So I was planning to review The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong while attending a literacy conference, but much to my dismay, I didn’t have the greatest wireless connection. As it turns out, however, I wandered with a teacher friend of mine to a nearby shopping center. And there, like a beacon in the dark  midst of endless clothing stores, was Barnes & Noble. So of course, book nerds that we are, we headed happily inside. And while I was lamenting a full day of hearing the pains and sorrows of the educational system, a shiny cover caught my eye: The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong. After months of eagerly awaiting its debut, it caught me by surprise. And what a surprise it was to find that The Awakening is even better than The Summoning.

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 Janie Hannagan’s life is messed up. Not only is her mother a useless lush who has never shown her any affection, but Janie is also a dream catcher–a gift that is certainly as much a curse as it is a blessing. You see, Janie’s worst nightmares are not her own bad dreams but the dreams of others. Whenever anyone near her is dreaming, Janie falls into their dreams, regardless of the private nature or horror of their contents. In Wake, the first book in Lisa McMann’s series, Janie learns to control her dreams and eventually uses them to aid in criminal investigations alongside her boyfriend, the equally tortured Cabel. …» more

 Eighth grade bites! Most people, young and old, would agree that it most certainly does.  And in The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, Heather Brewer flawlessly captures the unique awkwardness and humiliation plaguing all teens during those trying adolescent years. When thinking about eighth and ninth grade, most people will recall the horrors or braces, glasses, or acne. Add a pair of fangs and a craving for blood and you’ve got Vlad Tod. In Eighth Grade Bites and Ninth Grade Slays, Vlad Tod, an orphaned half-vampire, half-human one-of-a-kind teen, winds up battling more than just the bullies in the hallway. In fact, Vlad has spent years keeping his secret from humans, fearing their reactions to him, and all the while he should have been wary of vampires, too. After discovering the truth behind his family, Vlad discovers that the relationship between his vampire father and his human mother was forbidden by vampire law. Now, years after their tragic deaths, Vlad must suffer the consequences of his parents’ love for one another. …» more

Deception. That one word goes straight to the core of Fragile Eternity and can be boiled down to two game-playing faeries: Keenan and Bananach. At the end of Wicked Lovely, readers may recall that Keenan, our favorite Summer King, has agreed that Aislinn could rule alongside him as a friend and business partner, rather than a lover. So Aislinn is free to continue her relationship with Seth, a mortal who accepts her for who she is, not what she is. However, as with most spoiled kings who are not acccustomed to rejection, Keenan soon finds that a platonic relationship with Aislinn is not enough to strengthen their kingdom or fulfill his agenda for their kingdom.  As a result, Keenan’s unmet desire leaves Aislinn feeling awkward, Seth feeling jealous and insecure, Niall infuriated, and Beira angered to violence. And as trouble is brewing among three kingdoms, Bananach will play them all in the hopes of launching a full-scale war. Seth is the key to that war and finds himself at the mercy of Sorcha, who has the power to give him immortality and the possibility of eternity with Aislinn. However, after more deception and manipulation on the part of Keenan, Aislinn is soon more out of reach than Seth imagines–and all he holds dear rests in the hope that Aislinn will uncover the truth amidst Keenan’s web of deception. …» more

Throw away your pre-conceived notions about magic because if you’re expecting the light humor and quirky characters like those in the Harry Potter series, Skin Hunger, by Kathleen Duey, might leave you a little shell-shocked. In the alternating stories of Sadima and Hahp, magic is anything but light-hearted, as two plots weave together in a dark tale of the lost practice of magic and the sacrifice its resurrection necessitates.  Sadima, who has known from a young age that she can read the thoughts of animals, leaves her solitary life on a farm and seeks Franklin, the boy she fell in love with three years before, but what she finds is more than she bargains for. The power-hungry and …» more

One of my favorite things in life is picking up a book I can’t put down and then pondering that book for hours, days even, trying to decide how I feel about it. Evermore, by Alyson Noel, is one of those books, thus making this YA novel one of my favorite things in life. Before I decided to write this entry, I read the book again to finalize my decision. The verdict: I love this book!

As a child, I used to sit with my dad on the couch and watch reruns of Highlander on TBS or TNT or one of the super-stations of the 90s. And while Evermore  brought back the memory of eating Vermont extra-sharp cheddar …» more

If you are a fan of Arthurian legends and folklore about Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table, Meg Cabot’s Avalon High will be a refreshing escape from reality. Okay, I know Avalon High is not exactly a new release, but I only recently checked it out in our school library, as I am not a huge fan of Meg Cabot’s light, girly stories, and shockingly enough, I was instantly hooked. The entire concept for the story is based on a theory or legend that King Arthur is not really dead but merely asleep, waiting to rise again to restore peace to the world. The problem? The whole Lancelot, Guinevere, Arthur thing keeps …» more