Book 57 (2011): Everwild

The second book in the Skinjacker series just didn't excite me like the first one did. I LOVED the first book, but again, it's a case of an author writing a great first book and then spinning it into a series, which was weak.

I guess it's not fair to say the whole series is weak, but this second novel is.

Nick, "The Chocolate Ogre" is still trying to get every kid in Everlost to take a coin and "go to the light", which is against what Mary High Tower wants. Mary joins with scary allies, and Allie the Outcast joins with Skinjackers, learning more about her powers. There's also a wicked twist ending, which of course will lead readers to the third novel of the trilogy.

It was ok. Again, not the target audience and I'm sure this appeals to junior high kids. I like the creative-ness and I like the idea of the world of Everlost. Otherwise, I think Everlost as a novel should have stood alone. (432 pages)

C

Book 55 (2011): Forever

Forever is the last book in the Wolves or Mercy Falls trilogy.

I remember when I read the first one I was really excited and as it went on.... I became less enchanted, like I did when I read all the Twilight book series. I liked each one less and less with each book I read.

We know Sam is human and Grace is a wolf. Isabel's father is trying to get a legal wolf hunt to wipe out the pack behind the property and Cole is trying to find a cure for the shifting.

All these stories blend together in a race against time to save them all and let true love prevail.

I think teens will like it the way they like Twilight, but I just felt it was forced and would've enjoyed Shiver had it been a stand alone novel. (400 pages)

C

Book 29 (2011): Linger

Linger is the second book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, which is a young adult series.

Picking up in the days that followed Sam's permenent turn from wolf to human, we get to see how happy he and Grace are in their relationship and how Sam is adapting to being simply Sam all the time, without turning.

But the new wolves Beck turned are not like the others. One can't seem to turn and stay a wolf, even though it's a bitter Minnesota cold. One can't seem to stay in either form for very long, and goes through the agony of turning from human to wolf every few minutes.

Isabel is struggling with the loss of her brother and her father is still hunting the wolves.

Then Grace gets sick and no one knows what's wrong or how to save her from dying, other than one horrible act that might let her live but change all of them forever.

This is a great series. I like it much better than Twilight, actually. When I read the first one- Shiver- I had hopes it would be a stand alone book and not attempt to franchise it out. I'm glad to know it's just a trilogy and won't be a series of 20 books, like so many teen novels.

I still like the characters and the dialogue. I found it is a little long "maudlin" but still good enough to keep reading and to engage me, and I'm certainly not the target author since it's definitely teen literature.

And this is silly but I liked it- the cover is green, as you can see, and the text color of the novel is... green. Very cool! (360 pages)

B+

Book 22 (2011): Shiver

From the cover of the book, to the last page, I thoroughly enjoyed this young adult/ teen novel written by Maggie Stiefvater.

When Grace was a little girl she was attacked by a pack of wolves, but lived to tell the tale. Fast forward about 10 years and Grace still watches the pack of wolves, entranced, fascinated, with the wolves who live in the woods behind her house.

And one wolf in particular attracts her attention, always has, and always will, because he is the wolf, she thinks, who saved her as a child all those years ago.

Then the fall of her senior year of high school, something changes. Her wolf is human and he has a name- Sam. But as Grace and Sam's love grows, bad things start happening in town and the secret of the wolves- the werewolves- which was so carefully guarded, is in danger.

This is a great novel. I loved the voice of the characters. I love the author's voice and tone. I was actually shivering with cold in some of the winter scenes. The love story is beautiful and just a touch enough, without over kill (I am so not one for a romantic story...) that it was sweet and wonderful, exactly what a teenage girl would want it to be.

There's enough suspense as well, to keep the reader turning pages. And just when I thought there could be a slow spot in the book, there was a great twist.

Excellent read! (390 pages)

A

Book 18 (2011): Everlost

Everlost, a young adult novel by Neal Shusterman, is pretty awesome. As a newly minted librarian in a high school library, I'm diving into teen fiction slowly. I'm thrilled to have stumbled on this novel along the way.

Don't let the fact that I called it a teen novel throw you off because it's worth reading, regardless of your age.

In this story, people die and don't get to heaven. On their journey from the moment of death outward the light, the stumble and end up in a place called Everlost.

Nick and Allie don't survive their respective car crashes and now their souls are stuck between life and death. They have to figure out how to survive in this world, that's only populated by dead children.

It's a place full of magic but also scary and dangerous. They meet a young (Dead) woman who's anointed herself the leader of the dead children and calls herself Mary HighTower. Is she good or is she evil?

There's a ruthless ogre who tries to control Everlost and he's known as The McGill.

I'm amazed at the fascinating take on this idea of ghosts among us, and a ghost/ soul survivors community, how they live, how the move, the rules about haunting. The twists and turns of this story, the use of history to blend in the tale of Allie trying to get back to her family is just amazing.

I don't feel I've done a good job of making this sound enticing to read. I don't want to give away some of the best secrets of the book, so I'm trying to be vague. It's not dreary and morbid as it sounds. It's a unique and super creative twist on the concept of ghosts here on Earth.

My only drawback is that the ending is most certainly left open for a sequel. I hope if Shusterman goes that route, he makes is a trilogy and stops, rather than turning it into a series.(377 pages)

A