Among the Enemy by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Shadow Children #6

From the Publisher

An ache grew in his throat and he wanted to sob, but he set his jaw and held it in. He'd been wrong to send Nina away, wrong to refuse to help her, wrong to let the commander treat him like a pet. He'd been wrong to think that everything ended when he lost Percy and Alia....I can stop this evil, he thought.

The Population Police are gaining more and more power, and illegal third-borns are in increasing danger. Young Matthias finds himself caught in the cross fire between the Population Police and the rebels — and unwittingly ends up saving the life of a Population Police officer. By way of reward, the officer takes Matthias to the luxury of Population Police headquarters to train him to become one of their own. There, among his most feared enemies, Matthias encounters Nina, another illegal third-born, who enlists his help in a plot to undermine the Population Police. But Matthias is under constant scrutiny, he has no idea whom he can trust, and he's mourning the loss of his friends Percy and Alia. What can one boy do against a wicked bureaucracy?

In the most exciting Shadow Children book yet, Margaret Peterson Haddix examines how the courage of individuals can make an impact on growing evil.

My Opinion

Another fantastic chapter in this chilling story.

In this book we meet back up with Matthias, Percy and Alia who we met in an earlier book. Just three young third children who were abandoned by their parents and raised by a kind old man named Samuel until his death when they found themselves on the streets struggling for survival. Last time we met them the were in a Population Police prison with Nina. After proving her loyalty and helping the three children escape from the prison, Mr. Talbot helped the kids by putting into a school under fake ids. But when the Population Police come to the school in the middle of the night and take all of the students away to be placed in Work Camps, Matthias finds himself faced with many choices to make, and results that he did not count on.

Through a string of events that leave him alone and desperate, Matthias finds himself at Population Police Headquarters, marked as a hero. Amongst those who have tried to kill him and his friends their whole lives, he has to face some hard choices and grow up much too quickly.

Fantastic story and I can not wait to see how it all ends in the next book!

Among the Brave by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Shadow Children # 5

From the Publisher
In the aftermath of a crisis that threatens the safety of all shadow children -- illegal third-borns in a society that allows only two children per family -- Trey's friends expect him to take charge -- a function he doesn't want or think he can do.

Trey's new role leads him to travel with Luke Garner's brother, Mark, to Population Police headquarters. There he impersonates an officer to try to rescue Luke, who has been taken prisoner. The nonstop adventure puts all three boys in danger and risks exposing the underground movement to help all shadow children.

In this, the fifth book in the Shadow Children series, Margaret Peterson Haddix returns to the futuristic setting and compelling characters she created in Among the Hidden. With an adrenaline-fueled plot and surprising twists, Haddix has again crafted a story that is suspenseful until the last page.

~~~

My Opinion

I started this book back in September when I was reading the entire series. Then I got hired to work full time and dropped off on reading. I picked it back up today as I am finishing up Christmas vacation by trying to catch up on some reading.

I really enjoy this series of books. It is heart wrenching when you think about what is happening in the books.

In this one, Trey, who has always been the scared timid one at Hendricks School, is reluctantly forced into the position of a hero when his friends are arrested by the Population Police. Along with Luke's older brother Mark, he sets out on a journey to rescue his friends. He battles his fears, which are many, after spending his life in hiding as a third child. In the end, he discovers a new desire to take the fight further.

I can't wait to start the last in the series to see how it all ends!

In the Blood: Darkwings #4 by Savanna Russe

Synopsis
Since the feds coerced sleek New York vampire Daphne Urban into spying for the U.S., she's been part of Team Darkwing. Their latest assignment: rescue the kidnapped daughters of the city's elite.

The terrorists demand gold-and access to a military secret. So Darkwing goes on the prowl in the depraved, secret vampire underworld. It's a world of passions that Daphne has always shunned, until temptation finds her. And if she wants to save the kidnapped girls, she can't get distracted...

My Opinion

This was an okay read. I really enjoyed the first two books in the Darkwing series but have been a little disappointed in the last two. The author seems at times to be experimenting with her writing style. There were moments in this book that were just too poetic and flowery. The storyline was okay. We know that this author takes on modern day problems and the storyling involves an Al Queda cell in New York City, which could be believable. But the way that she interjects Daphne's emotional baggage into the plot ruins it for me. I mean Daphne has been through so many men in this series that I can not keep up. Oh well, I will continue to read the series as she has a new one coming out in May of 2008; 'Under Darkness'. Hopefully she will stick with the spy part of her writing and stay away from attempting to put so much emotion and sex into the books. It just doesn't work.

Reading in 2008

I have decided to not set a number goal for my reading in 2008. Now that I am working full time I can not read as much as I like and I don't like to feel that I am under pressure to get a certain number of books read.

I am however going to set a few personal goals.

The first is to get the owed TBR pile completely finished and keep it gone. These are books that I have already promised to others, either through VBB or swaps, that I still have not read. This means that instead of choosing a book I want to read based on my desire to read it, I am choosing books to read based on what I owe out to others. So this needs to stop.

I also want to tackle some of the series that I have accumulated. find that I enjoy gathering series of books. I like to read a series back to back. The only problem here is that if I collect a series of say 5 books and then I start reading them and find that I am not enjoying them, I am stuck with the rest of the series. So I really want to get to work on reading these series and at least beginning a series by reading the first book, before I decided to accumulate the rest of the books in that series. (My bookshelves will appreciate this goal as well.)

So that is the extent of my reading goals for 2008, besides enjoying what I read. Which reminds me. I am no longer going to attempt to complete a book just because I think I should like it. If it am not enjoying it by page 100 then off it goes.

Happy Reading in 2008 Everyone!!

Be Still My Vampire Heart by Kerrelyn Sparks

3 in the Love at Stake series

Synopsis

One look at her was enough to stop his heart.......

If it was still beating. Angus MacKay has been undead for almost five hundred years and it's not often something, or someone, surprises him. Until Emma Wallace. The sight of this luscious agent from the CIA's elite Stake-Out team was enough to stop Angus in his tracks. But then he discovers that she's a vampire slayer, intent on killing the "monsters" who killed her parents. And it's Angus's job to stop her.

The only good vampire is a dead vampire. It's been Emma's motto since she committed her life to the destruction of these things. Now Angus MacKay wants to convince her differently.

Sure, he's a sexy Highland warrior who seems to have stepped off the cover of a romance novel, complete with brogue, kilt, and sword, but he's also one of them. And it's her job to kill him.

The war is on, but will it end in the destruction of one or both of them . . . or in total surrender to a passion for the ages?

~~~

My Opinion

Another great book in the 'Love At Stake' series. If you are looking for some great romantic vampire fluff this is a good bet.

The characters are great and it ties in with the last two books in the series, while at the same time, having the ability to stand on it's own.

Great storyline, great ending, all around great read!!

Heart-Shaped Box: A Novel by Joe Hill

From the Publisher
Sooner or later, the dead catch up . . .

Judas Coyne was a collector. The bizarre, the uncanny, the grotesque. A cookbook for cannibals. A used hangman’s noose. A snuff film. Many of these objects were gifts from the black-clad fans who made his metal band a legend and made him rich.

But not all. When his personal assistant told him there was a ghost for sale on the Internet, Jude knew he had to have it for his private collection, didn’t think twice. He should have. Jude has spent a lifetime evading ghosts -- of an abusive father, of the bandmates he betrayed, of Anna, the suicidal girl he loved and abandoned. But this spirit is different. This one means to chase him to the edge of sanity.

His new acquisition -- delivered to his doorstep in a black heart-shaped box -- is the restless soul of Anna’s vengeful stepdaddy. Craddock McDermott swore he would settle with Jude for ruining his daughter’s life. Soon, everywhere Jude turns, Craddock is there: behind the bedroom door; in Jude’s restored vintage Mustang; outside his window; on his widescreen TV. Waiting -- with a gleaming razor blade on a chain dangling from one bony hand.

If ever there was a case of caveat emptor, this is it . . .


My Opinion

What a fantastic ghost story. It has been a while since I have read a really good ghost story and this one was just what I needed.

Jude is a fading rock star who has not lead a very decent life. Marybeth is his most recent young bed warmer. As horrible as Jude appears to be, I really grew to like him and found myself rooting for him and Marybeth from the beginning. The beginning being when Jude buys a ghost off an Internet auction site. Having spent his life with a healthy interest in the occult and supernatural he does not hesitate to buy the ghost, but when the heart-shaped box with the old suit that the ghost is supposed to be attached to arrives, it brings with it what will ultimately be the ride of Jude's life.

With plenty of twist and turns this book is a non-stop action ride. I picked it up and could not put in down. Finished it in 24 hours, which is saying a lot! Well worth a read and you can see where Joe Hill gets his writing influence from his dad. Looking forward to more by this author.

#74 -- In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

From the Publisher
In the Forests of the Night is a lush, moody tale of vampires, witches, and shape-shifters. It’s the story of how one female vampire comes to terms with her inner nature and reclaims her rightful powers. From the first few pages, readers will feel themselves transported into this haunting world that rests just on the edge of our own.
Readers will also be interested to learn that this exciting debut novel was written by a teenager herself. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes found out that In the Forests of the Night was accepted by Delacorte Press on her 14th birthday! We caught up with this busy young author to find out the story behind the story.

My Opinion
Excellent book by a great young author. In this book we meet Rachel/Risika who has been a vampire for 300 years. The story jumps back and forth from the present, back 300 years when Rachel was changed. But the transition is smooth and works well to let us get to know Risika (as she is now known). We get a glimpse into a world where vampires can change shape, instantly transport and kill with just their minds. This is a dark story but a very powerful one. Well written and completely enjoyable. I really am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Among the Betrayed by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Shadow Children #3)

From the Publisher
What does it mean to save yourself?
Nina Idi – a third child in a society where families are allowed only two children – has been betrayed by the boy she loved, and arrested by the Population Police for exposing other alleged third children. Angry and confused, Nina knows only one thing for sure: She is innocent of the charges. But now she is faced with the most difficult choice of her life: Get three other prisoners to admit they are shadow children and be spared herself, or refuse to cooperate and be killed.

The options are clear. The choice, Nina discovers, is not….

My Opinion
Another good read in the Shadow Children Series.

This book centers around Nina, who was arrested in the last book. She is imprisoned as a traitor who has betrayed the Third Children along with Jason.

Now she is forced to befriend and betray three other Third Children in order to save her own life. But how can she betray them, when like her, they have done nothing wrong besides be born.

This book follows Nina as she and the group of three other children manage to escape from the prison and head back to Hendricks school, where Nina thinks that they will be safe.

But nothing is as it seems and Nina soon wonders who is lying to who.