The Basilisk's Lair (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book 2)

The Basilisk's Lair (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book 2)

By: R. L. LaFevers Illustrations: Kelly Murphy

This is book two of the continuing saga of Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist!

You may remember from the first book Flight of the Phoenix (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book I) Nathaniel Fludd is a beastologist in training - learning at the hands of his quirky Aunt Phil. Unfortunately it appears that the first book was not a fluke and it looks like Aunt Phil favors the "learn by doing" method. So in book two The Basilisk's Lair (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book 2) she drags the young boy beastologist-in-training on a screaming wild adventure to find the Basilisk!

As in her other adventures R.L. LaFevers takes you on a rip roaring ride into monsters and mythology mixed with the thrills of a wildlife safari....but the nice thing about Aunt Phil...she doesn't want to do this creature harm, just contain him!

This is a quick and easy read...and while the recommendations are from 3rd to 6th grade - you could read this to a 6 year old and they would LOVE it!

Off to continue the adventure with The Wyverns' Treasure (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book 3)...

From the Author (on Amazon):

I've always held a special place for animals in my heart and they have figured prominently in my books. While researching another project, I stumbled across a medieval bestiary, the ultimate zoological authority of its time, and I was fascinated by all the mythical creatures listed in there as factual. Right around that same time, I also read about the modern day discovery of new animal species. It drove home for me just how vast and mysterious our planet was, and who knew what could be living in its hidden valleys, unexplored deserts, and remote mountaintops. Thus the world of Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist was born. -R.L. LaFevers

White Cat by Holly Black

This new world of "curse workers" is a winner...

Holly Black is known to leagues of teenlit fans for her books of fae worlds...with White Cat (Curse Workers, Book 1) she draws us into the world of the "curse workers".

From the product description: curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists.

...and when I say she draws you in I truly mean it - the excitement, action and characters draw you in immediately and if this is just the beginning I can't wait for more...Lila, Cassel and his family offer characters that we can relate to and involve ourselves in...thanks Holly Black for yet another new world!

BTW - I have a white cat with one blue eye and one green eye...what do you think?

Product Description from Amazon

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love -- or death -- and your dreams might be more real than your memories.

See all Editorial Reviews

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

Inside Out

by Maria V.Snyder

Maria V. Snyder takes on whole new worlds...

By	Reading It All

This review is from: Inside Out (Harlequin Teen) (Paperback)

With Inside Out (Harlequin Teen) Maria V.Snyder breaks out herself...from a long line of well received paranormal fantasy to a stark, adventure packed futuristic series that begins with the people of Inside looking for a better world Outside.

The bland, monotone introduction to the life of the Scrubs in the Lowers draws you into the life of Trella, who has never fit in with her surroundings. Trella seeks refuge from the burgeoning masses iof Scrubs, in the Pipes and Ducts that lead from the world of the Lowers to the envied lives of privilege in the world of the Uppers.

Soon the tone livens when one day everything changes - her one friend in the world Cogon (whose nickname Cog speaks volumes about his role among the Scrubs) introduces her to a man who talks of something better in Outside - and for the first time Trella knows "hope". A wild ride filled with adventure, betrayal and romance ensues.

From the fresh yet stark cover to the promise of a new world Inside, Snyder left me eager to read the follow up - Outside In!

It has been said before but I have to say it again - if you followed Maria V. Snyder through her Study series and are currently into her Glass series, do not read this expecting more of the same. Her writing style pulls you willingly into this new world filled with warnings about believing everything your hear, hope, trust, romance, acceptance, family, connection...and the endearing tale of Sheepy!

Sea Glass by Maria V.Snyder

Sea Glass

by Maria V.Snyder

A wonderfully beautiful magic - the magic carried in the art of glass - Opal's talent has caused her to become both feared by the Council and a necessary ally!

This book has everything I love in an entertaining book...a great story line, a strong female heroine, magic and romance.

Trust is the underlying theme in this book - or should I say lack of trust - the Council, Derrick, Opal, Janco...

With the Glass series Maria V. Snyder affirms that all the praise reaped on the Study trilogy was deserved and this series follows through as a well crafted and suspenseful tale of adventure, romance, magic and above all...trust!

Product Description

Student glass magician Opal Cowan's newfound ability to steal a magician's powers makes her too powerful. Ordered to house arrest by the Council, Opal dares defy them, traveling to the Moon Clan's lands in search of Ulrick, the man she thinks she loves. Thinks because she is sure another man now her prisoner has switched souls with Ulrick.

In hostile territory, without proof or allies, Opal isn't sure whom to trust. She can't forget Kade, the handsome Stormdancer who doesn't want to let her get close. And now everyone is after Opal's special powers for their own deadly gain....

Curse of the Spider King: The Berinfell Prophecies Series - Book One

Curse of the Spider King: The Berinfell Prophecies Series - Book One

by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper

Middle Graders and Tweens will eagerly read this book...I only hope that the rest of the series offers the same level of entertainment as this charming series debut.

From the cover to the concept - what could be more delightfully disgusting than a Spider King with an army of spider warriors - the Curse of the Spider King: The Berinfell Prophecies Series - Book One is the first in a series about the Seven Elven Lords of Allyra.

In a world that combines medieval themes with a modern feeling the Wicked Spider King is searching for the Seven Elven Lords of Allyra. long thought dead, lost in the Siege of Berinfell as babes. Strange signs reveal that Elven blood may live among the peoples of earth.

Why does that matter? These elven lords are the only ones that have the power to destroy the Spider King and his hold on their world....

The story seems to start slowly but soon grabs your imagination and rushes you along as the Seven find out about themselves and each other, and discover what waits for them through a portal between worlds.

Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper combine creative talents to create an enchanting, scary, and winning world! It is going to seem like forever waiting until August 2010 for Venom and Song: The Berinfell Prophecies Series - Book Two.

I love the interactive trend in teen books - after all this is a world they understand. Learn more about The Berinfell Prophecies at www.heedtheprophecies.wordpress.com. Create your own tribe. Connect with fans through the forum. Win pre-release chapters and the opportunity to have Wayne and Christopher at your very own book party!

Product Description from Amazon

Fantasy. Mystery. Action. Humor. Parents, teachers, and librarians will no longer have to push kids to read-The Berinfell Prophesies will engage intermediate readers and leave them clamoring for more.

The Seven succeeding Elven Lords of Allyra were dead, lost in the Siege of Berinfell as babes. At least that's what everyone thought until tremors from a distant world known as Earth, revealed strange signs that Elven blood lived among its peoples. With a glimmer of hope in their hearts, sentinels are sent to see if the signs are true. But theirs is not a lone errand. The ruling warlord of Allyra, the Spider King, has sent his own scouts to hunt down the Seven and finish the job they failed to complete many ages ago.

Now 13-year-olds on the brink of the Age of Reckoning when their Elven gifts will be manifest, discover the unthinkable truth that their adoptive families are not their only kin. With mysterious Sentinels revealing breathtaking secrets of the past, and dark strangers haunting their every move, will the young Elf Lords find the way back to the home of their birth? Worlds and races collide as the forces of good and evil battle. Will anyone escape the Curse of the Spider King?

Leviathan by Scott Westerfield...

Leviathan

By: Scott Westerfeld

Illustrated: Keith Thompson

Scott Westerfield gives us a well-written alternate history of World War I. Some of the alterations include a totally mechanized German-Austro-Hungarian enemy (called Clankers) and an Allied force made up of Britain, France and Russia called Darwinists. Clanker machines walk on articulated legs. Darwinists have developed a science that creates animal combinations that are intelligent partners in the fight. The main characters are Alek, the son of the Austrian Grand Duke and Duchess, whose assassination not only leave in him an orphan, but also starts the war; and Deryn Sharp, who gets into the British by pretending to be a boy - Dylan. Alek must run for his life with a battle damaged Clanker Stormwalker and some loyal friends. Deryn/Dylan discovers the "being a boy is hard. How do they do it all their life?" Their life paths cross, taking them on board Leviathan, a fantastic whale airship and perhaps the greatest creation of the Darwinists. These two "enemies" are forced into situations that require compromise, courage, trust and finally friendship. Their adventures will take them into dangerous and interesting places.

Product Description from Amazon

It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet.

Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With the Great War brewing, Alek's and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way...taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure. One that will change both their lives forever.

Peter & Max: A Fables Novel

Bill Willingham (Author)

Steve Leialoha (Illustrator)

If you had told me a month ago that I would be reading a book where the Hero is Peter Piper and he is married to Bo Beep. They live just outside a town that is run by Snow White and Bigby Wolf and Rose Red is running back and forth with messages...it goes on.

But let me tell you reading this book has made me want to check into the graphic novels these characters come from...

With Peter & Max: A Fables Novel, Bill Willingham offers a story of siblings and the damning hatred that betrayal, revenge and jealousy can lead too. Peter and Max are brothers and it all starts when their father gives the Family Heirloom Pipes to Peter, bypassing Max - the eldest son.

Remember the Pied Piper of Hamlin? He rid Hamlin of their rats and when he wasn't paid he rid them of their children. Why would he commit such a heinous crime?

I felt that the seesaw back and forth between time frames was distracting at times - but not to the point where I even considered putting the book down. All in all I really enjoyed this book and have great respect for someone who could hand me a book with this plot and make me love it.

One of the reasons you really need to pick up this book is the beautifully illustrated interpretations of the story by Steve Leialoha they are nothing short of inspirational.

I am off to check out Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile - I think this is a world I want to get further into.

PProduct Description from Amazon:

A new stand-alone FABLES NOVEL from award-winning and wildly acclaimed author, Bill Willingham.

This story stars Peter Piper and his incorrigible brother Max in a tale about jealousy, betrayal and revenge. Set in two distinct time periods, prepare to travel back to medieval times and learn the tragic back-story of the Piper family, a medieval-era family of traveling minstrels. Then, jump into the present to follow a tale of espionage as Peter Piper slowly hunts down his evil brother for a heinous crime, pitting Peter's talents as a master thief against Max's dark magical powers.

Based on the long-running and award-winning comic book series FABLES, PETER AND MAX is its own tale. Readers don't have to be familiar with the comics to fully enjoy and understand this book.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Graceling

Have you ever played the game where everyone had to name the "super-power" they would ask for if given the opportunity? What was yours? probably not the ability to literally kill anyone or anything and be fairly invulnerable to pain...

In Graceling author Kristine Cashore creates a world where a chosen few are born with "Graces" - these can be something as simple as the ability to catch fish with your bare hands, the ability to run swiftly, the ability to shoot an arrow quickly and true --- and then there is the Lady Katsa's Grace - the ability to kill.

This is full of really juicy adventure, hand to hand combat, archers, sword play, good kings and bad kings...but what sets this book apart from other offerings in this genre is it's look at the consequences of the use of these graces on those who wield them.

Katsa is a strong headed young woman who has always held a position of power - not many people argue with her so she is sure that what she knows are truths...until she meets another Graceling who shows her otherwise.

The really nice thing about the way Cashore has written the relationship between Po and Katsa is that there is enough romance for the girls and it doesn't get mushy so the boys think it's in the way.

I picked this book up to "look" at it at my Mom's and sat down and read it all the way through by the next morning - this story is destined to become a blockbuster movie!

Product Description from Amazon

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

Waiting for the sequel....

The Midnight Charter

Agora is a city state surrounded by a circle of unclimbable walls; divided into the twelve signs of the zodiac, each section with its own set of goals, people and cultural quirks, all ruled by the Director, all influenced by astrological predictions, with the Midnight Charter hanging a dire prophecy over it.

This is a society corrupted by materialism and built on the idea that everyone, everything, has a value, everything can be bought and sold...NOTHING is free!

Two of the young children, meet, form a strange friendship and grow into totally different young citizens. Dreams and desires, good luck and ill fortune, friends and enemies all come together to weave a well written story that holds all the tension of a good fable.

Product Description

In a society based on trade, where everything can be bought and sold, the future rests on the secrets of a single document-and the lives of two children whose destiny it is to discover its secrets. In this spellbinding novel, newcomer David Whitley has imagined a nation at a crossroads: misshaped by materialism and facing a choice about its future. He has brought to life two children who will test the nation's values-and crafted a spellbinding adventure story that will keep readers turning the pages until the very end.