Lost: Book 2 of The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas

From the book flap--because I am in the process of moving and am feeling a bit of a time crunch.

"Never mix fire with magic!

Conn may only be a wizard's apprentice, but even he knows it's dangerous to play with fire...especially around magic. His master, Nevery, warns him that it could all blow up in his face. Besides, they have bigger problems to deal with. There is evil afoot in the city of Wellmet, an evil that isn't human.

But Conn is drawn to the murmurs he hears every time he sets off an explosion--something is trying to talk to him, to warn him. When none of the wizards listen, Conn takes matters into his own hands. His quest to protect everything he loves brings him face-to-face with a powerful sorcerer-king and a treachery beyond even his vivid imagination."

--Again, I really loved this book. And I also enjoy how Conn just always tells the truth, he's very straightforward. Even when he knows that someone won't like his answer he tells them what he's going to do anyway. And even though he began as a gutterboy thief, he shows that he's much more than that. Definitely read book one first though!

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

This post is actually written by my husband, because he actually does this as part of his job and is much better at it than me. I really enjoyed this book, but was having a tough time writing up a little review of it. So, here's the review:

"In Barcelona in the early '30's, the gothic violence of the penny dreadful fuels the public imagination. David Martin, a lowly employee at a Barcelona newspaper, becomes, through the benevolence oef a fellow journalist, the famed (but pseudonymous) author of the most popular novels in town.

What happens next could easily have been ripped from the plot of one of Martin's penny dreadfuls. Eerie houses, torrid romance, betrayal, and violence drive Martin toward madness. Is his mysterious benefactor a devil or an angel? Is the mystery he thinks he's uncovering real, or an illusion? Answers are hard to come by in this well-crafted fiction .

I certainly enjoyed the second novel I've read by Sr. Zafon. While his earlier novel was more traditional, he is certainly adept at using style and genre to illustrate something deeper."

--I, too, really enjoyed The Angel's Game. And highly recommend reading his earlier novel, The Shadow of the Wind, either before or after this one. I think that you could read these two in either order, but there are some things that show up in The Angel's Game that might make more sense if you read Shadow first. They're not in a series, exactly, more novels that are linked in small and subtle ways, but it's fun to see it when the links show up. I read somewhere that Zafon hopes to write at least two more novels that are connected to The Angel's Game and The Shadow of the Wind, and I'm excited to see how they turn out. The other incredible thing to me is that Zafon's novels are written in Spanish and translated into English. He has an amazing translator. I think that the way the books are written, the way Zafon uses words, is another part of why I enjoy them so much. These are not children's or young adult books, though, nor fantasy, definitely not my usual choice. They're kind of magical realism, and there's definitely something going on here just under the surface that's not really explained.

Need by Carrie Jones

Things just haven't been the same for Zara White since her step-father died. And to top it off, some strange guy she's never seen before suddenly begins to stalk Zara. So her mom sends Zara to stay with her grandma in Maine for a change of scenery. The theory is that it will be good for her and snap her out of her melancholy.

With the move to Maine also comes adjusting to a new school. Zara quickly finds a few friends, and some enemies, at the school. And both are, well, more than they seem. Unfortunately, the freaky stalker has followed Zara to Maine, and stranger still he leaves a trail of gold dust in his wake... Can Zara figure out this stalker's Need and what is really happening in her new small town in Maine before it's too late?

--Need was a fun, quick read. But I should probably tell you that it's fun as in one of those Twilight, Wicked Lovely kind of books. It's dark, a little suspenseful, and Carrie Jones does a good job of creating that by setting it in a small town, in the late fall, early winter in Maine. Surrounded of course, by woods. I can't really say much more about what you'll find here without giving too much away, but I'd recommend this book especially to girls, young adults though, and to those who like a little romance, a little suspense, and a little of what made Twilight so popular. Oh, and it looks like it's going to turn into a series. I promise I don't try to find just books that are part of a series! It does help when trying to find something to read, and there are an awful lot of really good ones out there right now. But I find that I'm getting a little series-weary. I promise that it is something I've been thinking about lately, but Sharon over at Shermeree's Musings said it first on a recent post. It kind of struck a chord with me and I decided I'd just throw in a little mention of that here as well. Probably means that it's time to read a few books that don't fall into the fantasy, sci-fi, children, young adult category. Hm, we'll see what we can do.

Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

From the inside book flap (because somehow it says it better than I can):

"Capturing Witches

Binding Boggarts

Driving Away Ghosts

For years, Old Gregory has been the Spook for the county, ridding the local villages of evil. Now his time is coming to an end. But who will take over for him? Twenty-nine apprentices have tried--some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive.

Only Thomas Ward is left. He's the last hope; the last apprentice.

Can Thomas succeed? Will he learn the difference between a benign witch and a malevolent one? Does the Spook's warning against girls with pointy shoes include Alice? And what will happen if Thomas accidentally frees Mother Malkin, the most evil witch in the county...?"

--Wow, I totally loved this book! It's a little dark, a little creepy, and full of all those wonderful things about witches and boggarts that make October such a fabulous month. And that part about Alice with the pointy shoes? Also loved that. Alice is an interesting character that Thomas meets, and it's definitely too soon to tell how she's going to turn out. Spooks have a very important, but lonely job. They make sure that the dead don't bother the living. They also have to deal with witches, who are extremely tricky, and even worse after they die. Thomas is apprenticed to the current Spook to see if he has what it takes to take over one day. Something tells me that Thomas has more than what it takes, and I'm interested in finding out more about that too. I suspect it's something to do with his mom. Revenge of the Witch is book one in The Last Apprentice series, and I know, another series, but this is one I'm really excited about. I'd recommend this book to kids who enjoy good vs. evil, some magic thrown in, and also stories with a little touch of the dark in it.

The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan

This is the second book in the Ranger's Apprentice series, and King Duncan is preparing for battle against Lord Morgarath. Will and Horace, meanwhile, are sent on a special mission with the Ranger Gilan to the neighboring land of Celtica to seek support in the coming battle. However, when they get there, they are surprised to discover most of the villages are empty--the people have been slain or taken as prisoners of Morgarath. Gilan rides on ahead of Will and Horace to take this news to King Duncan as quickly as possible. Will and Horace are to follow behind.

What is Morgarath planning? Will and Horace soon discover a surprising truth about the impending battle that could have a huge impact on King Duncan's army and their success. But there is no time for delivering this message; it is up to Will and Horace to save the King's army!

--The Ranger's Apprentice series is really exciting, and continues to be a great read, especially for those who love fantasy and/or adventure. In The Burning Bridge Will takes on a leadership role, which is a little daunting at first, but he rises to the challenge. (Link to my review of book one, The Ruins of Gorlan.)

Watcher in the Woods by Robert Liparulo

Watcher in the Woods, book 2 of The Dreamhouse Kings series, starts right where the first one left off. The King family is desperate to find their mom, who disappeared through one of the doors in the house that lead to other worlds. They decide they need a plan, a systematic way to track mom down through all the possible worlds the house leads to. At the same time, David, Xander, and Toria have to deal with the first day of school and pretend that everything is normal.

But NOTHING is normal. The Kings must find their mom before another one of them disappears.

And to make matters worse, a Mr. Taksidian shows up, and he'll stop at nothing to take the house away from the Kings. He's definitely up to something, and knows more than he's saying about the house.

In Watcher in the Woods, the mystery of the Kings' house deepens and time feels like it's running out!

--I'm really liking this series. It's suspenseful, different, and cool. I also really like the fact that, as someone commented on my review of book one, House of Dark Shadows, this is a family that really cares for each other, works on maintaining family ties, and the father is really involved in his children's lives. I suspect the mom would be too, but she's stuck in some time warp, time continuum thing (and I apologize, I've returned the book and forgotten the names of the parents!). And as mentioned, book two starts to get really interesting. There are hints at future answers about the house, even maybe the person who took mom. There's definitely a lot more going on here than first meets the eye and it will be exciting to read more and find out what happens!

The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas

Meet Conn.

Conn is a pick-pocket in the magical city of Wellmet.

And Conn, well, Conn should be dead right now. He just stole a locus magicalicus from the wizard Nevery.

A locus magicalicus you ask? It's a stone used to focus magic and work spells. Each wizard has one, meant just for him, and this one should have killed Conn the moment he touched it. This has Nevery wondering about Conn. He agrees to take Conn as a wizard's apprentice, but on the condition that in one month's time Conn find his own locus magicalicus. In the meantime, Nevery is in Wellmet to try to discover why the city's magic is weakening.

Conn is having a hard time finding his locus magicalicus, not to mention the fact that he has to go to school. Conn has his own theory about what is happening to the magic in Wellmet, and he must save the magic before it is too late!

--I really enjoyed this book. It does take a few pages to get used to the writing style, but I found myself drawn in and racing to finish the book in no time at all. The story is interesting, different, and Conn is a smart, interesting character. I also loved that not only is Nevery teaching him how to be a wizard, but Conn also has something to teach Nevery, and that was fun to read about, too. I have to confess to being a mystery geek when I was a kid, and there are some fun coded messages from Conn at the end of each chapter to decode. I would have loved that as a kid, and still found it kind of fun now. This book ends with kind of a cliff-hanger, so I'm glad to see that book 2 is already out. It'll have to go on my hold list soon!