Grave Mercy: His Fair Assassin Book 1 by Robin LaFevers -YA

I loved this book! What a fantastic read! I read it straight through one night and I was terribly tired the next day for work! It had everything I love- action and adventure, battle with horses, swords, arrows and a little bit of intrigue and suspense. Yes, there is a little bit of romance too.


Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.
Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make.

Can't wait for the next one!

Crown of Embers by Rae Carson- YA

This is the second book in the Girl of Fire and Thorns series. I really enjoyed it. I think I liked it better than the first one. Here's a summary:Elisa is a hero. She led her people to victory over a terrifying, sorcerous army.

Her place as the country's ruler should be secure. But it isn't.
Her enemies come at her like ghosts in a dream, from both foreign realms and within her own court. And her destiny as the chosen one has not yet been fulfilled.
To conquer the power she bears once and for all, Elisa must follow the trail of long-forgotten--and forbidden--clues from the deep, undiscovered catacombs of her own city to the treacherous seas. With her goes a one-eyed spy, a traitor, and the man who--despite everything--she is falling in love with.

So, in the first book, at sixteen, she was married off to a stranger from a strange land to fulfill her duty. She was full of doubt about her looks, her life, her husband, her duty, etc. But because of a special power she possesses, she was able to save her newly adopted county. This book picks up where the other one ended. Now, she is queen at seventeen and needs to rule this new country still under threat.

 

There's a lot of intrigue and action and just the right amount of romance. Great read!

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green- YA

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Well, I read this after Wonder and Crow and now I am completely drained and can't cry anymore. I need to read a fantasy adventure next, for sure! This was an awesome book. I think it definitely is Printz-worthy. I loved the honesty and strength of the two main characters- Hazel and Gus. I loved their crazy, witty banter. For sure it is depressing. If you have anyone in your life that has cancer, I'm not sure if this is the book for you. Although it is absolutely impossible to understand what these kids and families go through, this book allows you to reflect on it. As humans, we complain a lot. We take a lot for granted. We often see what we don't have instead of appreciating what we do have. We all know this. It is our human nature. But, it is good to stop for a moment to reflect on this- that there are so many people out there in the world with far greater problems and struggles than the problems we face each day. It is a very humbling moment when we do take the time to reflect and this book definitely makes you do that.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

This is the second installment in the trilogy and I will simply say that I thought it was better than the first! Will be reading the 3rd one, for sure!

Legend by Marie Lu - YA Book

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

I enjoyed this book. I liked both characters. The chapters alternate between each character's perspective. There was a lot of action, some surprises and sides to root for which I always like.

There were two minor things that bothered me. One, the characters are both 15, but it would have made more sense to me or more believable somewhat if they would have been 17-19. They were both so extremely competent, mature, intelligent and worldly that it was difficult to believe they were 15. The other minor element was that what happened to the US how it became to be like it is in the story was confusing and never explained thoroughly. Neither of these complaints really took away from the story, it would have just improved upon the book.

I will plan on reading the next installment!

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore-YA Book

The long-awaited companion to New York Times bestsellers Graceling and Fire.

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck's reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle--disguised and alone--to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

I really loved Graceling and liked Fire. The characters were so well developed and the action was great. Bitterblue was introduced in Graceling as a child. I didn't particularly like the character, so I wasn't overly excited about reading this book. But the great writing and plots of the other two convinced me to read it. I was terribly disappointed.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

I have to say I love the cover of this book! But I loved that more than the book itself. It's just not my type of book- too much romance, not enough action.

It is set in Prague. Karou is the main character. She is a teen living on her own. She sketches monsters that may or may not be real and goes on mysterious errands for her family, the only family she has ever known. But her past is full of secrets. There are demons and angels, but not really in the Judeo-Christian understanding really.

I think many teen girls will really enjoy the book, but I'll pass on the sequel.

Ashfall by Mike Mullin

As I posted earlier, even though this blog is mainly for patrons with 1st-8th graders, I do read a lot of YA books. I have decided to post them here in case someone old enough is reading the posts and for a record of the books I have read for me. Sometimes I forget what books I have read or what they were about!

This book is definitely a older YA book! The supervolcano beneath Yellowstone Park has erupted and without electricity, food, water, etc...the very worst of human nature manifests itself in this gripping, violent, dystopian YA novel.

I enjoy dystopian novels a lot. A lot of them are very violent and you see a very realistic glimpse of what human beings are capable of when they are starving and there is no order or civilization to speak of really. A lot of them aren't as disturbing for me because they still seem like fiction. But this one was so more realistic because it is set in contemporary time and seems believable! Another interesting thing about this dystopian novel is that it is written from the male point of view. Like Ship Breaker and Chaos Walking...this would be a great read for older boys- I would say definitely high school!