The Grisha Trilogy, book 1 and 2 by Leigh Bardugo

Book One - Shadow and Bone

Alina Starkov and Malyen Oretsev were both orphaned by the border wars. Duke Keramsov, a celebrated war hero, converted his estate into an orphanage and a home for war widows. It was here that Alina and Mal come to live and study for over ten years before leaving to train for their military service. Alina is training to become a cartographer and harbor a secret crush on her childhood companion. Mal has become an expert tracker and turns the head of many a girl. Over a year into their service, Mal has grown distant in the past several months. Tonight he knows that Alina is worried about crossing the Shadow Fold in the morning, just as he is.

The Shadow Fold or “the Unsea” is a thick, dark massive cloud that separates Ravika from its only coastline. Legend has it that a mad Darkling created it hundreds of years earlier. Growing every year, the impenetrable darkness is home to unspeakable horrors that include volcra, large blind winged creatures with rows of razor-sharp teeth. It is believed that they can smell human blood. Alina and Mal have good reason to be nervous about crossing the Fold. Not everyone survives the journey through to West Ravika and the True Sea. Once there, Mal and Alina will go on different paths and she hopes that they can find some way to always be friends.

They will be crossing the Unsea on sand skiffs, powered and protected by various Grisha. The Grisha are practitioners of Small Science that along with the King’s Army keep the country and kingdom safe. Mal and Alina believed the Grisha were witches when they were children. Moving silently in complete darkness, Alina doesn’t know how long they have been traveling when the skiffs are attacked by a large number of volcra. Huddled with Alexei, another junior cartographer, Alina is distraught when he is ripped from her grasp. Then she finds herself attempting to fight off another volcra. Mal comes to her aid when he shoots and injures it. Alina sees it claw Mal’s chest before he can reload his rifle. She attacks the volcra, giving Mal time to shoot it. Alina screams when she sees Mal’s injuries. Crying, she tries to stop the flow of blood. The Grisha are growing weaker and two volcra have Mal and Alina in their sights. She struggles with one before Mal is able to shoot it. He then collapses to the deck of the skiff. Alina shields his body before the next attack and he whispers, “I’ll meet you in the meadow.” Attacked again and in pain, Alina falls unconscious as the sky lights up.

Waking up, Alina finds herself being held prisoner and no one will tell her what has happened to Mal. The skiff has turned back to Kribirsk and left the Fold. She is marched back to camp and eventually finds herself led into the Grisha tent. She is taken to the Darkling, the Grisha commander and is surprised that he doesn’t look much older than her, even though he has been in command since before she was born. Fascinated by him, some of her companions from the skiff are brought in and she sees that Mal survived the attack. The captain reports on the attack and recalls seeing a blaze of light. Several others agree and Alina remembers that as well. He doesn’t recall seeing Alina but the Senior Cartographer saw Alina light up. The room erupts and a beautiful Grisha who had the eye on Mal earlier is disbelieving that Alina could be a rare Sun Summoner. The Darkling regains control of the crowd and goes to Alina. He asks Mal what he saw. Light, but it couldn’t have come from Alina. They grew up together and he would have known if she had powers. Alina tells the Darkling that there must be some kind of mistake. She did nothing.Tired of wasting time, the Darkling decides to test Alina. Calling up a black cloud, Alina is plunged into darkness. Her fear is soon replaced by something calm and powerful. She pushes it back down but the Darkling realizes that she is hiding something. He cuts her arm and before she can stop herself, the room erupts with light. The Darkling grabs Alina before she can fall. He orders his guard to take her to the Little Palace and surround her with armed guards at all times. Get a healer for her wounds. Saying it is all a mistake, the Darkling tells Alina that she has no idea what she really is. Dragged away, the Darkling reminds the guards that she is now a Grisha. The last thing she sees is Mal and his face mirroring the panic and confusion of her own.

Whisked away before an assassin can find her, Alina barely escapes death a second time. Protected by the Darkling for the remainder of the journey, they arrive weeks later in Os Alta. Alina struggles with her new life at the Little Palace. Unable to summon her magic at will, she feels like a failure. She rarely sees the Darkling. Knowing that she is the Darkling’s best hope for opening up the Fold, everyone in the Palace is watching her. She hasn’t heard back from all of the letters she has written Mal and wonders if she will ever see him again. But when the Grisha who admired Mal back in Kribirsk arrives at the Little Palace, Alina quickly realizes who the enemy is.

Will Alina ever be able to summon and control her powers? Can she help the Darkling with the Shadow Fold? Why is he virtually ignoring her at the Little Palace? Will she ever see Mal again? Who is the beautiful Grisha? Is she a friend or foe? And who can Alina really trust?

The Tailor (The Grisha trilogy book 1.5) is a free short story available at the Grisha Trilogy Facebook page, which tells a crucial scene from Genya’s point of view.
      

 Book Two - Siege and Storm

SPOILER ALERT! Don’t read any further if you haven’t read Shadow and Bone in its entirety.

“Darkness never dies.”

 
Alina and Mal’s freedom from the Darkling is short-lived when he finds them in a dilapidated boardinghouse in Cofton. Putting up a good fight, Alina is overtaken by the Darkling’s new power that he received when she left him behind in the Shadow Fold. Kept unconscious for a week, the Darkling has the aboard a whaler. Thinking he is taking them back to Ravika, it is not too long before the Darkling lets them in on his plans. Using Mal for his tracking skills, he is hunting the legendary Sea Whip or the ice dragon Rusalye. The Sea Whip is Morozova’s second amplifier. Threatening Alina to get Mal to work, Sturmhond, the privateer the Darkling hired, tells him the girl won’t be harmed while on his ship. The Darkling informs him that he works for him. Later, Sturmhond refuses to help Mal and Alina escape.
 

It takes Mal six days to find Rusalye. Sturmhond’s crew harpoons it during the chase. In the confusion, two crew members, Tolyn and Tamar, work to free Mal and Alina. When Ivan tries to stop them, Alina realizes that the two of them are Grisha, heart renders like Ivan. But in the epic showdown, Tolyn and Tamar are able to kill Ivan and leave the ship. Sturmhond has a second ship waiting. His crew, which turns out is composed of several Grisha, load Rusalye onboard. Mal and Alina make it to the awaiting ship. Allina’s hands are freed in time to fight the Darkling. After a harrowing battle, Sturmhond’s ship is able to escape the Darkling. Mal and Alina are left to wonder what they have gotten themselves into.

Who is Sturmhond? Why is he helping Alina and Mal? Will she take the amplifier from Rusalye? Why are Grisha working for Sturmhond? What will happen when the Darkling finds them?

The Grisha trilogy concludes with Rot and Ruin in 2014.

The Witch of Duva (book 0.5) and The Too-Clever Fox (book 2.5) are two companion folk tales that take place in Ravika.

Visit Leigh Bardugo's website.

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi (Shatter Me book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read the first book in the series, Shatter Me, Stop! I don't want to ruin a fantastic book for you. You might also want to read the novella, Destroy Me first.

It has been two weeks since Juliette shot Warner and escaped with Adam and Kenji to Omega Point. Training to help fight The Reestablishment, Juliette is failing miserably at trying to figure out the extent of her powers. Everyone seems to be leery of the girl with the lethal touch. In turn, she has closed herself off form personal relationships over fears of being rejected. Kenji is the only one who has volunteered to help her train and build new friendships. She and Adam are not pleased that Kenji has been forced by Castle to spend what little time they have together with them. Complicating matters further is the fact that Castle has discovered that Adam had powers of his own. Adam is keeping what they are a secret from Juliette.

When Juliette pushes Kenji to fill her in on just what is going on with Adam, he reluctantly takes her to the training rooms. There she sees the physical pain Adam is in at the hands of Castle. Angry, Juliette loses control and slams her fist into the cavern floor, causing a very minor earthquake-like tremor. She passes out from the effort for three days. Castle is furious that Juliette lost control and almost destroyed his life’s work. Kenji tells her that she and Adam need to clear the air. She meets with Adam and Castle is with him. Castle speaks first while Adam avoids eye contact. Adam has the power to negate other powers. That is why he has the ability to touch her. The more time that they spend together, the weaker Adam becomes. Juliette is ready to let him go and love him from afar than run the risk of killing him. Adam refuses to let her go and the moment they are alone becomes heated. He ends up being rushed to the medical wing after falling deathly ill from the effect of refuting Juliette’s power.

Knowing that the only way to save Adam’s life is to stay away, both Adam and Juliette are distraught over her decision. Tracking The Reestablishment, Castle and the others know that something is up when the patrols are increasing and Warner is seen with his troops. Unable to figure out why, Juliette is trusted to be a part of a mission to find out what is going on. While above ground, she sees Warner. Unable to stop herself, she follows him when he takes a stray dog out of sight of his troops. Hoping to see him be cruel to the animal to get over any lingering feelings for him, Juliette is stunned to see Warner being kind to the dog. Kenji is furious with her when he discovers her and they go on to complete their mission.

Castle finds out that Warner’s father, the Supreme Commander, is in the area. He knows that the brewing war is about to come to a head. Four of their members are captured while out on patrol. Castle receives word that they will be returned if Juliette hands herself over. She readily agrees despite Adam’s objections. Adam and Kenji go with her as back up.

What happens when Juliette meets the Supreme Commander? Does the war begin? Is Juliette captured by The Reestablishment? What part will Warner play in all of this? Can Juliette sort out her feelings for both Adam and Warner? And what secrets are about to be uncovered?

The Shatter Me trilogy will conclude in 2014.

Destroy Me (book 1.5) is a novella from Warner’s point of view about the events that occur after Juliette shot him. Readers are given insight into just what makes Warner tick. A definite read to full understand the events that occur in Unravel Me.

Visit Tahereh Mafi's website.

Full Moon Kisses by Ellen Schreiber (Full Moon trilogy book 3)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read the first two books in the trilogy, Once in a Full Moon and Magic in the Moonlight, Stop I don't want to ruin the story for you.

“Beware of the full moon. A werewolf wants to take you into his world. Forever."

Celeste is torn. Not between Brandon, her current boyfriend and Nash, her ex, but over Brandon turning onto a werewolf every full moon. She enjoys their time in the woods while Brandon is in lycan form, even though she knows that a normal life would be so much easier. His father worked hard to develop a cure but it hasn’t been tested. They have no idea if it will even work. It might just turn Brandon into a werewolf full-time. Only one dose of the cure has been developed and now there are two werewolves in Legend’s Run. Nash was bitten under a full moon two months ago.

While Brandon is in control of himself in lycan =form, Nash is aggressive. He is a threat to the town and especially Celeste. Discovering that kissing Brandon while in lycan form caused him to remember his actions, Celeste does the same thing to Nash. Now Nash knows what he becomes and what he does during the full moon. But what Nash remembers most is Celeste’s kiss. Still in love with her, he is determined to win her back.

With two werewolves and only one dose of the cure, Celeste and Brandon are torn over which boy should take it first. When Nash wants Celeste to go with him to get a reading from Dr. Meadows, she reluctantly agrees. Dr. Meadows tells him that he has strong feelings for one person but Nash isn’t interested in his love life. Then she senses a strong animal presence. Getting too close for comfort to the truth, Nash denies it until she offers her help. Celeste disagrees and Nash pushes Dr. Meadows for more information. He will only have to take the cure for it to be over, she tells him. Frantic, Nash doesn’t know about Brandon’s dose. Pushing her, Dr. Meadows is finally able to re4assure Nash. Leaving, she grabs Celeste and warns that a werewolf wants to take her into his world, forever. Celeste is worried.

Does the cure work? Who will take it; Brandon or Nash? Will Dr. Meadows’ prediction for Celeste once again come true? Who is the werewolf Celeste needs to be wary of? What happens when some new boys show up in town with secrets of their own? What will the future hold for Brandon and Celeste?

Visit Ellen Schreiber’s website.



Of Triton by Anna Banks

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Of Poseidon, Stop! I don’t want to ruin a great story for you.

Of Triton picks up immediately where Of Poseidon left off with that nasty little cliffhanger.

When Emma’s mother is confronted about her true identity, everyone in the kitchen is shocked. Emma has some of her answers but Galen is left with many more questions. Unwilling to return to Triton territory, Nalia tells Galen to bring Grom to her. He leaves Nalia and Emma under his sister Rayna’s watch while he goes in an attempt to bring Grom to the Jersey shore. Believed to have been killed in a mine explosion before they could be mated, Grom has grieved ever since. Now the trackers have sensed Nalia’s pulse and Grom knows that Galen is speaking the truth. Arriving at Nalia’s house, Galen, Grom and Toraf find Rayna bound and gagged. Nalia knocked her unconscious and fled with Emma. Grom is deeply hurt by Nalia’s deception.

Nalia truly believes she killed Grom in the mine explosion. She fled because she thought Galen and Toraf were bringing back a party to arrest her. Emma is a half breed, an abomination in the Syrena world and her mother fears for their lives. Nalia thinks that Galen used Emma to get close to her. While on the run, Emma learns the truth about her mother’s life on land and her unique relationship with Emma’s father. When Galen’s assistant Rachel finds them, she tricks Nalia into getting close to her. Rachel handcuffs herself to Nalia and they must wait for Galen to arrive.

Disbelieving, shock and then elation describes the scene when Grom and Nalia reunite after seventy years. Later at a hotel room, Emma is fuming over her mother’s fawning over Grom. She feels as if her father’s memory is being betrayed, even though they really didn’t love one another. Galen keeps her in his arms to both restrain and rejoice in being back together. Emma is hurt when her mother decides to return to the Syrena world. What about me? Where do I belong? Emma laments. “With me” her mother and Galen both state. Galen goes further to state that he wants Emma to be his mate even though she is a half breed. Galen is determined but Grom warily reminds them of the law. Nalia joins in by reminding him that she is her daughter. The law hasn’t been changed. Leave Emma behind until Nalia corrects her transgressions in Syrena. Galen agrees but then Grom drops his bombshell. He is already mated to Paca. It was completed just before they came to retrieve him. No one told him the truth about Nalia. Only that Paca was faking the gift Of Poseidon. Galen tells him that Emma has the gift for real. He has seen her in action. No matter but with his mating it now means that Galen is the next in line to become Nalia’s mate. “Ohmysweetgoodness!”

What happens when Nalia returns to the world of the Syrena? Will Grom and Nalia find a way to finally be together? What of Paca and her mating to Grom? What really happened when the mine exploded seventy years earlier? Can Galen and Emma find a way to be together or is he destined to be with her mother? And will Emma be allowed to live once the truth about her existence is discovered?

The trilogy wraps up with Of Neptune in 2014.

Legacy Lost is a short story about Grom and Nalia finally accepting one another and the tragedy that tore them apart. It is a free eBook as part of The Fierce Reads Anthology, Volume 1. The story is a great, quick read just before starting Of Triton.

Visit Anna Banks’ website.

School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins

“Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters.”

A spin-off from the Hex Hall series (which you don’t need to have read) featuring Isolde Brannick.

It has been a year since Finley Brannick went missing. Finley and her younger sister Isolde were on a fairly routine mission in New Orleans to deal with a coven of Dark Witches. At the last minute, Finley lets Izzy stay in the car to read her book. When she didn’t return promptly, Izzy went in search of her sister. The house was empty and her sister’s weapon belt lay discarded on the floor. She and her mother searched for six months before giving up.

Now on her first solo mission, Izzy runs into a mind reading vampire who distracts her by mentioning Finley. She is thrown for a loop when the vampire voices her concern that the boy in the mirror had something to do with Finley’s disappearance. Distracted, the vampire gets the upper hand and pins Izzy. He has bitten her neck when her mother rushes in and dispatches the vampire. Back at home, her mother, Aislinn, wants to curtail her solo missions for the time being. Izzy lets her know that the vampire rattled her by reading her mind and mentioning Finley. Both continue to be distraught over her disappearance.

In the Brannick war room, a mirror hangs on the wall. Izzy goes there to visit Torin, the boy in the mirror. He is really a warlock that has been trapped for hundreds of years and the mirror has been in the possession of the Brannick family. Torin is good for the occasional prophecy he acts as Izzy’s confident in her otherwise lonely life. Recounting her incident with the vampire and subsequent rescue by her mother, Torin tries to reassure her. Her mother has already lost one daughter; she doesn’t want to lose another. The vampire’s words about the boy in the mirror cross her mind. Once again, she asks him if he knows anything about Finley’s disappearance. Torin gently tells her no. he jokes that one day Izzy will be the one to free him from the mirror. She states that will never happen. Torin warns her that she and her mother will begin a long journey in the morning. He refuses to answer any more of her questions.

The next morning, Izzy and Aislinn travel to Alabama to meet up with Maya. Maya, a hedge (learned not natural) witch, tracks news stories that might involve the supernatural for Aislinn. She shares a story about a high school teacher in Mississippi found nearly dead after a blow to his head. He was found alone on a classroom that was locked from the inside. Her mother believes it is a haunting and it is their duty to keep the students of Mary Evans High School safe. Always shying away from schools because of their irregular lifestyle, Izzy questions if she will be going to high school instead of continue to be homeschooled. It will be the best way to carry out reconnaissance work and might just be good for them as well, her mother believes. They make plans to move to Ideal, Mississippi.

Her first day at school is pretty normal. Everybody stares when she enters the classroom. Gym was the one class Izzy felt comfortable with. Unfortunately during a dodge ball game against a jerk, she unintentionally dislocates his shoulder with a ball. The coach sends her to run laps as punishments. Circling the track, she notices a boy staring at her. On her third lap, he is waiting for her on the track. He strikes up a conversation and Izzy begins to wonder if he is flirting with her. He introduces himself as Dex and he will save her a seat on the bus tomorrow. Before leaving, he shakes her hand and Izzy immediately notices a subtle shock but Dex didn’t seem to. She realizes that Dex is a Prodigium.

Does a ghost haunt Mary Evans High School? Can Izzy fit in at high school and make friends? Will she and her mother ever discover what happened to Finley? Did Torin have something to do with Finley’s disappearance? What kind of Prodigium is Dex? What happens when Izzy, closed off from others in the past, begins to open up to the possibility of friendships and a relationship?

Visit Rachel Hawkins’ website.

Everbound by Brodi Ashton (Everneath book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read the first book in the series, Everneath, Stop! I don't want to ruin the story for you.

Nikki Beckett is desperate to save her boyfriend Jack Caputo. Two months ago, he forfeited his life to the Tunnels in the Everneath to save her. He kept her alive during the Feed by dreaming of her every night. Now, she is fighting to do the same for him. Jack has some good nights where he remembers and bad when he struggles to remember their love for one another.

Willing to risk everything to free Jack from the Tunnels, Nikki knows the only way she can enter is with the help of an Everliving. Cole Stockton and his Dead Elvis band mates are the only ones she knows. With his DNA, she can enter by herself but only with his guidance will she be able to navigate. Cole has disappeared from Park City, Colorado and Nikki is trying to track him through the impromptu appearances of the Dead Elvises.

Against her father’s better judgment, Nikki goes to Jack’s graduation ceremony because she feels like one of them should be there. She runs in to Jack’s older brother Will who knows the truth about his disappearance. They offer each other words of support on a difficult day before Mrs. Caputo sees them. After the ceremony, Nikki isn’t able to escape unseen. Mrs. Caputo believes that she is keeping information back about her missing son. She wants to know why Nikki is avoiding her but Nikki is at a loss. She had no idea Mrs. Caputo had been trying to speak with her. As she drives off, Nikki is floored to see Cole standing behind her.

Cole tells her to give up on Jack. He will eventually die. Cole is willing to wait for his death so that Nikki can be with him. Never, she states. She will rescue Jack form the Tunnels of the Everneath or die trying. Cole tells her that she is crazy. Before he can react, Nikki yanks out some of his hair. She runs to the Stop n Go and swallows the strands. She finds herself falling to the Everneath.

There she finds herself in a commons area. She spies the Queen as the Shades impale their first sacrifice. Horrified, she is soon spotted. Just at that moment, Cole appears and is able to get her back to the Surface. He is furious that she wants to throw her life away for a dead guy. Jack is her true love and she will not abandon him. They are at a standoff.

Nikki will never give up on Jack. She enlists Will’s help to trick Cole into taking her back. Laying their trap, Cole falls for it but Max, a band mate, knew she was lying. Finally, he relents and agrees to take her to the Everneath. Max is going to accompany them to make sure Cole doesn’t do something stupid.

Can Nikki go to the Everneath undetected? Will she, Cole and Max be able to find Jack less rescue him from the Tunnels? Can she return to the surface before her father notices that she is missing? What will happen when the Queens learns that she survived the Feed? Will Cole ever give up on Nikki becoming his? And will Jack and Nikki ever have a happily ever after?

The is told in flashbacks to important events in Nikki and Jack's relationship. Readers will not see the ending coming and will be eagerly awaiting awaiting the conclusion with Evertrue in January 2014.

Visit Brodi Ashton’s website.

Neverfall - book 1.5

An enovella about Cole and his deterination to discover how Nikki survived the feed and discovering his true intentions towards her. New information can be found here that isn't repeated in Everneath.

Mind Games by Kiersten White

“They stole her past. She won’t let them take her future.”

Annabelle and Sofia were orphaned when their parents died in a car accident. Blind, Annie had her first vision that night of the crash. Hysterical, the babysitter calls their parents to come home. They never made it. Left with an uncaring aunt, their lives change dramatically two years later when Annie is offered a full scholarship to attend an elite private school by the Keane Foundation. Thrilled by the promise of a customized one-on-one education and career preparation, Annie will also receive medical help in an attempt to reverse her blindness. Fia realizes that something about the situation isn’t right. Fia is allowed to stay at the school with Annie. Annie sees visions of the future but Fia has perfect intuition and both girls are about to be used by the Keane Foundation.

Five years have passed and Fia has been sent out on a hit. Fia knows that Annie’s life is on the line. When she first sees her mark, he is helping a puppy and her resolve to kill him is immediately shattered. Looking at him, Fia knows she has put all three of their lives in jeopardy. The mark introduces himself as Adam and is pleased to learn that Fia is only seventeen. He is nineteen and studying to be a doctor. Trying to get him to safety, Fia realizes that they are being followed by three men. Leading Adam into an alley, they follow and Fia quickly assesses the situation. She is able to subdue them but not before getting shot in the arm.

Making a call to James, the son of Mr. Keane, she lets him know that the mark is dead but that she ran into trouble. The men are incapacitated and to cover their tracks, they will dispose of the body. She was shot in the arm but is fine. She can get back home by herself. Fia lets Adam bandage her arm and she stuns the driver of the men’s getaway car. Thinking through plans for Adam while she is driving, the pain in her arm becomes too much. She pulls over to let Adam drive and he gives her something for the pain. She falls asleep.

Waking up, the past several hours come rushing back. Adam apologizes for giving her too much pain medication but lets her know that he now believes her story. Between rifling through her purse and asking her questions that she mumbled answers to, he figures out what is going on. Both feeling slightly embarrassed, Adam lets her know that he is actually a doctor, not studying to become one. He finished school early and really is only nineteen. Adam is currently working in a research project studying brain scans. His aunt claimed to be psychic and her MRI results showed differences from a “normal” scan. He wants to expand his study and Fia and Annie sound like the perfect subjects. Fia tells him she has no special abilities.

Heading into Chicago, Fia makes plans for Adam to disappear. Throwing away his phone and wallet, she gives him all of her cash. She tells him to find a motel room and get an email account that they both can access to communicate with one another. Stay hidden. Fia heads back to school and hopes that she can keep her thoughts to herself so no one will learn of her deception.

Who or what is the Keane Foundation? What is their purpose? Why do they want Adam dead? What are they using Fia and Annie for? Who were the three men looking for; Fia or Adam? Will Fia be able to keep her secrets hidden? What happens when someone discovers that Adam isn’t dead? Will Fia and Annie ever be able to escape from the Keane Foundation?

Told in both Annie and Fia’s points of view, alternating between the present and the past, Fia slowly discovers that Annie hasn’t been completely truthful with her. The second book in the Mind Games series comes out in 2014.

Visit Kiersten White’s website.