Into the Fire

Into the Fire
Birth of the Phoenix, book one
by Ashelyn Drake

Seventeen-year-old Cara Tillman’s life is a perfectly normal one until Logan Schmidt moves to Ashlan Falls. Cara is inexplicably drawn to him, but she’s not exactly complaining. Logan’s like no boy she’s ever met, and he brings out a side of Cara that she isn’t used to. As the two get closer, everything is nearly perfect, and Cara looks forward to the future.

But Cara isn’t a normal girl. She’s a member of a small group of people descended from the mythical phoenix bird, and her time is running out. Rebirth is nearing, which means she’ll forget her life up to this point—she’ll forget Logan and everything they mean to one another.. But that may be the least of Cara’s problems.

A phoenix hunter is on the loose, and he’s determined to put an end to the lives of people like Cara and her family, once and for all.  (Description from Goodreads.com)

This book sucked me in from page one.  It has a great opening scene that really sets you right into the heart of the story. I was fascinated by the concept of Cara and her family being Phoenixes and the way the lore hits their family... my heart ached for Cara and Jeremy!   

While I'm not usually a fan of insta-love at all, in this case, with the way that Cara's genetics affected things I got it.  The way that both she and Logan felt it but also wanted to resist it really made sense.  Drake did a great job with that. The deeper they got it, and the higher the stakes got, the more I found myself rooting for Cara's happiness, no matter where it came from.  

And when we find out who the hunter is...well, I knew something was up with this character, but I have to admit to still being shocked at the big reveal! Well done. I love not being able to guess the bad guy.

AND with where this book leaves us... HELLO CLIFFHANGER!!!... I cannot wait to read the next one.  

Full Disclosure: Review copy received from publisher

Memento Nora

Memento Nora
by Angie Smibert

In the future, it doesn't pay to remember.

In Nora's world you don't have to put up with nightmares. Nora goes with her mother to TFC--a Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic. There, she can describe her horrible memory and take the pill that will erase it. But at TFC, a chance encounter with a mysterious guy changes Nora's life. She doesn't take the pill. And when Nora learns the memory her mother has chosen to forget, she realizes that someone needs to remember. With newfound friends Micah and Winter, Nora makes a comic book of their memories called Memento. It's an instant hit, but it sets off a dangerous chain of events. Will Nora, Micah, and Winter be forced to take the Big Pill that will erase their memories forever? (description from Amazon.com)

Short. Succinct. Intriguing. Well Done!

Though this book was smaller than I'd imagined, (which originally made me nervous) Smibert packs a ton of punch into this little book. The world is close enough to our own, that once the TFC centers were described and you understood that taking pills made you forget...well, whatever...you were pretty much all set. So simple, and yet so freaking scary. This is the type of book that seems utterly plausible. Both terrifying and absorbing.

With short chapters that jump between the three main characters' points of view, you had to pay attention to who was speaking and how things all played into the larger picture...and yet, that was not at all hard to do. Each character felt distinct and had their own easily discernable motives for their part in creating Memento.

While I loved each character, what struck me even more once I'd finished the book was the adults around them, in their lives. For the adults play a much stronger role in this story than you would originally think.
*spoilers ahead*

When each teen forgets the existence of Memento, it is the adults in their lives that continue the story. Even if Nora, Micah, and Winter never even realize it.
*Spoilers end*

Each teen greatly influences the adults around them...inspiring them to solve their own issues, to stand up for what they believe in, to truly see the others around them. I found inspiration in that. In today's world where we've become self-absorbed, it is rare for an adult to admit that another adult has greatly influenced them...let alone a teen. Too often they get written off...

Kudos to a fantastic debut by Angie Smibert.

2011 Debut Author Challenge

Ghost Town

Ghost Town
by Rachel Caine
Morganville Vampires, book nine

While developing a new system to maintain Morganville's defenses, student Claire Danvers discovers a way to amplify vampire mental powers. Through this, she's able to re-establish the field around this vampire-infested Texas college town that protects it from outsiders.

But the new upgrades have an unexpected consequence: people inside the town begin to slowly forget who they are-even the vampires. Soon, the town's little memory problem has turned into a full-on epidemic. Now Claire needs to figure out a way to pull the plug on her experiment- before she forgets how to save Morganville...
(description taken from Amazon.com)

This is a series that I devour. Every time a new book is coming out, I am practically foaming at the mouth to get my hands on it! The best part...every book in the series just seems to get better.

I cannot figure out how Rachel Caine does it. This is one of the best vampire series out there. Period. Claire is one of my favorite heroines ever. She's smart, she's resourceful, she's cute, and she's just...Claire.

For example (as a fellow "smart girl" and a secret zombie lover, I LOVE this quote):
"Well, there are good points about zombie movies. There're usually smart girls in them, for some reason. And the smart girls hardly ever get killed."

Awesome.

Anyway, I could not put Ghost Town down. There were points when I literally considered whether some of the main characters might have to die. I cannot believe how Rachel Caine managed to pull Claire and her friends out of their new(est) dangerous situation. Talk about the suspense...this book is overflowing with it!

If you already read this series, pick Ghost Town up ASAP. If you haven't tried the Morganville Vampires yet, what on Earth are you waiting for? You won't be sorry!

White Cat

White Cat
by Holly Black
Curse Workers, book one

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen. (description taken from Amazon.com)

I had heard a lot about this book before reading it. I'm a huge Holly Black fan, so I really wanted to read it. The world building was fantastic, of course, but there had been a lot of "oohing" and "aaahing" over Cassel as a heartbreaker. I just didn't quite get that.

The curseworker world is fascinating. I love the way that everyone must wear gloves to keep from being worked. The charms that could prevent working are also a great idea. I also thought it was great how Black set things up with politics and world issues based on the curseworkers and their relation to society. Cassel goes to a sleep specialist who wants to give him the "test" - one that can determine if he is a worker...one that may soon become mandatory - for the safety of everyone in their society.

That typs of worldbuilding is just absolutely captivating. What didn't quite pull me in was the relationship between Cassel and Lila... I guess because he thought she was dead when the book began, I just didn't really believe the whole unrequited love thing he had for her. More believable was what he went through with Aubrey, the girl from school. I also loved his friendships with Sam and Daneca, his relationship with his grandfather, and the screwed up way that he related to his brothers and mother. Those relationships I felt were very believable.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, even if I didn't swoon over the main character. I will definitely read book two, Red Glove, when it comes out. Holly Black is a master worldbuilder.