A Little Fantasy, Horror, and Series Wrap-ups

drowning

Ward, Rachel.  The Drowning.  New York: Chicken House, 2014.  272 p.  978-05456-27719. $17.99.  Gr. 9+. 

Carl wakes up with no knowledge of who he, what he is doing laying soaking wet on the river bank, or who the boy is that is being zipped up into the body bag beside.  Upon arriving home from the hospital he begins to understand that he, his brother, and an unknown girl were involved in a bizarre and tragic incident that left him in the hospital and took his brother’s life. As Carl’s memories of that night resurface he begins to realize that his brother’s death was not an accident. When his brother’s dripping corpse begins to haunt him and tell him that he needs to finish the job, he is thrust into a battle against time to save the life of the only girl who has ever meant something to him.  This book is a quick and enthralling read for reluctant readers. The short and suspenseful chapters encourage readers to read just one more page to see how Carl deals with his menacing, dead brother. The Drowning is a different read from Ward’s Numbers trilogy and is a favorite among Mary Downing Hahn fans.

Horror           Melissa Daugherty, Sharon City Schools 

 

godsmonsters

Taylor, Laini.  Dreams of Gods & Monsters.  New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2014. 624 p. 978-0316-134071.  $19.00.  Gr. 9+.

The much anticipated conclusion to the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy does not disappoint.  Karou is still at odds with her feelings for Akiva. She has not come to terms with his actions against her family, but she has accepted that they must combine forces in order to stop Jael’s disturbing plans to take over the human world. The story actually begins hours after Days of Blood and Starlight with Eliza, a new character with a mysterious secret that can help the  misbegotten and chimaera save humanity.  Karou, Akiva, Zuze, Mik, Ziri and Liraz and the rest of their ragtag group fight unlike ever before as the misbegotten enter Uzbekistan under the disguise of angels sent to save mankind.

Taylor does an excellent job of tying up loose ends and sets the scene for a companion series that is sure to follow. Fans of Mik and Suz will be pleased with the large amount of story time the couple receives and will appreciate Suz’s humorous one liners.  The writing in this series is truly beautiful and sometimes even poetic – “Once upon a time, an angel and a devil pressed their hands to their hearts, and started the apocalypse.”  Elizabeth’s character seems a bit too convenient, but it provides the answers that the chimaera and misbegotten need and also sets the pace for the yet to be announced new series.

Fantasy                      Melissa Daugherty, Sharon City Schools 

 

cityheavenlyfire

Clare, Cassandra.  City of Heavenly Fire.  New York: Margaret K. McElderberry Books, 2014. 725 p.  978-1442-416895. $24.99.  Gr. 9+.

The sixth and final installment in Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments series ends in the same fashion as the previous books in the series, which is with a slight cliffhanger.  Shadowhunters from institutes across the world are being kidnapped or murdered.  Sebastian has figured out a way to turn Shadowhunters into killing machines, free of morals, willed to do his evil bidding, and left with no memories of their loved ones or previous lives.  Relationships end, relationships begin, and beloved characters are killed as Clary, Jace, Alec, Izzy, and Simon enter Sebastian’s new realm, Edom, or what we refer to as the underworld, to try and defeat him once and for all.  New characters, Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorne, are introduced and the storyline is set for Clare’s next series, The Dark Artifices. 

This one was lengthy and covered a lot of different plot lines.  The story goes back and forth between New York, the Los Angeles Institute, Ildris, and Edom.  Cassandra Clare packs the perfect combination of wit, romance, and drama with lyrical lines that almost drip with emotion. My students who were already fans of the series loved this one and are already counting down till the release of Lady Midnight, which is the first title in the new Dark Artifices series.  I especially like how Clare draws in characters from her other series, such as The Infernal Devices, and gives readers a glimpse into how those characters are doing.  There is also a lot of Magnus in this one, which in my opinion, is a major plus.

Fantasy             Melissa Daugherty, Sharon City Schools

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