Fantasy

Title: City Of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Other Books in the Series: City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance
Publishing Info: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2009
ISBN: 1416955070
Author Info: Cassandra Clare was born in Iran to American parents and spent most of her youth traveling the world. She is a New York Times Bestseller and has written the hugely popular Mortal Instruments series as well as the Infernal Devices series. She has become a staple of the urban fantasy genre. Before the success of her series Cassandra Clare wrote for what she describes as "suspect tabloids". Thankfully she now writes novels full time. She also manages her own blog and Facebook that she uses to communicate with fans.
Plot Summary: Clary Fray is just an average New York City teenager till one night when she witnesses a crime the goes unseen by everyone else. Clary can see Shadowhunters, which is both a surprise to Clary and the Shadowhunters. She witnesses the shadowhunters killing a person at a club, which Clary finds out is a demon. Shadowhunters are humans with angel blood and they protect the world from demons, vampires, werewolves and other downworlder creatures. Usually, the shadowhunters can go unseen by humans as they carry out their jobs but somehow Clary can see them. Clary soon finds out that she isn't as normal as she once thought as she finds more about her life and family and the world of the Shadowhunters. Clary soon joins the world of the Shadowhunters as they try to find out why so many demons are finding their way into the human world. Though joining the Shadowhunters also puts her in danger and her mother disappears after Clary is attacked by a demon. No one knows why she was attacked, or where her mother went or why Clary can see the shadowhunters.
Critical Evaluation: The story features well developed and diverse characters as well as a plot that is full of twists and mystery. The world of Shadowhunters and Downworlders has been well developed by Cassandra Clare with great back stories and a rich history that slowly comes out through the series. There is plenty of action and fighting to appeal to boys reading the series and of course there is romance. I like that Cassandra includes Alec and Mangus who are both gay characters, but she treats them just like all the other characters and their sexuality isn't a big focus but rather them being gay is just a part of who they are.
Reading Annotation: One night while Clary is out a nightclub in New York City she witnesses a murder but apparently no one else saw it happen. But the murderers and not who Clary thinks they are, they are Shadowhunters and they haven't killed a human but rather a demon. But what no one seems to understand is why Clary saw through the Shadowhunter's magical glamour that normal keeps them unseen by human eyes. Clary has stumbled upon a secret world but what has she gotten herself into? What secrets will Clary uncover?
Book talking ideas: City of Bones has the great ability to make the fantasy feel part of everyday life. For book talking focus on the idea of a world that is existing all around us that no one sees, the world of Shadowhunters. Of course there is great action, adventure and romance to pull in teens.
Reading Level/Interest Level: high school
Challenge issues: The series does have teen drinking and risk taking behavior. There is a lot of focus on romantic relations that may be inappropriate for younger teens. The main challenge may be the idea of vampires, werewolves, and humans with angel blood. Some religious parents may feel it's sacrilegious or have objections to the idea of fantasy being weaved into everyday life.
Why included this book?: The Mortal Instruments series is a New York Bestseller and is being turned into a movie.

Title: Fire
Author: Kristin Cashore
Publishing Info: Dial Books 2009
ISBN: 0803734611
Genre: Fantasy (high)
Other Books in the Series: Graceling and Bitterblue (are considered companion novels and can be read as stand alone novels)
Awards: School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2009), ALA's Teen Top Ten (2010)
Author Info: Kristin Cashore grew up in Pennsylvania as an avid reader and daydreamer. Kristin has an M.A in Children's Literature. Kristin also claims to be fiercely independent and recovering catholic. She has a website and blog that she writes on. Kristin now lives in Florida.
Plot Summary: Fire is the last of the human monsters and gets her name from her bright fire like hair. As a human monster, Fire draws people and animals to her with both adoration and hate and fear. Fire can also read and control the minds of others but rarely uses her gift and tries to hide her bright fire colored hair as to not give away her monster quality. But when the King of the Dells' throne is at risk Fire is called into help despite the fact that Prince Brigan can't stand Fire and King Nash can't control himself around Fire. They ask Fire to find out who is out to take down the crown since she is able to read minds. As she travels away from her home Fire learns about her gift and herself.
Critical Evaluation: Kristin Cashore has created another strong female character that is smart, lethal and independent. The world of Fire is well developed and has many story lines that come together and even expand into other works by the author. The intricate plot, well developed characters and colorful world makes the book an enjoyable and enticing read.
Reader's Annotation: Fire is human monster, the last one. Human monsters draw people to them in an almost addictive manner. This of course brings both adoration and hate to Fire. Fire can also read and control people's minds but Fire is afraid to use her powers because her father, who had the same powers, used his to manipulate and control people. Then, Fire is called upon to use her powers to find out who is trying to take down the king. What will Fire uncover when she uses her powers?
Curriculum Ties: N/A
Book Talking Ideas: The idea of the human monsters is such a unique one that it would be a great focus for the book talk. There is also the the plot to take down the king and mysterious archer that shoots Fire.
Reading Level/Interest Age: high school
Challenge Issues: The book contains some sexual situations, though they are not very detailed but some may object to the inclusion of this in the book.
Why included this book?: Fire is critically acclaimed. It also features a great female character that takes on a strong leadership role. Fire isn't your typical damsal in distress, instead she is intelligent, strong, and even deadly.

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance
Other Books in the Series: Days of Blood and Starlight
Awards: YALSA's Best Books for Young Adults (2012), Audie Award for Fantasy (2012),

Author Info: Laini  Taylor lives in Portland Oregon with her husband and 3 year old daughter. Her book Lips Touch Three Times was a National Book Award Finalist. She also wrote a series, Dreamdark, about warrior fairies who battle devils. Laini is an artist with her own gift product line called Laini's Ladies. Laini Taylor graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in English and briefly studied illustration. She worked as a travel book editor, bookseller, illustrator and waitress before becoming a writer. Taylor maintains a blog in which she posts pictures and information about her travels. Her blog is it lainitaylor.com. She is also active on Twitter.

Plot Summary: Karou is a teenager living in Prague, but life is far from normal for Karou. Karou fills her sketchbook with strange creatures but these aren't from her imagination, they are from her life. She's not really sure where she came from, all she knows is that she was left outside a door and adopted by a chimera named Brimstone. Brimstone is a mystery, he sends Karou on errands to retrieve teeth though Karou doesn't know why. Brimstone's door acts as a portal that transports Karou to exotic locales. Though these portals start to have strange handprints burned into them and Karou has an almost deadly run in with an angel name Akiva who is responsible for the destruction happening to the portals. But both are drawn to each other and the reason for this also holds the secret to her past.
Critical Review: Laini Taylor paints a very beautiful world filled with magical creatures like Brimstone and Issa that Taylor describes in such detail they come to life. The mystery behind Karou's past keeps the reader interested and as you start to reach the end of the book and realize that all the loose ends can be tied up you start to wish the book was longer. It's a story that stays with you because of how well developed the characters and settings are developed. It does have the very typical stare crossed lovers story line but it's done in a way that hasn't been done before that it doesn't come across as redundant or overdone but rather as refreshing and new.
Curriculum Ties: N/A
Book Talking Ideas: Teeth play a huge role in the story and it's what Karou is sent searching for in different exotic locales. It would be interesting to bring that into the book talk, whether teeth are a prop or the main focus of the book talk since it's such an unusual and important part of the story.
About the Author: Laini  Taylor lives in Portland Oregon with her husband and 3 year old daughter. Her book Lips Touch Three Times was a National Book Award Finalist. Laini Taylor graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in English. Taylor maintains a blog in which she posts pictures and information about her travels. Her blog is it lainitaylor.com.
Challenge Issues: The book does have demons, angels and dark magic.
Why include this book? The book is beautifully written with exotic locations, interesting plot twists, and unique characters. It will appeal to fantasy fans and since my library is located in Oregon, it's great to promote local authors.

Title: Grave Mercy
Author: Robin LaFevers
Genre: Fantasy (high), Romance, historical fiction
Publication Info: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012
ISBN: 054762834X
Author Info: Robin LaFevers, or R.L. Lafevers, or Robin Lorraine is both a young adult and middle grade author. Grave Mercy was her first book for older teens and has received great praise by critics and fans. She has written 14 books for children and middle grade readers. Robin claims she is a hopeless romantic that loves 19th century poetry, mythology and fairy tales. She is also deeply fascinated with ancient rituals and finding the answers to life's mysteries. Robin lives in Southern California with her husband and cat.
Plot Summary: Ismae, the daughter of a poor farmer, is being forced into a horrible arranged marriage. Unable to go through with the marriage Ismae flees to the convent of St. Mortain, the god of death. It turns out that Ismae is a daughter of Mortain and is taken into the care of the women of the convent of Mortain. At the convent Ismae learns how to become a handmaiden of death by learning to be an assassin. She is then sent out to carry out the will of Mortain. Though, Ismae quickly learns that things are not as simple as the convent had taught her and the perhaps Mortain has a different plan than what she was taught at the convent. Ismae's teachings will be further challenged when her latest assignment requires her to take out some one she loves. What is more important love or duty?
Critical Review: Robin LaFevers has created a great fantasy story that has love, assassins, mystery, treason and a strong and smart female lead in Ismae. The love story between Ismae and Gavriel is well written and keeps the reader on there toes till the end of the story. The love between Ismae and Gavriel is not immediate but instead it slowly grows, matures and changes through out the story. Of course there is many roadblocks on their path to love and it often seems it will never happen. Ismae is challenged by what she believes in her heart to be right and what she has been taught to be right.
Reader's Annotation: Ismae is a handmaiden of the god of death, Mortain. She has been trained by nuns in the art of being an assassin and is to carry out the biddings of Mortain. Though trouble arises when she is asked to choose between her god and love. Can she really kill the man she loves or will she betray her duty to Mortain.
Book Talk Ideas: Nuns, assassins, love, intrigue, the book nearly book talks itself! There is so many different ways to draw readers to the book, it could be through Ismae a strong female lead who isn't afraid to question her beliefs or it could be through the mystery behind who is out to take down the crown of Brittany.
Reading Level/Interest Level: high school
Curriculum Ties: N/A
Challenge Issues: the book deals with the gods of old, assassins, violence and in the first 20 pages Ismae is nearly raped by her would be husband.
Why Include this book? Ismae is a strong female lead and the book has received lots of praise since it's release earlier this year.

Title: Blue Bloods
Author: Melissa De La Cruz
Publication Info: Hyperion 2006
ISBN: 0786838922
Other books in the series: Masquerade, Revelations, The Van Alen Legacy, Keys to the Repository, Misguided Angel, Bloody Valentine, Lost in Time, Gates of Paradise
Genre: fantasy, romance
Author info: Melissa De La Cruz is an award winning and New York Times Bestselling author of the Blue Bloods Series, Witches of East End series, Au Pairs series, The Ashleys series and the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series. She also has written many books for adults. Melissa also worked as a fashion and beauty editor and her resume includes Seventeen, Teen Vogue and Allure magazine just to name a few. Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to California to finish high school. Melissa now lives in California with her husband and daughter. Like many authors Melissa is on Twitter and also has a blog on Tumblr.
Plot Summary: The Blue Bloods are elite group of aristocrates in New York City that have one thing in common, they are vampires. The Blue Bloods live a human life time then cycle out to be reborn into human society. The vampires do not regain their full memories of their passed lives till the their teens. Schulyer Van Alen lives her grandmother in a rundown mansion and attends a prestiges private school but soon Schulyer is acting different and she isn't sure why. Then a girl from her high school is found dead with all her blood drained. Something isn't right in the world of the Blue Bloods and what does Schulyer have to do with it? What does the changes in Schulyer have to do with the strange murder of her classmate?
Critical Review: Blue Bloods is a very unique take on Vampires. The don't hunt down humans but rather they live among humans and are responsible for many of the great achievements of humans. Melissa De La Cruz creates an enticing world that is full of action, suspense and romance. The first book hooks you into the series and as a reader you can't help but get lost in the world Melissa has created. There is a lot of references to historical events and biblical stories that Melissa intertwines with vampire lore.
Reader's Annotation: New York City is infested with vampires and humans are completely unaware. They have lived this way for centuries but something is going wrong in the world of vampires and humans. Schuyler Van Alen is suddenly craving raw food and having strange flashback and when a girl from her high school ends up dead with all her blood drained Schuyler begins to wonder what is going on.
Book Talk Ideas: The book talks about how many famous actors, models and singers are in fact vampires. It would be interesting to bring in that aspect into the book talk by having the teens imagine if all the their favorite actors and singers were in fact vampires living among us.
Reading Level/Interest Level: The reading level is probably upper middler school while the interest level is high school
Challenge Issues: The book has teenage drinking, sex, vampires and dark magic.
Why Include this book? Vampires are still very popular and the series has been a huge success for Melissa De La Cruz.