my voice sounding strange in my ears. “He helped me rescue my brother from the Iron King. I couldn't have done it without him.”

Rowan reclined and gave me a lazy smile. “Do tell.”

The Iron Daughter is book no.2 in The Iron Fey series (no.3 if you count the e-novellas). It takes off from where the last book left off, for the most part. There is an e-novella that follows the transition from book 1 to book 2 but you don’t need to have read it to follow the story. Meghan made a deal with Ash in book one so book two finds her holding up her end of the bargain. Meghan is stuck in Tir Na Nog with Mab, Ash and his brothers to witness the exchanging of the Scepter of the Seasons. All appears to be going well until some iron fey appear and cause disarray in the Winter Court. The reappearance of Ironhorse and a few more favorites tie the new adventure together nicely. The relationship between Meghan and Ash and Puck reminds me a lot of Twilight so if you loved that series I would suggest giving this one a go.

Author website: http://juliekagawa.com/wordpress/

Switched - Amanda Hocking

The guy was just looking at me, nothing more, but it freaked me out somehow. I’d put up with his stares for a week, trying to avoid confrontation, but I couldn’t take it anymore. He was the one acting inappropriately, not me. I couldn’t get in trouble for just talking to him, right?

Wendy gets strange vibes and strange feelings about the new guy at school. Finn Holmes, then he turns up at her window and her life starts to crumble. Wendy lives with her Aunt and older brother, her father is dead and her mother is in a psych ward. She’s there because she tried to murder Wendy on her 6th birthday. When two people try to kidnap Wendy and Finn saves her she is convinced to go along for the ride and finds herself in a world she never knew existed.

http://www.worldofamandahocking.com/

Fate- Amanda Hocking

“It’s tricky what you have with him.” She nodded at the door after Jack. “Why hasn’t he turned you?”

  “It’s a complicated situation.” I rubbed my arms. The girl on Olivia’s lap stirred, and she stroked her hair to quiet her. “Why haven’t you turned Hannah?”

  “I wouldn't have any reason to keep her if I did,” Olivia said, but she looked at her with some affection. “You've heard the saying ‘why buy the cow if you can get the milk for free?’ Well, if I bought the cow, I wouldn't get any milk at all.”

  She wanted Hannah for her blood, and nothing else.

  “So why do you think he should turn me?” I asked.

“He loves you,” Olivia sounded surprised when she looked up at me. “You must know that.” I shifted uneasily but didn't answer her. “And I'm betting that he’s not getting any milk either.”

Fate is book 2 in the My Blood Approves series. With Peter out of the picture, for now, Alice continues to stay with Jacks family and get to know them. Milo her brother starts spending more time with them and he starts to get jealous of the time Alice spends with Jack. Then Alice runs into trouble at a vampire nightclub and most of the book focuses around the results of that trouble, as well as her continuing to fight off her urges to be with Peter.  There’s a rocky start and a rocky ending but well worth the drama to see the stories progression. If you enjoyed the first book then there’s no point resisting the urge to read this one, just succumb, absorb and enjoy the ride.

http://www.worldofamandahocking.com/

Past Midnight - Mara Purnhagen

    “I see her,” a man’s voice whispered.     A chill spread through me. Shane played it again. Never had three little words terrified me so much.     I see her.     I felt numb. “When was this recorded?”     “Just a few minutes ago, when you were standing in the doorway,” Shane said.

Charlotte is a teenager trying to get on with a normal life, she has managed to convince her parents to let her attend the same high school for one year consistently. Her parents have even gone so far as to buy a house in a suburb so she can make friends and do normal teenage things. Unfortunately things aren't as normal as they look from the outside. Her parents are ghost hunters/paranormal researchers who have their own reality TV show and they are always keen to involve Charlotte and her college attending sister Avery.

The summer before school starts they are in the town where Avery is attending college, her parents take the opportunity to film at several locations. One of them makes Avery chilled to her bones so they have to abandon filming after the second take. Without another thought to what went on they all go about their lives as usual. Avery goes to college, Charlotte and her parents move into their new home in their new town, and Charlotte starts at her new school. Everything is fine until Charlotte starts having strange dreams and she starts to realise everything is not as okay as it seems.

http://www.marapurnhagen.com/

The House of the Scorpion - Nancy Farmer

...He rambled on about his youth in Aztlan. It was called Mexico when he was a boy, he said. He came from a place called Durango. “People from Durango are called alacránes - scorpions - because there are so many of them scurrying around. When I made my first million, I took that as my name: Matteo Alacrán. It’s your name too.”Matt smiled, well pleased that he shared something with El Patrón.

Opium is a country that lies on the outskirts of the United States, it is part of what used to be Mexico. It is a country that has been sealed off from the rest of the world by a very powerful drug baron, El Patrón. House of the Scorpion focuses on a little boy called Matt. It follows his horrific childhood and flows into his interesting adolescence. He begins to find out everything there is to know about the drug kings empire, including just how shut off it is from the rest of the world. One of the most fascinating things about the book setting is that Opium’s technology has been partially halted. Opium has been kept 100 years in the past, while the rest of the world has evolved and developed. Matt makes some fascinating discoveries about himself and his home as the book advances. (Read The Lord of Opium, the sequel that begins 12 hours after the end of this one).

http://www.nancyfarmerwebsite.com/

The Immortal Rules - Julie Kagawa

When I woke up, I knew I was in hell. My whole body was on fire, or at least it felt that way, through I couldn't see the flames. It was dark, and a light rain was falling from the sky, which I found strange for hell. Then a dark figure loomed over me, jet-black eyes boring into mine, and I thought I knew him from. . . somewhere. Hadn't I met him before. . . ? “Can you hear me?” His voice was familiar, too, low and calm. I opened my mouth to reply, but only a choked gurgle escaped. What was wrong with me? It felt as if my mouth and throat were clogged with warm mud.     “Don’t try to speak.” The soothing voice broke through my agony and confusion. “Listen to me, human, You’re dying. The damage the rabbids did to your body is extreme. You have only a few minutes left in this world.” He leaned closer, face intense. “Do you understand what I'm telling you?”

The Red Lung virus was threatening to wipe out humanity so a Master vampire offered up other vampires to scientists in an attempt to save the world. The plan backfired and instead humans became cattle that were kept in gated communities run by Master vampires.

Allie lives in the Fringe, with a group of kids who are Unregistered citizens just like her. They don’t show up every month for bloodletting like the rest of the registered humans and so they go hungry. Allie lives each day as it comes, days are spent finding food to keep from starving and nights are spent hiding inside in fear of the vampires who stalk the night looking for humans to feed from. When she is desperate enough, Allie goes beyond the Outer Wall and into the ruins to scavenge. One day she is hungry enough to risk running into the rabids that live there, she ventures out and discovers a treasure trove, at the cost of her life.

Faced with the prospect of dying Allie chooses to live and is reborn as a vampire. She learns the ways of her new life from her sire until she is run out of town and must learn to live on her own. For the first time in her life, Allie finds herself cast out of New Covington and in search of a new home. She stumbles upon a group of wondering humans whom she joins and decides to attempt to play along and pretend to be human. The one thing her sire warned her of was starving herself because the longer she puts off feeding the closer she gets to madness and losing her self control.

Another fascinating look at a post-apocalyptic world where vampires rule and humans are no longer in charge. An interesting cast of characters, worth a read just for their interactions alone.

http://juliekagawa.com/wordpress/

Crave - Melissa Darnell

I edged closer to my unconscious boyfriend cuffed to a chair nearby. My judges gathered in a tight half circle a few feet away. Probably so they could see me better as I failed their test. The guard’s face looked bored, as if to say this was nothing personal. Which was a lie. This was totally personal. And all my fault. He reached inside his inner jacket pocket and took out two items… a syringe and a scalpel.

Savannah used to be friends with most of the kids in her school until the fourth grade. Then something happened, all the kids who are part of ‘the clan’ stopped talking to her overnight. Her boyfriend, her best friends, everyone, almost the entire town. Since then Savannah, living with her mum and grandmother has been off limits. The clan kids pick on her and torment her, in more ways than one. Tristan her childhood boyfriend torments her in a different way to the rest. She is always aware of his presence and finds herself drawn to him despite the fact he ignores her.

Crave follows Savannah's journey of self discovery, after being terribly sick her family lets her in on a few secrets and her life begins to get more and more complicated. Being drawn to Tristan is no longer her only problem. Tristan is now drawn to her, despite them both having to stay away  from each other. What follows is a Romeo and Juliet style courtship, just with a very different ending.

http://www.melissadarnell.com/

The Giver - Lois Lowry

“Jonas has been selected to be our next Receiver of Memory.”

The Giver is book one in the quartet series. Jonas has lived in the community all his life, it is the only way of life he knows. Children are born, then raised for the first year of their lives in the Nurturing Centre. Each year on the same day the entire community attend a ceremony, the newchildren are named and assigned to a family unit. Then there are ceremonies for the children for the twos, threes, fours all the way up to twelves - every child shares this same ‘birthday’. The twelves have a special ceremony where they are given their life assignments. From there they begin the career they will fulfil within the community. If they want to, they can apply to be issued a spouse, married couples can then apply to have children assigned. Family units are only assigned one female and one male, occasionally if a child is lost they may be issued with a replacement child. When they grow old they move to the house of old. If people fail to follow the rules in The Rule Book, or fail to fit in, they are sent released, never to return to the community again.

Jonas is an Eleven, and although he doesn't yet know it, he can see “beyond”.  When he attends the Ceremony of the twelve and isn't given an assignment Jonas is devastated. Then the community is told that Jonas has been chosen to be the next Receiver of Memory. Jonas faces a long and harrowing journey as he meets the Giver and starts to receive memories.

A fantastic book for older children/teens that will make them think about the society they live in and the things they take for granted every day. A dystopian tale set in a strange community where animals like bears are imaginary things and things like rain and war mean have no meaning. A good book to get children thinking about control, would we be better off if we were controlled and our lives planned for us. It will also make them think about the troubles we carry in society and history and if society would be better if we hid them away and forgot they happened.

http://www.loislowry.com/

Unwind - Neal Shusterman

The Bill of LifeThe Second Civil War also known as “The Heartland War,” was a long and bloody conflict fought over a single issue.To end the war, a set of constitutional amendments known as “The Bill of Life” was passed.It satisfied both the Pro-life and the Pro-choice armies.The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touchedfrom the moment of conception until a child reachesthe age of thirteen.However, between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent maychoose to retroactively “abort” a child . . .. . . on the condition that the child’s life doesn't “technically” end.The process by which a child is both terminated and yet kept aliveis called “unwinding.”Unwinding is now a common, and accepted practice in society.

Unwind is the first book in the Unwind dystology (there is also an ebook titled Unstrung which follows Lev on his adventures between books 1 and 2). The three main characters all find themselves heading to be unwound, all of them are being unwound for very different reasons: Connor gets into too many fights at school and his grades are appalling., his parents have signed the papers and he is going to be sent to be unwound. When he discovers the unwind order he decides he has to make a run for it, despite knowing the juvey-cops will do everything in their power to track him down. Connors life as an AWOL rewind takes a sharp turn when he collides with Levi and Risa on the side of a motorway. Levi, all dressed in white, is a tithe, the tenth child in his family, he has the honour and blessing of being created primarily for unwinding. Risa is a ward of the state, abandoned as a baby she has been raised in a state home, when she doesn't make the cut for top of her year she is sent to be rewound to prevent overcrowding. Their journey takes them to Happy Jack Harvest Camp and The Graveyard.

A fantastic book and great start to an intriguing series. The idea of doing away with abortion and introducing unwinding is terrifying. There is a chapter in the book which is chilling, it might have no affect on those unfamiliar with the characters and unwinding process. But for those with buy in, the scene and process of unwinding lingers in your mind, way past the finish of the book. Not many books haunt you before they have ended, I highly recommend this book, not just because it makes you question your own beliefs and morals but also because of the unique way it includes different perspectives and media.

For your ease and peace of mind, there are a variety of harvest camps to choose from. Each facility is privately owned, state licensed, and federally funded by your tax dollars. Regardless of the site you choose, you can feel confident that your Unwind will receive the finest possible care from our board-certified staff as they make their transition to a divided state. -From The Parents’ Unwinding Handbook

http://www.storyman.com/

My Blood Approves- Amanda Hocking

“In order for this friendship to work, you’re just going to have to accept that there are certain things that I'm not gonna tell you,” Jack said firmly. “I'm not trying to be a dick about this but that’s just the way it is.”

Alice lives with her brother Milo and their shift working, non existent Mom. Alice has a generic best friend who loves to dress up, party and drag Alice along for the ride. When Alice and her friend run into trouble one night, they are rescued by loveable Jack. Jack takes a keen interest in Alice and they start hanging out. Eventually she meets his family, including his brother Peter. Along the way Alice finds out that they are all vampires and that there is some weird connection between her and Peter. Alice tries to fight it because she wants to be with Jack, an interesting story ensues.

http://www.worldofamandahocking.com/

Once - Morris Gleitzman

Once I escaped from an orphanage in the mountains and I didn't have to do any of the things you do in escape stories. Dig a tunnel. Disguise myself as a priest. Make a rope from nun robes knotted together. I just walked out through the main gate. I slither down the mountainside through the cool green forest, feeling very grateful to God, Jesus, the Virgin Mary, the Pope, and Adolf Hitler. Grateful that after the Nazis left this morning, the nuns didn't lock the gate. Grateful that this mountainside is covered in pine needles rather than tangled undergrowth and thorns.

Felix is a ten year old boy who lives in an orphanage. All the other kids have parents who are dead, but not Felix, his parents are coming back… Felix tires of waiting for his parents to return for him, so he heads off across country to find them himself. His story is both heartbreaking and heart-warming as he searches for his family and discovers a whole world he never knew existed.

Each new chapter starts Once, Felix’s voice rings strong and true with a quirk and zeal that captures his age and innocence. A well crafted story that follows the persecution of the Jews through the eyes of a naive young boy. At times hard to read, Once is an amazing tale of adventure, courage and childhood innocence. Although this is a children's fiction book, given the content, I probably wouldn't recommend it for younger children, it’s more suited for 9-10 years+.  

Once I went on my first train journey, but I wouldn't call it exciting - I’d call it painful and miserable.   There are so many of us in this boxcar that most of us have to stand up. Every time the train lurches, we lurch too and squash each other.

http://www.morrisgleitzman.com/

UnEnchanted - Chandra Hahn

“You’re right. You’re old enough to know the truth, to share the burden.” Sara waited until Charlie had left the kitchen and headed for a second round of favorite objects to pack away. “Mina, I’ve lied to you about your name, about everything.”“Okay,” she said, her voice sounding shaky.“Our last name isn’t Grime. It’s Grimm. And for as long as I could remember, we’ve been trying to outrun it.”“Outrun what exactly?”“Outrun what killed your father years ago…the Grimm curse.”

Fractured fairy tales are always fun to write, and read, but this is a different take on them completely. The story focuses around Mina Grime (Grimm) a teenager who always has ‘weird’ things happen to her. When they happen her mother freaks out and they move, again. UnEnchanted focuses on Minas story, it introduces the reader to her Mom, brother, best friend and high school crush while interweaving some of them into various fairy tales without her knowledge. Turns out Mina is a Grimm and her ancestors were cursed into completing fairy tale quests. It killed Mina’s Dad and so her mother has always run from it. Mina decides she has to protect her mute baby brother from the same fate so she tries to take on the tales herself. A fascinating take on some well known Brothers Grimm tales. If you enjoy stories with faeries and big bad wolves, with a little high school angst and romance, then this is a tale for you.

http://chandahahn.com/

The Iron King - Julie Kagawa

I AWOKE TO LOW VOICES, talking in furtive tones, just beyond the curtains. I tried to love, but it felt like my body was wrapped in cotton, my head filled with gauze. I struggled to keep my eyes open. On the other side of the sheets, I saw two silhouettes.     “Don’t do anything reckless,” warned a low, gravelly voice. The nurse, I thought, wondering, in my delirium, if she would give me more of that chocolaty stuff. “Remember, your duty is to watch the girl. You must not do anything that will draw attention.”

The Iron King is book no.1 in The Iron Fey series. Meghan Chase is a normal teenage girl, at least she was, until her 16th birthday. She comes home from school to discover a changeling in the place of her baby brother and discovers her best friend is in fact Robin Goodfellow. Following a series of strange events Meghan finds herself travelling into a mythical world she thought only existed in stories. What begins as a journey to save her baby brother turns into an adventure and a fight for her freedom.

http://juliekagawa.com/wordpress/

Wake - Amanda Hocking

Even over the sea, Thea could smell the blood on her. When she breathed in, it filled her with a familiar hunger that haunted her dreams. Except now it disgusted her, leaving a horrible taste in her mouth, because she knew where it came from. “Is it done?” she asked. She stood on the rocky shore, staring over the sea, her back to her sister.

Wake focuses on easy going teenager Gemma. She lives with her father and overbearing older sister Harper. Gemma splits the majority of her time between swim training and school. The open water calls to Gemma, any free time she has is spent swimming in the sea, especially night swims when the cove is quiet and peaceful. Harper is about to head off to college with her best friend (and neighbour) Alex, whom Gemma starts to take an interest in. On the outside, life appears to be moving along for all of them as planned.

Over the summer break three strange and secretive girls turn up in town. They make Harper and Gemma’s skin crawl and Gemma seems to keep bumping into them all over town.  One night Gemma goes swimming on her own when she sees Lexi, Penn and Thea on the shore in the cove. Lexi calls her over and Gemma spends the night with them. The following morning she wakes, bruised from head to toe, on the beach. Wake is the first book of the watersong series and is all about Gemma getting to know Lexi, Penn and Thea, while also coming to terms with what they have done to her.

http://www.worldofamandahocking.com/

The Fault in our Stars - John Green

Me: “If you want me to be a teenager, don’t send me to Support Group. Buy me a fake ID so I can go to clubs, drink vodka and take pot.”Mom: “You don’t take pot, for starters.”Me: “See, that’s the kind of thing I’d know if you got me a fake ID.”

Hazel (or Hazel Grace as she is so often referred to) has cancer (a side effect of dying). It wrecked her lungs and nearly killed her but now shes on a drug that keeps it from growing. Her mother thinks she is depressed (Hazel notes that depression is not a side effect of cancer, it’s another side effect of dying, like almost everything). Hazel’s doctor agrees so she gets shipped off to support group even though she doesn't think it will do her any good.

Upon arrival at support group she sees the regulars, one being a boy named Isaac who is losing his vision. Its through Isaac that she meets Augustus (also often referred to as Augustus Waters). There begins this epic tale of what turns out to be the adventures of a life time. The story follows Hazel and Augustus with their superior wit and intellect through ups and downs, adventures and sorrow.

It’s a remarkable book and I was very pleased to see they left very little out when they made the movie. Some bits made me laugh out loud while others made me cry. Beautifully written, I really enjoyed the characters and their interactions with one another. I find it hard to believe anyone could read this and not fall in love with the Augustus Waters character and his outlook on life.

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, /But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”

Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene 2

http://johngreenbooks.com/