Esther's Ever After

" THE FALSE PRINCE is the thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end. In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king’s long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner’s motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword’s point — he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage’s rivals have their own agendas as well. As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner’s sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together. An extraordinary adventure f...

The Magician’s Apprentice by Kate Banks Sixteen-year-old Baz, holds a realistic mix of fear and bravery, as he accepts an unknown visitor’s invitation to leave his village and become a weaver’s apprentice. However, the abusive weaving master to whom he is delivered trades Baz for a sword to a wandering magician, Tadis, who dispenses magic and wisdom with equal alacrity. “ ‘Intention does not come from the mind, though the mind thinks it does. Intention comes from here.’ Tadis pointed to his heart.” Traveling with Tadis and his cart of tricks, Baz embarks on a long physical and spiritual journey to find his true destiny. Set in an unnamed Middle Eastern land and filled with vivid descriptions of earthquakes and sandstorms, as well as physical discomforts and homesickness, the book gently traces Baz’s growing understanding of the universal truths Tadis imparts. Sís’s distinctive, diminutive line drawings appear throughout as spot illustrations, perfectly complementing the understated yet...

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker (named after John Lennon), bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery sister Bailey. But when Bailey dies suddenly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can’t collide without the whole wide world exploding. I can safely say The Sky is Everywhere is one of my favorite books ever. I have never finished a book and felt this emotional before, last night when I turned the last page I felt like crying, laughing, wr...

Here's the 8th book I've read from the YALSA teens top choice list! So far this one is my favorite!! It's Legend by Marie Lu. In this story we meet Day who is a renegade teenager with striking white blonde hair and good looks. He is smart and sly and has a very good heart. He has to hide in the shadows because he lives in a world where most people are poor and a terrible plague has taken over California. Day will stop at nothing to protect his family. He would give up his own life for his loved ones. He is also loyal to his friends to the end. He looks for for a young girl named Tess who has taken under his wing. We also meet June Iparis who is a strong and smart military girl. She works for the Republic which is basically the government that rules the United States. June loves her older brother Metias and doesn't realize until it's too late that she (and everyone else) is being duped by the Republic. When a terrible tragedy happens, June's vision is clouded an...

"The Fire" by James Patterson is the last book in the "Witch & Wizard" series! I just love Whit & Wisty and hope that this really won't be the last we see of them. This brother and sister duo are so cool and I love their strength to overcome all the odds against them. Their world is an anti-witch-establishment!!

Here's another addition to my favorite genre of dystopic science fiction. Across the Universe is such a good read and very very intriguing and suspenseful. Can you imagine you and your family being cryogenically frozen because Earth is in bad shaped and then loaded on to a space craft to travel 300 years to a new planet and then waking up to find out that you never made it to the new planet? Plus your family is still frozen and life on the ship is more oppressive than the Nazi regime. This book is a must read for all you mega dystopia fans just like me. Dystopia in Space rules!!! Across the Universe by Beth Revis 2011 A cryogenically frozen 17 year old girl named Amy is thawed out and meets and falls for Elder the future ruler of the space craft she is aboard called the Godspeed. The ship is headed for a new planet and houses the remaining humans from Earth. No one knows that the ship is several hundred years off schedule and may never even make it to the new world because ...