Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey

 

Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey

Heralds of Valdemar #1

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Chosen by the Companion Rolan, a mystical horse-like being with powers beyond imagining, Talia, once a runaway, has now become a trainee Herald, destined to become one of the Queen's own elite guard. For Talia has certain awakening talents of the mind that only a Companion like Rolan can truly sense.

But as Talia struggles to master her unique abilities, time is running out. For conspiracy is brewing in Valdemar, a deadly treason that could destroy Queen and kingdom. Opposed by unknown enemies capable of both diabolical magic and treacherous assassination, the Queen must turn to Talia and the Heralds for aid in protecting the realm and insuring the future of the Queen's heir, a child already in danger of becoming bespelled by the Queen's own foes.

Redoubt by Mercedes Lackey

 

Redoubt by Mercedes Lackey - 330 pages

Collegium Chronicles #4

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Mags, a young Herald trainee in Haven, the capital city of the kingdom of Valdemar, has talents not commonly found in Herald trainees. Recognizing this, the King's Own Herald decides to train Mags as a spy in order to uncover the secrets of a mysterious new enemy who has taken an interest in Mags himself. Why is the even deeper mystery. The answers can only be found in the most unexpected corners of Mags' past...assuming he can live long enough to find them.

Changes by Mercedes Lackey

 

Changes by Mercedes Lackey - 326 pages

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 

Enter the thrilling third volume in the epic Collegium Chronicles. In Mercedes Lackey's classic coming-of-age story, the orphan Magpie pursues his quest for his parent's identity with burning urgency-while also discovering another hidden talent and being trained by the King's Own Herald as an undercover agent for Valdemar. Shy Bardic Trainee Lena has to face her famous but uncaring father, one of Valdemar's most renowned Bards. And Healing Trainee Bear must struggle against his disapproving parents, who are pressuring Bear to quit the Healers' Collegium because he lacks the magical Healing Gift.

Each of the three friends must face his or her demons and find their true strength as they seek to become the full Heralds, Bards, and Healers of Valdemar.

Chapterhouse: Dune by Frank Herbert

Chapterhouse: Dune by Frank Herbert - 624 pages

Book 6 of the Dune Chronicles

The Bene Gesserit, an ancient and mystical order of women, find themselves questioning the Golden Path of Humanity set into place by the God Emperor.  These women face annihilation by another group of women, the Honored Matres.  The Honored Matres are recklessly seeking to restore the Old Empire, but with their women ruling.  In order to stop the Honored Matres from destroying their order, the Bene Gesserit find themselves searching through histories and discover a new way to save the dying sandworms.  The Bene Gesserit struggle with staving off the Honored Matres and sacrificing all that they know to establish a new, safe place for the sandworms that so desperately need them.  Will Leto's prophecy still hold true or do the Bene Gesserit solve humanity's greatest issue without his prescience?

Reader's Note:  The ending of this book is rather open-ended; some readers believe that Herbert left the story unfinished.  Knowing that Herbert lost his wife shortly before completing his series perhaps helps readers to better appreciate and understand the ending.

Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert

Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert - 688 pages

Book 5 of the Dune Chronicles

God Emperor Leto II has been dead for thousands of years after his assassination.  Humanity is still on the Golden Path, despite the Empire falling to ruin.  The Great Scattering, as it is called, has seen millions of people abandon the lives they had known within the Empire to spread out far and beyond the known reaches of space - hence scattering.   The planet Arrakis has become a desert climate again and its sandworms are dying.  The "Lost Ones" of Arrakis are returning home to their planet in the pursuit of the Empire's lost power.  A young girl named Sheeana is found in the wastelands of the planet and begins to rise due to her newfound religious prominence.  Sheeana is the one who possesses the abilities to save the sandworms, as foretold by the late God Emperor's prophecy.  

God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert

God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert - 608 pages

Book 4 of the Dune Chronicles

Leto II, son of Paul Atreides, has become the God Emperor of the planet Arrakis.  He has been ruling for almost 4,000 years because a sacrifice he made for the Golden Path and the sandworms of Dune.  His sacrifice has made him nearly immortal and barely human.  Leto's rule has not been a benevolent one.  There have been numerous assassination attempts at his life throughout his rule.  Siona, a member of the Atreides line, forms a rebellion against him.  As her rebellion rises, Siona starts to realize that Leto has other plans for her; he has had a vision and knows that her destiny is the Golden Path.  Siona has to fulfill a destiny she never knew could exist... all to help humanity survive.

Children of Dune by Frank Herbert

Children of Dune by Frank Herbert - 624 pages

Book 3 of the Dune Chronicles

Children of Dune opens nine years after Messiah and Muad'Dib's exile.  The desert planet of Arrakis has started to become greener; its people evolving to live in cities.  The old ways of the Fremen are starting to die out.  The Atreides twins, Leto II and Ghanima, are hyper-mature for their age and are working to clean up the mess left by their family.  Leto experiences prescience like their father and he realizes that the new terraforming of Arrakis will be the extinction of the sandworms --- the providers of the spice drug everyone in the galaxy needs to live.  Leto eventually discovers what he needs to do to complete the Golden Path that his father failed to live up to, potentially saving the galaxy from utter devastation.

Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert

Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert - 352 pages

Book 2 of the Dune Chronicles

Twelve years after Dune, our protagonist, Paul Atreides, has become known to the locals on Arrakis as "Muad'Dib," their emperor and messianic figure.  He has conquered most of the known galaxy within his twelve years of ruling.  Paul is prescient and can foresee every possible future, which is how he is entrapped by conspirators.  Controversy arises from the displaced rulers of the places that Paul has become emperor of, as they have lost all power to the Muad'Dib.  Conspiracies to overthrow him as emperor leave him physically blinded and exiled to the deserts of Arrakis, as twin children are born to bear the burden of the Atreides dynasty.

Dune by Frank Herbert

Dune by Frank Herbert - 412 pages

Book 1 of the Dune Chronicles

Set in the distant future, where human beings have spread far and wide, colonizing throughout the entire universe.  We meet our protagonist, Paul, of the House Atreides.  His father has recently become the duke to a desert planet, Arrakis.  Arrakis has a surplus supply of melange, a spice drug that has become essential to most people in the universe.  Paul's father disregards his advisors' warnings against ambush and goes forward with his planetary fief, mostly because he has no other options.  Dune follows Paul's experiences on Arrakis trying to bring his father's ambitions to fruition.

I am rereading the series with my current surplus of free time because I am preparing for the movie to come out.  Highly recommend!

The Secret of White Stone Gate by Julia Nobel

The Secret of White Stone Gate by Julia Nobel - 304 pages
Black Hollow Lane Book 2

After a summer at home in Connecticut, Emmy returns to England to go back to the boarding school where she almost died last year accompanied by her best friends Jack and Lola.  Intrigue with communications from her long lost father continue to embroil Emmy further in the machinations of the evil Order.  When Lola is framed for a crime she didn't commit, Emmy knows she must do whatever it takes to find the truth.

Think modern day Nancy Drew meets Harry Potter (just the boarding school, not magic) and you have a feel for the tone of this juvenile series.  Its lots of fun with strong characters and a vivid sense of place.  I look forward to the next one.

The Institute by Stephen King

The Institute by Stephen King - 576 pages

This book is a throwback in a good way to early King novels such as Firestarter and It with its themes of children with powers fighting evil government agencies. 

Luke Ellis, an extremely smart kid, is sleeping when agents sneak into his Minneapolis house, murder his parents, and kidnap him for transport to The Institute.  He wakes up in a room that looks just like the bedroom he left but there is no window and the door opens onto an institutional hallway and a yard with other kids.  Luke soon discovers that the sinister forces behind The Institute are dead set on extracting psychic powers from the minds of gifted kids no matter the cost.  King's worlds are never black and white and it is fascinating to see what choices his characters will make in the grey. 

Hello Stranger by Lisa Kleypas

Hello Stranger by Lisa Kleypas - 391 pages
The Ravenels, bk 4

Dr. Garrett Gibson, the only female physician in England, and Ethan Ransom, a former Scotland Yard detective, have always had sparks between them.  Now those sparks are turning romantic just as Ethan is becoming embroiled in a national conspiracy.  Will they be able to protect each other while also finding their love for each other?

This is the fourth book in The Ravenels series of historical romances by Lisa Kleypas.  This book focuses on a bastard son who doesn't want any connection with the Ravenels.  I thought the first half of the book was pretty slow.  However, it picked up in the second half.  It was interesting to see a hopelessly romantic male lead for a change.  Not the strongest book in the series, but still interesting to read.

The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron

The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron  403 pages

Seventeen-year-old Nadia lives in Canaan, a quiet city in an idyllic world, hemmed in by high walls that are constructed of a material no one in her town recognizes. Every 12 years the people of Canaan undergo a collective Forgetting; in the days before, the town devolves into a chaos of bloody violence, and afterward the people are left without any trace of memory of themselves, their families, their lives.

Nadia has never forgotten, however. As the next Forgetting approaches, Nadia is determined to find out what causes it and whether there is any way to stop it. With the help of Gray, the glassblower's handsome son, she discovers that there is a devious plot afoot, one that keeps the people of Canaan permanently subdued. Will Nadia be able to solve the mystery before the people forget the truth? And before Gray forgets her?

The Shadowhand Covenant by Brian Farrey

The Shadowhand Covenant by Brian Farrey - 375 pages
The Vengekeep Prophecies - Book 2

Jaxter Grimmjinx is celebrating his grandmother's retirement when he and his parents are called by the Shadowhand Covenant to help save its members before they all disappear.  While his parents set out immediately to try to contact the last members, Jaxter and an old friend turned enemy are kidnapped by the Sarosans in an attempt to free their imprisoned people.  Now Jaxter and that old friend must put aside their differences to save themselves, their families, and the Sarosans.

This the second book in the trilogy.  I really enjoyed the story.  While there wasn't a lot of connections between the first two stories, I have a feeling that the final book is going to explain what few confusing connections there are.  I'm looking forward to the third book.

Debunked! Conspiracy Theories, Urban Legends, and Evil Plots of the 21st Century by Richard Roeper

Debunked!   Conspiracy Theories, Urban Legends and Evil Plots of the 21st Century by Richard Roeper, 244 pages

I always love these types of books!  These books contain such ridiculous theories, you can't help but laugh.  I especially liked the story of seeing the Virgin Mary in a grilled cheese sandwich. The lady who it belonged to got paid $28,000 for the sandwich and another $6000 for the frying pan that it was cooked in!  My absolute favorite story has to be the conspiracy theory behind JFK Jr.'s plane crash.  The theory is that George W. Bush was behind the crash, because JFK Jr. was planning on running for President against the younger Bush.  But the most ridiculous theory has to be that Flight 93 that crashed on 9/11 in Pennsylvania did not really crash and that all the passengers are living a secret life elsewhere!

The Annals of Unsolved Crime by Edward Jay Epstein

The Annals of Unsolved Crime by Edward Jay Epstein, 347 pages

First thing I had to look up after reading this book was the meaning of the word annals.  Annals means chronicles.  This was a fascinating book covering some of the most famous conspiracies and crimes.  The author outlines what we know and don't know about each case, then he presents theories.  He covers the Jon Benet Ramsey Case and the Amanda Knox Case. Both he presents with very interesting theories on how he thinks it happened.  Some of the bigger cases he writes about are the Oklahoma City bombing, and of course the big ones, the Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations.   If you like true crime and conspiracy theories, you will like this book.

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore - 563 pages
(Sequel to Graceling, Companion to Fire)

Ten years have passed since King Leck was killed making Bitterblue queen of a country traumatized by Leck's mind control, kidnappings, murder, and brutality.  She finds herself starting to question whether her country is really recovering as she's been told it has.  As she starts to sneak out of her castle at night and meet some of the citizens she realizes that there is a great conspiracy to cover up some of Leck's most brutal crimes.
This is the third book in the Graceling series and a great addition.  I loved reading about favorite characters from Graceling and finding out how the characters from Fire would fit into the story.  Another must read teen fantasy book.