Future Threat

Briggs, Elizabeth. Future Threat. 2017. 266p. ISBN 978-0-8075-2684-2. Available as eBook on Overdrive.

Six months ago, Elena, Adam, Chris and two others travelled forward in time to a life thirty years in the future. Sent to collect and bring back new technologies, they were instructed not to look into their future selves to avoid a sickness called “Future Shock.” Of course they did, and Elena discovered that she died shortly after her return from the future. She was able to modify it and avoided the fate that was waiting for her.

Now Aether Corporation is back, and they want Elena, Adam and Chris’ help again. A group has recently travelled to the future, but one of them did not return. The trio agrees to perform this action one more time, but only if Aether leave them alone afterwards, a condition the company readily agrees to. Once again in the future, Elena realizes that it is a lot better than the last one. Adam and her are married, they have a child, and together with Chris they run a multinational corporation designed to improve humanity. Things immediately go awry, however, when the group separates. Kevin, the missing man, is found dead alongside Chris.

Crushed by Chris’ death and what it means for the future, Elena and Adam are determined to return to the future yet one more time to see if they can fix things. That third future looks very bleak. And as things continue to go wrong, more complications arise and more lives are lost. Should they risk one more trip to help those they love or is the future already mapped out for them?

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. 2011. 295p. ISBN 0-674-05792-9. Available at FIC WIL on the library shelves.

A beautiful youth of 20, Dorian Gray sits for Basil Hallward, a famous painter of the time. Basil has kept him a secret from his good friend, Lord Henry Wotton. When the two meet, Dorian is immediately captivated by Lord Wotton’s philosophy that pleasures of all kind are the only reason one should live. Convinced by Lord Wotton that a youth’s beauty is all that matters, Dorian makes the wish that his painting would age instead of him, and, unbeknownst to him, his wish is granted.

Falling in love Sibyl with an actress, Dorian attempts to convince his friends that she is amazing, only to witness her poor performance during a play. She reveals to him that she loves him and sees no point in pretending through plays. More in love with the idea of her than the actual person, Dorian breaks off his engagement and castigates her. She commits suicide, and her brother, James Vane, vows to avenge her but doesn’t know Dorian’s name.

As Dorian comes of age, he falls further in corrupted experiences along with Lord Wotton, affecting the lives of many aristocratic youths as well as the youths of other social classes. His portray, meanwhile, begins to show the signs of aging and of the evil influences of his life, and soon Dorian cannot bear to look at it. Years later, Basil Hallward visits Dorian on his way to Paris, and confronts him about his wanton ways. Dorian, in a fit of rage, kills Basil and disposes of his body. That murder haunts him, however, and when he crosses path with James Vane, Dorian is shaken to the core and worried that it is time for him to provide an account of his life.

The violent death of James Vane during a hunting trip frees Dorian from the guilt he had, but he decides from now on he needs to lead an exemplary life, with the hope that the portrait will once again show him his beautiful self. When it doesn’t, Dorian decides to destroy the portrait, but a yell awakens his household and they find the portrait on the ground next to a disfigured and ugly old man who’s recognized as Dorian by his rings and clothes.

A tale of moral duplicity and corruption, The Picture of Dorian Gray remains controversial today for the themes it addresses and its (at the time) scandalous nature.

Freakling

Krumwiede, Lana. Freakling. Book 1 of the Psi Chronicles series. 2012. 309p. ISBN 0-7636-5937-1. Available at FIC KRU on the library shelves.

The city and countryside of Deliverance has lived at peace ever since its people, led by Nathan, removed themselves from the Republic and sought shelter behind an impassable chain of mountains. Persecuted for their abilities to manipulate their environment through psionics powers, specifically telekinesis, psy wielders found rest and created a new society. That society is now in danger, however, as the priesthood seeks to gain control of psy weapons and enter in an alliance with the Republic against its enemies.

Twelve-year-old Taemon has never known any other world. He uses psi to eat, dress, wash, open locks and turn on the lights. His older brother, Yens, hopes to become a psi ball professional player so he can escape the fate of becoming a religious teacher like his father. For Taemon, however, he still has a year left before he needs to make a decision. When the head priest, Elder Naseph, announces that the True Son prophesized by Nathan has arrived, all eyes turn to Yens, who demonstrates an understanding of psi beyond his years.

However Yens is evil. He attempts to kill Taemon by throwing him over a cliff, and only Taemon’s clairvoyance saves him from drowning. In the process, he loses access to his telekinetic abilities. Having to fake your way through life without the ability to manipulate the environment through his mind, Taemon is soon discovered to be psi-less, and is sent to the Colony, a space reserved for those people who do not have psi.

There Taemon discovers people who do things the old fashioned way: with their hands. He begins a new trade, and makes new friends, including Amma, a beautiful girl. But even in the Colony there are secrets. Why is there a door hidden in Amma’s house that is locked by psi when no one has any here? Why are people disappearing in Deliverance? As secrets are revealed, Taemon must decide if he is willing help his people, knowing that this help will come at a deadly price.

Brisingr

Paolini, Christopher. Brisingr. Book 3 of the Inheritance series. 2008. 763p. ISBN 978-0-375-82672-6. Available at FIC PAO on the library shelves.

In Eldest, Murtagh reappeared as a dragon rider under the control of their enemy, King Galbatorix. Eragon and Saphira now find themselves at the center of events affecting Alagaësia. Having nearly been defeated by Murtagh and Thorn on the battlefield, Eragon knows he is hopelessly outmatched against the magical skills of the king. He will need more training in order to gain enough strength to overthrow Galbatorix. Fortunately, the Varden was able to win the battle in the end, and now Nasuarda and her troops are on the offensive, moving deep in the Empire.

Hoping to save Katrina, Eragon and his cousin Roran set out on Saphira to Hellgrind, the Ra’zac’s lair. Discovering the fell beasts and their parents, the trio triumph and dispatch the monsters, rescuing Roran’s love in the process. Unfortunately, Eragon finds that Sloan, Katrina’s father, is a prisoner of the Ra’zac. Having been rendered blind and tortured, the butcher is in bad shape, but Eragon knows he cannot be both judge and jury on the penalty he should suffer. He lets Roran and Katrina escape on Saphira, while he rescues the old man and sends him on a quest to seek shelter in the land of the elves.

Trekking back on foot, Eragon is reunited with Arya, who departed the Varden to meet up with him when Nasuarda learned what had transpired at Hellgrind. Together they travel back to the Varden. There Nasuarda sends him out to travel to Farthen Dur, the dwarves’ capital, to convince them to elect a king and support the Varden’s efforts. Saphira, meanwhile, stays back and runs patrols in the sky to let the Varden and its supporters believe Eragon is still with them.

Following the election of King Orik and his support to the cause of freedom, Eragon travels back to Ellesméra to meet once again with his teacher, Oromis. There Eragon and Saphira finally discover Galbatorix’ secret of collecting dragon heart of hearts. Filled with the consciousness of a dragon before he or she died, these items are powerful magic and the evil king has been drawing off them to oppress the people of Alagaësia.

With Roran fulfilling several dangerous missions for the Varden, and with Eragon, Saphira, Oromis and Glaedr heading back to the various battlefronts, the fate of an entire continent rests in the efforts of this motley crew.

Eragon tries to uphold the oath he made to save Katrina from King Galbatorix, while being pulled in different directions by the needs of the Varden, elves, and dwarves--all of whom need his help and strength to overcome the tyranny of the king.

Beyond the Bright Sea

Wolk, Lauren. Beyond the Bright Sea. 2017. 283p. ISBN 978-1-101-99-485-6. Available at FIC WOL on the library shelves.

Placed in a boat shortly after her birth, the baby girl was cast at sea. When found by a solitary man living on a small island off the larger island of Cuttyhunk, which is part of the Elizabeth chain of islands, the girl was named Crow. She not only survived in Osh’s gentle hands, but thrived and became an inquisitive girl.

At 12, Crow has spent her entire life on their island, living in a makeshift house but not wanting for anything. Everyone on Cuttyhunk assumes she came from Pekinese, Massachusett’s only leper colony, and treat her as a leper even though she has no symptoms. Crow has always been curious about where she came from, but both Osh and her other friend, Miss Maggie, who lives across the sandbar from them, has told her not to look into her past too closely as surely nothing good will come of it.

When Crow begins digging, however, she comes upon a dangerous mystery that involves a treasure left behind by the famous pirate Captain Kidd. Others are also searching the treasure, however, and as Crow seeks to unravel her past it throws the present into turmoil, with Osh, the father who is not her father, concerned that their relationship might change if she discovers who she truly is. But as she explores the dangerous past of the leper colony, Crow realizes that home and family are what you make of it, and not what others tell you they ought to be.

Beautifully written, Crow’s story will be appreciated by readers who enjoy a light mystery and those who like historical fiction.

Felix Yz

Bunker, Lisa. Felix Yz. 2017. 282p. ISBN 978-0-425-28850-4. Available at FIC BUN on the library shelves.

Felix Yz (pronounced Is) was spending quality time with his father in his cutting edge laboratory when something went horribly wrong. During an experiment, a rift to the fourth dimension was opened, and an entity fused itself with Felix, provoking intense physical pain and modifying his genetic make up. His father was killed, and Felix was never the same again.

Now thirteen-year-old, Felix does not remember a time before the presence of Zyx, as the family has called the creature. Extremely intelligent and friendly, Zyx can easily communicate with Felix in his mind, but he can only express himself to the outside world through seizures or by using a keyboard to type messages. Zyx’s existence is known to only a few people, and must remain a secret to prevent government agencies from hearing about this new being.

The laboratory where the experiment took place has been rebuilt, and scientists have been working hard on finding a way to separate both entities. Knowing full well that there is a risk he could die during the separation, Felix is nevertheless willing to go through it. He will miss Zyx, but he’s ready to live the rest of his life without another presence in his mind.

So the countdown begins to the Procedure. With only thirty days left, Felix has to prepare for the worst as he hopes for the best. Family truths will be revealed, his interest in another boy explored, he will play chess against a Grandmaster, and he will experience a hint of the fourth dimension where Zyx lives. When it comes right down to it, what are the most important things in Felix’s life?

Written as a blog where Felix document the last thirty days of his life before the Procedure, his feelings and emotions are raw and uncensored. Fans of introspection will appreciate Felix’ outlook on life and his desire to live to the fullest despite his accident.

Eldest

Paolini, Christopher. Eldest. Book 2 of the Inheritance series. 2005. 681p. ISBN   0-375-82670-X. Available at FIC PAO on the library shelves.

Eragon survived the assault on the dwarven city of Tronjheim but was maimed by Durza the Shade before killing him. Known as the Shadeslayer, Eragon looks forward to heading to Ellesmera, capital of the Elves, to complete his training as a Rider of Dragons. Now that Eragon and Saphira have joined the Varden and with the destruction of his army, Nasuada decides it is time to take the fight to King Galbatorix, he who singlehandedly eliminated the Order of the Riders.

As the Varden moves south to Surda, Eragon, Saphira, Arya and Orik head north to Ellesmera. There Eragon and Saphira discover that they are not the last riders aside from the King. Oromis,  the Crippled Who is Whole and Glaedr his dragon still live in the forest, having hidden themselves from Galbatorix. Together and with limited time, they begin the process of training Rider and Dragon in the art of magic, flying, and fighting.

Meanwhile, in Carvahall, Roran and the villagers are visited by the Ra’zac, who are here to seize him. Refusing to surrender, Roran hides in the forest, but the soldiers accompanying the Ra’zac soon begin making the villagers’ lives miserable. When one of them dies at the hands of a soldier and is returned as nothing but a pile of bones, Roran is so incensed that he leads the villagers in battle against the Ra’zac and the soldiers, and soon the soldiers are forced to abandon Carvahall. Getting ready for a siege, the villagers fortify all access points and wait for the Empire’s assault.

Eragon’s training proceeds apace, but his desire for Arya, whom, he discovers, is the daughter of Queen Islanzadí, soon turns the elf against him, and she departs to return to the Varden. Meanwhile, Roran’s love, Katrina, is kidnapped by the Ra’zac following her father Sloan’s treachery, and with the knowledge that more soldiers is on the way, the villagers soon face a stark choice. Remain behind and be enslaved, or tempt their chance through the Spine to the ocean to secure passage down to the Varden and Surda.

As forces mass on both sides, and with an ally of Galbatorix ready to take the field against the Varden, will Eragon and Saphira’s training be completed in time to save his friends from complete destruction?

The story continues in Brisingr.

A Separate Peace

Knowles, John. A Separate Peace. 2003. 204p. ISBN 0-7432-5397-3. Available at FIC KNO on the library shelves.

With the Second World War raging on, high school students at Devon, a prep school in southern New Hampshire know that most of them, as they graduate, will join the military and fight in Europe or in the Pacific. But for 16-year-old Gene Forrester and his fellow students, war is furthest from his mind. What he is concerned about are his academics and athletics performances. His best friend and roommate, Phineas, known as Finny, is the best athlete at the school, and Gene knows he will always be a distant second. In academics, however, Gene stands a reasonable chance of beating Finny.

During the summer session of 1942, when the students are given more leeway due to the regular staff being gone on summer vacation, Gene and Finny create the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session, a group whose members must jump from a tall tree overlooking the Devon River in a daredevil attitude. With most of the boys joining in, the Society consumes more of their time in ever expanding games and activities, until, during an initiation, Gene and Finny find themselves on the tree. Jealous of Finny’s easy successes, Gene bounces the branch, and Finny accidentally falls, resulting in a broken leg. Finny will never play sports again.

Aghast at what he has done, Gene tries his best to help Finny recover, but with more friends shipping out to war, their friendship has been damaged. Gene hopes to make it up to Finny, but how can he when he’s the one who ended Finny’s one true love? Will Gene have to courage to reveal his role in the accident? What will be the cost to their friendship?

A growing up novel where friendship and jealousy mix freely, A Separate Peace will remind the reader that, like Gene, being true to oneself is accepting the parts, good or bad, that we play in other people’s lives.

Lair of Dreams

Bray, Libba. Lair of Dreams. Book 2 of the Diviners series. 2015. 613p. ISBN 978-0-316-12604-5. Available at FIC BRA on the library shelves.

When Evie O’Neill and her friends solved the ritualistic murders that were taking place in New York City in 1926, she proclaimed to all who would listen that she was a Diviner, one of the folks who possess rare talents such as being able to divine the future, or, in her case, tell the past through holding an object. Her public announcement caused a rift between herself and her uncle Will, but led to her hiring for a radio show. As America’s Sweetheart Seer, Evie parties hard and manages to spend a few days in each hotel before being evicted for being loud, inconsiderate, or simply not the type of customer the place wants.

Meanwhile, things are still gloomy at the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition and the Occult. Sam Lloyd is still searching for answers on Project Buffalo, and he’s convinced that Will knows more than he lets on. Jericho struggles with Evie’s rejection and Mabel’s obvious interest and is unsure of his next step as the only man-machine combination. Memphis continues to be tormented by his ability to heal while he watches his younger brother Isaiah develop his ability to predict the future.

Theta Knight and Henry DuBois IV pursue their musical careers, but Theta’s fear of losing control of a secret power she wields forces her to distance herself from her relationship with Memphis. Henry, for his part, continues to search for his lover. In a dream, he meets Chinatown resident Ling Chan, who, like him can travel in other people’s dreams. The daughter of a Chinese man and an Irish woman, Ling lost the partial use of her legs due to sickness and now must walk about on crutches. In her dreams, though, she does not have to.

A mysterious disease begins to spread through New York City, first in Chinatown, then elsewhere. People fall asleep, and cannot be woken up. Eventually, boils appear on their bodies and they die, seemingly burned from the inside out. In their dreams, both Henry and Ling encounter a Chinese girl coming to the United States to marry a rich husband in New York. As more and more people succumb to the sleeping sickness, the Diviners realize that this girl is somehow involved. In the shadows, a mysterious government agency is attempting to find all the Diviners. And in the background, the man with the black stovepipe pulls the strings. Can the Diviners stop the sleep sickness before it strikes one of them?

Johnny Tremain

Forbes, Esther. Johnny Tremain. 1987. 322p. ISBN 0440442508. Available at FIC FOR on the library shelves.

With the death of his mother, Johnny Tremain moves in with the Lapham family in Boston so he can become a silversmith apprentice with old Mr. Lapham. The Laphams had lost their children, but took care of their grandchildren, and they planned to marry Cilla and Johnny together so the business could stay in the family. But in 1773, at fourteen, Johnny is not really interested in Cilla. Of the three apprentices, he is the better one and he can craft silver as fine as Mr. Lapham in his heyday.

When Mr. Hancock requests a silver dish to match one Mr. Lapham made decades ago, Johnny agrees to make it. Filled with pride in his work and in his abilities, however, Johnny has been less than charitable towards the other apprentices, so Dove, one of them, decides to get even. During the manufacturing process Johnny burns his hand badly when molten silver pours on it, and he becomes crippled.

No longer able to work as an apprentice, Johnny is lost and doesn’t know what to do. The sin of pride has cost him everything. Eventually, Johnny meets Rab, another youth who secures work for him as a rider who delivers newspapers. In 1774 Boston, the colonists are railing against British authority and taxes being levied by the King. The entire city is divided between Patriots and Loyalists to the Crown, and crippled Johnny is able to maneuver between both sides though he supports the Patriots. As Johnny gets more involved with the Sons of Liberty and running messages for them, he re-evaluates his life, including his interest in Cilla. And when British troops depart Boston in the night, Johnny knows that this is the match that will light the powder keg and ignite the Revolution. Can Johnny make a significant contribution even though he is crippled?

The Disappearances

Murphy, Emily Bain. The Disappearances. 2017. 400p. ISBN 978-0-544-87936-2. Available as an eBook from Overdrive.

It is 1942, and fifteen-year old Aila Quinn’s mother, Juliet, has just died, and her father has just been drafted by the U.S. Navy to fight in the war. With no other relatives in the small town of Gardner, Connecticut, Aila and her younger brother Myles are sent to live with Mathilda and Malcolm Cliffton in another small town called Sterling a few hours away by train. Mathilda was Juliet’s best friend when they were growing up, and Aila vaguely recalls her coming to visit them when she was four with her son Will. Present at the funeral, she volunteered to house the children while their father was away.

Pulled away from everything, Aila is resentful of her mother’s death and her departure from everything she knows. Wanting a souvenir from her mother, she takes her old copy of Shakespeare’s complete works and discovers a ring and a message addressed to Stefen and hidden in the book. In the message Juliet tells Stefen she loves him. Aila has never heard of Stefen, but her mother always kept her childhood a secret.

Arriving in Sterling, Aila quickly discovers that all is not well. The town, along with two other villages, have lost several ordinary things present everywhere else. Titled the Disappearances, these elements have vanished one at a time, every seven years, over the last thirty five years. There are no smells in Sterling. No vivid colors. No stars in the sky. No dreams. No reflections in mirrors. And the next Disappearance is coming soon. The people of Sterling have developed variants, dust that can temporarily alleviate these missing things, but for the most part they do without.

The disappearances began on the day that Juliet was born, and she is known as a catalyst. Aila quickly realizes that the people in town feared and hated Juliet, for she was the only one who regained a Disappearance when she left the town. As Aila begins to investigate this mystery, she discovers that the Disappearances appear related to Shakespeare’s plays, and her mother had taken extensive notes in her book. The more she digs, however, the more she discovers information about her mother she did not know. She also begins to fall for handsome Will, who likes her as well.

But a powerful actor is bent on insuring that no one solves the Disappearances, for there is profit to be made selling variants. With the next Disappearance fast approaching, can Aila navigates small town politics and enemies before it is too late?

Eragon

Paolini, Christopher. Eragon. Book 1 of the Inheritance Cycle series. 2003. 509p. ISBN 0-375-82668-8. Available at FIC PAO on the library shelves.

On the large continent of Alagaësia, fifteen-year-old Eragon occupies a very small place in the village of Carvahall, as removed from everything else as one can get. An orphan, Eragon lives with his farming uncle Garrow and his cousin Roran about 10 miles out of the village, in the shadows of the Spine mountains. A foreboding place and rumored to be full of magic, the Spine mountains are left alone by the local residents, but Eragon long ago learned how to hunt and avoid its pitfalls.

Eragon is looking for food for the coming winter during one of these hunts when he comes across the strangest stone he has ever seen. Polished and with different shades of blue, it must be worth a small fortune. He brings it back to the village and attempts to sell it, only to discover no one wants to purchase it because it comes from the Spine. Then one night the stone hatches, and a dragon emerges. Soon, Eragon and Saphira are inseparable friends, but as the dragon grows it becomes harder to hide her.

Agents of the evil king Galbatorix are on the move, searching everywhere for the dragon egg that was stolen from the king. The elf that carried the egg was captured, but not before she transported the egg away. Two of those agents, a mix of bird and men, the Ra’zac arrive at Carvahall looking for Brom, a former dragon rider, but they stumble upon Eragon and begin the chase. Eragon escapes in the Spine, and the Ra’zac kill his uncle Garrow.

Vowing vengeance, Eragon decides to pursue his attackers as they retreat. Brom accompanies Eragon and trains him on the history of dragon riders and of Alagaësia, as well as on the proper ways of magic and combat skills. Soon the pursuers become the pursued as Galbatorix’ soldiers are intent on capturing Eragon and forcing him to join forces with the evil king. Saved from imprisonment several times by a new friend named Murtagh, Eragon rescues Arya, the elf who carried the egg, but she is dying and in a magically induced sleep. Now Eragon and Saphira’s only hope is to find the Varden, an opposition group fighting Galbatorix, in their secret base before it is too late. But with an army of Urgals, fierce and ruthless creatures, on their tails, will they reach their destination in time to save Arya, and, if so, at what cost?

Peopled with amazing creatures and vivid descriptions, Eragon is fantasy at its best, with magic, dragons, and sweeping vistas. Fans of Lord of the Rings will find themselves at home in the universe of the dragon riders.

The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone

Griffin, Adele. The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone. 2014. 256p. ISBN 978-1-61695-361-4. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Addison Stone was one of the most brilliant artist of her generation. Blazing a light through the art world, she exploded on the scene after her junior year of high school and moved to New York City, where she ultimately died in an accident unfurling artwork high above a bridge. Told by the people who knew Addison, as well as from her own words collected through interviews, the reader explores the tormented life of someone who clearly suffered from schizophrenia. We read about her rebel life and her unwillingness to bend to the rules. Her parents struggle through their marriage, and her brother, who loved her very much, tries to help. The only time Addison feels like herself is when she is working on her art.

Discovered by her art teacher in high school, she enters and wins prestigious state and national awards, and signs up with an unscrupulous art dealer. With more money than she knows what to do with, she moves to New York City where she encounters rich Zach, the son of one of her art dealer’s wealthier client, and they madly fall in love. The relationship strains, however, and Addison jettisons Zach for Lincoln, a fellow artist. Zach can’t let go, however, and he begins plaguing Addison’s life. She returns the favor by burning down his cottage in the Hamptons.

As her life struggles escalate, Addison sinks even further into mental illness, and Lincoln finds himself unable to help her. Addison is just too much, even for the people who love her. A rebel to the end, we will never know what she could have accomplished. Was her death a preventable accident, or was it murder? Neither Zach nor Lincoln are speaking, but after reading through countless interviews and careful documentation, the reader can only reach one conclusion ...

The Diviners

Bray, Linda. The Diviners. Book 1 of the Diviners series. 2012. 578p. ISBN 0-316-12611-X. Available at FIC BRA on the library shelves.

It is 1926, and the world of jazz and exuberance has come on the scene. In Ohio, seventeen-year-old Evie O’Neill has the uncanny ability to obtain very personal information about a person from an object. The more personal the object, the more she knows about its owner. When she reveals that the town’s golden boy has gotten a girl pregnant, she is faced with a choice: apologize publicly for her “inaccurate” statement, or get exiled to New York City to live with her uncle until things die down back in Ohio. Thrilled at the possibility of heading to the Big Apple and spending time with her best friend Mabel, who lives in the same building as her uncle, Evie agrees and departs on the train.

Once in New York, she is skillfully robbed by a young man named Sam Lloyd who wakes her up to the dangers of life in the city. Meeting her uncle Will, who is the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition and the Occult, she is introduced to Jericho, with whom Mabel is enamored. Evie can see why. Tall and blond, Jericho is her uncle’s assistant and was adopted by him years ago.

In Harlem, Memphis and his younger brothers both have talents of their own. Memphis used to be able to lay hands and heal, but hasn’t summoned his ability since the death of his mother. His younger brother, Isaiah, can divine cards and see in the future. Abandoned by their father after their mother’s death, they live with their aunt Octavia. Memphis is a hustler for the local crime lord, but he really wants to be a poet.

And in an old abandoned mansion, a shadow grows. Naughty John, a prophet of the Breathens, was executed for the murder of the mansion’s former owner back in the 1850s. His spirit is back, however, and seeks to complete a ritual involving eleven sacrifices that will release the Beast. The Beast will inflict evil on the world, but will then be banished by the Breathens, leading to paradise on Earth. As Naughty John moves closer to his goal and gets stronger from every sacrifice, Evie, Memphis, and a cast of unforgettable characters get caught in a deadly intrigue of occult and paranormal. Ritual murders plague the city as Solomon’s comet approaches Earth. With only a few days left, can Evie and her friends stop Naughty John?

And the Trees Crept In

Kurtagich, Dawn. And the Trees Crept In. 2016. 341p. ISBN 978-0-316-29870-4. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

Living in London, Fourteen-year-old Silla and her four-year old sister Nori have just run away from their abusive father, and seeking refuge, they turn to their aunt, Catherine. She lives at La Baume, a manor that has been in their family for generations. Located outside of a small village in England in the middle of Python Woods, the residence is decrepit and old, and Cath used to run an orphanage there.

Nori cannot talk or make a sound, and she was severely injured to the point where her collar bone and her arm are now deformed. Cath is happy to meet them, and welcomes them into her life. Over three years, Silla and Nori grow up but lack for nothing, except companionship. The manor does not have a telephone, nor a television. Electricity is provided by an old generator, which is broken more often than not. Still, it’s a better life than being stuck in a small apartment with a violent man.

Life in the manor becomes strange, however, and it becomes clear to Silla that something strange is taking place. Cath warns them not to go in Python Woods, ever. When Cath tells the story of the Creeper Man, who supposedly dwells in the forest, Silla becomes scared. Cath tells them the Creeper Man will never let them out of the woods. When Cath serves a birthday cake with living earthworms inside, Silla becomes even more scared. Then Cath barricades herself in the attic, and doesn’t come down. Suddenly there are weird sounds throughout the manor, almost as if it is haunted. A strange boy, Gowan, arrives from the woods and offers to help them. Food begins to run out. And all the while, the trees are physically getting closer to La Baume as the house itself appears to be slowly sinking in the earth. And Nora. Poor Nora, she should have a normal childhood. Instead, she is hungry all the time, and she is the only one who can see that the Creeper Man is in fact already in the manor. Silla must discover the source of the Creeper Man’s power before Nora and her succumb to the threat represented by the trees creeping ever closer …

The horrific atmosphere of La Baume builds slowly, but as details are revealed the terrifying nature of what the girls face is revealed. Fans of horror will definitively want to get their hands on this scary book!

I Am Number Four

Lore, Pittacus. I Am Number Four. Book 1 of the Lorien Legacies series. 2010. 440p. ISBN 0061969559. Available at FIC LOR on the library shelves.

Eleven years ago, the planet Lorien was invaded by the Mogadorians. Though the population was scientifically advanced and possessed enormous powers called legacies, the surprise attack all but obliterated what was a beautiful planet, turning it into a wasteland.

Nine children, each accompanied by a tutor, were able to board a spaceship and escape to Earth, where they have been hiding ever since. The group split up and now each pair of trainer and child disappeared into the population, slowly training and awaiting the emergence of their legacies. Their hope is to re-establish life on Lorien and rebuild its prosperous civilization.

The Mogadorians followed them to Earth, however, and each of the nine is hunted down by these sadistic soldiers. Fortunately, they are under Lorien’s protection and can only be killed in numerical order. When Number Four, going by the name John Smith, is alerted through a painful tattoo that Number Three has just perished, he knows the Mogadorians are coming after him next.

Now established in the small town of Paradise, Ohio, John and his trainer Henri attempt to lay low. Unfortunately, John falls for beautiful Sarah and runs afoul of Mark James, captain of the football team and a bully. He also becomes friends with Sam Goode, an alien conspiracy theorist.

As the school year passes, John is forced to evade questions about his origins, while Henri continues to push his training and work on his legacies, which include resisting fire and minor telekinesis. Unfortunately, a party at Mark James results in the house burning down, and John is observed saving Sarah and Mark’s dogs from the second floor room where they were stuck. Now John’s picture and name is out on the Internet. With no time to spare, John and his friends must get ready for the Mogadorians’ assault and their dreaded monsters. Can a motley group of aliens and humans survive one of the savagest races in the galaxy?