Tag Archive | villains

M is Maile Meloy’s The Apprentices (book review) – chasing mystery around the world

Apr15

book cover of The Apprentices by Maile Meloy published by GP Putnam This potion makes you a bird,
this one lets you enter another’s mind,
the apothecary of peace creates many powerful mixtures,
and evil persons want them all…

As the Cold War heats up, our friends Janie, Benjamin, and Pip must  travel the world to find one another and prevent the ancient secrets of the Apothecaries from becoming weapons!

Please do read the first book in the series, The Apothecary (my review here), before savoring The Apprentices in your choice of formats, including its June 2014 paperback edition.

Can peace prevail over the desire for power?
**kmm

Book info: The Apprentices (Apothecary, book 2) / Maile Meloy; illustrations by Ian Schoenherr. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: As Janie’s water desalination chemistry project succeeds in 1954, the teen knows that only her friend Benjamin can help her keep its true secrets from falling into the wrong hands.

Although halfway around the world, the friends can finally talk after 2 years of coded letters because Benjamin and his apothecary father have discovered an amazing instant communication method.

Janie realizes that the attack on her chemistry equipment and her expulsion from school were caused by her roommate’s greedy father who owns an island in Malaya.

Being kidnapped, flying in bird form between Pacific islands, eluding a cargo cult – Benjamin and Janie must prevail over terrible odds to prevent disaster in this exciting sequel to The Apothecary.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

K for Korman & The Hypnotists: Hypnotize Me (book review) – mind control for good or for evil?

Apr12

book cover of Hypnotize Me by Gordon Korman published by ScholasticThe power of irresistible persuasion,
multiplied by technology –
of course, villains want it!

Grab this fast-paced tale of mesmerism, a mysterious brain studies institute, and a seventh grade “mind-bender” trying to balance the greater good with his new-found powers at your local library or independent bookstore today.

Book 2 of the series, Memory Maze,  is due out in Summer 2014.

If you could hypnotize anyone to do anything, where would you draw the line?
**kmm

Book info: Hypnotize Me (book 1 of The Hypnotists) / Gordon Korman. Scholastic Press, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: The extraordinary mental powers of two family lines come together in a young teen sought by people who want to control his hypnotic skills for evil!

Jax just thought he was lucky, like being elected to Student Council by landslide write-in vote when he didn’t even campaign, but when he finds that he can change another’s actions by merely thinking it, he realizes that it’s something more.

So does the very respected Dr. Mako, who recruits Jax for training in hypnotism with other skilled teens at his  Sentia institute.

When Jax discovers that not all “mind-benders” agree with Dr. Mako, he wonders what the kids at Sentia are being trained to do.

Mysterious disappearances, nefarious plots, and the fate of the world spice up Jax’s seventh grade year in this first book of The Hypnotists series.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Spies and Prejudice, by Talia Vance (book review) – girl undercover or under the radar?

Mar7

book cover of Spies and Prejudice by Talia Vance published by EgmontGuys aren’t only lying when their mouths are moving –
Berry’s surveillance photos for divorce cases prove it.
So she’ll never fall in love with anyone – too risky.

Listening devices and hidden videocameras are the tools of her trade, but Berry certainly never expected to overhear the cute new guy label her “nothing special” while she was on a stakeout!

Over 200 years after its publication, Pride and Prejudice  still inspires retellings of its story of misdirected love and misguided snobbery. Surely Jane Austen would admire Berry’s forthrightness, as well as exploding jeweled bracelets and micro-camera eyeglasses as vital articles of fashionable apparel!

Have you read any other inspired-by-the-classics or mash-up contemporary YA books lately?
**kmm

Book info: Spies and Prejudice / Talia Vance. Egmont, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Secrets and betrayal are nothing new to Berry, but the teen isn’t used to cute guys interfering with her undercover work.

Maybe it began when Tanner and his brother Ryan came to McHenry High, or when senior Drew started talking to Berry in the library, or when the woman who witnessed the accident which killed Berry’s mother eight years ago now says it wasn’t an accident…

Her high-tech genius best friend is falling for Ryan, Tanner tells Berry that she can’t trust Drew, and Drew says that Tanner and Ryan aren’t who they claim to be. Add in her first Homecoming dance and a mysterious letter from her mom addressed to someone who denies it – no wonder Berry is distracted during routine stakeouts for her dad’s private investigation firm.

Hidden identities and mixed messages are funny until they become deadly serious in this tale of espionage, romance, and the family business (with a nod to the Jane Austen classic).  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Clockwork Scarab, by Colleen Gleason (book review) – the Misses Stoker and Holmes, on the case!

Feb4

book cover of Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason published by Chronicle BooksAncient Egypt is all the rage,
“Cognoggins” crave the newest steam-machines,
London society’s fairest maidens are being kidnapped…and worse!

It’s Evalina who inherited the Stoker family call to hunt vampires and the superhuman quickness needed to succeed. The logical mind and innate problem-solving skills shared by Sherlock and Mycroft also live on in gadget-loving Mina.

Only the personal request of Her Highness could make these rivals work together in this 1889 world powered by steam… and lies.

Add a handsome police detective, a young man of the streets who knows more than he should, and a stranger who claims to come from the future (where electricity is legal? Oh, who is he trying to fool?), and things get more complicated than either independent-minded miss had anticipated!

Check out the first Stoker & Holmes book today at your favorite local library or independent bookstore, and immerse yourself in a steampunk city with mystery and mayhem.

Or should modern writers not take classic tales beyond their original authors’ limits?
**kmm

Book info: The Clockwork Scarab (Stoker & Holmes, book 1) / Colleen Gleason. Chronicle Books, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: When young London society heiresses go missing and leave scarab amulets behind, Stoker and Holmes must investigate – that’s Eva Stoker, vampire hunter, and Mina Holmes, niece of Sherlock.

Summoned by the Princess of Wales to solve the deadly mystery, the two young ladies find another dead girl in the British Museum’s Egyptian room – and a young man in strange garb who claims to come from the future!

Inspector Luckworth of Scotland Yard suspects this Dylan fellow in the case, charming street urchin Pix knows more than he’s telling, and another young lady of quality disappears…

Can Eva’s defensive talents keep rational Mina from becoming the scarab cult’s next victim?

Can Mina solve the scarab mystery before Eva’s impulsive actions close off all clues or get them both killed?

Can they get Dylan back to his time in his own world?

Something much deadlier than illegal electricity is stalking the streets and levels of steampunk London in this first volume of the Stoker and Holmes series, even if these dedicated young ladies are underappreciated by the men in their noted families!  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Coda, by Emma Trevayne (book review) – music=death, must play anyway

Jan17

book cover of Coda by Emma Trevayne published by Running PressIn the future, personal music is illegal.
Mainline the Corp’s music now and die later of mindrot.
Skip the Corp’s music-drug today and be mind-wiped tomorrow.

Chrome skin implants to gleam under the lights at the music club where the lower levels get their music fix every night, the credits for it earned by letting the Corporation siphon off brainwaves… this future’s so bleak that self-named Anthem’s craving to make his own music is like a torch – and the Corp is all-too-ready to stamp out any individual spark.

This first book in the Coda series is available now in paperback – grab it today at your local library or independent bookstore!

How far would you go to express yourself?
**kmm

Book info: Coda / Emma Trevayne. Running Press Teens, 2013.  [author’s Tumblr]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Only the Corporation may create music, deeply encoded and addictive, but a few citizens like 18-year-old Anthem sneak away to play their own punk-rock songs at the risk of being mind-wiped if caught.

In this not-so-distant future, video cameras everywhere record all your actions and implanted chips tell the Corporation if you’re not listening to enough life-shortening music tracks daily. Anthem’s younger sister and brother are his main reason for living; making his music is the only reason he feels alive. But a few stolen hours of playing his made-from-scraps guitar aren’t enough anymore…

Can Anthem and his friends find a way to perform in public?
Will they live long enough to keep his little brother and sister safe?
Why did the Corp turn music into a drug and a weapon?

Deciding who to trust, daring to love an Upper Level, the chance for revolution – this Coda may signal a change in the music of their lives or a crashing final chord.   (One of 7,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Relic, by Heather Terrell (book review) – frozen secrets, fiery ambition

Jan15

book cover of Relic by Heather Terrell published by Soho TeenHumanity’s remnants dwell on a single Arctic island,
shunning the technology which led to Earth’s near-destruction by flood,
purposely bound by medieval rules more rigid than the ice Ringwall protecting New North.

Eva isn’t a meek Maiden, content to embroider and to make an advantageous marriage. She can’t leave her family’s honor Quest unfulfilled following her brother’s mysterious death – she must venture into the frozen wasteland outside the Aerie as the first female Testor in generations. To prevent her from succeeding, someone is willing to do anything…

Read a selection from the prequel novella Chronicle here, then rush to get Relic at your local library or favorite independent bookstore now – you won’t want to miss a chilling moment of Eva’s quest for answers.

Is technology still our tool, or has it become our master, as the Triad claims?
**kmm

Book info: Relic (Books of Eva,  book 1) / Heather Terrell. Soho Teen, 2013. [author site]  [publisher site]  [author interview video] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: When her twin brother suddenly dies, Eva feels compelled to fulfill his Quest, despite all odds…and sabotage.

Eamon and the other Testors had long trained for the Boundary Land’s frozen challenges – discover a Relic, write its cautionary tale, earn respect in the Aerie where the words of Lex rule everything.

So Eva searches the Lex and finds a precedent which allows her to participate,
even though true Maidens know their place – at home,
even though the Triad elders grudgingly allow her to go – hoping that she fails,
even though Eva’s discovery in the ice may shatter her society’s foundation.

Their ring-walled city survived when technology’s evils doomed the world to die by flood, but can it survive the truth which Eva uncovers?  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Palace of Spies, by Sarah Zettel (book review) – impersonation, extortion, treason!

Nov6

book cover of Palace of Spies by Sarah Zettel published by Houghton Mifflin HarcourtDanger, passion, politics, treason,
strictest etiquette ruling every word and movement,
secrets upon secrets in the palace!

Laced tight into her gowns and her role, imposter and spy Peggy is treading on dangerous ground at court with every hand of piquet played and every meaningful glance from her sister ladies-in-waiting.

So much upheaval when Queen Anne died and left no clear successor – George of Hanover is now king of Protestant England, James Stuart the Catholic is sure he’s the true king, and spies in both their courts are trying to make sure the “right” king reigns.

Just published on Nov. 5th, Palace of Spies asks “How brave could you be if your country’s future was at stake?”
**kmm

Book info: Palace of Spies (Palace of Spies, book 1) / Sarah Zettel. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Impersonating a lady-in-waiting is the least of the dangers awaiting Peg in King George’s court, as the orphaned teen must uncover a treasonous plot before the killer strikes again.

Nothing could prepare 16-year-old Peggy for the shock of being thrown bodily into the street when she refuses to marry the abusive man chosen by her guardian. As the poor cousin, she’s always been at the fringes of London society events, so now must accept “Mr. Tinderflint’s” offer of help, curious about how he knew her late mother.

How very odd! Her unladylike skill with languages will help Peg become Lady Francesca, a lady-in-waiting whom Princess Caroline thinks is recovering from a terrible illness. Evidently, no one knows that Fran died while away from the court, so Peg will step into her silk brocade shoes and continue spying in the palace! Dangerous times in 1761 England, as King George has been placed on the throne over James Stuart, who is still trying to become King.

Now Peg/Fran must balance not only her towering wig and court etiquette, but also the demands of Tinderflint’s partners for daily reports, the jealousy of other ladies-in-waiting, a handsome artist, and an unsuitable suitor with Stuart sympathies!

Can she keep fooling everyone in Hampton Court?
Which side of the royal dispute is Tinderflint on?
How can a Lady ever be with a mere artist?

Spies everywhere, coded messages in the woodwork, and no way to let her cousin know she’s still alive – Peggy has her clever hands full in this first book of the Palace of Spies series. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Solstice, by PJ Hoover (book review) – hotter’n Hades in new Texas?

Nov4

book cover of Solstice by PJ Hoover published by Tor TeenFatal heat waves,
acceptable losses,
is there any solution?

Her mother’s overprotectiveness, her father’s abandonment, the eternal summer that’s killing everything on Earth – and somehow just-turned-18 Piper can fix everything??

As PJ noted at a recent author talk, she actually did have some input on the cover art (most authors don’t) and made sure that the city skyline was truly Austin!

Especially for fans of

  • dystopias (with a twist)
  • Greek mythology
  • growing up stories and finding your own path
  • climate change as a character
  • ancient tales set in modern times
  • love triangles with real tension

Grab this debut novel from a Texas Sweetheart writer today and discover the depth of the choices which Piper must make.

How far would you go to save your family? to save the world?
**kmm

Book info: Solstice / P.J. Hoover. Tor Teen, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [publisher book trailer] [author’s book trailer]  Personal copy; cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk:
Piper endures her overprotective mom and the heat waves sweeping the earth, little realizing that she alone holds the key to solving the global climate crisis and averting the death of humanity!

Mom’s greenhouses protect rare medicinal plants from the heat bubbles that push Austin over the 120 degree mark so often now. But they’re like a prison to Piper, who just wants to graduate and go somewhere, anywhere away from the dark visions which began on her 18th birthday.

At school, handsome Shayne understands her better than her best friend does and new guy Reese promises answers about Piper’s ever-absent father. Her mom’s sudden out-of-town trip gives Piper the chance to go on her first dates – and discover that she’s not just a teen girl from Texas!

Questions about the strange birthday gifts delivered by messenger and her mother’s habit of moving them so frequently have peculiar answers, involving the Underworld and Hades’ motivation, plus Mars plotting to rid the world of humankind forever…

Who is Piper (really)?
How could she stop the Global Heating Crisis?
Which stunning guy should she choose – when her mother hates them both?

Greek mythology meets near-future dystopia in this debut novel where only the relationship stresses are hotter than the everlasting summer.
(One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Two Lies and a Spy, by Kat Carlton (book review) – spy family crisis, doubled

Oct25

book cover of Two Lies and a Spy by Kat Carlton published by Simon SchusterRendezvous point compromised,
agent contacts cease,
where are Mom & Dad?

Yep, spying runs in the family for Kari and Charlie, but something has gone terribly wrong with the pre-arranged emergency plan.

Much more serious than Ben’s tongue-in-cheek adventures at Spy School  and Spy Camp  (my reviews here and here) or Maggie’s undercover gig at a ritzy private high school in Also Known As  (review here), Two Lies and a Spy keeps you wondering what the lies are…and who’s telling them.

**kmm

Book info: Two Lies and a Spy / Kat Carlton. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: The code black message from her spy parents puts Kari on alert, but when their meet-up plans fail, the teen and her genius little brother are on the run – from their own government!

Kari doesn’t mind leaving school early (even if Luke and Evan the new British guy see her), but she’s concerned when other agents show up at the rendezvous site – her parents would never send someone else to pick up her and Charlie in this situation! After plans A, B, and C for their meet-up all go wrong, Kari is getting frantic with worry.

Her best friend Rita overheard her dad the senator say the Andrews are a now menace to the country. Luke’s dad is CIA director and let slip that her mom is in custody. Kari’s still trying to get in touch with Aunt Rita, the only family they have.

Desperate times, desperate plans – no way her folks are Russian double-agents!

Which are lies and what’s the truth?
Will Kari’s friends help find her parents?
Can she keep Charlie safe until they do?

A spy story with a twist, as Kari tries to ignore Evan’s flirting, stop daydreaming over Luke, and maintain a calm image for 7-year-old Charlie while staying clear of the CIA in the heart of Washington, D.C. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Clockwork Heart, by Liesel Schwarz (book review) – dark powers invade steampunk London

Oct21

book cover of A Clockwork Heart by Liesel Schwarz published by Del Rey BooksA warehouse filled with beating hearts,
An army of mechanical-hearted homeless,
Danger for London – can the Oracle hold back the Dark?

Grab book 2 of The Chronicles of Light and Dark if you like:

  • steampunk London + romance
  • true friend nightwalking vampires or absinthe fairies with poor judgment
  • dirigible captains with a penchant for gambling and daredevilry
  • ancient entities reborn into a more-modern time
  • the struggle between forces of Light and Dark cast in an alternate history

Naturally, you’ll enjoy this book more if you had already followed Elle battling A Conspiracy of Alchemists  (book 1 reviewed here) when she discovered her heritage as Oracle, but you’ll get bits of the backstory throughout this book as her beloved Marsh is captured and fitted with  A Clockwork Heart  whose time is running out!

*kmm

Book info: A Clockwork Heart (Chronicles of Light and Shadow, book 2) / Liesel Schwarz. Del Rey, 2013.   [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: The Oracle must solve the mystery of the Tickers to reclaim her true love and save the world from being overrun by the creatures of Shadow before time runs out!

Looking at young Lord Greychester and his lovely wife, one would never suspect them to be a bound warlock and the Sibyl herself. Marsh and Elle are trying to blend in with London society, but his experiments with Spark and her airship charter flights could make them conspicuous.

Elle’s dreams are interrupted by the warnings of all the Sibyls who have gone before, telling her to turn the airship around and return to London – Marsh has disappeared! Scotland Yard won’t help her find him, so she enlists the help of an absinthe fairy, a Nightwalker with a good heart despite her appetite for human blood, and her father with his inventions to find out where he’s been taken

The Consortium of Shadow prepares to attack the Council of Warlocks and overcome Light once and for all, using an army of mechanical-hearted people animated by Spark and darkness. Among the paupers and drunks brought into Clothilde’s grisly workshop within the electromancers’ monastery is Marsh.

Can Elle uncover the Consortium’s plan?
Can she rescue Marsh before it’s too late?
Is it all a trap to lure her into Shadow forever?

This second book in The Chronicles of Light and Shadow takes readers to an alternate steampunk London where the walls between the domains of good and evil are growing ever-thinner. Read A Conspiracy of Alchemists first to get the full story of this ages-old conflict and Elle’s unwilling rise to be the Oracle which both sides want to possess.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)