Book Review

Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer - I've always liked Susan Pfeffer as an author, since I read "The Year Without Michael" during my first year as a YA Librarian. But I do think that Blood Wounds might be my favorite book by her. It follows the complex emotional journey of Willa, a girl whose birth father, whom she has not seen since she and her mother ran away when she was four, commits an act of terrific evil. Willa is forced to confront the ramifications of being a killer's daughter, of living with two stepsisters who have "everything" that she lacks, of having a mother who has kept secret, closed off, the whole history of her life before running away. Willa is a strong heroine, with her own secrets. She manages to endure, to struggle, to speak out, but her journey is a tough one. You'll want to take it with her... I'd recommend this to anyone who loves realistic, emotional stories about strong young women without an ounce of romance, supernatural elements or other window dressing. Five stars!

Pikapals Club update

Anyone who wants to come to Central Library and pick up their baked polymer clay critters is now welcome to do so. Remember, I'll have them up here all month, and I will also bring any as-yet unclaimed critters to the program in January. We'll be watching one of the Anime movies I mentioned last month (at least the first hour or so). Please come and join us! Snacks and water as usual...

Book Reviews

I thought I'd tell you about two books I read recently, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. First is The Princess Curse, by Merrie Haskell, and second was Witchlanders by Lena Coakley.

The Princess Curse is a retelling of the fairytale "Twelve Dancing Princesses" with a lot of mythology (Persephone among others) and medieval history. But it doesn't feel heavy! It's a very sprightly, enjoyable tale that follows Reveka, a girl who is determined to make her own future by breaking the "silly curse" that affects the twelve princesses of the kingdom. But as Reveka comes to understand the ramifications of the curse, she realizes it is far more serious than she ever imagined. With the aid of a kindly maid, her father's apprentice, and others, Reveka embarks on a quest to save both her kingdom, and the underworld realm she discovers. This was the third retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses story I've read recently, and I liked it the best. Reveka was a believable heroine who had strong motives and a realistic ability to succeed in her mission. I look forward to the potential sequel. This story is one I would recommend especially to younger teens, who enjoy historical fiction or fantasy.

Witchlanders is a slightly longer story, more intense and darker in tone. Ryder's mother is a witch, and since his father's death, her strange behavior has disturbed and worried him. Now she is determined to summon the members of her old coven, because she has had a vision she cannot interpret. But Ryder soon discovers that nearly everything he has been taught about his country, his mother's history, and witchcraft, is wrong. And when he meets a mysterious stranger from the hated nation of Baen, his whole view of the world may have to change... if he is going to be able to save the lives of his sisters, his village, and perhaps his entire people! I would recommend Witchlanders (and the possible sequels) to anyone, teens or adults, who likes fantasy with believable characters, good worldbuilding, and ambivalent villains.

New Books (almost all graphic novels)

Graphic Novels:
Fullmetal Alchemist vol. 26 -- With all the pieces now in his possession, the homunculus 'father' executes his master plan as Edward and the others watch in horror. When the dust settles, the entire world has been reshaped. With the help of Hohenheim, the Elric brothers lauch a desperate final attack, but is it all too late...?
Bakuman vols 1-3 Average student Moritaka Mashiro enjoys drawing for fun. When his classmate and aspiring writer Akito Takagi discovers his talent, he begs Moritaka to team up with him as a manga-creating duo. But, what exactly does it take to make it in the manga-publishing world? Moritaka is hesitant to seriously consider Akito's proposal because he knows how difficult reaching the professional level can be.
Nabari No Ou vols 1-2 -- Apathetic schoolboy Miharu Rokujou is content to meander through life in the sleepy village of Banten. But, his quiet existence is shattered when the Grey Wolves of Iga, a powerful ninja clan, attempt to kidnap him in broad daylight. Only then does Miharu discover that the ultimate power of the hidden ninja realm -- a power that can do both great good and great harm -- is sealed within his body.
Blood Blockade Battlefront vol. 1 -- A breach between Earth and the netherworlds has opened up over the city of New York, trapping New Yorkers and creatures from other dimensions in an impenetrable bubble. They've lived together for years, in a world of crazy crime sci-fi sensibilities. Now, someone is threatening to sever the bubble, and a group of stylish superhumans is working to keep it from happening.
Eye of the World vol. 1 by Robert Jordan -- Three young friends from a village so far on the fringes that its residents no longer know they're part of the queen's kingdom set out on an adventure that will change their lives and place them in the middle of events they can neither control nor escape.
Naruto vol. 52 -- Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto finally meet, as the former classmates' complicated past gives way to a violent and unsure future. Naruto realizes he must eventually battle Sasuke one-on-one... to the death! But with Sasuke and his dark allies bent on complete destruction, and political intrigue in the villages, will the powerful Allied Shinobi Forces allow the two "friends" to meet in battle?!
Blue Exorcist vols 1-3 -- Fight hellfire with hellfire! Raised by Father Fujimoto, a famous exorcist, Rin Okumura never knew his real father. One day, a fateful argument with Father Fujimoto forces Rin to face a terrible truth -- the blood of the demon lord Satan runs in Rin's veins!
Hero Tales vol. 5 -- The time is drawing near when Taitou must face the self-proclaimed ruler of the Ken Empire, Keirou -- and the avatars of the opposing stars Hagun and Tonrou will decide the fate of the world! Taitou makes his way to the capital with only a handful of friends and Divine Warriors.
Eyeshield 21 vols 11-15 -- The Devil Bats are up against the NASA Aliens, who just happen to have a huge front line and a quarterback who throws like a rocket launcher. Will Sena's speed be enough to give them an edge?
Romeo x Juliet -- Neo-Verona was once peacefully ruled by the Capulet family, but the rival house of Montague led a coup against the Capulets, wiping them out. Fourteen years later, Lord Montague rules Neo-Verona with an iron fist. But there is hope for the suffering citizens: Juliet Capulet survived the massacre and now turns her sword against the wealthly Montagues in an effort to aid the poor.
Fairy Tail vols 15-16 -- Laxus' protectors have all been defeated, but he still remains one of the most powerful wizards in Fairy Tail, and his Thunder Palace is threatening to rain down death and destruction on the innocent people of Magnolia! Can the two dragon slayers, Natsu and Gajeel, manage to keep from fighting each other enough to stop him?
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan vols 1-2 -- While the day belongs to humans, the night belongs to yokai, supernatural creatures that thrive on human fear. Caught between these worlds is Rikuo Nura. He's three-quarters human, but his grandfather is none other than Nurarihyon, the supreme commander of the Nura clan, a powerful yokai consortium. So, Rikuo is an ordinary teenager three quarters of the time, until his yokai blood awakens. Then, Rikuo transforms into the future leader of the Nura clan, leading a hundred demons.
Uncanny X-Men. Breaking Point -- Magneto is an X-Man. This may not be news to you, but only a handful in the Marvel Universe know that the poster boy for Fearing Mutants is now living just off the coast of one of the United State's largest cities. How on Earth are the X-Men going to explain the presence of one of the world's most infamous super villains?
X-Men. Legacy. Collision -- Following the events of Second Coming, young X-Man Indra is called back to India at the request of his family. Accompanied by Rogue and Magneto, the X-Men arrive to discover that not all is right in Mumbai -- and not just due to tensions with Indra's parents. Earthquakes tear through the streets, and energy flares cause planes to fall from the sky. Could this be a new mutant manifestation? Or is this something far more sinister?
Spider-Man. The Next Chapter -- Peter Parker thought he'd given up a life as Spider-Man, but he keeps getting pulled back in! With threats like the Kingpin, Bullseye, Dr. Octopus, Shadrac, the Scorpion, the Frightful Four, Marrow and Tokkots coming at him from every angle, it's a good thing Spider-Man has friends like the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Madame Web, Thor and Man-Thing at his side!
Showcase Presents The  Trial of the Flash -- Following the murder of The Flash's wife, Iris, by his greatest foe, The Reverse-Flash, the two costumed characters are locked in a round-the-world race and battle -- one that ended in the death of the evildoer. This is only the beginning of a startling chain of events for The Fastest Man Alive, as he is arrested on a charge of murder.
Justice League of America. Vol. 7, Team History -- A new era begins for the JLA as a one-time member falls before he can warn the team of looming peril -- while what's left of the JLA journeys to the heart of their past to decide if the team has any future at all. Also, the Blackest Night darkens the skies over the Justice League. Can the team get it together in time to survive the return of the undead Dr. Light? And then, the team regroups with a new roster that will transcend time and space!

Fiction:
You Are My Only by Beth Kephart -- Tells, in their separate voices and at a space of fourteen years, of Emmy, whose baby has been stolen, and Sophie, a teenager who defies her nomadic, controlling mother by making friends with a neighbor boy and his elderly aunts.

New Books

Nocturne: A Claire de Lune Novel by Christine Johnson -- After the tragic events of the summer, Claire wants to worry about nothing but finding the perfect dress for the Autumn Ball, but her worst nightmares come true when someone learns that she is a werewolf, placing everyone she knows at risk.
Pearl by Johanna Knowles -- After fifteen-year-old Bean's beloved grandfather Gus dies, she discovers uncomfortable secrets about him, her mother, and the father she has never known.
The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell -- Thirteen-year-old Reveka, an herbalist's apprentice in the Middle Ages, attempts to break the mysterious curse on the princesses of Sylvania and instead discovers a door to the Underworld. Based on The Twelve Dancing Princesses.
The Final Hour: the Final Homelander Novel by Andrew Klavan -- Time is short, but eighteen-year-old Charlie West has one last chance to stop the Homelanders from attacking when he finally gets back enough of his memory to realize when the terrorists are going to strike next.
The Boy at the End of the World by Greg van Eekhout -- Born half-grown in a world that is being destroyed, Fisher has instinctive knowledge of many things, including that he must avoid the robot that knows his name.
King of Ithaka by Tracey Barrett -- When sixteen-year-old Telemachos and his two best friends, one a centaur, leave their life of privilege to undertake a quest to find Telemachos' father Odysseus, they learn much along the way about what it means to be a man and a king.
Following Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci -- Legally-blind college reporter Mike Mavic hopes to get a story about a body found in Steepleton, believed to be that of long-missing teen Christopher Creed, but finds something odd about the town, including Justin Creed's obsessive drive to learn what really happened to his older brother.
Playground by 50 Cent -- After beating up Maurice on the playground, Butterball is forced to see the school therapist.
Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey -- After a terrifying vision, Braden retreats to an old city divided by two feuding witch dynasties, where he learns that the head of one dynasty is his father and the guy for whom he is falling is the son of the head of the other dynasty.
Sharp Time by Mary O'Connell -- In the week following her mother's death in a freak accident, eighteen-year-old Sandanista Jones finds small measures of happiness even as she fantasizes about an act of revenge against an abusive teacher at her high school.
13 Gifts by Wendy Mass -- Shortly before her thirteenth birthday, shy and withdrawn Tara is sent to stay with her aunt, uncle, and cousin in her parents' hometown of Willow Falls, where she makes friends and becomes involved with an elderly buyer and seller of collectibles, who seems to be trying to give Tara some kind of mysterious message.
The Project by Brian Falkner -- After discovering a terrible secret hidden in the most boring book in the world, Iowa fifteen-year-olds Luke and Tommy find out that members of a secret Nazi organization intend to use this information to rewrite history.
Sparks : the Epic, Completely True Blue (almost) holy quest of Debbie... by S.J. Adams -- A sixteen-year-old lesbian tries to get over a crush on her religious best friend by embarking on a "holy quest" with a couple of misfits who have invented a wacky, made-up faith called the Church of Blue.
Warrior by Bryan Davis -- Dragons of Starlight #2 -- The quest to rescue the slaves on the dragon planet of Starlight continues, as those from the human planet, Major Four, attempt to overcome the dragon prophecy surrounding the black egg, while those on Starlight work to fullfill the prophecy.
This Girl is Different by J.J. Johnson -- Having always been home schooled by her counter-culture mother, Evie has decided to spend her senior year at the local public high school, an experience that challenges her preconceptions about friendship, boundaries, and power.
Secrets of Tamarind by Nadia Aguiar -- Four years after leaving the lost island of Tamarind, Maya, Simon, and Penny Nelson return to stop the Red Coral Project, a sinister group mining the magical mineral ophalla there and, in the process, ruining the magnificent island.
Sign Language: a Novel by Amy Ackely -- Twelve-year-old Abby must deal with her feelings about her father's cancer and its aftermath while simultaneously navigating the difficult problems of growing up.
Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready -- Logan returns as a ghost, complicating sixteen-year-old Aura's budding relationship with Zachary, especially when they discover that Logan might be able to become solid again.
Witchlanders by Lena Coakley -- Logan returns as a ghost, complicating sixteen-year-old Aura's budding relationship with Zachary, especially when they discover that Logan might be able to become solid again.
A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young -- A compelling Need that Charlotte has felt all her life is growing stronger, forcing her to connect with people in crisis, but at the same time other changes are taking place and, she is terrified by what a doctor and family friend says must happen next.
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos -- In the historic town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Jack Gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, Girl Scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history, typewriting, and countless bloody noses.
Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton -- The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. They survive by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey.
Kiss of Death by Lauren Henderson -- While on a school trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, sixteen-year-old Scarlett is reunited with Callum McAndrew, as well as her former St. Tabby's cohorts, providing plenty of suspects when she is targeted in a series of attacks.
Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer -- Willa seems to have a perfect life as a member of a loving blended family until the estranged father she barely remembers murders his wife and children, then heads toward Willa and her mother.
Green Hornet Casefiles -- Moonstone presents The Green Hornet Casefiles, the second anthology featuring all-new, original crime fiction tales of the man who hunts the biggest of all game - public enemies that even the FBI can't reach!
12 Things To Do Before You Crash and Burn by James Proimos -- Sixteen-year-old James "Hercules" Martino completes twelve tasks while spending two weeks in Baltimore with his Uncle Anthony, and gains insights into himself, his uncle, and his recently deceased father, a self-help author and daytime talk show host who was beloved by the public but a terrible father.
Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King -- Overburdened by his parents' bickering and a bully's attacks, fifteen-year-old Lucky Linderman begins dreaming of being with his grandfather, who went missing during the Vietnam War, but during a visit to Arizona, his aunt and uncle and their beautiful neighbor, Ginny, help him find a new perspective.
How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr -- Told from their own viewpoints, seventeen-year-old Jill, in grief over the loss of her father, and Mandy, nearly nineteen, are thrown together when Jill's mother agrees to adopt Mandy's unborn child, but nothing turns out as they had anticipated.
Desert Angel by Charlie Price -- In the California desert, fourteen-year-old Angel is on the run from the man who abused her, killed her mother, and intends to kill her too.
Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck -- Tiger Saga #3 - After battling the villanous Lokesh, Kelsey and the Indian princes Ren and Kishan return to India, where Kelsey learns that Ren has amnesia, and five cunning dragons try to keep the trio from breaking the curse that binds them.
A Monster Calls: a Novel by Patrick Ness -- Thirteen-year-old Conor awakens one night to find a monster outside his bedroom window, but not the one from the recurring nightmare that began when his mother became ill--an ancient, wild creature that wants him to face truth and loss.
Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Shecter -- Cleopatra Selene, the only surviving daughter of Cleopatra and Marc Antony, recalls her life of pomp and splendor in Egypt and, after her parents' deaths, capitivity and treachery in Rome.
Crossed by Allie Condie -- sequel to Matched - Seventeen-year-old Cassia sacrifices everything and heads to the Outer Provinces in search of Ky, where she is confronted with shocking revelations about Society and the promise of rebellion.
Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan -- Forest of Hands and Teeth #3 - Alone and listening to the moaning of the Dark City dying around her, Annah wants to find her way back home, to her sister and family and their village in the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

New Books

Nonfiction:
Dear Bully: seventy authors tell their stories, edited by Carrie Jones and Megan Hall -- Presents top authors for teens as they share their stories about bullying -- as silent observers on the sidelines of high school, as victims, and as perpetrators.
Trapped: how the world rescued 33 miners from 2,000 feet below the Chilean desert by Marc Aronson 

Fiction:
Wildwood by Colin Meloy -- When her baby brother is kidnapped by crows, seventh-grader Prue McKeel ventures into the forbidden Impassable Wilderness -- a dangerous and magical forest at the edge of Portland, Oregon -- and soon finds herself involved in a war among the various inhabitants.
Thirst Vol. 4. The Shadow of Death by Christopher Pike -- Five-thousand-year-old vampire Alisa Perne battles a new race of immortals: the Telar. The Telar are a challenging threat. But, Alisa is hungry for blood -- and thirsty for revenge.
Thirst vol. 1. The Last Vampire, Black Blood, and Red Dice -- Alisa must get close to Ray to ensure her immortality and she falls in love.
Paradise by Jill S. Alexander -- Alisa must get close to Ray to ensure her immortality and she falls in love.
Steampunk! edited by Kelly Link and Gavin Grant --A collection of fourteen fantasy stories by well-known authors, set in the age of steam engines and featuring automatons, clockworks, calculating machines, and other marvels that never existed.
Life: an Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet -- In 1960's Norfolk, England, seventeen-year-old Clem Ackroyd lives with his mother and grandmother in a tiny cottage, but his life is transformed when he falls in love with the daughter of a wealthy farmer in this tale that flashes back through the stories of three generations.
Blood: Book One of the Mercian Trilogy by K. J. Wignall -- A centuries-old vampire wakes up in the modern day to find he is being hunted by an unknown enemy, and begins to uncover the secrets of his origin and the path of his destiny.
Death Cure: Maze Runner #3 by James Dashner -- As the third Trial draws to a close, Thomas and some of his cohorts manage to escape from WICKED, their memories having been restored, only to face new dangers as WICKED claims to be trying to protect the human race from the deadly FLARE virus.
Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia -- Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand and control the impact of Lena's claiming, which is even causing her family members' abilities to dangerously misfire.
The Watch that Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic by Allan Wolf -- Recreates the 1912 sinking of the Titanic as observed by millionaire John Jacob Astor, a beautiful young Lebanese refugee finding first love, "Unsinkable" Molly Brown, Captain Smith, and others including the iceberg itself.
Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson -- Almost seventeen-year-old Alison, who has synesthesia, finds herself in a psychiatric facility accused of killing a classmate whose body cannot be found.
Unforgettable by Loretta Ellsworth -- When Baxter Green was three years old, he developed a condition that causes him to remember absolutely everything, and now that he is fifteen, he and his mother have moved to Minnesota to escape her criminal boyfriend and, Baxter hopes, to reconnect with a girl he has been thinking about since kindergarten.
Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa -- Faery prince Ash -- the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court -- finally gets to tell his story: how he escaped the Winter Court with his life intact and the promise he made to the Iron Queen.
Outcasts by John Flanagan -- Skandian outcasts Hal, Stig, and others do battle at sea against the Wolves and the Sharks, in the ultimate race across icy waters where not everyone thinks of the competition as play.
Pearl Wars by Nick James -- Skyship Academy #1 -- In 2095 when a fifteen-year-old slacker discovers that he has the power to control Pearls, fragments of space debris that are a dying Earth's most important energy source, government forces work to capture him.
The Craving by L.J. Smith (vampire diaries) -- Stefan flees to Manhattan hoping to escape his brother Damon, but when his brother finds him, they both become involved with a high society family, while an old enemy, Klaus, continues to hunt them down.
Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan -- Sixteen-year-old Rosalinda Fitzroy, heir to the multiplanetary corporation UniCorp, is awakened after sixty years in stasis to find that everyone she knew has died and, as she tries to make a new life for herself, learns she is the target of a robot assassin.
Near Witch by Victoria Schwab -- Sixteen-year-old Lexi, who lives on an enchanted moor at the edge of the village of Near, must solve the mystery when, the day after a mysterious boy appears in town, children start disappearing.
Ashfall by Mike Mullin -- After the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano destroys his city and its surroundings, fifteen-year-old Alex must journey from Cedar Falls, Iowa, to Illinois to find his parents and sister, trying to survive in a transformed landscape and a new society in which all the old rules of living have vanished.
The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff -- Daphne is the half-demon, half-fallen angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Life for her is an endless expanse of time, until her brother Obie is kidnapped -- and Daphne realizes she may be partially responsible. Determined to find him, Daphne travels from her home in Pandemonium to the vast streets of Earth, where everything is colder and more terrifying.
Liar's Moon by Elizabeth Bunce -- Sequel to Starcrossed -- In a quest to prove her friend, Lord Durrel Decath, innocent of the murder of his wife, pickpocket Digger stumbles into a conspiracy with far-reaching consequences for the civil war raging in Lllyvraneth, while also finding herself falling in love.
Break-up Diaries vol. 2 by Nikki Carter -- The holidays are coming, and this year there's more in the air than gifts and bling 'cause these relationships are hitting bumps. So get ready for two stories that dish on what it means to forgive, forget, and move on...
iBoy by Kevin Brooks -- Sixteen-year-old Tom Harvey was an ordinary Londoner until an attack that caused fragments of an iPhone to be embedded in his brain, giving him incredible knowledge and power, but using that power against the gang that attacked him and a friend could have deadly consequences.
Snow in Summer by Jane Yolen -- Recasts the tale of Snow White, setting it in West Virginia in the 1940s with a stepmother who is a snake-handler.

New Books

Graphic Novels:
Shonen Jump for December - I am sad to report that Shonen Jump will soon be switching to an online format, and we will no longer be able to get it in print every month.

Fiction:
Powerslide by Jeff Ross -- Complications arise when Casey gets hired as a skateboarding double and a competitor challenges him to a series of dangerous tricks.
Torn From Troy by Patrick Bowman -- Orphaned by the war and enslaved by Odysseus himself, Alexi has a very different view of the conquering heroes of legend. Despite a simmering anger towards his captors, Alexi gradually develops a grudging respect for them. As the Greeks fight off the angry Cicones, weather a storm that pushes them far beyond charted waters, and nearly succumb to the blandishments of the bewitching Lotus-eaters, he realizes that they are not the demons they were said to be, but people like himself.
Never Have I Ever: A Lying Game Novel by Sara Shepard -- Seventeen-year-old Sutton Mercer watches from the afterlife as her long-lost twin sister, Emma Paxton, continues to pretend to be her in order to identify Sutton's killer.
Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock -- Princess Wisdom, who yearns for a life of adventure beyond the kingdom of Montagne, Tips, a soldier keeping his true life secret from his family, Fortitude, an orphaned maid who longs for Tips, and Magic the cat form an uneasy alliance as they try to save the kingdom from certain destruction. Told through diaries, memoirs, encyclopedia entries, letters, biographies, and a stage play.
Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson -- Rory, of Boueuxlieu, Louisiana, is spending a year at a London boarding school when she witnesses a murder by a Jack the Ripper copycat and becomes involved with the very unusual investigation.
Perfect by Ellen Hopkins -- Four teens will stop at nothing to achieve perfection. Cara has to fulfill her parent's high expectations, even if it means sacrificing love. Kendra is willing to do anything to have the perfect body, even drugs and surgery. Sean is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice on and off the ball field. To achieve the perfect performance and live his dream, Andre will have to forsake his ancestry.
Fallen 2, End of Days by Tom Sniegoski -- Half-angel and half-human, Aaron commands the Fallen in their quest to protect humanity, drawing confidence from the girl he loves as he struggles to make peace with his legacy as Lucifer's son.
Ambitious by Monica McKayhan -- When Marisol Garcia, a new student at a competitive performing arts high school, is chosen to take part in a dance contest, she becomes obsessed with winning and risks losing her friends, her good grades, and her place at the school.
Possessed by Kate Cann -- Sixteen-year-old Rayne escapes London, her mother, and boyfriend for a job in the country at Morton's Keep, where she is drawn to a mysterious clique and its leader, St. John, but puzzles over whether the growing evil she senses is from the manor house or her new friends.
Crookedstar's Promise by Erin Hunter -- As a young warrior, Crookedjaw pledges his undying loyalty to RiverClan in exchange for the promise of power, not realizing that his pledge will haunt him when he becomes the leader of his Clan.
Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson -- A fearful sixteen-year-old princess discovers her heroic destiny after being married off to the king of a neighboring country in turmoil and pursued by enemies seething with dark magic.
All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin -- In a future where chocolate and caffeine are contraband, teenage cellphone use is illegal, and water and paper are carefully rationed, sixteen-year-old Anya Balanchine finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight as heir apparent to an important New York City crime family.
Sweet Venom by Tera Lee Childs -- As monsters walk the streets of San Francisco, unseen by humans, three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned in Greek mythology, must reunite and embrace their fates.
Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey -- When Dr. Warthrop goes hunting for the "Holy Grail of Monstrumology" in 1888, twelve-year-old orphan Will Henry follows him to Socotra, plunging into depths of horror worse than anything he has experienced so far.
Sammy Keyes and the Night Skulls by Wendelin Van Draanen -- Junior high detective Sammy Keyes and her friends take a detour through a graveyard on Halloween night and find themselves in the middle of a mystery involving missing people, human skulls, and a ghoulish embalmer, while school presents its own set of tricks and treats.
Destined by P.C. Cast -- Zoey is finally home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side, and preparing to face off against Neferet - which would be a whole lot easier if the High Counsel saw the ex-High Priestess for what she really is. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx's gift of a human form, Rephaim and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together - if he can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father's shadow... and lots more
Goliath by Scott Westerfeld -- Alek and Deryn encounter obstacles on the last leg of their round-the-world quest to end World War I, reclaim Alek's throne as prince of Austria, and finally fall in love...
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor -- Seventeen-year-old Karou, a lovely, enigmatic art student in a Prague boarding school, carries a sketchbook of hideous, frightening monsters -- the chimaerae who form the only family she has ever known.
Where There's a Wolf, There's a Way by Lisi Harrison -- Always overshadowed by her six brothers and her fab friends, Clawdeen Wolf plans to finally strut her stuff in the spotlight at her upcoming Sweet Sixteen bash. But after The Ghoul Next Door goes viral, it's into the woods for the family Wolf. Clawdeen goes stir crazy lying low at her family's B&B with her annoying brothers until Lala shows up to keep her company. But, is the vamp flirting with Claude?
Gossip Girl, Psycho Killer by Cecily von Ziegesar -- An uproarious horror-spin adaptation of the first Gossip Girl tale finds Serena returning from boarding school determined to make amends to Blair Waldorf by eliminating Nate Archibald, a plot that Blair counters with her own plans to get rid of everyone who ever irritated her.
Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater -- Nineteen-year-old returning champion Sean Kendrick competes against Puck Connolly, the first girl ever to ride in the annual Scorpio Races, both trying to keep hold of their dangerous water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.
Web of Air by Philip Reeve -- In Mayda, a post-apocalyptic city off the coast of Portugal, a brilliant young engineer and a mysterious recluse race to build a flying machine, unaware that powerful enemies will kill to possess -- or destroy -- their new technology.
Mastiff by Tamora Pierce -- Beka, having just lost her fiance in a slaver's raid, is able to distract herself by going with her team on an important hunt at the queen's request, unaware that the throne of Tortall depends on their success.
Lost Songs by Caroline Cooney -- In small-town Carolina, sixteen-year-old Lutie Painter treasures the "Laundry List" of songs written by her ancestor and does not want to share them, but ultimately they help her learn more about her absent mother and connect with fellow students Kelvin, Doria, and especially Train, a former friend.
Fire King by Paul Crilley -- To stop the warring fairy courts from destroying their world, Emily, Jack, William, and piskie Corrigan, aided by Christopher Wren, must try to prevent the 1666 Great Fire of London from burning the city to the ground.