Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

Summary: Gaia Stone is 16 year old midwife outside of the Enclave. Gaia's parents loyally serve the Enclave so why were they arrested one day? They are loyal, and they most definitely not hiding something. Right? Gaia has to investigate the inner walls of the Enclave and find a way to get her parents out of the Enclave prison before its too late for all of them.

Review: I personally liked this book because it reminded me of one my favorites, The Hunger Games. There is an inner power which everyone learns not to rebel, and there is a poor outside circle dutifully serving the inner power. They learn to follow the rules otherwise they die. As a 16 year old, Gaia is a midwife and required to hand over a certain number of babies every month to live inside the Enclave. I can't imagine doing that to anyone in there, but when you live with it that long, you learn to.

The Immortal Secrets of Nicholas Flamel by: Michael Scott

Summary: Nicholas Flamel is an alchemist, his wife Perenelle is a sorceress. Their enemy Dr. John Dee is a necromancer and a magician. The one thing they share in common - they are all immortal. Sophie and Josh Newman are twins who are meant to do extraordinary things because of who they are. Who are they then? They are humans (humani) that are capable of saving out planet or destroying it. Flamel is competing with Dee to see which side the twins will take. Will they always stay as best friends or will they become enemies?

Review: One of the reasons I liked this book was because I could compare the characters to other series I've read. Like they talk about Nicholas Flamel in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone, and Mars Ultor (The Avenger) is the god of war (his Roman form) in the Heroes of Olympus (the Son of Neptune). The coincidences that occur in this book aren't always just coincidences - sometimes they are planned out to happen at that time. When you look at the twins, Sophie and Josh, you know that they are inseparable, but you wonder if it's going to stay that way forever. It was a really good book if  you like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

The Companions Quartet by: Julia Golding

Summary: Connie is no ordinary girl, so of course when she is sent to live with her aunt she knows that she won't fit in with anyone. She has a way with animals that no one else has, but strangely enough, she finds herself at home in the midst of a society that could change her way of life forever. Suddenly nothing is safe anymore. She is a universal, the most powerful type of "thing" you can find. The last universal was corrupted to the evil side, and now that he has risen, he won't stop at anything to compel her to join him. It will take all her willpower and the loyal support of her friends to get her out of this mess.

Review: I have always been a fan of Greek mythology, from Percy Jackson to the myths of Ancient Greece so the titles really caught my eye. When I saw Secret of the Sirens, and the Chimera's Curse, I was intrigued by the idea of another mythological story. From the first book to last, I couldn't stop until I found a resolution in the story and I knew that it was finally going to end once and for all. As a 13 year old girl, I couldn't imagine myself in Connie's place, especially since she had felt out of place for several years. The books were enjoyable and the plot line was amazing. I can say that it wasn't like a history lesson about ancient Greek monsters, but more of a compelling read through Connie's adventures.

House of the Star by: Caitlin Brennan

Summary: Ymbria and Caledon have been bitter rivals for centuries, so what happens when Ymbira sends Princess Elen to try and make peace with a Caledonian? Even as bait, she is still excited to go visit the House of Star. Her dream has always been to become a worldrunner and now she can fulfill her wish. On her journey, she meets a worldrunner named Blanca, but will Blanca's wisdom be enough to save the worldroads? Elen can only hope that she won't fail, or kill the Caledonian she has to make peace with. 


Review: There are a lot of hard things to do in life, but making peace with your bitterest rival can be a nearly impossible challenge. Elen is under the impression that she is being sent into a forced marriage as a peace offering. I can't imagine being forced to do something like that. The book gave the true meaning of trust and friendship out to the 2 of them, but of course nothing would turn out like that. This was Caitlin Brennan's first young adult book, and I think she did a really good job writing it. Maybe a bit more action would have made the story more lively, but the replacement for that was the action and tension between Elen and "it".  I honestly think this is a good book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good book to read, or anyone who likes traveling to different magical lands.

Prophecy of the Sisters by: Michelle Zink

Summary:She is your best friend, she is your worst enemy, but worst of all....she is your twin sister. As you grew older, she stopped being your best friend. She was only your enemy and your sister. You separated as the Guardian and the Gate. One evil. One god. But you can't stop destiny, you can't stop fate - you just have to let it happen the way it is supposed to. As you remain clueless, somehow she is gaining power and when the final battle comes, one of you will have to destroy the other. Good or Evil, the Guardian or the Gate, both cannot roam together - only one can survive. But how much sacrifice will it take, how many lives, how many friendships, how much family? This is life for Lia and Alice Milthorpe.

Review: Everybody's heard of stories where your bitterest rival is a fatal one that could cost the world. That your best friend will turn against you, but your family will always be there. I liked this book because it stayed away from the obvious, the things that everybody would expect to happen. You could tell that one sister was having a hard time giving up on the other, will the twin was plotting ways to kill you. The action was like a weaving loom - weaved in and out of the story. It took me about 2 days to finish the book because every second I could spare was devoted to reading the book. That's how you know if you are reading a book you like - you just can't seem to put it down. The hardest part for the twins was losing their parents. After that things just couldn't get worse - right? Wrong. They were given a prophecy and turned against each other. I don't have any siblings, but I can imagine the pain they must have been feeling to have suddenly found out something that seemed unrealistic.

The Faerie Path by: Frewin Jones

Summary: Anita Palmer is living a double life and crossing between two worlds. Is she Anita Palmer of the mortal world? Or is she Tania Aurealis, seventh daughter of King Oberon and Queen Titania? To make it worse, there is a traitor among her family, one who is working for her ex-fiance Gabriel Drake. Could it be one of her 7 sisters? Her missing mother Queen Titania? Her father King Oberon? Her boyfriend Edric Chanticleer? She doesn't know who to trust, but she knows she has to stop Gabriel Drake from taking over all of Faerie. She can't afford to place her trust in the wrong person. It could cost the kingdom of Faerie.

Review: This book had an enchanting touch to it, that made you want to keep reading the series. They weren't like fairies that you hear about in Tinker Bell, tiny and with wings. They were immortal human beings that were severely allergic (it cut them, burned them, etc.) to Isenmort (metal). She went through a lot of betrayal within her family and you could feel her pain in learning who the traitor was. The least expected, her favorite was the one that caused her the most pain. Unpredictable, yet addicting, the first book of this series was hard to put down, and the most amazing introduction to Tania's (is it Anita?) adventures through the realm of faerie.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

Summary:

Meet Percy Jackson. Welcome to the nightmare that is his life. The fate of the world now rests on his shoulders. Meet Annabeth Chase. She is Percy's best friend. She has been his ''right arm'' from the first time she met him. Meet Grover Underwood. He is Percy's protector, keeping him out of any major trouble. Meet Luke Castellan. The problem. Together, they just might be able to save the world from the evil Titan Lord............with the help of a few friends of course. Together, they just might stop Olympus from falling. Together, they just might not get themselves killed by monsters. Together, they just might save the human race. For Percy, this is like a huge test, one that he can't afford to fail. The fate of the world depends on it.

Review:
Reading the first few chapters, of the very first book (The Lightning Thief) I was absolutely positive that this book was the worst book ever made. But, as I dug deeper into Percy's life, I became more interested in hearing them save the world from a "brotherly" war. The moment I finished the book, I scoured everywhere I could think of, for a copy of the second book (The Sea of Monsters) and I couldn't put the book down. They had action thrillers that kept me at the edge of my chair. Most people think, 'ugh', when they hear Greek Mythology, but when you read it Rick Riordan style, you are hooked to it.

This book can be for teenagers and adults. These 3 teenagers have to save the world, without losing one another. Anyone who enjoys Harry Potter, would definitely enjoy this book.