The silence of the library by Miranda James

The silence of the library is the fifth book in the Cat in the stack mysteries so this review contains ***SPOILERS*** if you have not read the first four books in the series.  While you can read this series as standalone books it is best enjoyed read in series order so if you have not read the first books - Murder past due, Classified as murder, File M for murder, Out of circulation - then you may want to read them first before reading anymore of this review.

The Athena Public Library is about to host one of the best kept secrets of the girl detective world - beloved author Electra Barnes Cartwright.  Cartwright, known to her most devoted fans as EBC, is nearly one hundred but still sharp as a tack and eager to meet with her fans.  It seems like a dream come true for Charlie who grew up reading the adventures of Cartwright's most famous character, Veronica Thane the teen detective who got into all kinds of adventures.  The resurfacing of such a beloved author is bound to cause waves, and those waves come in the form of some of the most devoted (and eccentric) fans.

When one of those fans is found murdered, Charlie finds himself slowly sucked into the mystery.  As he tries to sift through the mystery of the murder, Charlie finds himself rekindling his love of Veronica Thane as he chooses some of his own books for the display on girl detectives.  It soon becomes clear that there is a mystery afoot, a mystery that would not be out of place on the pages of a Veronica Thane mystery - a mystery that has everyone scratching their heads.  With the help of his faithful cat Diesel, Charlie is in for another adventure, a who dunnit that would have any detective series fan rubbing their hands with glee as they try and discover who the killer is before the end of the novel.

I have made no attempt to disguise the fact that I love the Cat in the stacks mystery series, although they are always known as the Charlie and Diesel books in my house.  The series is extremely well written, taking twists and turns and dropping false hints to keep you guessing who did it, often to the very end of the novel.  I have only recently started reading this genre and have already discovered (to my peril and disappointment) that many of these series are vapid, predictable, and insulting to the intelligence of their readers.  In stark contrast the Charlie and Diesel books are warm, engaging, and keep you on your toes as you try and solve the murder before Charlie does.  Diesel is both willing sidekick and ice breaking colleague in a world full of Southern charm.

Over the course of the series the characters have grown and evolved, but not to an unrealistic degree, or so the characters are unrecognisable.  Each time I pick up the next book in the series it feels like I am returning to spend time with old friends, enjoying the titbits of information about Charlie and his children and the other people in their lives.  Each of the characters is fully formed with their strengths, weaknesses, and human touches that makes them real people who seem to leap off the page.  I just adore Diesel too, and there are times when I can't help but smile because he reminds me of one of my own cats - complete with the chirping and insistence of sitting right where you are, or patting you with a paw to let you know you should be stroking her right now! 

The one depressing thought is now I have caught up with all the Charlie and Diesel books I have to wait for the next one to be published!  There is a tantalising sneak peak of the first book in a new series from Miranda James in the back of the edition I got - Bless her dead little heart - which features some familiar faces from Charlie and Diesels past.  Hopefully this new series lives up to the high standards I have come to expect from James, and hopefully there will be another Charlie and Diesel book to come soon.

If you like this book then try:

• Murder past due by Miranda James
• Classified as murder by Miranda James
• File M for murder by Miranda James
• Out of circulation by Miranda James
• Dipped, stripped, and dead by Elise Hyatt
• French polished murder by Elise Hyatt
• Lending a paw by Laurie Cass
• Books can be deceiving by Jenn McKinlay
• Pies and prejudice by Ellery Adams
• One for the money by Janet Evanovich
• Death of a kitchen diva by Lee Hollis
• Death of a country fried redneck by Lee Hollis

Reviewed by Brilla

Primal waters by Steve Alten

Primal waters is the third book in the Meg series so this review contains ***SPOILERS*** if you have not read the first two books in the series.  This is a series that can be read independently, but you get the most out of the series when you read them in order - so I recommend that you start with Meg and The trench before you read Primal waters.

For nearly twenty years the only contact Jonas Taylor has had with megalodon sharks is in his dreams and when writing his memoirs.  Angel, the majestic shark that escaped from the Tanaka lagoon is a distant memory for many, and over the years the invitations to talk on the lecture circuit have fallen away and Jonas is now desperate to make enough money to stay afloat financially   His marriage to Terry is far from perfect, and even though he gets on well with his son David, his daughter Dani has made it pretty clear that she has no respect for him.  When he is approached to take part in the second series of Daredevils it seems like the answer to a prayer, he will get paid a large fee just to provide commentary for the show - no real danger involved at all.  But there is something not quite right about the deal, and by the time Jonas realises he is in over his head it may already be too late for him and Dani.

Feeling more than a little abandoned by her husband, Terry is frustrated and more than a little bitter, and when the offer comes for her to travel to Canada and help explain a mystery she jumps at the chance - leaving David to his own devices in California.  In Canada Terry discovers a secret the remains of whales and dolphins that have desperately beached themselves in shallow water  apparently trying to escape something lurking in the depths off the coast of Canada.  Terry has seen this before and soon finds the evidence she needs to show that there is a megalodon cruising the waters again, just as Angel and her mother did nearly twenty years earlier.  Terry has the opportunity to capture the shark, but she may have bitten off more than she can chew.  But she is not alone, because David has discovered a megalodon nosing its way into the Tanaka lagoon, and he has a plan to bring Angel home.  It is a race against time to prepare the lagoon for its new resident - but which resident will it be?

Primal waters picks up the story of the Taylor family and the megalodon shark family that has become entangled in their lives several decades after the original story.  The break in time has allowed both families to grow - Jonas and Terry now have two teenage children, and Angel has two sons that have grown and fought each other for supremacy.  In a somewhat interesting departure from the rest of the series, Alten has provided a dual timeline in his story, presenting the story in the present day as well as a "flashback" story which explains the arrival of the megalodon in the Mariana Trench.  In a lot of ways this is the best book in the series as Alten strikes the perfect balance between the aspect of man versus nature (there are quite a few moments where the sharks pick off more than their fair share of man sized morsels), but there are also quite a few human relationship stories (some of which are quite complex).

One detraction from the story, and it is not as bad as The trench, is that in some ways Alten over explains what he is trying to say, almost like the point is more important than the story (but luckily these are few and far between).  This series is a true guilty pleasure for me as it is a real departure from what I would normally read, and because it was a little interesting explaining to people what I was reading (so it is about a megalodon shark that comes out of this deep sea trench and surfaces in the modern world and wreaks havoc  on people ....) BUT it is such a good series that I have to review it and pass on just how good it is.  I can't wait to read book four and see what happens next as although Jonas and Terry are past their prime it is quite clear that David and Dani are not afraid to pick up where their parents left off.  A great action packed read with plenty of "moments" to keep you on the edge of your seat.


If you like this then try:

• Meg by Steve Alten
• The trench by Steve Alten
• Ruins by Kevin J. Anderson
• Jurassic park by Michael Crichton
• Congo by Michael Crichton

Reviewed by Brilla

The eighth day by Dianne K. Salerni

Jax Aubrey has found himself drifting in the past few months, ever since his father died suddenly and left him orphaned, Jax has found himself living a somewhat surreal version of reality.  After his fathers death left him an orphan he went to live with his mother's cousin, but then Riley Pendare appeared and swept him away by producing a letter from Jax's father awarding Riley guardianship of Jax if anything happens to him - written only a few weeks before his death.  Living with a guardian who is barely eighteen is bad enough, but it feels to Jax like he is the real guardian in the house - buying the groceries and taking care of things.  His life with Riley is an uneasy one at times, partly because it feels like Riley is keeping secrets from him.

When he wakes on the Thursday morning after his thirteenth birthday, Jax finds a world that is empty of people and he panics, thinking the worst.  When he wakes on what should be Friday morning he discovers that he is the only one who thinks a Thursday has already happened, and when he finally catches up with Riley he discovers that he has found the magical Eighth Day - an extra day squeezed in between Wednesday and Thursday that is invisible to most people.  Jax is not most people though, he can see and be in the normal world and the Eighth Day - which Riley calls Grunsday (a name that sticks for Jax too).  With his knowledge of Grunsday, Jax also learns that there is a race of people called the Kin who only exist in Grunsday.  Some of the Kin are relatively benign, like the Kin who lives in the house next door, but there are others who would like to see the barrier separating Grunsday from the normal world brought down - an act that would destroy one of their worlds forever.  As he learns more about Grunsday and the origins of Grunsday, Jax also discovers that the Kin who lives next door is the key to the spell, and she can be used as a weapon in the wrong (or right) hands.  Caught up in a war he does not understand, Jax will have to make some difficult decisions if he wants to save the day.

The Eighth day caught me a little by surprise as I was not expecting much and as a consequence got way more than I anticipated.  Jax is an engaging and endearing character who makes you want to be part of his world, and it is very easy to see the world through his eyes.  The rest of the cast of characters has some of the stereotypes you would expect from an epic fantasy (the reluctant hero, the unlikely hero, the selfish fool, the double-crosser, and the power mad tyrant) but they are blended smoothly into the story and become more than just pale stereotypes - they exist because it makes the story so much better.  The world building is also impressive, there is a whole mythology keeping this world afloat, a mythology that has incredible depth and logic and that makes total sense.  Grunsday weirdly makes total sense, it is easy to feel when you transition from the normal world to Grunsday, and the first transition into a scary empty world makes it so much easier to suspend belief in the future transitions without being bogged down in boring details - this allows the plot to move forward without too many tedious descriptions.

Characters are very important to a story like this and Salerni has done an amazing job of creating complete characters that seem to jump off the page and into your imagination with no barriers - everyone has their flaws and their strengths, even the good guys have their Achilles heels but it is completely "normal".  The mythology of King Arthur and his court is an interesting choice for source material, and could easily have become convoluted and intense, but it is there enough to provide a sensible foundation for the world rather than becoming the be all and end all of the story.  The pace is just perfect too, the story starts at a good pace, builds towards a finale, and then settles back down for a satisfying conclusion.

One of the best things about The Eighth day is that it is a true 'tweens read - it will suit younger readers with an advanced reading age and vocabulary, but it will also appeal to younger teens who enjoy a good adventure story with a splash of fantasy.  This is not an easy read, but it is also not particularly challenging, which means it has a wider audience than your traditional children's fiction series or teen series.  There is a slight feel like this may not be the last we see of the world of The Eighth day, there are little hints that there could be more to come for this world and these characters.  This is a real treat, an unlikely find that kept me glued to my seat until it was finished, and every time I had to put it down was a little but like torture because I needed to know what happened next.  A highly recommended read for 2014!


If you like this book then try:

• Legacies by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill
• Raven's gate by Anthony Horowitz
• The Menagerie by Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland
• The half men of O by Maurice Gee
• Pangur ban the white cat by Fay Sampson
• The star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson
• Stone heart by Charlie Fletcher
• Red rocks by Rachael King
• The mysterious howling by Maryrose Wood
• Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo
• Northwood by Brian Falkner
• Finding the fox by Ali Sparkes
• Hollow Earth by John Barrownman and Carole Barrowman
• Harry Potter and the philosophers stone by J.K. Rowling
• Spellbinder by Helen Stringer
• The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
• Ella enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
• Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

Reviewed by Brilla

Night vision by Ella West

Viola and her family live on a farm on the South Island of New Zealand, it is an isolated life for anyone, but even more so when you are living with a rare genetic disorder like Viola is.  Born with Xeroderma Pigmentosum, or XP for short, Viola must always be careful to avoid the sun and florescent lights because the light could literally end her life.  Viola knows that XP will eventually be a death sentence, most likely a painful death brought on by cancer from light exposure, but she has thoroughly adapted to a life in the dark.  While her father is asleep and her mother practices her music and putters around the house, Viola is away in the forestry block by their house.  With the special night vision goggles her parents Viola can see in the dark, and she sees a world that no one can see. 

One night the peace and quiet is shattered by the arrival of a man in a car, a man who puts a dead man in the drivers seat and sets the car alight before slipping and sliding through the forestry to bury a bag in the ground and escape in another vehicle.  Drawn on by her natural curiosity, Viola digs up the bag and discovers money, bags and bags of money.  At first Viola is not sure about the money, it has come from a criminal but does it really belong to him?  With the family farm in financial difficulty Viola decides to quietly slip her parents the money, but she is not as safe in her world as she thought, and when the bad guy figures out she saw something that night everyone is in danger - especially Viola.

Night vision is a quick read written by New Zealand author Ella West and is an interesting read that raises a lot of questions - would you report something suspicious if it meant you might be in danger?  Would you report finding lots of money if you knew it could really help your family?  Is stealing from a thief really a crime?  Viola is an interesting person to experience the world through, because she has lived such a sheltered life because of her illness, many of us take milestones for granted - learning to swim, our first visit to the beach, getting your first sunburn, and none of these have been possible for Viola.  What could have been a lame gimmick for a story (girl who is burned/poisoned by sunlight) instead makes for some intense and tense moments as Viola has to work through some of the issues associated with living with XP and the vulnerabilities that can bring.

I have to confess to being a little disappointed with the ending as it seemed a little too perfect, but on reflection the ending does fit the rest of the novel.  This is not an exceptionally difficult read, and really appreciate the fact that West has created a tense and atmospheric thriller that is available to teens of all ages and reading ability, opening the way for less confident or struggling teen readers to explore a new genre that may then lead them to harder reads.  I always get a little thrill from reading a book by a New Zealand author because we are a small country and not a lot of genuine New Zealand fiction is published for children and young people - often our authors write for a more general market, or write stories set in other countries so it was fabulous to read about a farm in Canterbury.

If you like this book then try:

• Thieves by Ella West
• I am not Esther by Fleur Beale
• Thunder road by Ted Dawe
• Nickel plated by Aric Davis
• Dirt bomb by Fleur Beale
• The kidnapping of Christina Lattimore by Joan Lowery Nixon
• The half life of Ryan Davis by Melinda Syzmanik
• Land of milk and honey by William Taylor
• Genesis by Bernard Beckett
• When we wake by Karen Healey
• Thirteen reasons why by Jay Asher
• See ya, Simon by David Hill
• I swear by Lane Davis

Reviewed by Brilla

Rebel by Amy Tintera

Rebel is the sequel to Reboot so this review contains ***SPOILERS*** about what happens in Reboot.  If you like to read series in order then stop reading this review and check out Reboot first.

Since Wren 178 met Callum 22 her world has been turned upside down and inside out - and she is no longer under the control of the HARC.  Free to make her own decisions for the first time in more than five years, Wren and the rest of the Reboots she and Callum rescued make their way to the legendary Reboot reservation, a place where they can be free of the human controls on their lives and just be.  The charismatic leader of the Reboot reservation welcomes them with open arms, but the reservation Reboots seem oddly nervous and fearful around their leader and Wren is not sure she has made the right decision bringing the Reboots to the reservation.  When she witnesses a shocking incident the resulting confrontation with Micah leads to a swift and severe punishment.

Separated Wren and Callum are on their own as they fight against the HARC and the twisted mind of a Reboot who has seen the inside of the HARC and wants to wipe them off the face of the planet forever - no matter what the collateral damage might be.  As the clock starts ticking it becomes a race against time for Callum and the rest of the Reboots to not only save Wren, but also to save the other Reboots that are still under the control of HARC - because HARC now sees them as a liability, and the only way to deal with a liability is to wipe it off the face of the earth forever.  Callum is one of the lowest Reboots, with such a low number that everyone jokes he is practically human, and it is that humanity that may just save them all.

Rebel is the sequel to Reboot and literally picks up where the first book left off, something that was a little shock to the system seeing as it has been some time since I read the first book and it took me a little while to settle back into the story and reconnect with the characters (because it has been some time since I read the first book, not because they were badly written).  Just like Reboot, Rebel is driven forward by the action and drama rather than romance or strictly human relations - there is a goal that they are pushing towards and that goal is what the story strives to reach (and reaches it well).  As with the first book there were not too many twists and turns in the story, but with the rapidly switching viewpoints between Callum and Wren you get to experience all of the action, drama, and anguish from all sides which was kind of nice.

Tintera has a gift for writing a plot driven story that barely leaves you time for breath as you move from one drama to another, and it feels very much like a movie plot with the heavy background information that you sometimes find in books like this left out of focus in the background where it is not going to clutter up the story with superficial details.  This is a coming of age story, a story of self discovery, and a story of survival.  There are subtle blends here of the dangers of hate without reason, but maybe I am reading that into the story rather than it being there - but it does feel a little bit like a comment on our times without assigning blame.  This is an intense read that deserves attention, and it doesn't feel as if this story is over just yet, it feels more like the closing of one chapter as another one opens.  Bring on more books in the Reboot world - we're ready!

If you like this book then try:

• Reboot by Amy Tintera
• Enclave by Ann Aguire
• The forest of hands and teeth by Carrie Ryan
• In the after by Demitria Lunetta
• The testing by Joelle Charbonneau
• Altered by Jennifer Rush
• The hunt by Andrew Fukuda
• Proxy by Alex London
• Legend by Marie Lu
• Thyla by Kate Gordon
• Crave by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz
• Legend by Marie Lu
• XVI by Julia Karr
• ACID by Emma Pass
• Slated by Teri Terry
• Sister assasin by Kiersten White
• Every other day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
• Throne of glass by Sarah J. Maas
• The darkest minds by Alexandra Bracken
• Stung by Bethany Wiggins

Reviewed by Brilla

The Menagerie by Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland

Logan is used to spending time on his own - his mother left a few months ago and his dad has moved them to the town of Xanadu, Wyoming in the hopes of finding her.  It's an okay place as far as small towns go, but all the kids at the local school have already sorted out who they are friends with because they have all been through kindergarten and now school together.  Logan gets some company from his cat and his other pets, but when he wakes up one morning to find feathers in his room and the pets all hiding he has no idea that he is about to be introduced to the world of the Menagerie.

If someone had tried to tell Logan about the Menagerie he probably would have laughed at them or thought they were crazy - but that was before the appearance of a griffin cub in his bedroom!  Suddenly Logan is discovering all sorts of things about the little town of Xanadu and the people who live there - especially Zoe Kahn and her family.  Zoe is not your typical kid, and once Logan learns about the griffin cubs and the other animals in the Menagerie it all becomes a little clearer.  With six griffin cubs on the loose it is a race against time to find them all and return them before the dreaded SNAPA finds out and shuts the Menagerie down.
 

I don't often come across books that I love from the first page, but The Menagerie was one of those rare gems that grabbed me from the first page and kept me hooked until the end.  This modern urban fantasy seamlessly blends together our world with the world of the Menagerie, and it is through Logan's eyes that we get to see this amazing new world, and his sense of wonder just makes everything more amazing.  The mythological creatures we meet inside (and outside) the walls of the Menagerie are awe inspiring, but also so real and "human" - not what you would expect from a typical mythological creature living in the modern age.  Some of the mythology has been flipped a little, but that fits perfectly with the story and it makes it both a little more palatable for younger readers, but also makes some of the characters a little more relatable and endearing.  This is definitely one of those books though where having a little bit of knowledge about mythology was both and advantage and a disadvantage because one of the surprises wasn't much of a surprise because I saw it coming (but it was still really well written which meant it was still a good moment).
  

Zoe is a fabulous counterbalance to Logan because she has seen it all, and done it all before, but through her we get to see more of the danger of the Menagerie as well as the wonder.  What could have been just another fantasy adventure instead became a warm and engaging read through the humorous and very human elements of the stories - from comic misunderstandings to the loss of deep friendships, there is something to discover around every corner.  I can't wait to get my hands on book two so I can see what happens next for Logan, Zoe, and the Menagerie because there are the hints of a dark conspiracy here, hints of something to come that could put the whole Menagerie at risk.  One of my favourite part of the Menagerie would have to be the griffin cubs and their sibling rivalry - it is very hard not to smile at some of their antics and their attempts to gain the upper paw over their siblings.

This is a genre bending series because although at heart it is a fantasy story with mythological creatures living in a menagerie in the modern world, it is also a story about friendship and family and what that really means.  It also has the genre bending elements of being a mystery story as Logan and Zoe search for the griffin cubs and uncover something mysterious beneath the calm of Xanadu.  This is one of those great series that refuses to stay in a single genre, and that refuses to be classified as a "boy book" or a "girl book" and hopefully the rest of the series will be this good too.

 

If you like this book then try:

• Dragon on trial by Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland
• The world around the corner by Maurice Gee
• Into the land of the unicorns by Bruce Coville
• Pangur ban the white cat by Fay Sampson
• Stone heart by Charlie Fletcher
• Red rocks by Rachael King
• The mysterious howling by Maryrose Wood
• Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo
• Northwood by Brian Falkner
• Finding the fox by Ali Sparkes
• Hollow Earth by John Barrownman and Carole Barrowman

Reviewed by Brilla

Drift by M.K. Hutchins

Tenjat lives on the island of Gunaji, an island supported on the back of a giant Turtle that slowly swims through the seas of Hell as monstrous naga circle in the hopes of snaring anyone foolish enough to fall into the water.  Gunaji is only a small island, supported on a small Turtle that is slowly starving because each time they find a coral reef where it can feed a larger island and Turtle have already beaten them there and they are too small and weak to defend their island against attack.  As the Turtle weakens the quality of the soil falls and the people of Gunaji struggle to produce crops from the dying land, and it is in times like these that it does not pay to be prosperous and grow an excess of crops.  

On the tail end of the island, on the very shores of Hell, Tenjat lives with his sister Eflet and togther they farm the land, working hard to bring the dying soil to life so they can make enough food to last not only now but for the next three years.  Tenjat is determined to become a Handler like their father, but to do that he must abandon Eflet for three years and dedicate his entire life to the Tree and his lessons.  It is s difficult decision, and when the land he has so carefully tended is destroyed he has no choice but to leave Eflet with Jesso, the man who took them in when they first arrived on the island.  

Tenjat despises Jesso, because the man has so many children - children that slow the pace of the Turtle, a greedy and selfish act.  Men like Jesso, men who choose to take wives and raise families of children to support them in their old age are called hubs - and it is a term of derision and scorn.  But once Tenjat is living in the Tree and training to become a Handler he discovers that his world is not as black and white as he first thought, that there is more to life and survival than fighting nagas and winning battles against other islands.  His world is more complicated than he thought, and if he wants to save his own life, and the life of everyone on Gunaji, he is going to have to make some difficult decisions.  As if life wasn't complicated enough, there is also the growing relationship with his trainer Avi - Avi, who may just be the one person woman who could make him dream of being a hub rather than a Handler.

Drift is a mind blowing debut novel that has amazing depth and world building - you never doubt for a moment that you are in another world full of people and mythology, and danger.  From the beginning it is clear that the world is not our own, that life is difficult when things go wrong, and that sometimes you have to sacrifice everything to make a better life for yourself.  Tenjat is an amazing character to build a novel around, he is so perfectly imperfect that you can't help but be drawn into his story, and the complex and engaging mythology keeps you on the edge of your seat trying to guess what happens next or where the next twist will take the story.  

What starts as a monster story and a story of survival in a world where the weak are overrun and destroyed, turns into something much deeper and mind blowing   Telling you too much will ruin the impact of the story so I won't tell you anymore about the story, but I will tell you that this was the book that took me by surprise and is one of my top picks for 2014.  The characters are well defined, the world is crystal clear, and you can tell Hutchins has spent time planning her world and building her world - I sincerely hope there is another story from either the same world, or written with similar care and skill by Hutchins - she will be an author to watch in the future.

If you like this book then try:

• Mortal engines by Philip Reeve
• Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst
• Origin by Jessica Khoury
• Graceling by Kristin Cashore
• The interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina
• The demon trapper's daughter by Jana Oliver

Reviewed by Brilla

Bloodwitch by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Abandoned by his people as an infant, Vance Ehecatl has been raised in relative luxury in the greenhouse of Lady Brina.  He has all the food he could want, a soft bed to sleep in, comfortable clothes, and just enough tasks to keep him from boredom.  The greenhouse is a haven of warmth and while he could want for nothing, Vance occasionally feels the urge to explore the world outside - even if it is only through a glimpse in the elaborate stained glass and wooden panels that make up the structure.  When his peaceful world is rocked by a violent death Vance strikes out into the wilds outside his home and discovers that the world is far bigger than he knew - and far more dangerous, with everyone trying to twist and turn his world so that he believes what they want him to.

The more Vance learns about the world of Midnight, the more confused he becomes.  Mistress Jeshickah is the ultimate power in Midnight and Vance has always viewed her with awe and minds his manners around her, but when a mysterious plague strikes at the human slaves and the vampire trainers Vance sees a side of Mistress Jeshickah that he has never seen before.  The mysterious and self serving Malachi Obsidian seems to hold a lot of answers to the questions that Vance doesn't even know to ask yet, but those answers come with a cost and Vance is not sure if he is willing to pay the cost - or even if the answers he receives are the truth.

Bloodwitch is the first book in a new series from Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, who wrote her first book when she was a teenager.  In the early years of her writing I devoured each book as it was written as she has a knack of writing spare but engaging prose, and her characters are well developed but not overly described - the perfect combination to keep the story moving at a blistering pace.  I have not followed her as much over the past few years, but that was more about reading habits than a reflection of ehr writing, so I had no hesitation picking Bloodwitch up to see if Atwater-Rhodes is as good as she used to be.  The answer is yes, but it appears that she has also matured as a writer and her "voice" has developed into a powerful and engaging force of nature.

From what I can gather Bloodwitch is set in the same universe as The Kiesha'ra series and inviolves a complex society of warring shapeshifter races, humans kept as slaves, and vampires at the top of the pecking order.  While I think I read the first book in The Kiesha'ra I didn;t follow the series, but I was able to pick up the world of Bloodwitch very quickly, and was soon so wrapped up in Vance's world that it didn't matter when the very odd thing made me go huh (but my questions were always answered very shortly afterwards).  This is an explosive start to a new series with little twists and turns, and secrets revealed through the eyes of a very innocent and sheltered Vance.  A great read, and I hope the rest of the series lives up to the promise of Bloodwitch.


If you like this book then try:

• Raised by wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
• Anna dressed in blood by Kendare Blake
• The unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
• Burn bright by Marianne de Pierres
• Daughter of smoke and bone by Laini Taylor
• Graceling by Kristin Cashore
• Sweet venom by Tera Lynn Childs
• The demon trappers daughter by Jana Oliver
• Legacies by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill
• Thyla by Kate Gordon
• Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
• Proxy by Alex London

Reviewed by Brilla

Lending a paw by Laurie Cass

Minnie  Hamilton is going where no librarian in Chilson, Michigan has gone before - out on the road in a bookmobile!  Despite the attempts of the library director to keep everything happening in the library with a minimum of expenditure, a generous donation from a wealthy benefactor means that Chilson is now the proud owners of a brand new, state of the art bookmobile.  Minnie has made the seemingly impossible happen, finding a way to bring books to the small communities who have lost their branch libraries due to budget cuts, and right from the start the service is a huge hit.  Minnie's success is not down to her hard work and careful planning however, it is more to do with a little stowaway who sneaks on board on the first day - a stowaway in the form of her recently acquired cat Eddie.

Having Eddie sneak a ride is bad enough, but when he takes off at one of the stops Minnie discovers a dead body.  The dead body is none other than Stan Larabee, the generous benefactor of the bookmobile.  For Minnie he was the man who made her dream possible, even though she had to provide plenty of evidence to earn the money for the project, but to other people he was a mean spirited miser who didn't give money to anybody.  With such a bad reputation for refusing to help people there are plenty of suspects who might have wanted him dead, and some of them are very close to Minnie.  Drawn into the mystery Minnie finds herself using all her reference searching skills to find out who the killer is, but she may be getting a little too close to the murderer for their liking, and when you have murdered one person what's to stop you adding another, or another?

I picked up Lending a paw because I have really enjoyed reading the Cat in the stacks mysteries by Miranda James and while searching through the online catalogue I found Lending a paw and decided to give it a go - and I was not disappointed.  Minnie is plucky, determined, and some of the messes she gets into are all too familiar as she helps the various people in her life with their problems (often taking on their problems when she shouldn't).  Eddie, the charming rogue of a cat who strayed into her life, is just as charming as Diesel but is still a unique individual rather than a carbon copy or cheap knock off.  There were a few moments when Eddie feels very much like one of my cats, who looks absolutely gorgeous, looks like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, and is determined to get her own way (and often does through sheer stubborn determination).  

I easily slipped into the story and the town, which quickly felt like a real place complete with real dramas.  The murder mystery at the centre of the story was interesting, and it took me some time to figure out who the murderer was, and even then I wasn't 100% convinced I had it right because there were quite a few viable suspects.  This was an extremely enjoyable read and I hope that Cass can come up with some more murder mysteries based around Minnie and Eddie - because there is a lot of potential for these two.  A healthy dose of murder mystery with a dash of humour and a pinch of human drama.

If you like this book then try:

• Murder past due by Miranda James
• Dipped, stripped, and dead by Elise Hyatt
• French polished murder by Elise Hyatt
• Books can be deceiving by Jenn McKinlay
• One for the money by Janet Evanovich
• Death of a kitchen diva by Lee Hollis

Reviewed by Brilla

Guardian by Alex London

Guardian is the sequel to Proxy so this review has ***SPOILERS*** about what happens in Proxy.  If you like reading series in order then read Proxy before you read any more of this review.

Syd was never meant to survive the virus he carried in his blood, the virus that brought down the all powerful Network.  With the collapse of the Network all debt was erased and everyone became equal no matter what their past, and the ones who once held power are dead, gone, or being rehabilitated.  In this new post-Jubilee world Syd has become a figurehead for the new regime, the mighty Yovel who saved them all and brought an end to the world of debt and Proxies, but Syd is uncomfortable with his status, after all it was Know who gave his life to the machine - not Syd.  But to keep the peace for the new regime he is Yovel in public, and that makes him a target for his enemies from the past, and the new enemies who believe that killing Yovel will restart the Machine and bring the Networks back.  Syd's lifeline is a bodyguard who follows him everywhere, a task that is more challenging than Liam expected.

Increasingly disillusioned with the world he is living in, Syd starts to ask questions - but he is asking the wrong questions.  In this brave new world a disease has appeared that leaves the skin almost transparent, the veins showing black through the skin as the blood burns.  At first the disease strikes the former Guardians, the people who kept the peace and enforced the law - they are now pathetic creatures that can not speak, and seem lost to the disease.  When it starts to spread to normal people Syd realises that he has to do something to stop the disease, especially when he realises that he is part of the cause.  But it is not safe to speak out against the establishment, especially when you are Yovel and the saviour of the people. especially when your words could be seen as treason.  With his life at stake, Syd is willing to risk it all to help prevent the disease from taking any more lives, but there are those determined to silence him at any cost.

Guardian is a worthy sequel for Proxy, a story that winds around itself with conspiracies and betrayal at the centre, and friendships and loyalty winding through the twists and turns in the plot.  The story begins and ends with a bang, with plenty of moments of action and drama in between - a roller coaster ride of discoveries and threats that keep you guessing about what is going to happen next.  The end of Proxy was vaguely hopeful, the system was brought down and there was hope, and you begin with that feeling but it quickly twists to become a system as corrupt as the one before it.  Syd is caught in the centre of a conspiracy that would rather see him dead than turn against him, and it will take all of his stubborn strength and hard earned street smarts to get him to the other side.

Guardian feels like it is targeted at a slightly older audience than Proxy, including more graphic descriptions of fights and death, which for me pushes into more of a true teen category than for 'tweens as well.  Some 'tweens may cope with the increase in violence but not all, and the descriptions of the disease were a little stomach churning too (I made the mistake of reading some of them when I was trying to eat morning tea) though I have read worse.  The writing seemed a little smoother this time around too, with a little more polish and while some parts of the story stretched my ability to believe completely in the story, they were appropriate for the story and I just had to "get over it".  A thoroughly enjoyable read and there is the possibility of more books in the series, or at least in the world, but that may just be a feeling.

If you like this book then try:

• Proxy by Alex London
• The here and now by Ann Brashares
• Eve by Anna Carey
• The testing by Joelle Charbonneau
• The hunger games by Suzanne Collins
• Breathe by Sarah Crossan
• The hunt by Andrew Fukuda
• When we wake by Karen Healey
• XVI by Julia Karr
• The limit by Kristin Landon
• Legend by Marie Lu
• The Declaration by Gemma Malley
• Arrival by Chris Morphew
• ACID by Emma Pass
• Divergent by Veronica Roth
• Article 5 by Kristin Simmons
• Inside out by Maria V. Snyder
• Renegade by J.A. Souders
• Slated by Teri Terry
• Numbers by Rachel Ward
• Variant by Robison Wells
• What's left of me by Kat Zhang

Reviewed by Brilla

Renegade by J.A. Souders

Evie leads a tranquil life in the city of Elysium, an underwater city that Mother founded to take the citizens away from the violence of the greed of the Surface Dwellers above.  The city is secret and safe, and well protected from an invasion from the Surface Dwellers with a series of automated defences that will stop any threat from above.  Each day Evie wakes and spends time in her garden tending to her plants, working on her cross stitch, or playing her violin.  As the Daughter of the People Mother is grooming her to become her successor, the next ruler of the people of Elysium.  Evie strives to do her best, even though she has moments when her memory is poor or she fails to recognise things - the people lover her, even though to them she is ditzy and somewhat vague.

When a Surface Dweller breaches the cities protections, Evie suddenly finds herself caught in a strange and eerie new world.  Little cracks are forming in her memories, little cracks that make no sense and leave her reeling with confusion   When the Surface Dweller, Gavin, tries to reach her and tells her things that can't be true, Evie struggles against her own memories.  With each passing moment spent with Gavin she realises that something is very wrong - wrong with Mother, wrong with Elysium, and most importantly wrong with her.  As the layers of mystery and conspiracy are stripped away, Evie comes to realise that she has to help Gavin escape back to the surface because Mother is determined to kill him - no matter what the cost.  As they race towards a confrontation, Evie will discover that there is more to her life than she could have guessed, and that everyone in Elysium lives and dies at the whim of Mother.

There has been a flurry of books labelled under the dystopian genre in the past few years, and many of them fail to deliver on their promise - either because they fail to really touch the human part of the story, or because they try and be just too clever for their own good.  I was a little dubious about Renegade when I picked it up, partly because the cover is not particularly inspiring, but once I started reading I was hooked.  One of the strengths of this story is that we see the world through Evie's eyes, and it is through her eyes that we watch the world turn from one tinged with gold and hope, to one coated with blood and despair.  

Souders has a fantastic style that blended together the very human story of Evie and Gavin, and the tense and atmospheric world of Elysium and the secrets that float beneath the apparently tranquil surface of this underwater world.  While it is clear from the first few chapters that there is something not quite right with Evie, it soon becomes clear that it is not Evie that is broken or wrong, it is the world she lives in. There are subtle clues throughout the early chapters that hint at what the secrets beneath the perfect veneer might be, but when the full effect of Mothers planning and scheming is revealed it is totally mind boggling.

This is a true dystopian world, and like most of the best dystopian series on the surface everything seems to be perfect, and it is only by experiencing the world through the eyes of Evie and Gavin that we realise things are very very wrong.  A fantastic first book for this series, and I can't wait to read the sequel to see what happens next.

If you like this book then try:

• Revelations by J.A. Souders
• Breathe by Sarah Crossan
• Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
• The hunger games by Suzanne Collins
• The testing by Joelle Charbonneau
• Eve by Anna Carey
• Inside out by Maria V. Snyder
• Amongst the hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• The limit by Kristin Landon
• Legend by Marie Lu
• Slated by Teri Terry
• XVI by Julia Karr

Reviewed by Brilla

Wild born by Brandon Mull

In Erdas children are offered the Nectar when they are eleven, a coming of age that helps with the bond between the chosen few and their spirit animals.  The bond is rare, but has been happening for centuries, and the Nectar helps ease the shock of the pairing and sidesteps the dangers of a bond occurring on its own.  For some the ceremony is a grand one with pomp and ceremony, for others it may be a simple time shared with family - but it hardly ever results in a bond. 
 
Four young people are about to taste the Nectar and discover their spirit animals - and the spirit animals they call will change their lives forever.  In the distant past there was a battle against an evil force known as the Devourer and his forces fought a great battle that led to the death of four of the Great Beasts - Great Beasts that became known as the Fallen.  Now in a time of great need the Fallen have returned to the lands of Erdas, but there are those who would work against them to try and prevent them from stopping an evil force as dangerous as the Devourer.  Conor, Abeke, Meilin and Rollan are about to face some of the greatest challenges of their lives, and they must find their courage and inner strength if they are to succeed.
 
Wild born is the first book in the Spirit animal series, and it starts the series off with a bang and strong premise.  I am not usually a fan of series that include an online gaming element because it often feels as though the story is a means to an end, rather than a story in its own right.  I have picked up several online game tie-ins and found them to be lacking in substance - but that was not the case here at all.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading Wild born, the mythology is well thought out, there has been attention to detail while world building, and the characters are well developed and very "human". 
 
In some ways I was a little disappointed that the story was not a little meatier, because it has almost a Tamora Pierce feeling to the world building and mythology, but it lacks the full depth and length of a Pierce novel.  On the flip side of that coin however is that because the text is a little spare and easy tor read, it does open up the series for readers of an older age who read at a lower level than their peers.  The next book in the series is written by another author, so it will be interesting to see how this series develops with different author voices adding to the mythology and the world building.  An interesting series beginning and if the rest of series delivers on the promise of this first book then this will be an amazing series.
 
If you like this book then try:

• Spirit animals: Hunted by Maggie Stiefvater
• Maddy West and the tongue taker by Brian Falkner
• Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo
• Stone heart by Charlie Fletcher
• Hollow Earth by John Barrownman and Carole Barrowman
• Prisoner of Quentaris by Anna Ciddor
• Finding the fox by Ali Sparkes
• Nest of lies by Heather McQuillan
• The lost castle by Michael Pryor
• Museum of thieves by Lian Tanner
• The silver crown by Robert C. O'Brien
• Northwood by Brian Falkner
• Under the mountain by Maurice Gee
• The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
• Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda
• Lionboy by Zizou Corder
• Northwood by Brian Falkner
• The Halfmen of O by Maurice Gee
• The forests of silence by Emily Rodda

Reviewed by Brilla

Out of circulation by Miranda James

Out of circulation is the fourth book in the Cat in the stack mysteries so this review contains ***SPOILERS*** if you have not read the first three books in the series.  While you can read this series as standalone books it is best enjoyed read in series order so if you have not read the first books - Murder past due, Classified as murder, File M for murder - then you may want to read them first before reading anymore of this review.

With Christmas just around the corner Charlie is looking forward to a quiet and uneventful holiday with his family and friends, but with his knack for ending up in the middle of murder investigations it is unlikely that things will stay quiet for long.  When he hosts the planning meeting for the fundraiser for the Friends of Athena Public Library Charlie has the rather eye opening experience of watching the Ducote sisters wrangle control of the event from status conscious Vera Cassity.  Not a fan of confrontation, the whole event leaves Charlie uncomfortable, but nothing prepares him for the reaction of his housekeeper Azaleas reaction to the news Vera Cassity had been in her house.  There is history between Azalea and Vera and Charlie is dying of curiosity to know what caused the conflict.

When Vera Cassity is murdered at the Friends of Athena Public Library it is Azalea who is found over the body, but Charlie can't believe that Azalea would have done such a thing.  Although the Sheriff is determined to keep Azalea at the top of the suspects list it is pretty clear to everyone else that Azalea is not the culprit, and Charlie soon finds himself drawn into solving, or at least helping to solve, another murder mystery.  There are secrets in every town, and it seems as though there is a secret that Vera was trying to uncover before her death, a secret that could cause all kinds of trouble.  As Charlie digs deeper into the mystery he discovers information that was never supposed to have seen the light of day, information that could be damaging for some of the suspects - if they knew the truth.

The Charlie and Diesel books, as they are known in my house, are some of my favourite discoveries this year - a series that I have found myself sharing with my mother who loves them just as much as I do.  She often ends up reading them before I do and she waits with baited breath until I have finished each book so we can talk about the funny things that have happened, or the shocking discoveries Charlie has uncovered.  Luckily I am the faster reader so it doesn't take me long to catch up with her, and luckily the local library has the complete set so I can order the next book in the series while I am reading the current treasure. 

It can be easy to classify some books into a certain genre and while technically the Cat in the stack books are part of the murder mystery genre they are so much more than that - James blends together humour and complex human relationships to flesh out the town of Athena and its residents.  Charlie is a quiet and unassuming man who is the last person you would expect to become embroiled in murder mysteries, as a semi-retired librarian and archivist he is used to keeping secrets and working by himself - which leads to some of the most hilarious moments in the novels.  Diesel adds another dimension with his unusual size and the fact he accompanies Charlie everywhere, and he adds most of the other hilarious moments.  There is something about this series that is just pure charm, a charm that is missing from other murder mysteries, and I have tried a lot of them in the past six months looking for another series as charming and "murder mystery-ish" as the Cat in the stacks. 

This series is a rare find and hopefully there will be more books in the Cat in the stacks mysteries, even though James is now writing a spin-off series set in Athena.  There is still a lot of potential for more Charlie and Diesel murder mystery solving.

If you like this book then try:

• Murder past due by Miranda James
• Dipped, stripped, and dead by Elise Hyatt
• French polished murder by Elise Hyatt
• Books can be deceiving by Jenn McKinlay
• One for the money by Janet Evanovich
• Death of a kitchen diva by Lee Hollis

Reviewed by Brilla

Against their will by Nigel Cawthorne

It always seems so impossible that the same species can produce great humanitarians like Mother Theresa, people who overcome great adversity like Helen Keller and Rosa Parks, and also produce depraved and sadistic individuals like the ones featured in Against their will.

This is one of those thought provoking and disturbing books that will stay with you - not because it is well written (which it is), but because it offers a glimpse behind the curtain into the lives and minds of men who took children and women from their own lives and used them and abused them for their own pleasure.  Some of the stories are ones I was already familiar with due to media coverage that was sent around the world, but others are ones I have not seen before and are heartbreakingly similar in the way the victims were bent and twisted by the will of their captor - and in some cases the stories are very shocking because the victims are so young and vulnerable.

I did not pick this book up because I enjoy reading stories about victims, I picked it up because it is an insight into the darker side of human nature - and because it is a difficult subject matter that should be exposed to people who are willing to pick it up and read it.  If the parents of young children were to read this book they would be more vigilant about where their children can go and the people they let into their lives, and if young women read this book they might be more careful about the places they go with men who promise them the world, and for people who have survived this kind of abuse it may give them hope and the knowledge they are not alone.

Cawthorne could easily have gone down the road of sensationalism and graphic recounting of the capture and confinement of the victims, but he does not, there are detailed accounts but they are not gratuitously graphic.  His writing style lets you feel an amazing amount of empathy for the victims, but not to the point that you feel physically ill about what they faced.  There are some truly shocking stories here, and they were perpetrated all around the world - and it makes you realise that there are sick people all over the world.

The stories that make up Against their will include - Jaycee Lee Dugard, Elisabeth Fritzl, Elizabeth Smart, Natascha Kampusch, Steven Stayner, and Katie Beers.  Some are well known stories drawn from the media headlines of the past decade or so, while others look further back into the 1970's, 1980's and 1990's.  These are shocking stories, but each of them has something to teach us about how we can help prevent further abductions.

This is not a light read, nor is it a book for the faint hearted.  There are other stories out there of abuse and neglect of children and women, and some of them are truly horrifying.  Take your time reading Against their will and take a break when you need to.  If you read this book and want to read other stories from people who have lived through difficult experiences and trauma, then try:

• Parents who kill by Carol Anne Davis
• Etched in sand by Regina Calcaterra
• A child named It by Dave Pelzer
• When rabbit howls by Truddi Chase
• Sickened: The memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood by Julie Gregory

Reviewed by Brilla

Blood red by Mercedes Lackey

This is normally the part of the review where I would warn you about spoilers however - Blood red is part of the Elemental masters series which usually comes with a spoiler warning  BUT Blood red is not set in the same country as the other Elemental masters books so you can read this as a guilty pleasure all on its own, there is no need to read the other books in the series first!

Rosamund is an Earth Master who has grown up in the Schwarzwald after her parents abandoned city life when they realised that city life was poisoning their daughter and making her ill.  In their quiet country life Rosa is finally able to breath easily and relax, and with the help of Grossmutter Helga she is learning the basics of her elemental magic - although all the things that are supposed to be easy for an Earth Master seem frustratingly difficult for her to master.  When she meets a stranger on the way to visit Grossmutter Helga, all of her instincts warn her that he is not to be trusted - and when she finally reaches Grossmutters house she realises what her instincts were trying to tell her.  Taken into the care of the Schwarzwald Lodge, Rosa begins to learn the skills of a Hunter, and learns that her Earth magic is not the magic of healing and growth, but rather than magic of hunting and tracking to clear the land of dark and dangerous beasts.

Years later and Rosa is a Hunt Master in her own right, one of the few women with the physical and magical abilities to hunt and kill the creatures that prey on the innocent.  It is on the trail of a vampire that Rosa first encounters a type of werewolf that triggers memories of the past and the creature that attacked her as a child.  As a Hunter she always has intense satisfaction when she ends the life of another shifter who has used blood magic to change their form.  On the way back to her home she finds herself detoured to the home of the Graf, an old friend of her mentor, and while she is there she learns about a danger that has haunted a quiet part of Transylvania for decades, taking dozens of lives each year.  Determined to investigate the problem she finds herself with an unexpected ally - a shifter who changes not by curse or by dark spell, but because the ability to shift is in his blood.  To catch the dark creature they must Hunt together, but first Rosa must lose her distrust of shifters.

It is difficult to review a book like Blood red without sounding too shamelessly gushy.  I love the work of Mercedes Lackey - her world building, her turn of phrase, and the way she can take familiar stories and make you part of the story, feeling the twists, the turns and the emotions.  Of all her series I particularly like the Elemental masters series because it takes the tales we know so well from our childhood and makes them something new and exciting we can rediscover as adults - but also bound by rules and conditions that make them more "realistic".  In the case of Blood red I also adored the use of German phrases, as someone who is half Dutch so many of the words seemed familiar and comfortable (even though I am not fluent in Dutch).  It was also nice to just take a break from England for a change too, although it is not "officially" part of the series I have always loved the Fire rose, which for me is the first book in this series (the fact it is set in America appears to be the main reason it is not part of the series).

This series will not appeal to everyone, and there are a few books in the series that feel like they have "missed their mark a little", but Blood red is definitely one of the better ones.  It was nice to read a story where the mythology is subtly woven into the story, rather than having the story forcibly bent to fit the original idea.  Rosa is a well rounded character, and one I hope we get to visit again in the future as she can more than hold her own!


If you like this book then try:

• The Fire rose by Mercedes Lackey
• The serpent's shadow by Mercedes Lackey
• Reserved for the cat by Mercedes Lackey
• Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey
• Firebird by Mercedes Lackey
• Deerskin by Robin McKinley
• Beauty by Robin McKinley
• Rose daughter by Robin McKinley
• Spindle's end by Robin McKinley
• Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Reviewed by Brilla