Aoife is a ward of the state, lives in the city of Lovecraft, and attends the School of Engines. Her mother is an asylum for  madness and her brother has run away after viciously attacking Aoife on his sixteenth birthday. The doctors tell Aoife (pronounced ee-fuh) that her family suffers from a strain of the dreaded necrovirus. This strain causes a person to go increasingly insane as the virus eats away the person’s brain. It is only a matter of time before Aoife suffers the same fate as her mother and brother. The doctors assume she will go mad just like her brother: on her sixteenth birthday, which is only weeks away.

Aoife is almost resigned to her fate until one day she receives a coded message from her lost brother. The letter tells her to seek the witch’s alphabet at her father’s estate in order to stay sane. Aoife believes the letter to be a ravings of a madman. If anyone discovered the letter Aoife could be declared a heretic just for communicating with someone infected by the necrovirus. In Aoife’s world the country is run by a group called the Proctors and that anything dealing with magic and monsters are actually different side effects of the necrovirus. The Proctors prize rationalism and science. If anyone mentions the supernatural they can be thrown in jail or burned in a public display.

But Aoife does not want to lose her mind so she leaps at the chance that her brother’s letter represents. Soon she is running away from the only home she has ever known. Her best friend Cal follows her to keep her safe. Aoife and Cal must must trust the riffraff and heretics that they have been taught to loathe in order to make it to Arkham.

But there will be danger along the way; monsters beyond imagine as well as the Proctors who are on their trail. Aoife will have to trust her crazy brother, and herself if she is going to discover the secrets of the witch’s alphabet in time. If she doesn’t she will lose her mind and the world as she knows it will die, forever locked away on the other side of insanity.

The Iron Thorn is a great read. It does take a while for the story to explain how Aoife’s world works. The author has taken many different genres and woven them together in an impressive way. There is a lot of steampunk and the horror of H.P. Lovecraft, but there is also dashes of fantasy. This world might seem incredibly different to you but if you give it chance it is well worth the read. Highly recommended and appropriate for ages 14 and up only due to the high learning curve of getting to know the strange and wonderful world Aoife lives in.

Annah has been surviving alone in the Dark City for three years. Her friend Elias left to join a militia group called the Recruiters; who are ruthless warriors that protect the remnants of humanity against the zombie horde.

Annah didn’t grow up in the Dark City though. She group in the Forest of Hands and Teeth surrounded by tall fences. When she was just five years old her, her twin sister Abigail, and Elias left to explore the forgotten paths that connected different villages amongst the forest. When Abigail scraped her knee the blood from the wound woke the monsters on the other side of the fences. Elias and Annah fled leaving Abigail to fend on her own.

Ever since Annah has led a life of guilt. Perhaps this is why she takes risks, like exploring tunnels under the Dark City. It was under there where she fell into barbed wire and sliced her face and body to shreds.

Elias still cared for her despite the scars. But after he left all she had were her scars and self loathing. After three years of despair she decides to leave the city. But just as she is leaving the city she sees her own face without any scars coming into the city. She thinks she is hallucinating. But she isn’t. Her long lost sister has come to the Dark City… and she has brought a boy who is infected with the zombie disease.

What has Abigail been up to all these years? Can Annah find her sister in the Dark City? Can she protect Abigail from the Recruiters? And what of Catcher, the infected boy? He can walk amongst the living dead but not be attacked. Something has brought Annah’s past to the Dark City. Is Annah strong enough to uncover the mystery? Or will she discover that Abigail resents her for being left behind.

The Dark and Hollow Places is an excellent addition to Carrie Ryan’s post-zombie apocalypse world. This one has suspense, thrills, chills, and just a dash of romance to keep it light. Highly recommended and appropriate for ages 14 and up.

Cassel Sharp and his family of supernatural gangsters are back. Cassel realizes now that he is the rarest kind of curse worker: he has the power to transform other people. He could simply change their looks, or change them into an animal or even a harmless object. His power was already being used for the Zacharov crime family by his older brothers who would erase his memories after he would get rid of any enemy of the mobster. Cassel knows he has made people “disappear” but he can’t remember any of it. Is he still a murderer?

And he has another reminder of how powerful he is when the girl of his dreams Lila begins attending his elite prep school. This is the girl he thought he killed but really just changed into a cat for many years. Plus she is Zacharov’s daughter and heiress to a powerful mobster family. Lila likes him too, but she was cursed by Cassel’s mom (an emotion worker) to love and adore him. So Cassel can’t even trust her feelings for him.

To make matters worse Philip, Cassel’s brother who manipulated Cassel into killing, winds up dead from many gunshot wounds. Now Cassel’s family, Zacharov, and the federal agents are after the killer. And they all think Cassel knows more than he does. Cassel will have to rely on every grifter technique he knows to weasel out the truth. But he will also need to rely on something much worse: his friends. How can Cassel find the killer, please everyone, get the girl, and keep his friends safe? It seems the odds may be stacked against him this time.

Red Glove is an excellent sequel to White Cat. Both have such an excellent mix of mobsters, magic, and mystery. Highly recommended and appropriate for ages 14 and up.

Seth is a teen with best friends Kady and Luke,one day Luke says he got hold of the rare comic featuring the city of make believe city of Malice. When Luke disappears the next day, Seth gets worried.

So he does the chant and ritual said to get him into the world in the horrifying comic that involves kids getting in bad situations getting chased by horrible creatures. But then when he wakes up he isn’t in his bed he is in a different world on a train. And he finds out that Malice is real and the creatures are out there to kill him and some to suck time out of him.

He finds out that all the missing kids are here and if you die in the Malice you die in real life. This world is controlled by the evil Tall Jack who is selling these mysterious comics and controlling this world.He also meets up with some other kids including one who saved his life from a chitter monkey a monkey that sucks time out of you. Seth saw a victim die when it bit her. And in her pocket was two white tickets that on the train can take you anywhere or take you home. And the black tickets can take you anywhere but not home.

Now everyone thinks he is missing to. And Kady is worried to0 because he is gone. But one night while she is talking to her cousin she finds out that she never went to visit her and that her mom is a professional hypnotist and what really happened is that she disappeared for four months and came home one day dazed and couldn’t remember where she was because when you come out of Malice you cant remember anything.And she does the chant and ritual to get back to Malice and save Seth. She uses the ticket and finds him. And they find a wise woman and they ask her about how to defeat Tall Jack.

If you want to find out what happens to Kady and Seth and if they will ever get out and defeat him or stay there forever. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars because it is part comic part book and all action I would recommend it for people who like action and don’t mind some scary things.

Now these are vampires! So many monsters have lately fallen to the paranormal romance genre. It is nice to see vampires being mean and willing to kill just about anything.

American Vampire tells two stories. In the first a young woman, Pearl Jones, lives in the Hollywood of 1925 and longs to be a movie star. She is seduced by a movie star who then turns her over to a coven of vampires. They feed on her and leave her for dead.

The second story is about a ruthless bank robber, Skinner Sweet, in the old west of 1880. While being hunted down by lawmen Skinner is accidentally turned into a vampire. But sometimes new vampires evolve different traits when they come from different regions of the world. The vampires we all know, those who fed at night and who are killed by wooden stakes, are European vampires. Skinner becomes the first American vampire. He can walk during the day and stakes don’t harm him. When he feeds he transforms large claws and huge monstrous jaws. He is definitely a breed all his own.

Many years later Skinner is still around. He finds Pearl and turns her into an American vampire. Soon she will want her vengeance against the old guard but most of all she needs wants to snack on the living.

American Vampire is a great comic, and classic horror. A must read; it is appropriate for ages 16 and up.

Zombies Vs. Unicorns

This anthology easily became one of my favorite reads of  the year. It poses a simple question: which supernatural creature, zombie or unicorn, is better?  In order to find out the answer the editors gathered zombie and unicorn stories from some of the best young adult writers in the world.

The stories in the anthology rotate between zombie themed and unicorn themed. The interesting aspect of the anthology is that there is so many different aspects of both zombies and unicorns that ideas rarely get repeated. Each story feels fresh and original, as well as fun. There is definitely a tongue in cheek feeling to most of the stories in the anthology.

So if you are looking for a quick, fun, and engaging book for winter break then pick up Zombies Vs. Unicorns. I highly recommend it. It is appropriate for readers 16 and older due to some foul language and sexual innuendo in a small number of the stories.

The Enemy

Life has changed. It has been a year since a mysterious disease has infected everyone older than 16. The adults have become hideously deformed and driven mad because of their illness. After awhile the boils and tumors that have taken over their bodies burst and the adults mercifully die.

But those adults who continue on as walking monsters follow their basest of desires, hunger and anger. The only ones not infected are the children; who have inherited London. But the children must watch out for there are new dangers in town. The adults are hungry and they will kidnap and eat whomever they can find.

The easiest prey are  the youngest and weakest of the children. But fortunately there are older kids around who have learned to survive by killing the monsters who would gobble them up. One such group has taken shelter in a small supermarket. They send out scavengers everyday to find canned goods, or to hunt animals for food.

Their leader, Arran, is the wisest, bravest, and fiercest fighter they have. Unfortunately he has been recently bitten in the latest skirmish with the adults and lost a fellow fighter. He is weary of eking out a meager existence by merely surviving. As the bite festers, he becomes feverish and his desire for peace and quiet increases.

When a young stranger shows up at their supermarket with the promise of a urban paradise Arran is unable to resist. Their new plan is to trek across London to Buckingham Palace, where another group of kids have settled and begin to reclaim civilization.

But London is a dangerous place and the adults are getting smarter. Will this young army of children be able to make it to the palace? And if they get there will life be any better? They will have to hope for the best, but it is doubtful that all of them, if any, will make it to the palace alive.

The Enemy is a grisly survival story. It presents a different take on traditional zombie tales, and is full of suspense. Recommended to horror fans who need an action-packed adrenaline rush. Appropriate for ages 14 and up due to the amount of gore.

The Demon’s Covenant

Mae has killed someone in order to save her brother Jamie. Her victim was an evil magician who tried to feed her brother to demons, but he was still a person. She has tried not to think about it and move on. But then she discovers her brother, who has a gift for magic but not the knowledge or skill to use it, being harassed by the school bullies. Before she can intercede she finds herself frozen. A magician has spelled her. He then scares away the bullies and helps Jamie out. Jamie is relieved and treats the magician like a good friend. But Mae knows who this magician is; he is the leader of the circle of magicians who threatened she and Jamie mere months before. His name is Gerald and Jamie should be very afraid of him, but he’s not. Once Gerald and Jamie leave together, the spell on Mae is broken. She immediately seeks the aid of Alan and Nick, the brothers who helped defend she and Jamie from the magicians before.

But things are not easy between the two brothers. Something has happened between them that has strained their loyalty to each other. It doesn’t help that Mae is attracted to both of them. However they are all in agreement that Jamie is playing a dangerous game by hanging out with magicians. As they try to decipher Gerald’s motivations they come across a deeper plot that will change the balance of power between the magicians and all who oppose them. Gerald needs to be stopped because he seeks to expand his power and the only people in his way are Mae, Jamie, Alan, and Nick. Soon Mae will need to make tough decisions again; decisions in which she may have to kill again, or watch allies die. She will have to put her feelings aside and focus on the fight ahead, because if they lose, then the magicians and their demons win.

The Demon’s Covenant is a superior book to its predecessor, The Demon’s Lexicon. If you enjoyed the first book you will definitely be thrilled by the second. This story is shaping up to be a great new series and I am looking forward to the third installment. Appropriate for ages 14 and up; recommended to urban fantasy enthusiasts.

Eclipse

We all know the love triangle between Bella, Edward, and Jacob. Eclipse offers us more of the same tension that New Moon did.

However there is more of a plot here than the previous novel. People are going missing in Seattle and the Cullens fear that someone is creating a army of new vampires. Eventually Bella figures out that the army is coming after her, and it is led by her nemesis Victoria. Edward and Jacob will have to devise a plan of stopping the army while also protecting the girl they both love.

While not a fan of the Twilight novels, Eclipse is probably the best written one (I haven’t read Breaking Dawn yet). While I feel that the books dwell too much on the brooding between Bella, Edward and Jacob (the majority of each book is just brooding, and I feel could have been better edited) this one does have some interesting moments. The native american stories of the spirit warriors is a great scene. Edward and Bella’s conversation on marriage, losing her virginity, and becoming a vampire is a great ethical discussion on virtue and whether being old-fashioned (i.e. waiting for marriage) is still appropriate in today’s age.

Obviously, Eclipse is  recommended to Twilight fans, or those of romance. Appropriate for ages 12 and up.

The Demon’s Lexicon

Nick, and his older brother Alan, have been on the run from evil magicians and demons since he was a baby. Although they have no magical ability themselves, they do rely on talismans, and train relentlessly to fight off evil when it finds them.

The magicians are after Nick and Alan’s mother, a magician herself who has been driven insane by the very magic she possesses. She wears a very valuable and powerful talisman. Nick and Alan have sworn to protect her. Even though Nick is only 16 he has fought many magicians and even killed when it was necessary.

The odd thing is that Nick is ambivalent about killing. Alan is tortured by what they have done to survive, but Nick feels no remorse. He even enjoys the thrill of the hunt a little bit. Nick isn’t worried by his feelings, but he knows that something isn’t quite right with him. When the brothers get new visitors, a young boy (Jamie) and his older sister (Mae), Nick feels defensive that his brother Alan can bond with them more easily than his own brother.

Jamie needs help, he has been marked by a demon. Nick wants to ditch them so he can keep Alan away from the beautiful Mae.  But soon demons attack and Alan is marked himself. Now the four of them will have to find the magicians who are hunting them and get the marks removed.

But something is nagging at Nick. He can’t seem to relate to their new friends. He becomes suspicious and starts snooping into the history behind one of his brother’s favorite books. Soon he discovers a horrible secret; a secret that tests his loyalty. Will he stay true to his family or will he turn his back and join the horde of magicians and the demons they employ?

The Demon’s Lexicon is a pretty good read. It starts off extremely rough. It took me at least 150 pages to get into a groove with it. But it finishes strong and I look forward to reading the sequel. The book is appropriate for ages 14 and up and recommended for those who are fans of Holly Black and Cassandra Clare.