by Shannon Hale
ages: 12+
First sentence (ARC): “Ma had six sons.”
Review copy sent to me by the publisher.
Release date: September 15
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Rin is the youngest of seven children, the only daughter in her Forest family. She’s her Ma’s shadow, a tree-climber, a great aunt, and Razo’s (of River Secrets fame) best friend. She can listen to trees, sinking into their consciousness and enjoying the cool, green peace that emerges from them. Then, one day, she’s taken with a local forest boy, Wilem, and convinces him to stay with her and kiss her. Yet, her convincing is something more than simple persuasion: it’s power, it’s a rush for her. And afterward, the trees reject her.

So, she packs up and heads to the city with Dasha and Razo, to become a lady-in-waiting for Queen Isi (of Goose Girl fame). Things seem to be going well, until word comes from the border that a town was burned. Geric goes to see what the problem is and ends up injured. So it’s up to Isi, Enna (of Enna Burning fame), Dasha and Rin — who tags along at first with what she’s dubbed the Fire Sisters, but is eventually included in their plans — to figure out who or what is behind this latest spurt of violence, and come up with a way to stop it.

This book is an excellent culmination of all the other Bayern books, and not just because everyone from the previous books are in them and playing fairly major roles. No, it was something more, something deeper than that: it felt like it was the culmination of ideas and themes that Hale has been exploring throughout the Bayern books: of family, of self-control, of self-interest versus the greater good, and so on.

One of the best things about this book is that all of Hale’s heroines have a chance to shine. Each one, including — eventually — Rin, are powerful on their own they have a quiet strength about them. They’re feminine, caring, supportive, and yet, when the need arises, fierce and powerful. Yet, put them all together and they are truly forces to be reckoned with. The best parts of the book are when Isi, Enna, and Dasha work together, and then when they realize what Rin has to offer them, they include Rin in their ring of power, where Rin is least comfortable, yet most needed.

It’s possibly Hale’s quietest Bayern book since Goose Girl. I’m going off of memory here, since I didn’t go out an re-read the other three before picking this one up (good news: it works well as a stand alone). But, this book is a very introspective, quiet, nature-filled book, something which I remember being a strength about Goose Girl. There is no real kick-butt action, there is no super-awesome heroines (or heroes), there’s not even any real romance. Yet, all of Hale’s hallmarks are there to draw the reader in: from world-building, to descriptive language, to her humor, and (most of all) her ability to tell a whopping good story. Which means, while there’s nothing flashy, it’s a good, solid story that will entertain and engage readers.

And, really: isn’t that what we all love about Hale’s books?

by Carrie Ryan
ages: 12+
First sentence: “My mother used to tell me about the ocean.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

I think it was Leila and Jen who first made me decide that I needed to read a zombie book. This zombie book in particular. So, I stuck it on my library list, and waited. While I waited, it’s hit the book blogs, with mostly positive results. Because, you see, this zombie book is more than a zombie book: it’s a full-on zombie-dystopian-love story. And that makes it totally and completely Awesome.

The basic plot for those of you haven’t heard of this one yet: Mary’s village is isolated in the forest. As far as they know, everyone was killed after the Return, and they’re the only people left alive. They’re surrounded by the Unconsecrated, who are a constant threat in the lives of the villagers. Mary’s mostly happy there, except for dreams of seeing the ocean brought on by her mother’s stories. The set-up for the story is slowish; after Mary’s mother is infected, and later released into the forest, Mary spends many chapters restless in the service of the Sisterhood, the religious sect that evolved in this village. She also falls in love with a boy she’s not supposed to; he’s betrothed (and betrothal always leads to marriage) to her best friend. Once the story gets going, though — there’s a breach in the village’s fence, and the Unconsecrated attack, but Mary and a few others get away — it really gets going. Ryan does intensity incredibly well, especially since the book is anything but gory. There are moments when the action is so tense and suspenseful that it’s impossible to put the book down: you have to know what’s going to happen next.

The other thing that Ryan does exceptionally well is desire. Mary’s palpable desire for answers to her unspoken questions, for a life that is more than what the Sisterhood doles out for them in the villages. That’s not her only desire; her love for her best friend’s betrothed literally leaps off the page in a way I haven’t seen since Twilight. (Which may or may not be a good thing, depending on what you think of Twilight.)

It is true that the story, while it is mostly self-contained, peters out at the end. But, it’s also the first of a trilogy, so that can be forgiven. Besides, how could you not want to read a zombie-dystopian-love story? Really?

by Suzanne Selfors
ages: 12+
First sentence (ARC): “The first time I saw him, he was lying in the ally behind my grandmother’s coffeehouse.”
Review copy sent to me by the publisher.
Support your local independent bookstore! Buy it there.

Katrina is an average girl. Not exactly pretty. Not exactly ambitious. Not exactly memorable. She works in her grandmother’s coffeehouse, which doesn’t exactly do brisk business; most of that goes next door to the new Java Heaven. Katrina is, however, a decent human being, and so when she opens the coffee shop one day, and spies what seems to be a homeless man in the alley, she leaves him a cuppa joe, a bag of pastries, and some chocolate-covered coffee beans, and doesn’t think anything of it.

That is, not until the guy — whose name is Malcom — shows up at an assembly, wearing a kilt, and knowing her name, saying that, in thanks, he wants to grant her innermost desire. That’s a tricky one, since Katrina is not only average, but a bit driftless, too: she has no idea what she really wants… until she gets to know Malcom a bit better. Then what she wants is something she really can’t have.

Selfors has written another delightful, unexpected romance. While Katrina was a bit too angst-ridden at times, she was also amazingly unselfish. Twice, Malcom offers her her heart’s “desire” — first fortune and then fame — and twice, she lets it slide, almost purposefully, through her fingers. She doesn’t want fame, or fortune. She wants to stop fighting with her best friend. And for the coffee shop to stay open. And for her grandmother to be happy. You would think with all this unselfishness that Katrina would be annoying, but she’s not. Not really. Selfors writes in such at way that you feel for Katrina, and when she makes the ultimate unselfish decision, it’s quite touching.

Ultimately, though, it is a romance. And a very sweet one at that. You think it’s going to go in one particular direction, but Selfors is skilled enough in the use of magic — or in this case the angelic — that she makes something outrageous seem effortless, plausible, and not in the least hokey. Which is magic in and of itself.

by Tera Lynn Childs
ages: 13+
First sentence: “I. Am. A. Goddess.” (I guess that counts.)
Support your local independent bookstore! Buy it there.

So, when we last left Phoebe, she had just found out that she was descended from the goddess Nike; in fact, Nike is her great-grandmother. Which means, not only is Phoebe endowed with great power, since she came into it late, it’s a bit (!) out of control.

Since Phoebe seems to be unable to get her act, well powers, together, her step-father, Damian, has enrolled her in Goddess Boot Camp. With a bunch of 10 year olds. Not exactly the most ideal way to spend the summer (no, she’d rather be running or snogging her boyfriend, Griffin).

While I enjoyed this book on a fluffy, summery level , it seemed that there was even less of a plot here than in Oh.My.Gods.. That, and the dialogue — especially between Phoebe and Griffin, started to annoy me. I thought that there were many instances when Child actually used dialogue to get us through a scene when it could have been more effectively summarized in a sentence or two. In addition, the whole sub-plot with Phoebe being unable to trust Griffin to be faithful was a bit much for me. That said, the overall idea of trust and being sure of oneself is a good thing. And M really liked it.

And, as I said before: it’s a fun beach read.

by Tara Lynn Childs
ages: 13+
First sentence: “When I’m running, I can almost feel my dad at my side.”

beach read: n. A book that is sufficiently fluffy enough to not require thinking while sitting in the hot sand, but fun enough to keep you turning pages.

Oh. My. Gods. = Perfect. Beach. Read.

Think of it as a cross between Maureen Johnson — our main character, Phoebe, is marooned (of sorts) on a Greek island when her mother remarries, and she has to Figure Out the New Life Changes — and Rick Riordan — except the high school she’s now attending is populated with descendants of Greek Gods. Sure, all the elements of your usual High School chick fare are there — snotty Evil Stepsister (they actually call her that) and her snotty cheerleader friends; jerk (but cute) boy with Heart of Gold that she falls for, in spite of her Best Interests; best friends (that Phoebe left behind) that are dying to know What’s Going On; new best friend with an Agenda; and the boy, who’s just a Friend. But throw in the added element of supernatural powers derived from being related to the Greek gods, a bit of a conflict with new best friend and Jerk Boy, and Phoebe trying figure out her place in the whole scheme of things (like why her down-to-earth therapist mother would run off with a Greek guy in the first place… which was never really explained), and you have enough to sustain a novel. But, really: it’s all about the hot guy and the main character getting together. Isn’t it?

If you don’t expect anything big or grand or life-shattering, it’s a fun romp (and an interesting take) through Greek mythology and your general YA romance fare. No, it’s not great literature, but it is a lot of fun.

Buy it at Amazon, Powell’s, or your local independent bookstore.

by Kristin Cashore
ages: 13+
First sentence (ARC): “Larch often though that if it had not been for his newborn son, he never would have survived his wife Mikra’s death.”
Release date: October 5, 2009

(Okay, Kailana, I finally got around to it. 🙂 And thanks, Corinne, for sending me the ARC!)

Fire is a monster. In the Dells, monster creatures — immensely beautiful, irresistible to humans, and with the ability to control human minds — are a part of life, and Fire is the last of the human monsters. She has the ability to make people do her will — an ability her father, Cansrel, used frequently before he died — but she doesn’t use it, instead preferring to hide away in her northern home. That is, until people start mysteriously attempting to kidnap her and then mysteriously dying once they are captured. The events make her curious, and restless, and so when Prince Bergin shows up, at the king’s request, to escort her to King City in order to use her powers to aid in the preparations for the upcoming war, she goes.

It’s obviously more complex than that, mostly because Cashore is a brilliant storyteller and world weaver. There’s scores of new characters to know and love: complex, fascinating, amazing. There’s a new world to discover, full of interesting, and dangerous, creatures. But, in the inevitable comparisons, it’s a much more reflective book than Graceling is. While Fire and Katsa are vastly different heroines, they’re both strong, intelligent, amazing, and willing to do much for those (people and country) that they love. While the romance doesn’t as sparkle and sizzle as much as it does in Graceling, it’s there and amazing in its own mature, lasting way. We meet Leck, Graceling‘s creepy evildoer, as a boy, and even though he didn’t play the role that I was hoping he would, he was still evil enough to give me chills. In fact, the weakest link in the book that is Fire is the “bad guys”; they are there, but they tend to lurk and make polital maneuvers rather than actively confronting the main characters.

That said, Cashore keeps the pace moving, the pages turning, and the reader engrossed to the very last page.

Pre-order it at: Amazon Powell’s or your local independent bookstore.

by Alex Flinn
ages: 13+
First sentence: “Mr. Anderson: Welcome to the first meeting of the Unexpected Changes chat group.”

Kyle Kingman has it all: looks, money, popularity, a hot girlfriend. His father — a newscaster megastar — basically leaves him alone to do what he wants, to buy whatever he wants. Then, one day at school, Kendra shows up. She’s definitely NOT Kyle’s type — ugly, mostly — and on a whim, Kyle decides to ask her to the dance as a joke. Turns out, though, that Kendra’s a witch, and after Kyle ditches her at the dance, she turns him into the Beast that he is. However, since (last minute, and because his girlfriend hated it) he gave a white rose to a girl at the dance, he will have two years to break the curse by (you guessed it) getting someone to fall in love with him as the Beast. And she has to kiss him.

It’s the Beauty and the Beast story, of course, and all the elements are there. The father breaking into the Beast’s house and trading his daughter for his life. The daughter, named Beauty, despising the creature because of her imprisonment but eventually learning to care for him. Beast’s growth and discovering that he really can love. And, yes, the eventual happily-ever-after that comes from a love blossomed out of a friendship. But Flinn takes it and tweaks it just enough, updates it to current times, and then gives us a beast who is broken and lonely and desperate for someone to love him for himself. Amazingly enough, it works on all levels: as a fairy tale, yes, but also as a romance and a story about two broken kids figuring out what it means to love, but also to be loved.

Buy it at Amazon, Powell’s, Half.com, or your local independent bookstore.