Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Fiction/Sci-Fi/Fairytale Retelling/Everything
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: Scenes of death from an epidemic
Premise: "As plague ravages the overcrowded Earth, observed by a ruthless lunar people, Cinder, a gifted mechanic and cyborg, becomes involved with handsome Prince Kai and must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect the world in this futuristic take on the Cinderella story" (King County Library System).
Opinions: This book is AMAZING.  Take Cinderella, combined with a little Anastasia, and make into a sci-fi futuristic story with cyborgs, lunar people, and place it in a newer version of Beijing, China. How can you get more brilliant than that. Okay, add in three dimensional characters, incredible plot twists, bio-electric manipulation and an epidemic.  Do I have your attention now.  This book is worth reading. So go get it now. Read it. And then tell me if you loved it as much as I did.  As for me, I have to go and immediately put my name on the wait-list for book #2, Scarlet, at my local library.  See ya!

Sky Raiders by Brandon Mull

Title: Sky Raiders (The Five Kingdoms #1)
Author: Brandon Mull
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid Grade Fantasy
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "Whisked through a portal to The Outskirts, an in-between world, sixth-grader Cole must rescue his friends and find his way back home--before his existence is forgotten" (King County Library System) .
Opinions: Okay, I am never going into a haunted house again (like I'd have gone before reading this book, but really. . . not happening now). I love the vividness and imagination that Brandon Mull creates in this new series. I love the concept. I'm intrigued by the varied characters. And I love the cool and amazing equipment and abilities that they come up with to use in this book. Seriously, I want to be able to shape, have a jumping sword, and about a dozen other awesome things.  I love Cole as a main character and I'm intrigued by Mira, Jace, and Twitch. I want to raid a sky castle and try and rescue my friends.  Plus, each of the five kingdoms is unique opening up the reader to imaginative locations like giant playgrounds, lakes of milk with floating cookies and much more.  This has to be my favorite of Brandon's books since his Fablehaven series. So go pick it up and read it with your kids. Make it a family adventure. You'll enjoy it.

The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron

Title: The Dark Unwinding (The Dark Unwinding #1)
Author: Sharon Cameron
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Historical Mystery/Suspense/Steampunk
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "In 1852, when seventeen-year-old Katharine is sent to her family's estate to prove that her uncle is insane, she finds he is an inventor whose work creating ingenious clockwork figures supports hundreds of families, but strange occurences soon have her doubting her own sanity" (King County Library System).
Opinions: My husband read The Dark Unwinding first and then told me that he thought I would like it. I loved it. It was an intriguing mix of Jane Austen and Alfred Hitchcock with a touch of steampunk thrown in for good measure. The mix of characters was fascinating and I loved Katherine as she works to figure out what is the right thing to do while ensuring her own welfare. I loved watching her struggle to understand her role, insanity, propriety and the causes of the underlying sense of horror. Mostly I was fascinated by the location - Stranwyne. It became a character all of its own in a little way.  Overall, I am impressed with this book and am eager to read more by this author.