On The Day I Died

Salute Your Shorts is a meme featured over at Bunbury in the Stacks highlighting and reviewing short stories and novellas.

On The Day I Died

Candace Fleming

July 10, 2012

The phenomenally versatile, award-winning author, Candace Fleming, gives teen and older tween readers ten ghost stories sure to send chills up their spines. Set in White Cemetery, an actual graveyard outside Chicago, each story takes place during a different time period from the 1860's to the present, and ends with the narrator's death. Some teens die heroically, others ironically, but all due to supernatural causes. Readers will meet walking corpses and witness demonic posession, all against the backdrop of Chicago's rich history—the Great Depression, the World's Fair, Al Capone and his fellow gangsters.

I am not a huge fan of short stories but I am definitely a huge fan of GHOST STORIES! I was so excited to receive this advance copy from Netgalley because it looked and sounded extremely creepy and I was not disappointed!

The story opens with a boy named Mike who is racing to get home by curfew. As he is coming to the bridge he sees a mysterious looking girl standing in the middle of the road (sound familiar, anyone?) he becomes intrigued and decides to give her a ride home. Suddenly, she disappears, leaving nothing behind but her shoes. Being that she has just told him exactly where she lives he decides to drive her shoes home to make sure she got in okay. An old woman opens the girl’s front door and explains to Mike that her daughter has been dead for almost fifty years and every year on the anniversary of her death she obtains a ride from someone driving over the bridge and requests that her shoes be placed on her grave in White Cemetary, a cemetery dedicated solely to teens who have died before their time. Mike ventures to the cemetery and finds the girl, along with many others who wish to tell their tale. Each story is intriguing and many are oozing with supernatural elements that really raise the hair on the back of your neck.

At the end of the book, the author provides some background evidence for each story and the real life inspirations for the characters and their untimely deaths. Though this book was showcased as a middle grade novel and I can’t say that I was ever actually scared while reading it, I was definitely freaked out in the best possible way. The author caters to different needs for the reader. For example, some readers will appreciate the “back from the dead” stereotype where I ADORED Scott’s story. His story was set in a mental hospital and I am slightly obsessed with anything supernatural relating to mental asylums. For some reason it just creeps me out in this magnificent way that has me craving more. Another fun story was based on the legendary “Monkey’s Paw.” There are few people who haven’t heard one version of this fable (or who haven’t seen The Simpsons Halloween Special) and Candace Fleming provided a really interesting new twist. When explaining where she obtained her inspiration she stated that she always wondered what happened to the monkey’s paw at the end of the story and she always imagined it ended up in a garage sale somewhere, which is exactly where her story picks up.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, the stories were just the right amount of creepy to keep me wanting more and I think that any lover of ghost stories will appreciate the different worlds that Candace Fleming creates.

Wintercraft: Blackwatch

Blackwatch

By Jenna Burtenshaw

Kate has escaped the clutches of the High Council and Silas has left Albion for the continent. But their lives are forever linked and as the veil weakens, causing Albion's skilled to fear for everyone's safety, Silas and Kate find themselves drawn together by the mysterious and corrupt Dalliah Grey.

Blackwatch begins with Kate on trial because she has been falsely accused of murdering one of the leaders of the Skilled. Kate learns who she truly can and cannot trust while on trial and she is disheartened to find that those she believed loyal to her, those she risked her life for, are really not as loyal to her as she believed. Kate and Edgar escape from the Skilled into the underground caverns only to be caught by the Blackwatch, the Continent’s most elite warriors. Across the sea, Silas is also being hunted by Blackwatch and it is through Silas and Kate’s blood tie that they are both captured and forced to try both Silas’s patience and Kate’s power.

This story delves deeper into the tie between Silas and Kate and the powers that Kate has inherited as one of the Skilled. One of the reasons I adored Shadowcry was because of how dark it was as a young adult novel, and Blackwatch was no different. Jenna Burtenshaw delves deeper into what the veil represents and how it affects both Kate and Silas as well as how Edgar’s role as Kate’s only confidant will affect her power over the veil. The novel also provides the reader with glimpses into past which assists the reader in understanding both how Wintercraft came to be and how easily one can be consumed by darkness.



A new character, Dalliah Grey was introduced in this novel and she was a nice addition after the absence of Da’ru, though it is still a little unclear if her motives are going to be detrimental to Kate or not. It is no question that she does not have Kate’s best interests at heart and only wants to use her to accomplish her own (less than godly) goals. The shift in POV between Kate and Silas also offers a nice addition so the reader is able to glimpse some of Silas’s inner turmoil as he starts to gain a conscience. That being said, the last few pages of the novel were probably my favorite as they really gave the reader a more solid view on the man that Silas is growing into, no word yet on the romance but one can only hope (okay, pine for.)

Like in Shadowcry, Jenna Burtenshaw uses impeccable descriptions to describe the world Silas and Kate travel through. As I was reading about the caverns underground and the city housed in them I was amazed at how vivid they were in my mind. The climax of the novel was also brilliant in my mind and I found myself feeling a range of emotions as Kate struggled with the situation she was thrown into. I am thrilled to say that my copy of the conclusion to this trilogy, Wintercraft: Legacy, just arrived yesterday and I can’t wait to find out the extent of Kate’s power and Silas’s strength.

This series comes highly recommended!

Wintercraft: Shadowcry

Wintercraft: Shadowcry (Book one in the Wintercraft trilogy)

Jenna Burtenshaw 

Ten years ago the High Council’s wardens took Kate Winters’ parents to help with the country's war effort. Now the wardens are back...and prisoners, including Kate's uncle Artemis, are taken south on the terrifying Night Train. A far more dangerous enemy hunts Kate and her friend Edgar. Silas Dane -- the High Council's most feared man -- recognizes Kate as one of the Skilled; a rare group of people able to see through the veil between the living and the dead. His spirit was damaged by the High Council's experiments into the veil, and he's convinced that Kate can undo the damage and allow him to find peace. The knowledge Kate needs lies within Wintercraft -- a book thought to be hidden deep beneath the graveyard city of Fume. But the Night of Souls, when the veil between life and death is at its thinnest, is just days away and the High Council have their own sinister plans for Kate and Wintercraft. To help Artemis, Edgar and herself, Kate must honor her pact with a murderer and come face to face with the true nature of death.

In Wintercraft, we meet Kate Winter’s, a young girl living with her uncle tending to a small bookstore not realizing that she is one of the Skilled and that she is wanted by many. One day, Kate and her uncle notice hundreds of birds flying over their small town; suddenly, the birds all plummet to their death and Artemis warns Kate to hide because he knows that the birds are a sign that the wardens have come. Kate has been given little to no information on the wardens, save that they took her parents for the war so she doesn’t immediately heed his warning. Instead, the picks up one of the poor birds and finds that the bird is brought back to life with her touch. Thus begins a whirlwind adventure for Kate and her friend Edgar in which Silas Dane, the most feared man in Albion, hunts them. Silas works for the High Council but he has an agenda of his own. Silas has been given a half-life, his soul has been separated from his body and he is forever trapped in the land of the living while still keeping half of himself in the veil between the living and dead. Silas is convinced that Kate has the power to find him the peace he has been longing for and therefore does what is in his power to keep her safe while still acting as if he is loyal to the council.

I found this book while perusing on Goodreads one day and fell in love with the cover. It seemed like such a different type of story from the blurb and I am always intrigued by the “dark” young adult novels so I decided to pick it up from my local library and I am so happy that I did! I flew threw this book in an afternoon and immediately started book two.

The characters in this book are fascinating to me. Kate Winters is a strong female character but she isn’t without fault. Jenna Burtenshaw gives all of her characters many layers (okay, maybe not Da’ru) and the reader is able to appreciate the conflict Kate faces as she comes into her “power” and determines the morally “right” decision in the face of danger. Though she seems stubborn, it is in an educated way so that she doesn’t look like a child. Though the reader can still understand that Kate really is just growing into a young woman and is facing dangers that she has never fathomed. Edgar is Kate’s best friend and though he provides some comedic relief he is far from a silly character. Edgar is faithful and caring yet there are many things about him that Burtenshaw has only alluded to. Many other characters make allusions that there is more to Edgar than meets the eye and I am really intrigued to see who his character turns into. Finally, it is no surprise that Silas Dane is by far my favorite character in the novel. Though he is a foreboding and one can argue, evil, character he is still a loyal soldier who doesn’t make promises he doesn’t intend to keep and he always fulfills his debts. Like Kate and Edgar he is also extremely layered and grows into someone the reader can empathize with come the end of the book. I should probably add that he is extremely swoonworthy. He is intelligent and brooding (my favorite!) and he has a pet crow! Who wouldn’t love that in a guy? I have to add that as of right now there is no romantic plot in the story and though I may have yearned a little I really loved and appreciated the story in a different way. I hadn’t noticed how much more depth a story can have when the “I do everything for love” plotline is taken out of a novel.

The world Jenna Burtenshaw creates is richly imaginative and in a word, magical. It completely drew me in as a reader and I found myself savoring every part of the novel in a wonderful way. I recommend this book to lovers of fantasy and darker young adult fiction.

Make sure to check back later in the week for my review of book two in the Wintercraft series, Blackwatch.

Everneath

Everneath

By Brodi Ashton 

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's..

Nikki Beckett has returned after she has been presumably missing for six months. She hasn’t been in rehab or away on some drug binge, but in the Everneath where her six months away has been equal to one hundred years. Nikki went to the Everneath with Cole when she believed she had no other options left to her. Unlike every other person who has gone to the Feed, Nikki didn’t fade away. She remembers her life from above, but most importantly, she remembers Jack. She decides to go back to Jack, to try to make amends with her family and say goodbye properly before the Tunnels come for her. That is her destiny, to become a battery to the Everneath or to become an Everliving next to Cole as his queen. Unfortunately, as Cole’s queen, Nikki would have to feed off of people as he does and she refuses to do so. As time progresses she decides that these options don’t suit her and therefore she takes her fate into her own hands.

I really enjoyed Everneath, the Hades and Persephone myth has been done a few times and though it is one of my favorite myths I was getting a little sick of it. This book was a different kind of retelling where I didn’t find myself figuring out exactly what was going to happen next.

The characters were a good mix of personalities and though I had a hard time accepting some of the behaviors of certain characters I thought they worked well together. I honestly had a very hard time understanding why Nikki was so in love with Jack. They did go a bit into their back-story but it didn’t completely “click” with me, there seemed to be constant doubt on Nikki’s part and considering he was the sole reason she was able to hang on during the feed it seemed a little confusing. It may be that I am outgrowing the YA romances (gasp!) but I still wanted more from their relationship.

Overall I really liked Everneath, I believe I will continue with the series since the ending of this book was very interesting to me and I recommend it to those who enjoy Greek Mythology and retellings. Originally I was going to recommend it to fans of Goddess Interrupted and Fury but there seems to be a great divide between these fans, as they either love Fury or Everneath. Ironically, I was not particularly a Fury fan, and I enjoyed Everneath very much.

Grave Mercy

Grave Mercy 

By R. L. Lafevers 

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 

Publication Date: April 3, 2012 

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

Be prepared for my second review this week in which I obsess over the sheer awesomeness of a book I’ve just read.

The book follows Ismae, a desperate girl who has just been sold to an abusive man by her cruel father. When her new husband sees the mark on her back from poison her mother took to attempt to abort her in the womb he becomes enraged, knowing that she is marked by Death himself. He immediately goes to find a priest to “cleanse” her and she manages to escape with some help to St. Mortain’s convent. However, this is no ordinary convent; the sisters here are trained to become assassins for Mortain, the Saint of Death. They are taught everything they need to know to become Death’s handmaidens and deliver vengeance to those who put Brittany in danger. Ismae does her job thoroughly and soon crosses the path of Duval and as their plans become intertwined they learn what it takes to trust and come to understand that the price of honor isn’t as easy as they thought.

The characters of this book were wonderful! Ismae was such a strong heroine who knew her faults and played well with her strengths. She is immune to poison and sees the marque of Mortain before she has even been granted this “gift” by the sisters. This makes her stand out in a significant way and it is because of these gifts that she is able to really understand her worth in the end so she can stand up for what she knows is right. Her sisters in Death are pretty awesome as well, especially Sybella who you only glance at a few times yet she still stands out in a remarkable way.

Now, let’s not forget about Duval. ::swoons:: ladies this is the man we have been waiting for! He is not a teenager infatuated with Ismae at first glance and even as they work together he does not overstep his bounds but instead gives her just what she needs when she isn’t even aware she needs it. I loved this. It’s no question Ismae has had some traumatic experiences with every man she has come in contact with so it’s not surprising that she is extremely untrustworthy of Duval through most of the novel. Duval isn’t so happy to be saddled with her either but as his feelings change he comes to appreciate who (and what) she is so he is able to understand her as no one has ever done. The actual romance though? So painstakingly slow in a way that literally had me holding my breath. So many of their moments together had me on the edge of my seat to the point where Duval grabs Ismae’s ankle and I heard myself give a girly “eep!” out loud. Plus he calls her "my fair assassin" in regular conversation! Love! Duval is dedicated to his family, country and has a fierce dedication to his friends that shows his loyalty in a beautiful way. Seriously, move over Mr. Darcy, methinks I have found a new literary husband!

One of the things that had me thinking was the fact that this book had a ‘YA’ label. Don’t get me wrong I think it is a perfect read for YA readers and no, I don’t think that the themes are too “dark” for YA readers. However I do feel that there are some adults that will be wary to read this book due to the connotations that (they believe) go along with YA novels. This book had many adult themes and I am recommending it to a wide range of readers from YA to adult because I think it can be appreciated by them all. Also, there were some elements that were missing (ahem, bodice ripping) that would have made this a very adult book and though I am not complaining because slow burning romances are kind of my FAVORITE it is no question that the novel would have read a little different.

I have to say that this novel is one of my favorite books of all time. There were so many parts of this book that reminded me of Juliet Marillier’s Sevenwaters series and those of you who know me (or who follow my blog) know that this is probably the biggest compliment I can give. The strong heroine, slow burning romance and ending that focused on what is easy versus what is right are only a few of the things that I find in both novels. The novel was a gorgeous read that I honestly can’t say enough about, I highly recommend it to fans of Juliet Marillier, strong heroines and anyone looking for a new brooding literary crush.

I am so grateful to have received an ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via Netgalley and the only qualm I have is that now I have to wait an immensely long time for the companion novel, Dark Triumph to come out!

Wonder Show

Wonder Show

By Hannah Barnaby

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, friends and neighbors, allow me to change your lives! Step inside Mosco’s Traveling Wonder Show! You’ve read about them in magazines, these so-called human curiosities, this tribe of misfits—now come and see for yourselves. We’ve got a gent as tall as a tree, a lady with a beard, and don’t miss your chance to see the Wild Albinos of Bora Bora! Ask Madame Doula to peer into your future (only two dollars more if you want to know how you’re going to die).

And between these covers behold the greatest act of our display—Portia Remini, the strangest of the menagerie because she’s a ‘normal’ among the freaks, searching for a new beginning on the bally, far away from McGreavey’s Home for Wayward Girls, where Mister watches and waits. He said he would always find Portia, said she could never leave . . .

Oh, it’s not for the faint of heart folks. If you’re prone to nightmares or you’ve got a weak ticker, you’d best move on. Within these pages lies a tale of abandonment, loss, misfortune for the rich and glory for the poor (and a little murder doesn’t hurt). It’s a story for the ages, but be warned: once you enter the Wonder Show you will never be the same.

I am very grateful to have received an ARC via Netgalley, the book will be published on March 20, 2012.

Story telling is a crucial part of Portia’s life, each night she listens to the stories of her family members and she has a natural talent for weaving stories of her own. Soon Portia’s life is turned upside down when everyone she knows leaves her promising that once they make enough money they will come back for her. Portia is left with her aunt who is not a very pleasant woman and after some time her aunt decides that Portia is too much of a burden so she drops her off at McGreavey’s Home for Wayward Girls. A man who goes by the name “Mister” owns McGreavey’s and he is a very unpleasant human being. Portia is determined to find her father so she does what she needs to do to gain information. After some traumatic events Portia decides to run away and gets caught up in the life of a misfit.

This book was very enjoyable, Hannah Barnaby does a great job storytelling and the characters were very unique and fun to read about. I was immediately sucked in to Portia’s world and the entire story had a vibrant feel to it. This story wasn’t all happiness though; it was actually quite the opposite. There were very real topics in this story such as abandonment, death and guilt and overall it was rather dark. There were parts that reminded me of the Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket that I read a few years back, Count Olaf and Mister definitely share some characteristics. The highlight of Wonder Show was definitely the characters; they were all unique and “curious” in their own way.

My biggest disappointment in this story was that it wasn’t detailed enough, there could have been more to the story and the characters. The “misfits” were all so odd and I would have really enjoyed more of their back-stories and their relationships with Portia. The end of the story was endearing but it felt rushed and I couldn’t understand why it was happening as the relationships between the characters weren’t explored enough and their love for Portia was a little confusing to me. There was also an offhand comment about a ghost who follows Portia around yet it wasn't explored further at all and I found that very disappointing. I suppose this means my biggest problem was that I wanted more from the novel, which isn’t exactly a negative thing.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2012, I think it was a successful debut from Hannah Barnaby and I recommend it to those looking for a quick story that shows the beauty in the family that you choose, not the family that you’re born into.

Plucker

Plucker
By Brom 

World-renowned dark fantasy artist Brom in this illustrated novel intimately combines his dramatic storytelling with his uniquely arresting images, to create a work of striking imagination, a world where fairy-tale tradition collides with vileness and depravity, love and heroism, suffering and sacrifice. A shadowy land of make-believe where Jack and his box are stuck beneath the bed with the dust, spiders, and other castaway toys, forced to face a bitter truth: children grow up and toys are left behind. Jack believes this is the worst that can happen to a toy. But when the Plucker, a malevolent spirit, is set loose upon the world of make-believe and Jack is thrust into the unlikely role of defending Thomas, the very child who abandoned him, he finds out there is worse that can befall a toy-far worse. As desperation mounts, Jack is thrown together with Thomas's other toys-Monkey, the Nutcracker, and the ethereally beautiful porcelain doll Snow Angel-as they struggle to rise above their simple roles as playthings in an effort to save the boy they love.

Plucker is an illustrated novel by Brom and it is a dark, twisted tale about children’s toys and their love for children. Don’t think of this as another Toy Story, it is absolutely NOT a children’s book.

This is the story of Jack (as in, Jack in the Box) who lives in a room with dozens of other toys who belong to Thomas. These toys come alive once Thomas is in bed and gallivant through his room, living it up as toys do. The only problem is that Jack has been shoved under the bed and is now a discarded toy that is to be shunned from all the others. Soon after Jack is shunned, Thomas is brought a spirit doll from his father. They place the doll above his bed and it falls, cracks open and releases a Soul Plucker who needs to feed on children’s gusto to flourish and survive. Jack becomes transformed into a Plucker killer and he sets out against the evil taking over the child’s soul.

I was very excited to read this book. I loved Brom’s The Child Thief and I think his illustrations are absolutely amazing. However this story was very different from The Child Thief, it read more like a picture book than a novel but the illustrations completely complemented the storyline.

Jack was transformed from a child’s toy who cowered in his box for comfort to a killer with a snake’s heart. African magic and voodoo play a significant part in the story and it helped create more depth, giving the story a little more than a straightforward path.

Some of the Plucker’s “minions” were gruesome and maggot filled and I found myself physically gagging over the intense descriptions. But that’s part of the reason that I enjoyed it, I love a good horror story filled with vivid imagery. Jack’s illustrations were also incredibly intricate, even his stitching was beautiful. I recommend this book to any fans of Brom or for those who like a twisted re-telling of a childhood fable.

"All around the mulberry bush,
The monkey chased the weasel,
The monkey thought ‘twas all in fun,
Pop goes the weasel."

A Monster Calls

A Monster Calls 

By Patrick Ness 

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting-- he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth.

From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd-- whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself-- Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.

I heard about this story before it was published through one of the many blogs that I follow and I was very interested in the fact that Patrick Ness was writing a story based off of Siobhan Dowd’s ideas. It looked like a quick and interesting read with amazing illustrations. The illustrations of the monster are perfect as they almost seem to jump right from the reader’s imagination onto the page.

The monster comes to Conor in the dead of night and tells him that he is going to tell him three stories in exchange for Conor’s story, a story of the ominous “truth” that Conor shies away from. The three stories from the monster were my favorite part of the book, they were written almost like fairy tales that at first seemed so cut and dry, until the monster explains the moral which is entirely different from what you had imagined. The conclusion comes when Conor finally succumbs to the monster and tells his own story, the nightmare that haunts him even in his waking hours.

This story was so good. So good that I found myself going through all of the emotions Conor was feeling. I was confused, scared, happy, angry and so sad. As the book came to an end I found myself getting teary over the mere thought of having to go through the loss and heartache that Conor faces. I would recommend this book to any reader looking for a quick, enjoyable read that plays wonderfully with the emotions.

Rating 4.5 out of 5

Graveminder

Graveminder

By Melissa Marr

Three sips to mind the dead . . .

Rebekkah Barrow never forgot the attention her grandmother Maylene bestowed upon the dead of Claysville, the small town where Bek spent her adolescence. There wasn't a funeral that Maylene didn't attend, and at each one Rebekkah watched as Maylene performed the same unusual ritual: She took three sips from a silver flask and spoke the words "Sleep well, and stay where I put you."

Now Maylene is dead, and Bek must go back to the place she left a decade earlier. She soon discovers that Claysville is not just the sleepy town she remembers, and that Maylene had good reason for her odd traditions. It turns out that in Claysville the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected; beneath the town lies a shadowy, lawless land ruled by the enigmatic Charles, aka Mr. D. If the dead are not properly cared for, they will come back to satiate themselves with food, drink, and stories from the land of the living. Only the Graveminder, by tradition a Barrow woman, and her Undertaker—in this case Byron Montgomery, with whom Bek shares a complicated past—can set things right once the dead begin to walk.

Although she is still grieving for Maylene, Rebekkah will soon find that she has more than a funeral to attend to in Claysville, and that what awaits her may be far worse: dark secrets, a centuries-old bargain, a romance that still haunts her, and a frightening new responsibility—to stop a monster and put the dead to rest where they belong.

Graveminder is best selling young adult author Melissa Marr's first novel for adults, though it has been said to be “a young adult book for adults” as the genres can overlap at times and the storyline is relatable to both young adult and adult readers. The atmosphere of this story was very interesting, the way in which Melissa Marr describes the alternate world ruled by Mr. D was extremely detailed and really heightened the intensity of the story. I really felt for Bek as she struggled with her choices in this story and I appreciated how conflicted she was as she worked to find her proper place in the world. This story is filled with love, through many different types of relationships, but it is also a horror story filled with murder mysteries and the residents of Claysville rising from the dead. A good mix, I must say!

Overall, Graveminder is a richly imagined story with a relatable and interesting plot filled with likable characters. Melissa Marr sets up the story so it can be turned into a series if she wishes. Personally, I hope the author runs with the story and decides to continue the story of Bek and Byron!

4 out of 5 stars

For more on Melissa Marr check out her website and best selling young adult novels!

The Child Thief

The Child Thief

By Brom

I first saw this book showcased on the shelf when I was working at Barnes & Noble. I was immediately intrigued and drawn in by the illustration on the cover. I thought to myself, “That looks like Peter Pan!” and lo and behold, it IS Peter Pan! Kind of...

Based in our modern world, Peter searches for children needing an escape from their brutal lives. Peter finds the desperate children, the ones grasping for any sense of light in a dark world. Peter waits until the opportune moment to reveal himself, knowing that at that time the children are most likely to follow him into the “paradise” he promises. However, as these children follow Peter they find that this paradise he promises is really a terrifying wilderness filled with things from your worst nightmares.

As time progresses, the children learn that this world, the world of Avalon, is slowly dying. Peter is dedicated to saving this world, his paradise, and the Lady that lives there. Peter believes the only way to save his world is to amass an army of children called the “Devils” to fight for the land he loves.

A little disclaimer: This story is NOT for children. It is NOT the story of Peter Pan from your childhood. It is harsh, sadistic and at times over the top. The children (and they are children) swear, maim and kill and they are tortured and killed in gory detail. That being said it is also one of the best books I have ever read.

Brom completely re-imagines the tale of Peter Pan, turning it into a thoroughly detailed and layered story. Avalon was once a magical and beautiful paradise, until man showed up on its shores. The “man” in question being the Captain and his crew (saw that one coming, didn’t you?) The crew is made up not of not savage men, but puritans (but really, what’s the difference?) looking to start a new civilization. As the story progresses these men do turn into beasts but the Captain remains whole and the reader gains a glimpse into his mindset. The question of who (or what) is evil is presented and as a reader I found myself wavering between the two, into an almost gray area. Brom tells the tale of horror, betrayal and dedication through a child narrator named Nick, a narrator I quickly fell in love with. Nick is a strong minded boy, who attempts to stand up for what is right while shirking away from what would be “easy.”

Although this was one of the best novels I have ever read I do admit that some parts were not so perfect. Most of the characters are extremely developed and layered with a detailed back-story. However, the character Uthger is barely fleshed out though he pays a very important part in the overall story. Also, I did not enjoy the ending. At all. I can’t go into much detail here but I will say that overall it felt rushed. The whole story leads up to this final act and suddenly it is over with no pretense. I do understand why the book ended in this way, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it!

4.5 out of 5 stars

Check out Brom’s website for a gallery of his amazing illustrations, many found in The Child Thief!

Zombies!

Warm Bodies
By Isaac Marion

I found this book while perusing the shelves at Barnes n Noble a few months back. I was scanning the shelves as I usually do to find barcodes to shamelessly scan into my Goodreads account before borrowing them from the library when BAM! The cover of Warm Bodies hit me like a hammer between the eyes. I was so intrigued, the contrast of dark shades and a red cape flowing from the zombie-esque man to look like gushing blood pulled me right in. Then I read the book jacket: “R is a zombie. He has no name, no memories, and no pulse, but he has dreams. He is a little different from his fellow dead.” That’s it, I had to have this book. There will be no blood sucking vampires or mysterious werewolves, instead there is a main character who eats brains! Brains, because, you know, HE IS A ZOMBIE! As you get further into the story you find that R is a different kind of zombie (are you a good witch, or a bad witch?) and he becomes one of the most lovable characters I have ever met.

Honestly there isn’t much else I can say without giving away the whole novel but check out my book trailer to learn more :]

Warm Bodies


4.5 out of 5 stars
Definitely a top pick for 2011!