The Pledge by Kimberly Derting (Pledge, Book 1)

Charlie knows she must stay out of the spotlight, she has a secret that must be kept. She has a sister to protect. She keeps her head down, does well in school, works hard at her parents' restaurant, and spends her free time with her two best friends: Aron and Brooklynn.

In this time of uncertainty, with the Queen in her increasingly ill state and no female heir to take over, the entire country is in turmoil. The revolutionaries are becoming more bold, and the measures to keep their movements restricted are increasing. Leaving the house without your ID could easily lead to death. This is the world of Ludania. The Queen, however, has a secret. She does not need a blood heir, she can pass on her Essence to anyone of Royal blood. There are whispers that such an heir from an old bloodline may exist, and that the Queen is looking for her.

After a particularly ugly night at work, she agrees to go to the club with Brooklyn.They go to a place she heard about from a table of hot boys she had earlier that night, and sure enough, they are here waiting. Another boy, she remembers him from the restaurant also, approaches her. He is disarming, attractive, and has a quality to him that makes her uncomfortable, like he sees right through her...his name is Max, he says. After a few words, she walks away. Finding Brooklynn, she overhears the men she is with speaking a strange language she has never heard before. She is careful to turn her face to the floor, as it is illegal to face a person speaking a language other than your own in Ludania, punishable by death, but her secret gift allows her to understand him, "This childish beauty smells delicious," (Derting pg. 58, 2011). It's his tone that alarms her, and she drags Brooklynn away.

It finally hits home that things with the war are getting out of hand when the sirens go off, and they are forced to evacuate their own homes. Her father hands her sister Angelina to her, and urges them to go, hide. She begs for he and their mother to come with, but to no avail. The girls run off into the night. Who should them encounter, but Max...who sneaks them into a shelter which initially turned them away at gunpoint. Who is this boy? When they are awoken the next morning by the Royal Guard, she has her answer: he is Prince Maximillian! Moments later, they are practically kidnapped by the Resistance, and taken into their secret tunnels.


What will become of them? What does the Resistance want with them, and why has the Prince been seeking her out, wanting to spend time with her? Something bigger is going on, and she's afraid it has to do with her special ability to understand all language. Will Charlie be able to keep her sister and herself safe?

Derting does a great job of pulling you into her world, and weaving a blanket of emotions for readers to wear. The romantic tension between Charlie and Max will delight many fans of romance, and the action element keeps the story moving. Very thought provoking concepts, and would be great for discussion.

*Library Link*

“I saw the folded note peeking up from behind the cover of the book in which I'd hidden it.
I brushed my fingertips across the lineny surface, my skin sparking with electricity, my fingers itching to pull it free.
I shouldn't, I told myself, even as I held my breath and watched myself withdrawing it from the book. I tried to tamp down the feeling of anticipation coursing through me at the same time I argued that it was a mistake to look at it again.
It didn't deserve anymore of my time. He didn't deserve the space he already occupied in my mind.
I glanced around to see if anyone had noticed me there, tucked beneath my desk, reading a note that I'd already memorized.
No one paid me any attention.
I held the letter, vividly picturing the six words written inside the folds. Six words that I already knew by heart. Six words that meant more to me than they should.
I unfolded the top third of the paper, then the bottom, purposely keeping my eyes unfocused for just a moment.
My heart stopped.
And then my eyesight cleared.

I pledge to keep you safe,”  (Derting, 2011).

If you liked this, check out:

The Essence by Kimberly Derting (Pledge, Book 2)
Delirium by Lauren Oliver  (Delirium, Book 1)
The Selection by Kiara Cass (Selection, Book 1)

Derting, Kimberly. (2011). The Pledge. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.

The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams (Incarnation, Book 1)

Seraphina is both relieved and apprehensive. She's come to terms with the fact that tonight she's going to die. That might be traumatic for most people, but after living 600 years, she's ready. She doesn't want to take another life. That's how she's lived as long as she has, with the help of the serum developed by Cyrus. He was once the love of her life, now he's practically her captor.

Cyrus has planned an elaborate party to celebrate her taking another form, which is what he believes will happen tonight. He doesn't know about her plans. If he did, he would never allow it. The years have made him cold, calculating, possessive, unmerciful... inhuman. He thinks nothing of the life they steal when they take another body.

She can't take any chances, or let anyone else in on her secret - not even her best friend. Things seem to be going according to plan until the screeching sounds of glass and metal tear through the silence of the night, assaulting Sera's senses, blurring her vision and inspiring in her a desperate need to help. Without thinking, she starts CPR...the very act necessary to begin body transference. In an instant, Sera has taken over Kailey's body. She's trapped in the body of a 16-year old girl, with a family and friends, and no easy way out. To leave now would only cause the girl's family more suffering, and to stay risks exposing her as an imposter. All of which discounts the fact that Cyrus may still be out there looking for her...

The only consolation in this disaster of a situation is Bryan, Kailey's next door neighbor. It seems clear that before the accident Kailey only talked with him when no one else was around, something that is changing with Sera. He is the only one that makes her feel comfortable in these strange new surroundings. She does everything she can to suppress the story of the accident to keep Cyrus from finding out. Then there's the drama of high school. Can Sera, a teen from 1349, ever hope to fit in a modern school? So many questions without answers, and they just don't stop. Just when she thinks things are finally starting to settle down, and that she can make it through the next 2 years until college...something unthinkable happens.

It held my attention. It's a quick read. Hardly mind shattering, but it's an interesting take on this new trend. What would happen to our humanity if we lived by taking life? A twist on the vampire myth, this offers a way to live through someone else's eyes. I'm curious to see what happens in the sequel. The cliffhanger has me intrigued.

*Library Link*

"I am a ghost, I think wildly. It is the only explanation. Except that when I reach out, my hand makes contact with my own cheek. But it is not my hand that I reach out with - it is dirty, with ragged nails. Somehow I am now the filthy female thief.
I jump to my feet, suddenly strong. 'I don't understand.'
Cyrus stands in front of me. 'Sera, you're alive. And if I am correct, you'll never have to die.'
'But my body...'
Cyrus hesitates a moment, thinking. Then he scoops it up and drops it into the Thames. It lands with a loud splash. 'It's the only one you'll ever leave behind. Your new body is different, no longer human or attached to your soul. When you are done with it, it will break into dust,'" (Williams pg. 9, 2012). 

If you liked this, check out:
The Impossibility of Tomorrow by Avery Williams (Incarnation, Book 2) June 2013
 Every Day by David Levithan
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (Infernal Devices, Book 1)
Everneath by Brodi Ashton (Everneath, Book 1)

Williams, Avery. (2012). The Alchemy of Forever: An Incarnation novel. New York: Simon & Schuster BFYR.

In Darkness by Nick Lake

This is a tale of two Haitis: today's Haiti tells a story of Soley 19 and Shorty's hazardous path through the ghetto, as he finds himself miraculously unscathed again and again. Yesterday's Haiti talks of Toussaint, the 54-year old slave who led a revolution against his master, and against the French overlords to take back Haiti for the blacks.

Shorty was born Marassa: two halves of a whole. His twin Marguerite is his motivation. Together they are powerful, in Haiti that's serious maji. Marassa can heal, bring good luck, double your fortune, they share the same soul. Without her, he is only half a person. Since Boston, the rival gang, took her, he's been missing his other half.

Toussaint never asked to be the face of the revolution, but he knows that someone with restraint and strategy is necessary if they want to keep Haiti from burning to the ground. He tries to keep the freed slaves from senseless violence and destruction. He brings in educators to teach them how to read and write. He organizes them, and slowly they come to see him as a true leader.

Dread Wilme saved him from the soldiers, that's how he got recruited to Route 9. He was born in blood and darkness, as his mother always said. The MINUSTAH soldiers wanted to make an example, and they used Dread to do it. In a story that became a legend, full of bullet holes, Dread staggered and picked up Shorty, pulling him out of the way of the Humvee. That was the day he gave him his pwen, a stone that carried a god of protection, and the day Dread died.

After that, it didn't take much to recruit Shorty to the chimeres, the gangsters, the drug dealers. Biggie asked, and he said yes. He first killed a man when he was 12 years old. He was going to get Marguerite back, and this was the only way to do it.

Toussaint leads them as they face the colonists, he leads them as they face the French armies. His unwavering bravery and relentless spirit continue in the face of overwhelming odds. They say he has been possessed, he has taken in the Iwa of War into himself to bring freedom to Haiti.

What will become of Shorty? What will become of Toussaint and his men? The two men are connected in a magical way that Lake explains in fits and starts, through darkness and blood. The language is both poetic and street, capturing the feeling of the ghetto. The picture of Site Soley won't be one that leaves me any time soon. The whole story is woven with vodou and old ways, but in a way that doesn't mock their superstition. There isn't much hope for the kids growing up in the ghetto, but in spite of the darkness, sometimes there is light.

"I was born in blood and darkness. That's how Manman told it, when I joined Route 9, when I started to roll with Biggie.
--He was born in blood and darkness, and that's how he'll die, the houngan told her.
Maybe she was right. Maybe I will die in blood and darkness. Maybe she would be happy if she saw me here.
Probably not," (Lake pg. 14, 2012).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:
This Thing Called the Future by J.L. Future
Never Fall Down Patricia McCormick
Code Name Verity Elizabeth Wein

Lake, Nick. (2012). In Darkness. New York: Bloomsbury.

Tokyo Heist by Diana Renn

Violet is spending the summer with her dad in Seattle. A whole summer away from her mother who will be working on a fellowship in Rome. After some serious "irresponsible dad" antics, she finds her way to his art show. Some "awkward dad" introductions occur, and then she meets the Yamadas. They are big fans of her father's work, and have the pocketbook to back it up. They are owners of a large corporation in Japan, and tell Violet of the tragic art theft that has befallen them: the loss of three van Gogh sketches.

She's hooked. This smells like a mystery! Next, the Yamadas invite both Violet and her father to spend the summer in Japan! He will be working on a commissioned mural, and she will be helping in the museum. Can this really be happening? The first thing Violet wants to do is share the news with her best friend/ crush Edge. Since she can't do that, she takes a page from her manga-in-progress heroine Kimono Girl, and starts looking for clues. So far the suspects include her dad's girlfriend Skye, the gallery owner Margo, and her assistant Julian. They all knew about the art and the theft.

Edge and Violet are on the case. They follow Skye around one day, filming her for evidence. While they eventually come to realize she's not a real suspect, they do get footage of some real creeps (also following her). Not to mention the broken glass at her dad's place. She just knows they are related. Then she has a fight with Edge, and it seems like things between them are just as broken. How can she keep her feelings for him a secret, but still be his friend?

Violet puts her energy into Japan instead. An attack on Julian makes everything more complicated. The FBI is on the case, and it seems the yakuza (read Japanese mafia) are making threats on the Yamada family. They want the painting created from the sketches, the one Mr. Yamada's brother hid before he died. This is way bigger than just a case of stolen art. It seems hopeless, but Violet reunites with her bestie Reika (also summering in Japan), and they resolve to find the lost painting.

She stumbles on more clues while working for the Yamadas in their gallery archives. She and Reika are getting closer and closer to discovering what really happened all those years ago. This mystery with unfolds with twists and turns, and a bit of international flair. Fans of anime, manga, and Japanese culture will be especially entertained. Highly recommended!

"'There might be a clue,' I say. 'Kenji mentioned something about a picture of ayu. That's a river trout, I think.'
'Right.' Reika nods. 'A freshwater delicacy. They're popular to eat in the summer.'
'Okay, so Tomonori Yamada was an amateur artist, and when they found his body on the tracks, the only thing in his briefcase was a drawing he did, showing two ayu. They thought it was a clue as to why he killed himself, like he couldn't live because he couldn't be an artist. But you know what? I don't think he really killed himself. Someone could have pushed him off that platform, and taken his shoes and socks off to make it look like a suicide," (Renn pg. 145, 2012).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:

Heist Society  by Ally Carter (Heist Society, Book 1)
The Grimm Legacy by Polly Schulman
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett

Renn, Diana. (2012). Tokyo Heist. New York: Viking.

Harbinger by Sara Etienne

Faye can't believe her father made her come out to this horrible school. It's practically an institution, and she isn't crazy. At least, she doesn't think so? With the visions of drowning getting worse, she isn't really sure anymore.

Now she's stuck here at Holbrook Academy. They should just call it "Academy for Deliquents and Crazies" as far as she's concerned. Maybe she belongs here, but she knows that nothing this Dr. Mordoch does is going to help. Faye isn't like the others. She wants it to all be in her head, but when she looks into people's eyes she can see right into their secrets.

Her first night in the Academy, she sneaks out the window. The room is stifling like a cage. The drugs they gave her to sleep are pulling at her brain, making everything fuzzy. She manages to make her way down to the courtyard (avoiding security) and goes exploring. The closer she gets to the Compass Rose on the cliff, the more it seems like there is music playing. It gets louder, sounding somehow familiar. Are those people in the distance...dancing? Seven people around a bonfire?

Faye awakes on the edge of the roof...not good. The other "students" are arriving, and she makes her way back to her room. There is a scuffle, and she is caught. Not before, however, she makes her way back to the spot in the woods, and discovers six statues. Six, not seven.

After it becomes apparent that this school is a barely concealed prison, the group she's assigned to becomes a sort of family. Their bond is strengthened with their secret. Each morning they wake with red clay covering their hands, with no recollection of how it got there. The mystery deepens when they sneak out one night to explore the Compass Rose once again. What they find there disturbs them deeply. It brings Faye and Kel closer together in a way that she never believed possible, but it also threatens to tear them apart. It brings a darkness that threatens everyone. The secret of the island, and the key to the Harbinger is a twist you won't believe. As the mystery unfolds, each piece falls into place at just the right moment.

I'm one of those people who guesses the ending way before it happens, and this had me going for a while. It had plenty of foreshadowing, but it was a very satisfying read. Equal parts mythology and mystery, this is a great first effort for Etienne.

"I closed my eyes and kissed him back. But I was falling too fast. I couldn't stop. Images swarmed past me. Dizziness tried to pull me under and suddenly the world went dark. I tried to pull away from Kel's grip, but he wasn't there anymore. It was like what'd happened with Dr. Mordoch. Blurry shadows morphed until they finally solidified into a scene in front of me.

I was running. Dodging past branches and tree trucks. Up ahead, a girl fled through the dark forest.

I can't lose her.

The thought wasn't mine. I knew it was Kel's, the same way I'd known his smell and his taste. His thrill of adrenaline surged into me," (Etienne pg. 174, 2012).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (Darkest Powers, Book 1)

The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

Etienne, Sara W. (2012). Harbinger. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

Astrid has given up on keeping her love. She's sending it out into the world. She's sending it to the bully who picks on her at school. She's sending it to the airplanes and the passengers that pass over head. She's sending it to her pot-head dad who should be more involved. She's sending it to her close-minded sister Ellis who has taken this whole "small town girl" thing way too far.

She's even sending it to her mother, who obviously doesn't like her, and would much prefer a second version of her Ellis instead.

Why is she giving all her love away? She has two best friends, the perfect couple...except she knows their secret. They are both covering for each other. Kaitlyn's got a girlfriend, and Paul's got a boyfriend.

But neither knows Astrid's secret: she's got Dee. They collide in the walk-in at work, stealing kisses whenever they can. It's all very confusing, and more than a little painful. Until she can sort it all out, she's keeping it to herself. Is she gay? What exactly does that even mean...and how can she be sure? Is it something you are just supposed to know, like, deep in your bones? Does the fact that she enjoys kissing Dee brand her forever?

It's all hypothetical until they all get busted at a gay club in the city. Now the school is abuzz with the news that everyone's favorite couple...isn't really a couple. The hateful comments seem to be getting worse and worse. Kaitlin and Paul are both taking a break until things die down a little. Ellis gets caught up in the gossip, and pretty soon Astrid is taking abuse from her as well. Everyone is asking the same question: are you gay? The thing is...Astrid isn't sure. Does it even matter if they have all decided for her?

King is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Her prose gives me goosebumps, and I share those touching, awkward moments with her characters. The extra touches she provides take a good story to a great one. I can't say enough about this book. Go read it! Right now! Why are you still reading this?!

*Library Link*

“All those people who are chained here thinking that their reputations matter and this little shit matters are so freaking shortsighted. Dude, what matters is that you're happy. What matters is your future. What matters is that we get out of here in one piece. What matters is finding the truth of our own lives, not caring about what other people think is the truth of us,” (King, 2012).

If you liked this, check out:
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
Every Day by David Levithan
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by emily m. danforth

King, A. S. (2012). Ask the Passengers: A novel. New York: Little, Brown.

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman

As the day of the test approaches, Eon is increasingly apprehensive. Despite his mind-sight which allows him to see into the spirit world, and to view all 11 dragons, he is crippled from a childhood injury. It is generally believed that he will never be chosen as the next Rat Dragoneye apprentice, but there is too much riding on this for him to give up.

For one thing...Eon isn't really his name...it's Eona, and she's also masquerading as a boy to hide her gender. For the past four years, she has trained under her Master with one goal in mind: to become the next Dragoneye. It would guarantee both her fortune, and his. It would most likely save her life. During the ceremony, however, she is not chosen by the Rat Dragon. Everything is over.

Or is it?! The lost Mirror Dragon, missing for over 500 years, appears and chooses her. Can this be happening? A lost dragon out of its ascension year has chosen her? In front of the Emperor himself, she is claimed. Suddenly she is rudely shoved into a life of politics, court etiquette, and even more secrets than she could have imagined. Far from the easy life she envisioned, Eona - Lord Eon now - is thrust into the middle of a power struggle between the Emperor and the Ascendant Rat Dragoneye, Lord Ido.

Ido and his ally High Lord Sethon want to make a play for the throne. With Ido's dragon power, and Sethon's military might, it's a very real possibility. The Emperor quickly makes it known that Eon is on his side, and will support his cause. He enlists the help of Lady Dela (a Contraire, a man living as a woman), and her body servant Ryko, a Shadow man (AKA he's a eunuch). They help him navigate the dangerous realm of court, and Ryko helps him steal the Mirror Dragon scroll in an effort to discover Eon's dragon's name. Without it, Eon is unable to call for the Dragon's help.

Lord Ido continues to exert his influence as "accidents" continue to happen in his favor. At times it seems Eon is outnumbered at every turn. Hiding his (her) true nature is taking its toll as well, and Eon fears for the empire, as well as his (her) life. What can one person do against the war machine that Ido and Sethon wield? With the Emperor's health failing, and the council under Ido's control, it's going to take something really drastic to shift the tide in the other direction. Will Eon find the name of his dragon? All hopes rest with Eon (Eona)...can she save them?

"I caught a soft lilt with no form, no meaning, and then it faded away like the end of a sigh. I spread my fingers across the hard, velvety surface - a silent plea to let me try again. But it was gone.
The pearl moved under my hands as the dragon lifted his head. He was calling for me, a piercing shriek that coursed through my body, searching for my core. There was nowhere to hide from the silver rush of energy. It stripped my soul bare, peeling back the shell of Eon. Finding me.
Finding Eona," (Goodman pg. 117, 2008).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:
Eona by Alison Goodman (Eon, Book 2)
The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima (Seven Realms, Book 1)
Sabriel by Garth Nix (Abhorsen Trilogy, Book 1)

Goodman, Alison. (2008). Eon: Dragoneye Reborn. New York: Viking.