Ever

Ever * Gail Carson Levine

2008 * p. 244 * YA Fantasy

"Falling in love is never easy, but falling in love with an immortal god while your days on earth are numbered is almost more than a young girl can bear.


Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine has created a stunning new world of flawed gods, unbreakable vows, and ancient omens in this spellbinding story of Kezi, a girl confronted with a terrible destiny. Attempting to thwart her fate, Kezi and her love, Olus -- the god of wind and loneliness -- embark on a series of dangerous and seemingly impossible quests."

Kezi, her family, and the whole town are devout worshippers of the god Admat. He is all and everything to them. When Kezi's mother becomes ill, her father makes a promise to Admat that if his wife is spared, he will sacrifice someone in honor of Admat. That someone ends up being Kezi.

The whole family is depressed, needless to say. Kezi has til the end of the month to live. If her father doesn't fulfill his oath, the whole town could perish.

Meanwhile, another god, Olus, has been watching. he likes humans and wishes he was one of them. He has become particularly attached to Kezi and her family. Risking exposure, Olus talks to Kezi and vows to save her. Together they will find Admat and plead for Kezi's life, or make Kezi immortal. Neither proves to be very easy.

I thought it was a great concept, but the writing seemed to lacking to me. Which is suprising since I'm a big Gail Carson Levine fan. Each new chapter switches perspectives--from Kezi to Olus and back again. The sequence of events seemed scattered. It feels more like an oral retelling of an ancient fairy tale. Interesting.

Really thats all I can say. Interesting.

But a good, simple, clean read for YA.

-Reading level: ages 12 & up
-Completely appropriate
-Themes of sacrifice, religion, devotion, obedience, love, courage

A CURSE DARK AS GOLD

A Curse Dark as Gold * Elizabeth C. Bunce

2008 * p. 392 * YA Fantasy

A Curse Dark as Gold is a retelling and expanding of the classic Rumpelstilstkin fairy tale. The author, Bunce, says she wrote this book to clarify some of the confusing points of the fairy tale and give the miller's daughter more of an admirable and strong character. And Bunce does just that.

The miller's daughter, Charlotte Miller, is left to run the family mill when her father dies. The Millers are proud and stubborn. Charlotte and her younger sister, Rosie, are no different. Despite being women, they plan to run the mill alone.

Their efforts are not without extraordinarily bad luck and the constant rumors of the curse that has been on the mill and the Millers for generations.

"The Stirwaters Curse. I had grown up hearing those words every time something went the least bit awry. True, we Millers did tend to more than our share of bad luck--from the very first Miller of Shearing, old Harlan, who had built Stirwaters and this house. But down through the years of market collapses and roof collapses--which could happen to anybody--one dark thread bound the Millers apart from ordinary ill luck: No Miller had ever raised a son who lived to inherit Stirwaters. The mill had been handed down along a crazy zigzag path from brother to cousin to nephew...to daughter. Stirwaters could only be inherited by Millers, and Rosie and I were the only ones left" (23).

As unexplainable debts, deaths, vandalisms, etc occur and Charlotte fears she'll lose the mill, Rosie turns to faerie aid. Thus enters the character of "Rumpelstiltkin." Though he is never called by that name. Though this mysterious man may seem to be the answer to their prayers at the moment, the sisters soon find that making a bargain with a faerie brings nothing but trouble. So Charlotte Miller seeks to find the origins of the curse and how to break it before she loses the mill and her family.

I enjoyed this book, but I wouldnt necessarily categorize it as a fantasy. It seemed more like a historical supernatural mystery, if that makes sense. The details of mill life, fabrics and the coming of the industrial revolution are very complex, but easily understood. The writing was excellent. I was a little disappointed though that it was not more of a fantasy. But nevertheless, I highly recommend it.

-Reading level: ages 18 & up
-Morally appropriate for all ages
-High diction more suitable for seniors and above
-Themes of pride, judgement, communication and tradition
-Won the William C. Morris Debut Award by the ALA

NEW MOON

New Moon Stephenie Meyer

2006 * p. 563* YA Supernatural

Bella Swan has had the happiest summer of her life. She has her unbelievably gorgeous vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen, at her side. Edward has even relaxed a little from his incessant worrying over Bella's safety in his vampire world.

But when his brother Jasper takes a snap at Bella after she cut her finger, Edward's fears are realized again. He leaves, telling Bella that its just too much to handle. With all of the Cullens gone, Bella feels utterly abandoned. She soon becomes a shell of a person. A walking zombie.

After months of this depression, Bella decides if Edward left her she can do whatever she wants. She no longer has to keep a promise to try and be safe. So she seeks thrills and escapes.

Thus enters Jacob Black. Bella's friend on the Quilete Reservation. Jacob's infectious optimism and sunny personality bring Bella back to the land of the living and together they seek adventures riding motorcycles, hiking and cliffdiving.

But just when Bella begins to finally cope, Jacob abandons her too. He has a secret that he can't share and Bella blames the reservation boys. She thinks he has been taken into a cult. But like everything else in Forks, nothing is what it seems.

Bella finds herself between the world of vampires and werewolves. And like everything with Bella, danger finds her.

This is my fourth time reading New Moon. Needless to say, I love it. Many readers dislike New Moon because it lacks a dominant appearance by Edward. I love Edward, too. But...I think this book was masterful in carving an even deeper understanding of the conneciton between Edward and Bella. They cannot live without each other and the book showcases this. Without his absence, the reader would not see how attached they are, that their love is more than a mere adolescent infatuation. It also deepens the struggle Bella has as she teeters between the world of immortality and normal human life.

-Reading level: age 14 & up

-A few mild swear words, recklessness, disobedience to parents

-Themes of love and friendship

-WONDERFUL!!!!

TWILIGHT

Twilight

Stephenie Meyer

2005 * p. 498 * YA Supernatural

Bella Swan moves to Forks to live with her dad while her mother enjoys time with her new baseball player husband. Bella is a little awkward, and not spectacular in any certain way. But she is a novelty in the small town of Forks and quickly gains a lot of unwanted attention.

Everyone is admiring. Except for Edward Cullen--her stunningly gorgeous and pale lab partner who keeps to himself and his four siblings. On her first day, Bella is stunned by the revulsion that seems to emanate from him in her direction. She tries to ignore the tension, but eventually glances in his direction:

"I peeked up at him one more time, and regretted it. He was glaring down at me again, his black eyes full of revulsion. As I flinched away from him, shrinking against my chair, the phrase if looks could kill suddenly ran through my mind" (24).

Edward confuses Bella. One day he can barely stand to sit next to her, and the next he is peppering her with questions desperate to learn everything about her. As time goes on, Bella finds herself drawn to Edward and his enigmatic persona. Edward in return tries to maintain a distance telling her that its for the best.

But as Bella puts the pieces together and Edward warily spends time with her, she discovers that Edward is more than human. He is a vampire. And so begins the struggle. Edward wants to protect Bella from himself, but Bella is attached to his hip and refuses to leave him. Edward must control his thirst to keep his true love alive.

What can I say? I LOVE this book. Probably more than any other. And its not just because of the romance. But because of the feelings of the characters. Bella is self-conscious and normal. That is what I love about her. A lot of the book is her thoughts. She loves unconditionally and fears for others more than herself. Every day she is still in awe over Edward and constantly asks, "Why me?" She can't understand why Edward loves her, and secretly thinks that she is much more in love than he is.

Edward is soooo forgiving. (Read the sequels and you'll see why:) He thinks Bella is this perfect creature and wants to keep her that way. He refuses to make her a vampire and wants her to experience everything that is human and normal, just as she would have if he did not exist. Bella is his reason for living, but he secretly hates himself for selfishly holding onto her.

The emotions are complex and delightful. The story is suspenseful and so original. Wonderful.

I have the movie and I love it because it's Twilight. But, like any great book, only reading it can do it justice. You will not be disappointed.

-Reading level: ages 14 & up

-A few mild swear words and scenes of kissing

-Themes of love, sacrifice, good vs evil, judgment and morality

-Everyone should read this book!

The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural

The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural

Patricia C. McKissack

1992 * p. 166 * YA Supernatural

The Dark-Thirty is a collection of stories, tales, legends that come from the South from as early as 1868 up to modern day. A lot of them deal with slavery, racism, persecution, etc as all of the subjects, heros and heroines are African American.

None of them are extremely scary, but more eerie, mystical, and creepy. For example, there is a tale about a woman who begged a bus ride from a white driver on a snowy, chilling night. She needed to get her infant to the hospital, but because she had no money, the driver refused to let her on. She and the baby died in the storm, and began to haunt the streets and bus every year on the night she died.

The author recommends that the tales be told around the campfire at twilight when the spirits come out.

-Reading level: grade 7 & up

-Referenes to the Ku Klux Klan, drinking, a hanging. But nothing detailed or gruesome. I would reccommend it for all YA ages.

-Fast read

-Ideal coupled with the history of slavery, Civil Rights, racism, etc.

I personally would have loved the book more if it was a tad bit more suspenseful.