Chosen

Chosen
by: Ted Dekker
http://www.teddekker.com/

Think with your heart and prepare to die for you have been Chosen

The land of the Forest Dwellers has been decimated by the Horde under the watchful eye of the vilest of all creatures, Teeleh. Thomas Hunter, supreme commander of the Forest Guard, is forced to lower the recruitment age of his army from 18 to 16. From among thousands, four new recruits are chosen to lead–and perhaps die–for the greater good.

The chosen four are sent on a quest to prove their character, but their mission takes a dramatic turn when they are intercepted, sworn to secrecy, and redirected to a different endgame. Now they must find the seven lost Books of History. Books that have power over the past, present, and future. Books whose words are alive. Books sought by the Dark One that control not only the destiny of their world . . . but that of ours as well (from teddekkar.com)

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Another great book- I'm on a roll this week- first Stolen, then The Order of Odd-Fish and now Chosen. When I was at the bookstore a few weeks ago I was intent to only buy books I needed, one's we were featuring on EFG or one's I wanted to read for TBF Live. Then I saw the cover for Chosen. I couldn't help myself, I read the back, liked what I saw and added it to the pile.

This book has all the makings of a classic hero's quest as we see Johnis reluctently take up the lead of a group of 4 chosen to complete a task by their leader Thomas Hunter. While trying to complete the task they are given a different task, one that hold a far greater importance then the one they set out on. They each have to decide if they will take up their destiny and embark on a quest to save their way of life, or if they will complete the original task and go home.

I really enjoyed seeing Johnis realize his destiny and beging to act like the leader he was born to be. I enjoyed the give and take between the other 3 people he is on his quest with- each is damaged in one way or another by the enemy, the Horde, but at heart each is still a kid trying to find their way. I like them as a team, even when they are bickering and fighting they seem to have eachother's backs.

My biggest complaint is directed squarely at myself. I grabbed the book on the fly without realizing that it is just one book in a series (thank goodness it is the first book), and that I have 5 more to read to find out if Johnis & Co. complete their task and find all 7 Books of History and defeat the dark one. Not only that, but this series fits into a larger series (the Circle Series) that has 4 more book, so that brings us to 9 books, add in the other books that deal with this same world (I think at least 2 more) and my book buying budget has officially been blown and my to-read pile has turned into a to-read mountain. In terms of complaints though, it could be worse. This book is great, I assume the other books are great, and having too many good books to read is a prety decent problem to have.

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As with every post- go check out Dekker's website- it is chock full of great stuff that you'll want to check out, and probably even more books that you might just have to buy.

Revenge Served Cold

Revenge Served Cold
by: Jackie Fullerton

Kathy Spence awakens in the middle of the night and finds herself in a living nightmare. Her husband has been run down and she is the primary suspect. With an eyewitness to the crime and proof that her car was the murder weapon, it appears to be an open and shut case. Terrified for her future, Kathy turns to amateur sleuth Anne Marshall for help. Believing in Kathy s innocence, Anne launches her own investigation, uncovering proof of a conspiracy that reaches from Kathy s past and threatens her own life. In a race against time, Anne must count on her close friends and even the ghost of her father to help her bring a killer to justice before it's too late. (from goodreads.com)

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I really enjoyed Revenge Served Cold. It is a great little murder mystery that has just enough twists to keep you interested, but not so many that you can't keep up. At the center of the story is Anne, a law student who can't seem to help getting involved in investigations, and drag everyone who's near her into it too. The book makes reference to a previous incident which left Anne battered and bruised, but even that can't stop her from becoming involved when Elliot, a friend of Anne's father is murdered, and his wife Kathy is the lead suspect.

The story moves between several characters as the truth is slowly revealed. Without giving too much away, we see Anne trying to uncover who the real murderer is; the police, including Anne's friends Shane and Maria try to build a case against Kathy; Ross and Alice, old friends of Kathy and Elliot's who have too much at stake in the investigation and Anne's father, who continues to visit Anne despite the fact that he is dead. I really liked that the point of view shifted occasionally through out the book. Although the bulk is seen through Anne's actions, being able to see what other characters are doing and thinking really let's the reader get a better idea of the whole picture, which in a murder mystery is most definitly a good thing.

I really loved the character of Anne- she was a strong, courageous lead for the story. It reminded me of the Nancy Drew character in that we had a smart and stubborn girl who uses intelligence and street smarts to figure out a crime. When you add in her father's influence and help, you really have a good main thread for the book. Anne seemed like the sort of person who could be sitting next to you on the bus, nothing remarkable or superhuman, but someone who puts her mind to something and sees it through.

There were a few minor things that I wasn't a huge fan of. One was all the references to the prior investigation that Anne had inserted herself into. I felt like I had missed something, that there was a whole other book that I should have read prior to this one. I appreciated the fact that it was to show how Anne has a history of ignoring the authority (i.e. her police officer friends) and putting herslef in danger in order to solve a murder, but there wasn't quite enough information to make me feel like I had a good idea of what exactly had happened. Second was how long it took to get the main action of the book. Again, I don't want to give too much away, but the scenes towards the end, when it all comes together and Anne is with Alice are some of the best. Alice is a pretty diabolical character and I would have liked to see more of her and what made her tick. I think more of that sort of action, and slightly less of the extensive investigation really would have pushed this book into a different league.

That being said- I still really enjoyed the plot and action in this book, I thought that it was believable (even the visits from her dad), and it was easy to relate to Anne and several of the other characters. Should there ever be another story about Anne the amatuer slueth, I would buy it. If you are a fan of mysteries and are looking for some good summer/beach reading, this book is a good bet.

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Disclaimer: I recieved this book from The Cadence Group for review.

The Order of Odd-Fish

The Order of Odd-Fish
by: James Kennedy
http://www.jameskennedy.com/

Jo Larouche has lived her thirteen years in the California desert with her Aunt Lily, a faded Hollywood starlet, ever since she found in Lily’s laundry room with this note pinned to her blankets: This is Jo. Please take care of her. But beware. This is a DANGEROUS baby.

Up until this point, Jo has been, as Aunt Lily puts it, “as dangerous as a glass of milk.” But all that’s about to change. At Lily’s annual Christmas costume party, several strange things happen: a boy in a hedgehog shoots an elderly Russian colonel; a talking cockroach is found tied up in the basement, moaning about how this will play in the tabloid press; and a box falls from the sky, addressed to Jo from “The Order of Odd-Fish.”

Soon, worsening circumstances lead Jo and Lily out of California forever—and into the mysterious, strange, fantastical world of Eldritch City. There, Jo learns the scandalous truth about who she is, and she and Lily join the Order of Odd-Fish, a colorful collection of knights who research useless information. Glamorous cockroach butlers, impossible quests, obsolete weapons and bizarre festivals fill their days, but Jo’s dream turns to nightmare when she learns that instead of a hero of Eldritch City, she may in fact become its destroyer. By the novel’s wrenching climax, Jo comes to understand who she truly is—and what it means to call a city home.

Equal parts Monty Python and Roald Dahl, The Order of Odd-Fish is an entertaining and hilarious ride through a world that readers will not want to leave. (from Jameskennedy.com)

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This was a great book. To be honest, I had never heard of it a few weeks ago, but then I attended the Teen Book Fest in Rochester and had the good fortune of seeing author James Kennedy on the new author panel. After several hours of wonderful, but not overly exciting presentations, Kennedy hit the nail on the head as he got up for his reading and gave quite the performance. He got the audience, primarily teens with a few adults sprinkled in, to participate by cheering (or booing) along as was warranted. Then he described his main character as the opposite of Harry Potter- instead of the boy who lived, she is the girl who kills; instead of the one who will save them all, she is the one who will destroy everything. Just like that I knew I had to buy this book (so it was back to the bookstore for me). I definitly wasn't dissapointed.

There is so much in this book that there is no way I could give a proper review and catch everything that was great. So I'll stick to the highlights. At the heart of the story is Jo, an orphan who grew up with her Aunt Lily in the California desert. She waiteresses tables and tries to keep her aunt under control, and generally lives a pretty boring life. Then it all flips upside down and she finds herself on an adventure to Eldritch City with her aunt, a Russian General and a Cockroach butler. Once in Eldrtich City she finds herself in the Order of Odd-Fish, a group of knights who study rather unimportant knowledge (like smells) and learns that her birth nearly brought down the entire world. Now she has to keep her true identity a secret while everyone around her is looking for the girl who will destroy all of them. Add in crazy quests, rediculous festivals and parties, a tv show that feeds the paranoia about Jo's true identity, a would be villian and a real villian named the Belgian Prankster and you have a story that never slows down and keeps you wanting more.

Now that I've written what probably reads as a slightly confusing and strange recap of the book, all I can really tell you is that you should go read this book. It takes a really basic coming of age story about a girl trying to figure out who she is and who she wants to be and flips it on it's head. Kennedy creates an absurd world that is full of odd, disgusting, hilarious and dangerous characters and gives us a story that you won't want to put down. It has adventure and laughs and what more can you really ask for? It's a great summer reading book, so go grab a copy and enjoy!

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As always- check out Kennedy's website and if you get a chance to see Kennedy live, take it, it's totally worth it!