Death Cloud by Andrew Lane

Death Cloud

by Andrew Lane    

I admit my only exposure to Sherlock Holmes has been the action-packed Robert Downey Jr. movies and the super awesome BBC adaptation.  No, I have not read the original novels.  However, I do enjoy the character of Sherlock and his abundance of knowledge that always seems to come in handy at just the right moment.  The mysteries and the way Sherlock uses his superb sleuthing skills are always interesting and surprising.  So, I was excited to find out that Andrew Lane is writing a series that introduces us to the fourteen-year-old Sherlock Holmes.  As an added bonus, this series is the first teen series endorsed by the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Literary Estate.

In the first book of the series, Death Cloud, it is 1868 and Sherlock has just been sent to live with his aunt and uncle in their large estate in Hampshire.  This arrangement is only supposed to be for Sherlock's holidays from boarding school, but with his father stationed in India and his mother unwell, Sherlock is not sure what his future holds.  His brother, Mycroft, has arranged for Sherlock to be kept busy with an American tutor named Amyus Crowe.  Crowe is a Texan from America with a mysterious past, but a great knowledge of many different things.  Sherlock is still bored, though, living in the country.  Luckily, he makes friends with a local boy named Matty.  Of course, through their boredom, the two boys stumble upon a mysterious black cloud that leaves its victims dead with plague-like symptoms.  Together, Matty and Sherlock risk their own lives to solve the mystery of the cloud of death.

Death Cloud is filled with tons of action and adventure.  And, of course, there is a great mystery that kept me guessing throughout the entire novel.  One of the best parts about this book are the things I learned while reading the book.  Each aspect of the mystery and how Sherlock comes to his conclusions are explained in depth in the novel, and most of the explanations are logical scientific ones!  This is definitely a great read for all teens of all ages who enjoy a good mystery with lots of action and adventure.

Once you're finished with Death Cloud, be sure to check out the next book in the series, Rebel Fire.  In this next book of the series, Sherlock and his friends intercept a plot to resurrect the Southern Cause in America with the supposedly dead John Wilkes Booth!

posted by Colleen, Teen Services Librarian

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick

by Joe Schreiber

With a title like Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick I had no idea what I was in for when I picked up this book by Joe Schreiber.  I definitely did not expect a book that has so much action that it puts some of the latest action movies to shame!  I also did not expect that the character that is the cause of all the danger, violence, and excitement is a female foreign exchange student.  Finally, I didn't expect that I would love this book and that by the end of the book it was not even close to the story I thought I was reading when I first started.

When I first picked up Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick, I thought it would be a mix of a romance with a weird storyline that involved a foreign exchange student.  While some of that is true, the story is so much more!  Perry is your normal teenage guy, he is a little bit on the geeky side, but deals with the normal pressures that a high school senior deals with-- choosing the right college, working at his dad's work, and dealing with the pressure his parents put on him to achieve the best.  However, there is one thing in Perry's life that isn't that normal, his family's Lithuanian exchange student named Gobi.  A majority of this novel takes place on one night, a night that will change Perry's life forever, the night that Perry takes Gobi to the prom and learns that Gobi is actually a 24-year-old trained assassin who has commandeered Perry to be her driver for the night while she hunts down those she has been assigned to kill.

The characters of both Perry and Gobi are so much fun to read.  Gobi appears to be this weak girl at first, but is actually a kick butt assassin who is both scary and awesome.  Perry grows a lot in this story and at first you think there's no one that he will survive this night as Gobi's chauffer.  I won't give the ending away, so you will need to read the book to find out if Perry does make it out alive.  This novel has everything action, a little romance, a mystery, and drama.  However, there is strong language and a lot of violence, so if that is not something you like to read then this is not the book for you.  If you do like an awesome story that keeps you guessing and is filled with nonstop action then, pick up Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick at the Library today!

posted by Colleen, Teen Services Librarian

Book Trailer of the Week--Ripper by Stefan Petrucha

This week's book trailer is for Ripper by Stefan Petrucha.  Click here to find Ripper in the Library!

 

posted by Colleen, Teen Services Librarian



Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Firelight

by Sophie Jordan

You don't find many supernatural fiction reads that have dragons at the main creature.  Usually, you find dragons in fantasy novels where they are the evil creatures that terrorize the lands.  However, in Sophie Jordan's Firelight, she gives us a novel where dragons are shapeshifterswho are being hunted to extinction.  For Jacinda, being a dragon is her natural form but she can shape shift to a human form.  This is how her species has been able to survive to modern day.  Jacinda longs to be free and fly during the day, but her Pride has forbidden it.  One day, Jacinda breaks the rules and goes out flying only to be discovered by dragon hunters.  When Jacinda almost reveals her Pride to the hunters, she and her family are forced to leave the Pride because Jacinda's mother fears for her daughter's safety from retaliation for Jacinda's carelessness.

What follows is the story of Jacinda and her family struggling to survive in the mortal world and stay safe.  They fear their Pride and the life they may force Jacinda to lead, and they also fear being found out by the hunters.  Jacinda complicates matters when she begins a forbidden romance with Will, the son of a dragon hunter that is being groomed to be a hunter himself.

Firelight is a great read!  It is packed with action and adventure, as well as a good romance story between Jacinda and Will.  Pick this book up if you want a different spin on the typical supernatural story or if you want to read a book where dragons are the good guys!  Also, check out the book trailer for Firelight:

 

posted by Colleen, Teen Services Librarian

Sneak Peak at Insurgent!

Ew.com's book blog, Shelf Life, recently posted a sneak peak at Veronica Roth's sequel to Divergent, Insurgent.  Check it out below.  Insurgent won't hit bookshelves until May, but you can click here to place a hold on it at the Library now!  Also, if you haven't yet read Roth's action-packed dystopian, Divergent, click here to find it in the Library!

Insurgent Excerpt

posted by Colleen, Teen Services Librarian

Book Trailer of the Week-- Death Cloud by Andrew Lane

This week's book trailer is for Death Cloud by Andrew Smith.  Click here to find Death Cloud in the Library!

 

posted by Colleen, Teen Services Librarian

Book Trailer of the Week-- Shelter by Harlan Coben

This week's book trailer is for Shelter by Harlan Coben.  Click here to find Shelter in the Library!

 

posted by Colleen, Teen Services Librarian

Book Trailer of the Week-- Tempest by Julie Cross

This week's book trailer is for Tempest by Julie Cross.  Also, click here to check out an interesting interview with the author, Julie Cross, over at EW's Shelf Life blog.  Click here to find Tempest at the Library!

 

posted by Colleen, Teen Services Librarian

Book Trailer of the Week-- The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

This week's book trailer is for Jeff Hirsch's The Eleventh Plague.  Click here to find The Eleventh Plague at the Library!

 

posted by Colleen, Teen Services Librarian

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Angelfire

by Courtney Allison Moulton

Ellie believes that the nightmares she has are only nightmares, but the horrifying dark monsters that terrify her in the night seem so real.  When Ellie turns 17, her nightmares become reality and she meets Will.  Will is Ellie's Guardian, because Ellie is a Preliator, an ancient warrior that is given the power to kill reapers (the dark monsters that she dreams of).  As Ellie begins to train and spend more time with Will, she learns that she has lived the life of the Preliator for hundreds of years and every time she is killed she comes back without the memories of her life and powers before.  Will has been her Guardian all this time and he has to find her every time she is reborn and helps her remember her true self.  This life for Ellie is different, however, because she is only remembering bits and pieces of her old lives which makes it harder for her to access her true power.  This life is also different for Ellie because the dark reapers are getting closer to waging war on humanity, but in order to do that they must destroy Ellie's soul so that she cannot be reborn to protect the human race once more.

Angelfire is a great read for anyone who wants an action packed supernatural read.  The mythology in Angelfire is centered on angels; one that Moulton has carefully crafted and explained. The main character of Ellie is strong but flawed: since she cannot remember her true nature, Ellie does have a hard time becoming a true warrior.  However, the battles that she endures in the book and the way she handles not knowing her true self make her a very relate-able character.  Ellie is a character that is molded after the Buffy type: a strong, kick-butt female who struggles with what it takes to stay strong with also wanting to be a normal teenage girl.  She also has a funny, surly attitude that gives this novel a humorous undertone (much like Buffy).  

posted by Colleen, Teen Services Librarian