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Dark Secrets by Elizabeth Chandler

These two stories are mysteries, plain and simple.

In Legacy of Lies, Megan is begrudgingly visiting her grandmother, a crotchety, grump of a woman, and her

equally charming cousin. The drama is amped up tenfold when the truth of a suspected overdose is proven to be so much more. But how will Megan fit into the equation?

Don’t Tell has us following Lauren as she’s returning to her aunt’s house, where her mother drowned seven years previous. Lauren is being tormented by the same strange occurrences that were plaguing her mother on the days leading up to her mother’s death. What is the cause of the odd happenings? Was her mother’s drowning an accident, or was it cold blooded murder?

I managed to get all 400 plus pages read in one day. I did think there were some slow bits and a few bits where I skipped through the non-dialogue just to get to the point a little quicker.
I thought there were a few really good twists and turns in each story and the red herrings are classic. The character reactions were realistic and their chemistry made for a few smiles along the way, especially the unsuspecting friendships that turn up. I doubt you’ll actually guess who done it.

I really hope the second volume Dark Secrets 2 which includes the stories No Time to Die and The deep End of Fear will be as enjoyable as Volume 1. Keep an eye out for it in a future review.

Elizabeth Chandler: Dark Secrets Series – Legacy of Lies/ Don’t Tell
ISBN: 1416994610 (ISBN13: 9781416994619)
Published August 4 2009 by Simon and Schuster
431 pages.

Tithe by Holly Black

Kaye is living a life with her mother with few responsibilities and even fewer expectations. When Mum’s latest boyfriend tries to kill her, they up and move back to New Jersey where it’s safe, back to old friends and childhood memories of fairies and witches. Old habits die hard and Kay is reunited with her friends—fairy and otherwise. Little does she know, her safe haven is about to become just the opposite, when the truth of her existence comes to light.

There are elements in this book that remind me heaps of Laurell k Hamilton’s Meredith Gentry series, (Just without all the sex).  I liked the Kelpie (not the canine variety), he’s a bit of an evil monster; but he’s willing to help Kaye learn on the fly … for a price. The chemistry between Kaye and Roiben was satisfyingly masochistic, and the Thistle Witch is just the right level of kooky.

I spent much of this book well outside my comfort zone and I did foresee some of the not-so-nice things that happened to Kaye, simply because of the situations she was placing herself into. I really am trying not to sound high and mighty, but really, what did she expect would happen?

Although I was left a little shaken by the story, on the whole it was entertaining and it allowed me to safely explore the life of someone who doesn’t play by the rules. The second book in the continuing story of Kaye and Roiben is called Ironside. It looks to be equally unsettling, but just as gripping.

First published October 1, 2002, by Simon and Schuster Ltd.
ISBN 0689860420 (ISBN13: 9780689860423)
320 pages

More author info here.

Nick, Allan and their mother have been running from a bunch of nasty magicians for as long as the boys can remember. Running because their mum has something they want. The scales tip when Allan and the brother of one of the girls at Nick’s school are marked by the same demon.

Allan and Nick, along with Mae and Jamie, decide it is time to stop running, and the hunt begins to rid both Jamie and Allan of their demon marks, once and for all. But can everything be fixed as easily as some spilt blood?

The twists in the plotline kept this book from becoming a retelling of the TV series Supernatural, though I do think that it may be one better suited to a male reading demographic.

There is a tiny bit of gore and moments of heartwarming tenderness. Though I found the living situation the boys were in a little far fetched, I thought the fact that they take care of their mother a little sweet, even if it was bitter in places.

I don’t know how guys would takeThe  Demon’s Lexicon, but if you’re male, and have read the book, please let me know what you thought.

ISBN 1847382894 (ISBN13: 9781847382894)
Published June 2nd, 2009, by Simon and Schuster

324 pages

Visit Sarah Rees Brennan’s website for more info.

Read Belinda’s review of Generation Dead here:

[intlink id=”6648″ type=”post”]Daniel Waters – Generation Dead[/intlink]

Avery Hood cannot remember too much of the night her parents were murdered. Her brain is protecting her from the horrid memories that lurk just under the surface. Ben is the new boy and he’s beautiful, he’s different and his eyes flash silver. He only has eyes for Avery, but when he can’t remember the night Avery’s parents were murdered, it sets off warning bells. Who is the guilty party, and what really is the truth behind the local stories of strange creatures in the forests?

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It has ample suffering from the grieving Avery and the struggle she has with making nice with her estranged grandmother, Renee. There’s a small bit of romance and it is sweet enough to outshine the gore of the opening scene, where we see the pieces of the fateful night as Avery remembers it.

I had to do a double take in a couple of places where I thought I was rereading Twilight all over again, but thankfully, Ivy dodges out of those particular scenes rather quickly. Avery and Ben are not Bella and Edward, by any stretch of the imagination. I don’t think you would catch Ben dead in a Volvo, and Avery is no victim. Even if you borrowed this one from the library, it’s worth the day or two it’ll take to get through it. I think I’ll even go see if I can find the second book in the series, Moonrise, it looks like it’ll be fun.

Ivy Devlin – Low Red Moon

http://www.ivydevlin.com/

ISBN: 1599905108 (ISBN13: 9781599905105)

Published September 14th 2010 by Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books

Paperback, 244 pages

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Get your copy and join them!

Reading level: Young Adult

Hardcover: 336 pages

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers; 1 edition (October 12, 2010)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1442408537

ISBN-13: 978-1442408531

Quillblade is the first book in the Voyages of the Flying Dragon saga, and it left us figuratively hanging from the edge of a cliff by a fingernail.  Beast Child picks up where it left off, but rather than settling into a comfortable pattern of asking questions and answering them; once more Ben has us holding our breath, being blinded by red herrings and itching for answers.

There is no cream for the itch however; the only way you’ll find out what happens next is to get your hands on a copy and consume it, page by well-crafted page.

The Hiryu has been given an engine upgrade by Lenis, allowing for a quick getaway when it’s needed, however as Lenis is the only one who knows how to run the engine without blowing the whole Hiryu to kingdom come, it becomes necessary to get him back, when a plan to retrieve the stones of Ebb and Flow from Karasu backfires and he is stranded on the mercenary’s air ship.

Missy is forced to question her own moral values to get her brother back and to continue the search for the stones that will help Suiteki’s powers come into their own.

We are introduced to at least 3 new characters, and their roles will only become more apparent in book 3. You’ll have to decide for yourself if they should be trusted.

The character evolution is on an extreme skyward arc, I felt that the one character I wanted to hear more from was the Dragon Suiteki but she took a back seat. I have hope she will come to the forefront in the next installment, Ebb and Flow

I cannot wait!

http://www.benchandler.com.au

ISBN: 9781864719796

Format: Paperback

Imprint: Random House Australia

Published: 01/09/11

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I’m one of those people that likes something left for me to discover about a book after reading the review. I read the first book of this series last year, and though the book is well thought out and evenly paced, I found it difficult to write a review without giving the away whole plot.

The deep and intricate way the stories are woven together really has everything connected in such a way that to tell one story, is to involve them all. So upon completing the second book this week, I think I can now natter out a skeletal enough review without totally ruining all the surprises that will await you, should you decide to pick the series up and give it a go.

Our key characters are British teenage boys, Fin, Christopher, and Joe. They know each other from the schools that Fin attends in an alternating order. The journey through book 1 Double Edged Sword introduces Fin and his friends to the alternate reality London called Nowhere, and the secret society of knights that keep the Somewhere (the London reality that Fin and his friends grew up in) very much separate from the Nowhere. Confused yet? Fin’s main storyline is that he just wants to find out who his parents are.

In book 2, Traitor’s Gate, Fin’s main storyline from book one isn’t as prominent, while the struggles of Christopher and Joe share equal page space. There is an evil forcing the Somewhere and the Nowhere to align, sending both realities into utter chaos. The boys are struggling to find out who’s responsible and how to fix the rift.

As I said before, the books are evenly paced, though that pace is very slow. I think this series would be a little more consumable if it were in audio format, or if you’re a teen that still enjoys being read to, this would make a brilliant read aloud series.

There is political intrigue, gypsies, thieves and damsels in distress everywhere.  There are twists in the least likely places and stick with it until the end of Traitors Gate to have your mind blown away and to have you really wishing book three, The London Stone, was close at hand.  But you’ll have to wait until March 2012 for that third installment.