by Megan Shepherd
ages: 13+
First sentence: “The basement hallways in King’s College of Medical Research were dark, even in daytime.”
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Juliet Moreau is 16 and in desperate straights. Her father — yes, that is the Dr. Moreau of H. G. Wells’ classic The Island of Dr. Moreau — has been exiled from London in a scandal and her mother has died of consumption, leaving Juliet penniless. Thankfully, someone found her work cleaning in the medical labs, but that — while keeping her off the streets — is not ideal.

So when she runs into her father’s old servant (now assistant), Montgomery, she bullies him into taking him with her back to the island, back to her father.

Which is where the madness is.

I have never read the H. G. Wells classic, so I can’t compare the two. (As a side note: I kind of want to read it now.) But this one was… interesting. Victorian in setting, Gothic in feel, the novel propelled me a long its story of love, betrayal, and, well, science. I liked Juliet as a character, even if she did feel a bit modern to my tastes; I don’t think in this kind of book it could be helped. She needed to be a strong, independent-minded young woman, and Shepherd gave us that. She also convincingly portrayed Juliet not as a naive girl, one who is all too willing to believe in her father’s innocence, but rather as someone who believes and hopes for the best in her father, until evidence beyond a shadow of a doubt proves otherwise.

In addition, the island setting, with its creatures and monsters, was sufficiently creepy. Not enough to keep me up at night, but close.

What didn’t work for me was the romance. I think it was partially because I felt it was unnecessary: Juliet had enough on her plate with her insane father, and trying to figure out all the ins and outs of his experimentation (all the way down to figuring out if she’s real or a creation), that it seemed a bit much to throw in a love triangle as well. I did like the way it turned out: there’s a spectacular twist (which I probably should have seen coming but didn’t), and while I thought the ending was somewhat unsatisfying, in retrospect, I have to admit it fit the characters and the story.

It was a good, solid debut, and since I hear the next one is based on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I’m sold.

by Cassandra Clare
ages: 14+
First sentence: “‘I’m afraid,’ said the little girl sitting on the bed.”
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Others in the series: Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince

(Obviously, spoilers. You’ve been warned.)

Over the past two months, things have been quiet in London. Jem and Tessa are preparing for their wedding, Will’s sister Cecily is at the Institute training (Will’s not terribly happy for either of these events), Gideon Lightwood is crushing on Sopie (the maid), when their peace is shattered by Gabriel Lightwood announcing that his father has arrived at the final stages of Demon Pox (gotta love that), and transformed into a giant, man-eating worm. This sets in motion a chain of events that will end with the London Shadowhunters facing down Mortmain and his Insane, Evil plan.

It sounds simplistic, but in reality it’s more complex. Charlotte is facing down Counsul Josiah Wayland and his sexist ploy to oust her. In fact, one of the things that bugged me most about the book was Wayland’s character. I didn’t think, in the first two books, that Wayland was a sexist jerk, and so his attempts to oust Charlotte (going as far as trying to bribe the Lightwood brothers) felt off to me. I wanted there to be an ulterior motive. There wasn’t: he really was a sexist jerk. (He was also a 19th-century man, so there’s that.) However, he got his comeuppance in the end, which made me (unreasonably) happy.

In addition, we FINALLY get to know how Tessa came to be. It took most of this book, but in the end, it was worth it. As was the ending: Tessa thoroughly rocks as a character. She is both feminine and strong, a remarkable combination. (Additionally: Clare’s resolution to the love triangle was brilliant. Seriously.)

I thoroughly enjoyed this conclusion to the series. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole series. I’m not sure if I would have enjoyed it without reading The Mortal Instruments first, because much of what I liked was seeing how the two fit together (like when Magnus and Henry perfect the Portal!). But the characters were great, the storyline fantastic, and they were a lot of fun.

I’m so glad I made the time to read these this summer. Now to go see the movie. (Tonight, hopefully.)

by Cassandra Clare
ages: 14+
First sentence: ” The fog was thick, muffling sound and sight.”
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Others in the series: Clockwork Angel

Picking up pretty much exactly where the first book left off (spoilers for that, of course): Mortmain is still at large, Will is still cursed and angsty about it, Jem is still dying, and Tessa still doesn’t know what she is. Mortmain, for this book at least, stays well in the background as other interests take precedence: the head of the London Institute, Charlotte, is being challenged for her position by Benedict Lightwood,  and has been given an ultimatum: find Mortmain in two weeks, or lose your position.

So, the Enclave at the Institute sets out to do just that, and gets bogged down in some interesting messes. Jessamine is stepping out with Tessa’s (evil) brother Nate; Benedict is messing around with some less-than-nice elements;  and Mortmain is a whole lot older than he looks and has been planning his revenge for a long, long time. And that’s not even mentioning the whole Jem-Tessa-Will love triangle. Or Will’s search with Magnus (yay!) to end his curse.

(As a side note: M has said she needs a t-shirt that says: “Magnus Bane is more fabulous than you.” She found this one, which is close enough.)

It’s very much a middle book in the trilogy, except I think Clare handles it better than most people. Mortmain is gone, but she gives us a very real villain in Nate, and Jessamine’s deception and treachery is quite delightful. Perhaps one of the things I liked best was seeing how all the names fit in with the first series (which, I suppose, is one reason to read those first, but I think it would work the other way, too). And seeing how much the Shadowhunters have changed. It frustrated me that I still had no answers about Tessa, or why Mortmain wants her, but I was able to roll with it. Speaking of Tessa: she’s a fabulous character. They all are. (Even angsty Will.) I don’t know why it is that I like these characters better than the ones in the Mortal Instruments. Perhaps it’s because the world seems more complex. Or maybe it’s just because I’m comparing them to Clary and Jace and so on, and finding these characters more interesting. (Or maybe just because I like Victorian London better than contemporary NYC. It could be that.) What ever it is, I’m happily moving on to the last book, just to see how it all ends.

by Cassandra Clare
ages: 14+
First sentence: “Simon stood and stared numbly at the front door of his house.”
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Others in the series: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels

This series — now five books in — is becoming increasingly complex and somewhat convoluted (not necessarily in a bad way). I’m not sure I can even begin to summarize what went on in this one. Let me try (spoilers for all. You’ve been warned.)

Jace and Sebastian are connected, linked in such a way that to harm one is to hurt the other. And Jace isn’t himself, but rather an extension of Sebastian. Clary knows this, but goes over to Team Evil anyway with the express idea that she’ll figure out what their plan is and report back to Simon using these fairy rings.

Meanwhile, Simon, Alec, Isabelle, and Magnus (I loved that Magnus played an active role in this book) are off searching for a way to split Jace and Sebastian apart that doesn’t involve killing Jace. (It’s okay if Sebastian dies. In fact, they wish he would.) This involves raising a prince of Hell as well as an angel. It’s more complex than that, but those are the basic bones of the story.

This one was a lot harder to get a grip on. It’s bigger than the others (or it feels bigger, anyway), weighing in at 534 pages. And it was a lot slower to get started as well. But the end? It was totally worth the slog to get there. I really liked the role Simon had to play, as well as Isabelle — while she’s not quite the same Isabelle I liked in City of Bones, I think she’s settling into herself, and there was some of the spunk I liked. In fact, there was a lot of the sass and spunk from the first books back. I know Jace wasn’t himself in this one, but I liked him a whole lot better than I have for a couple of books. He was funny. And even Clary wasn’t simpering; she finally puts up a fight for what she believes, and makes an impact. And her decisions at the end? Courageous.

And I’m committed: I need the next one to come out so I can see how this all ends.

by Cassandra Clare
ages: 14+
First sentence: “‘Just coffee, please.'”
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Others in the series: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass

I have to admit after finishing City of Glass, I wasn’t too sure I wanted to read this one. Clare wrapped up everything so nicely (with a bow and fireworks, too), that I figured what more was there to tell of the story?

Oh, ye of little faith.

This one picks up a few weeks after City of Glass ends, and everything seems okay. Simon is dating both Maia and Isabelle (oh silly, adorable Simon), and is trying to eke out as normal a life as possible. Magnus and Alec are dating (have I mentioned how much I adore Magnus? And I really do want to read the short story about why he’s banned in Peru). Jace and Clary are an item. But, because this book would be all sorts of boring without conflict, things start to go south.

Someone is trying to kill Simon. Jace is pulling away from Clary because of nightmares he’s having. And on top of that, Camille the vampire is back. Oh, and someone is trying to make demon babies.

This one, admittedly, is darker and more intense than the previous three. There isn’t nearly enough snark, and while Jace and Clary have some sexytimes (almost), I still wanted to smack both of them over the head. Thankfully, though, it’s not their story. Clare uses this to flesh out Simon (more Simon!) and his transition into being a vampire. It’s not pretty. She also uses it to flesh out Maia — we learn about how she became a werewolf — and Isabelle, who is no longer a stuck up fashionista. I was told it wasn’t as good as the original series, but I have to admit that I liked it as much as the other ones.

Clare’s a smart, fun writer, and she’s definitely got me hooked.

by Cassandra Clare
ages: 14+
First sentence: “The cold snap of the previous week was over; the sun was shining brightly as Clary hurried across Luke’s dusty front yard, the hood of her jacket up to keep her hair from blowing across her face.”
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Others in the series: City of Bones, City of Ashes

There will be spoilers for the first two books in the series. And possible for this one. So: if you haven’t read this trilogy, do. Know this: it’s smart, it’s fun, this one had awesome twists (even if I called one), and came to an acceptable conclusion.

We last left the little group recuperating after blowing up Valentine’s ship. They finally convinced the Clave that Valentine is a force to be reckoned with, especially now that he has both the Mortal Cup and the Mortal Sword. All that’s left is the glass, and he will be able to raise the angel Raziel.

As a result, Jace, the Weylands, and Clary are going to Alicante – the city of the Shadowhunters. The Weylands and Jace to meet with the Clave; Clary to find Ragnor Fell, who may have the key to waking her mother.

Of course, Jace pulls his “for your protection” move (infuriating! Seriously. Clary’s impulsive and headstrong, but STOP trying to protect her!) and leaves for Alicante without Clary. And of course, she has to be impulsive and follow. Once there, though, things get complicated. They meet a cousin of a friend of the Weylands, Sebastian, who ends up playing a major role, in spite of just being introduced. (Yes, I called this twist.)

While I enjoyed the book overall, it wasn’t perfect. Aside from Jace being infuriating (when is he not, though?), it kind of frustrated me that Clary’s mom just showed up halfway through the book. Sure, Clary got what was needed to wake her mom from the coma, but I kind of expected something… more …. satisfying. That she just showed up at one point and started acting like Jocelyn From Before was kind of anti-climatic. I know it’s not Jocelyn’s story, but I had hoped for something more dramatic there. And I kind of felt that Clare copped out with the deaths; she killed off a minor character, rather than going for the jugular and offing someone we actually cared about. Understandable, but wimpy.

There were parts I liked, mostly toward the end. In fact, I think I liked the whole end. There was enough tension there to make things intense, and both Isabelle and Clary got to shine in their own ways. And the ending was satisfying without wrapping everything up in a neat little bow.

I’m glad I finally got around to reading these.

by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves
ages: 11+ (It’s actually upper MG)
First sentence: “Once I got lost in my own house.”
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Review copy is a publisher complimentary copy for my bookstore 6-8th grade book group.

Joey Harker is pretty much your average every-day boring tenth grader. Nothing special. Until one day, he’s out on a field trip with his social studies class (quick aside: no 10th grader has social studies, do they??), and he finds himself in a different… world. Fighting for his life, though he has no idea what was going on.

It’s a desperate fight, and the man sent to find Joey — Jay– doesn’t fare well. However, he does explain a couple of things: the Earth is only one of millions of possible earths, all along a continuum that spans from highly scientific to highly magical. There are two entities — HEX and the Binary who are vying for domination and control of all the earths. Joey, and all the alternate versions of himself, have banded together to form Interworld: they walk between worlds and attempt to stop the nefarious powers from universe domination.

I picked this one for the book group partially because I thought the idea had merit. And I wanted to attract some boys to the group. I don’t know if the second one worked (yet), but the first one, well… let’s just say the idea was a good one. But something was lost in the execution: I didn’t connect with Joey, or I didn’t really care about the fate of the worlds. And the bad guys — HEX– were kind of laughable caricatures. And definitely posers. I didn’t care for the Old Man — the head of Interworld — and his arbitrary methods with Joey (that whole memory-erasing bit didn’t make much sense). And aside from the creative variations of  “Joey”, I didn’t particularly like Joey’s team.

And the lesson learned here? A good idea does not a good book make.