Extra Normal by Kate Alice Marshall

 

Extra Normal   by Kate Alice Marshall  232 pages

Charlie Greer is nothing special -- at least not compared to her adopted siblings. Her younger sister is a ghost. Her brother Mateo is a werewolf. Gideon is the product of seriously sketchy experiments that gave him telekinetic powers. Even her parents work for the Division of Extranormal Investigations tracking down all things supernatural, alien, and otherwise unusual. Charlie's mom says her superpower is maturity -- which doesn't really count. But what Charlie lacks in powers she makes up for by keeping the household running. Now, with her parents off on their first vacation in years, it's up to her to take care of her siblings and make sure nothing disrupts the trip. But then the new neighbors arrive. The Weavers are a nice, normal couple. Too nice and too normal. And for some reason, they don't seem to want Charlie to see inside their house. She's certain they're hiding something. Charlie has to uncover what's going on with the Weavers and stop their plans -- without letting Mom and Dad find out anything is wrong.

I read this because it was a Mark Twain nominee for grades 4-6.  It was not one I thought I would enjoy because I don't like reading about the supernatural but this turned out to be really interesting and a mystery.  I think the 4th-6th graders will love the subject.

Silver by Rhiannon Held

Silver by Rhiannon Held - 317 Pages

"Andrew Dare is a werewolf. He's the enforcer for the Roanoke pack, and responsible for capturing or killing any Were intruders in Roanoke's territory. But the lone Were he's tracking doesn't smell or act like anyone he's ever encountered. And when he catches her, it doesn't get any better. She's beautiful, she's crazy, and someone has tortured her by injecting silver into her veins. She says her name is Silver, and that she's lost her wild self and can't shift any more. The packs in North America have alive-and-let-live attitude, and try not to overlap with each other. But Silver represents a terrible threat to every Were on the continent. Andrew and Silver will join forces to track down this menace while discovering their own power and their passion for each other."

Island of Glass by Nora Roberts

Island of Glass by Nora Roberts - 352 pages
The Guardians Trilogy #3

The six guardians have found two of the fallen stars.  Now they've traveled back to Doyle's former home in Ireland to search for the last star.  Will they find the final star and the Island of Glass to save the world from Nerezza's evil?

This is the final book in Nora Robert's Guardians Trilogy.  It focuses mainly on Riley and Doyle and their growing romance as they complete their quest.  I have really enjoyed listening to this series on audio.  The narrator is excellent with the distinct voices of all the various characters.

Island of Glass by Nora Roberts

Island of Glass by Nora Roberts - 339 pages
The Guardians Trilogy #3

The six Guardians have found the first two fallen stars. Now they must find the final star -- The Star of Ice -- hidden somewhere in Ireland.  This is the most difficult for Doyle as it's his first time home to Ireland since his parents died 300 years ago.  He must break down emotional barriers he's kept erected for centuries to find this final star and defeat evil for all time.

This is the final book in the Guardians Trilogy.  It focuses on the final two Guardians -- immortal Doyle and werewolf Riley.  The book moves very quickly.  The ending is almost anti-climatic as it comes too quickly and easily.  Still, I enjoyed the reading the series and this was a good ending book.

Dead Ice by Laurell K. Hamilton

Dead Ice by Laurell K. Hamilton - 576 pages
Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Book #24

This is another foray into character dissection of Anita Blake.  There is no plot to speak of and not much happens over all.  These books have been therapy on a page for many years and I personally am ready to walk away from this series.  I really don't care about Anita's detailed sex life and interpersonal politicking any more.  Hamilton seems to be using this series for very thinly veiled social commentary at the expense of any kind of engaging plot. 

Bleach, v.62: Heart of Wolf by Tite Kubo

Bleach, v.62: Heart of Wolf by Tite Kubo - 189 pages

The fight continues in the Soul Society between the Soul Reapers and the Quincies.  Urahara has a plan for the captains to regain their bankai so it can not be stolen again -- but will it really save them?  Sajin learns the true secret of his clan to gain revenge against those who killed General Yamamoto.  And Ichigo is on his way back to the fight?
This was a good installment in the series.  The action progressed and background information on one of the more mysterious characters in the series was revealed.  Now I just have to wait for the next volume.

Undead and Underwater by Mary Janice Davidson

Undead and Underwater by Mary Janice Davidson - 352 pages

This is a collection of novellas featuring the world's of Queen Betsy and Fred the Mermaid from Davidson's popular series.  The writing is not the best in this collection and I mainly finished it because of lack of anything else to read in the house.  It's not the worst book ever but not one to seek out.  The title goes along with the titles in the Queen Betsy series so people pick this up expecting a whole book in that world so there is disappointment from the get go.  I haven't read the Fred the Mermaid series so I may have to check that out when I need some fluff to read.

Strange Angels - Lili St. Crow

Strange Angels - Lili St. Crow, 304 pages
Strange Angels Book 1

I really liked this author's Dante Valentine series for adults that she wrote as Lilith Saintcrow so I gave her teen series a chance.  It's pretty much Twilight meets Harry Potter so if you liked those, this will be an entertaining read.

Dru Anderson has been shuffled around the country with her father hunting the evils that lie beneath our world in the "real world."  Dru has always had a psychic touch that set her apart from the other kids but she finds out she has many more layers to her family's legacy to process.  Dru ends up at a schola (school) for kids from supernatural backgrounds and her personal tragedies make her stand out and be feared by the other kids a la Harry Potter.

The characters are strong even though Dru whines a lot about her fate before facing facts and going after those who have caused her so much pain.  Not surprisingly at all, she is torn between two guys - a werewolf and a vampire.  I like Saintcrow's adult series much better but I'd recommend this to Rowling and Meyer fans.

Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris

Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris - 352 pages

This book is the finale to the Sookie Stackhouse series and it seems like Harris may have checked out of caring about the series a couple of books ago.  This wasn't as bad as the last book but it was by no means stellar.  The characters were flat and the ending seemed to betray a whole lot of previous character development.  I stuck it out through loyalty to the franchise but have been severely disappointed in the last several books.

Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey

Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey - 329 pages
A Tale of the Five Kingdoms

Bella has plans for her life.  She hopes to eventually learn enough herbal medicine to set up a small shop somewhere.  This all changes the night she is attached and bit by a wolf on her way home from the local Granny's house.  The next morning is forcibly taken from her house and told she must stay at Duke Sebastian's manor by the king's guard.  It turns out Sebastian is a werewolf and Bella must be isolated and kept locked up until it is determined whether she too will become a werewolf. 
I really enjoyed this book.  I had not read Mercedes Lackey's Five Kingdoms series before although I love several of her other series.  This is a unique take on the fairy tale world with the premise that everyone's life is ruled by fairy tales.  Anything coming close to a fairy tale storyline and your life will be readjusted by "Tradition" to make your life into that fairy tale.  It was interested to see how the characters worked around the problem by selecting the stories they wanted.  I'm definitely going to pick up the rest of the books in the series.

Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey

"Beauty and the Werewolf" by Mercedes Lackey, 329 pages
(Tale of the Five Hundred Kingdoms Series)

    Bella Beauchamps is the daughter of a wealthy merchant who lives with her father, stepmother and two stepsisters. In a world where "The Tradition" makes everyone's lives follow fairytales, this sounds like the set up for a "Cinderella" story. However, Bella's mother is more loving than cruel and her two stepsisters are very affectionate with their sister. When Bella ventures into the woods to visit "Granny", the town's witch, she encounters a very strange wolf. After she is attacked and bit by the wolf, the king has Bella whisked away to a castle where she discovers she was actually bit by a werewolf. And not just any werewolf - a Sorcerer Duke. With the help of spirit elementals, a quirky witch and a fairy godmother, Bella will soon learn the truth about the werewolf and what will be required of her to help him. Will "The Tradition" push her together with the werewolf for a "Beauty and the Beast Tale" or will it push her with another for an entirely different story? Filled with funny moments, romance, adventure, mystery and suspense, you'll be hard-pressed to put this book down.