Review of A Curse Dark as Gold-Elizabeth C. Bunce

A fascinating re-telling of the fairy tale, Rumpelstiltskin.  The miller's daughter is a strong but fragile heroine who must break the curse put on the mill and her family by Jack Spinner.  Delving deep into the mystery of the curse, she has little time to break the curse before Spinner takes away her baby son.  There are surprising twists and turns and in the end, we feel some surprising sympathy for Spinner and her uncle, who has put the mill's future in jeopardy.  3 Elves - Recommended for ages 10 & up

Review of Siege & Storm-Leigh Bardugo

This is a worthy sequel to Shadow & Bone and leaves me waiting for the final book in the series.  This book is pretty grim, with a sense of foreboding throughout, but she introduces some wonderful new characters.  The Darkling's powers have increased as quickly as Alina's, but she'll need more magic to defeat him.  This book ends with many unanswered questions, so anticipation for the sequel is very high.  4 Elves - Highly recommended for older teens because of graphic violence

Review of Unspoken-Sarah Rees Brennan

Very interesting and disturbing Gothic.  I loved the heroine, Kami, who tries to solve the mystery of her tiny English village.  Kami is viewed with suspicion because she has been hearing a voice in her head all her life.  When the sinister Lynburn family returns to the village, one of their sons, Jared, turns out to be the voice...  then the story gets very complicated and a bit scary.  A nice blend of fantasy and thriller, I will seek out the sequels. 3 Elves-Recommended for teens

Review of Above Earth Mirage-Jenn Reese

This exciting sequel to Above Earth is set in the desert and features the Equians.  The villain, Karl Strand, has infiltrated one of the main tribes so Aluna, Hoke, the exiled Dash, Calli and some unexpected allies must compete in the Thunder Trials to win back the loyalty of the Equians.  To add to the challenge, Aluna is growing her tail and must learn to used her fused legs in a new form of fighting.  With a lot of action and new interesting characters, this books rushes headlong to an unexpected conclusion.  4 Elves- Highly recommended for middle grade readers