Steampunk!: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories is exactly what it says on the cover--a collection of rich and strange stories that all, in some way, have to do with the theme of steampunk. When I first heard of this book, I was instantly intrigued. Writing a steampunk novel is already tough work, setting the scene and all, but imagining fourteen short stories that all would create unique steampunk worlds in just a few pages was beyond me. Thankfully, I had the opportunity to read and review this book!
In My Boyfriend is a Monster, by Dan Jolley, Staci Glass and her best friend, Faith, join three wannabe witches in a magical ceremony at a history exhibit. A shriveled up Incan mummy goes missing only to have an Incan prince appear. It seems that the ceremony had apparently risen the dead, and with it, the secrets to magic that the witches wanted.
Following the inner thoughts of Lily Hannock, Deep Betrayal, the sequel to Anne Greenwood Brown's Lies Beneath, is a dark and twisted tale of mermaids like you have never laid your eyes on before. Lily imagined a semi-normal life after Calder's sister is no longer out for blood, but when she reveals her father's true merman self, she is stuck ashore while her father and the merman she has come to love roam the deep recesses of Lake Superior.
When treasure is thought to be located in a usually boring coastal town in California, thousands of treasure hunters gather. They're all determined to find the treasure, but none of them want it more than four 7th graders. Will, Mikey, Susan and Evelyn know that they can find the treasure by each using their separate skills. But the treasure is hidden well, and the kids are up against a lot of grown-ups with all kinds of fancy gadgets.
Joy has had some serious changes happen in her life throughout the past year, but what happens at the Carousel Dance Club completely turns her world upside down. It all starts when Joy sees a boy with pitch black eyes. Instead of dancing with her like Joy expects, he tries to cut out her eye. However, the boy, Ink, accidentally marks her as his lehman, his lover, confidant, etc., bringing Joy into a magical and dangerous world full of banshees, fairies, and evil spirits. Now Joy and Ink have to keep up their ruse or risk being killed.
ReGAURDing GRACE by Karen A. Leppert is an exciting love story with a twist. Grace may seem like a normal girl, but there is more than meets the eye. She is a host, she has three "alter egos" with superhuman abilities, her secret seems to be safe until Jack Elliott appears. He is part of a society of hosts and was assigned to help integrate Grace, but he is hiding a connection that goes deeper than she could ever imagine. But things are about to get dangerous when one of her alters starts secretly conspiring with an enemy after Jack's life and Grace's powers.
The book starts off with three kids, Kya, Eliza and Sebastian, who lost at least one of their parents, and an old wizard, Hemlick, who is teaching them magic. Recently there have been paintings stolen at the art museum. It is up to those three to find out what is going on. But, also Marco, Sebastian’s nephew, has disappeared in the museum. There is magic in this mystery. There is a great army with magic in it. Will Kya, Eliza and Sebastian and a bunch of rebels destroy that army and kill the wicked ruler?
This book is about a teenage boy named Nick. He goes to high school like a normal teenager, has his drivers license, and plays on the football team. But Nick isn't normal. He is the Malachi, a demon born to eradicate all human life from the planet. But the Malachi doesn't control Nick's thoughts or actions. He lies sleeping inside Nick. And if Nick lets him wake up, the world will pay the price.
Robyn and her best friend Morgan were supposed to work as counselors at a summer camp, along with Morgan's boyfriend Billy, as a life gaurd, until Morgan breaks her leg. Robyn doesn't want to go without Morgan, but Morgan finally talks her into it. It's a great plan until the camp burns down. So Robyn then decides she's going to spend the summer with her boyfriend Nick, but he says he's going on a camping trip with friends. Nick lives alone in the apartment building Robyn's dad owns.
Persimmon Gaunt and Imago Bone are an unconventional couple and partners in crime: a poet and a slow-aging thief. As they wander to the Eastern edge of the world, they are swept into an adventure that involves magic scrolls, gangs, mythical dragons, and their unborn child.
