Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Holy cow!! I just looked online to see how many books were in this series thinking it was only three, yeah, we're talking about a good 6 books if not more and I've only read the first. Now I just have to mention that most books I've been reading are in a series and it's fun, but I am getting a little tired of series that last more than 3 books, especially if it's close to 7 or more like Artemis Fowl, Rangers Apprentice, Leven Thumps, etc... The only exception was Harry Potter since that was my first real series to read when I was in high school. Anyway. I've been trying to steer clear of Vampire books since it is almost embarrassing to read Vampire related books after the huge success and publicity of the Twilight series. I really liked that series until everyone got obsessed with it after I had read them already. Yeah, kinda ruined it along with the movies and my english major husband telling me that the writing is very plain and there are no details so of course I now notice whether a book is simple or complex. Sort of ruined the whole reading experience a bit for me, but I still like it.

I picked this book up since all my other books are on a long hold at the library and this one was ready to pick up. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed reading this book and it had been a while since I've read a book I had a hard time putting down. If you noticed I'm posting this the same day as the Sorcerer's Apprentice. That's how quickly I read these two books. This isn't like Twilight in any way. You have the good Moroi who are one with the environment, vampire people who feed every day off of feeders who are humans that willingly let them drink their blood since they get a high when they get bit. Most feeders are people who were into other drugs and stuff and are recruited to be cared for in return for their blood. They get addicted to this high. Then you have Rose who is a guardian to the Moroi since the Moroi are hunted by the Stigoi (Moroi turned evil vampires). A little crazy, but it works. Rose and her Moroi friend Lissa attend the Academy where they learn to harness their unique gifts or powers for their role in life. Rose and Lissa share a unique bond that allows Rose to enter Lissa's mind and see and feel what she is feeling at the moment. Someone is threatening Lissa and Rose protects her and saves her during this book. I'm curious to see how they can get so many books from this first book, but hopefully the rest are good as well.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice by James Ponti

I hesitated to read this book, but the previews for the movie actually looked pretty cool so of course I had to read the book. It is an incredibly short read and I finished it in two days (that's with kids and a husband interupting me). It was fun to read, but not really in depth or incredibly entertaining. It's the classic story of a nerdy kid who finds out he's a sorcerer but tries to not believe it. You have the good sorcerer that has locked the bad sorcerer's in a doll that the kid accidentally lets out and now is forced to save the world and gets the pretty girl he has been crushing on since 5th grade. It's not a book to buy and read again, but if you just want something short and quick to read for fun it's a good pick. Unfortunatly, once you start getting into more in depth books, these short, basic books are hard to really enjoy.

A Bride Most Begrudging by Deanne Gist

While on a trip with my sister-in-laws this past weekend I finished the one book I had and had to borrow this book from my sister-in-law so I had something to read. I'm always a little hesitant to read romance looking books since some are decent and some are just annoying. I enjoy a romance novel now and then and am glad I got to read this book. Hopefully other Deanne Gist books are just as good as this book.

Constance is a noblemans daughter from England who finds herself kidnapped and sold as a bride-to-be in the Americas. Of course no one believes who she is since most bride-to-be's are prisoners from England sent to America to carry out their sentence. Drew is a hard w0rking farmer planning to make his place into a plantation and is in town to buy servants to help him and retreive the bride-to-be that his brother has brought for him. Drew wins Constance in a poker game and finds himself with two brides. Of course the counselman are not happy about this and forces Drew to marry on of them. Mary, the other bride, is actually married and so Constance and Drew find themselves married. Of course they find themselves falling in love as the story goes but each struggles with their own doubts about the others true happiness since Constance knows nothing about working and Drew doesn't believe a noblewoman would want to stay. It doesn't have just sappy romance the entire time, but has the settlers fighting Indians, overcoming sickness, and trying to not get too embarrassed at a Christmas dinner.

Rebel Island by Rick Riordan

I loved the Percy Jackson books and had to try some other of Rick Riordan's books. He started out writing books like Rebel Island before moving to some teen literature such as the Percy Jackson books.

Tres Navarre is a retired detective who has just gotten married to his pregnant wife. His brother convinces them to spend their honeymoon on Rebel Island for old times sake. His family used to take vacations to this island when he was younger. He agrees and runs into an another detective who is known for having his suspects conveniently die because they tried to run away. They arrive with a Hurricane coming in and that night the detective dies. Riordan writes from different perspectives instead of just Tres's point of view. This really helps keep you confused until the end who the real murderer is since each person has some sort of score to settle. All strangers on the island are somehow drawn together and trying to hurt someone or trying not to be hurt. It's a fun read especially if you like mystery books.

The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull

We love Brandon Mull, author of Fablehaven. If you haven't read Fablehaven or any of Mr. Mull's book, you need to. His writing is entertaining and always fun to read. The Candy Shop War was not a disappointment like some authors who tend to have one good series, but fail to continue with other good books. You follow 4 young kids who become friends with a Candy maker who makes secret candy that makes you float in the air, become unbreakable, and breath fire to name a few. In order to have access to these mysterious candies, Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon have to do unusual requests such as break into museums and dig up graves. Each successful endevour is rewarded by Mrs. White, owner of the Sweet Tooth. Soon they realize they are in over their head when they are given the order to kill Mr. Stott, an ice cream truck driver that happens to also be a magician. Who can they trust since both are trying to find the treasure and then there's also a mysterious man that keeps showing up and coming after them. How can these 1o year olds stop this war and reclaim their friends and family who have eaten the white fudge that makes them oblivous to everything around them?

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Looks and titles can be deceiving. Seriously, look at the cover of this book and read the title. Who would really want to even consider reading this book. Obviously I did and I'm glad I took the chance. I kept seeing this book on reading lists and on 'customer's who read/bought this book also liked..." You have Miri, a young 14 year old who lives in a poor mountain village that mines linder (stone). No one in the kingdom thinks highly of this territory because they are not a province in the kingdom and therefore do not have any nobles or educated people. When it is time for the prince to marry, by tradition, the priests read the stars and determine which area of the kingdom the new princess will come from. Of course, Miri's area is chosen and since there are no ladies, the Princess Academy is formed and all girls 12-18 must attend. There are 20 in all and they are taken from their homes and forced to live in this academy with a very strict and mean teacher. You follow the girls throughout the year as they learn about all aspects of being a queen and competding against eachother to be the star academy princess and be the first to dance with the prince. There's love, fights, and kidnapping that keep the book interesting.

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.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

This book is a young reader level book that I really enjoyed reading. I don't believe it is a series or anything which is nice to be able to read a book and not have to read a series of books. Reynie is a young orphan that follows a newspaper article to take a test for gifted children. He progresses through a series of tests to be one of four children to pass forming the Mysterious Benedict Society. Mr. Benedict gets these four children with exceptional abilities to form a team to save the world by taking over everyone's mind. Sticky has the ability to read, look, or hear anything and be able to recall it again word for word. Kate is incredibly resourceful in her ability to get through any situation using her bucket of odds-n-ends. Constance doesn't seem to really have any special talent except for being very grumpy and always disagreeing with everyone. They become 'undercover agents' and enroll in a gifted school that is a cover for Mr. Curtain's evil plan to take over the world. This isn't the usual school where you learn normal lessons. They are taught to learn phrases that don't seem to make sense and take tests on this material. Those who do the best can become Messengers who get special priveleges of sitting in the Whisperer. The Whisperer is the machine that transmits messages into everyones minds through the tv and eventually has the ability to erase everyone's memory. The Benedict Society has to save the day and find a way to destroy the Whisperer and Mr. Curtain.

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

I finally got the third book of the Mortal Instruments series from the library after a long wait. I really liked this series. Clary is like any normal girl hanging out with her best friend Simon at a club when she sees a group of kids kill another kid who just kinda disappears. These kids are Shadowhunters, people who hunt and kill demons who enter the world. Most normal people do not see Shadowhunters, however, Clary can. She gets pulled into their world when her mother is kidnapped by her father, Valentine. Valentine is an evil Shadowhunter who supposedly died when she was young and everyone thinks he is dead. She falls in love with one of the Shadowhunters, Jace. How unfortunate for them to find out that they are actually brother and sister. They constantly struggle with their feelings towards each other. Alec and Isabelle, brother and sister shadowhunters are also involved in the hunt to save Clary's mother and convince the council that Valentine is really alive and they are not spies for him. Alec is gay and goes through all the difficulties of being in love with Jace and a wizard named Magnus Bane, however, being gay is not acceptable in the Shadowhunter world and having relationships with downworlders (wizards, werewolves, vampires, and fairies) is not acceptable. Simon later on gets bit and becomes a vampire. The third book was a great book and of course had a good ending with everyone hooking up together and defeating Valentine.

SPOILER: Now for those who have not read it yet, you may not want to read on. I love how Sebastian is Valentine's real son and every bit a monster and even worse than Valentine. It was nice to see that Valentine actually had a bit of a heart and some feelings towards his family. Jace sort of drove me crazy with his martyr-wo-is-me attitude the whole time, but I am glad he and Clary were able to finally hook up even though they wanted to when they though they were brother and sister. Simon and Alec really grew up in this book and started doing what they felt/knew was right. Alec was finally able to cope with his gay feelings and hook up with Bane and Simon started to realize he is a vampire and capable of doing so much. I have heard that there is a fourth book coming out about Simon, so it will be interesting to see if it is how he copes with the mark of cain on his head now. Not the smartest move I think, but it worked to keep him alive. It was a great book and as always the third book always seems to be the best.

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt

I didn't mind this book. Keturah finds herself following an animal into the forest and gets lost. After a few days she finds herself almost dead and Lord Death comes to her to take her. He tells her that her village is going to be taken by the plague because they do not care about their lands. Keturah tells Lord Death a story about true love and bargains with him to let her live one more day and the following night she would tell him the end of the story. He agrees to let her live if she is able to find her true love, otherwise she is to marry him. She ends up helping all the towns people and continues her story for three days before finally realizing her true love is Lord Death. This tale reminded me of the Storyteller's Daughter tale, but a much better rendition of it.

The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance by Glen Dakin

So this was an incredibly strange book written for a younger age group. It was ok to read, but not one that I would consider buying. I will probably continue reading the rest of the series since I have a hard time starting one and not completing it. This is the first book of the Candle Man series.

Theo has spent his entire life seeing only 3 rooms and three people. His hands are always in gloves to protect himself and others from a rare skin disease he is told he has. One night burglars break into his house and Theo touches the one guy who ends up melting into a pool of goo. Yeah, a little strange. He escapes with the help of the maid and is carried away by a garghoul to the Society of Unrelenting Vigilance who opposes his captures the Society of Good Works. The Society of Good Works all have strange names like Dr. Saint, Nr. Nicely, Lady Patience, etc... They help people by releasing them from their earthly woes by being overly nice to them by their good works such as opening a pastry shop next to the police station and setting up eating contests to help the chief end his earthly life by having a heart attack. The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance was set up to oppose the other society. Theo is the next Candle Man who has a special power to melt and destroy evil people. At the end of the book Theo stops the Good Works society from raising up an evil garghoul and then ends up becoming the head of the Society of Goods works since he kills his guardian and is the next in line to inherit the property. So yeah, a very interesting book.

Sun Kissed by Catherine Anderson

I saw this book at my grandmother's house. She got it at an airport to read but never got around to reading it. It looked interesting since it is about horses and seemed to remind me a bit of my mother-in-law in the sense that she loves horses just like Samantha, got divorced and fell in love with a cowboy. Samantha is divorced and owns a ranch that raises and breeds equines (some term for horses that I still haven't looked up yet to know the exact definition of). Her ex-husband was a drunk and pretty much just married Samantha for her money however, in the divorce he did not get any part of her ranch and therefor was slightly ticked off for only settling with one million dollars. Tucker is an excellent vet who saves Samantha from getting beat up by a guy who was beating his horse and Samantha stepped in to stop him. It's a classic fall-in-love story where someone starts to harm her horses by giving them morphine and Tucker is there to save the day and take care of her horses. She is being framed by someone (can't guess who that might be) and taking the blame for mistreating her horses and insurance fraud. Samantha learns to allow herself to love again and Tucker finally finds the one woman meant for him.