The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

Taran dreams of adventure, battles, and glory.  What he finds is hunger, terror, and worry. Despite all of this he pushes through, always trying to do the right thing. 

Searching for Hen Wen, an oracle pig, he partners up with a prince, a king turned bard, Gurgi, a wolf type creature, and the required young lady.

A mixture of fantasy and magic with just enough of a familiar feel to make it all flow. 

There are a couple of places where things just happen and the story jumps around a bit but overall the story is good and Taran is likeable. 

Search the Shadows by Barbara Michaels

Haskell discovers she is not the person she always thought after a pre-marital blood test for Tay-Sachs reveals she is a carrier, something that should not be possible if her Irish heritage father, who died before she was born, is actually her father.  She heads to Chicago to search for her biological father and to learn more of Eygptologist mother who died in a tragic car wreck when Haskell was only three months old.

As Haskell searches for answers she learns not only about herself but also family history which is not always bright and joyful.

The ending is unexpected and the entire novel is interesting with many facts about Eygpt past and prestent.

The Illyrian Adventure by Lloyd Alexander

Vesper Holly sees what she wants to do and off she goes.  Pity her guardian, whom she calls Brinnie, who must tag along as the bumbling sidekick. 

A young female Indian Jones type Vesper keeps things rolling along until the end.  Often funny, quick paced, and a great book for the reader that is looking for adventure without to much depth.  I would recommend for the fourth to sixth grade set of readers.

Mark of Athena

A wonderful blending of Greek and Roman mythology with that nice twist that Rick Riordan puts into his novels.  A sense of maturity comes from the main characters, something that has been developing throughout the series but is almost a focus in the current novel.

The changing narrarator keeps things moving along and helps the reader to view the story from multiple perspectives which puts a spin on a couple of incidents. 

My major complaint is we are left once again with a cliffhanger with the next page stating Coming in Ocotober 2013.  This is then followed by a really nice glossary of terms and characters which I had thought was another chapter of pages. 

Just let me know the pre-order date and I will buy in. :)

Murder, She Meowed

Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown join forces in a tale of steeplechase excitment, big money, drugs, and old flames in the town of Crozet, Virginia. 

Following a race at Montepelier a jockey is found dead.  A few weeks later another jockey is killed. Then the daughter of a long missing lady is severly injured while racing in Camden from a sabatoged girth. 

As usual Mrs. Murphy, Tee Tucker, and Pewter are in the middle of it all adding insight and humor to the investigation. If only the people would listen to the animals life would be so much smoother.

A nice cozy type mystery which moves along nicely.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

The Mockingjay is to lead but when there is an unwilling hero problems arise and if a problem can arise Katniss runs slap dap into it.

Katniss struggles with fame, with being less than average, with working, with not working, basically she is messed up and that is what makes it all good.  She makes right decisions, wrong decisions, and at times no decision, they all play a part in the outcome.

Mockingjay is about war and politics on a grand scarl and brings up many moral issues that do not have a clear right or wrong.  I hope I would be more like Peeta but I believe I might be closer to Katniss and sometimes a touch of Gale. 

Many things to consider and it will take weeks for it all to sink in, the hallmark of literature.

Redoubt by Mercedes Lacket

Mercedes Lackey takes us once again into the land of Valdemar. Book Four of the Collegium Chronicles visits with Mags and Dallen showing their growth as a team and Mags development as a much more normal teen who has to face the fears of his previous existance. Readers of the series will remember that Mags was once a mine slave that has a very different take on the world of Companions as compared to most Heraldic trainees.

I found this novel to be a bit dark in the middle but it was appropriate darkness that made for page turning tension. Even for one that is Chosen life is not always clear as to right, wrong, or indifferent.

The ending leaves me thinking we may visit with Mags and Dallen again, I hope that is true.