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The Dark and Hollow Places
Posted by PIA LONGINOTTI on 1/4/2012by Carrie Ryan
Plot: This is Ryan’s final book in her Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy. The Dark and Hollow Places introduces us to Annah who is living in the Dark City waiting for her friend Ellias to return from his three-year hunt to track down Annah’s sister Abigail. Just as they are reunited, the unthinkable happens, the city is overrun by the Unconsecrated (zombies), and Annah and her friends have to find a way out. Recommendation: This was a satisfying conclusion to a great dystopian series. There were plenty of plot twists to keep me guessing, as they try to outrun their enemies. This book seamlessly ties together our first two novels in the series (each follows a different character). Annah was a complicated heroine, trying to hold everything together for her loved ones in a post-apocalyptic world. This world is dying slowly from zombie-attacks, and this is noTwilight-esque love story (although to be fair, there is a bit of romance, though it's not the main plot). If you want a series with plenty of death, zombie attacks and destruction mixed into a great plot, give this one a try.*Fair warning: while this book can stand alone, it will be a much more satisfying read if you read the hole series first (Forest of Hands and Teeth, and Dead-Tossed Waves) -
Dust City
Posted by PIA LONGINOTTI on 1/4/2012by Robert Paul Weston
Plot: Henry Whelp, son of the big, bad wolf, has been keeping a low profile, trying to keep himself free of his father’s legacy – the murder of Little Red Riding Hood. Unfortunately in Dust City, that’s just a pipedream as Henry quickly gets pulled into the heart of the underworld. Henry comes to believe that his father was framed for the murder, and that may be just the tip of the iceberg. He and his friends Jack and Fiona are quickly running out of time to solve a mystery that could change Dust City for good.Recommendation: Loved this book! Weston creates a world where animals and humanoids are living not-so-peacefully together. The characters are drawn from all sorts of fairytales, perhaps half the fun was recognizing characters come to life on the pages. On top of the great fantasy is a mystery which is action-packed as Henry and his friends race the clock to save themselves and the world. -
Grimm Legacy
Posted by PIA LONGINOTTI on 1/4/2012by Polly Shulman
Plot: Upon the recommendation of her teacher, Elizabeth takes on a new job at an unusual library-- a lending library of objects, not books. As she learns more about her new job, she discovers the Grimm collection, a group of objects with magical abilities upon which fairytales are based. She and her three friends discover that the magical objects are disappearing, and get pulled into an adventure to discover what’s happening when the comb Elizabeth borrowed loses its magic, and she loses the object she traded to check it out. Recommendation: This is one of the most original books I’ve read in quite some time. Elizabeth and her friends will take you on an adventure you’re sure to love. As with all great mysteries, every character is a suspect in the disappearing magical items. It’s hard to know who to trust in this one. Shulman creates a library I’d love to explore, and a book that begs for a sequel. Hopefully, we’ll get more adventures in the New York Repository with Elizabeth and the gang. -
The Mockingbirds
Posted by PIA LONGINOTTI on 1/4/2012
by Daisy WhitneyPlot: When Alex wakes up following a concert with little memory of how she got there, she begins to realize that she had been date-raped. Alex can’t turn to the boarding school administration for help, leaving her only two options: stay silent and afraid, or enlist the Mockingbirds – a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.Recommendation: Every girl should read this book! Whitney (who was a victim of date-rape in college) crafts a masterful novel capturing the fear and helplessness a woman feels after such a horrible event. Alex goes through the blame, fear, and doubt of a girl who can’t quite remember what happens, and worse after she can remember it all. If you liked Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, you’ll likely love this book. It’s empowering to watch Alex stand-up for herself, while wishing she could hide, and to see her claim back her life. Warning: this book is about date-rape and Alex’s flashbacks include her memory of what happened. While it’s not graphic, there is a description of the event from Alex’s point of view.*The sequal to this book, The Rivals, is set to release on February 6 -
Red Riding Hood
Posted by PIA LONGINOTTI on 1/4/2012by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
Plot: Valerie and her village have lived along side the wolf peacefully for years, but everything changes during the blood moon when the Wolf kills Valerie’s sister. With that death enters the threat of not only more deaths by the wolf, but a hunter named Father Solomon who will stop at nothing to kill the wolf. Valerie has to quickly narrow down who the Wolf might be as it becomes clear that not only can she hear the Wolf, but that it has plans to make her join it.Recommendation: While we often see a book made into a movie, Red Riding Hood is the rare movie that was made into a book. My expectations were low when I heard that fact, but I have to admit, Blakley-Cartwright created something unique and haunting from Catherine Hardwick’s movie vision. This book gives us a dark, gothic setting that belongs along side Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In a book where everyone is suspect, you can’t help wondering which of the characters is the Wolf. Brilliantly written, it’ll keep you guessing. The final chapter of the book doesn’t answer that question; you’ll have to go online to see the final answer (where they’ve posted the final chapter). But a little hint from me and Mrs. Hyndman, if you plan on seeing the movie, watch it first before reading the online edition. You’ll enjoy the movie so much more if you don’t know who the Wolf really is. -
Delirium
Posted by PIA LONGINOTTI on 1/4/2012
by Lauren OliverPlot: In this dystopian novel, Lena Holloway is just 95 days away from her 18th birthday and the cure to amor deliria nervosa (love). She can’t wait to escape the disease like everyone else in the US, a disease which caused her mother to commit suicide. She wants to escape it until she falls under its spell that is…Recommendation: This is not your average love story. Oliver creates a quick-moving plot that is wrought with danger for Lena and Alex. If you are looking for a book that leaves you with a clean, happy ending, then this is probably not the read for you. Oliver’s message is haunting and leaves you hoping for more.*Delirium is scheduled to be part of a trilogy. Book 2, Pandemonium, will be released February 28. -
I Am Number Four
Posted by PIA LONGINOTTI on 1/4/2012by Pitticus Lore
Plot: John and his guardian Henri are on the move again to a small town in Ohio when number 3, the third of 9 refugees from the planet Lorien, is killed by their enemies the Mogadorians. They can only be killed in order and John is number four. He and Henri try to blend into the new town, while in a race against time to help John develop the powers that will allow him to protect himself, his fellow Loriens, and the planet Earth against these invaders.Recommendation: The first of a series of books (The Lorien Legacies), proves to be an action series with a healthy dose of alien thrown in to the mix. The story starts off with the death of number 3 and our duo on the run, and keeps the action flowing throughout. There’s a little dose of romance with the intro of John’s love interest, and plenty of high school reality with a bully who can’t seem to leave John alone. If you saw the movie and liked it, read the book, it’s so much better. As usual, Hollywood cut out quite a bit of action, changed many of John’s powers to make it more streamlined, and left out my favorite scenes (John training with Henri and Sam - John’s best friend). There is a little bit of everything in this one.
*The sequel, Power of Six, was released in August. If you like this one, check out book #2. Lore also released a small novella in the series via eBook called I Am Number Four: The Lost Files, Six's Legacy. A fun little read that fills in a little of #6's story. -
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer
Posted by Pia Longinotti on 4/25/2011 12:00:00 PM
Zombies, ghosts, werewolves, witches, necromancers, and talking heads...this book has them all combined with a keen sense of humor and a good dose of teenage sarcasm. Seriously, this is one of my favorite books of the year. Quick-witted, action-packed, and irreverant, it's a great read.Our hero, Sam, is living a totally unfulfilling life working at a fast-food joint when his whole world is changed by the accidental breaking of a medicine bag that has kept his identity as a necromancer hidden from everyone, including himself. Sam quickly finds himself pulled into a world he doesn't know anything about when he is discovered by the most evil necromancer on the block, Douglas, who isn't sure whether he wants to train Sam or just kill him to take his power.Check out Sam's adventures as he tries to figure out who he is and how . You won't be sorry you picked it up. This is a first book by Seattle author, Lish McBride. Can't wait to see what she comes out with next! -
The Lost Hero
Posted by Pia Longinotti on 11/4/2010 11:10:00 AM
Are you a lover of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series? Then you are going to love Rick Riordan's newest book series: The Heroes of Olympus! Mr. Riordan brings us back to Camp Half-Blood in The Lost Hero, where he skillfully introduces us to some new characters and the after-math of the battle of our heroes and the Titans in The Last Olympian, while still keeping a few of our favorites from Percy Jackson in rotation. We start off meeting our newest set of heroes: Jason, Leo, and Piper. They are the first of 7 heroes that are being called by a new prophecy and a new danger. The only problem is that Hera has taken Jason's memories. He doesn't know anything about his past or how he got here, but he knows that everything isn't quite right. As the three heroes tackle the first set of challenges, they have to learn how to trust each other and work together as a team despite their altered memories- Piper and Leo believe they've known Jason for months, and that Piper is Jason's girlfriend, while Leo is his best friend.The story is a fun intro into a new series of books which will again call on Percy Jackson as well as Jason and his friends to defeat their newest enemy: someone a lot scarier and more powerful then the Titans. Check out this newest page-turner; you won't be disappointed! -
Mockingjay
Posted by Pia Longinotti on 10/18/2010 5:30:00 PM
Where do I even start with this book? Phenomenal! Suzanne Collins final book in The Hunger Games series is perhaps the best of the three. Catching Fire (book 2) left off with Katniss being rescued from the arena while her partner Peeta gets left behind. Now it is a couple months down the road, the rebellion against the capital has begun, and Katniss is asked to be the figure head for the Districts: The Mockingjay. The only problem is Katniss isn't sure she can trust the rebellion any more then she trusts the capital. Add into the mix Katniss' confused heart over both Peeta and her hunting partner Gale, and you get a page-turner that's impossible to put down.This final installment brings all the action, heart-ache, and turmoil of the first two books and adds some incredible plot-twists that keep you guessing all the way to the end. Collins is a master of plotline, keeping us wondering what's truly going on along with Katniss. If you haven't picked up this series yet, check out The Hunger Games (book 1), and start reading. If you're a fan of the series, check out Mockingjay immediately. You won't be disappointed!
Last Modified on January 5, 2012
