The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

This is the first book in the Books of Bayern series. This was recommended to me by my sister-in-law a couple of months ago but I just wasn't that interested in it. I kept reading other books that I thought were more interesting and fun to read. I finally decided to try it out since I had heard of a couple other people reading it and was pleasantly surprised. I am curious if the other books will be better, the same, or worse so I'll let ya know when I get around to reading the rest. Ani, the queen princess has never lived up to her mothers expectations of becoming a true sophisticated queen. Instead, she prefers to be outside talking to birds. Obviously this isn't acceptable and Ani tries as she gets older to be the perfect princess. Unfortunately it just doesn't completely click with her and she finds herself comparing herself to her lady in waiting. After Ani's 16th birthday, the queen informs Ani that she has been promised to a prince in another area. On her travel to Bayern, the lady in waiting and most of the guards rebel with the intention of killing Ani and putting the lady in waiting in Ani's position as the future queen of Bayern. Ani barely escapes and finds herself as a goosegirl herding geese outside of the castle walls trying to find a way to let the king know she is the true princess while also concealing her true identity since the guards are still out trying to kill her. The story has a surprising amount of action, adventure, and a little bit of love.

The Dragon Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

The Final book of the Heir Chronicles and it was good. Madison and Jason become major players in this series while Seph and Jack take a backseat. We see Seph struggle to keep up with the demands of being a leader and almost single-handedly protecting everyone from the Roses. Jack is finally able to tell his mother who he really is and come to terms with his role as a warrior and having to kill people. Jason has to decide if he is a team player or all about himself and getting revenge by killing D'Orsey. He and Madison find themselves with this strong desire to have the Dragon Stone, but are unable to get it. Madison returns home to take care of her family and you learn about her past and what brought her to Trinity in the first place. A nice ending to the series, however, I do wish there was a little more to the story of how they end the fight. It isn't very glorious or anything and slightly non-climatic, but otherwise a series that I would definately read again.

39 Clues books 7-9

After a 6 month break from keeping up with this series, I finally checked out the latest 39 clues books to catch up. There is still one more book coming out soon. I'm glad a took a break since I was starting to get a little bored with keeping up with these books every other month and the same story over and over again, but starting up again made me remember why I started to read this series. They are short, fun books that teach you a little about history in a fun, discreet way. We find out that Dan and Amy are Madrigals, the dreaded, evil group going after the Cahill family and the 39 clues. In the 9th book you find out that they are not bad, but the good guys in this whole crazy contest and Dan and Amy are officially made members. Their first assignment, finish the hunt and unite the 5 Cahill branches, yep 5 branches. Who knew that the Madrigals were the 5th Cahill branch, but kept a secret from the other branches. We also find out what exactly the 'grand prize' is. A serum that enhances human abilities which is why each branch of the family has a soecific area that they excel. I'm pretty sure Dan and Amy will succeed since Alistar Oh is pretty sympathetic towards them and Hamilton Holt already works with Dan and Amy. Ian has been disagreeing with his mother and Natalie is starting to question her mother's actions as well. The rap star cousin has decided he no longer wants part of the search and saved Dan's life. There's only 3 people he will have to work on that are almost too determined and focused on finding the clues. Interestingly enough it is the parents of Hamilton, Ian and Natalie, and the rap start that do not hesitate to use force and even kill to get ahead in the search for the 39 clues.

Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison

(Some Possible Spoiler Info)

The final book in the Fablehaven series definately is not a disappointment. It was a great way to end this terrific story. I'm sad it has to end and am disappointed that Brandon Mull is not even considering adding on to this story since he could definately add more to it following Seth's quest to complete his bargain with the Singing Sisters. I don't know how much a story he could come up with Kendra and her future with the fairies and possibly becoming an Eternal, but I'm sure he could come up with something good. It was great how he was able to include so many characters and make them have a bigger part in the story such as Newel and Doreen. They definately add some humor to the story. It was also nice to see Kendra and Seth both separated and working on their own. Seth takes a much bigger role than Kendra does. She almost seems a bit in the way most of the time, but it is good to see her take a major part at the end. I'm excited to read his new series coming out in 2011 and to read the Candy Shop War. Hopfully they are not a disappointment after reading Fablehaven. Also waiting for someone to make this into a movie. If done by the right people it could be a great movie.