Tag Archive | death

V is Vengeance Road, by Erin Bowman (book review) – revenge is a dangerous path

Apr26

book cover of Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers | recommended on BooksYALove.comJust her and Pa on the homestead,
till the Rose Gang came a-killin’ –
now it’s time for revenge…

Kate will track down the killers in the unforgiving Arizona deserts and mountains to avenge her father’s death, but when the 18 year old discovers that the gang is after the gold that her father hid, look out!

Read chapter one here (courtesy of the publisher), then hunt down this wild Western tale at your local library or independent bookstore!

We need girls with grit in westerns and all kinds of books – Kate is as gritty and tenacious as they come.

Family secrets… shared any lately?
**kmm

Book info: Vengeance Road / Erin Bowman. [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Kate’s riding hell-bent for leather on the Arizona frontier to avenge her father’s murder, as she follows the treasure map that he hid for her, ready to kill every member of the Rose Gang… as long as they don’t get her first!

Apaches and dust storms, the Superstition Mountains and a secretive old miner, Pa’s mysterious and cryptic map… Kate’s trail is perilous and bloody.

If Kate’s heart is consumed by vengeance, will there ever be room for anything else?

U is uncertainty & Rules for 50/50 Chances, by Kate McGovern (book review)

Apr25

book cover of Rules for 50/50 Chances by Kate McGovern published by Farrar Straus Giroux | recommended on BooksYALove.com Hereditary disease.
Test to find out
or live till it grabs you?

Rose’s mother has Huntington’s Disease and is losing control of herself and her abilities bit by bit.  At 18, Rose can take the genetic test that tells whether she inherited the fatal disease or not. Then she meets Caleb…

Would you want to know how you’re going to die?
**kmm

p.s. May is Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month, so look for a Team Hope HD Walk near you.

Book info: Rules for 50/50 Chances / Kate McGovern. Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers , 2015 [author site]  [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: As her mother’s condition worsens, 18-year-old Rose wonders whether taking the genetic test to see if she also has Huntington’s Disease would stop her from dancing ballet or planning for college or letting new friend Caleb have her heart.

S is Stone Rider, racing for better future, by David Hofmeyr (book review)

Apr22

book cover of Stone Rider published by Delacorte | recommended on BooksYALove.comRide out of town or die there.
You and the byke as one being,
the desert ready to eat you both…

If Adam can win the treacherous Blackwater race for a one-way ticket to Sky-Base and luxury, without being attacked by gangs trying to race their way to freedom too, or ambushed by bandits, or captured by the mythical Nakoda…

Love, death, and motorcycles that contain the essence of every owner who’s ever ridden them in this futuristic desert world.

Could you gamble it all for one chance to be free?
**kmm

Book info: Stone Rider / David Hofmeyr. Delacorte Press, 2015.  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Only way to Sky-base and the good life from the grubby town where the Colonel owns everything and controls everybody? Gotta win the Blackwater Trail race through unforgiving desert with bandits, cannibals that might not be myths, and a hundred other riders on their motorcycles that are part living things.

Adam has lost his father and his brother, all reasons to play it safe gone now. When the stranger Kane keeps the Scorpion gang from stealing Adam’s entry fee for the race, maybe the teen has a ally…

Will Adam survive long enough to tell Sadie how he feels?
Can he remember all race lore that his brother told him?
Who is Kane, really?

In this future world, there is no future as long as the Colonel has control of the mines and the people – unless Adam can ride his way to freedom.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

P is brother’s Personal Effects & personal secrets, by Kokie (book review)

Apr19

book cover of Personal Effects by EM Kokie published by Candlewick | recommended on BooksYALove.com Dad is a bully, no secret there.
Brother is a war hero,
his secrets run deep.

His big brother T.J. joined the Army and got killed in Iraq, and Dad still wants Matt to enlist after high school. Surely something in his service footlocker will tell Matt why T.J. told him never to enlist…

This strong debut title won several awards and has been out in paperback for a while, so you should be able to find it at your local library or independent bookstore easily. (I read an advance copy long, long ago, just found it while moving bookshelves… sigh).

How well can you truly know someone?
**kmm

Book info: Personal Effects / E.M. Kokie. Candlewick Books, 2012 (hardcover), 2014 (paperback). [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Matt doesn’t know what to make of the letters he finds in T.J’s footlocker, the one they finally sent home from Iraq, long after the closed-casket funeral.

Since then, it’s been an eternity of being Dad’s punching bag, of hearing that the Army is his only option in life, even after T.J. warned Matt to never, ever enlist.

But he needs answers, what the shrinks call ‘closure’ about his big brother’s death, so the Pennsylvania teen takes a road trip (never mind that he should be studying for junior year finals) to the Ohio return address on all those love letters to T.J. and finds out that he really didn’t know him at all.

Family ties he never imagined could exist, wondering if his best friend Shauna will ever be anything more, imagining the freedom to choose his own future…

O is Overpowered by strange forces, by Mark H. Kruger (book review)

Apr18

book cover of Overpowered by Mark H. Kruger published by Simon & Schuster | recommended on BooksYALove.comLowest crime rate town in Colorado,
deadliest place for birds, it seems,
maybe to people, too?

Nica hates the curfew and play-it-safe ways of Barrington, where she now must live with her doctor dad after years of world-trekking with her journalist mom.

But the strange light flashes at night and scores of dead birds that no one comments on and regular blood tests at school (sponsored by the town’s major employer) are weird, truly weird.

A few other students think so too, but a little investigating starts a whole lot of trouble.

How to decide when to play it safe or when to go after the truth?
**kmm

Book info: Overpowered / Mark H. Kruger. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2014 (paperback).  [author site]  [publisher site]  [author interview] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Globe-trotting Nica gets stuck in a small, super-safe, super-friendly small Colorado town where the teen discovers eerie light beams after curfew that may be linked to sudden changes in everyone’s behavior, but investigating could be deadly.

Mom’s headed for Antarctica, so Nica has to stay with her dad in the most boring town ever – low crime rate, mandatory curfew, a tech company that supports the high school in everything (and runs the town’s private security force). A missing girlfriend recently, but no one will talk about her.

Why doesn’t anyone ever object to repeated blood tests at school or notice the green light pulse at night or comment about all the dead birds in the morning?

What triggers the townspeople’s about-face from pleasantly calm to angry at everyone?

Were Nica, Oliver, and Jackson enhanced by the light pulse or targeted by someone because they investigated?

First in a series that looks at safety, super-powers, and the ties of family and friendship in new ways.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

N is Natalie, fighting addiction in Other Broken Things, by CJ Desir (book review)

Apr16

book cover of Other Broken Things by CJ Desir published by Simon Pulse | BooksYALove.com “Powerless over alcohol”… well, maybe
“Fearless moral inventory”… don’t want to go there
“A Power greater than ourselves”… ummm

Nat attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings only because her probation after the car wreck requires it, not because she needs to.

Finding connections there with her mentor and with a cool older guy is a bonus, especially after her party-friends at school snub her.

But there’s something more, and maybe she does need help to get through all this.

Check with your local library (National Library Week is every week, right?) or independent bookstore for this January 2016 title with strong characters who are weak at their cores.

Fearless moral inventory…
**kmm

Book info: Other Broken Things / C. Desir. Simon Pulse, 2016.  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: After Natalie’s drunken car wreck and rehab, the Chicago teen must attend AA meetings, where she meets a mentor who cares more than her suburbanite parents do and a much older guy who might just get her past the reasons she stopped boxing and nearly partied herself gone.

K for Kenny & the Sword of Kuromori, by Jason Rohan (book review) – summoned to Japan against evil

Apr13

book cover of Sword of Kuromori by Jason Rohan published by Kane Miller Books | BooksYALove.comMysterious messages and mythic messengers,
motorcycle ninjas and undead attackers,
dream visions and the end of the world?

Kenny never dreamed that his granddad’s diplomatic work in post-war Japan would bring him face-to-face today with villains (human and otherwise) who try to keep the teen from stopping worldwide destruction.

Check out the book’s Facebook page for a tour of sites and monsters found in book 1.  I’m traveling in Japan this summer, so I will see torii gates and temples, but hope that I don’t encounter any nukekubi!

Any multi-tailed foxes in your dreams?
**kmm

Book info: The Sword of Kuromori / Jason Rohan. Kane Miller, 2016.  [series Facebook page]  [publisher site]  [author interview] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Kenny thinks he’ll finally meet up with his grieving father in Japan, but the British teen finds himself detained by government officials, rescued by his grandfather’s old allies, and expected to prevent the world’s destruction using a missing sword… in just nine days!

Maybe it starts with the raccoon-thing on the plane that only he can see, or maybe when the police stop him at the Tokyo airport, or when he’s snatched from them by a ninja on a motorcycle…

His grandfather’s connections with Japan from decades past help Kenny locate the fabled sword that shares his last name so he can learn its secrets and tap into its powers, for he is the only one who can stop a slumbering dragon from being awoken to destroy the world – it is prophesied.

Messages from spirit world allies arrive in his dreams, the daughter of grandfather’s old friend teaches him martial arts moves and essential Japanese phrases, and mythic beings try to kill them in broad daylight!

Who exactly is threatening the USA west coast with a tsunami?
How can an old sword stop an unearthly weapon?
Will Kenny ever see his dad again?

First in a series filled with Japanese culture and mythological creatures, questions about loyalty and family, plus lots of adventure and humor. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

J is Just Myrto, by Laurie Gray (book review) – first Socrates’ wife, then his student

Apr12

book cover of Just Myrto by Laurie Gray published by Luminis Books | BooksYALove.comOrphaned with no dowry,
Given away as a second wife,
Learning to love and to learn.

This intriguing piece of historical fiction brings to life Myrto, the second wife of noted philosopher Socrates in ancient Greece, who learns much from her husband, yet despairs of ever being recognized for being herself, instead of always in relation to men.

How do you introduce yourself to the world?
**kmm

Book info: Just Myrto / Laurie Gray. Luminis Books, 2014. [author site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: With no dowry, Myrto is relieved to become a second wife instead of a slave in Athens, little dreaming that her philosopher-husband would open her mind and soothe her soul.

As he teaches her, Socrates teaches invites the young woman to think and reason, just as he does with his male students, but no woman is her own person in ancient Greece.

During this turbulent time in Athens, men in power are threatened by Socrates’ teachings and challenges to ‘the way it’s always been’ so the great man is soon torn away from his young bride.

Can she persuade Socrates to escape, to leave Athens for safety?
How can she discover what she should do to better the world?
Will she ever be “just Myrto” instead of someone’s daughter or sister or wife?

Walk the dusty streets of Athens with thinkers, wonderers, and worriers in this novel of questions and interesting answers. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

F for fear in France with a Drop of Night and deadly peril, by Stefan Bachman (book review)

Apr7

book cover of A Drop of Night by Stefan Bachman published by Greenwillow Books | BooksYALove.comEscape the adoptive family,
Tap into unusual skill set,
Die in an underground palace of terrors?

Anouk hates so much about her sophisticated adoptive parents, perfect little sister, and their polished life. The chance to join an exclusive teen research team in France is too good to pass up… and definitely too good to be true.

Read the first chapters of A Drop of Night here courtesy of the publisher, and get hooked on this diverse crew of teens assembled for a supposed archaeology exploration… into a death trap.

Can you ever really outrun the past?
**kmm

Book info: A Drop of Night / Stefan Bachman. Greenwillow Books, 2016. [author site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Lured to the French countryside by the promise of a unique historical exploration, 17-year-old Anouk gladly escapes her posh New York City family and finds herself in a subterranean chateau filled with mysteries and death traps.

Maybe the five teens were picked for their various skill sets, but Anouk, Will, Jules, Hayden, and Lilly start wondering about Project Papillon’s true motives soon after they arrive at the remote French chateau with armed guards (and no cellphone service).

Why is Sapani Corporation relying on these kids to explore a historical site that’s been sealed for over 200 years?
Who is controlling the fighters they encounter underground and the hideously deadly puzzle rooms they must get past?
What if Professor Dorf isn’t the only one watching them down here?

The story alternates between the viewpoints of Anouk in the present day and Aurelie during the French Revolution as more secrets about Palais du Papillon and its frightening purpose are revealed. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

E for Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon (book review) – allergic to everything but love

Apr6

book cover of Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon published by Delacorte | BooksYALove.comCan’t ever leave her house,
Any particle could kill her,
but love can stop your heart, too…

Such a rare medical condition, yet Maddy has survived her severe autoimmune diseases to reach age 18, just as new neighbors move in next door to her airlock-sealed house, and she can see Olly there.

Surprising turns (this book reached bestseller status before I got to write about it – oops), longing for change, and a chance to love.

If you suddenly became allergic to something wonderful, how would you cope?
**kmm

Book info: Everything, Everything / Nicola Yoon. Delacorte Press, 2015.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [author video interview] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Medically fragile Maddy is no longer content to stay airlocked into safety when Olly moves next door, and the teens strike up an enticing online friendship.

Her severe autoimmune disorders were diagnosed in childhood shortly after Dad and her brother were killed, so Maddy has lived in a sealed house for years, tutored online, cared for by her doctor mother and longtime nurse.

At 18, she knows she will never go away to college or learn to drive, but is content with the arrangements that allow her to stay relatively healthy… until Olly and his family move next door.

What would it be like to touch someone besides Mom and Carla?
How can Olly share the world with her without killing her?
What if the truth is only partly true?

A friendship story, a love story, with health report charts and emails and doodles – about everything Maddy thinks she knows and wants to know. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)