Faery Rebels #2

FAERY REBELS:
Rebel by R J Anderson

Hope Is A Newly Hatched Faery!

Fourteen years ago Knife left the Oak in search of the truth, she became a foster mother to a newly hatched faery and she was sent to live with Paul as human among humans. However, she continues as the Oak's defender and protector while its inhabitants continue to live without magic and their numbers continue to dwindle. For although Knife had found the truth she did not succeeded in returning magic to the Oak.

Queen Amaryllis was dying, after 350 years she had lived a full life and now the end was near. But before she passes she has some unfinished business, to name a successor and to appoint an occupation to the youngest faery of the Oak, Linden. But at only fourteen years Linden is yet too young to take up the task appointed her, and yet if nothing is done soon it will all be too late.

On a chance opportunity Linden risks all, leaving the safety of the Oak in search of other faeries and the possibility that they might find a way to restore their magic. But the world outside the Oak is vast and full of dangers, where friends offer only their backs enemies offer salvation, albeit at a price. And all hopes rest on the shoulders of the youngest of their kind, naive and ill-equipped for such a task, with only her strong will and pure spirit to guide her, and a little glamour too.

Rebel faeries are gathering as an old enemy emerges and Linden has walked right into the middle of trouble. But one determined little faery will have a great and powerful impact as strength and friendship are woven together in a tale where only faith will see the conclusion a happy one. A gorgeously imagined story that enchants and delights leaving you wanting more.

R J Anderson Webpage

(cover art) Brian Froud - World Of Froud

R J Anderson @ Hachette Children's

On sale: 01 March 2010
Price (AU): $16.99
ISBN: 9781408307373
Recommended age: 10+
In a word: Faeries
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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Soul Screamers #1

SOUL SCREAMERS:

My Soul To Take by Rachel Vincent

Time Is Running Out, And So Is Her Voice!

It was a Friday night and Kaylee and her best friend Emma have decided to go out, but as they are still under age they have snuck into the club through the back door. Emma is blond, curvy and beautiful while Kaylee is not, but she is long used to standing in the shadows. What Kaylee is not used to is attention, especially not from a very good looking and popular Nash who has never talked to her before in her life.

What started out as a fun night out soon turns into a nightmare as Kaylee's past comes back to haunt her. She had thought she was over it, that it would never happen again, but suddenly, in a club full of people Kaylee sees doom and panic strikes her. Unfortunately it just happens to occur when the gorgeous Nash is standing right beside her, and she knows after this he will never speak to her again.

But when the panic is over and Nash is still at her side Kaylee is wondering what it is Nash is really after. So much is about to change for Kaylee and as much as she thinks she might be crazy she will not allow others to believe it, not when it could lead her to enforced hospital stays with zombie pills for the crazy. She will not go through that again!

As the truth about Kaylee and her past is revealed so too is a whole new world, one that is far more heartbreaking and frightening then she could ever have imagined. With Nash by her side, although why and for how much longer, Kaylee must make some awful decisions and face horrific situations, and when the dust clears not every one will make it out alive.

It's My Soul To Take as long as no one screams. A swan song unveils a whole new and engrossing world of supernatural and faerie beings that is dark, soulful and utterly unique. Amidst the death and darkness love is blossoming and as this story unfolds so to does the character of Kaylee and her story as it embarks on a new and exciting series. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Rachel Vincent Webpage

Rachel Vincent @ Harlequin Teen

Soul Screamers

Netherworld Survival Guide

On sale: 01 February 2010
Price (AU): $19.99
ISBN: 9781741168648
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Soul
Re-read it: probably
Recommend: probably
Star rating: three out of five
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Old Magic

Old Magic by Marianne Curley

Finding The Magic Within!

Kate has no family history and no past, only her grandmother, her home and her forest where she has always lived. She has always been the odd one out, never fitting in, but despite being unpopular and very different she has long accepted the fact that she is unique and is confident in herself and secure in who she is.

Jarrod is new in town, having moved around a lot with no one place to call home. In spite of this Jarrod has a close and loving family that can trace its history all the way back to the Middle Ages. Although being the new kid Jarrod has managed to fit in, quickly becoming very popular, even with his insecurities and self doubts.

Jarrod easily sees how unusual Kate is, however Kate alone is able to see how unique Jarrod truly is. As much as Jarrod wants to like Kate he can't get over her weirdness, but for the sake of his love ones can he believe in Kate and the impossible? For Kate, the more she finds out about Jarrod the more she is frustrated with him; and the more she likes him. But will they be able to hold on to their new found friendship?

Old Magic is powerful enough to make the impossible possible and strong enough to last through all time. It is said that you can't truly move forward without learning from the mistakes of the past, and for Kate and Jarrod they get the chance to change the past to save the future. An enchanted quest that moves through time, putting into perspective the importance of peer pressure and fitting in when compared to the greater issues of family, friendship, and standing up for what is right.

Marianne Curley Webpage

Marianne Curley @ Allen & Unwin

On sale: 01 January 2010
Price (AU): $16.99
ISBN: 9781408804452
Recommended age: 13-16
In a word: Magic
Re-read it: possibly
Recommend: possibly
Star rating: three out of five
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ICE

ICE by Sarah Beth Durst

How Impossible True Love!

Once upon a time there was a wind, a polar bear, and a promise; and a promise made can not be broken. It all began with a story, a fairytale of a young girl stolen and raised by the north wind. A young maiden who was promised to a polar bear. A young woman who risked all for love breaking her fathers promise.

When Cassie was little her grandmother would tell her the story of the polar bear who had stolen a child for the wind, a girl who was latter lost beyond the ends of the world trapped there never to return. It was the only story her grandmother ever told her, and in her frozen world of youth Cassie whole heartedly believed that her mother was lost there still.

As the years went by and Cassie grew up she came to see that this story was nothing more then a fairytale, a fantasy created to save her from the truth that her mother was dead. Nothing and no one could change the fact that her mother was gone and never coming back. But having her mother back was the only thing Cassie ever wished for.

ICE is an impossible love story that never gives up, never gives in and is never afraid. All the obstacles thrown in the way only prove to strengthen a love that can conquer any impossibility, even dangerous elements and an endless land of ice. A magical fairytale adventure with a modern twist that shows the power of true love and the importance of family, acceptance and following your heart.

Sarah Beth Durst Webpage

Sarah Beth Durst @ Simon & Schuster

On sale: 01 January 2010
Price (AU): $17.99
ISBN: 9781847386571
Recommended age: 12+
In a word: Love
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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Baba Yaga Laid an Egg

Baba Yaga Laid an Egg by Dubravka Ugresic

The Old Witch!

Once you notice them, old women are everywhere...

And so too are the starlings to my mothers great dismay. The noise is bad enough, but the mess they make would drive my mother crazy. She could not stand anything unclean or untidy in her home. But cleanliness was not her only battle, she was losing her words and becoming mixed up from Alzheimer's.

At the Grand Hotel three old women are checking in, how long they stay is up to fate. The oldest is confined to a wheelchair, wearing a single large boot with both legs tucked inside. The next is an exceptionally tall woman who seems to always carry a breeze about her; she also carries a string of dead husbands behind her. The last is a short grey haired woman with big bosoms and an equally big heart.

But what has any of this to do with Baba Yaga, a witch who flies about in a mortar, all but blind with only her great sense of smell to lead her as she moves about the world for good deeds or ill, making mischief at her will. As a woman of great power, Baba Yaga has the ability to alter her size or her shape, often taking the form of a bird. And isn't it birds who lay eggs...

Baba Yaga Laid an Egg is an utterly unique story retelling the myth of Baba Yaga in a distinctive style that is free of traditional form. The story of Baba Yaga is a story of women; mothers, daughters and lovers.

Traditionally Baba Yaga is an old woman so it is no surprise that the leading characters here are themselves old woman. But it is not just ageing that is central to the issues in this book but also femininity and identity that is questioned. A story recommended only for those who are willing to put in the effort to get to know this old and startling witch known as Baba Yaga.

Dubravka Ugresic Webpage

Dubravka Ugresic @ Text Publishing

On sale: 03 August 2009
Price (AU): $23.95
ISBN: 9781847670663
Recommended age: 18+
In a word: Baba Yaga
Re-read it: possibly
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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The Heart of Faerie Oracle

The Heart of Faerie Oracle by Brian & Wendy Froud

Pick A Card, Any Card, And Enter The World Of Faerie!

When you enter the world of Faerie you enter another world, a world of magic and love that is opened to you through your imagination and is guided by the wisdom and beauty of faeries. Each faerie encountered along the way is a unique being fully thought-out with their own personalities and intriguing quirks. Each faerie encountered is there to guide you on your way.

But the world of Faerie is not at all times giggles and sunshine; there is a deep and complex side to Faerie that is not always easily navigated. However, through each individual faerie and their corresponding card you will find a meaning for each faerie that appears to you on your journey into their magical world.

Each card in the set offers an image that tells its own story as it draws you in, a story that is interpreted and added to by the reader. There are many familiar faces that have returned once again to share their knowledge, but there are also many new faces who have for the first time presented themselves in this charming set.

The Heart of Faerie Oracle showcases the masterful and stunningly beautiful artwork of Brian Froud in such a way as to involve the reader in the enchanting story as narrated by the faeries through Wendy Froud. This is officially the first work the couple have collaborated on together and an interview with Brian and Wendy Froud about this is included.

There is something about Brian Froud's art that is both inspiring and emotional, a raw beauty that looks deep inside and captures the very heart of a thing. That same essence is captured here in this set. Below is my first reading with these lovely cards using the three wishes reading, more about that and the faeries meanings can be found inside The Heart of Faerie Oracle.

The Heart of Faerie Oracle - three wishes reading

Brian & Wendy Froud - World Of Froud

Brian & Wendy Froud @ Thames & Hudson

Brian & Wendy Froud @ Abrams Books

(includes 68 Cards + 160p Hardcover book)
On sale: 1 April 2010
Price (AU): $39.95
ISBN: 9780810988231
Recommended age: 16+
In a word: Faeries
Re-read it: yes, many times
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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Impossible

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

'Was True Love When You Wanted To Slap Someone And Kiss Him Madly At The Very Same Time?'

Lucy Scarborough had always known her mother was crazy. Literally, she was insane. More accurately she was a homeless crazy bag lady as far as Lucy could see. But that was only on the occasions Lucy would see her, but where she went to when she disappeared no one knew.

When she was seven Lucy made a discovery, one that would change her life. But being seven and as yet unable to read fluently this discovery was put aside and all but forgotten but for a spell created and made on a childish whim. A spell that may just one day save her life.

When she was seventeen Lucy learned the truth, well the truth as her mother believed it to be. But would believing her mother really be the key to her salvation, or was it yet more ranting from a mind lost to insanity and would listening to it only lead to insanity for Lucy herself?

More importantly would Lucy, being only seventeen with her only experience with a boy being a horrible and traumatic one, be able recognise true love when she saw it? Especially if true love was her only saving grace from a ancient curse that had already taken all her family before her.

Taken from the balled 'Scarborough Fair', Impossible is more then just a tuneful song, it is a story of magic, heartbreak and love. But Impossible is only one way to describe the puzzling tasks Lucy must undertake to break an ancient curse that has plagued her family for generations. This is an emotional story with true love at its heart.

Nancy Werlin Webpage

Nancy Werlin @ Penguin

The Scarborough Girls Family Tree

On sale: 1 March 2010
Price (AU): $16.95
ISBN: 9780141330303
Recommended age: 12+
In a word: True Love
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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Quantum Enchantment - Book Three

QUANTUM ENCHANTMENT:
Strange Attractors by Kim Falconer

Times Have Changed, But It's Not The End Of The World!
Or Is It?

If you think time is simple, set moments in history moving ever forward towards the future, then you best think again. The future can affect the past just as easily as the past can create the future. Time is not fixed, events are not random, anything is possible and nothing is for certain. But everything depends of your perspective.

Rosette had died but she had also come back from death, her and her child. So when someone she loves most dearly, the most important person in all the worlds is lost and all but dead she refuses to give up hope in recovering them, even if it means her life. But she has another life to think about, that of her child.

The past and future are about to collide with the present as consequences of Everett's past decisions are only now just beginning to be felt; Rosette's stubborn determination may mark the beginning of a war that had long ago been fought; and the actions of one with good intentions may lead to the downfall of not only the Earth, but all the many worlds.

Evolving from the story of a young girl orphaned under tragic circumstances, this story has morphed into an ensemble cast of many characters, creatures and worlds all juggled masterfully together. Strange Attractors brings about the conclusion to Rosette's story by creating an utterly unique and thrillingly complex story of magic and science as you've never read before.

Gaela - map

Kim Falconer Webpage

Kim Falocner @ Harper Collins

On sale: 01 February 2010
Price (AU): $22.99
ISBN: 9780732287733
Recommended age: 18+
In a word: Changed
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: to those reading the series
Star rating: five out of five
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