Review of WAKE by Amamda Hocking

I really enjoyed this author's Trylle trilogy, so I read her recent book with anticipation.  Her book idea is an interesting concept, and I liked her characters Gemma, Harper, Alex and Daniel, but the conclusion felt too rushed and not very satisfying.  I would have liked to see more development of Penn, Lexie and Thea; they felt a bit one-dimensional, but maybe that will come in future books. 3 Elves - Recommended

Review of STORK by Wendy Delsol

Knowing nothing about this YA fantasy, I bought the book for its cover, and I'm glad that I did. The book was a pleasant surprise; I'm reading the sequel currently.  High school student Katla moves from hip Los Angeles to Norse Falls, Minnesota and is inducted into an ancient, magical  order of women with a unique duty.  Full of Icelandic myth and fairy tales, the book melds small-town life with Katla's sense of high fashion.  Katla's world is further shaken when she meets the mysterious Jack.  Recommended - 3 Elves

Review of BITTERBLUE by Kristin Cashore

Bitterblue became queen of Monsea at age 10, when her father, the evil King Leck, was slain.  Now the queen is 18 and trying to heal a kingdom still reeling from Leck's horrid crimes.  Tired of paperwork and not trusting her advisors, she dons a disguise and ventures out into the city alone to try to discover some truths about Lecks' reign.  In the city, she befriends a handsome thief who opens her eyes and complicates her life.  The book slows greatly when she concentrates on deciphering the codes of embroidery from her mother and writings of King Leck, but picks up nicely for the conclusion.  In addition to palace intrigue, the return of Katsa and Fire from the first two books will delight fans.  Looking forward to the next book and Bitterblue's journey.  Highly Recommended - 4 Elves

Award-winner

Very exciting news:  my book, MARIGOLD: Book One of the Elven Chronicles, was picked as the winner in the Children's Fiction category of the 2012 International Book Awards!

Review of FEVER by Lauren DeStefano

In this sequel to WITHER, Rhine and Gabriel have fled the mansion and Rhine's evil father-in-law, Vaughn. But, the world outside the mansion is fraught with danger. The couple struggles to travel to Manhattan to reconnect with Rhine's twin brother, but time is running out. And, time is ever more priceless in a world where young women die by age twenty and men by twenty-five. As Rhine searches for her twin, Vaughn is determined to track them down and bring Rhine back to the mansion. 3 Elves - Recommended

Review of DRAGONSWOOD

DRAGONSWOOD by Janet Lee Carey has a lost prince, dragons, witch hunters and fairies - also, a great cover. I enjoyed this book and found the characters sympathetic and complex. When the main character, Tess, enters the realm of the fairies, it bogged down for several chapters, but the pace picked up at the exciting conclusion. Although there is a companion novel, DRAGON'S KEEP, the novel is complete with no other book needed. Recommended - 3 Elves

Review of THE SCORPIO RACES

I loved Maggie Stiefvater's trilogy SHIVER, LINGER & FOREVER, so I was very excited to read her latest book. Although I love horses, I found that I didn't really get into this book until I was about a third of the way into it. Initially, I just didn't care enough about the characters, but by the end of the book I was involved. Her main characters, Puck and Sean, grew on me and soon, I was rooting for them to win the race and somehow have the outcome benefit both of them (even though only one could win the race). The ending is pretty satisfying overall. Recommended - 3 Elves