Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr

Enter the tangled world of Faerie in Radiant Shadows, a novel by Melissa Marr. The fourth book in the Wicked Lovely series will satisfy both readers who have been there since the beginning and new fans of the books. Your own backyard might never feel the same…

Ani is an anomaly in the Dark Court. Half-faery and half-mortal, she needs both faery nourishment and touch to survive. Her faery heritage from her father, leader of the Hounds, means she is part of the Dark Court, monsters to the rest of Faerie. Ani’s mortality means she cannot be a Hound, though her faery blood is far greater than her human. Trapped between loyalty to her king and her own desires, Ani hungers for a place to belong.

What Ani doesn’t know is that not only the Dark Court is interested in her. Devlin, brother to the High Queen and the embodiment of war, was ordered to kill her at three years old, but spared her at the plea of a friend. Now he is ordered to watch over his queen’s adoptive son in the mortal world, but he finds a lot of time on his hands. When Devlin runs into Ani at a club, he immediately knows her as the girl he saved- and kept tabs on- fourteen years ago.

Ani and Devlin soon discover that the things that make them different from everyone else draw them closer together. When the High Queen falls ill, they have to make an impossible choice- loyalty to their Courts or to each other.

I think Radiant Shadows was the perfect combination of romance and action. Ani and Devlin seem to live in two different worlds- literally and figuratively- but the tangled threads of destiny won’t let them go. So many authors make the romance seem overdone or redundant, but Melissa Marr pulls it off perfectly. Even if you sometimes lose track of the characters, the wonderful writing makes it worth it. Each book in the series tells a different tale featuring different characters, and it makes such a rich and complete world that you cannot seem to put the book down.

The Wicked Lovely series is a must have, so don’t miss out next time you visit a bookstore. You won’t regret it!

– Katherine S., EMS Blogger

Check out Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely website which is devoted to the series…

http://www.melissa-marr.com/_wicked_lovely/wicked_lovely.html

Plague by Michael Grant – an ARC Review

“…Sam and Dekka are off in the wilderness somewhere.  Edilio’s got the flu, he might die, a lot of kids have.  A lot.  And there are these, these monsters, these kind of bugs…no one knows what to call them…heading toward town.”  Her face contorted in a mix of rage and sorrow and fear.  She blurted, “And I can’t stop them!”

Quinn stared at her.  Then back at the note.

He felt his contented little universe tilt and go sliding away.

There were just two words on the paper:  Get Caine.

Book Four of Michael Grant’s Gone series, Plague, starts off right where Lies left off.  Haven’t read the series?  Then go get the first novel, Gone, from your local library or book store and GET READING! 

Drake/Britney has been captured and is being guarded by Orc and Howard.  Caine, Diana, Bug, and Penny are trapped on a remote island – with tons of food and water.  Edilio is in charge of Perdido Beach, but everyone knows Albert is really in charge.  And Sam and Astrid?  Still butting heads and being Sam and Astrid.  But there’s trouble in Perdido Beach – soon the town will run out of water.  Albert sends Sam, Dekka, Jack, and Taylor on a secret mission to investigate a far-away lake – can it become their new settlement and supply fresh water?  Now, anytime Sam leaves town I get nervous – and this time was no exception as we all know Drake can’t stay imprisoned forever.  In addition, a new parasite bug is discovered – after it grows inside the kids and then bursts out of their bodies – only to eat them alive as it “hatches” from them.  Only it doesn’t stop there – these bugs get big.  Not cockroach big –  like, bigger than horses big!  And where does Little Pete fit in?  Will the kids of Perdido Beach discover the power he truly has?  What will Sam discover on his trek, and will he get back to Perdido Beach in time?  Throw in a deadly coughing flu – and you’ve got, once again, a suspenseful, freaky, and gory story from author Michael Grant.

I wouldn’t be reading Plague if I wasn’t a fan of the series.  I was hooked after reading Gone, and this new novel does not disappoint!  The killer bugs were disgusting and I loved the surprise discoveries on Sam’s trek to the lake.  Caine’s return was also well worth it, as we all knew he had to come back to Perdido Beach.  And Drake?   Well he’s just as evil as ever.  There is suspense, bloody battles, new characters, and tons of surprises – especially Diana’s at the end of the novel. 

Not due to be released until April of 2011, Plague is not to be missed!  Can’t wait?  Be sure to author Michael Grant’s website at www.themichaelgrant.com

Mrs. Larkin, EMS Blogger

Matched by Ally Condie

“Matched is a page-turning, dystopian story, written with the soul of a poet. Finally, a brave new world that readers from Twilight to the Hunger Games will claim as their own” – Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, authors of Beautiful Creatures

Like romance novels? Read Matched by Ally Condie! Cassia Reyes lives in the Society (her town) which is pretty much ruled by the Officials. The Officials are people in the Society who decide who you love, where you work, when you die…they basically control everyone and make all of your decisions for you. Sounds like fun. Cassia can’t wait until her 17th birthday, where she and other kids her age will see who the Officials have chosen as their mates. At the official ceremony, where matches are revealed on a huge video screen, Cassia sees her best friend Xander and she is sure that the Officials have made the perfect choice.

So what’s the problem? Later, at home, when Cassia is again watching her match video, before the screen fades black, she sees another boy’s face instead of Xander’s. It’s the face of Ky Markham, another boy from Cassia’s neighborhood. Cassia tries to shake it off as mistake by the Officials, but then begins to wonder who her true match really is. Things get even more complicated as Cassia is now mysteriously drawn to Ky and her feelings for him start to grow. They are thrown together at every turn and the Officials are taking notice. And Ky knows things about their so-called perfect Society – as secrets are shared and the Officials threaten Cassia and her family, what will she do?

This book was great! It’s exciting and suspenseful…the little pills at the end and when the officials came to search for hidden artifacts, I loved those parts! Ky was such a mysterious character and really grew and developed as the story line went on. The ending left me hanging for more and I hope Ally Condie is writing a sequel! A definite read, and, if you like this one, you’ll LOVE Delirium by Lauren Oliver.

Gayathry S., EMS Blogger

For more info on Ally Condie…

http://www.allysoncondie.com/

or

http://www.matched-book.com/