See You at Harry's--Jo Knowles

Title: See You at Harry's
Author: Jo Knowles
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2012.
Pages: 224 p.
Source: Library Ebook
Compensation: None

After reading Lessons From a Dead Girl and Jumping Off Swings, I was fairly confident what to expect from Jo Knowles' latest offering See You at Harry's--good writing, good characters, good story. Now, I did get a bit weepy at the end of Jumping off Swings, so I should have been prepared better. But I wasn't and foolishly read See You at Harry's in the car on my ride back from Thanksgiving. Where I had to STOP reading because I did not want to have to explain to my husband or 3/4 children (I don't think the 16 month old would have cared) why I was sobbing like a baby which was about to happen if I had continued reading. I had to wait until we were home and everyone was safe in bed and I was safely squirreled away where I would not have to answer any awkward questions. So, my advice is to A) don't read this in a car with your children and B) have a box of tissues handy.

The story opens with 8 year old Fern home sick from school because she had let Random Smith, a boy who was dirty and hungry and sick all the time, have a sip of her milk. Even though she is so sick she loves being at home with just her mom and not her older siblings. She loves her mom's undivided attention. She soon discovers that this will be the last time her mom's attention is ever whole again when her parents announce they are having a new baby. Fast forward four years later and Fern is best friends with Random Smith, entering middle school, and dealing with her 3 year old brother Charlie. Charlie is dirty and gross--a typical 3 year old boy--and Fern has very little patience for him even though he totally idolizes her. Fern's older sister Sara is having a gap year because she couldn't get into a good college, but she's being forced to work at her parents' restaurant so she's not much help with Charlie. Fern's older brother Holden is in his first year of high school, a difficult place to be when you are just coming out of the closet. Fern's Dad is always working late hatching some scheme to get more customers to the restaurant (Harry's) and her mom spends more and more time meditating in her office. So watching Charlie falls to Fern more and more often.

I was expecting the big drama to be about Holden. I thought that the irritating bullying on the bus would escalate to something bigger. Instead, Knowles completely blindsided me. Completely. I was not expecting it at all. I don't want to spoil anyone, because I want you all to go out and read this now, so just trust me when I say that actual sobbing was involved. Not weepy "oh that's too bad" but this is a book tears, but actual can't breathe or see the words anymore sobbing. This review is actually a bit difficult to write, as evidenced by how many times I have used the word actual in this paragraph.

Knowles writing is beautiful and so painfully realistic. Fern is the perfect mixed up kid. Loyal and kindhearted and protective of her older brother, but completely impatient and unforgiving of her younger brother. Fern's mom is hard on her for not being nicer to Charlie, but on more than one occasion Fern is the one who has had to rescue Charlie from whatever mess he has gotten into because her mom wasn't paying attention. No one is truly at fault or completely blameless for what happens.

I've enjoyed all of Knowles' books and look forward to her next novel. But this time I'll be prepared with a box of tissues. Just in case.

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Jumping Off Swings--Jo Knowles

Title: Jumping Off Swings
Author: Jo Knowles
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2009.
Pages: 176 p.
Source: Library ebook
Compensation: None

I read this book in one sitting--literally, I was in the car on the way to Thanksgiving. It's a super quick read that's perfect for those moments when you want to read something and just not stop.

Ellie is a vulnerable, naive girl who thinks that if a boy desires her he loves her and all she has to do is let him touch her to get that love. She is desperate for human touch and contact. Her mom is perfect on the outside, but cold and distant. Ellie tries to find love anywhere she can get it, but unfortunately for her, she and the boys she is with have two different meanings for the word "love."

The story opens with a quick encounter between Ellie and Josh. It's told from four different points of view: Ellie, Josh, Caleb, and Corinne. Caleb is Josh's best friend who has had a crush on Ellie since they were kids and Corinne is Ellie's best friend who has always supported her even when classmates call her a slut. Ellie and Josh's one time "thing" leads to a serious situation when she discovers she's late. The story follows the four different reactions to Ellie's pregnancy and how it impacts all their lives.

Although this is a quick read, because we have all four perspectives, we clearly see Ellie's motivation, we see why Josh is so screwed up and willing to have sex with a random girl just to lose his virginity, we see how loyal and supportive Caleb is, and how Corinne goes from being the sidekick to falling for Caleb. Knowles does a good job of showing all the options Ellie has without explicitly saying what those options are. Caleb lives with his Mom because his Mom decided she wanted to have a baby and asked her friend to be the father, thinking that he would stick around even if he didn't really love her but he left to start his own family; Josh's parents got married young when they discovered they were pregnant with Josh, and even though they are still married they barely see or talk each other; Corinne's older sister had an abortion and is still in a loving relationship with her boyfriend. The plot moves quickly, the characters are three-dimensional, and the writing is well done.

I was impressed with Jo Knowles' first YA book, Lessons From a Dead Girl, and enjoyed this one just as much.

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We Were Liars--E. Lockhart

Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Publisher: Delacorte Press, 2014
Pages: 240 p.
Source: Author
Compensation: None

When E. Lockhart's publicist sends you an email asking if you want her next book--due out in May 2014--you say yes. Regardless of sick kids and holiday stress and basketball games and backed up laundry. You say yes.

I am so glad I did.

We Were Liars is unlike anything I have ever read by Lockhart. Now, I think there's one or two of her books I haven't read yet, so maybe this is exactly like those books. But it is unlike the books I have read.

The Sinclairs are a perfect extended family who spend their summers on a private island off the coast of Massachusetts. They are rich and good looking and have no problems. Except that they have lots of problems. The three sisters aren't quite as rich as their Dad and have started bickering over estates and inheritances. The grandchildren, one of whom is our main character Cady, do their best to stay out of the bickering and try to spend their summers having fun with each other. The oldest cousins are Cady and Mirren and Johnny, all born within months of each other. Johnny brings his mom's boyfriend's nephew Gat (got that?) one summer and they all become inseparable. The four liars. The spend each summer having fun and complaining about their parents and grandparents. At least that's the way it was before Cady's accident. Since Cady's accident things have been different, strained, but she's not quite sure why because she can't remember anything. She gets horrible debilitating headaches and is heavily medicated because of them. She spends her latest summer on the island trying to remember what happened before her accident and immediately after it.

I can't tell you much more without lying. I don't want to give anything away.

We Were Liars is beautifully written. It is suspenseful and heartbreaking. It is not a fun book like the Ruby Oliver books. It is deep and meaningful and will stay with you for a long time. Grab this one up when it's released in May and hold on to it tightly. You'll want to read it again. Trust me.

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United We Spy--Ally Carter

Title: United We Spy
Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books, 2013
Pages: 293 p
Source: Library
Compensation: None

What started as a fun fluffy series about girls in spy school and boy troubles has morphed into a serious suspenseful survival story. It's still fun because Ally Carter knows how to write fun characters and make us love them, but the "fluff" is gone. I have to wonder if it was ever there to begin with or if Carter was just lulling us (and Cammie) into a false sense of security.

Previous reviews (some more complete than others):

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy
Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover
Only the Good Spy Young
Out of Sight, Out of Time

In this conclusion to the Gallagher Girls series, Cammie has to hunt down the leaders of the Circle of Cavan before they can carry out their most dangerous plot ever. She's aided by her spy boyfriend Zach and her trusty companions Bex, Liz and Macey. Questions are answered and mysteries put to rest in this final satisfying installment. Carter ends the series perfectly. This is a must read for anyone who has read the previous books. It's a great series to give to readers who like reading about strong girls. The box set (I don't know if there is a box set yet, but there should be) would be a perfect holiday gift.

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Ender's Game--Orson Scott Card

Title: Ender's Game
Author: Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, 1994. (First Edition 1985)
Pages: 324 p.
Source: Library
Compensation: None

I, like most of the people who have just read this for the first time, did so in anticipation of the movie. I thought it would be fun to read it with my 9 year old son and then we could both go see the movie. Unfortunately he didn't have the book finished by the time we saw the movie (and then he punked out and decided he didn't need to finish.)

Ender is a third child born in a time when the population is strictly controlled. Most families only have two children, but Ender's family is allowed a third so they can try one more time to have a child qualify for Battle School. Ender's older brother Peter had shown promise but was too violent, while his sister Valentine was equally smart but too compassionate. The government hoped Ender would be a mix of his siblings and succeed where they did not. As it often does, the future of humanity rests on children but in Ender's world it's a bit more literal. Children are being raised as military geniuses because they have the quick reflexes and skill to fight the alien invaders. 6 year old Ender passes his final test and enters Battle School determined to help stop the Bugger (alien) invasion.

Ender and his classmates are "children" in age only. They are military men and women at an age when most kids are still picking their noses and forgetting to flush the toilet. They are violent and mean, and loving and kind. The book does a good job of showing the complete control the government has over them and how every single thing the commanders do to Ender is calculated and planned. Ender's school leader feels bad when he isolates Ender and steals his childhood, but never once thinks it shouldn't be done. The ends justify the means in all cases. This attitude trickles down--Ender feels bad when he hurts the kids who bully him but he often thinks he has no choice.

I enjoyed Ender's Game as both a science fiction story and a deeper commentary on war and the decisions we make when we are threatened. I've read the negative criticisms of the book and I think that most people have a hard time separating it from Card's political views. I don't think that this book is propaganda or a love letter to the military. Card does not depict the military advisors as being infallible. Overall, I enjoyed it. And yes, the book was a thousand times better than the movie.


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Splendor--Elana K. Arnold

Title: Splendor
Author: Elana K. Arnold
Publisher: Random House Children's Books, 2013.
Pages: 352 p.
Source: VOYA
Compensation: None

Scarlett Wenderoth has had enough of heartache after barely surviving a bout with depression and anorexia trying to cope with the sudden death of her older brother following a brain aneurysm. Unfortunately, life has other plans for Scarlett. Her mother has finally recovered from her grief but has left her father and moved off their tiny island, her best friend Lily has decided to be even wilder and crazier than she can handle, and her boyfriend Will has left Catalina Island to attend Yale on the opposite side of the country. Scarlett's senior year of high school is not starting out well. Scarlett tries to focus on her pregnant horse and her new study of Kabbalah, but life has one more heartbreak in store for her.

As in Elana K. Arnold's earlier Sacred, teens will gravitate toward Scarlett and her problems. Arnold has painted a very realistic picture of teenage girls and their conflicting emotions. Scarlett is able to empathize with Lily's mom and see how she deserves more patience and respect from Lily, but she is unable to see this with her own mother. Fans of the first novel will appreciate continuing Scarlett's story and finding some closure with this sequel. Readers unfamiliar with Sacred will still be able to enjoy Splendor, but not quite as much. 

Quintana of Charyn--Melina Marchetta

Title: Quintana of Charyn
Author: Melina Marchetta
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2013
Pages: 595 p
Source: Library ebook
Compensation: None

Quintana of Charyn continues the story of Froi of the Exiles and finishes the Lumatere Chronicles trilogy. This review will contain spoilers for Froi of the Exiles, so if you haven't read that one yet, you might want to get that done and then come on back here.

Ready?

After being ambushed and attacked, Froi and Quintana are separated at the end of the second book in the trilogy. Quintana of Charyn opens up with a very pregnant Quintana hiding out in the caves with Phaedra and the other believed to be dead women in the Lumateran valley. Phaedra knows how important Quintana's unborn baby is and how much they are both in danger. She makes up a story about plague to keep the men away and to keep the future of Charyn protected.

Froi wakes up recovering from being shot with eight arrows and has no idea where Quintana could be or if she is even alive. He spends his time searching for her, reuniting with both his Charyn and Lumateran families, and hoping for a future that cannot exist.

Quintana of Charyn is a completely satisfying conclusion to an exciting, emotional trilogy. By this point we love Froi and Quintana as much as we love Finnikin and Isaboe. We want them to succeed. We want them to find each other and be happy even if it seems as if there is no way for that to happen. In addition to Froi and his Charyn Princess, Quintana and Isaboe's lives and fates are wrapped up in each other and they both suffer heartache before the end of the novel. Marchetta knows how to pull on our heartstrings and she does so more than ever in this final book. It is a must read for fans of the trilogy.

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Froi of the Exiles--Melina Marchetta

Title: Froi of the Exiles
Author: Melina Marchetta
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2012.
Pages: 400 p
Source: library ebook
Compensation: None

A couple of years ago I read Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta and I LOVED it. Truly, loved it. I have been living under a bit of a rock myself this past couple of years and had NO idea that she's written a trilogy! I discovered them while browsing my library's ebook collection one night while desperate to find something to read. The good thing about living under a rock is that now I don't have to wait for the third book. I was able to download both ebooks at once.

Anyway.

As the title suggests, this is not Finnikin's story. Or Isaboe's. Although they do play prominent roles and we get to see glimpses into their lives. The bulk of the story is about Froi, the young boy Isaboe and Finnikin rescue in the first book. Froi has been trained with the Captain's Guard and is about to embark on his most dangerous mission yet--to infiltrate the enemy kingdom of Charyn and assassinate its King. His mission is even more dangerous than he could have imagined when he falls in love with the King's mad daughter. Froi gets embroiled in Charyn politics which is expected and family politics which is completely unexpected. A simple assassination attempt turns into something much much more complex than Froi could have ever believed.

Once again Marchetta has written a thrilling emotional story that will leave readers reading well into the night, way past their bedtimes. She has surpassed the brutality of Finnikin of the Rock. The horrors Charyn inflicted on its Lumateran neighbors were tragic, but the horrors it inflicts on its own people--its own Princess--are incomprehensible. It is difficult to read and I would not recommend this for tweens. This is most assuredly a YA book. Marchetta makes sure to add moments of levity, usually with Finnikin and Isaboe and their demanding toddler Jasmina. We also get some resolution with Lady Beatriss and Finnikin's father Trevanion. The novel ends on a serious cliffhanger and it's a good thing I don't have to wait for the final installment to be released.

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Mind Games--Kiersten White

Title: Mind Games
Author: Kiersten White
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2013
Pages: 261 p
Source: Library
Compensation: None

Fia has sworn to protect her blind sister Annie ever since their parents died in a horrible accident. Fia and Annie are both special--Fia has flawless instincts and Annie has visions of the future. Annie thinks they've finally found a peaceful home with the Keane Institute, but Fia knows better. Unwilling to make her sister unhappy, Fia ignores her intuition and allows the Institute to control her life and train her as an assassin. Annie discovers the true nature of her precious boarding school too late. It's up to the sisters to plan--without planning--an escape that just might end their lives.

This is a fast paced action story with a strong heroine and nice paranormal twists. It's a quick read and guaranteed to enthrall readers looking for a nonstop action thriller.

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Perfect Scoundrels--Ally Carter

Title: Perfect Scoundrels
Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Hyperion, 2013
Pages: 336 p
Source: Library
Compensation: None

Kat and Hale have always worked together to pull off a con--usually for noble reasons--but in this latest installment in Ally Carter's Heist Society novels, Hale is the mark and Kat must call on all of her resources to try to protect him.

Hale's beloved grandmother has died and left him her company and he is thrown back into the high stakes world of socialite tycoons. Kat smells a rat though and must come up with an elaborate plan to locate the original will, discover the motives of the family's greedy lawyer, and hold on to Hale in the process.

This novel is just as fun and entertaining as Carter's other books. She probes a little deeper into Kat and Hale's relationship--are they romantic, were they, will they ever be again?--while at the same time keeping the story moving with nonstop action. Carter's fans will not be disappointed.

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far far away--Tom McNeal

Title: far far away
Author: Tom McNeal
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013
Pages: 371 p.
Source: Library
Compensation: None

Jeremy Johnson Johnson is an unusual boy and this is an unusual tale. It is a tale of a boy who can hear voices and the ghost who speaks to him; of a boy and the girl who looks past his weirdness and accepts him for who he is; and of a small town where strange things happen but nobody notices. Fairy tale, romance, suspense, supernatural, mystery all wrapped up into one engaging book.

Jeremy's ghost and the narrator of the story is none other than Jacob Grimm--the fairy tale expert himself--who has made it his mission to protect Jeremy from the unknown "Finder of Occasions." Jacob is not sure how the Finder of Occasions will strike so his best idea is to help Jeremy get out of his strange little town by attending a University elsewhere. He helps Jeremy with his studies and urges him to concentrate on his schoolwork and nothing else. It all goes fine until a fiery Ginger takes a liking to Jeremy and starts involving him in her crazy pranks and schemes. Unbeknownst to them all, the Finder of Occasions is watching and waiting for his opportunity to forever change their lives.

This book is so hard to put down. From the moment it begins we are drawn into Jeremy's tale, wondering what horrible fate awaits him and if he will get out of it unscathed. We sympathize with the poor ghost Grimm who still suffers from memories of his mortal sorrows and will stop at nothing to protect Jeremy. McNeal has written a powerfully captivating tale that would make the Grimm brothers proud.

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Benedict Hall--Cate Campbell

Title: Benedict Hall
Author: Cate Campbell
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp, 2013
Pages: 378 p
Source: VOYA
Compensation: none

Frank Parrish is back in the States after voluntarily serving overseas for the King’s Army in the First World War. He is looking for work when he runs into a fellow soldier, Preston Benedict, who promises to help him. Parrish winds up getting entrenched in Benedict’s family life, especially with his sister Margot, a doctor at a time when women were encouraged to be nurses but not doctors. Benedict Hall alternates the viewpoints of the story between Parrish, Preston Benedict, Margot Benedict and the Benedict’s African American butler Blake.

The novel starts out slowly, taking time to introduce each of the characters and establish the background of the story. It feels very much like a show setting the stage and the back cover claims that fans of TV’s Downton Abbey will enjoy it. Once the introductions are done and Campbell focuses on the heart of the tale—Preston’s odd sadistic nature and its effects on those around him—it truly does become a page-turner. Campbell has a flair for historical fiction, which is not surprising since Campbell is author Louise Marley’s new pseudonym for stories that are pure historical fiction. Benedict Hall will not disappoint fans of the genre. Campbell handles issues of gender and race, as well as family conflict quite well against the larger backdrop of a country coming of age. 

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the moon and more--Sarah Dessen

Title: the moon and more
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Viking, 2013
Pages: 448p
Source: VOYA
Compensation: none

Sarah Dessen’s books all have the same general framework, a troubled girl meets up with a troubled boy (usually over the summer) and their friendship blossoms into romance and helps the both of them overcome their troubles. The Moon and More is a bit different. Eighteen-year-old Emaline has a good family, good friends, a happy relationship with long time boyfriend Luke, and is generally satisfied with her life in the beach town Colby. Things are not perfect, she has a rocky relationship with her estranged birth father and she is not able to attend the ivy-league college she has been accepted to because of money, but they are good enough. Enter Theo, a young man in town assisting a filmmaker shooting a documentary about a local artist. Theo’s presence adds the trouble and murkiness to Emaline’s satisfied life and leads her to question everything she once believed.

Dessen continues to create characters and stories that readers love. She is a gifted writer The Moon and More is a welcome change to her standard formula, while remaining true to her overall theme of young adults finding themselves. Close readers will appreciate the cameos from previous novels. Dessen fans will not be disappointed with this latest offering.  

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Uncommon Criminals--Ally Carter

Title: Uncommon Criminals
Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Hyperion Books, 2011
Pages: 304 p
Source: Library
Compensation: None

I know I read this book months ago but I must have forgotten to review it here! Crazy.

When we last left Kat in Heist Society she had just wrapped up robbing the Henley to prove her father's innocence. In Uncommon Criminals, Kat has accepted that she is a thief and does not belong in the regular academic world she tried so hard to fit into in the first book, but she's okay with that as long as she is stealing within her personal code. She continues to steal artwork that has already been stolen so that she can return the pieces to the original owners. In this novel, however, she's after a mysterious jewel, the Cleopatra Emerald. It's a tough job and one that requires the help of not only her immediate band of thieves, but even her estranged Uncle Charlie-- Uncle Eddie's twin.

Just like Ally Carter's other novels, Uncommon Criminals is a fun, exciting read. I read it months ago but I still remember it. If you haven't picked up any of Carter's books, get on it. She's one of my favorite current YA authors.
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Crap Kingdom--DC Pierson

Title: Crap Kingdom
Author: DC Pierson
Publisher: Viking Juvenile, 2013.
Pages: 368 p
Source: Library
Compensation: None

I first heard about this book on twitter and the combination of the title and the comedian endorsements made me add it to my to read list.

Tom Parking is your ordinary drama geek who dreams of something more, something bigger, than his small town easy life. Tom is not unhappy, he's just not particularly happy either. He gets along well with his mom, enjoys his acting, has a couple of friends at school and no major problems. Which is why he's the wrong guy to be chosen as a hero for an alternate universe in trouble. Even though he dreams of being a hero and saving the world, his life is just a tad bit not horrible enough for him to risk everything to save this other world which, quite frankly, sucks. It's not until the "Crap Kingdom" finds another chosen one that Tom realizes the opportunity he passed up and tries to help.

Crap Kingdom is not your typical hero-novel. The portal between our worlds and theirs is a clothing drop-off bin, one of those large containers for donated clothes, which opens up to a lake full of rejected clothes and laundry detergent. The people of this alternate universe all wear odd combinations of clothing that they pick up from the lake. They build their houses from garbage gathered from the human world. There are funny bits about drinking from toilet-like contraptions to help them remember their horrible lives instead of forgetting them. Tom's interactions with the townspeople and the Princess are amusing.

Crap Kingdom is a good quick read, great for boys and for readers who want to read a funny take on the hero-quest novel.
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Son--Lois Lowry

Title: Son
Author: Lois Lowry
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 2012
Pages: 400 p
Source: Library
Compensation: None aside from tears

This was not an easy book for me to read. The language is easy enough and the target audience of middle schoolers will have no problem it, but as a mother, particularly as a mother with an infant sleeping upstairs, this was not an easy book for me.

Son is the fourth and final book in the "series" that began with The Giver back in 1994. Son goes back to the time period and story told in The Giver but tells it from a different point of view. Instead of Jonas's tale of the perfect society with a secret, we have Claire's tale of the secret. In this strange utopia there's no pain or fear or conflict and everyone has a role to play in the community. Claire's role is of birthmother--an important albeit unglamorous job--until she has complications delivering her product and must have an emergency c-section. Removing pain and fear from society has also removed love and joy. Birthmothers deliver their products and caregivers apply to adopt them. There are no bonds between mother and child which is why Claire is completely unprepared for her feelings of love and care for the baby she had to give up. She does the unthinkable and locates him in the nursery and attempts to connect with him--without attracting too much attention to herself. The baby is designated "failure to thrive" because he doesn't like to sleep or stay quiet and just when Claire wonders if she should try to take him and escape the village, her baby is taken by a boy on a bicycle. She doesn't hesitate to jump on a trading boat and try to follow.

We know from The Giver who the boy is and who the baby is and we know from Messenger that they survive their journey. But Son is Claire's story. So we watch as her boat is ravaged in a storm and she washes ashore in yet another strange community. This community is missing the sterile technology of Claire's home and is full of people having *feelings.* Claire has amnesia from the storm and is able to assimilate into society before she remembers her former life and the baby she needs to find. Once she does remember it still takes years for her to be physically strong enough to climb out of the valley the community is in so she can begin her search.

Son answers many "what" questions from the previous books and ties all of them together, but not many "why" questions. We still don't know why there are all of these little communities that are so remote from each other and so vastly different. But it doesn't really matter. Reading Son does not make one think about what the apocalyptic event occurred to fracture this society could be, reading Son makes one's heart beat faster wondering if Claire will find her way out and find her baby. Although we know that the baby grows up and is well taken care of (from Messenger), we don't know whether Claire ever makes it or not, and that consumes us as we read her story to find out.

It is not unreasonable for kids to read Son and any of them who have read The Giver will certainly want to finish the story. But the fast heart beat, sweaty hands, nervous reading will probably be reserved for the mom (or dad, but probably mom) who truly understands the deep emotional connection made with motherhood and how mothers will do anything for their children.

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The Goddess Legacy--Aimee Carter

Title: The Goddess Legacy
Author: Aimee Carter
Publisher: Harlequin Teen, 2012
Pages: 373 p
Source: Amazon Kindle
Compensation: none


The Goddess Legacy was published between Goddess Interrupted and The Goddess Inheritance, but I don't think I missed out on anything by reading it last. Unlike the other novels in the trilogy, this one is a collection of novellas each from a different point of view. The stories are told in chronological order. It opens with Hera having just overthrown Cronus and arguing with Zeus over how they will split up ruling the world. Zeus naturally thinks that he's the best candidate to rule the skies but is willing to let Hera be a Queen with him. Thus begins the conflict between the misogynistic Zeus and the ambitious Hera.

We learn Aphrodite's true capacity for love and Persephone's suffering and sacrifice. We see Hermes/James as more than just the "friend" trying to woo Kate away from Henry. We learn why they changed their names. The very last story is Hades transformation to Henry, from a lonely bitter defeated man to one with hope for the future when he finally meets Kate.

Some of the stories were better than others, but as a whole I enjoyed The Goddess Legacy. It's not necessary to read it as part of the trilogy, but it added a new layer of understanding behind some of the characters' motivations. And it helped to fill the void of finishing the series. A void so deep I actually bought the ebook! This instant gratification is a dangerous thing.

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The Goddess Inheritance--Aimee Carter

Title: The Goddess Inheritance
Author: Aimee Carter
Publisher: Harlequin Teen, 2013.
Pages: 289 p
Source: Amazon Kindle
Compensation: None

After gobbling up Goddess Interrupted at just the right time, I was super lucky that The Goddess Inheritance was published just a few days later. But, my, those were some long days. I had gotten Goddess Interrupted as an ebook though my local library but there was no way I could wait for it to get the third book. I had to do something I almost never do--buy the book myself. I was in such a rush I bought the ebook so I could have it immediately.

When we last left Kate she and Ava (Aphrodite) had just left the Underworld to search for Rhea and convince her to join the fight against her husband Cronus. Unfortunately for Kate, Calliope (Hera) and Cronus had captured Nicholas (Hephaestus), Ava's husband, and forced Ava into turning Kate over to Calliope. Calliope, the Goddess of Marriage and Fertility, had ensured that Kate and Henry's last night together was productive and gleefully tells the shocked Kate that she is going to take away everything that Kate loves, her husband, her mother, and her unborn child.

In The Goddess Inheritance, Kate is held captive throughout her pregnancy with no way to contact Henry and no hope of escape. Ava tends to her but she is a victim of Calliope's as well and is powerless while Nicholas is held captive. When Kate's baby is born she must figure out a way to save him, herself, Henry, and the other Olympians from the vengeful Cronus and the demented Calliope.

This was such a page-turner, er, swiper. Although Kate makes some dumb decisions, it's not out of character for her. She's young, she's just watched her mom die and come back as a Goddess, she's died and learned that she too is immortal, she's suffered through a pregnancy without her husband by her side, she's given birth and watched her baby get snatched by the evil twisted Calliope. Logical thinking is not going to be her strong suit.  I enjoyed this book immensely. I *had* to find out what happened. The Goddess Inheritance is a satisfying conclusion to an entertaining series.
 
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Goddess Interrupted--Aimee Carter

Title: Goddess Interrupted
Author: Aimee Carter
Publisher: Harlequin Teen, 2012
Pages: 301 p
Source: Kindle through local library
Compensation: None

Newly immortal Kate has returned from her six month vacation with James (Hermes) and is ready to pick up her relationship with Henry (Hades). Unsure of herself she longs for Henry to show her how much he loves her, but he is distant and distracted. He has good reason--Calliope (Hera) has managed to awaken the sleeping titan Cronus and has teamed up with him to destroy the Olympians. When Henry is kidnapped by his nefarious titan father, it's up to Kate to rescue him. But the only way to do that is to seek the help of the one person she'd rather never see, her older sister and Henry's first love, Persephone.

I could not read this book fast enough. I devoured it in a day and a half, something unheard of now that I have four kids. Kate did get a bit annoying with all the self doubt, but it was understandable. She's young and doesn't know her own strength. If you enjoyed The Goddess Test, you'll enjoy this one too. And then you'll go insane at the end and hunt down the third book in the series, The Goddess Inheritance (review available March 6).
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The Goddess Hunt--Aimee Carter

Title: The Goddess Hunt
Author: Aimee Carter
Publisher: Harlequin Teen, 2012
Pages: 75 p
Source: Kindle through local library
Compensation: None

This novella begins right where The Goddess Test leaves off (and consequently will contain spoilers if you haven't read The Goddess Test yet). You have been warned.

Kate has passed her test, married Henry (Hades), and earned her immortality. Before she can begin her new life as Queen of the Undead she must spend six months topside living among mortals. Henry cannot accompany her so she travels with James (Hermes) to see Greece. En route they run into the twins, Castor and Pollux, who are on the run from both Walter (Zeus) and Henry. Naturally, Kate has to intervene and figure out a way to help the twins and not anger Henry or Walter.

This book is not essential to the trilogy, but it is a nice segue from the first book, The Goddess Test, to the second, Goddess Interrupted (review available March 5, 2013). It's told in alternating points of view, Kate's and Henry's, and helps us to understand some of the motivations of their actions in later books. It's a quick read and worth it.

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Across the Universe--Beth Revis

Title: Across the Universe
Author: Beth Revis
Publisher: Razor Bill, 2011
Pages: 632 p
Source: Library ebook
Compensation: None

Amy is faced with a horrible decision--stay on Earth with her boyfriend and friends and recognizable life or be frozen with her parents and sent on a spaceship to a new earth-like planet in the hopes of being awoken 300 years later. Amy chooses to go with her parents and endures the painful freezing process, only to have something go wrong and be conscious in her paralyzed body for centuries. As if that isn't enough, Amy is accidentally awoken 50 years ahead of her parents and must contend with a vastly different life aboard the ship. The only bright spot is a boy named Elder who seems to actually care about her.

Elder is in training to one day rule the people on the spaceship. When he meets Amy he begins to question everything he's learned about Sol-Earth and everything he believes about his life on the spaceship. The two of them together investigate who is behind attacks on other frozen people, as well as why the current leader Eldest is lying about the history of Sol-Earth.

The story is told in chapters alternating from Amy's point of view and Elder's point of view. It's exciting and gripping and satisfies readers eager for dystopian stories as well as science fiction fans. I read the book not knowing it was the first in a trilogy. I was satisfied with the ending of the story although I can see the "need" for more closure provided by the next books. Across the Universe is a thrilling adventure with science fiction, mystery, and romance mixed in and well worth the read--632 pages flip by in no time at all.

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