The Gate Thief by Orson Scott Card

The Gate Thief by Orson Scott Card -- 380 pages

Here on Earth, Danny North is still in high school, yet he holds in his heart and mind all the stolen outselves of thirteen centuries of gatemages. The Families still want to kill him if they can't control him…and they can't control him. He is far too powerful.

And on Westil, Wad is now nearly powerless—he lost everything to Danny in their struggle. Even if he can survive the revenge of his enemies, he still must somehow make peace with the Gatemage Daniel North.

For when Danny took that power from Loki, he also took the responsibility for the Great Gates. And when he comes face-to-face with the mages who call themselves Bel and Ishtoreth, he will come to understand just why Loki closed the gates all those centuries ago.

This is book #2 of the Mither Mages series. This one just didn't work for me. I'm hoping the third and final book in the series picks things back up. 

The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas

The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas -- 414 pages

Iolanthe and Titus are back at school after the summer and both are anxious to begin again with their plans to kill the Bane. But Titus makes a shocking discovery and suddenly their plans are blown apart, as well as their friendship.

Iolanthe can hardly stand to be around Titus, not until he stops holding his mother's diary as the end-all to every argument.

But what if the diary is wrong? Could this recent turn of events be their downfall?

The Perilous Sea is book 2 in the Elemental Trilogy.

A Dark Inheritance by Chris D'Lacey

A Dark Inheritance by Chris D'Lacey, 384 pages

An excellent must read for those who enjoy his style of writing. Mystery, magic, twists and turns ... very exciting read.

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, 435 pages
(Book 1 of Farseer series)

Yawn. That sums up this book. I'll admit I was interested at first but then the story became so convoluted that I simply lost interest. Fitz (apparently another word for bastard) is given to the castle by his grandfather while his mother begs for her son to be returned to her. He is the son of the would-be-king, Prince Chivalry. Chivalry, instead of taking responsibility for his bastard son, abdicates from the throne and runs to the country with his wife. Fitz is left with Chivalry's stableman who raises him. King Shrewd, Fitz's paternal grandfather, has Fitz trained in the secret art of assassins to be used by him. It's really a very sad story with some action and a lot of unnecessary and tedious details. I'm not bothering with the rest of the series at all.

Charmed Destinies: Mercedes Lackey, Rachel Lee and Catherine Asaro

Charmed Destinies - 3 stories in 1,  384 pages

Counting Crows by Mercedes Lackey is a story about a young woman who is wedded to a border Lord to protect the king's claim on the land and to keep the young woman's father safe from a neighboring dark wizard. After being "Glove Fasted" to a husband she's never met, Gwynn heads to her new home escorted by rough soldiers accompanied only by her half-sibling Robin. She is determined to love her husband and be a good wife. When she meets him, however, she finds him to be a true terror and faces beating after beating at his hands. But, she is not without resource. Gwynn is also a sorceress and the way she deals with her abusive husband will leave you smiling.


Drusilla's Dream by Rachel Lee is a funny tale of two modern day office workers. Their desire for each other meets up in a fantasy world reality. As each begins to spin their own tale in their fantastical worlds, they are interrupted at key points by every day life like the janitor mopping the floor or the computer having an error. You'll find yourself chuckling at their creative imaginations that play out like dreams. In the end, will they finally confess their mutual attraction and live the fairytale?

Moonglow by Catherine Asara was by far my favorite tale in this book. Iris is a powerful young mage who thinks her power is quite limited. Jarid is a young prince who watched his parents die before his eyes before he lost his hearing, sight and voice, and was raised by one of the murderer's as a son. Each has hurts that they bury deep inside leaving them crippled to their true power. When Iris accidentally discovers that Prince Jarid is still alive, the kingdom works fast to set the new King on the throne. Because Iris is the strongest female mage in the land, she becomes Jarid's wife before he can see/hear/speak with her. Yet they can reach each other through their emotions and in that comes great healing. This a warm fuzzy story that will leave you sighing with contentment.

"Green Rider" by Kristen Britain

"Green Rider" by Kristen Britain, 450pgs

I didn't think I'd ever be able to finish this book. The end almost made the hard journey worth it. Karigan G'ladheon has been expelled from school and is on her way home to father when she is stopped by a man dying from two arrows that pierced his back. He is a green rider (an elite messenger service to the king) and entrusts her (a young teenage girl) with a message to deliver to the King. Karigan pledges to see his message delivered no matter what. Somehow she faces highwaymen, elite fighters called Weapons, a gray-cloaked/magic wielding man and various creatures/horrors along the way without losing her life. In fact, most of the time she's protected by ghosts, magic, people popping up in the woods, etc. While the plot line itself does have many flaws, it is still entertaining. I have had several patrons comment on what a fantastic read it was. It just wasn't a great read for me.

"Touch Of Power" by Maria V. Snyder

"Touch of Power" by Maria V. Snyder, 400 pages

Avry has been on the run for 3 years. She is hunted, not for being a murderer or villain, but for being a healer. Healers were blamed for the start and spread of an incurable disease that wiped out villages and families much like the black plague.  Healers quickly discovered the disease was incurable when they themselves succumbed to it when trying to heal others of it. To heal a person with the plague is to welcome death themselves. When Avry heals a young sick child, she does so knowing the price on her head. Rather than being thanked by the girl's parents she is captured and her death planned. Before she is taken to the hangman's noose, she is rescued by a forest mage. He seeks to have Avry heal the very man responsible for the death of healers. At the same time, she is also being hunted by two other warring nations who each have plans for the very last of the healers. Each person believes himself/herself to be just in why they wish to use Avry, but which will Avry choose to help?

"The Hob's Bargain" by Patricia Briggs

Excellent Read For All Ages!

The Hob's Bargain by Patricia Briggs - 288 pgs

In the days of bloodmages,serfs, lords and kings, 30 year old Aren is newly wedded and happily prepping for the day ahead when she has a disturbing vision. Not wanting to alert her new husband to the fact that she has "the sight" (as that would give you a death sentence), she pans it off as newlywed jitters and sends her husband to work with her father and brother in the fields. Later that day, as she prepares to take lunch to her husband, her home is attacked by raiders. Hiding in the cellar, she has another vision filled with the death of her family. At the same moment, magic that has been locked away for hundreds of years is released by a bloodmage bent on anger and revenge. The freed magic takes it's toll on the surrounding mountains, villages and fields - destroying much in it's fury. All the wildlings that once were held by the magic begin to awaken and return to the world of man. Aren's continued visions lead her on a quest to find Caefawn, the Hob of the mountain, and strike a bargain with him to save her village. Through it all, she must battle raiders, ghosts, and all manner of evil creatures that lurk in the shadows.