Book of the Month - April: Diamond Boy

By Michael Williams                                                                                                                                                                         Patson has a relatively normal life. Living with his father, stepmother and younger sister in Zimbabwe, he attends high school, is on the cross country team, and spends his free time with his best friend Sheena. His life isn’t going to stay normal for long, though – it’s about to change in ways he never thought possible.

According to Patson’s stepmother, there are ‘diamonds for everyone’ in the Marange region where her brother runs a diamond mine. Patson’s father gives into his wife’s nagging and agrees to move the family to the diamond fields. Completely unaware of the region’s dangers and violence, and it’s obvious from fairly early on that things aren't going to work out quite as they'd thought.

Their driver abandons them in a forest filled with diamond thieves. When they finally arrive at the uncle’s house, it isn't long before they are no longer honoured guests, and Patson and his father both labour in the diamond mines, to varying degrees of success.

To make matters worse, the military takes over the mine, causing even more chaos.
Diamond Boy offers a glimpse into the harsh reality of what happened after diamonds were discovered in Zimbabwe and how greed, power and money can transform lives forever.  

Shadow and Bone

By Leigh Bardugo   

Shadow and Bone readers are taken into a whole new world, surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee. Our main character, Alina Starkov, has never been good at anything but when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life. This power could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart. 
I enjoyed the similarities to Game of Thrones and I really liked the strength that Alina demonstrates; very inspiring.
Like book trailers, check out this one for Shadow and Bone.

Afterworlds

By Scott Westerfeld

This book takes place in parallel universes. Our main character Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her novel, "Afterworlds." Darcy drops everything she knows and heads to New York. Once she gets to New York she has no apartment or friends and she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wing. This story is told in alternating chapters flipping between Darcy's life and her novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.
Check out the book trailer here and check this book out today.

Book of the Month - March: Salvage

By Alexandra Duncan

Seventeen year old Ava was born and raised in deep space, on a merchant ship called the Parastrata. The culture of her ship is conservative and patriarchal. Women have babies, cook, clean, and work with textiles and animals. Men are leaders who take multiple wives, act as guards, fixers and flyers and are allowed to travel between the space ship and Earth.  Ava has never known anything beyond the Parastrata and as the captain’s daughter, or “so girl”, she is obedient and accepting of the rules – usually.

When she is sent to a neighbouring ship to be married, she makes a huge mistake the night before her wedding and is sentenced to death in the Void. Utilizing her natural aptitude for “fixes” and problem solving, she narrowly escapes to the Earth below, leaving behind everyone and everything she has ever loved.

Landing on Gyre, a floating trash pile on Earth, she is astounded to learn that women are capable of more than she ever imagined. Ava learns both figuratively and literally how to stand on her own two feet. Her new found freedom ignites her brave and adventurous spirit, brings forth unexpected friends, a secret family…and maybe even love again.

This unique feminist science fiction story was right up my alley, and the character development was great. Check it out!

Cruel Beauty

By Rosamund Hodge

Cruel Beauty is an adaptation of Beauty and the Beast with some Greek Mythology thrown in. Our main character, Nyx, since birth, has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom, because of a bargain struck by her father. Also since birth Nyx has been training to kill her future husband, Igniflex. On her seventeenth birthday, Nyx has to leave her home to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. She has to not seduce this awful man as well she must destroy the enchanted castle to break a 900 year old curse, this will help set her people free. But it turns out that Ignifex is quite charming and sort of wins over Nyx. She starts falling for him.

note: this one takes a bit to get into as the author Hodge is creating a whole new world for the reader to become immersed in.

I liked the way that even though this is a fantasy the main character Nyx reacts very realistically, she is not perfect and not always likable but she is very real.

Book of the Month - February: Clariel

By Garth Nix

Sixteen-year-old Clariel is not happy about the move to the city of Belisaere in the Old Kingdom. She misses her old life where she could roam the forests, and be on her own. City life is busy, crowded, and surrounded by ugly stone walls. All Clariel wants to do is find a way out so that she can start to live her own life.

However, she soon realizes that things are not all that they seem. A dangerous creature is loose in the city and someone wants to harm the King. Can Clariel find a way to regain her freedom and prevent chaos from descending on Belisaere? Or is it too late?

The book Clariel is a prelude to The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix (Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen, and Across the Wall). I love this series. Clariel takes a little bit of time to get into it, but once you do the story really takes off!

The Accidental Highwayman

The Accidental Highwayman: being the tale of Kit Bristol, his horse Midnight, a mysterious princess, and sundry magical persons besides.

By Ben Tripp

Readers are taken to eighteenth-century England and into the life of Kit Bristol. He is a simple servant of a nobleman, or so he thinks. One day when his master arrives home Kit is brought into a world of highway robbery, magic and mystery. The full title of this book tells us a lot about what to expect. When his master arrives home, badly bleeding, after another one of his outings; Kit dawns his masters garb and ventures off into the night.

This is a new take on fairy tales and is filled with every aspect of the fantasy world. There is romance, intrigue, and some humor for good measure. I particularly enjoyed the vocabulary, accents and vernacular of some of the characters. Some are comparing this book to the Princess Bride, while I would not go that far I would say there are elements that are similar.