Book of the Month: December - Three Dark Crowns

by Kendare Blake

In every generation on the island Fennbirn, a set of triplet queens are born. Each child has the same claim to the throne, but only one can rule. The sisters must fight to the death, until only one queen remains. 

Torn apart from each other at a young age, the queen sisters are raised by different families and have no memories of their each other. Queen Katherine lives with the Poisoners where she is being taught to withstand the effects of the deadliest poisons. Queen Mirabella lives with the Elementalists who can control the five elements at the blink of an eye. Queen Arsinoe lives with the Naturalists who have the ability to control a pack of wild lions. Each queen should be equal in strength and ability, but only Queen Mirabella appears to have any powers. The Islanders think they have found their new queen and the long reign of poisoner queens is coming to an end. But the Poisoners are ruthless people and they will do whatever it takes to maintain their hold on the island. And although the Naturalists are peaceful people, one cannot discount their wisdom and hunger for change.

The queens are coming up on their sixteenth birthday and the bloody battle for the throne is about to begin... and will not end until only one queen remains....

I first fell in love with Kendare Blake while reading Anna Dressed in Blood, and was eager to read her newest book.Three Dark Crowns did not disappoint. It is one of the best books I have read in a very long time. It is filled with likable characters and a unique story line, not to mention a cliff-hanger that will leave you desperate to find out what happens next. A highly recommended read!

The Leaving by Tara Altebrando

11 years ago six kids from the same kindergarten class went missing without a trace. Then one day out of the blue, five of the six returned. Now 16 years old, Lucas, Scarlett, Kristen, Sarah and Adam are home only they do not remember anything about their past lives nor where they have been for the last 11 years. All each of them remembers are strange images like hot air balloons and carousals. Not one of them remembers Max, the one child who still remains missing. 

The teens become famous overnight and experience a lot of unwanted attention. A lot of unanswered questions remain and many people including the police are skeptical that the teens truly do not remember anything.  As each of them tries to piece together memories of the past, they slowly start to discover clues that will help them determine who kidnapped them and why.

The Leaving is a fast-paced interesting read that is different from any other teen book I have read in a long time. If you like mysteries and or realistic fiction books, you are sure to enjoy The Leaving by TaraAltebrando.

Other books similar to The Leaving are Room, Panic, Bone Gap

Book of the Month - January: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

by Jesse Andrews

Greg Gaines has High School all figured out.  His secret: be nice to every clique, but just don't let other cliques see you doing this and never commit to the cardinal sin of eating lunch in the cafeteria.  Together with his only friend Earl, he gets through the days remaking low budget movies and life is great until his mother ruins everything.

When his childhood friend Rachel is diagnosed with leukaemia, his mother forces him to rekindle his lost friendship with her.  As socially awkward as he his, for some reason, Gre has the uncanny ability of making Rachel laugh.  But when Rachel decides to stop her cancer treatments, Greg can think of only one thing to do - make a film for her which not only turns out to be the worst movie ever made, but also becomes the turning point of his life.

One would think a book about cancer couldn't be funny, but this book is absolutely hilarious, sad and heart-warming all at the same time.  Greg is sarcastic and crass and the story moves along at a fast pace.