Rebel Angels

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

The sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty.

This story picks up a few months after the last book ended (warning there are spoilers to book one in this review so if you haven't read the first book stop reading now!!!!). Gemma, Felicity, and Ann are about to celebrate Christmas, but they don't want to seperate for the holidays.

Together the three concoct a story about Ann being Russian noblity in order for her to stay with Felicity. They just have to be together so that they can continue to enter the realms and search for the mysterious Temple, the only thing that can bind the magic now that Gemma has destroyed the runes. They also have to discuss a new mysterious teacher who has arrived at Spence.

As the girls journey into the realms, they meet new and old friends and enemies. Pippa is still in the realms, but this is worrisome since it is only a matter of time before she will turn evil. There are also new people in the realms such as the Gorgon and the Untouchables.

Back in the real world, the girls are dealing with family issues. Ann's cousins want her to be their governess, Gemma is falling in love and dealing with her father's addiction, and Felicity has a new sister and an old dark secret. Not to mention the fact that they still haven't found Circe!!!

For anyone who has read the first book, this is a must read. For anyone who hasn't read the first book, what are you waiting for!!!! I can't wait to read the final book in this triliogy.

The Death Collector

The Death Collector by Justin Richards

I found this mystery a little unusual. I don't know if I would clasify it as science fiction, fantasy, or both. Throw in the fact that it takes place in 19th century London, and you have one super cross-genre book.

This is the story of a pickpocket, an industrialist millionaire, a vicar's daughter, a knight of the Brititsh Empire, and a lowly museum clerk. The story begins when a young pickpocket named Eddie picks the wrong pocket.

The pocket that Eddie picks belongs to George who works at the British Museum. Two of George's collegues have just been murdered over some journals belonging to a scientist. George has in his possession the last surviving page of the final journal.

I don't want to go into too much detail, but the book does involve mechanical men and dinosaurs. To discover what else happens to Eddie, George, and the rest, you will just have to read The Death Collector by Justin Richards.

A Great and Terrible Beauty

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Let me just start off by saying that this was an awesome fantasy novel. I couldn't wait to read the second book in this trilogy.

A Great and Terrible Beauty is the story of Gemma Doyle, an English sixteen-year-old. Gemma has spent her whole life in India, but has recently been sent to an English finishing school. Strange things start to happen to Gemma and she discovers that she is the last member of a secret magical group called "The Order."

On top of her magical powers, Gemma has to deal with a lot of turmoil in her life. Her family is a complete mess. She is hated by the other girls at school and to top it all off a strange boy keeps following her.

I really recommend this book to any teenage girl who loves fantasy. I do warn you that at times you can't put the book down and at others it is kind of slow. The girls can at times be whiny and there are confusing homosexual undertones even though none of the girls is gay (not stated in book). Overall, I would really recommend this book to a mature reader and especially adults, it is a great crossover novel.

The Seventh Tower: The Fall

The Seventh Tower: The Fall

By: Garth Nix

Tal lives a really sheltered life. He has never left “the Castle,” home to the seven orders, including his own orange order. The world he lives in is completely dark, the sun is hidden behind a thick mist called the veil, and the only light in the Castle and its seven towers are the lights from sunstones.

Sunstones are one of the most important things in Tal’s world. They give them light, heat, create music, act as weapons, heal people, tell time, and most importantly, they allow entry into the shadow world, Aenir. Aenir is where each of the Choosen must go to when they are thirteen in order to obtain their Shadowspirit. Without a Shadowspirit, a Choosen will become an Underfolk, the people who act as servants and do all of the labor in the Castle.

Unfortunately, in order to enter Aenir, Tal must have a primary sunstone. Tal’s family lost theirs when his father disappeared on a secret mission. Now Tal’s only hope to save his siblings and his gravely ill mother is to climb the tower into the forbidden area and still a sunstone. Doing this leads Tal into a world he never knew existed where shadowspirits harm instead of protect, where the world is covered in ice, and people actually live outside the Castle.

To find out what Tal discovers in this new world and if gets his sunstone, you will have to read The Seventh Tower: The Fall by Gareth Nix. This is the first in the series and I will warn you that the first book is hard to put down and leaves you wanting to read the next one.

The Scarlet Letterman

The Scarlet Letterman by Cara Lockwood

The opening of the second "Bard Academy Novel" finds Miranda Tate returning to Bard Academy where her boyfriend is he star basketball player and she has a close group of friends. Although her life at Bard should be much better this semester, it has only grown worse.

Miranda is worried about the missing Heathcliff, whose life she is still guarding with the scrap of paper in her locket. There is also the problem of Parker, the witchiest girl in school, who happens to be after Miranda's guy. The situation between Parker and Miranda grows tenser after Parker is attacked by "the sweatshirt stalker" and asks Ryan (Miranda's boyfriend) to be her bodyguard.

Mystery once again surrounds the "part fictional" Miranda, as she is determined to find out who is wearing that sweatshirt. Could this mysterious figure be the missing Heathcliff?

Once again, Lockwood lures teens into the literary world. This novel, as the title implies, discusses The Scarlet Letter and its connections to modern teenage life. A new teacher is introduced in the form of Mr. B, William Blake. I found the literary shout-outs the best part of this series and I can't wait to read the next one just to find these little nuggets. This series is truly a unique YA series.

A Countess Below Stairs

A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson

If you enjoy historical fiction, especially the kind dealing with royalty, you will enjoy A Countess Below Stairs. The book takes place shortly after World War I in a small village in England. Anna Grazinsky, a Russian countess, finds herself and her family penniless after the recent Russian revolution. Anna's father is dead and she takes it upon herself to become the family's breadwinner.

Jobs are hard to get after the war, especially for women. So, Anna turns to a book she has found on housekeeping. This book leads her into the life a maid in a old estate house. Anna has never worked as a maid before and know little of the life "below stairs." All she knows is that she needs to take care of her family and the new Earl, who she works for at Mersham.

Things only get more difficult for Anna as she begins falling for the Earl. A man who is set to marry for money a most horrible woman. Although it might seem cliche this book is not. There are twists and turns you will not see coming. The characters too are delightful and enough to keep anyone enthralled with their lives.

Girl, Nearly 16 Absolute Torture

Girl, Nearly 16 Absolute Torture by Sue Limb

Jess Jordan is at it again in Sue Limb’s Girl, Nearly 16 Absolute Torture, the sequel to her previous Girl, 15 Charming but Insane. Jess is now on holiday (vacation for us Americans) with her mom and her granny. They are traveling to St. Ives to visit Jess’s dad and to toss Grandpa’s ashes into the sea.

Jess is torn between wanting to see her father, and finally discover why her parents marriage broke-up, and staying in Cornwall with her new boyfriend, Fred. This being Jess Jordan’s life, hilarity and embarrassment must go with her on the trip, not to mention her cell phone which she uses as a lifeline between her and her friends back home.

This book was a great follow-up to the previous adventure and picked right up where the last one left off. I really recommend this book for girls who loved Limb’s first book. I can’t wait to read the third book in this series.