The Power (Magnificent 12 #4)

The Power by Michael Grant is the fourth and final book in his Magnificent 12 series about twelve 12-year-olds who have to save the world from an evil force about to be released after being imprisoned by twelve 12-year-olds thousands of years ago. If only the original twelve would have use and opened ended spell...

Mack and the seven others he has found of the Magnificent twelve - each gifted with enlightened puissance - must find the other four to have a chance to defeat the Pale Queen. But they are running out of time. The clues send them from Paris to the Punjab before they head to San Fransisco for the final battle.

In the mean time, the Pale Queen is sending assassins and minions to try to kill the twelve before they can gather all of their power. And her daughter, Risky, has plans of her own.

The culmination of this fun and magical series is as great a read as the first. Grant created this series filled with everything a reader could want in a fantasy adventure.

Grant, Michael. (2013). The Power. New York: Katherine Tegen Books.

Kinslayer (Lotus War #2)

Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff is the second book in his Lotus War series that takes place in a land reminiscent of ancient Japan, the land of Shima ruled over by the Shogun.

Only now the Shogun is dead and Shima is on the brink of civil war to put another in his place. Only one person of the bloodline lives, and the Lotus Guild that controls the land has a plan to wed her to their new puppet. But the Kage rebels have a different idea, as do the other clans of the land.

Most of the upheaval was caused by one young woman. Yukiko tamed a thunder tiger, a mythic creature not seen in many years, and her bond with him lead to the change in power. But now the kenning, or mental connection she has always had with animals, threatens her sanity. The thoughts of others is becoming too loud and she must find some answers about how to control it.

Meanwhile, in the Shima capital city of Kigen, the Guild uses its machines to keep an eye on the public while rebels work their way closer to the palace to rescue the one remaining heir before she can be married off and turned into an heir producing slave.

Filled with espionage, fantastical creatures, technology and Japanese lore, the Lotus War series is a must-read for fans of fantasy, science fiction and steampunk.

Kristoff, Jay. (2013). Kinslayer. New York: Thomas Dunne Books.

Rose Under Fire (Code Name Verity #2)

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein is the sequel to her award winning book Code Name Verity - about World War II and the Air Transport Auxiliary. The ATA was made up of women pilots who ferried planes around the UK and allied territories to the male pilots who flew them into battle.

Rose Justice has been a pilot since she the age of twelve. Her father owns a small airport in Hersey, PA. Now she is in England with the ATA, flying all kinds of planes. Early in the war the ATA pilots were only allowed to fly within the UK, but as the Allies gain more ground in Europe, there is talk of expanding their territory.

When Rose is allowed to fly to France, she sees a flying bomb. Flying bombs are plane shaped bombs that fly until they hit something or run out of fuel and crash land detonating their explosives. Rose has heard that there is a safe way to cause them to crash before they can reach a populated area. But with no weapons on her plane, it would be a feat of flying.

After getting off course, Rose is surrounded by two German fighter planes and escorted to a runway. Arrested by the Nazis Rose is sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp. There she experiences some of the horrors of the Holocaust, and witnesses even more. Ravensbruck is the camp where the Nazis did medical experiments on women.

Told through journal entries from after her time at the camp, Rose chronicles her time in the camp and how she came to be back in Paris afterward. Wein is a masterful storyteller who, with these two books, has become one of my favorite authors. Her words create such a vivid picture, readers will find themselves enmeshed in the story and want to learn more while cringing at the treatment of people during WWII. Amazing book. Buy Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire today.

Wein, Elizabeth. (2013). Rose Under Fire. New York: Hyperion.

Seven for a Secret (Gods of Gotham #2)

Seven for a Secret by Lyndsay Faye is the second book in her Gods of Gotham series - about New York City in the 1840s and the beginnings of the NYPD.

Timothy Wilde joined the copper stars reluctantly. Now, six months later, he is the only copper who solves cases, as opposed to walking in a set circle on the lookout for a crime being committed. But in 1846 there are more laws to follow that those on the books - there is also pleasing the Democrats, who keep the police force in existence. And Wilde, unlike his older brother, has not use for politics.

While celebrating the recovery of a painting for a wealthy family, Wilde and a fellow copper are interrupted by Lucy Adams who returned home from work to find her family stolen. At the time, along with returning escape slaves to the South, it was fairly common for free blacks of the North to be kidnapped and sold at slave auctions in D.C. or other market.

Wilde teams up with his old friend Julius Carpenter to find Lucy's family. Carpenter is a member of the New York Committee for Vigilance - trying to protect free blacks from the crooks and criminals who see them as potential profit.

What follows is a twisting mystery of politics, criminals, civil rights and a colorful history of one of the most famous cities in the world. Fans of many genres will love this series. Faye writes in such a way as readers feel they are in the 1840s. You can almost smell the setting.

Faye, Lyndsay. (2013). Seven for a Secret. New York: Amy Einhorn Books.

Inheritance (Adaptation #2)

Inheritance by Malinda Lo is the second book in her Adaptation. In the first book, teens Reese Holloway and David Li were saved from a car accident by using alien DNA from the Imria.

Now Reese and David don't know who to trust. They have been kidnapped by the government for testing, lied to by the Imria - especially Reese who was to be watched by Imria Amber Gray who got closer than her assignment called for. Now the Imria want to train Reese and David to use the abilities they gained through the DNA. When invited onto a news show to tell their tale to the world, they are censored and given equal airtime as the anti-alien protesters making their lives difficult.

Lo has created a science fiction series of many layers, using it both to tell a story and to highlight some destructive habits of humanity. Both the science fiction and the story of a young woman falling in love with two people, are wonderful. Anything Lo writes should be read immediately! This series will appeal to both science fiction fans and readers of GLBT fiction.

Lo, Malinda. (2013). Inheritance. New York: Little, Brown and Company.