Prince of Thorns

Prince of Thorns

by Mark Lawrence

Synopsis:

When he was nine, he watched as his mother and brother were killed before him. At thirteen, he led a band of bloodthirsty thugs. By fifteen, he intends to be king…

It's time for Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath to return to the castle he turned his back on, to take what's rightfully his. Since the day he hung pinned on the thorns of a briar patch and watched Count Renar's men slaughter his mother and young brother, Jorg has been driven to vent his rage. Life and death are no more than a game to him-and he has nothing left to lose. But treachery awaits him in his father's castle. Treachery and dark magic. No matter how fierce his will, can one young man conquer enemies with power beyond his imagining?

My Thoughts:

I am starting to realize that I really am one of those people that picks a book based on the cover; with Prince of Thorns it was even worse. I saw the cover for book two (yes this is a series) and decided book two simply looked amazing and so in order to read it I needed to read book one hence Prince of Thorns. This book took me by surprise. The main character Jorg is 14 and quite frankly I would have never believed he was so young aside from the fact that he tells you he is 14 and Jorg is not one to lie about anything.  The author does an amazing job with Jorg.  Jorg is violent, ruthless, calculating, fearless, and full to the brim with a desire for revenge that borders on obsession but even though he is all those things and seems to have no regard for human live (aside from his own) you still are rooting for him to win and conquer the world and his own demons.  Prince of Thorns is a fairly quick read full of action, adventure, and violence with many twists and turns that leave you wanting more.  But be warned it is also a fairly dark book and if you are at all squeamish about blood or violence I do not recommend picking this book up.

Seraphina

Seraphina

by Rachel Hartman

Synopsis:

A new vision of knights, dragons, and the fair maiden caught in between . . .
 
Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty''s anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.
 
Seraphina has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered. While a sinister plot to destroy the peace is uncovered, Seraphina struggles to protect the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life. Seraphina''s tortuous journey to self-acceptance will make a magical, indelible impression on its readers.

My Thoughts:

I actually didn't pick this book myself; it was recommended to me by a coworker.  It had dragons so I couldn't turn it down.  After looking at the cover and reading the little summary I thought this would be an interesting but rather short and simple story more suited for younger audience than a high school student.  I couldn't have been more wrong.  First of all this is just the first book there will be more coming (unfortunately I haven't seen anything indicating when the next book will be available).  Second the world that Hartman has created is far more intricate than I was expecting.  The character development was quite complex and very well done.  You can clear see how each character is developed and the best part is it is completely believable.  There are so many topics discussed in this book from philosophy and art to love and religion and then there are even heavier topics just as what is means to be human (or a dragon) and how to be accepting (of others and of oneself).  This book I found was a little tough to get into but by chapter 5 I was in love with pretty much all the characters especially Seraphina and I can't wait to see what happens next in this amazingly detailed world.

Everyday

Every Day

by David Levithan

Synopsis:

In his New York Times bestselling novel, David Levithan introduces readers to what Entertainment Weekly calls a "wise, wildly unique" love story about A, a teen who wakes up every morning in a different body, living a different life.

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There's never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It's all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with-day in, day out, day after day.

With his new novel, David Levithan, bestselling co-author of Will Grayson, Will Grayson, and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, has pushed himself to new creative heights. He has written a captivating story that will fascinate readers as they begin to comprehend the complexities of life and love in A's world, as A and Rhiannon seek to discover if you can truly love someone who is destined to change every day.

My Thoughts:

Imagine waking up everyday with absolutely no idea what to expect.  That is A.'s life. A. wakes up and has to figured out if he (and I use the term loosely) is a girl or a boy, if he is short or tall, where he is now living in the world, and so many more things.  This has been A.'s life and he has learned to adapt to it.  He tries to live a version of the person whose life he has for the day as close to normal as possible and most of all tries to not interfere because his biggest fears are that someone will find out about him or that he will ruin someone's live permanently.  That is until he meets Rhiannon and all the rules that he made no longer seem that important.  After a full day with Rhiannon, A. starts to really think about what he is missing out on and decides that what he wants more than anything is a relationship with Rhiannon and for her to know the truth about him.  Telling Rhiannon presents its own set of problems, mainly that it is a hard truth to believe and it takes a few days of A. in completely different bodies to finally convince her of the truth. As A. and Rhiannon grow closer they are faced with Rhiannon's difficult to see A. through the varies bodies that he inhabits.  David Levithan's Every Day makes you question so many things.  On one hand you want A. to have a real life and be able to fall in love and stay with that person but on the other hand you want A. to stick to his moral code and not take someone's life away from them.  You want Rhiannon and A. to connect and be a couple but at the same time you are right there with Rhiannon questioning how you can love a physically different person every single day.  This book doesn't try to figure out how to fix A.'s life; it's not about the how or even the why and frankly if the author had tried it would have been a very different book.  This book is about hope and the many versions of love that are out there.