Review: Dance of the Red Death by: Bethany Griffin

Title: Dance of The Red Death

Author: Bethany Griffin

Publsiher: Greenwillow Books

Series: Masque of the Red Death #2

Format: e-book ( 327 p.) Personal Purchase

Description:

Bethany Griffin continues the journey of Araby Worth in Dance of the Red Death—the sequel to her teen novel Masque of the Red Death.

In Dance of the Red Death, Araby’s world is in shambles—betrayal, death, disease, and evil forces surround her. She has no one to trust. But she finds herself and discovers that she will fight for the people she loves, and for her city.

Her revenge will take place at the menacing masked ball, though it could destroy her and everyone she loves…or it could turn her into a hero.

With a nod to Edgar Allan Poe, Bethany Griffin concludes her tragic and mysterious Red Death series with a heroine that young adult readers will never forget.

My Thoughts: 

This book follows right after the events in the Masque of the Red Death.  Araby Worth is having trouble when he world gets turned upside down.  People she trusted betrayed her.  Evil is all around and Araby seems to be in the middle of it all.  With her father missing and her desperate to get answers for what is happening her group of people around are working hard to try to figure out what to do now.  Can anything be done to stop the Red Death or is it all for nothing?  

I enjoyed this book it was captivating and pulled you in to see what Araby would do who she would align herself with.  Even so far as who she really loves?  Is it Nate or Elliot?  What will she do with everything going on?  

Definitely a great story for those looking for dystopian and end of the world times.  I thoroughly enjoyed this story and would definitely re-read it it was so good. 

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Review: The Rest of the Story by: Sarah Dessen

Title: The Rest of The Story

Author: Sarah Dessen

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Format: Paperback ( 448 p) Personal Purchase

Description:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Dessen comes a big-hearted, sweeping novel about a girl who reconnects with a part of her family she hasn’t seen since she was a little girl—and falls in love, all over the course of a magical summer.

Emma Saylor doesn’t remember a lot about her mother, who died when Emma was twelve. But she does remember the stories her mom told her about the big lake that went on forever, with cold, clear water and mossy trees at the edges.

Now it’s just Emma and her dad, and life is good, if a little predictable…until Emma is unexpectedly sent to spend the summer with her mother’s family that she hasn’t seen since she was a little girl.

When Emma arrives at North Lake, she realizes there are actually two very different communities there. Her mother grew up in working class North Lake, while her dad spent summers in the wealthier Lake North resort. The more time Emma spends there, the more it starts to feel like she is also divided into two people. To her father, she is Emma. But to her new family, she is Saylor, the name her mother always called her.

Then there’s Roo, the boy who was her very best friend when she was little. Roo holds the key to her family’s history, and slowly, he helps her put the pieces together about her past. It’s hard not to get caught up in the magic of North Lake—and Saylor finds herself falling under Roo’s spell as well.

For Saylor, it’s like a whole new world is opening up to her. But when it’s time to go back home, which side of her—Emma or Saylor—will win out? 

My Thoughts: 

Emma Saylor has very few memories of her mom who died when she was young.  Her dad is now remarried and finds herself with her grandmother on her moms side while his dad is on his honeymoon.  She learns alot about her mom's life during this adventure.  North Lake is nothing like Emma is prepared for and she spends her time switching her name back and forth Saylor vs Emma.

This was a great summer read.  You walk next to Emma and see how she deals with all this family she knew nothing about.  Family she seems very capable of adapting too.  But buried deep are the secrets between Emma's mom and another local boy and what happened that one summer.

Definitely a great summer read for teens as they prepare for college.  You find yourself pulled into Emma's world and can't wait to see how it ends!

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Review: Chain of Gold by: Cassandra Clare

Title: Chain of Gold
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Series: The Last Hours #1
Format: Hardcover ( 592 p.)
Source: Personal Purchase

Description:

Chain of Gold, a Shadowhunters novel, is the first novel in a brand-new trilogy where evil hides in plain sight and love cuts deeper than any blade. .

Cordelia Carstairs is a Shadowhunter, a warrior trained since childhood to battle demons. When her father is accused of a terrible crime, she and her brother travel to London in hopes of preventing the family’s ruin. Cordelia’s mother wants to marry her off, but Cordelia is determined to be a hero rather than a bride. Soon Cordelia encounters childhood friends James and Lucie Herondale and is drawn into their world of glittering ballrooms, secret assignations, and supernatural salons, where vampires and warlocks mingle with mermaids and magicians. All the while, she must hide her secret love for James, who is sworn to marry someone else.

But Cordelia’s new life is blown apart when a shocking series of demon attacks devastate London. These monsters are nothing like those Shadowhunters have fought before—these demons walk in daylight, strike down the unwary with incurable poison, and seem impossible to kill. London is immediately quarantined. Trapped in the city, Cordelia and her friends discover that their own connection to a dark legacy has gifted them with incredible powers—and forced a brutal choice that will reveal the true cruel price of being a hero.

My Review: 

Cordelia Carstairs as recently moved to London to try to build a life for herself and her mother and brother after her father is in jail in Idris.  She meets an old friend James Herondale and his sister Lucie.  They are soon drawn into fighting Demon's who roam during the day and are bent on killing Shadowhunters and it's up to Lucie Cordelia and The Merry Thieves to get to the bottom of what is going on and why?

We also see Will and Tessa Herondale along with Silent Brother Jem who became a silent brother during the Infernal Devices.  James is determined to discover who Tessa's father was and whether he's connected to the Demon attacks!  

We also meet Grace Blackthorn who seems to have her own agenda and her mother is determined to not have anything to do with the Herondale's as she blames them for past events.  Grace seems to use and toss away people when it suits her game.  What is Grace up to and why?

This book is full of everything we expect with Shadowhunters.  They pull you in and won't let you go until you know the whole story.  It's such an addicting place you wish it was real to be a part of their world!  Definitely a great series to enjoy!

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