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!

Heist Society by Ally Carter

Kat had enough with the family business until someone framed her in a school prank and her father is accused of stealing a private collection of extremely valuable paintings. And the owner won't hesitate to hurt everyone Kat cares about if he doesn't get them back.

So Kat has two weeks to find and steal back the five missing paintings. She knows her dad didn't take them--his alibi is stealing something else and having Interpol on his tail. Kat needs the skills and help of a few old buddies--Hale, Gabrielle, Simon, and the Bagshaw boys. Uncle Eddie, the unofficial leader of the family, has washed his hands of the whole mess and told her to do the same. But she can't do that with all of their lives on the line.

Kat knows who took the paintings and where they stashed them. Can she and her crew pull off an amazing heist to save her father and not get caught?

Lots of action and movement--Kat runs around Europe pretty easily. The characters all interesting and everything is well described. If you liked I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You, you'll definitely love this story!

Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange

Ok ok, this isn't a teen book, but I indulge in my Jane Austen addiction every once in a while.

In Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, we begin the story the day of Elizabeth and Jane's weddings. Both girls are excited, and everything goes smoothly. As Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy leave Longbourn, Darcy announces his intentions of their visiting the Continent instead of the Lake District, while peace has broken out. So they head to France. Darcy is aloof and Elizabeth begins to doubt her decision to marry him. However, once he learns of her uncertainty, he demonstrates his affection more clearly.

Or so Elizabeth thinks. Before long the couple is headed into the Alps to visit Darcy's uncle. Elizabeth is enchanted by the castle but it isn't long before they're attacked by a group of villagers and Elizabeth and Darcy are forced to flee. Next, they head to Italy and Venice. Venice brings them all sorts of new adventures and pleasures, until the weather turns cold and then they're off to Rome.

Meanwhile, the Darcys have not consummated their relationship, and Elizabeth begins to believe their marriage was a mistake. She learns Darcy's dark secret by mistake after being attacked by the oldest vampyre in the world, who also wants Elizabeth.

This wasn't the best book for the Elizabeth/Darcy story, but it was still entertaining. You know what the problem is with Mr. Darcy way before Elizabeth figures it out (it is in the title), and there are enough other paranormal things happening that you wonder what else might be afoot (like, what attacks Elizabeth). I enjoyed reading it, especially as they traveled throughout Europe, hoping to find a solution for Darcy's fears.

Numbers by Rachel Ward

Jem has a secret--one that makes her avoid getting too close to anyone. When she looks someone in the eye, she can see the date of their death. It's been that way for as long as she can remember, even with her mom's death.

As must as she tries to avoid him, Spider, a guy at her school, gets through her defenses and somehow they become friends. Then one day they're at the London Eye, and everyone Jem sees has the same death date--that day. She runs, Spider chases, minutes before a bomb goes off.

Now the two are on the run--they're suspects. And Jem knows time is running out--Spider's date is looming closer and closer.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The author's from England, and some of the slang is hard to follow. However, the story itself is entertaining and well-written. There is some foreshadowing that hints at what will happen in the end.

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Claudia has spent her whole life to marry the prince and heir to the kingdom. The only thing--the heir has changed. Her first betrothed died suddenly, or did he? Court intrigue and politics have found their way to her home as she prepares for the wedding that will make her queen.

Finn has spent at least three years in Incarceron--a type of prison. No one has ever gone in or out, so the people closest to Finn don't believe he's ever been Outside. The prison is alive and keeping an eye on him and the thousands of other people trapped in its depths. There are several levels or wing to the prison, and as Finn and his friends try to escape, they find more than they bargain for.

Claudia and Finn communicate through crystal keys they each have. Claudia believes he is her missing betrothed, while Finn is just happy there's an Outside to the prison, and hopefully a means for his escape.

Interesting concept for this book. The future is bleak and set in the past. The prison life is a little violent, but the story is solid. It does take a while to get going, but once the story picks up and the characters start moving, it goes quickly. Sounds like there will be a sequel too.

The Miles Between by Mary Pearson

Destiny has been at Hedgebrook longer than any other boarding school. Her parents shipped her off beginning when she was seven. She knows better than to get attached. Whenever she starts to get attached to a place, she's shipped to another school.

October 19th comes around--a bad day in Des' mind. It's the day she was abandoned, and her and her mom's birthday, all rolled into one. So when she finds a car, engine running, door open, and a stranger asking her what she wants, she decides to seize the opportunity. She grabs Seth, Mira, and Aidan and they begin a road trip that will be the greatest trip of their lives.

A well-written story with many twists and turns. Some things seem a little far-fetched, but the story works well together and it makes you believe that all things are possible.

The Hunting: Z. Rex by Steve Cole

Adam and his dad are working on a new virtual reality video game. In order to find new funding, Adam's dad leaves for a few days in order to find another job. But he doesn't come back and Adam is worried.

Adam wonders what is going on--and then his building is attacked by a living, breathing dinosaur. Not sure what to think, Adam runs from the dinosaur and from the men who are hunting him and it. But the dinosaur, Zed, is determined to get him. And Zed is incredibly smart.

Adam and Zed head across the Atlantic--Zed can also fly--to find Adam's dad and look for help. Not sure who to trust, Adam takes a chance and puts them all in danger.

A definite sci-fi novel. Lots of action and danger to go around. Some things might make suspending disbelief hard, but things fall into place to make a great novel with lots of promise for the next in the series.