New Enemies

Frost Bite by Richelle Mead is book two in the Vampire Academy series. I finished it a while ago so this will be brief!

Strigoi are working with humans to attack royal families. The Moroi are fearful, but Christian’s aunt Tasha advocates them to use their powers to fight alongside their guardians.

Lisa and Christian develop a relationship while Rose is in a love triangle between Mason and Dimitri. The story reaches a climax when Rose, Christian, Mason, Mia and Eddie are taken prisoner by Strigoi. Not everyone will survive.

Vampire Hierarchy

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead is first in a series. One of my library patrons couldn’t stop raving about this book so I had to give it a try. It took me a few chapters to figure out the terminology, and then I was hooked!

Rose and Lissa have a remarkable bond as guardian and Moroi. A Moroi is a good vampire who has an elemental power that mostly goes unused. Moroi have twelve royal families and Lissa is the remaining member of one family. They’re protected from evil vampires known as Strigoi by an assigned guardian (aka Dhampirs). Rose is training to be Lissa’s guardian.

They were in the top social group at their school. Things started to get very odd for them following the accident that killed Lissa’s parents and brother, and that almost killed Rose. These events lead to their escape.

The story is about the aftermath of their time on the run from the academy, while also slowly filling in the pieces as to exactly what prompted them to leave in the first place. Now that they’re back, they have to figure out where they stand socially, and Rose has to train more than ever if she wants to stay connected to Lissa. They also have to figure out why their connection is so different than others.

This was a great story with interesting characters, events, and some romance.

Truth Talks

The Little Liar by Mitch Albom follows events during and after World War 2, starting in Greece under Nazi invasion. Moments of absolute horror are graced by moments of kindness and courage.

There are four main characters and the narrator is Truth. Characters are brothers Sebastian and Nico, their friend Fannie, and Nazi Udo Graf. Their lives intersect and impact one another in different ways throughout the story.

Young Nico is separated from his family when he hides during their evacuation. Udo Graf is the ruthless Nazi in control who moves into Nico’s home. He uses Nico’s honesty to help his cause by having him assure his fellow Jewish people that boarding the trains (destined for concentration camps) will bring everyone back together to a safe, fresh start.

Sebastian resents his brother for staying behind. While on the train, he volunteers Fannie (his childhood crush) to be thrown off as an escape. This sets her on a completely different path.

Each character is in a unique but troubling situation. Sebastian is with his family (father and grandfather) at Auschwitz, Nico is constantly on the move and living a life of lies to survive, and Fannie finds refuge in unexpected ways.

Fannie and Sebastian find each other after the war. Eventually, all characters become reunited during a day meant to commemorate the Jewish people from Greece who lost their lives. Of course, I’m skipping the numerous moments that transpire between for the sake of keeping this brief.

This book reminded me a bit of one of my all-time favorite books, The Book Thief, due to having an omniscient narrator, strong characters and powerful messages about life/survival.

Dragon Riders

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is first in a fantasy series that I am hooked on! A student recommended this book, and it was a perfect read during the December break.

Violet is the youngest of three (sister Mira and deceased brother Brennan). Her father was a scribe, and Violet was happy to follow the same path in his memory. Instead her mother, General Sorrengail, forces her into the Riders Squadrant (same as her sister Mira). This is almost certain death considering her fragile body. Riders are given death defying stunts in preparation to become dragon riders and lethal fighters.

The tests are difficult enough for Violet, added to the fact that multiple students would love to kill her for her perceived weakness or as retaliation against her mother for authorizing the death of anyone involved in the rebellion against their kingdom.

The story tells how Violet manages to survive and become a fierce rider, as well as how she becomes aware of secrets being kept by those in charge.

While I am not normally a fantasy fan, this book had so much to keep my interest, including plenty of magic, action, romance, and of course, there are dragons.

Survival

What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson is a compelling read with plenty of action and interest.

Ava begins each chapter with her point of view from an almost omniscient viewpoint. She is retelling the story of her experience with Jack. They seemed destined to meet and to have a powerful impact on each other.

Their fathers were both involved in a robbery/murder which ended with Jack’s dad in jail. Ava’s dad is truly psychological and she was raised to he as cold and calculating as him. However, she gets involved with helping Jack and his little brother after their mother’s death.

Jack is being hunted by the criminals involved with his and Ava’s dad. He’s trying to protect his brother and thinks the best way to do this is by finding the drug money involved in the robbery.

This begins a a crazy quest for survival. I really enjoyed this book (which was gifted to me). It’s beautifully written while still being edgy.

Building Bonds

Heartstopper 4 by Alice Oseman continues developing Charlie and Nick’s relationship.

In this book, Charlie faces his eating disorder with Nick’s support and Nick comes out to his dad.

I am behind on my posts and read this one a while ago. It continues to be an engaging, sweet love story.

Before Fame

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah is an autobiography of his life before becoming a well known tv personality.

Noah’s birth to an interracial couple is a crime in apartheid South Africa. Much of his young childhood is spent pretending his mom and dad are not his actual parents (depending on the neighborhood they’re in or who they’re with).

Noah writes his life story by mixing in historical information about post apartheid in South Africa. He describes himself as a colored person, neither fully black nor white. This automatically sets him up for many uncomfortable situations in school and life as he attempts to fit in.

His mom is a very important part of his life. She is devoutly religious and they spent every Sunday going from church to church. She raised him to be an independent thinker. Noah was always a troublemaker and entrepreneurial. He started making money off his peers at a young age.

He recounts many of his pivotal life stories. There is a mixture of funny, scary and emotional events that make up Noah’s life. This was a very interesting read and it opened my eyes to a life and place I had no prior knowledge about.

Unsafe

The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith kind of drove me nuts. At the beginning, this story reminded me of Speak (which I really enjoyed), but it progressed for a longer time period with different reactions.

Eden is raped in her own bed by her brother’s best friend. He threatens to kill her if she tells anyone. This begins an almost four year aftermath of trauma.

Each year, Eden becomes a bit harder. She turns away a caring boyfriend and friends, and is full of animosity toward her parents and brother. She turns to drinking and meaningless sex as a coping strategy.

Spoiler- It isn’t until another girl is victimized that Eden finally realizes that she needs to break her silence. I spent the entire book waiting for her to say something so that she could begin properly coping and healing. And of course, waiting for justice against the perpetrator.

Coming Out

Heartstopper 2 by Alice Oseman continues Nick and Charlie’s relationship.

Nick struggles with if he’s ready to tell others about being in a gay relationship. As the story progresses, he begins telling people he trusts.

Nick must also decide if his own friends are worth keeping or not.

Overcoming Solitude

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Amiee Sáenz is a multi-award winning book.

It’s about Aristotle, aka Ari, and his friendship with Dante. Ari has always been a loner, but something is different about Dante. They first meet at the public pool one summer when Dante offers to teach Ari to swim.

From this point, they develop a friendship that provides balance to each other. Ari’s tough around the edges and Dante is more sensitive. Ari’s relationship with his dad is strained while Dante is super close with his parents. Ari’s older brother went to prison when he was much younger, and his parents never speak about him. This instilled anger and loneliness in Ari.

The school year progresses with the boys only corresponding through mail (Dante’s family moved during the year for his dad’s job). During this time both grow and realize more about themselves as individuals.

When Dante returns, he comes out to Ari. They attempt to rekindle their friendship, but it isn’t quite the same. This changes when Dante is beaten badly by a gang of boys who see him kissing a boy.

Spoiler- Ari comes to realize ( with help from his parents) that his feelings for Dante are much stronger than he allowed himself to admit.

There is beauty in the way this story unfolds (and more important scenes than I can mention here). It speaks of family love, friendship, romantic love, loyalty and forgiveness.