14.) The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

“Touch her, and I'll freeze your testicles off and put them in a jar. Understand?”

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (Harlequin Teen, 2010)
(Iron Fey, Book 1)

Genre: Fantasy, Modern Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Romance

Honors: Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Young Adult Romance (2011), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy, Debut Author, Goodreads Author (2010) [Honors Information found at Goodreads.com]

Review: On Meghan's 16th birthday she gets more then just an ordinary sweet sixteen surprise. She comes home to discover that her kid brother has been switched with an evil doppelganger and she must now travel to the fey world to retrieve him. With the help of her best friend, who she discovers is also a fairy, not just any fairy but the legendary Robin Goodfellow aka Puck, she travels to the fey world and discovers that her sixteenth birthday entails a lot more then she could have ever imagined. She discovers that she is the Fairy King's human daughter and many would want to hurt her in order to hurt the fairy king. Now she must run away from the fairy king's court, where she is held prisoner for her own protection, not be captured by any fairies that would like a tasty human morsel, and face the Iron King, a new kind of fairy based on technology.

Opinion: Though I thought this was a kind of your run-of-the-mill urban fairy tale, I am intrigued to read the rest of the series because the author has put out novellas between each volume of the story. I also want to mention that I found the main character so over the op annoying in the beginning, but towards the end I realized the author did that on purpose so the reader actually sees Meghan's confidence and courage evolve.  The romance aspect is very generic, so I'm glad it is not too over the top in the first book.

Ideas: This is good for anyone who wants to read a paranormal romance, and likes the idea of one girl caught between two boys. Also good for teens who like urban fantasy.

6.) Fables Volume 3 - Story Book Love by Bill Willingham,

Fables Vol. 3- Story Book Love by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham (illustrator), and Steve Leialoha (illustrator) (Vertigo, 2004)

Genre: Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Modern Fantasy, Series

Honors: Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story (2003) [Honors Information found at Goodreads.com]

Review: In the third volume of the critically acclaimed Fables series—in which all of the world's childhood stories have been kicked out of their land and forced to live in New York, either in the city or on an upstate farm—opens with a rather interesting story set in the Civil War where Jack of Fables outsmarts the devil disguised as an old black man in the swamp. He gains a magic bag of holding. He then finds a luxurious plantation abandon of all the people but a beautiful paralyzed young woman who is waiting for death to take her. Jack makes her a deal that if he can save her life she must sleep with him. When Death comes for the woman Jack traps Death in his bag stopping all death from occurring as the woman finds out when she tries to slaughter animals for them to eat. Jack realizes this and he and Death make a bargain. Nothing is said of this story again, so I imagine the bargain will come up in a later late. 

Following this tale, the book goes back to Fable Town and Bigby Wolf who is approached by a reporter who claims he knows all about the community of people in New York who don't age. The reporter claims that he knows they are Vampires and that if anything happens to him the story will still go out. Bigby puts together a plan to stop the reporter, but in the process makes a fool out of Blue Beard. Blue Beard then joins Goldilocks in a plan to kill Bigby and Snow White by putting them under a spell where they go on vacation together. When the spell wears off they are in the middle of the Oregon wilderness with no recollection of the previous three of four days. They must make it back to civilization avoiding Goldilocks who is hunting them. Back in Fabletown Prince Charming kills Blue Beard and confesses the crime, but exposes Blue Beard's alliance with Goldilocks and that Snow White and Bigby are in danger. Bigby and Snow White return after Goldilocks is defeated, only to find out something happened to them during the three days they had no memory of.
There is also a bonus story about magic barleycorn, and the Small Town. 

Opinion: This particular volume was a little more graphic then the previous two that I had read, and would probably only recommend for older teens due some graphic sexual content. The art work left more to be desired, I was not a fan of it. The story was so so, but it was very much an "in-between" volume carrying the story from point A to where ever it is trying to go. I will continue to read the series though.

Ideas: The entire series would make a great edition to any graphic novel collection. Could be on display for Graphic Novels, Fantasy, or Modern Fairy Tales. 

One of the Original Covers of the Comic Book Fables

One of the Original Covers of the Comic Book Fables

5.) The Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

 “The Prisoner stood with his hands tied in front of him, tired, beaten, and filthy, but with a proud back befitting his royal Indian heritage.”

 The Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck (Splinter, 2011)
(Tiger Saga, Book 1)

Genre: Fantasy, Modern Fantasy, Romance, Series

Honors: Next Generation Indie Book Award Nominee for Young Adult (2010) [Honors Information found at Goodreads.com]

Review: A few years after Kelsey's parents died, Kelsey finds herself puttering through life.  Just graduated from high school and working at a temp agency to pay for community college, little did Kelsey know that when she lands a temporary job at a circus that her whole life is about to change. When she meets the circus's tiger, she feel immediately drawn to the creature, and when a wealthy Indian business man buys the tiger, he offers her a job with all expenses paid to India to help care for the tiger. In India though she ends up being abandoned with the tiger on the streets of India and he runs into the jungle. Kelsey follows to discover that the tiger is no ordinary tiger, but a 300 year old Indian prince who has been course to live as a tiger for 300 years, and he can change into human form for 24 minutes every day. Kelsey was some how chosen to help him break the curse and return him to human form forever. They begin an perilous journey that can lead them to their death or lead them to each others arms. 

Opinion: This is your typical teen romance. The only major difference is that it is heavily influenced by Indian culture and myth. There are not a lot of teen books that have so much rich information about India in them. I would have to say that the author must have been to India herself to get a real feel for her descriptions. I am a little irritated by the kappa creature, because the author wrote that it came from China and the kappa is from Japanese mythology so I am very interested in asking her where she got the information that the kappa is Chinese. Other then that, the way the main character Kelsey was acting at the end of the book was irritating and it was obvious that the author is trying to set up a love triangle which, if you will excuse me, ...yawn....... Not a bad book, but nothing great either. Probably won't pick up the other four in the series.

Ideas: This is a very innocent paranormal romance (no sex, barely any kissing even!) Also a good book about other cultures, in this case India. Anyone interested in other cultures would probably like this book. It's a longer series with book five coming out this year. 

Other books in the series (Tiger's Dream is a fan art cover, not the official cover)

4.) Sabriel by Garth Nix

“Fear and realization of ignorance, strong medicines against stupid pride.”

Sabriel by Garth Nix (HarperTeen; Reprint edition, 1997) (First Published in 1995)
(Abhorsen series, book 1)

Genre: Fantasy, Series

Honors: Ditmar Award Nominee for Short Fiction (1996), An ALA Notable Children's Book for Older Readers (1997), Aurealis Award for Fantasy Novel and Young Adult Novel (1995), Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2005) [Honors Information found at Goodreads.com]

Review: Set in a earth-like dimension in the past, Sabriel is a young girl just about ready to finish school and possibly go to college despite being brought up to fight the dead using a special kind of magic. After the her boarding school is attacked one night by a creature Sabriel tries to contact her father who lives as a great Necromancer fighting evil creatures and the dead on the other side of the "Wall" in the Old Kingdom. She soon learns that her father has been captured and in great peril. To save his life she must travel to the Old Kingdom, some place she has not been too since she was a child. Along the way to save her father she gets the aide of Mogget, a free-magic creature who is imprisoned in the body of a white cat, and Touchstone, a free charter mage who has been imprisoned as a wooden statue for hundreds of years.

Opinion: To me this book was very slow, and hard to get into. I listened to this on audio and I don't think the narrator, Tim Curry, was very helpful. I dislike it when books with a female main character are narrated by male narrators. I know many people like this book and this series, and that Garth Nix is a very popular author but this book was a serious struggle for me.

Ideas: This is a good book to give to a teen girl who likes high fantasy type stories. This book would be good for a strong female character display.

A picture of Sabriel that I liked much better than the book cover.

3.) Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

 "Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well."

 Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor (Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition,2011)
(Daughter of Smoke & Bone Series, Book 1)

Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Modern Fantasy, My Favorites, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Series

Honors: Audie Award for Fantasy (2012), Children's Choice Book Award Nominee for Teen Choice Book of the Year (2012), The Inky Awards Nominee for Silver Inky (2012), Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2014), Andre Norton Award Nominee for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy (2011) Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books of the Year (2011), YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (Top Ten) (2012) [Honors Information found at Goodreads.com]

Review: Karou lives a life of relative freedom as an art student in Prague. She has her own flat, doesn't live with parents, and has money she uses as she wishes. But she is harboring secrets. Secret like the human/animal hybrid creatures that she draws in her sketch book are real, and they are her family. Also she must collect teeth for Brimstone, the closest thing she can call father, in exchange for wishes. Although she doesn't know why he collects teeth of all kinds, from any animal...or human. To help her collect these teeth she can be transported around the world through special doors from Brimstone's lair. When scorched hand marks begin to appear on these doors Karou begins suspect something sinister is afoot, and she is bound and determined to find out what it is to protect her chimera family. When she meets an angel named Akiva secrets from her past begin to emerge and enlighten her life.

Opinion: FANTASTIC! Not your average, everyday paranormal romance. This book is incredibly hard to describe and my review can't even do it justice. As a matter of fact I haven't been able to find a summary that has! There is a lot to this book, it takes place in two time-lines, in two worlds, and has a lot to offer! I can't wait to read the sequel, but it has a lot to live up to. I also want to mention that Karou is the pinnacle of the strong female character that many would like young women to read about nowadays. I listened to the audio version and it was also quite good, so I would definitely also recommend the audio to anyone who wants a good audiobook.

Ideas: This book would be perfect for teenage girls who like the kick-ass female protagonist, but it would also be good for girls who like paranormal romance. This would be good in a modern/urban fantasy display, or a strong female character display.