Ryan is accustomed to loss. Her father passed away five years ago, she doesn’t relate to her best friends anymore, and she is a Cubs fan. The anniversary of her father’s death happens to land on opening day, so Ryan skips school to go to the game. This is where she meets Nick. Another Cubs fan and also a new kid from her school. Thus, starting their friendship.

Nick’s friendship and the Cubs good fortune transform Ryan into the person she was before she let herself be dulled with grief. Nick reluctantly tells Ryan why his family really moved to Chicago. Ultimately, through facing Nick’s illness, Ryan realizes what her father had tried to teach her about life and baseball. It’s now about winning or losing, but having the courage to continue to the play the game no matter what is thrown at you.

I don’t know why I didn’t read this book sooner! If I had realized how much I was going to like it I would have. I of course was initially drawn to the book because of the Cubs, but what really drew me in was the story itself. Smith is an extraordinary writer and I expect great things from her in the future. Her writing is simple yet powerful. This book is beautifully written, the language is so genuine you can’t help but be held captive to it. I found myself admiring Ryan’s character and empathizing with her throughout the entire story. I loved the history about the Chicago Cubs, although I knew most of it. Other readers might find that part tiresome or boring, but I really think that is adds to the story as a whole. I highly recommend The Comeback Season, it is a heartwarming story that will not be soon forgotten.

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Queen Holly Blue knows that the fate of the Faerie Realm is at stake, and it is up to her to declare war on the Faeries of the Night. Much to her sunrise she receives word of a non-aggression treaty proposed by their leader, her Uncle, but can she trust him.

Meanwhile Henry Atherton is still at home in the human world dealing with his mother’s new girlfriend and interrupts his father’s very young girlfriend when emerging from the shower. He is obviously under a lot of stress and assumes that he imagined a stress related fantasy of a realm of faerie. After a three day disappearance, which leaves is memory blank except for a flying saucer and little green men, Henry is suddenly transported back into the Fearie Realm. And he is reminded it isn’t a fantasy at all.

On her visit to verify the intentions of the Faerie of the Night, Blue is kidnapped by Henry. It seems that the little green men weren’t a figment of his imagination but a guise for the Demons of the Faerie Realm so that they could use Henry to get the Blue. It seems that they are plotting their own takeover!

Ruler of the Realm is the third book in The Faerie Wars Chronicles. The first book is Faerie Wars and the second is The Purple Emperor. Both are fantastic books! I don’t think my lousy summary does this book any justice, I mean little green men? But there is much more too it than that, and it totally plays nicely into the story! So, don’t let that stop you. This book and series is
a combination of magic, futuristic technologies everyday realism, plus adventure and excitement! The plot is completely enthralling and unpredictable, right down to the climax! This is an awesome fantasy series! I can’t wait to read the next book, Faerie Lord!

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She is beautiful, she is a princess, and Aphrodite is her favorite goddess, but something in Helen of Sparta just itches for more out of life. Unlike her prissy sister Clytemnestra, she takes no pleasure in waving and embroidery. And despite what her mother says, she’s not even close to being interested in getting married. Instead, she wants to do combat training with her older brothers, go on heroic adventures, and be free to do what she wishes and find out who she is.

Not one to count on the gods—or her looks—to take care of her, Helen sets out to get what she wants with steely determination and a sassy attitude. That same attitude makes Helen a few enemies—such as the self-proclaimed “son of Poseidon” Theseus— it’s also what intrigues, charms, and amuses those who become her friends, from the famed huntress Atalanta to the young priestess who is the Oracle of Delphi. (summary from book)

I enjoyed Friesner’s rendition on the story of Helen’s youth. I really liked getting to know more about the ancient Greeks and their customs. The plot flows well and is interesting throughout the entire story. I can’t wait to read more about Helen’s character and her adventures in Nobody’s Prize. If you enjoy historical fiction or mythology, I think you would enjoy this book!

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Henry returns to the Faerie Realm after a visit from Pyrgus, an elder Pyrgus. A disease has hit the realm, temporal fever. It causes the host to fall into a coma, living years of their life within the trance, and waking up visibly older. Henry returns to the realm at the request of Mr. Fogarty, who has contracted the fever and doesn’t have much time left.

Upon his arrival Henry is transported to the desert, by Madame Cardui, without a viable reason! In the meantime the usual villains, Chalkhill, Brimstone, and Hairstreak are up to now good. Calling up mythical creatures trying to overthrow the Queen, the usual.

Queen Blue herself, distraught with Henry’s predicament sets out to rescue him, and finds out the truth of his sudden transport. Will she be able to save Henry and the realm before the plague ravages them all!

The Faerie Lord is the fourth book in The Faerie War Chronicles. This was an excellent final installment! The multiple plots weave together to form a story full of suspense and action! I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Although the story seemed predicable at times, I never saw the ending coming! I was happy to finally see some closure between Henry and Blue, it wouldn’t be a faerie tale without a happy ending!

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Princess Ben short for Benevolence is orphaned after the assassinations of her uncle, the reining king, and her mother, her father’s body is not found. As the last remaining member of royal blood, Ben is forced to move into the castle and endure her aunt, Queen Sophia. Sophia insists that Ben act like the princess she should and insists that Ben learn to dance, sew, proper penmanship, and control her appetite. She later learns these “lessons” are to make her appealing to a suitor, so that the queen may marry her off! Once Ben learns of this notion, she is anything but cooperative. The Queen, upset by Bens actions locks her away. But in her moment of despair Ben discovers a room that may be her escape from Sophia and an unwanted marriage, perhaps even provide vengeance for the death of her parents.

After reading Murdocks’s other books, I was expecting a lot from Princess Ben. Not only did this book meet my expectations, it extended far beyond them! It is beautifully told in a way that only Murdock can. She is able to create such characters that you can’t help but admire. The growth that Ben undergoes throughout the story only increased my admiration for her. The plot was beyond captivating!! It was full of magic, adventure, and fantasy!!! I absolutely recommend this book!

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Rescuing the Queen was easy, now Tania has to save the entire faerie realm. Now they must rescue King Oberon if there is to be any hope of winning the war. He is bound in an amber prison surrounded by bars of Isenmort, which will make his release very difficult, if only they knew where to find him. Tania, Edric and Tania’s two sister Cordelia and Zara set off on a quest to Ynis Maw, the end of the faerie world. They hope to find King Oberon, release him from his prison and join his power with Queen Titania’s to over throw the Sorcerer King. The journey is far and there are many obstacles to face. Will they rescue King Oberon in time and lead them into victory?

The Sorcerer King was my favorite book of The Faerie Path series. The characters were finally well defined, maybe it helped that I had gotten to know them in the three books. Even though the book is predicable at times, I still enjoyed the adventures to Ynis Maw and the new characters that were introduced. I loved the exploration into the faerie realm, as well as the never-ending supply of action and adventure around every turn. If you are a fan of the first two books, you will not be disappointed with the third.

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Tania and Edric return to the mortal world to locate Queen Titania, but that is the least of her worries. Her three day disappearance into the faerie realm, has left her parents in a whirlwind of despair and worry. There isn’t much surprise that when she returns home with a story of running off to find Evan that she is grounded. She may be in trouble with her parents but she still finds time to pursue the missing queen. Tania and Edric are able to locate the lost queen after they find that she is working for a law firm, but unfortunately she is away on business. Making contact with the lost queen takes a back seat when Tania’s sister appear in her bedroom and inform her of the doom that had fallen on the faerie realm. A doom that may crossing the realms to come after them.

The Lost Queen is book two of the Faerie Path. I did enjoy this second installment, but I felt that the story was a little rushed. Everything just happened so quickly, I think it would have been better if the plot would have been more drawn out. I realize that this is a fantasy but some of the actions and decisions that Tania’s mortal parents made seemed a little bit to convenient to the plot. I mean really, if I ran off for three days and asked my parents to go to Florida for two weeks, they would laugh in my face. This book may not be as complex as some other stories that involve faerie references, but there is a strong enough pull for me to want to read the next book in the series, The Sorcerer King.

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Orphaned at an early age Mary Seymour’s life isn’t luxurious or pampered as you would think the daughter of a queen’s life would be. Her mother died shortly after she was born and her father was sentenced to death for betraying the crown, leaving Mary to become nothing more than a seamstress in a duchesses’s household. Soon after the death of her guardian, Mary discovers that she indeed has a destiny all her own. “Fetch the red queen’s daughter from the house of shadows. Bring her to your home beside the dark wood. School her well in the white magician’s wisdom so that she may go forth into the world and fulfill her calling when the virgin queen ascends the throne.” Lady Strange becomes Mary’s new guardian and she trains her in the ways of the white magicians.

When Mary reaches the age of sixteen she is invited to court by Queen Elizabeth and is soon made a lady-in-waiting. The queen’s court, however is even more corrupt then Mary initially believed. And the person that may possibly be the most dangerous of all, is none other than her very own cousin, Edmund Seymour.

The Red Queen’s Daughter is a perfectly blended masterpiece of historical fiction and fantasy. Although the real May Seymour, I found in research died in infancy, Kolosov’s story made me believe that she might have lived an extraordinary life. At times I thought the plot was becoming predictable, but it continued to surprised. The ending is very open, I would love to know more of the story. Perhaps there will be a sequel in the future, I can only hope! I immensely enjoyed this book, and I recommend it to all fans of historical fiction and fantasy.

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Anita is on the verge of turning sixteen, and her life couldn’t be any better. She has wonderful parents and friends, she has the lead in the school play, and she has caught the eye of the new boy Evan. On the day before her birthday Evan takes Anita out for a surprise, but the evening lands the two in the hospital. They both seem fine, but Evan has yet to wake up from the trauma. Anita on the other hand is having wonderful dreams of growing wings and flying out windows and receiving wonderful but mysterious gifts! She is visited by a young man in one of her “dreams” and is transported to the world of Faerie. Anita comes to realize that she isn’t dreaming at all. She is actually in the land of the Faerie and she is the long lost princess Tania. The man of her dream is faerie lord Gabriel Drake whom she was to marry before she disappeared into the moral world a mere 500 years ago. And that her boyfriend Evan is really Gabriel’s servant, Edric. In the sting of Edric’s betrayal Anita/Tania turns to Gabriel for comfort, but does he truly love her or is he after nothing but her power.

I really liked this book, I won’t say that I loved it but I did enjoy reading it. It is also the first in a series and from experience it seems that they get better as they go along, so I am hoping that I will enjoy The Lost Queen and The Sorcerer King even more. I felt sorry for Anita’s character, she really wanted to belong to the Faerie world, but I understood how she just couldn’t let go of everything that she knew. Some of the characters at times were a little transparent it wasn’t too hard to figure out who the bad guys were. Even so, if you like the fantasy genre I don’t think you will be disappointed with this book.

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Jordan’s life is a mess. It all started three months ago when her dead ex-boyfriend shows up outside her winder. Yes, he is still dead, but he didn’t commit suicide like everyone thought, he’s a vampire. Every night it is the same routine, Jordan let me in, you know I’ve always loved you. Jordan despite fantasizing that he does still love her can’t bring herself to let him in. She is afraid. She doesn’t go out after dark because she knows he will be there waiting for her. Jordan has three good friends but she doesn’t really feel like she fits in. She has social anxiety and finds it hard to deal with people at school, so she misses a lot of class, adding to her messy life. But then there is Danny, the boy that she liked before Michael and the boy that she may still like, he might just be worth living for. When Jordan realizes how evil Michael really is, it may be too late.

Uninvited didn’t really do anything for me. It was a really quick read, and the storyline lacked real strength. The characters were mediocre and lacked depth. I can’t say that I really related to any of the characters either, they were all complete messes. I think this story could have been better if it would have actually started when Jordan met Michael, so you would have some real insight into their relationship. I didn’t understand why she thought she still had feelings for him, when he just went around and slept with all the girls in school after they broke up. I was hoping for a good read and I was left very disappointed.

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Lissa and Rose are best friends. Although their friendship runs deeper than most. Lissa is a vampire as well as a princess. Rose is a dhampir, half vampire/half human, she hopes someday to be Lissa’s guardian and protect her from the Strigoi. They are being returned to St. Vladimir’s Academy where they escaped just two years earlier. St. Vladimir’s isn’t your normal boarding school. It teaches vampires in the ways of magic and dhampirs how to protect. The two girls are once again in the midst of drama and mischief. Lissa is no longer queen of the school and the new queen, Mia has no intention of letting her reign again. Rose is the blunt of vicious rumors. But she doesn’t have time to dwell on them, when Lissa begins to be mysteriously targeted. Someone knows Lissa’s secret and she may not be safe at the academy.

Okay, Wow! I really liked this book. Dare I say I loved it?! I can’t believe I waited so long to read it. If you are a vamp. fan you will simply devour this book! Rose was one of the funniest characters I’ve met in a while. She is the biggest smart-ass and I loved it! I admired the friendship between Lissa and Rose. It was so believable and realistic, because they balance each other perfectly. Vampire Academy has a little bit of everything, action, mystery, forbidden romance, humor and suspense! I can’t wait to read the next book Frostbite.

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The Princess and the Hound really starts in the prologue. It tells of the tale of King Richon and the Wild Man. Basically, King Richon is turned into a bear for his misdeeds toward animals by the Wild Man’s possession of animal magic. Since that time the animal magic has been feared, those who posses the traits are killed or must keep their talent hidden forever. Prince George posses the magic as did his mother. He is forced to keep it secret and thus isolates himself.

At the age of seventeen, George agrees to marry Princess Beatrice. George does not expect to love Beatrice nor does he want to become close to someone, the marriage is strictly a political alliance. But once he meets Princess Beatrice he is drawn to her and her relationship to Merit, her hound. Although George knows the Princess does not posses the animal magic, her relationship with the hound is something all together different. The Princess may have her own secret as does George.

I thought that The Princess and the Hound was well written and intriguing. I was hooked from the Prologue! The story is focused on self-acceptance, which both George and Beatrice struggle with. It is lengthy but I never found myself bored. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and that made the story even better. I do recommend this book, especially for fantasy lovers.

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Katie and Michaela are sisters. They aren’t only sisters, but they are best friends, who share all their secrets. They love living in New York City, and they both love ballet. Things turn upside down when the girls are uprooted from the city life and plopped into the small town of Fir Lake. Katie thinks it is the end of the world and she doesn’t understand why Michaela doesn’t feel the same way. Soon Michaela has a group a friends and even a boyfriend. Katie can’t help but notice the distance that is building between her and her sister. When Katie discovers that Michaela is keeping a huge secret from her, she can’t believe her sister, her best friend, would keep something like that from her.

This was a cute story, but I have to admit that The Year My Sister Got Lucky isn’t going to be one of my favorite books. I liked the focus on the bond between sisters and what it is like moving to a new town, but at times I found myself bored. I felt like there were a lot of things in the plot line that were unnecessary and didn’t really add to the book, like the weird neighbor Emmaline, I understand that she was someone that Katie felt she could confide in but, it didn’t really go anywhere. Also the focus on the girls dancing was a little overbearing, yes I realize they are dancers, but it was too much at times. I understood how Katie felt betrayed and upset toward Michaela, but I didn’t feel sorry for her. She had her mind set on how things were going to be and then she seemed surprised when things happened that way. On a positive note it does show the bond and the importance of having your sister, and that sometimes your sister isn’t your friend, but she will always no matter what be your sister. If you were planning on reading this book because it sounded like something you would like, by all means do read it. I hate to write something negative in my reviews, but remember it is only my opinion! I’ve read other reviews that have enjoyed this book.

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Another Kind of Cowboy by Susan Juby

Alex has always loved horses. When Alex was six, he had a horse named Del Magnifico le Noir, except it wasn’t exactly a horse, but more of a bicycle that Alex pretended was a horse, he had reins and everything! Alex also falls in love with the riding style of dressage at an early age. He never thought in a million years that his father would win him a horse playing poker. From there on out is was Turnip and Alex. Alex loved riding Turnip and winning shows riding western style, but his true love was still with dressage.

Cleo loves horses too. She collects them, the plastic kind. She has no desire to ride a horse, but her mother throws her into it. Never being around or on a horse really limits your riding abilities. So Cleo really just falls into dressage, because there is no way she is going to jump a horse. Cleo attends a private boarding school and when she complains about her lacking coach her mom finds her a new one, much to Cleo disdain.

And then they meet, Cleo and Alex at their dressage lessons. Alex is a talented rider and very hardworking, and Cleo is rebellious, selfish, and lazy. The story alternates between Cleo and Alex’s stories and struggles. Cleo struggles with her past mistakes and tries to rise above them. Alex struggles with his hidden sexuality and acceptance by his father.

Another Kind of Cowboy is enjoyable and refreshing! My grandparents used to raise Palomino horses, in turn, I’ve always been a horse fan. So, I couldn’t wait to read this book. But it is about so much more than horses. The story itself is well written and the characters are likable. Another Kind of Cowboy is a contemporary story that deals gracefully and humorously with issues of teen pressures and sexuality. This was my first read of Susan Juby, but I think I will have to look into reading more books by this author! I absolutely recommend this book!

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Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley

Who wouldn’t want to have everything, a huge house, a name that is well known, and billionaires for parents. Syrah Cheng that’s who. It may seem like Syrah has everything, but we all know that line about judging something by it’s cover.

Syrah wants nothing more than to be a pro snowboarder, but as soon as she tears her ACL that dreams goes down the drain. The almost boyfriend she thought she had was only using her, well he was only hoping to use her name. Her parents are never around and her step siblings hate her. Syrah thinks her life can’t possibly get any worse. Then Syrah meets Amanda, who has been diagnosed with leukemia, and she does what the Chengs are known for. She rises to the occasion and arranges a fund-raiser to make a difference. Along the way she discovers herself and the family she never knew she had.

Girl Overboard was a story of self discovery and personal growth. When I first started reading I have to admit that the poor-little-rich-girl routine really REALLY annoyed me, but after Syrah met Amanda and she realizes that things can be much worse, I rejoiced! Finally, I got to see the Syrah that I knew was in there! The girl that fights for the person she wants to be and wins the respect of her family. As well the story itself I also enjoyed the insight into a new culture. Overall, it was a good story. Personally, I didn’t get into the book until about chapter 20, but I still recommend it as a good read.

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