I've recently finished the third and final book in the "Fire and Thorns" trilogy by Rae Carson, The Bitter Kingdom. I loved the book. It was a terrific ending to the series, nicely tying up all the major plotlines from the first books - and that's covering a LOT of ground because the book involves many characters, and weaves in and out of many locations while raising complex political and personal struggles. There are some questions left unanswered, but none of the major questions. Nothing that makes the reader feel cheated. The mysteries left at the end are probably things that should remain mysterious - I won't say anything more because I don't want to give anything away.

This book is told predominantly from heroine Elisa's point of view, although we also get a few chapters told from Hector's perspective which is refreshing. Elisa has grown throughout the trilogy into a very powerful and more self-assured woman than she was in the first book and it's nice to see a YA trilogy with such a complex and engaging character arc for the main character. In some ways this book felt more like a "typical YA read" than the two previous installments in the series, probably because Elisa is a more kick-ass heroine in this book so she feels more like the standard kick-ass heroines in a lot of YA books currently on the market. In a way, I miss the halting, pudgy, self-doubting girl from the first book, but that's not a terrible thing because we need to see Elisa grow. And in Carson's hands, her growth is very authentic. The other nice thing about this series is that there are lots of powerful female characters and they also champion the cause of diversity in a fantasy-oriented context but without hitting the reader over the head with these themes. The relationship between Elisa and Hector comes to a very satisfying resolution in this book, but Elisa never loses sight of her past and we are reminded that it's her past relationships that allow her to forge ahead with Hector.

Overall, I feel that throughout the course of this series, Carson has gone from strength to strength as an author and I'm curious to see what she has planned for her next writing projects.

Despite the fact that The Warrior Heir, first of the Heir Chronicles by Cinda Williams China, is a bulky book, I managed to read it in one day with time to spare. Then, after I read it, I discovered it was the first YA book Chima ever wrote which blew my mind. Having read the Seven Realms series, I was familiar with her style of writing and the excellent standard of her prose, but then to look back to the first book and see it shining as brightly as some of the later books was amazing.

The Heir Chronicles is obviously a boy-focused series, not unlike Harry Potter in terms of intended audience I suspect. And I kind of have a soft spot for YA books for boys. The main character in this book (Jack) is up against some really unenviable odds, but handles it all with grace and good humor. The secondary characters - some adult wizards and some younger school friends - are all fully drawn and terrific complements to Jack. They also all have significant parts to play in the narrative which is wonderful to see in a book with such a comparatively large cast. Too often secondary players are one dimensional, but Chima cares enough for her cast of characters (and her readers) to give everyone a distinct role to play and to give every character his or her moment in the sun - when he or she is faced with a difficult choice that impacts the hero and his journey and they have to do their best in a challenging situation.

I know it can be difficult to get younger male readers to pick up bulky books, but The Warrior Heir should be a strong antidote to reluctant young male readers. I myself (despite not being a young male reader) will be picking up the next book, described as a "companion novel" rather than a sequel (The Wizard Heir) as a matter of urgency!

Project Cain by Geoffrey Girard is part of an interesting concept that I see more and more YA authors experimenting with. This is part of a companion set of books, one told from a YA point of view and one told as an adult book from the perspective of one of the main adult characters in the story. The companion book (which I haven't read yet) is Cain's Blood.

It may, in fact, be unfair of me to review Project Cain before reading the companion novel because I get the feeling that much of what is really key to this series is in the other book. There's a sense in Project Cain that the young protagonist (Jeff), created from the DNA of a long-dead serial killer, has been through so much trauma, he's unable to actually talk about a lot of it. Thus, much of the intrigue and drama happens offstage (off page?). While this is effective and authentic to the character's point of view, it does leave the reader wanting, and I suppose what I'm actually "wanting" is the second book.

While this book has a clear sci-fi structure (bunch of kids are artificially/scientifically created from the DNA of famous serial killers; new take on the nature/nurture debate), it also has its roots in good old-fashioned horror. So if you don't like things that go bump in the night, don't read this book. Although having said that, there's really not too much actual gore on the page. A lot of it is implied but not rendered in detail. So folks who like horror but are nevertheless a bit squeamish, like  me, should be able to cope with this narrative. No promises about the grown-up companion novel though.

The  main character's voice is very authentic and easy to relate to. The book is told from the first person point of view in the voice of a cocky, but extremely anxious and scared (with good reason) young man who, in the first chapter, discovers that his whole life is a lie and he's really a scientific creation born of a horrible  experiment. It's kind of a "buddy drama" in that he soon takes up with a mysterious black ops type agent and they go in search of answers. No girls or romance here. It's drama/action/horror all the way! I enjoyed the book and read it quickly but found portions of it repetitive. Jeff and his black ops bud (Castillo) spend a lot of time on the run and hanging out in seedy hotel rooms staring at computers and looking for answers. But that's the nature of the best in this story. So be prepared for it and you'll sit back and enjoy the narrative. I guess I need to go read Cain's Blood now to get the full picture ...

I've just finished Forgiven by Janet Fox which is the first novel I've read by this author. In retrospect it was probably a strange choice for me to read first because it's a companion novel to a previous story, Faithful. I don't know how much I was missing by not reading that book first. The story of Forgiven seemed to work very well by itself but now I'm going to have to pick up Faithful and see what I missed.

Both novels are historical fiction (YA). Fox handles the genre beautifully. The amount of detail that went into Forgiven was astounding. While most of the action takes place in the early years of the 20th century in San Francisco, we see several other settings all beautifully and accurately rendered by the author. Each chapter begins with a quote from a novel or news-sheet relevant to the story, and from the time-period which is a testament to how much research Fox did to bring this story to life. I learned so much from those little quotes that I feel inspired to look into the history of San Francisco which I don't know that much about.

The story itself was a cross between action/adventure and romance. The book also dealt with social issues like racial prejudice and class consciousness. Nob Hill was REALLY Nob Hill at the time. The characters are beautifully rendered on the page and the settings highly evocative. If I had any criticism at all, I'd say that the story felt a little rushed at the end. I don't want to give a lot away about what happens, but I had become so invested in the place and the characters that I was left wanting more at the end of the book. That might not be such a bad thing as it's probably good for the reader to be so invested in the characters that (s)he wants more. And maybe Fox will write another book in the series and we'll find out what happens to heroine Kula and the band of folks she's left with at the end of this story.

I'll definitely pick up Faithful and other books by this author. Great reads for young adults too because they mix entertaining storytelling with real history and social issues. Would be good discussion starters in a history or social studies class, I would think. Not too didactic, but enough material to get a solid discussion going and to think about how far we have (or haven't) come as a society since the early 20th century in terms of class and race consciousness.

Even though I let 8 year old Zach review the first few chapters of Wonder by R J Palacio already, I decided to exercise my prerogative as "chief book blogger" to add my own thoughts having finally finished the book myself. I had to wrestle it away from my son first!

What a great read. This one should appeal to folks of all ages - 8 to 80 as they say. As the book has topped many bestseller lists, folks are probably familiar with the basic plot. It's the story of a young man with a variety of deformities caused by a genetic abnormality. During the course of the narrative, he starts regular school for the first time. While a book like this could be depressing and a drag, it's really very uplifting. The story is told with authenticity, good humor, and an unforgettable cast of characters many of whom are given the opportunity to tell portions of the story in their own voices.

One thing that really struck me about the writing was how terrific Palacio is at slipping from one voice to another in the different sections of the story to fill in gaps left in other portions. Thus we get the story of an entire school year with different sections told in different voices. All of them are young voices and all are very distinct and genuine. This is a cast of characters I can really believe in. They're so easy to relate to, and their voices are sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes uplifting.

It's definitely a "feel good" story. The characters have their ups and downs but we kind of know that "good" will triumph in the end. And by "good", I mean all that's best about people - kindness, love, trust and giving the benefit of the doubt, allowing for second chances etc. I don't want to say more for fear of spoiling the plot. But I highly recommend this one to readers of all ages.

I waited a long time to get to this book and I'm glad I did because I wanted to savor it. I listened to the audiobook version which was terrific - same narrator as the first book and he does a wonderful job. A friend of mine (she knows who she is) told me that her favorite thing about The Dream Thieves was the new bad guy and I have to agree. He's a rounded complex character and he's written with the same tongue-in-cheek, but sharp edged humor that Stiefvater employs so well in her writing generally.

Unlike the first book (The Raven Boys), this sequel is very much Ronan's story. It's obvious from the title - for anyone who remembers the last lines of the previous book. And it's great to get a much deeper glimpse into Ronan and his family, and where they all came from. However, the story also continues Gansey's and Adam's storylines, and Blue along with her crazy household of psychic family and friends plays a big role. Actually, one thing I really like about this book is that we finally get to see Gansey in his "native habitat" for the first time as well as Ronan.

While this is a lengthy book, it just flies by, even the audio version where you can't skim over any passages. But of course I didn't want to. Stiefvater is one of my favorite authors in terms of her wonderful, lyrical prose, her tongue-in-cheek humor and characters that are no only well-rounded but positively spherical.

Like the first book, this one wraps up its own plot neatly before turning to a neat cliffhanger in the final lines. And the cliffhanger isn't an annoying "you have to wait until the next book, folks" trick, but rather a glimpse of the direction for the next book. (Yeah, you do have to wait until the next book to find out what happens to the relevant characters, but seriously, who wasn't going to read the next book anyway???)

I'm hoping Stiefvater quickly gives us the next book and then goes back and finishes the Lament series so I can find out what happens in the end of that one too. Keep writing, Maggie. Your fans want more!!!

I defy anyone not to enjoy Cress, the most recent installment in Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series. Apart from anything else, Meyer is one of the most amazing YA writers in keeping multiple intertwined strands of a complex narrative straight, including all the sci-fi elements and intergalactic (or at least inter-lunar) travel.

Not only does Meyer introduce her version of the Rapunzel story in Cress (complete with unlikely prince character), but she keeps her Cinderella and Red Riding Hood narratives going. It looks like the next book, Winter (forthcoming) is going to introduce her version of Snow White.

In order to keep all the threads active, the books are becoming quite large. This one was over 500 pages, but very engaging and easy to read, and it was great to see Kai and Cinder get some more page time in this go-around.

This is sci-fi/fantasy soapy drama at its best complete with weird medical experiments, sentient androids, and mind control, but all in a good way. Alliances are tested, preconceptions are questioned, and the characters continue to be well drawn and funny, as well as empathetic. The best scenes are when the growing band of heroes are all together in a room/spaceship arguing with each other. The banter between them is priceless. I could really see this series as a movie - although I guess it would have to be a big epic series of  movies.

Even though the books are large and there's a LOT going on now, I'm not going to be able to resist reading them as long as Meyer keeps writing them.

With thanks to everyone who entered our first ever blog-giveaway, the winner of the autographed copy of Auracle by Gina Rosati is:

Lauren Spieller

In answer to the question If you could astrally project absolutely anywhere, where would you go, and why?, Lauren said she'd go to Dumbledore's office. Great answer.

Gina's message for all who entered:

"Thank you to everyone for all the lovely comments and for sharing where you'd love to astrally project to!! Congratulations to Lauren Spieller, winner of a signed AURACLE paperback. And I think Dumbledore's office would be a great place to astrally project to, too!"

Thanks to everyone for playing and I hope to be able to do this again sometime soon!

How on earth did it take me so long to read anything by Matt de la Pena? (Apologies to the author for my inability to get my blogging software to get his name right.) Having heard him speak at the SCBWI conference in L.A. last year, I added him to my "must read" list but only just picked up Mexican Whiteboy last night. I read it on a plane home from a conference - cover to cover in one sitting. I was glad I was sitting in a window seat toward the back of the plane so I had time to finish it before I had to deplane.

This is the best "building of a relationship and overcoming differences" story I've ever read. It deals with a half-white, half-Mexican boy (Danny) spending the summer at his missing dad's relatives' house and forging an unlikely friendship with a half-Mexican, half-African American boy (Uno) who has his own father/family issues to confront.

The boys deal with identity issues, family, girls, "otherness" and, of course ... baseball. The dialogue is genuine and authentic mixing various street dialects, notably what one might call "Spanglish". It took a few pages for me to orient my ear to the dialogue, but after that it was easy going. While there's lots of imagery and real poetry in the story which is beautiful, it's also fast paced and tugs at the heartstrings while leaving the reader with a sense of optimism and hope at the end.

I'm kicking myself for taking so long to get to this author's work and am definitely going to read more (and more quickly) in the future.