Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

August is Realistically Fantastic?

What does that mean? Well, I am a big fantasy fan, but many people struggle with the idea of a story taking place in a completely invented world. It can be difficult to relate to, and can turn off readers that would otherwise enjoy the story. These are fantasies that primarily take place in our world. There are quirks and tricks and trips into the past, faeries, cyborgs, angels and more!

Gwen is a pretty typical British teen, goes to school, has a best friend. Her family, on the other hand, is a little less typical. The time travelling gene has been passed down through her family for who knows how long. Luckily, it's her cousin Charlotte who has the gene. That is, until she randomly travels through time! At first, Gwen hopes it was just a fluke. She can't possibly be a time traveler, but it happens again. It turns out everyone was wrong. All the preparation Charlotte has gone through, all the languages learned and history studied, is wasted. Her mother is afraid for her safety, and rushes her to The Temple, also known as the Lodge of Count Saint-Germain.

Gwen is suddenly caught up in an ancient secret society, and her reception is far from friendly. Her claims are met with skepticism and secrecy. The loudest outcry comes from her Aunt Glenda, Charlotte's mother, who insists that Gwen cannot be telling the truth: her birthday is on the wrong day! Long ago, the birthdays of all the twelve time travellers was foretold. It seems her mother intentionally forged her birth date to give Gwen a normal life - and besides, there was no guarantee that she would indeed inherit the gene.

Those at the Lodge are hesitant to accept Gwen's story because of some betrayal of her mother's long ago. She isn't clear at all on what happened, but no one seems to be willing to enlighten her. Finally, they decide that it is more important for her to be safe in the case of sudden time travel. They call Gideon, the other time traveler, to accompany her. They decide she should take a short trip to visit Count Saint-Germain, the founder of the Temple, and one of the time travelers from the past. Her mother seems very unwilling to acquiesce to this idea, without telling her exactly why, only that it's said that the Count has influence your thoughts if you let him.

She learns a little of the story of Lucy and Paul: they were responsible for stealing the chronograph, the device created by Saint-Germain to unlock the Secret of the Twelve. When the blood from each of the time travelers is read into the machine, the secret will be revealed. As to what that secret is, no one is talking. Apparently, Lucy and Paul feared the outcome, and stole away through time to escape.

This is a little much for Gwen to take in...it feels like her head might explode from the sudden influx of information. How can she be expected to behave as Charlotte's equal without any of the training? She isn't the only one who is skeptical either. Almost to spite them, she travels with Gideon to visit Saint-Germain. There is indeed something sinister about him.

Will Gwen be able to fill this new role? Can she hope to live up to the legacy of the twelve? What is the Secret of the Twelve...and who was that boy she was kissing when she traveled back in time? This is a whirlwind of a time travel adventure. The story pulls you into another world, and readers can't wait to learn the secrets. Highly recommended! (I can hardly wait for the second one!)

"The first pair Opal and Amber are,
Agate sings in B flat, the wolf avatar,
A duet-solutio!-with Aquamarine.
Mighty Emerald next, with the lovely Citrine.
The Carnelian twins of the Scorpio sign,
Number Eight is digestio, her stone is Jade fine.
E major's the key of the Black Tourmaline,
Sapphire sings in F major, and bright is her sheen.
Then almost at once comes Diamond alone,
Whose sign of the lion as Leo is known.
Projectio! Time flows on, both present and past.
Ruby red is the first and is also the last," (Gier pg. 95, 2011).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:

Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier (Ruby Red, Book 2)
Hourglass by Myra McEntire
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle

Gier, Kerstin & Bell, Anthea. (2011). Ruby Red. New York: Henry Holt.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Karou with the blue hair, the carefree art student, the collector of languages, and ever mysterious. Little do her friends know the truth about her life: she is an orphan, raised by monsters or chimera. The little doorway between their two worlds, the passage into Elsewhere, is her secret. It links her two lives. There is no way to get to Elsewhere unless the door is opened to her from the inside, but there is always someone waiting to answer her knock. There is Issa, the snake woman; Kishmish, the messenger and pet; Twiga, giraffe necked; and Brimstone, the Wishmonger...her stand-in father.

He is even more mysterious than Karou: collecting teeth in exchange for wishes. He sends her on errands to pick them up from all over the world, never telling her the purpose of her bounty. There is a distance between them. There are secrets he will not share with her, places he will not allow her to go.

In Prague where she attends art school, she has finally found a place to call home. She has friends, and even previously a boyfriend (scum), and her monster family to visit. Everything seems to be coming together...until she starts seeing the burned handprints on the doorways to Elsewhere. She means to tell Brimstone about it...

One night she returns to Brimstone's shop, after her first encounter with the Angel: their fight is rather one sided, and she barely manages to escape back through the portal. Arriving there, she is desperate for answers. Where is Brimstone? But he is through the forbidden door...and so she does the unthinkable, and she opens it. There she finds another world, completely unlike her own. There are bodies of chimera everywhere, all dead...or are they? When one grabs her wrist, she knows for certain. Brimstone rescues her, but at what cost? He handles her roughly, and shoves her back through the portal, back into her world...alone. She knocks, but the door doesn't open.

Battered and broken, she doesn't think things can get much worse. She hobbles home, barefoot. She avoids everyone for the weekend, and tries to heal. Who can she possibly go to for help? Zuzana comes to check on her, and there is no choice: she has to tell her the truth. Suddenly, Kishmish is flying towards her, on fire! He's carrying Brimstone's wishbone, the one he always wore around his neck, and a scroll burned beyond recognition. Rushing to the portal, she finds the doorway has been turned into an otherworldly inferno. She knows then, her chance at returning to Elsewhere has been stolen away.

Karou is hardly going to accept a fate that prevents her from ever seeing the only family she has ever known. She begins to investigate Brimstone's old contacts looking for a clue, any clue. She sees the Angel again, but this time he is different: softer, kinder, unwilling to fight her. Why the sudden change? The energy between them is changed too. There is something familiar about him as well, but how is that possible?

Who is this Angel in front of her, and how will she manage to reunite with her family? Taylor weaves a compelling story entertwining two worlds, and creating interesting characters you want to get to know. Readers will be drawn in to the evolving story. I must admit, I had hoped it wouldn't end with romance, but I'm a cynic.

"Home. The word always had air quotes around it in her mind. She'd done what she could to make her flat cozy, filling it with art, books, ornate lanterns, and a Persian carpet as soft as lynx fur, and of course there were her angel wings taking up one whole wall. But there was no help for its real emptiness; its close air was stirred by no breath but her own. When she was alone, the empty place within her, the missingness as she thought of it, seemed to swell," (Taylor pg 53, 2011).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Book 2) Nov. 2012

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Taylor, Laini. (2011). Daughter of Smoke & Bone. New York: Little, Brown.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder isn't your typical teen. In fact, she's not even fully human. She's a cyborg. After a terrible injury as a small child, much of her body was fitted with mechanized parts. Not long after, her adoptive father fell to the plague, leaving her with her adoptive stepmother and two stepsisters.

To earn her keep, Cinder works as a mechanic in the market, doing odd jobs here and there. She's gotten quite the reputation, but she is still shocked to see Prince Kai at her stall one day. It seems he is looking for someone to fix his droid.

There is a scare in the market when one of the vendors comes down with the plague. Cinder manages to stay far enough away, and she makes it home safe. She can't wait to tell her sister about meeting the prince! They run an errand together, to find a part for their hover, and Cinder is devastated when her sister comes down with the plague. Having to call for the emergency transport to take her away, she doesn't think things can get any worse until she gets home. Her stepmother has volunteered for her for the cyborg antidote testing. It's all over. No one survives the plague...

Meeting Dr. Erland is far from pleasant. He treats her like a lab rat, wasting no time injecting her with the latest plague antidote. Cinder may be the most surprised of all to find that she is still alive after. She is miraculously immune. How can this be? After another visit with Dr. Erland, she at least feels that a cure for her sister is possible. Could she be the key to saving everyone?

Returning home shocks her stepmother, but Cinder has bigger problems. She needs to find a way out of here, and quick, or her stepmother may hatch another crazy plan to sell her off for parts...like she did with her bot. Things start to get more complicated as she hatches a plan to escape from New Bejing entirely. Erland has her blood, he doesn't need her to create a cure. Then she runs into Prince Kai again, and he invites her to the ball. The ball she secretly wants to attend, even if she has nothing to wear, even if her stepmother would never really let her go, even if...but why wish for something that will never happen? She decides that will be the night she escapes, and that is the end of it, right?

Meanwhile, the King has contracted the plague, and the Moon Queen is demanding a very rare visit to Earth. She wants to marry the Prince, claiming it's a strategic move for Lunar-Earth politics...but there is something far more sinister lurking beneath her beautiful exterior.

Cinderella is one of the most prolific and far reaching of our fairy tales. Versions of it have shown up in myriad cultures. This one brings in some sci-fi, and jumps on the futuristic trend. It lacked some depth, and at times was a little too cliche Cinderella, but overall was a worthwhile read.

"Kai clered his throat. Stood straighter. 'I assume you are going to the ball?'
'I-I don't know. I mean, no. No, I'm sorry, I'm not going to the ball.'
Kai drew back, confused. 'Oh. Well...but...maybe you would change your mind? Because I am, you know.'
'The prince.'
'Not bragging,' he said quickly. 'Just a fact.'
'I know.' She gulped. The ball. Prince Kai was asking her to the ball. But that was the night she and Iko would be running away, if the car was fixed in time. The night she would escape. Besides, he didn't know who, what, he was asking. If he knew the truth...how mortified would he be if anyone found out?" (Meyer pg. 164, 2012).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles, Book 2) Feb. 2013
Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (Book 1)

Meyer, Marissa. (2012). Cinder. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Mackie isn't a normal kid. He's one of the unmentionable things about Gentry, the town where strange things happen. The town where babies are kidnapped and something else takes their place. Mackie is a replacement. He can't touch iron or steel, he can't walk onto consecrated ground, he's sickly in our modern world. No one really talks about it, not even his family. They just replaced the iron utensils with aluminum ones, and his preacher father created a daycare near the church outside the consecrated area. They tell him he must be careful to blend in, never stand out, never reveal that he's different...or he could end up like Kellan Caury: pulled out of his home and killed because people needed someone to blame.

Mackie's having a rough day, it's Blood Drive Day at school and the iron from the blood is nauseating. His classmate Tate is back in school after the death of her sister, and she keeps following him around trying to ask him questions he isn't allowed to answer. She wants to know what happened to her real sister, the one that was taken and replaced with the one who just died.

His condition is getting worse, not that he's ever been very healthy. Some guy approaches him, and tells him he knows how to help. He whispers the one phrase Mackie can't get over: "you're dying." What's he supposed to do? His sister Emma, the one who has always been there for him, brings home a friend from college. Instantly he knows that Janice is like him. When Emma brings home something Janice has mixed up for him, he drinks it, desperate to feel better...and he does! It's like a miracle! He doesn't remember ever feeling this good. He goes to a party and sees Tate, and again she tries to talk to him about her sister. There is something that draws him to her, he wants to open up and just talk about it with someone.

The drink Emma brought him wasn't free. The House of Mayhem wants a return on their investment. They will supply him with the analeptic if he will play with their band. They need the adoration, it's like a booster shot for them. The attention sustains them. If the Morrigan is to be believed, so do the blood sacrifices of the kidnapped children. In return, they protect the town, help the crops grow, and in general help the town prosper.

Tate is beside herself when she learns that her sister may still be alive. Mackie wants to help, but after meeting the Lady at the House of Mystery, he doesn't know what he can do. Can they stop her from completing her bloody task? Dark and creepy, this one draws you in. It's got plenty of plot, and even a little romance. Yovanoff knows how to spin a yarn.

"'We love the town as best we can, and they love us back, although they don't always know they're doing it. But it isn't enough for my sister. She needs sacrifice.'
She played with the flower behind her ear and said in a low, singsong voice, 'She takes their pretty babies, and in exchange, she leave them our own diseased flesh. Those are the ones who die, of course - almost always. It's nearly impossible to live outside the hill. So you see, we sacrifice our own too. But it's a small cost to give up the sick ones, the ones who are only going to die anyway. Except...'
'Except what?'
Her hand was small and hot when she reached for mine. She turned and smiled up at me, showing her jagged teeth. 'Except you didn't. Isn't that the most wonderful thing?'" (Yovanoff pg. 119-120, 2010).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:
The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (Iron Fey, Book 1)
Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Yovanoff, Brenna. (2010). The Replacement. New York: Razorbill.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

June is Winning!

All of these books have won various awards. I admit to being an "award junkie." It takes away some of the guess work, because I know lots of people already like it! That doesn't always guarantee that I will enjoy it, but I sure enjoyed these!

Samantha Kingston has it pretty good. She's popular, has a hot boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and it's Cupid Day! The day everyone sends each other roses, and let's face it, it is a popularity contest. She, Lindsay, Elody, and Ally have carefully chosen their matching outfits to complement what will soon be their luscious bouquets. The day is off to a winning start as they snag the last parking spot on Senior Alley, edging out another senior. Then it's off to class to begin collecting their roses. Every hour brings another wave. It isn't until 4th hour that the rose from her boyfriend Rob arrives, reminding her of their big night...tonight is the night she will lose her virginity. She gets a rose from Kent, the dweeb who is like totally obsessed with her. He should get over it.

Instead of going to 5th hour, she and Lindsay skip out to TCBY. They spot Alex on their way, who is cheating on his girlfriend Bridget with skanky Anna. They can't resist giving them a hard time. Finally school is over, and the four of them get ready for the big party at Kent's. Sure he's a dork, but he's getting two kegs! Lindsay drives, because everyone knows she never gets drunk. Rob is there, already drunk. Juliet "Psycho" Sykes even shows up, and calls them bitches. It doesn't work, they throw drinks at her until she runs off. It's a successful day, even if she ditches Rob at the party. There's always tomorrow right? Until there is the sound of glass breaking and metal squealing, and then nothing. Nothing at all.

Then she wakes up, alarm going off next to her in her bedroom. Everything is fine! It must have been a dream...right? As the minutes pass, things start to feel way too de ja vu. It's not possible, right? She can't be reliving this day over...it's just a mistake. The sinking feeling in her stomach as all the events of yesterday keep cycling through her head gets worse. It's the little things she notices: Sarah gets their parking spot from yesterday and they are the ones who are late. She remembers something Elody said: little changes make big changes somewhere else. The day keeps happening, and there is nothing she can do to stop it. It all ends the same way, with broken glass and twisted metal and nothing.

Then she wakes up. Is this for real? She's reliving the same day over and over like some sick version of Groundhog Day? If that's true, then today she's going to do things differently. She isn't going to let it happen this time. She'll stay home, not go to the party, that will stop things right?

Then she wakes up. There's got to be a reason this is happening, right? There has to be a way to stop it. Maybe if she...

This book deals with a lot of issues: bullying, death, the impact we have on the people around us. It's well written, and hard to put down. Sam's character really shows dynamic change in a way that we all wish for ourselves. It may even inspire you to treat the people around you differently, to take the time to think before you act. Powerful, moving, and inspirational, Oliver delivers a hit. It's nominated for a Missouri Gateway Award, as well as being a YALSA Top Ten (among many others).

"Maybe when you die time folds in on you, and you bounce around inside this little bubble forever. Like the after-death equivalent of the movie Groundhog Day. It's not what I imagined death would be like-not what I imagined would come afterward-but then again it's not like there's anyone around to tell you about it.

Be honest: are you surprised that I didn't realize sooner? Are you surprised that it took me so long to even think the word-death? Dying? Dead?

Do you think I was being stupid? Naive?
Try not to judge. Remember that we're the same, you and me.
I thought I would live forever too," (Oliver pg. 131-132, 2010).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Oliver, Lauren.(2010). Before I fall. New York: Harper.

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

Sam is your average underachiever. He dropped out of college, and he works at the local fast food place, Plumpy's, with his three best friends. He lives in a crappy apartment, and skateboards whenever he can. Other than that, there isn't a lot to say...until a round of potato hockey in the alley behind the restaurant introduces him to Douglas.

Suddenly really really strange things start happening to him. He gets beat up by some crazy guy with talons for fingernails for no reason. Then his friend Brooke shows up at his door, as a living disembodied head! A visit to the zoo to meet Douglas (of course he's the one behind all this) introduces him to Tsing Ling...the living dead panda. Douglas is a necromancer AKA can bring people back from the dead. He tells Sam that Sam is a necromancer too - is this really happening? Given an ultimatum (join me or die), Sam goes looking for answers.

First up, he learns that the medicine bag he wears around his neck has been hiding his aura. That leads him to number two: the person who made the bag for him, his mom. After the initial shock, Sam is surprised that he believe the things everyone is telling him. He really is a necromancer, and he inherited it from his biological father (who then proceeded to take off). Some of the stuff his mom told him about binding his powers has him feeling really disconnected, and unsure of what to do. It's all a little much to take in, but Douglas gave him a week to think it over. He has some time to digest and decide on his next course of action.

Until Douglas decides that a week is too much time, and imprisons him in a freaky cage in his also freaky basement...with a naked girl. What?! Sharing his cage is a (after offering his shirt and boxers) slightly less naked, but still pretty hot, chick who tells him that she is a hybrid: half werewolf, half fey. She's also next in line to take over her pack, which makes her a prime commodity. Something is definitely going on.

Can Sam find a way to unbind his powers? Will they be able to get a message to someone who can help? McBride does a fantastic job of weaving paranormal with teen angst, without making it feel like every other book about the subject. It really is a funny book, and I loved the little touches: all the chapters are song lyrics. This book was a runner up for the debut Morris Award, and well deserved.

"I opened the box, then quickly dropped it and scrambled up onto the counter , making very difnified shrieking noises. Ramon stared. Frank came into the kitchen just in time to see the box bounce onto its side and its contents roll laxily out. Ramon tried to back up, but he was already agains thte wall. Frank managed a quick hop back as Brooke's head rolled to a stop in the middle of the floor. It had been severed cleanly at the neck, making her ponytail appear longer as it trailed behind like the tail on a grotesque comet. I couldn't see any blood. In fact, the wound looked cauterized, which didn't make it any more pleasant.
Nobody said a word.
Nobody but Brooke.
'Ow, cut it out, you guys!' Her blue eyes popped open and swung around until they found me. 'Ugh, so not cool. Really, Sam. You don't just drop somebody's head. Especially a friend's...." (McBride pg. 49, 2010).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out
Necromancing the Stone by Lish McBride (sequel to Hold Me) Sept. 2012
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst

McBride, L., Hall, T., & Henry Holt and Company. (2010). Hold me closer, necromancer. New York: Henry Holt.

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Andi hasn't been herself for...well, about the last two years. Can it have really been two years since her brother Truman's death? It feels more like yesterday. She is in her senior year at St. Anselm's, a fancy prep school for genius rich kids in NYC, but the only thing she's paying attention to is her music class. The only thing she cares about is her music anymore, and her mom. When she gets home every night, she checks to see that her mom has enough paints, and something to eat. All mom does anymore is paint portraits of Truman...she's not really coping well, to say the least. At least she isn't throwing things anymore.

When St. Anselm's threatens to kick her out of school, and sends a letter home, she doesn't think anything of it. Until her dad flies in for a surprise visit. Suddenly her mom is institutionalized, and she's on a forced trip to Paris with him. He's a world famous geneticist, known for his work on the human genome. This visit to Paris is work related, namely he's been asked to verify if a heart - found in a jar - could possibly have belonged to Louis-Charles, the son of Louis and Marie Antoinette.

Andi wants nothing to do with the whole thing. It's too sad, not to mention Louis-Charles looks strikingly like Truman. She just wants to go back home and see her mom. The doctor won't even let her talk to her mom! So she makes a deal. She'll finish her thesis (which is a requirement for graduation), and in exchange, she can go home early. It's while she's rifling through G's papers that she finds the guitar, and it's a moment of frustration that leads her to try the key (Truman's key) in the lock. Andi uncovers a secret panel containing a diary...written at the time of the French Revolution. Could it really be over 200 years old?

Down on her luck, and out of cash, she meets Jules. Hungry and cold, they go to Remy's to play for their supper. It's there that she meets Virgil. "And...like, wow, but he's fine," (Donnelly pg. 125). They all play together, with Virgil MCing. He drives her home, and asks her to come out on Sunday...but she'll be on a plane back to New York by then. So what's the point, right? Until he calls early the next morning to let her know that she left her iPod in his car. They talk about music, and end up singing each other to sleep.

Determined to finish her thesis outline on time, Andi renews her research, but the diary keeps distracting her. It's written by a girl, Alexandrine, who is a companion to Louis-Charles, the prince. Could it be true? The diary tells of the Revolution, and of the horrible treatment of the prince, and of Alex's desperate attempt to save him. She becomes the Green Man, setting off fireworks to let Louis-Charles know that he is not forgotten. Andi starts seeing things, strange things, but it's probably just her meds. She needs to quit taking so much.

One night they end up in the catacombs, and that's when things get really weird. I loved this story, how complex it was (incorporating music, science, history), but so effortless to read. I loved the different voices of the characters, and the juxtoposition of the present day with Revolutionary France. This is a Missouri Gateway Award nominee, and I will be recommending it to everyone I can.

"If I had coal and fire
And metal fine and true
I'd make an iron band
An iron band for you
I'd pick up all the pieces
From where they fell that day
Fit them back together
And take the pain away," (Donnellly pg. 157, 2010).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:
The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

Donnelly, Jennifer. (2010). Revolution. New York: Delacorte Press.