Mortal Heart

Title: Mortal Heart (His Fair Assasins #3)
Author: Robin LaFevers
Publication Date: Nov. 2014
Age Level: 9th grade and up
Genres: Fantasy, historical fiction
Review: I have been a fan of this series since book one, Grave Mercy.  Each book in the series has told the story of a daughter of Mortain, the god of death. The series is based around the country of Brittany, which is trying to save itself from political strife. In the midst of all this is three strong females who each have a different story to tell. Annith is the last of these stories. She spent the first two stories at the convent of St. Mortain, taking care of younger girls, much to her dismay. She wanted to be out in the field doing Mortain's work. She learns that the head sister has plans for her to remain at the convent permanently which Annith is against. Annith begins a journey to discover herself and where she came from and unravels other mysteries along the way. Of course it has a love interest but I won't give too much away. What I love about this series is the women themselves. Each character has such great strength and personality it's easy to become attach to each of their stories. This has the feel of Kristin Cashore's stories. I would give this to any teen who likes historical fiction blended with fantasy. The book doesn't have swearing but does contain some violence, sex, and of course it deals with the idea of old gods. I know that some of the more conservative of my patrons at my library would take offense to some of the content. Otherwise its a wonderful end to a series that features strong female leads, political intrigue, a bit of a magical/fantasy element, and some romance.
Read Alikes: Kristin Cashore's Fire, Graceling

Marked

Title: Marked
Author: by P.C and Kristin Cast
Published: May 2007
ISBN: 9780312360269
Price: 8.95 (paperback)
Other books in the series: Betrayed, Chosen, Untamed, Hunted, Tempted, Burned, Awakened, Destined, Hidden
Genre: fiction, fantasy
Reading Level: 6th grade
Interest Level: 9th-12th grade
Summary: Zoey Redbird has been marked, signifying that she has been chosen to be a vampyre. She is sent to the House of Night, a school for fledglings; those on their way to becoming adult vampyres. Zoey quickly learns that things at a vampyre school are different. First she must now live away from her family and her friends which is a struggle for Zoey. Zoey also stands out at her new school because she did not receive the normal outline of a crescent moon when she was marked. Instead Zoey has a filled in crescent moon which signifies that Zoey is more powerful. Zoey has also been chosen by the goddess Nyx to be her eyes and ears. This puts Zoey at odds with the jealous Dark Daughters, an elite group at The House of Night. Thankful for Zoey she manges to make a few friends at school. Zoey hopes that she can not only live up to the expectations of Nyx but to navigate the drama that goes with high school.
Review: In a very saturated vampire story market it's hard to make a story that stands out. This story adds in a unique twist of having humans and vampires co-existing. There is also the combination of magic and Native American folklore in the story that gives it a bit of a unique edge. While the story does present vampires with a bit of a twist the rest of the book feels very much like a guilty pleasure high school drama read. There is a lot of pop culture references and slang talk that can sometimes be a bit annoying. The story is a quick and easy read that while appeal to teen vampire fans.
Reader's Annotation: Zoey has been marked and is on her way to becoming a vampyre. But now Zoey must balance high school drama and becoming a vampyre.
Main themes: friendship, identity, vampires, high school, romance
Bibliotheraputic Usefulness: Zoey stands out because of she unusually powerful for a fledgling, so this brings about some jealousy. Zoey has to rely on her friends when she becomes the victim of nasty bullying by the Dark Daughters. Teens girls will connect with Zoey's struggle to fit and and find friends at her new school.
Issues: The book deals with vampires, the occult, magic, spells and goddesses. The book also has some  descriptive sexual situations. There is one seen in which Zoey says she thought another girl was giving a male student a blow job. This type of language and sexualization of teens might upset some.
Book Talk Ideas: This book is like a high school drama with vampires. By using those themes and ideas in the book talk it will bring in the reader that will really get into this series.
Author Website: http://www.pccast.net/
Read Alikes: Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz
Professional Reviews: Publisher's Weekly
Why chose this book? The series is very popular with teens and has had its fair share of controversy. The book has been banned from many schools and libraries because of it's content. While the series is not one of my favorites I thought it was important to venture outside of my comfort zone.

Boy Meets Boy

Title: Boy Meets Boy 
Author: David Levithan
Published: Sept., 2003
ISBN: 9780375832994
Pages: 185
Price: $8.95
Reading Level: 7th grade
Reading Interest: 8th grade and up
Genre: Romance, Fiction, LGBTQ
Awards: Lambda Literary Foundation Award (2003), ALA's Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults (2004)
Plot Summary: Paul is a gay high school sophomore who attends a high school like no other. For one thing Paul's high school has a transvestite quarterback named Infinite Darlene. And when the Boy Scouts wouldn't accepting gay members his town formed the Joy Scouts instead. Then enters Noah who is new to the school and Paul falls for him but high school is complicated and relationships aren't easy. Paul struggles to balance his new relationship as well as heal an old one with his ex-boyfriend, Kyle who had spread rumors about Paul after their breakup. To make matters worse, Paul's best friend Joni is barely speaking to him and spends all her time with her jerk boyfriend Chuck. Then there is Paul's gay friend Tony who is struggling to deal with his ultraconservative parents who don't approve oh his gay lifestyle. Can Paul balance all his relationships and still keep Noah?
Review: Boy Meets Boy is a very sweet love story that just happens to feature two teenage boys. The fact that they are gay is just a detail of the story rather than the focus. Instead the book really focuses on relationships like the one between Paul and Noah as well as the other relationships that Paul has with his friends and family. It explores the ups and downs of relationships with all their complications. The book really highlights that no matter what kind of relationship whether romantic, gay or straight they all have problems and all people go through similar problems in their own life. Levithan really makes Paul's issues very relatable and shows that gay teens struggle through many of the same problems as straight teens, it in a way helps normalizes the gay lifestyle. It's refreshing to see a book not focus so much on the issues of being gay but rather just the issues of being a teenager and managing relationships with people. This could really help teens who are may be gay realize that they aren't that different from their straight friends, that they are in deed normal.
Reader's Annotation: Paul is your typical high schooler well if you don't include his transvestite quarterback friend Infinite Darlene, but at Paul's high school Infinite Darlene is pretty typical. Paul falls for Noah, a new student but seems aren't always as easy as it seems. When Paul's ex boyfriend tries to get him back Noah isn't too thrilled. Will Paul loose Noah or can he some how balance his relationships and still get through high school?
Book Talk Ideas: For the book talk I think focusing more on the relationships is important. Some teens might get hung up on that it's two boys rather than it's a love story between two people. So I think it's important to put the focus on the relationship end. Like Paul's relationship with his ex, with his best friend who is drifting away and his new relationship with Paul. Teens will relate to that whether they are gay or straight.
Issues Present: Any book that features a gay relationship is sure to upset some people who find objections the the gay lifestyle. They may feel the story normalizes the gay lifestyle and that it is some how part of a "gay agenda".
Main Themes: sexuality, LGBTQ, relationships, romance, friendship
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: The book provides gay teens with a very pleasant and fun romance that doesn't get bogged down with negative reactions over the characters sexuality. Paul is very confident and comfortable with himself and he may help teens who are struggling with their sexuality feel more comfortable with who they are. Overall the story is helpful because it depicts gay relationships in a positive light and both straight and gay teen teens can relate to the relationship ups and downs that Paul goes through throughout the story.
Read alikes: Tale of Two Summers by Brian Sloan, The Straight Road to Kylie by Medina Nico
Author Website: http://www.davidlevithan.com/
Professional Reviews: Publisher's Weekly
Kirkus Reviews
Why Choose this book? The book represents a gay high school relationship and shows that it is much like a straight relationship. It can help teens who are gay feel more accepted and normal with their relationships because they are being represented in a positive light in literature. Also, David Levithan wrote a great book that is enjoyable to read and teens looking for a romance will enjoy the love story he has created.

Looking For Alaska

Title: Looking for Alaska

Author: John Green

Publication info: March, 2006

ISBN: 0142402516

Pages: 221

Price: $15.99

Reading Level: 10th grade

Reading Interest: 9th grade and up

Genre: realistic fiction

Awards: Printz Honor, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, ALA's Top Ten Books for Young Adults, Booklist Editor's Choice, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

Plot Summary: The story exists in two parts: before and after. The before is the story of Miles, who lacks friends and anything very exciting except for his obsession with people's last words. He enrolls in a boarding school in Alabama where he meets Alaska Young. Alaska is beautiful, quirky and unbalanced and Miles falls for her. The before story focuses on how Miles who has never had an exciting life is sudden drawn into the crazy and always exciting world of Alaska. Though Alaska's self-destructive is bound to catch up with her and when it does Miles is left to deal with the after.

Critical Review: Looking For Alaska counts downs to an event that you aren't aware of while reading and this countdown stirs interest, what could possible be the after, what is the before? The reader finally discovers that the book is based on the before and after of Alaska's death. The tragedy that rocks Miles world also rocks the reader. Despite Alaska's faults and her destructive behavior she is an enjoyable character. Her quirky behavior adds to her charm. John Green has the ability to write teen characters that are intelligent and full of depth. He also presents real life teen issues in a way that teens find relatable and believable.

Reader's Annotation: When Miles meets Alaska he finds himself attracted to her despite her obvious unstable mental state and destructive pattern. Alaska is the type of girl who drags you into her crazy world and you find yourself not wanting to leave, or at least that's how Miles felt. But when Alaska's destructive behavior reaches it's tipping point will Miles be dragged down with her?

Book talk ideas: Miles is obsessed with people's last words so I think it would be great to introduce the book by quoting some of the famous people's last words mentioned in the book.

Issues Present: The book as many controversial teen activities such as sex, smoking, drinking and foul language.

Main Themes: friendship, romance, loss, death

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Many teens can find Miles and his so called boring and loner life relatable. He falls in love with a girl who is involved with someone else and whose self-destructive behavior leaves Miles heartbroken. The book is a great coming of age book, in which Miles deals with first loves and loss and experimenting with drinking and smoking and other risk taking.

Read alikes: Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard, A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Author Website: http://johngreenbooks.com/

Professional Reviews: Kirkus Reviews

Publisher's Weekly

Why include this book? The book has received critical praise and John Green is known for not speaking down to teens and writing smart, witty and honest books centered around the lives of teens.

Grave Mercy

Title: Grave Mercy
Author: Robin LaFevers
Other Books in the Series: Dark Triumph
Published: April 2012
ISBN: 054762834X
Page Number: 549 
Price: $16.99
Reading Level: 8th grade
Interest Level: 9th grade and up
Awards: Amazon Best Books of 2012
Genre: Fantasy(high), Romance, historical fiction
Plot Summary: Ismae, the daughter of a poor farmer, is being forced into a horrible arranged marriage. Unable to go through with the marriage Ismae flees to the convent of St. Mortain, the god of death. It turns out that Ismae is a daughter of Mortain and is taken into the care of the women of the convent of Mortain. At the convent Ismae learns how to become a handmaiden of death by learning to be an assassin. She is then sent out to carry out the will of Mortain. Though, Ismae quickly learns that things are not as simple as the convent had taught her and the perhaps Mortain has a different plan than what she was taught at the convent. Ismae's teachings will be further challenged when her latest assignment requires her to take out some one she loves. What is more important love or duty?
Critical Review: Robin LaFevers has created a great fantasy story that has love, assassins, mystery, treason and a strong and smart female lead in Ismae. The love story between Ismae and Gavriel is well written and keeps the reader on there toes till the end of the story. The love between Ismae and Gavriel is not immediate but instead it slowly grows, matures and changes through out the story. Of course there is many roadblocks on their path to love and it often seems it will never happen. Ismae is challenged by what she believes in her heart to be right and what she has been taught to be right. This struggle I think has great appeal to teens who often going through these same type of personal struggles in their own life. Ismae is a great female lead who shows intelligence, strength and perseverance throughout the story.
Reader's Annotation: Ismae is a handmaiden of the god of death, Mortain. She has been trained by nuns in the art of being an assassin and is to carry out the biddings of Mortain. Though trouble arises when she is asked to choose between her god and love. Can she really kill the man she loves or will she betray her duty to Mortain.
Book Talk Ideas: Nuns, assassins, love, intrigue, the book nearly book talks itself! There is so many different ways to draw readers to the book, it could be through Ismae a strong female lead who isn't afraid to question her beliefs or it could be through the mystery behind who is out to take down the crown of Brittany.
Issues: The book deals with the gods of old, assassins, violence and in the first 20 pages Ismae is nearly raped by her would be husband.
Main Themes: betrayal, assassins, gods, faith, romance
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: The book focuses on how Ismea must choose between what she has been taught and what she believes is right. It shows that one must follow their heart and not always take things at face value. It can also help teens realize that not everything you are taught is correct, even when the people who taught you these things are people you may respect and admire.
Read alikes: Graceling by Kirstin Cashore, The Poison Throne by Celine Kiernan
Author Website: http://www.robinlafevers.com/
Professional Reviews: Publisher's Weekly
Kirkus Reviews
Why Include this book? Ismae is a strong female lead and the book has received lots of praise from reviewers and the 2nd book in the series is much anticipated.