The Offering by Kimberly Derting

4.5 stars
A great end to a great series.  I love Kimberly Derting's writing, and her world building is phenomenal.  I really did want more of Sage, and I am hoping Ms. Derting will read this and consider writing a book about her or about Angelina - either one will do - both if I am lucky!  The struggle that Charlie goes through in each of the books to become who she is meant to be is something that I think we all have been familiar with at one point. I am bi-polar, and I especially identified with having a Sabara inside who is not the person you want to be.

Charlie's growth is palpable from book to book.  Her compassion for her country people grows, but she is in a place to make changes for those people.  This book did a great job of depicting war, and the impact that it has on civilians.  By showing those left behind, and the innocent people harmed, Charlie's struggles seem all the more important to the welfare of her nation. 

Max is my only quibble in the series.  I just wasn't drawn to him.  The other characters were endearing - Zander, Angelina, Eden, Brook, even Zafir.  For some reason I just couldn't make myself like him.

I will definitely pick up anything that Derting writes.  I have not read the Body Finder series so I am anxious to read those. 

There was one scene that had cursing.  A good amount of violence and Charlie and Max share a bed, but no graphic sex scene.

Black Spring by Alison Croggon

4.5 stars
In order to appreciate the beauty of this story, one has to appreciate Wuthering Heights. Alison Croggon does a brilliant job of using language that is eerily evocative of the original. But this is not just a retelling with different names, the land that she creates is amazing and magical. This is truly one of the best books of 2013. This book was sheer genius, but it takes a true appreciation of a novel that is not plot driven. It had its moments of intensity, but the strength of the novel lies with the character and the exploration of relationships.

My only quibble....
The beauty of WH lies in the message of redemption as seen in the true love that grows at the end of the novel. This book has no such message rather focusing on the twisted love of Lina and Damek and their suffering.

There was no language.  There was a reference to a rape scene, but not the actual scene itself. 

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

I'm a sucker for a good mermaid story, but this has killer mermaids so I knew that I had to read this one. It was a great story and even though I hated Victorian Poetry when I took it for a class, it really worked here in the story. The idea of these mermaids (and merman) and their history were engaging. And I loved that Lily is a smart girl and was able to show off her figure it out smarts.

The whole notion of promises really stuck with me. These mermaids are ruthless killers, but it is against their honor to break a promise. Anne Greenwood Brown did a great job of getting me to believe her world. The fact that all these mermaids had consistent in their lives is a promise really screwed with each of their minds. The promise became so super important, that they forgot about their own happiness. I have an aunt who made a promise to my grandmother before she died that she would never get a tattoo. Of course, my aunt wants a tattoo very badly. Would it be such a crime if she went ahead and got one? Probably not, but for my aunt she holds to that promise as a means to stay close to her mother. I think that is what these mermaids are doing. They have devoted their lives to the promise rather than really living. And when Calder finds another reason - a different reason - to live he suddenly sees how unimportant that problem really is.

This was a great first book, and I very much am looking forward to reading the next one.

There was a couple of expletives - no sex and minimal violence although one character dies.

Death Sworn by Leah Cypess

Ah, Leah Cypess, first you mess with my mind with all the intrigue and then you stomp on my heart at the end. This woman is one of all time favorite authors, and she keeps proving that she is incredibly talented. This book has it all - intrigue, danger, magic and assassins. Need I say more? Yet even with all the florishes, Leah manages to make real characters with real flaws. As always with Leah's books, you never know who to trust or who is the real villain. By the end of the book, you are all topsy turvy. Illeni is one tough cookie even if her magic is waning. I thought the struggle she is going through was realistic. The only thing left to say is how magical the world is written. The opening chapters are brilliant because there is subtle references to the construct of the world, but there is no info dump at any point. The complexity of the world is given to you as it is blended into real thoughts and conversation. I thought the beginning of this book was a near perfect as you could get. But did it have to end that way? I certainly hope that Leah is hard at work on the next one because I need it ASAP. I think I would buy any book that this woman has written.

There is violence in the book, but no swearing.  There is a scene where the protagonist reflects on a situation with a male character, but nothing inappropriate.

Dead Letter Office by Kira Snyder

Remember those old Choose Your Own Adventure Stories? They were great for an afternoon read when you were a kid. However, there wasn't any substance to the characters in those books. This book has it all. I was a tad worried when I heard this was an interactive book. Sometimes, interactive means weak story, but this is so not the case for Dead Letter Office. The book is fun and spooky. Celia has a great voice as narrator, and you feel invested in her journey. The choices were agonizing though. It doesn't feel like it should be difficult to chose this or that, but I wanted to see some of the characters more, and I knew that my choice would determine who I would get to read about. After I finished the novel, I went back and selected the other choices to see what I had missed. There was little that changed except that you got to hang out with different characters, and you learned some bits of information that weren't important to the story as a whole, but did contribute to the enjoyment of the story.

The mystery was a little weak and some conclusions required a great leap of faith. However, the book more than makes up for this with really intriguing characters. I loved Tilly, and she was one reason that I was hesitant to read in the first place. I'm not really into witches and was very skeptical about reading a book that contained one. Tilly won me over with her enthusiasm and pluck. Donovan and Luc seemed interchangeable, but I am thinking that is because of their minor roles in the book. I am hoping to see more of both of them in the sequel. All in all, these are very minor quibbles with the book. I thought it was a good, solid read. Even if the story weren't interactive, it would be a great read. I definitely plan to get the next book in the series.

When Rose Wakes by Christopher Golden

A nice take on the Sleeping Beauty tale blending modern times with a medieval French kingdom. This included many elements from the original story and even wove in an affair between one aunt and Charles Perrault. The added elements enhanced the motivations of the evil fairy giving the reader a solid reason for her hatred of Rose. This would be a good way to explore multi-dimensions of characters and address behavior that is not fully explained in the fairy tales. 

I wasn't sure what to expect since a co-publisher was MTV.  I did have an occasional curse word, but nothing too serious.  There were some steamy scenes, but no sex.  It engaged in a frank discussion about the two main characters wanting to have sex.  The only problem was they had only known each other for a week, and there was really no truly responsible talk.  There is a disturbing scene at the end when one of the characters is thrown through a window with crows stuffed in their mouth.  

Backward Glass by David Lomax

My advice to people reading this book is to pay attention. You need to read closely and remember names and the year that they live in. I powered through and made out ok though. This is the first book in awhile that had a male protagonist. It was great to see a guy who was one of the good guys. I hate how the bad boys are always glamorized like they should be the role models for our girls. It seems to give the message that if only you love him enough, he will change or that underneath the bad boy exterior is something worth saving. Sometimes a guy is just an abuser, but the bad boy myth perpetuates the belief that girls need to stick it out to find the good boy underneath.

The characters in the book were all interconnected and woven together so expertly that you really need to step back from the ball of yarn and admire the handiwork. David Lomax does a great job of making characters distinct and deep. This many characters and time frames could have been a mess in the hands of someone less skilled.

I also appreciated Luka as being a great character. She is the master of her fate and the captain of her destiny (I know I butchered that, sorry, David). She is no shrinking violet and has the skill set to get things done. I loved that she was proactive about her own destiny.

A job well done - I will be looking for more titles from this author.