River Readers

Indira has been waiting forever to be chosen to go to Fable. She just knows she is going to be the hero in a story. When she is finally chosen things don't go as planned. She fails her auditions and is put on the side character path at school. But her adopted family is great and she starts making friends. Then things start going wrong at Protagonist Preparatory. Students are missing, Indira's homework ends up blank even though she completed it, and her adviser gives her bad reports from her teachers.

Brilliant high school misfit Quentin Coldwater is leading an average life until he gets invited to sit for exams at a magical college. He is one of the few who passes the exam. Evenutually he learns that the Filori books (similar to Narnia) that he loved growing up are descriptions of a real place. Its been described as Harry Potter on Irish Whiskey.

Lady Evie Everly, 17th in line for the throne lacks the traditional magical capabilities that her family has. What her family doesn't realize is that Evie's special form of magic is being able to nullify other people's magic. Described as a cross between Gladiator and Game of Thrones.

We Were Witches, at its heart, is about a single mother in the 1980’s trying to make it in the world despite all the obstacles in her way. But it is so, so much more. It is such an anomaly that I can’t explain it or put it into a genre. It is a feminist manifesto, it is a history lesson in the suppression of women. It is mystery and magic and yes, witches. It is brilliant and I loved every minute of it.

After being discredited on the Mike Douglas Show, The Amazing Telemachus Family no longer had dreams of touring fame, though their abilities were genuine -- well, almost. Frankie can move objects, Irene is a human lie detector, Buddy can sense the future and their mother Maureen can astral project. And then there is the patriarch Teddy, whose abilities are more along the lines of con man. After a tragic event, the family has not fared too well, unemployed, in debt, having trouble with relationships and engaged in odd home construction projects.

Here is the third volume in George R.R. Martin's magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. Together, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.

Dany loved sixth grade but when she goes into seventh grade her friends are in other classes. She finds herself lonely, bullied and unable to break through the cliques and find new friends. She inherits her great-aunt's old notebook and discovers that the things she draws in it come to life. She begins to use its magical powers to alter her situation and as usually happens when magic is involved, things go awry.

I thought the artwork was very good but the story was disjunct and not cohesive. I didn't enjoy this graphic as much as I thought I would.

The Bird King takes place during the end of the reign of the last sultan of Granada. The story centers on a concubine named Fatima and her beloved friend, Hassan. Hassan has a magical skill that enables him to draw maps of places he's never seen and alter the reality of those places. His gift is coveted because of its importance in times of war and retreat. On the edge of losing his kingdom, the sultan hands Hassan over to the Inquisitors who have come to negotiate the transition of power to Spain.

All his life, Reyes Alexander Farrow has suffered the torments of the damned. Only one thing has given him hope: the woman who radiates a light that no mortals can see; a light that only the departed can see...

Told from his point of view, BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN chronicles the first time Reyes ever encountered Charley, and how their relationship has been the one thing that can either save him or doom him. goodreads.com

Iris and Lark Maguire are identical twins. On the outside, they look the same but on the inside they are very different. They are the perfect compliment to each other, one quiet and creative, the other practical and down to earth. Then disaster happened, for the first time ever, they would be in separated classes. how would they survive? Who would protect Lark from the school's number one bully? Iris ranted and reasoned. Lark pleaded. No one would listen. they pretended to listen. They pretended to understand but the fact was, they didn't. No one did.

Iris and Lark are identical twins whose differing personalities and styles fit together perfectly. Iris is practical, logical, and outspoken. Lark is a dreamer, artistic, and shy. Their inseparable status is threatened, however, when they are assigned to different fifth-grade classrooms. Iris is sure it's a mistake, but the girls' parents and principal are resolute that separating Iris and Lark will help them grow as individuals.

This was an intriguing listen and nothing like the story I grew up hearing. However, with the "evils" of gold, this telling makes perfect sense. The fact that Red is tied in to this story too, makes it a nice addition to the series.

It was fun to re-listen to this additional book in the Heroes of Olympus series. I had forgotten how funny Hermes snakes were and I am still intrigued by the story that was written by Haley, Rick's son. I think it would make an interesting series of stories.

Molly and her brother, Kip, are desperate. Their parents are gone and they are on their own. They have exhausted all their options save for the promise of work at an old English manor house. When they arrive they soon discover that all is not as it seems.

This book is wonderfully creepy, mystical and engaging. I don't usually like books like this book found myself riveted in Molly and Kip's story. This is the second of Jonathan Auxier's books I've read and loved. I am anxious to pick up another.

Elfin Brangwain Spurge is catapulted into goblin territory in order to present an artifact to their leader as a peace offering. At least that's what he believes. In reality, the artifact is a bomb, and he the unwitting bomber. Why would elves offer peace to such a brutal society?