Sunday, September 5, 2010

Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn (reviewed by Carolyn Adkins)

When modern technology clashes with ancient monsters, 17 year old Kay and her unlikely dragon friend, Artegal, are caught in the middle. Can their friendship stop a war?

Even though this book already came out, I read the ARC and it was great! Just some editing tweaks here and there (which probably already happened) and it would go on the must read books shelf. The modern day setting with ancient dragons mixed very well. I would, though, only recommend it to the mature.

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Hurrah for first time reviewers, we always love to hear from new people! :)

Carolyn reviewed this book when it was an advance reader to let the library know if she thought we should buy it. She liked it so much, we decided we should buy it! (see how cool it is to be an advance reviewer?! Don't forget that you can contact YS to see how you can have a chance to read books and suggest purchases for the library!)

Thanks to Carolyn, you can now click here to check our catalog to see if Voices of Dragons is on the shelves.

Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers (reviewed by Xian Eutsler)

Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers is about a girl named Frannie who has been targeted by Heaven and Hell. Each side sends their best, Gabriel the angel, and Lucifer the demon.

Lucifer the demon had lived for seven millennia, tagging souls for Hell. All he has to do is give the mortal a little push, and they’re on the way to Hell. With good looks and power at his disposal you would think tagging Frannie for Hell would be easy. The only thing standing in his way is Gabriel.

Gabriel is an angel, and works for God. His job is to shield the souls the demons are looking for. Then tag the souls for Heaven. Easy right? No, Gabriel and Lucifer have met before. But, this time is different both are drawn to Frannie. Gabriel and Lucifer know it’s wrong to get involved with a mortal, especially a mortal who is wanted desperately by both sides.

What I liked about this book is the comedy. That and the points of view, it switches between Frannie and Lucifer. To hide their real names Gabriel goes by Gabe, and Lucifer by Luc. This book has the drama of the real world, just a little modified. High school has started and Frannie is a junior. Luc finds her first, and then Gabe comes along. Frannie's friends, Taylor and Riley, want to find out what is going on. Who does she like? Truth is she likes them both, and angel and a demon. Luc is mysterious, dark, and handsome. Gabe is handsome, soothing, and trusting.

There isn’t anything that I didn’t like about this book. It has comedy, suspense, tragedy, and acceptance. Since the book is split up into two points of view it gives you a more information about the character. What they are thinking and the choices they have to make. Luc not only struggles with his love for Frannie, but also the order he is given with: tagging Frannie for Hell.

I also like this book because it describes Heaven and Hell as we see it in our minds. Lisa Desrochers knows what she wants and how to write it. I like that Frannie has a power that reminds her of the tragic accident that happen ten years earlier. It’s very similar to us, without the power. We all have things we don’t want to talk about. We just have to accept the facts and move on, or be haunted by our own personal demons.

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This book, the first in a fantastic new paranormal series, is going to be the next big thing. Make sure you stop by the author's blog for tons of info about the book.

Xian had a chance to read this hot book months before it came out! How?

Xian reviewed an ADVANCE READER'S COPY (ARC) of this book, meaning she got a chance to read it before it was published and then she had a chance to let the library know if it she thought we should purchase it for our shelves or not.

Do YOU want a chance to read and review books before they're published? Do YOU think you could give your opinion on if the library/other people should buy these books? If so, you can ask at youth services or send us an e-mail for more information on how you can get a chance to be an advance reviewer.

Enna Burning by Shannon Hale (reviewed by Kristi Davis)

I liked this book a lot. The main character Enna was very brave but she wasn't very smart because she was also proud. When her brother was burned by his own fire-abilities she thought that she was stronger than him and looked at the vellum that gave her brother fire ability. Another thing I mostly liked about this book is that Isi can speak and control the wind and Enna can kind of speak with fire and heat but she can hardly control it. I got really angry when Enna started to give into the fire and Sileph, who has a people-speaking ability. I also got a little angry when Enna actually believed she was falling in love with Sileph, when Finn, one of her best friends was risking his life to save her because he loved her!

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Thanks for another great review, Kristi! Ah yes, is there anything worse than when the main character can't see what's right in front of their eyes? ;)

Enna Burning is part of the fantastic Books of Bayern series. Click here to check our catalog to see if Enna Burning is on our shelves.