The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

The Burning Sky is about a young mage named Iolanthe Seabourne who discovers she has monumental powers and a terrifying destiny that awaits her. She, along with Prince Titus, who is nothing more than a figurehead for the Domain, his realm, must defeat the Bane in order to free the Domain from his crushing command, and win back Titus's power to rule.

What drew me to this book in the first place was its stunning cover art that graces it. You're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but the cover is the very thing that drew me to this particular book. After seeing it, I knew it was a book that I just had to read.

I'm glad that I did. The writing style and story sucked me in so hard that I felt as though I was part of the story, toiling along right beside Iolanthe and Titus as they went about their suicidal task of defeating the Bane. It's a book that will keep you up all night to finish it if you're not careful.

The ending is a non cliff hanger, but because the book is part of a trilogy, there are many unanswered questions left - enough that I dove right into the second book.

If you're a fan of fantasy and magic, I highly recommend this book. But, I warn you to be prepared to lose great chunks of time as you try to get to the end! 

-Amber

Check it out in the catalog here.

The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher

The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher is about a world where crystals power the realm. These

crystals give the airships their flight, as well as grow their food. The cities, or Spires as they are called, are built levels above the surface level, which is dangerous and inhabited by deadly beasts. This makes natural resources fairly scarce Because of this, everyone wants what everyone else has. Including other Spires.

Which leads us to the Privateer Captain Grim, a dishonorably discharged Fleet Captain. When his airship, the Predator, is badly damaged by an encounter with another Spire's battle ship after he tried to over take a plump Merchant ship, Captain Grim fears that it may take him years to come up with the funds, if ever, to repair her. It is at this time that his Spire's leader offers him a deal almost too good to pass up - make one delivery with no expectations of more, in exchange to have his ship outfitted with all the materials needed to repair her. It's a deal far too tempting for Captain Grim to pass up, and from there on, many interesting events transpire.

The Aeronaut's Windlass is labelled as Steampunk, and I wasn't sure what I was going to think when I picked it up. Steampunk is not a genre that I'm typically fond of, but since this one was by Jim Butcher, I thought I would give it a try. And I'm glad that I did! The Steampunk elements are not so overpowering as to distract from the story. Which I appreciated. However, this book takes a little bit to get into as one has to wade through a bit of technical jargon explaining how everything works. But once past that, the story truly begins to pick up pace.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and would highly recommend it to any Jim Butcher fans, and also encourage those not familiar with his work to give it a try as well.

Check it out in our catalog here.  

-Amber 

Staff Pick - Downcast

Downcast is about Stephanie Starr, a girl going through her senior year of high school with no expectation that this year would be any different than previous years. Because of her over controlling mother, she has no personal life, and is situated on the bottom rung of the high school social ladder because of the dowdy clothing her mother makes her wear.

However, life is about to change for Stephanie when two brothers start going to her high school for their final year. Haley and Zachary Smith are both handsome, and have the popular kids all vying for their attention, but Haley is interested in just one girl - Stephanie.

Life as Stephanie knows it begins to unravel the more she gets to know Haley, and she's not sure if she should be thrilled by all the changes, or terrified. Just who is Haley Smith, why is he so determined to win her, and why is her mother suddenly beginning to act so strangely?

Downcast is a fast paced book that I found difficult to put down. Stephanie Starr is a very relatable character as she goes through the ups and downs in her life, trying to find answers to all the questions that just keep piling up. In the end, she just might get more than any girl could bargain for.

If you'd like to check it out, you can find it in our catalog by clicking here.

-Amber

Staff Pick - Sunshine

Rae Seddon, known by everyone as Sunshine, has grown up working in her stepfather's bakery since her teens in a post apocalyptic world where Vampires rule a fifth of the world and the SOF (Special Other Forces) do their best to protect the population.

Sunshine wants nothing more than a normal life making cinnamon rolls for her stepfather and hanging out with her ex boyfriend, Mel.

One night, Sunshine wants to get away from everyone for a while and decides to drive down to the lake, to the house belonging to her father where no one has lived since the wars broke out.

It was a choice one might call the biggest mistake of her life as she's taken captive by Vampires and chained up inside a ball room with another captive of theirs - a vampire named Constantine, who is also chained, and becoming quite hungry.

Sunshine is a story about alliances being made where one might least expect them, and shows that the world might be made up of more shades of grey than anyone might have been able to believe. It's not your typical vampire story, that's for sure.

I really enjoyed reading Sunshine. When I picked it up, I was curious, and not sure what to expect. McKinley often finds a way to spin an old concept, or story, and make it feel new again, and that's what she did here.

So, if you're looking for a new twist on vampires, magic, and the world in general, I'd highly recommend picking up Sunshine by Robin McKinley. If you'd like to check it out, you can find it in our online catalog by clicking here.

-Amber

Staff Pick: If I Stay

Life is going good for Mia - a family who adores her in spite of the fact that she's a classical cello player in a rock loving family, a boyfriend in a rising rock group who loves her, and a possible chance to attend the famous Julliard after graduating high school. Mia couldn't be happier.

Until it's all taken away by one unexpected car wreck, leaving her in some kind of strange limbo as she's rushed to the hospital in critical condition. By some twist of fate, she's an observer of what happens to her body instead of a participant. As events unfold, Mia is left with one difficult choice: Should I stay or go?

Gayle Forman's If I Stay was a very thought provoking story of what if? If something like this were to happen, what choices would you end up making? Throughout it all, Mia wrestles with the choice that she has to make, and dealing with the unknowns attached to that choice.

I enjoyed the book, though I had some difficulty getting into it at first, mostly because the majority of Mia's story is told through flashbacks. Those flashbacks give us a stronger image of what Mia's life was like before the crash, and how hard it will be for her to continue on if she stays. And also how hard it will be on those who remain behind if she happens to choose to go.

If you'd like to check out If I Stay, you can find it in our catalog by clicking here.

-Amber

Staff Pick: The Selection

When I first started reading The Selection by Kiera Cass, I wasn't sure if I would care for it or not. In a world torn apart by war, Castes have been created to help people know their rightful place. Being a 1 means that you are part of the Royal Family. Being an 8 means you're almost homeless and have a hard time earning a living.

America Singer is a 5 and in love with a man who is of a lower caste. But America believes that love can overcome anything. Then the Selection comes up. A set number of girls are Selected from all the Castes and given the opportunity to win the heart of Prince Maxon and become his Princess.

America only put her name in because she was under pressure from her family because they could receive monetary compensation. What were the odds that she'd be Selected, after all? Very good, it turned out, as she was one of the girls called on to try to win the Prince's heart. Only she wants nothing to do with him!

The novel starts off with several elements found in The Hunger Games, and I didn't want to read a duplicate with a different name. However, once I got further into the book, I discovered that it actually had very few similarities. No one is killing anyone else in order to survive, that's for sure! There is a battle of a different sort going on instead - the battle for Maxon's heart. The Selected girls, each and every one of them, except for America Singer, is determined that she'll be the one to become Maxon's bride and become a 1.

I found The Selection to be a very good read, and America to be a very likable character who feels genuine in her wants, hopes, and dreams. I'm glad that I kept with the book and read it to its conclusion. If you'd like to check it out, you can find it in our online catalog by clicking here.

-Amber

Staff Pick: Deja Dead

In Kathy Reichs' Deja Dead, Dr. Temperance Brennan is a forensic anthropologist from North Carolina. After a shaky break up with her husband, she moves to Canada to work in Montreal's Laboratoire de Medecine Legale in an attempt to get a fresh start. There, it's her job to examine recovered bodies to help the police solve murders and missing persons cases.

During the course of her job, she finds the bodies of several women who appear to have been brutally murdered. In spite of the police not believing her, she thinks the cases are linked and that they have a sadistic serial killer on their hands. Determined to get justice for the women, she sets out on her own to find answers, and attracts the attention of the killer, putting herself and friends in grave danger.

I picked up Deja Dead after learning that one of my favorite TV shows, Bones, is loosely based upon this series. I wasn't sure what to think of the story at first because it was easy to see from the start just how different the book and TV series actually are, but I decided to keep reading in spite of that fact. I'm glad I did. After a couple of chapters, I found myself no longer trying to compare the book and TV series and simply reading the book for the story itself. It's very fast paced once it gets going and draws the reader in. And, because the writer is a forensic anthropologist herself, the details of the story ring true. That was one of the things I liked about the book - how real the details seemed to be.

I'm not the strongest fan of Mysteries, but the Temperance Brennan novels could easily change my mind if they are all like Deja Dead. I'm very glad that I decided to read it and would highly recommend it, especially to those who favor Bones. If you'd like to check out Deja Dead, you can place a hold on our copy with your library card number by clicking here.

-Amber

Staff Pick: The Happy Hooker

As a crocheter, I've looked through multiple books for patterns and stitch directions, but I have to say that The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller was one of the best ones I've found.

What impressed me the most was the fact that it actually went into the history of crochet, and in an interesting way. And not only are the patterns pretty, but they are also quite useful.

I believe The Happy Hooker would be a good book for any level crocheter, from just getting started through advanced, to take a look at. It includes a description of the most common yarns that can be used for crochet, the tools that are commonly used, and forty different stitch patterns that can be used by beginners as well as advanced crocheters. Not only that, it gives precise directions for the beginner just becoming acquainted with crochet.

If you'd like to check out The Happy Hooker, you can place a hold on it here with your library card number and PIN.

-Amber