The Birthright Trilogy, books 1 and 2 by Gabrielle Gavin

All These Things I’ve Done – book one

In 2082, New York City is almost unrecognizable. Water is scarce, crime is rampant and coffee and chocolate are illegal. Central Park is an arid wasteland and city leaders are ineffective. Museums now house nightclubs and speakeasies serve coffee. Alcohol is available to all. Those under eighteen are bound by midnight to 6am curfews. City services are almost nonexistent.

Anya Balanchine is the daughter of the former head of Balanchine Crime Family which produces chocolate. Both of her parents are dead due to hits. Her grandmother is her legal guardian even though she is in failing health. Anya is the true head of her immediate family. Besides being a normal sixteen-year-old, she must not only care for her Nana but her younger sister Natty and her brain damaged older brother Leo. No longer has a part of the crime family, the family is trying to find a way back into Anya’s life.

The night before the first day of her junior year at Holy Trinity School, Anya and her boyfriend Gable Arsley spent the evening at a speakeasy drinking espressos. For once, Gable walks her home but with ulterior motives. Begging for some chocolate, Anya relents and gets some from the safe in the closet. Gable is asleep on her bed when she returns and will not wake up. She breaks him off a piece, hides the rest and decides to take a shower. Wrapped in a towel, Anya goes back into her room to find Gable awakens and he has eaten the entire chocolate bar. Not sorry in the least, he then begs her to finally sleep with him she refuses but Gable isn’t about to take no for an answer. Anya yells at him and Leo comes to her aid, gable is escorted to the door.

Even without email (too costly) or cell phones (illegal for those under eighteen), the rumors of Gable dumping Anya are rampant before the school day can start. Even about a visit to the confessional booth with Mother Piousina in which she has sinned for wishing harm to come to Gable, Anya becomes enraged when he sneers at her in the cafeteria. She throws her plate of lasagna at him. Her day will end with a visit to the Headmaster’s office.

While waiting to see the Headmaster, Anya meets the new boy in school that her best friend Scarlet was mooning over earlier. Anya realizes right away that the cute boy in front of her is not her usual type. He introduces himself as Win Delacroix and asks her what she is looking at. His calloused hands, Anya says. Win tells her that he is from upstate where they grew their own food and he plays the guitar. Before she can introduce herself, Win states that he already knows who she is since she has been the topic of conversation all day. Well then, he must also know that she is a crazy, addicted, slutty mafia princess. Win lets her know that where he comes from people come to their own conclusions about others.

Gable was the person who was in the Headmaster’s office. She asks Win if she can meet with Anya first. He consents. Anya is placed on probation and assigned lunch duty for the rest of the week. The Headmaster doesn’t want to call and upset her grandmother but she is concerned what kind of reputation Anya’s behavior is earning her. When she leaves, Win has been entertaining Natty while she waits. The girls leave to go home and Natty comments on how cute and nice Win is.

It turns out that Win Delacroix in the son of the new assistant DA or the unofficial top cop in NYC. Scarlet is crushing on Win. Wanting to ask Win out, she gets Anya to agree to a plan to get him to go out with the two of them. Later, Natty tells her sister that she should let Scarlet know that she is interested in Winn. Anya denies it but Natty says she knows just by looking at Win that he is interested in her. Win agrees to go with them to a legal nightclub.

On their group outing, the nightclub is raided and shut down. Leo has shown up with Jacks, a cousin, who is trying to make a name for himself in the family. Outside, Leo suffers a seizure and Jacks is nowhere to be seen. Scarlet locates Anya and they find Win taking care of Leo. He is alright but the time the four of them make it back to that Balanchine apartment but it is past curfew. Win must stay the night. Staying over anyway, Scarlet tells Anya that Win is not the boy for her and that it is okay if Anya wants to pursue him, Anya goes to get Win settled for the night and thanks him for taking care of Leo he that his sister suffered from seizures before she died. Anya notices that his cheek is bruised and goes to get a bag of frozen peas. Anya says good night but Win asks her to stay. She apologizes for the night but Win says that interesting things happen around her. Anya says that she is trouble but he says that she just has a lot of responsibilities.

Cousin Jacks delivers a case of chocolate bars the following night for the family. Before Anya can put them away, Gable is knocking on the door. High on caffeine, he begs Anya for chocolate. They have words and she ends up giving him two bars just to get him to leave. When Gable doesn’t show up at school for several days, it is rumored that he is dying in the hospital. Before Anya can even wrap her mind around the situation, the Headmaster tells her that the police would like to talk with her.

Turns out that Gable ate some poisoned chocolate that was traced back to the Balanchine company. Anya is arrested and before she knows it, she finds herself in a juvenile detention facility.

Just who poisoned the chocolate and who was it meant for? Does Gable survive? Can Anya find a way to clear her name? is Win interested in Anya? What happens when Win’s father warns her to stay away from his son? Can a mafia princess find love with the DA’s son? Who can Anya trust and who is just out to use her? And will Anya be able to leave the stigma surrounding her family name?

Because It Is My Blood – book two
 

SPOILER ALERT! Don’t read any further if you haven’t read All These Things I’ve Done in its entirety. 

Anya Balanchine is trying to get her life back on track after the deal she made with Charles Delacroix. Picking up the pieces of her life, all she wants to do is finish high school. But with Mickey Balanchine and Yuji Ono wanting her to get into the chocolate business and Delacroix willing to punish Anya to win the election, Anya is once again a pawn. When she finds herself back at Liberty, it isn’t long before she is in the hospital. Someone has poisoned her. Anya decides to leave New York for her own safety. Yuri makes arrangements for Anya to stay at a cacao farm in Mexico in order to learn more about her birthright.

Who poisoned Anya and why? What does she learn about the chocolate business in Mexico? Why is Charles Delacroix so intent on destroying Anya? Are Yuji Ono’s motives strictly professional or does he hope something more will develop between himself and Anya? Can Anya get Win Delacroix out of her system? Will she ever be able to return to New York? Who is she able to trust? And will Anya finally claim what is her birthright?

Anya Balanchine’s story will conclude on October 29, 2013 with In the Age of Love and Chocolate. Observant readers will note that the three titles in the Birthright series make up a sentence beginning with the first title (All these things I've done/ because it is my blood/ in the age of love and chocolate) that tell a synopsis of the trilogy.

Visit Gabrielle Zevin’s website.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy, book 1 and 2 by Laini Taylor

Book One - Daughter of Smoke and Bone

“Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well.”

Karou, with her peacock blue hair, is a student at the Art Lyceum of Bohemia in Prague. Her life is a mystery to those who know her as she expertly evades questions and keeps her secrets close. Karou’s hair really does grow blue her sketchbooks have quite the following around school for the stories they portray. Brimstone, a chimera with curling ram’s horns, is the star of her sketches and deals in wishes. He is not a figment of her crazy imagination but a part of her life. Although no one would actually believe her if she told the truth.

An actual monster, Brimstone has raised Karou since she was a baby. If by chance a human would have laid eyes on Brimstone or any of his minions, they would think they were seeing devils. An actual dealer of wishes, Karou runs errands for him. In the beginning, she was an innocent. Now jaded, Karou is ashamed about bringing Brimstone his treasures, teeth. Deep down, Karou knows something about her is missing, but has no idea what.

On an errand in Paris, Karou notices a perfect handprint burned into the door of a shed that doubles as an entry to Brimstone’s network of portals. Within days, more handprints appear on doors around the world. Left by beautiful men and women, all who saw them said they disappeared upward in a wave of heat with feathers falling behind. As soon as the feathers touch the ground, they turn into ash. People begin to believe that angels have visited Earth.

When Brimstone sends Karou on an unexpected errand, she runs into trouble. The grave robber, from whom she has just purchased teeth from, asks her an enormous favor. Pull all of her own teeth to earn a wish powerful enough to remove the heavy, hideous creature of knowledge that hangs from his back. Disgusted, Karou backs away but not before the invisible creature licks her skin. It immediately becomes visible and the crowd surrounding them panics. It calls to a beautiful boy, Akiva, in the crowd. The creature refers to him as an angel, his brother come to take him home. The crowd is running from the scene. Akiva notices Karou and she is calm, staring back at him.

Mesmerized by his beauty, the fight or flight instinct finally sparks in Karou. When the grave robber screams angel at Akiva, he tells her to run and warn Brimstone that the angels are back on Earth. She runs but soon feels Akiva behind her. Reaching the portal back to Brimstone, Karou turns only to be struck by Akiva’s sword. With the portal not opening immediately, the two fight one another. Staring each other down, Karou catches a glimpse of Akiva’s soul when he hesitates. On impulse, she throws up her hands, palms out. (An eye is tattooed on each palm.) Akiva is thrown back. Karou makes it to the portal only to find a handprint seared into the door. Akiva comes towards her but stops to really study her. He asks “Who are you?” Suddenly, the portal opens and Karou disappears through it leaving 

Who or what is Karou? How come she really doesn’t know where she came from? Who is Brimstone? What does he do with the teeth Karou brings him? Is Akiva really an angel and why did he let Karou go? What will happen when Karou and Akiva meet again?

The audiobook version read by Khristine Hvam is incredible to listen to. Listeners/readers will feel like they are in Prague alongside Karou.

Days of Blood and Starlight – book two

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

“Once upon a time, an angel and a devil held a wishbone between them. And its snap split the world in two.”

 Now that Karou knows the truth of her existence, Akiva’s recent actions have driven them apart. With no sign of her anywhere, Akiva is devastated and attempts to make amends with his siblings. Zuzana refuses to give up hope that Karou is still alive. When the seraphim believe that they can finally defeat the chimera, they are truly unprepared for what they run into. When it is reported that teeth are being stolen by an unidentified girl from museums around the world, Zuzana knows that Karou is still alive.

Why is Karou stealing teeth from museums? Is the war between the seraphim and chimera at a stalemate or does one side really have the upper hand? Can Akiva make up for his past transgressions to Karou? And can two tortured souls find forgiveness and their way back to one another?

The thrilling conclusion to the trilogy, Dreams of Gods and Monsters, is due out in 2014. I think the titles of this trilogy really portray what each book is about.

Visit Laini Taylor’s website.

Prodigy by Marie Lu (Legend book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't read the first book in the series, Legend, Stop! I don't want to ruin one of my favorite series for you.

Thirty-five days have passed since Metias’ death and nine since Day and June escaped Los Angeles and the Republic. They have stowed away in a railcar bound for Las Vegas. Day is set on finding the Patriots. He is looking for information on his little brother Eden and to make sure his friend Tess is alright. June is hoping they can help the worsening gunshot wound to Day’s leg. She knows the Patriots will not help them without some sort of payment. Now wanted criminals by the Republic, the two are short on funds.

Las Vegas is a military city, full of soldiers and the worse possible place for the two of them to go. Disguised from the Republic soldiers but marked to find the Patriots, Day is barely able to walk with his wounded leg. The Jumbo Tron screens lining the Vegas strip are displaying a notice that June is missing and a reward is being offered. No mention is made of her being a criminal. When the image of the Elector Primo is displayed and the national pledge begins playing, Day and June must stop and recite the pledge to keep up pretenses. When the broadcast unexpectedly pauses, June and Day notice the surrounding soldiers are holding their rifles as if they are expecting a reaction. Soon, the Elector’s portrait is replaced with a younger version that June recognizes as his son’s, Anden Staviopoulos. They realize that the Elector Primo has died and his son has replaced him. The strip soon returns to business as usual. It is like nothing has happened. Day collapses. His leg has given out.

When questioned by a corporal, they continue to play the drunken soldier and prostitute roles. Wanting to take Day to the hospital, June knows their covers will be blown. Soon a female soldier comes up and plays along with their story. It is Kade, the Patriot who helped Day escape his execution. The corporal leaves them alone and Kade is not happy to see them but takes them back to her barracks. The Patriot headquarters are located inside one of the largest military barracks in Vegas. In fact, the apartment they are using is for high-ranking Republic officers. There, Day is reunited with Tess. Soon Razor, the head of the Patriots, joins them. He has June very convincingly prove her identity. Razor wants to know why Day is there asking for help when he has declined to join them several times in the past. Mo longer needed for his skills, Razor gives them another way to pay the Patriots for what he needs. The Republic is vulnerable and it is the perfect time to spark a revolution. With Day and June’s reputations, they are the perfect for the job he has in mind. They will find Day’s brother, fix his bad leg and help the two of them to escape to the Colonies for one act. Both agree. All they must do is assassinate the new Elector Primo.

Will Day and June agree to the Patriots’ plan? Can June kill the new Elector that she admired at the ball? What happens when Day learns that June has met the Elector before? How will Day and June’s relationship survive when their choices lead them on separate paths? In the end, just who can June and Day really trust?

Day and June’s story will conclude on November 5, 2013 with Champion.

Visit Marie Lu’s website.

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.