Ashfall by Mike Mullin

I am still here!  Just not reading as many teen books as before...and forgetting to put down the ones I do!  I'm also taking an opportunity to read some full series, instead of just the first book or two.

So...Ashfall. 

Alex is left alone for a weekend in his Cedar Falls home while his parents and younger sister head off to a family's home in Illinois.  Alex expects the weekend to be very low-key.  The world has other plans.  A volcano erupts at Yellowstone National Park and throws the entire world off-kilter.  The earthquake ruins Alex's home and the ashfall from the eruption causes total blackness.

Staying with the neighbors seems like the best option...until one of the men kills an intruder.  Scared and nervous, Alex takes off, determined to find his family on the other side of the Mississippi.  What he doesn't realize is how desperate people are or how determined to survive at the cost of everything.  Especially others' lives.

The scariest part about this story is the fact that it could happen.  While the book could have been a little shorter, it is definitely a page-turner.  Alex meets all sorts of obstacles along the way and while he's not afraid to take help, he becomes leery of it as the book moves on.  A good survivalist novel...there's a sequel on the way!

The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore

I believe this was the only book I hadn't read of Clement-Moore's, and it was worth the wait.

Sylvie can't believe her life's ambition is over--a severly broken leg means she'll never dance again.  Life might as well be over too as her mom and new step-dad ship her off to stay in Alabama while they're on their honeymoon.  Convinced she's having a spychotic break, they want someone to watch her all the time.

Can Sylvie help the fact she can see ghosts?  As she settles into life at Bluestone Hill, the strange occurrences keep happening, convincing her that maybe she is crazy.  A baby's wail at night, the cold pockets on the landing, and a blur of clothing out of the corner of her eye convince her something is happening.  When the rivers rise and threaten to flood the town, she may be the only one to stop the supernatural catastrophe behind it all.

Once again, Clement-Moore creates a world of magic and wonder.  I was reminded of Marion Zimmer-Bradley's work while I was reading this.  A definite pageturner.

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Ok ok, this isn't a teen book. I've been branching out.

Although, to be fair, other than the swearing and the violence...and actually because of it...it's still ok.

Mercy Thompson is a shapeshifter living in the area of a werewolf pack. She's a mechanic who deals with vampires, witches, and the fae...along with those pesky werewolves. So when a new werewolf appears at her shop looking for work, she doesn't turn him away even though she thinks about it. Mac's a pretty good kid but it's apparent he's never been trained by an Alpha on his new abilities.

Then two men appear and try to take Mac with them. Mercy steps in at that point and kills the werewolf--something she shouldn't really be able to do. Before long, the whole werewolf pack is involved, their Alpha is down, and Mercy is up to her neck in all sorts of supernatural trouble.

An involved story with lots of twists and characters. Mercy is a great main character--full of spunk and sarcasm. There is some romance in the story, but not a lot--just overtones. I love books with some paranormal aspect, some romance, and a lot of kicking a**. This book has all three..in spades.

Dead to You by Lisa McMann

When Ethan was 7, he was kidnapped from his front yard, in front of his 4-year old brother Blake. Now at 16, he's made his way back home.

It hasn't been easy. He remembers living with a woman named Ellen, then being dropped off at a group home and running away. Now that he's home with his family, nothing seems familiar--not the house, his parents, or his brother. Not even Cami, his best friend from childhood. As Ethan settles back into his life, questions remain. Why can't he remember anything from the years before he was kidnapped? Why is nothing familiar? Blake, Ethan's little brother, is especially suspicious, and has a hard time accepting Ethan back into the family.

But is everything as it seems?

Good suspense and believable. Ethan tells this story, and while he's reliable, you wonder what he's hiding and why.

Soulbound:The Legacy of Tril by Heather Brewer

I got this book from Heather Brewer (yay) as an Advanced Reader's Copy. The book is going to be published in July.

I'm not going to say a lot about it, but I will a little. Because I enjoyed it so much.

First of all...it's the first in a new series by Brewer. I'm dying to read the 2nd book. I read the 1st one this morning. Yes, this morning. I couldn't put it down, and refused to until I had it read.

The basic story is this: The main character, Kaya, lives in a world that has Barrons, Healers, and the Unskilled. The Barrons are born with a fighting 'gene'--it makes them natural fighters. They are bonded with a Healer, someone born with the healing 'gene'--and Healers can bring Barrons back from the brink of death. The Unskilled are well, people who aren't born with one of these traits. Kaya is a Healer, but she's in hiding. Her parents broke the rules when they fell in love and got married--they're both Barrons. So when Kaya is discovered, she's threatened to either learn how to become a Healer or her parents will be imprisoned or killed. So she goes to the Shadow Academy. Healers are expected to learn some about healing, mostly about why they're suppose to follow their bonded Barrons around. Kaya wants to learn how to fight, which is forbidden.

This story has it all--action, adventure, intrigue, mystery, fantasy, and romance. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. And I still can't!

So...go preorder it now. I'll wait here.

Elenium and Tamuli series by David Eddings

So...every once in a while I branch out from YA/Teen literature and read something different. I've been an avid fan of David Eddings since I discovered his books in high school. I, like most of his fans, started off with the Belgariad series. While most fans have issues with the Elenium and Tamuli series, I really do enjoy them. Actually, I enjoy pretty much everything by David Eddings, may he rest in peace, because he was a fabulous author. And I really got his humor (which is sarcastic or dry...like mine!).

So...we'll start with the Elenium series. This series is made up of 3 books...The Diamond Throne, The Ruby Knight, and The Sapphire Rose. They feature a knight in his late thirties--a hardened warrior who fights for his church, but also serves as the Queen's champion. The Church Knight's name is Sparhawk, and he really is a disagreeable fellow. He returns from exile at the beginning of The Diamond Throne to find his queen has been poisoned and is near death. His quest is to find a cure, save the queen, and then the world.

It's hard to talk about the Tamuli series without giving some things away, but suffice to say, Sparhawk survives the battles and such in the first series. The three books in this series are called Domes of Fire, The Shining Ones, and The Hidden City. Sparhawk is once again called upon to save the world, with the help of his friends.

What I love about these books: There are good guys and bad guys and they're battling over the world. There's humor, there's adventure, and no swearing or sex (well, the swearing is there, but they aren't our swearwords). It's good wholesome fun. There's violence, but I mean, when you're fighting evil gods and have knights...of course there's going to be fighting! Whenever I have a teen looking for a good fantasy, I direct them to these books.

Envy by Gregg Olson

Katelyn's body was found by her mother shortly after her death. She was electrocuted by an espresso machine in the bathtub. Everyone is shocked to hear of her death--although it wasn't unexpected.

Twins Hayley and Taylor are convinced it wasn't suicide. The twins get feelings every so often that often turn out to be true. So they decide to figure out what happened to Katelyn, and who did it. They need to be careful...they don't want someone to find out about their special talents. There is already a reporter snooping around, connecting the three girls to the bus accident that happened when the girls were 5. Every girl on that bus is now deceased...except for the twins.

As the story moves on, more and more secrets are revealed. It takes a while to really get into the story...I wasn't sure where it was going at all. The chapters are mostly short and easy to get through, although the foreshadowing at the end of most of them got old.

The author talks a lot about evil, but that doesn't really go anywhere. The story was "inspired" by the events that have surrounded the deaths of many teenagers who have been bullied or harassed on online social networks by parents of other teenagers.

Wake Trilogy by Lisa McMann

Once again I read a whole series before reviewing any of the books. Mostly I did this because I am often behind in my posting. This time, I couldn't wait to read all three books in the Wake trilogy, so I basically checked out all three (ok, I bought the first one) and read them all...almost in one sitting.

Wake is the first book in the series. In Wake, we learn that Janie has a unique gift. Or curse. She, against her will, gets pulled into the dreams of the people around her. So when people fall asleep and start dreaming, often Janie is right there with them. Experiencing their dreams...or nightmares. Sometimes she can pull herself out, but not often. She starts noticing Cabel and realizes she's been in his nightmares before. His especially are scary.

When she realizes something big is happening in Cabel's life, she has a decision to make--help him or stay away from him.

And without giving the ending away of Wake, I can't talk about Fade or Gone. Just that Janie's powers grow as well as her ability to control them. And she has to make a life-altering decision before the series is over.

What I liked most about the series was the characters. Janie and Cabel are well-written and realistic. Janie's abilities are odd, yes, but fit into the storyline and come across as believable. Fade especially has been hard to get out of my head, but that's because the situation Janie finds herself in is so disturbing. Highly recommended, but perhaps for older teens.

The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff

Daphne lives in Hell with her parents, Lilith and Lucifer. She's never left, not even to just go explore Earth. Her older brother, the only person Daphne really cares about, is gone for long periods of time, as his job is to save the souls of the Lost Ones--children of demons or angels and humans. Obie, Daphne's brother, decides he's had enough of this kind of life and choose to leave. On his way, he stumbles across Truman, a Lost One who wasn't suppose to be there. Daphne, trying to stop Obie from leaving, can't explain what draws her to Truman. Before she knows it, they're both gone.

Before long, Lilith reaches out to Daphne in a panic. Obie has gone missing and Daphne must go to Earth to find him. Determined to find him, Daphne heads to Earth and searches for the one person she's sure will know where Obie is. Truman. Only Truman has no idea how to find Obie and is on his own path of self-destruction. Can Daphne save Truman in order to save her brother?

Not as good as The Replacement, the story does grow on you. There are some elements of Percy Jackson-type quest here, as Daphne and Truman travel from Chicago to Las Vegas to find someone they aren't sure how to find, and following clues they're not completely sure of. The beginning is a little complicated but it gets more even as the story plays out. An enjoyable supernatural story with romantic overtones.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Conor's mom is slowly dying of cancer but they're both in denial about what's happening. Conor can't imagine a world without his mom, so tries to ignore it. He's haunted by a nightmare he has most nights and this night is no different.

When he wakes up, he hears something calling his name. Out in the yard, he watches as the yew tree pulls itself out of the ground and shapes itself into a being. An extremely tall being or monster. The monster wants Conor to be afraid of him, but after his nightmare, Conor doesn't find the tree fearful at all.

The monster has a strange request--Conor must listen to three of the monster's stories and then tell one of his own.

But Conor would rather face death than admit to his greatest fear...and the source of his nightmare.

Conor's pain, anger, and fear leap off the page. The monster's motives are unclear until the end of the book. Conor is a likable character who is going through a horrible experience. The illustrations throughout make the story more enjoyable and add depth to the setting.

After Obsession by Carrie Jones and Steven Wedel

Aimee has been having nightmares for a long time. When her mother was alive, she would share the details of these nightmares. With her mother gone, Aimee struggles to appear normal to her family and her friends. Her visions are getting stronger and harder to hide.

Alan is new to town, moving to Goffstown, Maine after his cousin Courtney's dad goes missing. Alan is not happy with the move, especially since the high school doesn't have a football team. Then he meets Aimee--first in a dream and then in real life. Alan tries to remain true to his Native American heritage and realizes something isn't right in Goffstown and Courtney may be at the center of it.

Together, Aimee and Alan must find a way to confront and defeat an ancient evil plaguing the town--specifically, Courtney. Aimee also believes her mother may be involved. The River Man is powerful and Aimee and Alan aren't sure if they can do this and survive.

Engrossing. I enjoy paranormal romance stories anyway, but the alternative voice here is an added bonus. The River Man is creepy and powerful. Alan and Aimee come across as believable and their story works well together.

The Princess of Las Pulgas by C. Lee McKenzie

Carlie, her mom, and her brother haven't had the best year. Carlie's dad just passed away from cancer, and not too long after, the family has to sell their home and move from Channing, a pretty well-to-do town, to Las Pulgas, which is not so well-off. Carlie goes back and forth between hating her dad and missing him like crazy. She can't wait for life to get back to "normal" and for the family to move back to Channing.

Nothing works out the way she wants though. In school, she's called 'Princess' and refuses to make friends. Her brother shuts down and then vandalizes the school. Even though she doesn't want to, Carlie starts getting pulled into the lives of her classmates--especially since they are putting on the play Othello together for a fundraiser for school and Carlie is playing the lead.

She learns that at some point, things can never go back the way they were. And maybe you wouldn't want them to.

Carlie is a believable character going through an awful experience. There are a couple of times where you just want to shake her, but they fit into what's happening in the story. Stereotypes are both broken down and used in this story. Heartwrenching at times.

Siren's Storm by Lisa Papademetriou

In the tiny seacoast tourist town of Walfang, Will and his family live year-round selling flowers, home-baked products, and food to the seasonal crowd. Last summer tragedy struck when Will's brother went out on his boat one night. His body has never been found and Will has very dim memories of that night--for some reason he was on the beach but doesn't remember how or why.

When a hurricane is predicted for their little town, Will knows he needs to go to the harbor and help his uncle secure their boat. On his way, he runs (literally) into the most gorgeous girl he's ever met. With his truck. When he looks for her, she's gone. After heading to the docks to help his uncle, he sees her again, climbing down the rocks to the beach. He then runs into her again, this time working at the local diner his best friend Gretchen also works at. The mysterious girl's name is Asia and there is definitely something strange about her.

All Will cares about is she may know what happened to his brother. Before he can swallow the truth, he may have to save his best friend too.

I admit to liking books that take Greek mythology and twisting them to fit into today's world. This one definitely does that. The sirens from Odysseus' time make a new appearance. Will is a good main character who will hopefully be more fleshed out (along with Gretchen) when the sequel comes out.

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

In Anya's world, things like chocolate are illegal. Too bad her dad was the head guy of one of the best chocolate-making companies in the world, and so, one of the biggest crime/mob bosses! Both he and Anya's mom have been dead for a while now, and even though Anya has an older brother and they live with their grandmother, Anya is really in charge of the family. She knows the best thing she can do for the family is to keep her head down and stay out of the lime light.

Then her ex-boyfriend gets sick off of chocolate he begged her to have and she's blamed for the poisoning. At the same time, she meets the son of the new assistant D.A. and starts to fall for him. All of this leads to the kind of attention she doesn't want and her family doesn't need. But she can't help what her heart wants.

Until she has to bargain with the devil to keep her family together.

Anya is a fantastic character with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She tries to walk a fine line between keeping up appearances and keeping the family together. Attempting to keep her promise to her father ends up costing her too much in the end. There were a few confusing spots throughout the story which could have been covered with a little more backstory, but otherwise, I enjoyed the story. Took me a while to get through though!

Drink Slay Love by Sarah Beth Durst

Pearl is just your average 16-year old vampire...conceited, hungry, and considers humans to be little more than food. She especially likes the guy at the ice cream store--right after he's eaten chocolate mint ice cream. He's her favorite snack.

After indulging herself one night, however, Pearl is attacked and stabbed through the heart. By a unicorn. Her family (also vampires) doesn't believe her, but when she can walk in daylight without burning to a crisp, she starts to wonder if this new power won't be useful. With the king of the vampires coming, Pearl knows her family is expected to provide lots of food. And what better than teenagers from the local high school?

Not only can Pearl walk around during the day...she also develops a conscience. And suddenly the idea of killing a massive amount of people doesn't sit well with her at all. Not to mention the role she must play to make that happen. She has to choose between her family and her new found conscience.

Very interesting twist on the vampire story. Pearl is an interesting character, but there are definitely some flaws. Overall it was a good story...I just lost interest every once in a while. I liked the idea though!

Wolf Mark by Joseph Bruchac

Luke has lived his whole life being prepared for something bad to happen. His parents have run through drills and safety measures "just in case" something goes wrong.

The day after Luke has a horrible nightmare in which he meets a creature known as Grue, his dad disappears. Following the clues his dad's left behind, Luke discovers his dad has been kidnapped and it's up to him to save his life.

Luke has been training for such an occurrence most of his life; he just never expected to have to do it alone. And while he gets most of his questions answered about their strange heritage, the mark on his hand, and why electronic devices don't work for him, he's left with just one mission. Find and save his dad. At any cost.

A fascinating read, it does wander at times. Luke is a great narrator, but even he admits he gets sidetracked easily. A lot. There is page after page of action, but the back story is also well-developed. This is a great werewolf novel from a Native American point of view. Highly recommended.

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Cas exterminates, or kills, ghosts. He's pretty good at it too. His dad did it before him, until he was killed by one. Now it's Cas' turn, and he and his mother travel across the country, following leads.

They head to Thunder Bay, Ontario, to confront and put down a ghost most locals know as 'Anna Dressed in Blood'. Cas isn't sure what to expect, but he goes in, just to scope it out. Actually, two local teens knock him out and push him inside, trying to scare him even though they don't believe the story.

That is, they don't believe it until Anna appears and rips one of them in half. Cas isn't sure what to expect, especially since the next time he sees her, she beats him up. She's a ghost with extra super powers and for once in his life, Cas doesn't know what to do.

Gruesome and scary. The ending is definitely a twist. It's very enjoyable, despite a couple flaws. And spooky too!

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Chloe can see dead people. Or rather...their ghosts. When they realize she can see them, they do anything to get her attention--even making themselves as frightening as possible. She freaks out at school one day and gets herself sent to Lyle House.

Chloe's aunt is the reason she goes to Lyle House instead of any other home. But everything there is strange. Her roommate Liz is sent away. The staff seem to be waiting for her to do something supernatural as well. When she gets locked in the crawl space under the house, it creates stunning results--she wakes up the dead. Literally.

With the help of Simon and Derek, foster brothers who also have supernatural secrets, Chloe knows they must escape.

Not a bad start to this supernatural series. Chloe has a clear voice, most of the time.

Misfit by Jon Skovron

Jael Thompson has a huge secret. Her mother, who died when she was a baby, was a demon. Her father, an ex-priest, moves them around constantly, to protect Jael from forces that would try to either kill her or use her for evil purposes.

When Jael turns 16, her dad gives her a necklace he promised he would. With that gift, everything changes. Her dad doesn't want to tell her anything, but before long, he has to. Her demon half is making itself known. She can't control her emotions and the demon who killed her mother is now after her.

The story starts a little slow, but that's only the first chapter. Flashbacks and memories surface through the book. Lots of dialogue, action, and a little romance round out this supernatural story. There's some mythology as well.

Five 4ths of July by Pat Raccio Hughes

Jake's first 4th of July happens in 1777, one year after the start of the Revolutionary War. He's with his buddies, swimming, joking, and having a good morning before having to go home to do chores. The war has started, yes, but it has no real impact on his life.

1778, little has changed. Jake's father decides on the 4th to enlist Jake in the militia, and Jake is angry at being forced. Things are changing, but even though the war has been going on for two years at this point, it means very little to Jake personally.

1779, all of that changes. The British attack New Haven, and Jake, who lives in East Haven, and his best friend Tim are in the middle of all the action. The Rebels run out of ammunition and have to retreat to a new post to keep fighting. Jake and Tim get separated from the rest of the militia but decide to protect Jake's father's ferry. They are captured and forced onto a prison ship.

1780 and 1781 find the boys completely different. Each 4th of July brings about new issues and torments. And all they think about is surviving to the next day.

A powerful novel. Each chapter is only about the 4th of July, but the narrator catches you up on what's happened in the past year. There is action and adventure here, but also brutal truths about war and about the Revolutionary War in particular. Very moving, and the author's notes at the end about the real people her characters were based on is appreciated.