Cress by Marisa Meyer

Meyer, Marissa. (2014). Cress: The Lunar chronicles. New York, NY: Feiwel and Friends.    

ISBN 978-0312642976     Hardback, $12.53

Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com

Annotation: In the third installment of the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder, Thorn, Scarlet, and Wolf are on the run, hunted by both Earthen and Lunar authorities. Aided by Cress, a Lunar shell trapped in a satellite orbiting the earth, the group gets separated as they continue their fight against Queen Levana and her quest to rule both Luna and Earth.

Recommended for: ages 12+

Book Review: Meyer has a gift for taking an old, over-used fairy tale theme and giving it new life. First with Cinder, then Scarlet, and now Cress (the story of Rapunzel), she skillfully combines just enough fairy tale elements to be recognizable, while creating a believable dystopian future. Writing from multiple points-of-view helps the reader understand and invest in each character. They come alive. Her heroes are real people with flaws that we can relate to; her villains are people we love to hate. Humor and action infuse this book, my favorite one yet.

As Cinder learns more about her past and her abilities, we see her grow and mature. Scarlet is pushed to her limits and her reactions are priceless; I love her grit and strength. Wolf battles his own demons as Thorn loses some of his rough edges. We meet Cress and can’t help but admire her spunk and intelligence, while we relate to her insecurity and anxieties. When we encounter Dr. Erland again and learn more of his backstory, plotlines from the previous books begin to fall into place, answering some questions and raising new ones. The last installment in the series is called Winter.

Awards:

• 2014 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction

See what the author is up to on her blog here:

http://www.marissameyer.com/blog/

Explore all Meyer's books in various formats on her Amazon Author page here:

http://www.amazon.com/Marissa-Meyer/e/B005F6VQ6Q/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Carson, R. (2012). The girl of fire and thorns. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.    
ISBN 978-0062221834     Audiobook, $29.99

Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com

Annotation: Elisa, the younger of two princesses, is the chosen one – chosen by God and endowed with the power of the Godstone to perform a great act of service for her people. Chased by dark forces who want to steal her power and kept ignorant by those she trusted, Elisa must discover the secret history of the Godstones to fulfill her destiny.

Booktalk: Elisa has spent her entire life feeling like second best next to her graceful and queenly elder sister, Alodia. Her father and sister have never included her in political discussions or decisions, instead, she has been trained to speak three languages and study scriptures and the art of war. You see, Elisa is the chosen one, the bearer of the Godstone. She has been chosen by God to perform a great act of service for her people. But Elisa doesn’t feel chosen, she feels neglected, scared, and insecure.

When her father marries her off to the king of a neighboring country as part of a treaty, Elisa has no idea what to expect. She thinks her father and sister are just trying to be rid of her. She has no idea that she’s in danger in her own country, or that she’s headed to a country in the midst of war. Just when Elisa begins to discover the truth about her own destiny, she is kidnapped by a man who thinks the power of her Godstone will save his people. But, what if Elisa can never discover its secrets? What if she can never harness its power? Will Elisa’s faith be enough to save her? 

Awards: 

• 2012 William C. Morris YA Debut Award Nominee
• 2011 Andre Norton Award Nominee for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy
• 2012 Ohioana Book Award for Young Adult
• 2011 Cybils Award Nominee for Fantasy & Science Fiction (Young Adult) 
• 2012 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

What teens are saying:

"I loved the characters and the action just kept coming." ~ Keddi B., age 16

Watch the author talking about The Girl of Fire and Thorns in the official HarperTeen book trailer:

Enjoy this fun book trailer made by the ladies at notrequiredreading.com:

See what else the author is up to on her official website here:

http://www.raecarson.com/

Read Rae Carson's tweets on Twitter here:

https://twitter.com/raecarson

Follow Rae Carson on Facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/raecarsonbooks

Conversion by Katherine Howe

Howe, K. (2014). Conversion. Holland, OH: Dreamscape Media, LLC.    
ISBN 978-1629237640    Audiobook, $59.99

Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com

Annotation: Danvers, MA (formerly known as Salem Village) is home to the exclusive St. Joan’s Academy, a private high school for girls. When the students start succumbing to a mystery illness no one can explain, they draw national attention and Colleen Rowley, a 17-year-old senior, is the only one to see the connection to what happened centuries ago.

Booktalk: When the girls at St Joan’s Academy, an exclusive private school in Danvers, MA, start falling sick from a mystery illness, no one can figure out what’s really happening. Colleen Rowley, a 17-year-old senior, has been reading The Crucible for her history class and is the only one to see the disturbing similarities between what’s happening at St. Joan’s Academy now and what happened in Salem Village centuries ago. As more and more girls fall ill, the "Mystery Illness" draws national attention. With the media circling like vultures, can Colleen and her friends survive their senior year? What is the real connection between Salem Village and Danvers? Or, is there even a connection at all?

Awards: 

• 2015 Massachusetts Book Award (Young Adult Category)

Enjoy the official book trailer for Conversion from Penguin Teen:

See what author Katherine Howe is up to on her official website here:

http://katherinehowe.com/

Join the author's Goodreads community here:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/342135.Katherine_Howe

Follow Katherine Howe on Instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/katherinebhowe/

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Aveyard, V. (2015). Red queen. New York, NY: HarperTeen.    ISBN 978-0062310637   Hardback, $21.99

Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com

Annotation: In a world divided by what color blood runs in your veins, Mare Barrow is a Red - nothing more than a slave - until she accidentally discovers she has a power no one can control. Now, trapped in the castle by a lie, she must navigate a world where anyone can betray anyone.

Booktalk: Just a month before her 18th birthday, Mare Barrow is desperate. She has never done well in school and she can't find a job. The only thing Mare excels at is being a pickpocket. Without a job, her only choice is to be conscripted into the army on her birthday. Her three older brothers have already been taken by the soldiers and will probably never return home. That's just what happens to Reds - people with red blood instead of silver. Silvers have all the power: they are wealthy, they don't have to fight in the army, and they have powers, special gifts that make them better than Reds. At least, that's what they believe and teach.

When a chance accident shocks Mare into using powers she never knew she had in front of the most powerful Silvers in the kingdom, Mare finds herself living in the palace disguised as a long-lost Silver princess. The world of the Silvers holds dangers that Mare never imagined could exist. Will trying to navigate a world where "anyone can betray anyone" destroy Mare? Can she figure out who to trust? Is anyone or anything safe in a world where power is all that matters?

 "I've done this a thousand times before, watching the crowd like a wolf does a flock of sheep. Looking for the weak, the slow, the foolish. Only now, I am very much the prey." (p. 33)

Awards:

• This book has not won any awards (yet!).

What teens are saying:

"I really enjoyed this book! It was fast paced and kept my interest throughout the whole story. I like that the main character had to wrestle with the pros and cons of changing the unjust society she lived in. Exploring that side of things was new and interesting." ~ Mardi B., age 18

Here's the official book trailer for Red Queen from HarperCollins:

Connect with the author on Goodreads here:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7074943.Victoria_Aveyard

Follow her on Twitter here:
https://twitter.com/victoriaaveyard

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Black, H. (2013). The coldest girl in Coldtown. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.    ISBN 978-0316213103    Paperback, $9.89

Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com

Annotation: Stalked by hungry vampires and desperate humans, 17-year-old Tana, her infected and thirsty ex-boyfriend Aiden, and a vampire named Gavriel must navigate the streets of Coldtown safely.

Booktalk: In a world where vampires don't hide from humans, but live openly in walled off cities called "coldtowns," humanity lives in conflict with itself. Some live in fear, others watch the tv feeds from coldtowns and want to become vampires themselves. Still others just want to be part of the party while remaining human.

How far would you go to protect your friends? Your ex-boyfriend? A stranger? When Tana wakes up in a bathtub after a hard night of partying, she finds that all her friends are dead. Not just dead, but slaughtered by vampires.

While fleeing the carnage of the party, Tana finds her ex-boyfriend Aiden tied up in one of the guest rooms. Aiden is infected, meaning he's been bitten by a vampire and is consumed with the desire to drink human blood. In the room with Aiden is a chained up vampire named Gavriel. For reasons she can't explain, Tana frees them both and they barely escape the vampires who murdered Tana's friends. But, where can they go? Can Tana help Aiden or will he kill her first? And what does Gavriel really want? Can they survive the trip to Coldtown?

Awards: 

• 2013 Locus Award Nominee for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy
• 2013 Andre Norton Award Nominee for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy
• 2015 Green Mountain Book Award Nominee
• 2015 Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Nominee 

What teens are saying:

"I stayed up all night to finish this one! Then, I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking of vampires." ~ Marie W., age 14

Watch the official book trailer for The Coldest Girl in Coldtown here:

Listen to author Holly Black talk about her book The Coldest Girl in Coldtown here:

Be a part of the author's Goodreads community here:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25422.Holly_Black

See what else the author is up to on her official website here:
http://blackholly.com/

Follow Holly on Twitter here:
https://twitter.com/hollyblack

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Dixon, H. (2011). Entwined. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.   ISBN 978-0062001030   Hardcover, $17.99

Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com

Annotation: A retelling of the classic fairy tale “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” with a twist. Azalea, the eldest sister, must fight to save her family from an ancient evil and keep a sacred promise made to her dying mother.

Booktalk: What do you love most in the world? What would you fight to keep? For Azalea, the eldest of twelve sisters and crown princess of Eathesbury, the answer is easy: her family. As Christmas approaches, her mother is ill and the hostess duties for her Kingdom’s annual Yuletide Ball have fallen to Azalea. She is excited for the ball, she loves to dance; her mother has taught her and her sisters well. When she’s called to her mother’s bedside just hours before the ball, her mother makes her promise to care for her sisters, always.  Just hours later, her mother dies. Her father cannot handle the pain and goes off to war, leaving Azalea and her sisters shocked and reeling from the loss. Mourning traditions require that there be no dancing, or guests, for a year. Azalea tries to help her sisters, but she’s alone and brokenhearted. Azalea’s promise to care for her sisters is put to the test. Fighting against crushing hopelessness and isolation, the sisters finally discover magic in the castle – magic that allows them to dance their sadness away and pulls them out of their despair.

Too late, Azalea realizes that the dancing comes at a very high price. Fighting an ancient dark magic with nothing but her love, her determination to keep the promise she made to her mother, and a silver handkerchief, can Azalea pay that price? Can she keep her promise? Can she save her family from the terror that haunts them?

Awards:

• This book has not won any awards.

Watch this book trailer for Entwined on YouTube:

Read what Dixon is up to on her blog:

http://story-monster.com/

Read an interview The Book Wars conducted with Dixon here:

https://thebookwars.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/interview-with-heather-dixon-the-story-monster/

Explore Dixon's personal artwork here:

http://betterthanbunnies.deviantart.com/

Atlantia by Ally Condie

Condie, A. (2014). Atlantia. New York, NY: Dutton Books.   ISBN 978-0525426448   Hardback, $18.99

Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com

Annotation: After getting Rio to promise to stay below in Atlantia, her twin sister Bay chooses to leave and go live in the Above. Rio is devastated and searches out the truth about why Bay left and what is really happening in Atlantia.

Booktalk: Rio has always wanted to leave Atlantia, to go live "Above." She doesn’t remember a time when she hasn’t felt the call of the Above. Her twin sister Bay is just the opposite. She has always known she would never leave; she hears Atlantia breathing and she breathes with it. When their mother dies, Bay pleads relentlessly with Rio to stay. Finally, Rio promises that she will - her love for her sister is stronger than anything else. Choosing day comes and Rio makes the irrevokable choice to stay. Then, Bay does the unthinkable and chooses to leave. Devastated and confused, Rio cannot accept Bay's betrayal.

Rio begins to search for a reason, a message, a clue of any kind that will help her understand why Bay left. What she uncovers is a secret deeper and darker than the one she has been keeping for her entire life. Can Rio figure out the truth before it's too late? Is she strong enough to listen?

"After losing my mother and my sister, I didn't think I had anything left to lose, but I do. You always have something left to lose. Until, of course, you die." (p. 46)

Awards:

• This book has not won any awards.

What teens are saying:  

"I absolutely loved Atlantia! It was a book with an interesting concept, that made the readers think about sibling betrayal, the importance of having your own freedom, and who really matters in life." ~ Olivia T., age 15

Here's my personal booktalk for Atlantia:

Get to know Ally Condie a little better in this interview done by The Girls in the Stacks:

Read all about the author's work on her website here:
http://www.allysoncondie.com/

Follow Ally Condie on Twitter here:
https://twitter.com/allycondie

Explore her pinterest page here:
https://www.pinterest.com/allycondie/