Monsters and Mind Games

Fire is a monster. She can read minds and can often change or guide another person's thoughts. She is also an 18-year-old girl. In the world created by author Kristin Cashore (author of Graceling), there are both animal and human monsters. All are feared or hunted and collected, but never accepted as "normal." But Fire has been raised by Lord Brocker, alongside his adopted son Archer. As Fire and Archer have grown into their late teens, they have moved beyond friendship into love, but Archer has grown to be jealous of everyone that Fire even looks at or talks to.

They live in an agricultural area in the north of The Dells, a country on the brink of war. Both Gentian and Mydogg, rulers of nearby lands, are plotting (separately or together?) invasions. Cansrel (Fire's father), who had worked side-by-side with the previous king, Nax, had also been a monster, but he was a tyrant who enjoyed torturing others and wielding his cruel power -- a reputation that horrified Fire.

Now, with the threat of war looming, Fire accompanies Archer to the capital city to help the Dells by using her powers. There has been a threat made against the king, Nax's son Nash, and Fire's task is to find out who's behind it and to stop the murder. Nash rules with the assistance of his brother Brigan, the commander of the royal armies. Spies and thieves own the roads, and thrive on the undercurrents of intrigue that threaten the peace. The land is riddled with tunnels that provide shelter for the homeless, and secret passage for messengers traveling between various plotting factions. One of the dangers that Fire uncovers is the presence of a new kind of monster, who seems able to remove people's memories, remove their natural inclinations to defend themselves, and even force them to kill. Can Fire find this "monster" in time to prevent disaster?

The book is fast-paced with lots of action and suspense. There is also quite a bit of romance, as more and more characters and their ever-increasing relationships are introduced. And family relationships (parent-child, sister-brother) as well as varying levels of friendships are also explored. The author is on a roll with her descriptions of these stories of fantasy and adventure.

Teen lives (and re-lives!) her own "Groundhog Day"

Sam has it all - the perfect (to DIE for!) boyfriend, three wonderful best-friends, and the privilege that is bestowed on all popular kids to get the best of everything offered at school -- the best cafeteria table, the right to act silly in the hallway without fearing ridicule from others, the look-the-other-way from teachers, and -- best of all -- the assurance that they will get LOTS of roses delivered to them on Cupid Day from all their admirers. Today, February 12th, is the day -- in honor of Cupid Day, Sam and her friends Lindsay, Elody, and Allie have all dressed identically in fur-trimmed red tank tops and sexy black mini-skirts. On the ride to school the girls are all alternately teasing, encouraging, and offering advice about tonight, when Sam is finally going to be the last of them to lose her virginity. Throughout the day Sam interacts with other kids, teachers, and each encounter builds up to a party at Kent's house that night where her boyfriend, the dork who has liked her since they were kids together, and Lindsay's enemy (whom they all have labelled "Psycho") show up. On the way home from the party, with Lindsay driving, there is an accident, and Sam dies. But she wakes up the next morning, and it's February 12th again. Sam remembers vividly everything that happened yesterday - including the horrible accident. But nobody else is aware that the day is repeating. Sam sets out to do things differently, so that she won't die this time. And things do turn out differently for some of the people in the story -- but not for Sam. She ends up re-living her life 7 times, and each day is very different from the ones that came before. Although I thought I would find the "Groundhog Day" theme tiresome, this story really grew on me. Sam's problems with her friends, family, and boyfriend rang true, and I loved how she learned and grew throughout the story. You will leave this book with a wonderful feeling in your soul.

On the road again . . .

The book opens with a young boy (12) waiting sleeplessly in his room for his mom and her new boyfriend to come back. He is all packed, ready for a trip across the country. But this isn't a fun vacation -- his mother is sending him on a Greyhound bus from Stockton, California to Altoona, Pennsylvania. Chain-smoking and impatient, she can't wait to dump him so that she can run off to get married (again) without being bogged down by her son. Sebastien is shy, he stutters, he knows nothing about bus schedules or transfers, and he begins the trip with only the $35 his mother reluctantly gives him. His inner voice expresses the anger and frustration with his mom, but he has gotten used to keeping his thoughts to himself, as he remembers beatings, ridicule, and other consequences of speaking up. Somehow Sebastien is taken under the wing of Marcus, an ex-con also traveling cross-country, and the two of them share adventures, dangers, and a growing knowledge of how to work the Greyhound system -- where to sit on the bus, where to eat at the stops, and how to deal with the drivers. This book has been compared to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and I would agree. Marcus is like Jim in his wisdom (or is it just life experience and street smarts?) Some of the best parts come during the conversations that Sebastien and Marcus share about life, troubles, literature, the future, and so on. It's also enjoyable to read about the "world of Greyhoune" (history!), and the places they visit - each stop seems to have its own culture, which the author represents in the characters these two encounter along the way. A question I had at the end - is this autobiographical? (the question sparked by the photo of a young boy, dated "circa 1981" accompanied by the specific dates that are spread throughout the book. Hmmmm.....) All in all, this was a great "vacation read," and a quality representative of the "road trip" genre. I would give this book 3 1/2 out of 4 stars.