Extraordinary (2010)

Is it fair that one person has to pay a debt for an obligation made by an ancestor many generations before them? Nancy Werlin gives us a story about a girl from a very wealthy family who has to face this dilemma. Phoebe's mother is a descendant of a man who made a deal with a fairie queen in order to create a financial dynasty. It seems that Phoebe will have to repay his debt.

Mallory appears at Phoebe's school one day, looking quite lost and wearing bizarre clothes. Phoebe turns her back on her priveleged friends and befriends her. Little does Phoebe know that Mallory has an alterior motive.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Phoebe - the girl - we are best friends now. That is what humans call it: best friends. With time I will be able to make her do exactly as we wish. But Your Majesty! I have tired you. Would you rest now? I can come back."
"I am only a little tired. I am not so sick yet, my child. Very well. You may have the time you say you require. It will not, after all, be the longest time that a faerie has ever masqueraded as a human."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. This is just a delay. I won't fail you or our people, I won't. You may rely on me. In the end I will do exactly as I have promised."

It is an intriguing question about how long a family can enjoy the fruits of an arrangement before they have to settle a debt. In this case, over 200 years pass before the opportunity arises for the fairies to collect and Phoebe is the price. Is there no alternative?

I liked this book except for some aspects which seemed forced and necessary only to make the story work. For instance, Mallory's "mother" is a mentally disturbed woman whose true daughter (named Mallory) had died. This Mallory moves in with her, helps her keep up with her drugs and Skittles addiction, and no one worries too much about the situation. Did the school not notice that someone is taking the place of someone they thought had died? Oh, well. It is a fantasy and we shouldn't worry about such details.

My rating for this book: +++

Shiver (2009)

It tore my heart out, because I heard his voice. The wolves sang slowly behind him, bitterweet harmony, but all I heard was Sam. His howl trembled, rose, fell in anguish.
I listened for a long time. I prayed for them to stop, to leave me alone, but at the same time I was desperately afraid that they would. Long after the other voices had dropped away, Sam kept howling, very soft and slow.
When he finally fell silent, the night felt dead.

Grace had watched the wolf watching her from the woods and had been mesmerized by his gold eyes. Sam had watched the girl watching him from the house and had been mesmerized by her. Until one day a boy with golden eyes showed up on her porch, totally nude and suffering from a gunshot wound.

He looked nothing like a wolf, but everything like my wolf. Even now, without his familiar eyes open, a little part of me kept jumping with irrational glee, reminding myself -- it's him.

There are many parallels to Twilight such as the love they feel for each other seemingly impossible to continue, the head wolf who teaches and takes care of new wolves, the jealous she-wolf threatening Grace with harm, and the theme of a sensitive sense of smell. I tried my hardest to not let Twilight influence my appreciation of this book but it was hard.

Fantasy romance readers will love this story by Maggie Stiefvater.

My rating for this book: +++ 1/2

Revelations (2008)

This is the third book in the Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz and I have to say I did not enjoy it as much as the first two. It seems that everyone has a second angel name and it was confusing as to which were the good angels and which were the bad angels.

I was disappointed, too, because I was left feeling that I have to wait for the next book (good for the author's bank account but frustrating for me). Since Rowling and Meyer have their readers comfortable with books reaching up to 600 pages, it seems that de la Cruz might have given us more with this book and not left us hanging in the wind.

I would recommend that readers wait until the series is finished and then read them all at once. Fans of vampire romance books will love this series.

Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty (2008)

It's interesting, sometimes, to figure out exactly what attracts you to a certain book. In this case, I was intrigued by the term "triple shot betty". When I read the description of the book, I was further drawn in by the fact that it took place in Sonoma, just over the hill from my home! My confession is that I am not a real fan of chick lit, even though I have to admit that once I start reading a book of this genre, I find I like the main character, feel sorry when something bad happens, and celebrate when everything is fixed (if that's the case). In Jody Gehrman's book, Geena is looking forward to a summer where her best friend, Amber, and her cousin, Hope, meet and the three of them enjoy hanging out. Well, you know that if that was all that happened it wouldn't be a very interesting book. Geena is smart and funny and has a totally unique view of the world. I highly recommend this book to girls who enjoy revenge stories.

My rating for this book: +++

Breaking Dawn (2008)

I have finally been able to finish the last book in this series by Stephenie Meyer and I am not at all disappointed with the ending. I can't talk too much about this book without spoiling the story so I will just say that Ms. Meyer has left the possibility open for a spinoff series featuring Jacob. There was a discussion about the difference between shape shifters and werewolves that seemed to come from nowhere and which gave me the feeling that we would see more on that topic!
This series was all about love between two very different people and the sacrifices we sometimes have to make for the success of the relationship. Of course, the sacrifices made for this relationship could be considered much greater than most of us would have to make but we are just ordinary humans after all, right?
It is a great pleasure to have a series of books that introduce new characters and situations. When you have finished one book you can look forward to the next. It's almost like reading one humongous book!
I am now looking forward to seeing Twilight, the movie.
My rating for this book: +++++

Links for Twilight

Fans of Twilight are eager to learn who will be cast in the upcoming movie and when will the next book be released. All of these tidbits can be picked up in the author's official website

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/index.html

and the official fan site

www.twilightlexicon.com/.

You will want to put these sites with your favorite links.

Eclipse

The third book in the series by Stephenie Meyer is just as exciting as the first two. When I was reading this book, I was transported back to when I was a teenager reading a romance book and I relived that giddy feeling gotten from fantasizing that two gorgeous guys were in love with me and protecting me against evil. Wow! In this book, Bella graduates from high school, realizes that her wish to become a vampire to be with Edward will cause incredible grief to her father, and is being hunted by Victoria, the evil vampire. The werewolves and vampires join forces to protect Bella and destroy Victoria and her band of young, out-of-control vampires. Everyone who has read this book is eagerly awaiting the fourth installment.

My rating: ++++

New Moon

Well, if having a boyfriend who is a vampire isn't enough, Bella's best friend turned out to be a werewolf, sworn enemy of vampires. Could she pick them or what?

At the end of Twilight, Edward and his "family" left the town of Forks, Washington, leaving behind a totally distraught Bella. She reconnected with Jacob, her Spokane Indian friend in order to satisfy her father's wish to socialize again. She discovered that if she involved herself with dangerous activities she heard Edward's voice, so she put herself in peril just to hear his voice again. When she decided to dive off a cliff for a thrill Alice, one of the vampires who has a not completely reliable talent to foresee events, reported to Edward that she made the dive, but not that she almost drowned and was rescued by Jacob. Edward, in true Romeo and Juliet fashion, decided that he could not exist without Bella in the world and went to Florence, Italy, where the only beings that could bring about his demise lived. And the chase was on!

When I read these books, I couldn't help but think of people with HIV/Aids who have a relationship with a non-infected person. On one hand, you want to have a physical relationship, but on the other hand you are totally aware that losing control could mean accidentally infecting your partner. Edward loved Bella so much he held back so that he wouldn't lose control and risk biting her and damning her to immortality even though she loved him so much that the idea of eternally being a teenager in love appealled to her. What a dilemma!

Now I have to wait for the last book, Eclipse, to be returned so I can read it. Definitely something I look forward to.

I would not recommend reading this book unless you have read Twilight first. Bella's emotional turmoil in the first 200 pages would be quite hard to plow through if you don't have the background to help make it relevant.

My rating for this book: +++++

The Alchemist

"You should pay more attention to the caravan," the boy said to the Englishman, after the camel driver had left. "We make a lot of detours, but we're always heading for the same destination."
"And you ought to read more about the world," answered the Englishman. "Books are like caravans in that respect."

This is a "journey" book, a book about discovery and self realization, in which a young shepherd in Spain has his fortune told and is informed he will find a hidden treasure near the pyramids in Egypt. He decides to seek his fortune, he sells his sheep, and embarks on his journey. Along the way he meets all sorts of people and learns something from each of them. When I read this book I couldn't help but think of all the people I have met and books I have read over the years and how I learned something from each of them. We may not always have an "Aha" flash from each encounter like the shepherd boy has but something will sink in and make us wiser in the long run.

This book has an interview with the Brazilian-born author and a reader's guide which gives you some more to consider after you've read the book. This was an extremely popular book and has been translated into 65 languages from its original Portuguese. You can read it as a simple fable or as a deeper, more meaningful story. On either level it's bound to make you think about yourself.

My rating for this book: +++

Twilight

I had to read this book in the hours (!) it wasn't checked out. So many people asked to check it out that I wanted to see what was the big deal about it. Well, I could hardly tear myself away from this riveting story. The story opens when Bella moves from her mother's house in sunny, warm Arizona to live with her father in a small town in rainy, gray, cold Washington state. She is attracted to a mysterious, drop-dead gorgeous guy in her class who turns out to be a vampire. His family, related only by their unusual eating habits, chose the town of Forks, Washington for its overcast weather (they can go outside during daylight hours) and excellent hunting (not humans). Her relationship with Edward develops and complications abound. It's a very interesting twist on the old boy-meets-girl story and I found myself thinking that I couldn't wait to see the movie because of the scenery of the area, the vampires' appearance, and how their way of moving fast would be portrayed.
It is no wonder this book is on the ALA Top Ten Book for Teens. Twilight is followed by New Moon and Eclipse. I think I will read these books over winter break if they aren't checked out.
I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a love story and you like the unusual and a bit of action.
My rating for this book: +++++