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.

Amazement Park

Hide by Kiersten White brings fourteen unassuming twenty-somethings into a twisted game. They’ll need to hide in order to survive seven days in an old, abandoned amusement park.

Each character is unique and brings his/her own baggage. Mack is the main character. She feels confident about her chances to win considering that she survived her father’s murderous rampage against her family. She didn’t expect to get close to a few of the other contestants, especially one in particular.

The players come to realize that there is a creature hunting them down two per day. This happens every four years due to a curse upon the town’s founding members. By sacrificing some of their own, they can bring continued prosperity to their families.

But Mack and the few remaining players plan to outsmart the game in order to save their lives. This is a decent read with some creepy parts.

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.

Live Well

The Measure by Nikki Erlick delves into a life in which everyone has the ability to know exactly when they’ll die. All people twenty two years old and up receive a box containing a string. The string’s length determines their life span.

Several characters’ experiences are explored in the aftermath of this life-changing event. Many of their tales intertwine in varying degrees.

String length becomes a divisive element in the world. One presidential candidate begins to campaign that short stringers shouldn’t hold certain jobs (military, president). There are many other situations also at stake, familial, romantic and friendships. Some choose to open their box while others don’t and the way they treat each other ranges too.

The main theme is that life is precious and its length doesn’t change the impact a person can have. This book will appeal to those who like emotional, thoughtful stories that explore multiple characters.

Power Trip

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell tells the downfall of a wealthy family due to some crazy houseguests. David, his wife and two kids along with another couple slowly infiltrate and eventually take over all aspects of the house.

The book is told from multiple perspectives. Henry is the wealthy son who narrates the past events including the decline and eventual death of his parents and David. Lucy is his sister. She has been living in France since leaving the house. She has two kids from different marriages, and they’ve been scraping by. Now she is trying to get back to London to see the baby. The baby, Libby, is the final perspective. She was born just about a year before everything came to an end in the house. She is now twenty five, and has inherited the huge house along the Thames. Her birthday is bringing the now grown children back for a reunion of sorts.

This is an engaging read with plenty of surprises and crazy situations.

Writerly Life

Bunny by Mona Awad has a very trippy Mean Girls/Heathers meets Frankenstein vibe.

Samantha is part of an exclusive creative writing program in which she is the sole outcast of a clique of women. They refer to each other as Bunny. At the beginning of a new semester, Samantha is invited to become part of their group.

She falls out of touch with her only friend Ava, and spends several drug/alcohol filled months with the Bunnies. Their purpose is to turn actual rabbits into men while maintaining several odd routines both in and out of class.

Samantha finally creates her own man, and this is when everything starts to unravel between her two worlds.

I’m not sure I really understand what actually transpired, but I love that I’m still thinking about it. It’s a creepy, twisted and strangely satisfying read.