The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ave Lavender

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ave Lavender 

by Leslye Walton

Synopsis:

Magical realism, lyrical prose, and the pain and passion of human love haunt this hypnotic generational saga. 

Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava - in all other ways a normal girl - is born with the wings of a bird. In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naive to the twisted motives of others. Others like the pious Nathaniel Sorrows, who mistakes Ava for an angel and whose obsession with her grows until the night of the summer solstice celebration. That night, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air, and Ava's quest and her family's saga build to a devastating crescendo. First-time author Leslye Walton has constructed a layered and unforgettable mythology of what it means to be born with hearts that are tragically, exquisitely human.

My thoughts:

Everyone in Ava’s family has suffered at the hands of love: Her Great-Grandmother when she was left by her husband after having to immigrate from France to “Manhatine”, her Grandmother Emiliene when she loses the love of her life and every one of her siblings, and finally her mother Vivianne when she was abandoned by her childhood sweetheart after a night that left her pregnant with twins Ava and Henry. When the story moves on to Ava’s tale it shows a girl who is trapped by family history and her own reality (she was born with wings); a girl who is trying to figure out where she truly fits in the world and if the world can even accept a girl like her.  Emiliene, Vivianne, and Ava all live in the same house together but all of them due to history or circumstance are hiding and it is only when Ava endures a violent assault from a soul misguided in his obsession that love’s wounds begin to heal and the women start to relate to each other as a true family. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ave Lavender is a multi-generational novel that tells of love and it’s victims. With events that could easy have come out of a fairytale setting - Emiliene’s sister turns into a bird and Vivianne’s incredible sense of smell -  Walton has created a beautiful and haunting story that perfectly blends magic, myth, and realism together.  

Proxy

Proxy

by Alex London

Synopsis:

Knox was born into one of the City''s wealthiest families. A Patron, he has everything a boy could possibly want—the latest tech, the coolest clothes, and a Proxy to take all his punishments. When Knox breaks a vase, Syd is beaten. When Knox plays a practical joke, Syd is forced to haul rocks. And when Knox crashes a car, killing one of his friends, Syd is branded and sentenced to death.

Syd is a Proxy.  His life is not his own.

Then again, neither is Knox's. Knox and Syd have more in common than either would guess. So when Knox and Syd realize that the only way to beat the system is to save each other, they flee. Yet Knox's father is no ordinary Patron, and Syd is no ordinary Proxy. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test both boys' resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay. Some debts, it turns out, cannot be repaid.

A fast-paced, thrill-ride of novel full of non-stop action, heart-hammering suspense and true friendship—just as moving as it is exhilarating. Fans of Anthony Horowitz''s Alex Rider series, James Dashner''s Maze Runner, Patrick Ness''s Chaos Walking series, and Marie Lu''s Legend trilogy will be swept away by this story.

My thoughts:

Imagine never having to pay for a wrong you do?  This is the life of Knox.  He was born wealthy and as a Patron whenever he does wrong, his Proxy is the one punished.  

Imagine having to pay for the wrong someone else does?  Someone breaks something and you are fined? Someone steals something and you are penalized.  This is the life of Sid.  

He is Proxy to Knox and when Knox crashes a car, killing his latest girlfriend, Syd is branded and sentenced to 16 years at the Old Sterling Work Colony.  Too great a punishment for Syd to bear, he escapes.  An action packed thrill ride results and Syd meets up with Knox, who helps him flee.  Fans of Dashner’s Maze Runner Trilogy and Horowitz’s Alex Rider series will be thrilled with the nonstop action and heart hammering suspense.  Recommended to both avid and reluctant readers.

Fates

Fates

by Lanie Bross

Synopsis:

One moment. One foolish desire. One mistake. And Corinthe lost everything.

She fell from her tranquil life in Pyralis Terra and found herself exiled to the human world. Her punishment? To make sure people''s fates unfold according to plan. Now, years later, Corinthe has one last assignment: kill Lucas Kaller. His death will be her ticket home.

But for the first time, Corinthe feels a tingle of doubt. It begins as a lump in her throat, then grows toward her heart, and suddenly she feels like she is falling all over again--this time for a boy she knows she can never have. Because it is written: one of them must live, and one of them must die. In a universe where every moment, every second, every fate has already been decided, where does love fit in?

My thoughts:

All Corinthe, the first Fallen Fate in history, wants is to return home to Pyralis and her sister Fates.  Sent to Humana (Earth) for her curiosity and losing a marble of fate over the waterfall, she is given a new responsibility as an Executor and must help humans to complete their unfulfilled destinies. Luc is a star athlete trying to figure out what he really wants while keeping his little sister, Jasmine, safe (mostly from herself). When the two finally meet, they both feel an instant attraction that is hard to ignore but shortly after their encounter Corinthe is given her last task to complete that will allow her to return home to Pyralis: kill Luc. With doubts setting in Corinthe tries to complete this last task and as Luc fights for his life, both make a crazy leap off an abandoned building sending the story, Luc, and Corinthe into full blown fantasy. Traveling different worlds as well as the crossroads that connect all of the worlds together, Luc and Corinthe call an uneasy truce in order to save Jasmine who was lured to the world of the Blood Nymphs and is slowly becoming one of them. Fates is a story full of mystery and wonder. Bross has created an unforgettable story filled with many different worlds each one more imaginative than the last. As the story progresses, Corinthe starts to grow and slowly becomes more human causing her to question everything that she has ever been taught. Can a person change their destiny or is everything fated? Readers will have to wait for the sequel which comes out spring 2015 to find out.

Coldest Girl in Coldtown

Coldest Girl in Coldtown

by Holly Black

Synopsis:

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown''s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.

My thoughts:

The vampires are no longer satisfied to live in the shadows; the government in an effort to stop the spread of vampirism set up Coldtowns where vampires, and their worshippers live behind a set of steel walls like celebrities - as well as humans that were trapped when the walls went up because leaving a Coldtown is almost impossible.  After a night of partying with friends, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses; during the night someone foolishly opened a window and let the vampires in. As Tana hunts for her keys and shoes she discovers two other survivors; Aidan, her ex-boyfriend who has gone "cold" and will turn into a vampire if he gets the human blood he is craving, and a mysterious vampire locked in chains named Gavriel. As these three unlikely companions escape Tana is bitten and starts to go "cold" herself; Not wanting to risk her family as she tries to fight off the vampire disease (if she can survive 88 days without drinking human blood the disease will leave her body and she will be human again), Tana drives herself, Aidan, and Gavriel to the nearest Coldtown.  Black's novel, inspired by a short story of the same title, is a dark, and violent thriller.  Tana is a extremely resourceful girl with the courage and wit to stand off against monsters and do what's right. For those sick to death of vampire lit, Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a new and completely original take on the genre and vampire fans with not want to miss it.  

Minders

Minders

by Michele Jaffe

Synopsis:

Q: If the boy you love commits a crime, would you turn him in?
Sadie Ames is a type-A teenager from the wealthy suburbs. She''s been accepted to the prestigious Mind Corps Fellowship program, where she''ll spend six weeks as an observer inside the head of Ford, a troubled boy with a passion for the crumbling architecture of the inner city. There''s just one problem: Sadie''s fallen in love with him.
Q: What if the crime is murder?
Ford Winters is haunted by the murder of his older brother, James. As Sadie falls deeper into his world, dazzled by the shimmering pinpricks of color that form images in his mind, she begins to think she knows him. Then Ford does something unthinkable.
Q: What if you saw it happen from inside his mind?
Back in her own body, Sadie is faced with the ultimate dilemma. With Ford''s life in her hands, she must decide what is right and what is wrong. And how well she can really ever know someone, even someone she loves.
A high concept, cinematic read with a surprising twist, MINDERS asks the question: who is really watching who?

My thoughts:

Enter the mind of subject nine, aka Ford Winters, a nineteen year old boy troubled boy who is haunted by the murder of his brother.  A mind that is angry and while it has the potential for murder and destruction also has the potential to love and create.  Sadie Ames enters this mind when she is selected for the Mind Corps Fellowship. As a Mind Corp researcher, Sadie will experience Syncopy, which allows her to live within a subject’s mind as an observer while her own body is placed in stasis. Sadie trusts that her cold and analytical mind will make her the perfect candidate to objectively catalogue her subject’s thoughts and actions. But being inside the mind of Ford Winter is much more intense than Sadie anticipated. Seeing all of Ford’s thoughts and insecurities, Sadie is fascinated by the workings of her subject’s mind and soon finds it impossible to keep her emotions in check. Sadie watches helplessly as the boy she comes to love place himself in the crosshairs of a highly dangerous enemy. This edgy sci-fi thriller is a refreshing change from the post apocalyptic literature of late and provides an accurate and consuming picture of humanity. Jaffe perfectly describes Ford’s subconscious thoughts and raw emotions such as grief, betrayal and love, leaving readers feeling as though they are trapped inside his mind along with Sadie.  An expertly written novel that is highly recommended for teen readers.