Warren the 13th and The All-Seeing Eye (Warren the 13th #1) by Tania del Rio

This review was written by: B

Received: Publisher for Blog Tour

Publication Date: November 2015

Pages: 224

Stars: 4.5/5

Official Summary:

Warren the 13th is the lone bellhop, valet, waiter, groundskeeper, and errand boy of his family’s ancient hotel. It’s a strange, shadowy mansion full of crooked corridors and mysterious riddles—and it just might be home to a magical object known as the All-Seeing Eye. Can Warren decipher the clues and find the treasure before his sinister Aunt Annaconda (and a slew of greedy hotel guests) beats him to it?

This middle-grade adventure features gorgeous two-color illustrations on every page and a lavish two-column Victorian design that will pull young readers into a spooky and delightful mystery.

My Thoughts:

As most bookish things in my life begin, Warren the 13th started much the same way, that is to say with a library and a bookshelf.  Working part-time in the Youth Services Department at a local library can be extremely tempting when it comes to grabbing everything you see, especially when each new book screams at you to check it out!  I have learned to exercise self-restraint, though others may argue with me on this, and I try to limit myself.  (If 40 books is a limit?!)

One random day, I was walking past our New Shelf when Warren the 13th and The All-Seeing Eye jumped at me.  It literally fell off the shelf when I walked past.  I. WANTED. IT. SO. BAD.  But then I remembered how many books I had waiting for me at home.  I fought so hard subconsciously to justify my taking it home, but needless to say, it was not in my bag at the end of the day.  I was forcibly removed from the scene.  

Not even a week after my sad incident, though, I got asked to join a blog tour for none other than . . . wait for it . . .  Warren the 13th and The All-Seeing Eye!  My luck had changed drastically (which is ironic considering this is going up on Friday the 13th!), and I no longer had to feel guilty about having the book in my possession!  Haha, Conscience, Fate won this round! Ding, ding, ding.

Warren the 13th and The All-Seeing Eye is one of the quirkiest and most imaginative, not to mention beautifully crafted, Middle Grade novels that I have read in a long time.  I've never had a reading experience quite like this one, either.  There are so many gorgeous, detailed illustrations that literally brought the story to life right before my eyes, and the columned pages, for whatever reason, threw me into the plot and made me super excited for this new format!  Shall we take some time to just appreciate the shear loveliness of Tania del Rio and Will Staehle's work?

If those pictures alone aren't enough to make someone want to go run out to the nearest bookstore or library to nab this book, I don't know what else will!

There is a slightly gothic vibe to this book, which I immediately jumped on board with.  On top of that, there is no possible way to describe how the illustrator did such a phenomenal job of transporting his audience into a world of a run-down hotel with secrets literally waiting to burst from its foundation.  I cannot begin to fathom how much adoration and dedication went towards making this book.  Each page was a masterpiece unto itself, with its own title and artwork woven in rich red and black coloring.

When it comes to the cast of this fantastic story, Warren is a character who is different from everybody else as a result of his appearance.  He has a peculiar face that his Aunt Annaconda won't stop criticizing.  What I loved about this detail was how the author was able to repeatedly stress the fact that how people look on the outside in no way defines who they are as an individual.  It's their heart that does that, and Warren has one of the biggest hearts on the planet.  This wasn't a theme that was pronounced from the rooftops, though.  Instead it seems as if it was meant to seep into the readers chapter by chapter, allowing them to come to this wonderful conclusion themselves.

I'm a huge sap for stories spotlighting heartwarming family moments and unconventional families in general.  This is exactly what Warren has.  His parents are deceased and he only has his lazy Uncle Rupert left, along with Rupert's unsavory new wife Annaconda.  To feel connected with his father, he goes to a painting of Warren the 12th, his dad.  He tells this image about his adventures in the hotel and the current happenings that go on there.  These heartfelt moments show, to a certain degree, the loneliness Warren feels and the strong connection he still has with those he has lost.  This has all the feels.      

If you're looking for a book with a Hotel Transylvania vibe mixed with Howl's Moving Castle scenery and just a dash of Tim Burton pazazz, Warren the 13th and The All-Seeing Eye is the perfect combination of the three.  I can already envision it as a Studio Ghibli film!  It is the ideal type of story to read to the whole family, no matter everyone's age.  Both the young and the young at heart will fall in love with this extraordinary tale that was nothing short of perfection.     

Check out the accompanying activity booklet for Warren the 13th below!

Warren the 13th Activity Booklet by Quirk Books on Scribd

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Interview with Sara Elizabeth Santana

An Interview with Sara Elizabeth Santana 

Congratulations to Sara E. Santana for finishing her Awakened Duology!

I remember when The Awakened first came out and how excited I was to see what this debut author had to offer.  Now she has a new book out (The Sanctuary), and I'm roaring to go read it!    

More about The Sanctuary can be found here (synopsis, ordering links, excerpts, etc.): 

http://knightingalereviews.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-sanctuary-blog-tour.html

With her new release, Sara was gracious enough to allow us to interview her.  She's such an amazing person and a talented author!  Enjoy!

Are there any real life inspirations for your characters?

Yes and no. I don’t purposefully base characters off of real people but often times, real people super influence those characters. I noticed while writing The Survivor that Liam was taking on some qualities of my best friend, Daniel, because Liam is that kind of friend to Zoey. I also noticed that Astrid, who is a new character introduced in The Sanctuary, took on some characteristics that remind me of my youngest sister. But I don’t think I could ever truly base a character off of someone I knew. Its too weird. 

What was the difference for you in writing a sequel compared to writing a debut novel?

Expectations. LOL. That is most definitely the big one. When I wrote The Awakened, it was my first time writing outside of the contemporary romance genre so it was new and it seemed sort of…eh, if this works, cool. If not, no big deal. I would have never thought that it would be the book to get published. But it did and I never really expected people to like it or anything. I thought it’d get published and disappear. But people read it and they enjoyed it and got excited for the sequel. So suddenly, I have an audience to think about it and you kind of have to turn that off and just write the book for yourself, the way I did when I wrote The Awakened. 

Plus sequels are just hard! 

Is there a particular message in either of your books that you want readers to personally connect with?

Not that I’ve consciously thought of. I don’t really write my books with a  message in mind. I’m just looking to tell the story. I guess the closest thing I can think of is…all of my characters are incredibly flawed. They make mistakes, they do the wrong thing, they act like brats at times (I’m looking at you, Zoey and Ash) but they’re teens stuck in this horrible situation and they’re not perfect and I think that’s my thing. It’s totally okay to be flawed. 

Did you always want to be an author? / Did you ever see yourself following a completely different career path?

I did and didn’t. My 4th grade teacher told me I was a fantastic writer and I loved doing it and I always wanted to do it but it felt like a dream, like becoming a rock star or an astronaut or something. It felt like an out of reach thing so I tried other things, like journalism and history and all of that. But once I got involved with the book community with my blog, I became friends with a lot of authors and realized, these are normal people who worked their butts off to accomplish this dream and they did it. So can I, and that’s when I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. 

Do you have an interesting writing quirk?

I binge watch shows while I write. People look at me like I’m totally insane when they find that out. I hate silence. I have five younger siblings and I’ve always lived in a crowded household. I’ll definitely listen to music at times but I tend to find something on Netflix and put it on and just WRITE. 

Do you follow a specific method to complete your writing (for example, you write in a certain environment or listen to a certain band, such as Set It Off)? 

I don’t really have a set way that I do things, mostly because writing is my second job and I’ve always had another job to sort of “get in the way” of that. I do tend to handwrite out the entire summary of the book, to give myself at least a rocky path to write. It often changes a bunch. But usually I just sit in front of the computer, and write as much as I can. I have to have noise, either the TV or music. I listen to a lot of Set It Off and Issues and Our Last Night usually, though Hamilton was a big one for this particular book. 

Do you have any advice for those who wish to follow your career path?

It sounds cheesy as hell, but honestly, don’t give up. Don’t stop writing. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. Maybe its not book one that gets you published, maybe its book two, or three, or seven, or ten. Just keep doing it. This is not an easy path to take but its so worth it when you make it so just work your butt off and get there. Do not give up. 

Were there any books that influenced you growing up or that you currently enjoy?

So many. I am insanely immersed in the YA community. There are so many authors that have and will continue to inspire me. When I was younger though, and really starting to figure out that writing was my thing: JK Rowling, Tamora Pierce, Meg Cabot, Sarah Dessen, those were the big ones. It’s changed as my writing has changed and those ones still remain huge ones and I just continue to add to the list as I read more and more incredible authors. 

Why did you begin to write?

In my family, sports was always the thing, you know? You gotta be good at sports and I’m god awful at sports. I can barely walk without hurting myself and I tried really hard to be athletic and I just wasn’t. I felt like I wasn’t really good at anything until people started telling me that I was good at writing. It was really the first time that someone said I was good at something and I just ran with it, and eventually it became my passion. 

Do you have a favorite quote?

I have a lot of favorites. I have a lot of tattoos and I tend to cover myself with words. “Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.” “It was books that made me feel that perhaps I wasn’t completely alone.” I love quotes. But my favorite is from a book series by Cora Carmack, and its simple, “No easy days”. It’s tattooed on my right forearm and it just…it reminds me how hard we have to work every day but how its so worth it. 

Now that The Awakened Duology is coming to a close, will there be another series from you for your fans to look forward to? Also, will you be branching out into any new genres?

Yes! I’m working on something new! It’s in the super early stages so I don’t want to say too much in case it doesn’t work out and I end up working on something completely different but I’m venturing into my favorite genre: fantasy and I’m tackling my favorite creatures, dragons. I’m a little nervous but excited and the plan is to do another duology so we’ll see! 

What are your favorite fandoms (anime, Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc), and what was your biggest fangirl moment?

Harry Potter, Star Wars, The Mortal Instruments, Studio Ghibli and Doctor Who are my big five, hands down. I have a ton more but those are definitely the big ones. 

My biggest one is especially relevant now with her passing just a few weeks ago. I met Carrie Fisher, who plays Princess Leia in the Star Wars movies, amongst a bunch of other awesome, and she was just awesome. She’s just so unapologetically herself and I’ve looked up to her, on and off screen, since I was about five years old. She was so great, let me kiss her on the cheek for the photo op and pointed out that I had big boobs, and just…it was awesome haha. There’s no other word to describe that moment. She was just the best. I am so grateful that I had that moment with her. 

I’ll also say, being the third person to walk into The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Hollywood on opening day was also definitely up there on my list.

Thanks so much Sara for being on our blog!

The Sanctuary Blog Tour

Synopsis:

Zoey Valentine is finally safe.  Tucked away miles underground in the fortified community of the Sanctuary.

But the Sanctuary is far from what she imagined.  Zoey can’t help but feel trapped.  Sekhmet, the evil corporation behind the Awakened, is still out there and now, citizens of the Sanctuary are disappearing.  It isn’t until the bodies of the missing turn up mutilated, each one tagged with a note, a warning, signed by Razi Cylon.

Problem is, Razi should be dead.  Sekhmet has existed for far too long, and Zoey has had enough.

It's time to end it all.

Find the Book Here on GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33301817-the-sanctuary 

Order Links:

(The books are available in both paperback and ebook format!)

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sanctuary-Awakened-Book-2-ebook/dp/B01M8OD7DG'

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sanctuary-sara-elizabeth-santana/1125069476?ean=9780995679290

Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/The-Sanctuary-Sar-Elizabeth-Santan/9780995679290

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-sanctuary/id1172174821?mt=11

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-sanctuary-20

Author Biography:

Sara Elizabeth Santana is a young adult and new adult fiction writer. She has worked as a smoothie artist, Disneyland cast member, restaurant supervisor, nanny, photographer, pizza delivery driver and barista but writing is what she loves most. Her first story was written at age nine. She runs her own nerd girl/book review blog, What A Nerd Girl Says. Her favorite books are a tie between Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling and Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce. She lives in Southern California with her dad, five siblings and two dogs. Her debut novel is The Awakened.

Click here to visit her website: http://sesantanawrites.com/

Excerpt from The Sanctuary: 

I blinked a few more times, staring at her. “Excuse me? There’s someone at the door? For me?” I ran my fingers through my bedridden hair and stared at her. “Who?”

“The Director,” she whispered, her eyes wide. Her expression told me that the Director visiting someone’s private quarters was not a regular occurrence. I hurried out of bed, pushing back the covers. I made sure my pajamas were at least on straight before heading to the door and pressing my wristband to the plate. 

The wristband was my life at Sanctuary. It contained all of my personal information, including everything about my health. It gave me access to my room and other places that I needed to be and it was the device that kept me updated with my daily schedule. When I had been granted one, after my original medical examinations, I learned that it didn’t come off and it was water resistant, amongst other things. The first few weeks, it had chaffed and I had rolled on top of it in my sleep many times, but now I was used to it. 

The doors slid open. Octavia was standing just outside the doorway. She looked perfect as usual, not at all like it was four in the morning. She wore black, the way everyone else wore black in this place, but she didn’t wear the same nondescript shirts and pants we did. She always managed to be in a dress or skirt, not a wrinkle or rumple in them. 

“Director,” I addressed her. “This is a surprise. Is there something wrong?”

“I apologize for waking you at such an hour, Zoey,” she said, a concerned look on her face. “But this is an urgent matter. Please follow me.”

I looked over my shoulder at Kaya, who looked frightened. My stomach dropped but I turned back to Octavia and nodded. “Of course.”

She led me down the hallway and out of the resident floors. We turned down into an unfamiliar corridor and ended up at a door, with a special access pad. I hadn’t seen one of these since arriving at Sanctuary. She pressed her thumb to it and it opened soundlessly. Behind the door was an elevator and we hurried inside. 

The elevator traveled up and up until it finally came to a halt. When we exited, we were met with Octavia’s second in command, Patrick, who was standing with a rumpled Ash. My stomach dropped even more. 

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” I asked, rushing toward him. 

Ash’s arms reached out and quickly wrapped around me. I pressed my face against his chest, inhaling his scent. “I’m fine. I didn’t know you would be here. Are you okay?”

I pulled away slightly and looked up at him. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” I looked over at Octavia and Patrick. “What is going on?”

“Please, follow us,” was the only answer we received as we rushed after them. We didn’t have to go very far until we turned into a very large office. Octavia crossed the room and sat down at the chair behind the desk, while Patrick perched on the edge of it. Two empty chairs were in front, obviously for us. Ash collapsed in one seat and pulled me into his lap. Both Octavia and Patrick stared at us, but I took comfort in Ash’s warmth. Whatever was about to happen, I was happy he was there. 

“We received a…package an hour ago. It was accompanied with a note. The note was addressed to you. We took the package immediately, and you will receive that in just a moment.” Octavia reached for an envelope on the desk and handed it to me. 

My fingers shook as I took the envelope. My name was written in perfect handwriting on the front. I stared at it before using a fingernail to break the seal. A note fell out, on a small square of cardstock. My hands gripped it tightly as my eyes roamed the page. They widened and I gasped. “No. NO. This can’t be real.”

“Zoey?” Ash’s voice was low in my ear. When I didn’t answer, he grabbed the note out of my hand and read it out loud. “Zoey, I hope you enjoy my gift. I am so looking forward to seeing you again. Fondly…” He paused and his face paled. “Razi Cylon.” Ash’s fists clenched, the note crumpling in his hand. “What the fuck?”

“Language, Mr. Matthews,” Patrick said, but Ash didn’t listen. 

“This is a joke, right? It’s not real. Dr. Razi Cylon is dead. She can’t be writing notes to Zoey because she’s dead. I saw her die. I saw her get shot.”

“You yourself were shot at the moment that this happened, Mr. Matthews,” Octavia pointed out. “Forgive me if your witness is not taken as fact.”

“I, however, was not shot,” I cut in, my voice shaking. “I saw her get shot. Bert shot her in the throat. How could she even survive that?”

“Razi Cylon has some of the best doctors in the world at her facility. It would not be impossible that she survived. This is also her handwriting. That much is true.”

My breathing grew erratic and for a moment, the world went black. It was like every nightmare came to life. She was alive. The past three months of safety were nothing but a farce. She was alive. She would never stop. She would never stop until I was dragged, kicking and screaming, back into her underground hellhole. She would never stop until I was in her control again. “She can’t be. She just can’t be.”

Ash’s hand rubbed my back again and again in circles. His warm palm against my back was a source of comfort and I focused on that, not on the fact that my world was crumbling down around me. “What was the package? What is this gift?”

It was the only moment that Octavia showed anything more than complete calmness. “I think it would be better to show you. Perhaps we can understand the meaning of it more.” She gestured toward the guard at the door and he opened it. Someone stepped in and I nearly fell off Ash’s lap. 

He was beaten, broken. There were bruises along his jawline and he looked much smaller than the last time I had seen him. His hair was longer and he was barely standing. But I knew him. I would never forget that face. 

I jumped up, nearly sprinting across the room. “Liam. Liam.”

I don't know about you guys, but I'm super pumped to dive into the book after reading that!

______________________________

If you want to check out the rest of the blog tour, the following will be where you can find even more cool excerpts, author interviews, and guest posts!

January 10th:

What A Nerd Girl Says

Living Within Fiction

January 11th:

Little Fantasyland

Knightgale Reviews

January 12th:

Renae McBrian Books

Books and Movies Addict

January 13th:

Movies Shows and Books

January 14th:

Just One of Those Bibliophiles

The Booklandia

January 15th:

Rose Reviews

Always and Forever Fangirling

January 16th:

Legendbooksdary

The Reader's Antidote

January 17th:

Tine's Reviews

The Book Academy

You can even enter to win a copy of The Sanctuary right now!!!!!

Just click on the Rafflecopter link below: 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/8952c82034/

Important things to know about the Giveaway:

1.)  It starts January 10th and ends January 27th.

2.)  Prizes will be shipped at the end of January. 

3.)  The giveaway is available internationally!    

 4.) The prizes include:                                          

                                             -1st Place Prize Winner: Signed Copy of The Sanctuary with 

                swag bag (bracelets, buttons, bookmarks)

                                                -2nd Place Prize Winners: An ebook (your choice) of The           

                                      Sanctuary and two signed bookmarks                              

B's Favorite Books of 2015

B's Favorite Books of 2015

December's Topic of the Month is officially B's Favorite Books of 2015!  To be specific, these books may not have been published in 2015, but rather they were read by B in 2015.  Hope you enjoy!  (Click on the covers to go to the books' GoodReads pages!)

GoodReads Summary:

In this near-future dystopia with echoes of The Giver and Among the Hidden, Tania Unsworth created an unsettling page-turner; fast-paced, smooth, filled with dread that's wholly satisfying and startlingly original.

Devin doesn't remember life before the world got hot; he has grown up farming the scorched earth with his grandfather in their remote valley.  When his grandfather dies, Devin heads for the city.  Once there, among the stark glass buildings, he finds scores of children, just like him, living alone on the streets.  They tell him rumors of a place for abandoned children, with unlimited food and toys and hope of finding a new family.  But only the luckiest get there.

An act of kindness earns Devin an invitation to the home, but it's soon clear that it's no paradise.  As Devin investigates the intimidating administrator and the zombie-like sickness that afflicts some children, he discovers the home's horrific true mission.  The only hope is escape, but the place is as secure as a fortress.

GoodReads Summary:

Recruitment Day is here . . . if you fail, a loved one will die . . . 

For Lucian "Lucky" Spark, Recruitment Day means the Establishment, a totalitarian government, will force him to become one of five Recruits competing to join the ruthless Imposer task force.  Each Recruit participates in increasingly difficult and violent military training for a chance to advance to the next level.  Those who fail must choose an "Incentive" - a family member - to be brutally killed.  If Lucky fails, he'll have to choose death for his only living relative: Cole, his four-year-old brother.

Lucky will do anything he can to keep his brother alive, even if it means sacrificing the lives of other Recruits' loved ones.  What Lucky isn't prepared for is his undeniable attraction to the handsome, rebellious Digory Tycho.  While Lucky and Digory train together, their relationship grows.  But daring to care for another Recruit in a world where love is used as the ultimate weapon is extremely dangerous.  As Lucky soon learns, the consequences can be deadly . . . 

Other Book(s) in the Series:

    

GoodReads Summary:

The city of Bulikov once wielded the powers of the gods to conquer the world, enslaving and brutalizing millions - until its divine protectors were killed.  Now, Bulikov's history has been censored and erased, its citizens subjugated.  But the surreal landscape of the city itself, forever altered by the thousands of miracles its guardians once worked upon it, stands as a haunting reminder of its former supremacy.

Into this broken city steps Shara Thivani.  Officially, the unassuming young woman is just another junior diplomat sent by Bulikov's oppressors.  Unofficially, she is one of her country's most accomplished spies, dispatched - along with her terrifying "secretary," Sigrud - to solve a murder.

But as Shara pursues the killer, she starts to suspect that the beings who ruled this terrible place may not be as dead as they seem, and that Bulikov's cruel reign may not yet be over.

A tale of vast conspiracies, dead gods, and buried histories, City of Stairs is at once a gripping spy novel and a stunningly original work of fantasy.

Other Book(s) in the Series:

GoodReads Summary:

Condemned by society and her werewolf husband due to a pregnancy she cannot explain, Alexia Maccon -- preternatural, tea aficionado -- seeks an explanation for this "infant inconvenience" so as to cleanse her sullied reputation and prove her fool husband wrong.  Preternaturals are a rare breed and the only history of their kind lies in Italy with the Templars, a group that once partnered with preternaturals to hunt down werewolves and vampires.  Will Alexia find an explanation for her impossible offspring?  Or do the Templars have other plans for the curious "Soulless One"?

Other Book(s) in the Series:

    

GoodReads Summary:

When a helicopter carrying presidential hopeful Senator William Jefferson crashes in the Quarantine Zone, zombie half-breed Penelope Hope is enlisted into the most unorthodox rescue team ever assembled for a mission to save the very man leading the effort to wipe out her kind from the Plagued States of America...

With the recent destruction of Biter's Hill and Biter's Island, the last remaining sanctuary for uninfected humans inside the quarantine zone stands alone against the seemingly endless zombie horde.  Tom and Penelope, survivors of the destruction at Biter's Hill, have taken up residence inside the Elevated Platform Station at Biter's Bend in hopes of rehabilitating Penelope from her half-breed zombie past.  Their plans of a normal life are put on hold, however, when Army Ranger Mason Jones arrives seeking asylum from the very man rallying against him, Tom's own father.  When Tom's father's helicopter crashes deep inside the quarantine zone, Tom and Penelope enlist Mason Jones and other survivors of Biter's Island on a mission to rescue him.

In this action-packed installment of the critically acclaimed Plagued States of America series, zombie half-breed Penelope Hope returns to join forces with Army Ranger Mason Jones for another edge-of-your-seat thrill ride.

Other Book(s) in the Series:

    

GoodReads Summary:

In a city overrun with the undead, an ex-cop is given a chance to get revenge...

Danny Mancini is on a case, following a murder suspect. When he catches him, he finds out that the perp isn't even human: he's a 200 year old rogue vampire! 

The department doesn't believe him, and puts him on early retirement, despite his many years of service to the Chicago Police Department, which sends him into a downward spiral. 

Two years later, Danny gets an invitation from the beautiful, young and very attractive Detective Angelica Cross to join a secret branch of the FBI to help her track down Vincent, the wayward vamp. 

But renegade werewolves, meddling immortal witches and Danny's strange visions of a life lived a century ago with Angelica make things more difficult than it should be.

Other Book(s) in the Series:

GoodReads Summary:

The Jewel means wealth. The Jewel means beauty.  The Jewel means royalty.  But for girls like Violet, the Jewel means servitude.  Not just any kind of servitude.  Violet, born and raised in the Marsh, has been trained as a surrogate for the royalty -- because in the Jewel the only thing more important than opulence is offspring.

Purchased at the surrogacy auction by the Duchess of the Lake and greeted with a slap to the face, Violet (now known only as #197) quickly learns of the brutal truths that lie beneath the Jewel's glittering facade: the cruelty, backstabbing, and hidden violence that have become the royal way of life.

Violet must accept the ugly realities of her existence . . . and try to stay alive.  But then a forbidden romance erupts between Violet and a handsome gentleman hired as a companion to the Duchess's petulant niece.  Though his presence makes life in the Jewel a bit brighter, the consequences of their illicit relationship will cost them both more than they bargained for.

Other Book(s) in the Series:

GoodReads Summary:

David Smith is giving his life for his art -- literally.  Thanks to a deal with Death, the young sculptor gets his childhood wish: to sculpt anything he can imagine with his bare hands.  But now that he only has 200 days to live, deciding what to create is harder than he thought, and discovering the love of his life at the 11th hour isn't making it any easier!

This is a story of desire taken to the edge of reason and beyond; of the frantic, clumsy dance steps of young love; and a gorgeous, street-level portrait of the world's greatest city.  It's about the small, warm, human moments of everyday life . . .  and the great surging forces that lie just under the surface.  Scott McCloud wrote the book on how comics work; now he vaults into great fiction with a breathtaking, funny, and unforgettable new work.

GoodReads Summary:

A stunning novel about the transformative power of love, perfect for fans of Jay Asher and Laurie Halse Anderson.

Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death.  With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness.

There's only one problem.  She's not sure she has the courage to do it alone.  But once she discovers a website with a section called Suicide Partners, Aysel's convinced she's found her solution - Roman, a teenage boy who's haunted by a family tragedy, is looking for a partner.  Even though Aysel and Roman have nothing in common, they slowly start to fill in each other's broken lives.  But as their suicide pact becomes more concrete, Aysel begins to question whether she really wants to go through with it.  Ultimately, she must choose between wanting to die or trying to convince Roman to live so they can discover the potential of their energy together.  Except that Roman may not be so easy to convince.  

This is a gorgeously written and compulsively readable novel about the transformative power of love, heralding the arrival of an extraordinary new voice in teen fiction, Jasmine Warga.

GoodReads Summary:

The truth about Mara Dyer's dangerous and mysterious abilities continue to unravel in the New York Times bestselling sequel to the thrilling The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer.  Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.  She can't.  She used to think her problems were all in her head.  They aren't.  She couldn't imagine that after everything she's been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.  She's wrong.  In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly.  What will become of Mara Dyer next?

Other Book(s) in the Series:

    

GoodReads Summary:

At the wood's edge cultures collide.  Can two families survive the impact?

The 1757 New York frontier is home to the Oneida tribe and to British colonists, yet their feet rarely walk the same paths.

On the day Fort William Henry falls, Major Reginald Aubrey is beside himself with grief.  His son, born that day, has died in the arms of his sleeping wife.  When Reginald comes across an Oneida mother with newborn twins, one white, one brown, he makes a choice that will haunt the lives of all involved.  He steals the white baby and leaves his own child behind.  Reginald's wife and foundling daughter, Anna, never suspect the truth about the boy they call William, but Reginald is wracked by regret that only intensifies with time, as his secret spreads its devastating ripples.  

When the long buried truth comes to light, can an unlikely friendship forged at the wood's edge provide a way forward?  For a father tormented by fear of judgment, another by lust for vengeance.  For a mother still grieving her lost child.  For a brother who feels his twin's absence, another unaware of his twin's existence.  And for Anna, who loves them both -- Two Hawks, the mysterious Oneida boy she meets in secret, and William, her brother.  As paths long divided collide, how will God direct the feet of those who follow Him?

Other Book(s) in the Series:

GoodReads Summary:

New York Times bestselling author David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two seventeen-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record -- all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS.

While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites -- all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other.

GoodReads Summary:

A stunning debut about how grief can open the world in magical ways. 

After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy was a rare jellyfish sting.  Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory -- even if it means traveling the globe, alone.  Suzy's achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe . . . and the potential for love and hope right next door.

GoodReads Summary:

Zoey Valentine is concerned with two things: surviving the multitude of self-defense classes her dad

 makes her take and avoiding Ash Matthews.

 That is, until the Z virus hits, wiping out a third of the population in a matter of weeks. If that  weren’t frightening enough, the bodies of the victims disappear and suddenly reappear, awakened  from their dead state. They're faster, smarter, and they work together to get the one thing they crave,  human flesh.

 The United States is in a panic and then the government decides the unthinkable: to bomb every  major city overrun with the awakened.

 Now Zoey is on the run, with her dad and Ash, desperate to find a place of safety amongst the ruined  remains of the country.

GoodReads Summary:

Everyone faces uncertainty at some point in their lives.  Even a brilliant surgeon like Kenzo Tenma is no exception.  But there's no way for him to know what his decision to stop chasing professional success and instead concentrate on his oath to save peoples' lives will result in the birth of an abomination.  The questions of good and evil now take on a terrifyingly real dimension.

Yeas later, in Germany during the tumultuous post-reunification period, middle-aged childless couples are being killed one after another.

The serial killer's identity is known.  The reasons why he kills are not. 

Dr. Tenma sets out on a journey to find the killer's twin sister, who may hold some clues to solving the enigma of the "Monster." 

Several Other Books in the Series:

        








GoodReads Summary:

Caldecott Award winner and bookmaking trailblazer Brian Selznick once again plays with the form he invented and takes readers on a voyage!

Two seemingly unrelated stories -- one in words, the other in pictures -- come together.  The illustrated story begins in 1766 with Billy Marvel, the lone survivor of a shipwreck, and charts the adventures of his family of actors over five generations.  The prose story opens in 1990 and follows Joseph, who has run away from school to an estranged uncle's puzzling house in London, where he, along with the reader, must piece together many mysteries.  

GoodReads Summary:

Introducing HILO -- a funny, action-packed, full-color new middle-grade graphic novel series that Bone creator Jeff Smith calls "delightful."

D. J. and his friend Gina are totally normal kids.  But that was before a mysterious boy came crashing down from the sky!  Hilo doesn't know where he came from, or what he's doing on Earth.  (Or why going to school in only your underwear is a bad idea!) . . . But what if Hilo wasn't the only thing to fall to our planet?  Can the trio unlock the secrets of his past?  Can Hilo survive a day at school?  And are D. J. and Gina ready to save the world?

HILO is Calvin and Hobbes meets Big Nate and is just right for fans of Bone and comic books as well as laugh-out-loud school adventures like Jedi Academy and Wimpy Kid!