Sirensong

by Jenna Black

All right, I lied... my review was not "coming soon".  In fact, it's been so long I can't remember at all what I wanted to say about this book.  I liked it ok, but it wasn't my favorite of the series.  I'd have to re-read it to remember anything more!

Beyonders: A World Without Heroes

by Brandon Mull

I absolutely adore Brandon Mull's previous novels - they are some of my favorite books of all time - and I was anxious to get my hands on the first book of his new series - Beyonders: A World Without Heroes.

This book starts out a little slow before eventually picking up toward the middle. Mull has a knack for writing great puzzles and mysteries, so I was intrigued by the story from the start.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn't quite as engrossing and amazing as Mull's previous work I found the resolution of the story to be surprising but not as meaningful as I would have wished. They story was detailed and different, but so filled with minor characters that I sometimes found it hard to keep them straight.!

Thirteen-year-old Jason is just going about his business one day when he finds himself transported to Lyrian. Eventually he stumbles upon a man who he hopes can give him some answers, but only leaves him with more questions. Through his curiosity he finds himself on an unlikely quest to find a secret word to defeat the emperor.

Jason is actually thrust into Lyrian when he falls into a hippo at the zoo. Immediately after finding himself in this strange place he discovers a troupe of musicians floating down a river on a raft. He learns that they are about to let themselves sail off a waterfall and tries to help. In the end he only succeeds in shooting one of them musicians in the shoulder with an arrow and making the crowd gathered to watch angry with him. He escapes the mob to find himself at the Repository of Learning, where he meets the Loremaster. The Loremaster doesn't explain much to him, except to avoid a certain part of the repository and simultaneously telling a story of how he was told not to do something but he did it anyway. Jason hopes this forbidden section of the library will help him find his way home, so he finds a way in and discovers "the book". Once reading the pages and the first syllable of the word of power, Jason is set against the emperor Maldor and must continue to search for the word to evade capture. The Loremaster sends him to the Blind King, where he gets advice on his quest, and meets his soon-to-be companion, Rachel (also from Jason's world). The pair travel to a sea cave, where they obtain the second syllable and fight off a giant crab. Later they meed the displacer, Ferrin, who wants to help them on their quest. They travel to another town, where Jason challenged the chancellor and wins - thus gaining access to the third syllable. Next they travel to the White Lake, which Rachel travels across to learn the fourth syllable and learning that Ferrin is actually a spy for Maldor, the emperor. They part ways with him and nearly get captured by Maldor's men when they are saved my Jasher, one of the "seed people" who can die, but grow again from the seed on the back of their neck. The new group travels to a swamp to meet the Pythoness, but actually find her daughter, who gives them fifth syllable. They also learn that the sixth syllable can be found tattooed on the back of one of Maldor's men at The Eternal Feast. Jason goes to accept his previous invitation to the feast learns the final syllable. He fights a duel in order to leave the paradise and goes to gain an audience with Maldor by ringing a bell in the center of town. Once he meets the emperor he says the word, feels its power, but is dismayed to see it doesn't effect Maldor. Maldor reveals that the word was a fake to distract his enemies and offers Jason a place with his officers. Jason refuses and gets thrown in the dungeon. Ferrin returns and risks everything to free Jason. However, Ferrin has plans to send him back to his world, while Jason wants to find Rachel and his friends and tell them what happened. The two struggle and Ferrin manages to push Jason through the portal and back to his own world.

Tyger, Tyger

by Kersten Hamilton

It's been quite a while since I've read a book, especially a series to get excited about. However, Tyger, Tyger has all the right elements to be an exciting, unique new series.

Things start getting strange for Teagan the night her best friend Abby tells her she' been dreaming of goblins. Later that night, she learns her parents have agreed to take in her street-tough cousin Finn. Finn also speaks about strange creatures and before she knows it, Teagan is immersed in the all-too-real world of goblins - desperately trying to save her family from them.

The blank space to follow is my spoiler-laden summary of the book (in beige font). This is basically for my own benefit (so I remember what happened when book 2 comes out.) If you want to read it, highlight the text. And you were warned! :)

Finn tells Teagan that he hunts goblins and is surprised to learn she's never seen them. A cat-sidhe invades their house soon after, as well as some other creatures. Finn defends them, but soon leaves, fearing he's brought the creatures on them. Shortly after, Teagon's mom falls ill and eventually dies - Teachan and her brother Aiden conclude that the shadow man Aiden say caused their mother to die. Things go from bad to worse when their dad disappears. Finn returns to help the brother -sister pair, eventually leading them into MAg Mell - home of the goblins to find their father. In one of the confusing segments of the book , they soon leave again without finding Mr. Wyllston and head toward Finn's grandma's (Mamieo's) house. They meet Mamieo and learn she rescued Teagon's mom from Mag Mell years ago - and she's the only person who's ever escaped it. The group fights off more goblin creatures and returns to Mag Mell (without Mamieo). There they learn Aiden's singing keeps the nasty creatures at Mag Mell at bay, and helps them find their way. They meet Roisen, Aileen's long lost sister, and learn she and Aileen (and therefore Teagona and Aiden) are part-goblin. They travel again (Roisen won't go with them because she's still waiting for her long-lost love to return to her) and Aiden makes a sprite friend who nests in his hair. Teagon frets that Finn will hate them now that they've learned they're part goblin. Eventually they find Fear Doirich who has taken their father. Teagon and Finn tie him up as Aiden weakens him with his singing. They also find and rescue Thomas, Roisen's love, and therefore convince her to escape with them. Teagon sacrifices the swamp girl to the dogs in order for them to escape. They get back to Mamieo and break the news of Aileen being part goblin - she takes it hard but accepts it. Teagan and Flinn talk about their relationship and Finn tells her he doesn't hate her - that she doesn't have to be like a goblin if she chooses not to. The book ends as Aiden announces to the pair that Thomas is growing feathers.

The False Princess

by Eilis O'Neal

Unfortunately, I've neglected writing this blog for a very long time and therefore I'm probably not going to be as detailed as I'd like. However, I did write down some notes on the book when I finished it, so I do remember something!

The False Princess is a unique story about a girl named Nalia who suddenly learns that she's not who she thought she was. She's not actually the princess of Thorvaldor, and he name is not Nalia. She's been playing the part of the princess so the real one could be hidden away, safe from her prophesied death before the age of 16. But Nalia, or Sinda (as she's learned her name really is) in now 16 and very much alive. The King and Queen and their magicians are sending Sinda to live with her aunt so the real princess can come take her rightful place.

Sinda is shocked and crushed and goes without a fight. However, after finding life with her aunt unfulfilling, missing her friend Kiernan, and discovering she has magic, Sinda travels back to Thorvaldor where she soon discovers that the plot to conceal the princess is not all it seemed.

Interesting, a few surprising twists, and Kiernan is great.

The Iron Queen

by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Fey series was originally supposed to be a trilogy, with The Iron Queen as the last book. However, happily, there is now going to be a fourth book in the series. Something I was even more happy about as I reached the end of this book, because there are some many more stories to explore!

At the end of the previous novel, Meghan and Ash have both been exiled from the Nevernever for refusing to deny their love for each other. Trapped in the mortal world, Meghan wants nothing more than to return to her family with Ash at her side. The pair soon realizes just how impossible this is as scores of Iron fey are searching for Meghan. The false Iron King wants to take Meghan's power for himself, while the rebel Iron fey want to take Meghan to a safe hiding place. Meghan's journey eventually lead her back the Nevernever, where the Fey's last hope for their world is that Meghan can somehow manage to defeat the Iron King again.

The gap below is a spoiler-filled summary of the plot. Highlight the area to read.

The first part of the book is taken up with Meghan trying to get her memory of her father back. She and Ash steal a token from a graveyard to trade for her memory. With the memory returned, Grimalkin the cat takes the pair back to The Between and Leanansidhe. Once there, Meghan learns why her father Paul was taken (Titania was jealous of him and sought to have him killed. Puck went to Leanansidhe to ask her to save him.) Meghan is furious with Puck for a while because he knew what had happened to her father, had caused it, and never told her. The group negotiates Paul's release and housing at a cabin in The Between in exchange for the other token from the graveyard. At the cabin, Meghan spends time with her father while she tries to help him get his memory back. Ash also teaches Meghan to fight and Meghan asks him to become her knight- binding his life to hers. Eventually, a message is delivered from Oberon and Mab: they would lift the exile if the group returns to kill the Iron King. His territory is slowly taking over the Wildwood, and Meghan is the only one who can enter the Iron Kingdom unharmed. In the second half of the book, Meghan, Ash and Puck enter the Iron Kingdom to seek out and kill the false king. Ash and Puck are given special amulets from Mab to protect them form the poisoning influence of the Iron Realm. Meghan leads the way through the land, eventually taken the group to the tower of the Machina. The group allies themselves with Glitch and his gang of rebels and Meghan learns she can command the gremlins. The rebels are unwilling to face the Iron King because he is too powerful, but Meghan eventually convinces them to form a truce with Summer and Winter. Meghan, Ash and Puck find a way into the Iron Kings fortress and come face to face with the false king, who turns out to be Ferrum, the king of the packrats, and original Iron King before Machine came to power. With the strange hallucination-guidance from the Iron Power (who Meghan hears as Machina), Meghan finally learns to use both her glamours as once and therefore binding her Iron magic to her Summer magic. She then lets Ferrum attack her and gives some of her power to him, but because it is now bound to Summer, it kills him. Clinging to life, Meghan makes Ash take her back to the tree that killed Machina. Before sending the last of her power into the tree, Meghan releases Ash from his pledge as her knight, so he will not die alongside her, and orders him by his true name to leave her, so he will not be poisoned by the Iron Realm (because he amulet is destroyed). However, Meghan does not die. By giving the Iron Power to the land, she bound Iron and Summer together and the Iron land stopped it's advance on the Wildwood. The land, in turned healed Meghan and she became the Iron Queen. At the end of the book, Meghan goes home to tell her family all that's happened to her and how she must live in the Nevernever from now on. Ash and Puck come to a truce and go off in search of Grimalkin and the hope of finding a way to enter the Iron Realm without being poisoned.

The beginning of this book was a little slow and meandering for me, and end of is a little bittersweet, but once again I love this series. The ending doesn't bother me as much as it might were it truly the end of the series. As the conclusion to part 3, with part 4 on the way in November, I'm satisfied with what might be to come.

Shadowspell

by Jenna Black

Once again I've neglected to write this blog. I've decided that I have a lot of trouble remembering what's happened in previous books when I read their sequels, so I'm going to start writing more detailed spoiler-filled descriptions of the books I read. I'm going to try making the spoiler parts light font, so you won't accidently see it if you don't want to. If you do, just highlight the big blank space and then you can see it!

Shadowspell is the sequel to Glimmerglass. In the previous book Dana learned that she is a faeriewalker, meaning she can travel between the human world and the land of Faerie. More importantly, she can bring technology to faeries and magic to humans. Because Dana's powers are so rare, she's now spending most of her time in her own personal safe house with her father and fey bodyguard.

To complicate matters more, the Erlking is in town with his Wild Hunt. The Erlking is smooth and sexy and claims that he wishes Dana no ill will, but his sudden appearance make her (and her father) nervous. However, Dana's involvement with the Erlking is about to become much more complicated. When the Erlking tricks Ethan into attacking him, the Erlking is able to capture Ethan and make him a part of his wild hunt. In order to free him, Dana agrees to a bold proposal from the Erlking - that she'll give him her virginity. Oh, by the way, Dana learns later that if she does go through with this agreement it will result in the Erlking taking all of her powers. Oops!

I like this series because it's very different from lots of other faerie series. Dana can be annoying at times, and I don't always like Ethan, but it's an interesting story. A lot more sensual than the previous entry in the series - be warned!

Blue Fire

by Janice Hardy

I've been very remiss in writing these blogs, and so I don't remember a lot of what I wanted to say about this book! My blog may be short.

Blue Fire is the sequel to The Shifter - the first book in The Healing Wars series. Nya lives in a world where some people can pull pain out of others and send it into a special kind of stone called pynvium. However, Nya has never been able to release the pain into the stone - she can only shift it to another person. In addition, the shifted pain grows in intensity within the person until they eventually die.

Due to the break-in Nya and her friends committed in the previous book to save the healers from the Duke, they are in hiding and on the run. They escape to Baseer, and are forced to rely on help from the people they don't really trust.

I like this story, but honestly, I had a really hard time remember what had happened in the first book when I read this one and the author didn't provide many clues to the reader. Now I'm finding now I'm having a hard time remembering what happened in this book! I really think all author's should put a one page recap at the beginnings of books that are part of series! Those of us who ready 50+ books a year have a hard time remembering them all!

Last Sacrifice

by Richelle Mead

Here it is, the final book in the Vampire Academy series. One of the things I've liked most about this series is the different take on vampires. In the VA books, there are a few types of vampires - the royal, pure Moroi vampires, who live on blood, but don't kill to get it; the dhampirs - a mix of Moroi and human who don't drink blood and live to protect the Moroi, and the evil Strigoi, who kill anyone they can get their hands on. Throughout this 6-part series we've meet Rose (the dhampir), Lissa (her best friend, the Moroi), as well and their ever-widening group of friends and acquaintances. We've seen Rose's love Dimitri turned Strigoi and then back again, and watched Rose struggle with her feelings for both him and party-boy Adrian.

At the start of this book Rose is in prison, accused of killing the Moroi queen. Desperately trying to think of a way to clear her name and avoid execution, Rose is surprised when she is suddenly broken out of jail. On the run, Rose and her companions begin a search for Lissa's previously unknown half-brother or -sister. Meanwhile, back at court Lissa and the gang are searching for who really killed the queen so Rose's name can be cleared.

Oh, and did I mention that Rose is still trying to decide between Dimitri and Adrian? Because she is - that's what young adult book heroines do!

I liked the whole solve-the-mystery aspect of this novel, even though it was a little slower than the previous books. The main thing I didn't like was how blase Rose was at the end about how things had turned out for others. **Spoilers**Adrian was right when he called Rose out for not being concerned enough for others. She didn't fret long over cheating on him with Dimitri, as soon as she was back at court and had the answers she needed she forgot all about Sydney, and she only spared a few passing thoughts for how Christian was feeling about the turn of events. It was all about her getting Dimitri, with a side of saving Lissa. I actually think this could have been alleviated by including an epilogue at the end, to fully explain where everyone ended up, and hopefully showing how Rose had made an effort to patch things up with everyone. As it was, she came across a little selfish. **

Mostly satisfying conclusion, a few character problems, but redeemed mostly by good story-telling.

A Tale Dark & Grimm

by Adam Gidwitz

I bought this book because the cover was interesting, and the first few pages had me laughing out loud in the book store:

"Once upon a time, fairy tales were awesome. I know, I know. You don't believe me. I don't blame you. A little while ago, I wouldn't have believed it myself. Little girls in red capes skipping around the forest? Awesome? I don't think so. But then I started to read them. The real, Grimm ones. Very few little girls in red capes in those. Well, there's one. But she gets eaten."

This book is a retelling of 9 Grimm fairy tales that are adjusted to feature Hansel and Gretel as the main characters. Not much of the gruesome stuff it changed from the original Grimm version, and thus this book is bloody at times. The author relieves some of that by jumping in at times with his own commentary, clearly marked by a bold-face font. Also weaving throughout the book is the theme that children should be valued and not cast aside as many of the adults in Hansel's and Gretel's journey did.

I particularly liked this line at the end:

"There is a wisdom in children, a kind of knowing, a kind of believing, that we, as adults, do not have. There is a time when a kingdom needs its children."

Four stars simply because some of the "icky" stuff makes it hard to recommend this book across the board.

Once a Witch

by Carolyn MacCullough

Tamsin was supposed to be the most powerful witch in her family - at least that's what her grandmother predicted on the day of her birth. However, while other children's talents in her large family manifested by the time they were eight, Tamsin's never came. Since then she's felt like an outsider among her relatives, and it glad to attend a boarding school in Manhattan to be away from it all.

However, Tamsin cannot resist agreeing to help a handsome professor one day when he mistakes her for her very Talented sister and asks for her help finding a lot family heirloom.

Soon however, Tamsin realizes the request is not a simple or a benign as she thought, and she must use all her wits to save herself, her sister and her family.

It's been a while since I've found a new young adult book that I really liked, so I was happy to finally get around to this one and enjoy it so much. Tamsin had loyal friends, and an adorable boy who loves her even though she doesn't know it (of course). The best part is, is that this book is the first of series, and yet has a satisfactory conclusion of it's own! I'm excited to read the second which, unfortunately, doesn't come out until August 2011.

Museum of Thieves

by Lian Tanner

The city of Jewel is a strange little place. Until the age of 16 all children are protected from every danger by being tethered by a small silver guardchain to their parents, their Guardian, or to their beds at night. Years ago, Jewel was overrun with plague and slavers and dangers of all sorts. The children were lost or dying at a rapid rate, and a group of adults set out to protect them. These adults would become the first Blessed Guardians. Despite the passing of time, and the safety of the city now, children are still chained until Separation Day. At the beginning of the book, the age of separation has been changed from 16 to 12, much to the disagreement of the Guardians. Goldie Roth couldn't be more excited. She is 12, and more eager than ever to be free from her chain. However, when the Separation ceremony is interrupted, and then cancelled, Goldie can't bear the thought of being chained again. So she runs away. As the Guardians search for her, and imprison her parents, Goldie finds refuge in the mysterious Museum of Dunt. There she meets the museum's keepers, who take her in and hide her from the Guardians. However, the Guardians do not relent in their search for Goldie, or the quest to unravel the mysterious of the Museum - a quest that could end up destroying the town.

This book is delightfully different and yet reminiscent of so many things I love. The museum's got just a touch of Hogwarts to it, and the town of Jewel offers up a perfect contrast. While the book does state that one must be a thief to be able to navigate the museum, it also goes a long way to avoid glamorizing theft. There's a lot to think about here too, such as to what length we should go to protect children and when they should be allowed to make their own mistakes. In Jewel the children were so protected that they had no ability to think for themselves or make a decision when faced with trouble.

I'm happy to find another kids' book that's not just for kids. Also eagerly awaiting the next book in this trilogy.

Ring of Fire

by Pierdomenico (P. D.) Baccalario

This book was a fun little discovery! The Ring of Fire is the start to a four-part series about a group of kids that meet in a Roman hotel over the New Year's celebrations. As they are getting acquainted they discover that they all share the same unique birthday - February 29. Things get weired as the group receives a mysterious briefcase. Soon they are on the trail of mystical device called the Ring of Fire. They aren't the only ones searching for it though...

This is an intriguing start to a new series. It kind of reminds me of National Treasure, but in Rome. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series!

Wild Magic

by Cat Weatherill

I bought this book on a whim last weekend because the title intrigued me, the cover was pretty and the description was interesting. Sometimes despite all that promise, a book has still failed to deliver, but thankfully Wild Magic was mostly a pleasant surprise.

This book is a retelling of the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. After the piper successfully rid the town of their rat infestation and is refused payment, he plays his pipe again and leads the children of Hamelin away with him. Our main character, Mari is one of the children to be lead away, while her crippled brother Jakob is barely left behind. The Piper leads the children into the world of Elvendale where they soon learn that he is looking for one child in particular - a child with unknown magical powers who will help him lift an ancient curse.

The book is split into 3 different narratives that alternate back and forth. Mari and Jakob serve as two of the narrators, with the Piper as the third. It is interesting to read the story from both the perspectives of the "heroes" and the "villain".

The story is inventive and interesting. The ending was mostly satisfying. Despite a few "too-neat" aspects, and a couple unanswered questions, I enjoyed this take on the Pied Piper.

Glimmerglass

by Jenna Black

Glimmerglass is another good faerie book with unique aspects and puzzling characters. It's also a successful beginning entry to a series: it has a complete story unto itself, but there is more than enough material left to expand upon in future novels. This aspect is one of the most crucial to me when reading a series, and I'm happy to say that Glimmerglass provides.

Glimmerglass is the tale of Dana, a high school student who is fed up with moving from town to town and having to deal with her alcoholic mother. She knows her dad lives in Avalon (the one place on earth where the faerie realm and the human realm intersect.) What she doesn't know is the reason her mother has kept her from Avalon and her father her whole life - she's about to find out that it's a lot more dangerous there than she ever imagined. Dana runs away to Avalon and soon learns that she's a Faeriewalker. While humans can't enter Faerie, and the Fae can't enter the mortal realm, a Faeriewalker can enter both. A Faeriewalker can bring magic into the human world, and technology into Faerie - this makes Dana very dangerous, and very desired by those who seek power. As Dana learns who she is, she must also decide who to trust - and it's not an easy decision.

I loved how difficult it was even for the reader to determine who could be trusted and who couldn't. You are forced into trying to make a judgement on very little information - just like Dana does, and it gives the reader a great perspective on what Dana is going through.

If I had one complaint it would be that is was unclear if all humans know about the Fae. Dana speaks of them as if they're no bigger a surprise than a English person, but it's not exactly clear if everyone knows of the Fae or if Dana simply does because of her heritage. It's not crucial to the story, but I was curious about this for the first portion of the book.

The Reckoning

by Kelley Armstrong

I've really enjoyed the unique story of this trilogy, but I have to say, the last book was a bit of a disappointment.

Chloe, Tori, Derek and Simon have just escaped the Edison Group again and are hiding out with the group fighting against the Edison Group. Once again, a large part of the beginning of this book is spend doing very little. The action comes all at once, at the end, and involves a lot of twists, turns, and constantly flipping allegiances (Are these people really on our side? No! Let's run away! Wait, maybe they are. Let's stick around. Wait! We have to run away!)

Mostly, this book did not feel like it should be the end. The ending is pretty ambiguous as far as endings go, and many, many aspects of the plot were left unexplained. Some things were brought up in the storyline of this book only to be dropped casually a few chapters later. If this series was slated to continue in additional books, I would assume these things would come up in the next book, but as this is the final book, it seemed like the plot wasn't as well thought-out as it should have been.

On the positive side, Armstrong does a pretty good job of subtly reminding the reader what has happened previously. I didn't remember many details from the previous books, but whenever I'd start to be confused, there were some helpful hints placed into the narrative that reminded me of what I was supposed to know. Still, this is the 3rd book, and doesn't stand alone. If you're gonna read the series, start with The Summoning.

Spells

by Aprilynne Pike

A little less than a year ago, Aprilynne Pike's debut novel, Wings marked my venture forth into the "re-popular" genre of faerie fantasies. Since then I've read quite a few others, although Pike's remains one of the more unique when it comes to the faerie mythology. Sure, Shakespeare and A Midsummer Night's Dream still gets a token mention, but Pike's Avalon is not centered around the doings of Titania and Oberon, and the makeup of her faeries is something else entirely. I don't want to say much more so I don't spoil it for anyone who may not have read Wings yet. :)

This time around we get to see more of Avalon. Much of the discussion and tension in the faerie-land comes from the eons-old "class-system" that makes some faeries special and others common simply by the season they are born. I have a feeling we'll be dealing with this system and Laurel's dislike of it much more in the coming books.

Let's see...I still love Tamani. He's one of the more interesting characters of this book. Laurel is torn and stubborn, and David is in a bit over his head, but Tamani deals with the most longing and heartache of everyone, and despite being bound by his class and trying to do what is "proper", he is still strong and determined and protective.

Four stars because the action comes and goes in spurts rather than gradually building, which I prefer, and for the fact that I want Laurel to admit she likes Tamani, and because the ending is maddeningly vague! I'm very much looking forward to book three - Enchantments - but sad that it's not coming out until April 2011!

Be a Genie is Six Easy Steps

by Linda Chapman and Steve Cole

Cool concept, but definitely not for grown-ups.

There are some kids' books that can be read by adults and enjoyed. Harry Potter, Fablehaven, and 100 Cupboards are some notable ones. Some however, are clearly written just for kids and adults will just be bored by them. This is one of those.

This book is the story of 4 new step-siblings who are forced to move from their beloved London to a small town when their parents marry and open a book shop. So when they find a book that claims it will teach them to be genies, they immediately conclude that if they become genies they can wish their way back to London!

(*Some spoilers*) The front flap of this book promises a sinister presence that follows the children on their path to become genies. This promise is sorely realized by some mildly creepy people who turn out to not be creepy at all (it's all just a big misunderstanding! Let's all be friends! Which, in my opinion, is kinda lame. A book without a satisfying villain is no fun at all.) Also, the bookworm that acted as the book's spokesperson annoyed me. I really never understood why the kids loved him so much!

Maybe if I was a kid I would have liked this book. As an adult, it's just too childish.

Darklight

by Lesley Livingston

Darklight is a respectable sequel to it's predecessor Wondrous Strange. However, there were a few aspects of the book that left me wanting.

First, it was really unclear what the point of the book was for a long time. What climax are we climbing toward? At one point it seems like it will have something to do with Auberon, but no, it actually ends up being something else entirely! A plot twist that wasn't even hinted at until halfway through.

Secondly, a few things were left unexplained at the end of the book. (*Spoilerish* One: Auberon's sickness, and two: the stuff about Sonny's parents.) Where Wondrous Strange succeeded in setting itself up for a sequel while still having a complete conclusion to the individual entry, Darklight did not.

Last (*define spoilers*, the end annoyed me a little! Kelly making Sonny think she didn't love him anymore so he would leave and she could save him from himself and whatnot was a bit too "New Moon" for me. Why don't you just, I don't know, talk to him?! This story has been done before!)

However, despite these things I like the mix of Shakespeare and faeries, the faery world and the human world. It works well together and, despite having many similarities to other faery stories, it's unique and interesting. I'm still eager for the next book.

The Books of Umber: Happenstance Found

by P. W. Catanese

By the time I got to the end of Happenstance Found, the first book in the Books of Umber trilogy, I liked it. However, the beginning of this book is a little slow and aimless.

Happenstance is a young boy who wakes up wet and blindfolded in a cave. Soon a man named Umber and his two companions come across him and take him on their journey.

For most of the book Happenstance and his new friends (as well as the reader) are unsure as to who or what Hap is. Is he from this world? Is he magical? What happened to him in his past and why can't he remember anything? Thankfully, this mystery intrigued me, or I likely would have quit reading before the end. Not much happens in the first half of the novel besides wondering.

Thankfully, things finally start to pick up and Hap and Umber learn more about Hap's origins. By the end of the book we've also learned more about Umber's past and the book takes a turn slightly in genre. It is no longer a straight-forward fantasy - a twist I was eager for! I'm interested to see how the next book goes, since it will hopefully not have the problem of vagueness and the complete mystery of Hap that this book did.

Keys to the Demon Prison

by Brandon Mull

One word to describe this book (and series): Amazing!

In the fifth (and final) book of the Fablehaven series, the battle to keep the demon prison Zzyzx closed comes to a conclusion. The Knights of the Dawn are fighting to find and protect the remaining artifacts, while the Society of the Evening Star continues to seek them out. Kendra and Seth are once again thrown into the middle of the conflict, and must use their unique gifts and abilities to save the world from destruction.

Once again, Mull does not disappoint! This book is filled with action, suspense, and humor. Despite the 500+ page count, there is not a dull moment. The book is evenly paced, and the action builds and declines multiple times throughout the novel.

If I had to pick something to criticize it would be Mull's tendency to create "throw away" characters. Often (in most of the books of the series), the Knights are about to head off on a mission and we are introduced to (sometimes multiple) new characters. Usually, one or all of them end up dying shortly after. Once you get used to this pattern it become pretty easy to predict that the character whose name you just learned is going to die in about 15 pages. However, since he doesn't always kill them off, and occasionally the more established characters have been the victims it doesn't bother me that much. I'd rather the characters I'm not attached to die than my favorites anyway!

Oh, and one other small complaint (*spoiler*) - I wish Bracken's speech to Kendra at the end had been Kendra's speech to him! It would have been good for her character to finally be assertive and strong by telling Bracken that she likes him, but that she needs some time to herself; and that he can wait for her if he wants, because after all the years he's lived he can certainly wait a few more, if he really cares about her. And she also should have kissed him before the big battle that they all thought they were gonna die in. Because that would have been funny. Just plant one on him and say, "Alright, I'm gonna go slay that demon for ya!" (*end spoilers*)

All things considered this is one of my favorite series. It's right up there with Harry Potter and Twilight (yes, it's that good!). It could appeal to both boys and girls, and really, readers of any age. I only wish it was more well-known that it is! Maybe if a movie does get made (last I've heard is sometimes in 2011), the series might start getting the recognition it deserves!