The Kiss of Deception

by Mary E. Pearson

The rebellious princess runs away from an arranged marriage because she wants to experience normal life. That cliche was enough of a deterrent that The Kiss of Deception was on my shelf for a year before I tried reading it. But honestly, it was actually pretty entertaining.

Together with her handmaiden, Princess Lia of Morrighan runs away on her wedding day and settles down to work in a bar in a small village. She's followed by two men: Prince Rafe of Dalbreck, who she left at the altar; and Kaden, an assassin from Venda sent to stop the alliance between the cities of Morrighan and Dalbreck. Rafe and Kaden end up befriending Lia and, well, a love triangle happens. If you loathe love triangles, run away now!  

The chapters rotate between each character's point-of-view (POV). To make things more mysterious, "The Prince's" and "The Assassin's" POVs are featured, in addition to Rafe's and Kaden's (although it's a no brainer as to who's who). It was a really quick read for me as both the writing and the plot weren't that complex. If you're able to make it through the first book, where Lia spends the majority of her time as a bar maid, the second book is where the actual adventure begins.

The Kiss of Deception and The Heart of Betrayal are available as eBooks on Overdrive.

The Firebug of Balrog County

The Firebug of Balrog County

By David Oppegaard

Mack Druneswald is a high school senior living in Balrog County.  (Mack has named it Balrog County after the fiery monster in Lord of the Rings.  Its real name is something as boring as the place itself.)

But Mack has more to contend with than boredom.  His mother has passed away, leaving him lonely and vulnerable.  What’s a well-read geek to do but start setting fires?

Arson becomes Mack’s drug of choice.  As his internal “firebug” encourages his antics, Mack increasingly requires bigger and more daring fires to satisfy his need.

When Mack meets Katrina, a college girl who is attracted to his geeky intelligent self as well as his secret identity as a pyromaniac, Mack becomes more audacious and longs to set fire to the town’s Halloween Haunted Castle.

Although Mack’s exploits are often clever and amusing, there is nothing funny about the loss of his mother.  The reminiscences about Mack’s mother are heartfelt and emotional.  This book will make you cry and laugh out loud, all the while rooting for a kid that sets fires all over town.

Book of the Month - June - Front Lines

By Michael Grant

In this alternate history set during World War II, a court decision makes women subject to the draft and eligible for service.  Not just desk jobs, either – they’re going to be on the front lines. This doesn’t mean that everyone is thrilled with the idea, though – there’s still a huge amount of sexism among the general public, and among the troops as well.

Front Lines is told from the viewpoints of three female characters: Rio Richlin is a white teen from a small town in Northern California.  Frangie Marr is a black teen from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Rainy Schulterman is a Jewish teen from New York City.  Each of the three has their own reasons for enlisting in the army, and the book follows them from their days State-side before enlisting, all the way through to the battle of Kasserine Pass in Tunisia.  

Very readable, at times heartbreaking, this is a powerful story of war, and also a commentary on gender expectations and race issues during the early 1940s.  At first glance it seems like a long book – it is 548 pages, after all – but it’s a quick read, and you’ll find yourself turning the pages to see what happens next.  One thing to note, though, there is some language used that may be offensive to some readers – racial slurs and derogatory language towards women.      

Other books like Front Lines: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys