The Hunger Games — by Suzanne Collins

So apparently I'm among one of the only YA fans to not have read "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins before it appeared on the silverscreen. Once I kept hearing all the hype, I decided to put my name on the waiting list at my local library. Unfortunately, the list was several hundred people long. When a friend at work heard my dilemma, she graciously allowed me to borrow her copy. It wasn't a long loan though, since I tore through the book in just a few, short days.

One of the things I love about "The Hunger Games" was that it detailed enough with the gruesomeness of  being a tribute, but it didn't use pervasive foul language or get too graphic.

This story has drama, love, mystery and oh-so-much-more. While I still haven't seen the movie, I can tell you I'm in love with the series, and can't wait to read more by this author. I rate this book a very high 4 stars.

The Wood Queen — by Karen Mahoney

For this blog posting I was excited to read the second book in the Iron Witch series, The Wood Queen by Karen Mahoney.

In this book, Donna Underwood (dubbed the Iron Witch, due to her iron-tattooed forearms) must figure out how to free her mother from a spell and work with the Wood Queen. Although still facing a trial from her actions in the first book, she must find a way to get the other alchemists to trust her and determine what is really going on with the alchemical order of the Dragon.

While I generally like the book, I did find that the 'The Wood Queen' did not refer back to the happenings in the first book enough for my liking. I frequently found myself trying to remember what had happened before, and why that would have impacted the main character in a certain way. As with any good 'heroes journey' style book, Donna picked up a few friends along the way, strengthened relationships with some previous friends, and stumbled a little with other friends. While I was hoping that The Wood Queen would be a solid 5 stars, I grudgingly give it only 4 stars.

The Lightning Thief {Percy Jackson & the Olympians} - Rick Riordan

In an attempt to read something lighter (and cleaner) I turned to the YA book Percy Jackson & the Olympians "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan. While I was initially introduced to the book through the major motion picture, the book was quite different than the movie (of course).

Although the book was a bit slow at first — it really picked up after a few chapters. I was initially drawn to the book due to my interest in Greek mythology as an elementary and high school student, but I must admit that I did have some difficulty remembering which god which which and remember the significance of each god and goddess. While the book did include some background info, I would have maybe liked to see a chart of the relationship for the gods in the front or back of the book. This would have made reading easier.

Riordan creates great characters, writes with a unique voice, and weaves a great tale. For this reason I rate the book 5 stars.  For more information on the movie— which is quite family-friendly— click on the video link below.

Texas Gothic- by Rosemary Clement-Moore

If you are looking for a book filled with mystetry, intrigue and a spunky main character, you've GOT to read the book 'Texas Gothic' by ROsemary Cement-Moore.  Known for her great prose and strong lead characters, this book takes readers to small-town Texas Ranch, with sisters Amy and Phin and a boat-load of other college-age kids. When Amy and Phin agree to take care of their Aunt's farm while she's away on a vacation they expected to water plants and feed the ghoats. What they didn't expect, was to dig up bones and meet some ghosts!

Once again, Rosemary brings characters to life with great narration, witty word-choice and vivid details. While I haven't reviewed Clement-Moore's other books on this blog (although I've read everything she's written so far) I whole-heartedly recommend the books and am excited to award my first 5 stars on this blog.

I particularly liked Clement-Moore's description of Amy's body language when she first meets Ben, and the way Amy names people she just meets, such as "Dumb" and "Dumber" "Boots" and "Truck".

Keep them coming, Rosemary! Readers need more clean (yet spooky and fun) books to read!

For more information on the author, visit her website www.readrosemary.com

Bloodlines - by Richelle Mead

As a big fan of the "Vampire Academy" series by Richelle Mead, I was excited to hear about the spin-off series, Bloodlines which featured the character Sydney the alchemist.

I received a copy of the book from the library last week and quickly devoured the book while on breaks at work over a few days. While I always liked the character of Sydney — she wasn't featured much in the previous series — it was nice to get a better understanding of her perspective on the Moroi and Dhamphir groups. All the set-up of the new characters and setting made the first half of the book too slow though, in my opinion. It wasn't until about page 200 that the action Mead is known for finally started to kick in and the storyline got interesting. If not for my love of the original series I would have likely given up on the book earlier.

Another down-side of the book was that the main story ended, but it seemed to have a few other endings in order to prep for the next book in the series. I'm also very interested in where upcoming storyline will lead. The last-minute addition of previous characters has enticed me to pick up the next book in the series (slated for summer 2012). I just hope Mead can pick up the pace in the next book and get me hooked again.

I rate this book a weak 3 stars out of 5, with hopes of rating the next book a 4 or 5!

For more information on Richelle Mead and her Vampire Academy series check out her website: http://www.richellemead.com/books/vampireacademy.htm