Wings (Black City #3) by Elizabeth Richards

Hardcover, 400 pages

Published June 12th 2014 by Putnam Juvenile

Following the cliffhanger ending of Phoenix, Natalie finds herself separated from Ash and unexpectedly reunited with her parents, including the father she thought was dead. But she can only think of Ash. She hasn't heard a word of him since she and Elijah were brought to the underground headquarters of the Sentry Rebellion. But she vows to find him.

Ash, meanwhile is back in Black City; it's the perfect place to hide from the Sentry government. But not for long. He won't give up on Natalie or bringing an end to the terrible reign of Purian Rose.

A pulse-racing end to an exciting series.

This book!! Oh my goodness! As you may remember from my reviews of Black City and Phoenix (if you haven't read the reviews, go do it :)), I am in love with this series and have had this book since the beginning of this year and have been waiting on putting up the review. So here we go...

Though I knew this series had to come to an end, I didn't want it to. However, no one but Elizabeth Richards could wrap up a series this well. Not only were we given new insights to Natalie and Ash, but also to so much more. I gasped, I got mad, I cried, and I loved this book from cover to cover. Sometimes when you read the third book in a trilogy, it is full of rehashing what was already talked about or done, but that was definitely not the case with Wings. 

One of my students introduced me to the series, so when I got finished reading this one (the day after I got the ARC in the mail) I took it to school and handed it to her. I wish that I could have gotten a picture of her face. It was priceless! She had it read within a few days so we have had fun talking and rehashing the series long before the others got their hands on it. 

If you haven't read the series, go now and buy it. Especially if you are missing Divergent or any of the other amazing YA Dystopian novels out there. You won't regret it! Visit Elizabeth Richards here to find out more about her, her books, and other goodies!

Happy reading!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Genre: YA Paranormal, Fantasy

Publisher: Little Brown and Company

Hardcover,  432 pages

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

 Karou has always known that her life was different than others, but she was fine with that. Growing up with what others would considers monsters as family members was normal to her and even though it has been an adventurous life, she still feels as if something is missing. Her sketches bring her comfort when she needs is as does her best friend, Zuzana. Her life begins to change when she goes on an errand for Brimstone and it lands her in the path of the mesmerizing Akiva. She knows that things are different with him, but is she truly ready to find the answers that have been haunting her? Is she ready to have her eyes opened to whom or what she really is? Only time will tell. 

I devoured this book. I am not sure what took me so long to pick it up. My only guess is that it was just waiting on the perfect time to land in my lap... and boy did it! The creativity of Laini Taylor simply astounds me. Creative writing is a passion of mine (personally and within my teaching career) and this has to be one of the greatest examples of just that... letting the creative juices flow. One of the things I really don't like about adult fiction is that it seems like the same plot is recycled. As a constant reader, I have started to see this happen with YA and it has started to stress me just a tad. This novel, however, is just what I needed to show that there are some uber creative authors out there continuing to break the mold! There were times when I was convinced I had it all figured out, and then I would turn the page and it was almost as if I could hear Laini laughing saying, "Haha... you just THOUGHT you knew what I was going to do, huh?" But that is what I loved most. The edge of my couch is worn out because I was sitting on it while reading this and my finger nails are chewed down. 

Now I am trying to figure out how I can get to her or the publisher before November when the second book comes out. I simply cannot wait that long! 

Happy reading everyone :)

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Genre: YA Fantasy, Horror

Publisher: Candlewick

Hardcover, 215 pages

At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting — he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments.

The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth.

From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd — whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself — Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined. (www.goodreads.com)

Conor is a boy who is struggling with the fact that his mother is dying. At thirteen, that is not something you are ready do deal with and as if that isn't enough, a monster has started visiting him nightly. Conor is forced to face not only an emotional monster but a physical one as well. 

One word comes to mind with this novel... genius! There is no way that five starts, stickers, lollipops or anything else could be enough for it. I was taken on a journey through every emotion possible while reading this and still get torn up after having read it three times. My good friend Kellee told me to read it and I had put it off for so long, but when I did pick it up for the first time, I knew there was a reason I hadn't read it yet. I wasn't ready. I still don't know that I am ready for it now! Maybe as an adult I have taken much more from the book than Patrick Ness anticipated, but I can see the same happening with my students. This amazing novel is one that I will be reading again and again... but only when I am ready.

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

Genre: YA Fantasy
Pages: Hardcover, 384 pages
Publisher: Dial (September 18th 2008)

Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child's birth. But Lucy is the first girl who won't be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents beside her. And she has Zach, whose strength amazes her more each day. Do they have enough love and resolve to overcome an age-old evil?

This was a beautifully crafted book which kept me on my toes throughout the read. The weaving of the folk song “Scarborough Fair” in with the story was very original and beautifully crafted. I hadn’t listened to this song in quite some time so I had to go back and listen to it as I read the book. There is a quote that talks about how everyone sees at least 1000 story ideas a day but a true author takes note of at least five. I can’t find it now and it is bugging me but Nancy fits this. She listened to the song and the idea popped. It makes me wonder what ideas we all walk by every day!

Lucy was beautifully written and a very relatable character. I thought a lot about her as I was reading and what she was going through. (I actually have 4 entries in my notebook about it) I wasn’t sure about the concept of a faery in stories because I wasn’t a big reader of faery books… now I am hooked though! Nancy is a tremendously talented author who has written a magnificent story of love, struggle, magic and perseverance. I can’t wait to read her newest novel, Extraordinary, and see what she has in store for us next. Great read!

Visit Nancy here to read more about Impossible and her other novels. Enjoy the trailer for Extraordinary for now!!