Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

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One night, in countries all across Europe, 5 children disappear. No one connects the disappearances because no one remembers the children. Several years later, they all reappear at a Christmas party in New York City. They are introduced as the adopted children of a Madame Villeroy. She has given each of them a talent that they must use to rise to the top of their pretigious high school. THey have goals to reach and nothing, and no one, will stop them. But why don't they remember their past? Two of the children start to questionn their "mother's" motive. This questioning begins the uncovering of secrets so dangerous and shocking it just might turn their family against itself.

This was a very... mysterious book. Even halfway through it I didn't fully understand what it was about. And when I had finished reading it, I still felt a bit confused. But it was still very good writing and a captivating and unique storyline. The characters were pretty developed and from the beginning there were certain ones I prefered over others. I did enjoy this book, and people who are interested in the paranormal will definitely find it interesting. I reccommend it, but with a note that it was a confusing and a bit difficult to read.

Daniel and Dina Nayeri are a brother and sister team who were born in Iran and spent a lot of time in Europe. Daniel lives in NYC and Dina lives in Amsterdam. They have another book called Another Pan that I look forward to reading. For more information about Daniel and Dina, Another Faust, and other works by the pair, visit danielanddina.com

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

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"It wouldn't be a road trip without some detours..."
When Amy Curry left for a cross country trip from California to her new home in Connecticut with an old family friend Roger Sullivan, she had no idea just how many detours would come her way.

When Amy's father died a few years earlier, her life changed for the worse. With her mother becoming more and more distant, her brother secretly in rehab, and a secret that haunts her, everything seems to be spiraling out of control. Until the day her mom announces that she needs to drive the car across the country to Connecticut, where her mom has already been living. Through a series of "small" detours what seems like an awkward car ride with a now-stranger whom Amy hasn't seen in years turns into a journey in which two teenagers rethink themselves, their pasts... and each other.

This book won me over from the very beginning, starting with the cover. I was looking for a quick, fun, summer romance and I got just that. But I also got so much more. This book, while a fun teen romance, was a story that made me laugh, cry, and scream all at the same time. The occasional page of pictures really helped me visualize Amy and Roger's adventure. I fell in love with the characters and found myself cheering for them all across the country. It made me wish I could take a road trip myself. Recommended for any high school girl who wants a fun, romantic read!

Morgan Matson lives in Los Angeles, California and is a fan of roadtrips herself. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour is her debut novel. For more information (and the first chapter of the book!) visit morganmatson.com

Vixen by Jillian Larkin

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"Young. Wealthy. Defiant. Beautiful. Dangerous. It's 1923... and Anything Goes."
This phrase one reads on the back of the book Vixen by Jillian Larkin summarizes the entire story. It's the Jazz Age in Chicago, and Gloria and Lorraine are best friends who hide nothing from each other. Or do they? Gloria longs to enjoy the flapper lifestyle, but now that she is engaged to the powerful Sebastian Grey, will this be possible? Lorraine secretly desires to climb the social ladder and get away from Gloria's shadow, and she will do anything to get there. Anything. The plot thickens when sweet, innocent Clara, Gloria's cousin from Pennsylvania, arrives to help plan the wedding. But under the conservative dresses and boring pastimes, is Clara really everything that she seems, or are her secrets even deeper and darker than those of Gloria and Lorraine? When boys come into the picture, the bonds between these girls loosen. Secrets are kept, lies are told, friends are betrayed. All in the hope of love or fame. When it comes to achieving these things.... Anything goes.

I am a big fan of the twenties era, I chose this book a bit skeptically. I was afraid it would be a Bright Young Things (by Anna Godbersen) wannabe, but I was wrong. This book is a very good interpretation of the time. The plot was slightly predictable as a whole, but the inner details and plots were fantastic and kept me reading. I was also very impressed by the character development of this book, which is often a problem in teen fiction. I found myself cheering for some characters, and desperately angry at others. I felt like I was in the book, which in my opinion is a sign of well developed characters and a wonderfully written plot. I loved this book and it definitely qualifies as one of my favorites. I recommend it to older teenagers who are looking for an accurate but intriguing story of the times of the flappers.

Jillian Larkin, like me, has been fascinated with the flapper era since her childhood. She lives in New York, and has written a sequel to Vixen, Ingenue, which I look forward to reading. For more information about Jillian Larkin and her books, visit randomhouse.com/teens.

Wildwing by Emily Whitman

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Addy knows she is not meant for a life as a simple maid in a gentleman's home. She wishes to wear the dresses and live the fancy life that her character in the upcoming play, the queen, must live. But when a fight causes her mother to remove her from school to become a maid in the house of Mr. Greenwood, a man who has been slightly crazy since the loss of his son years before, Addy loses her part in the play to a girl who does nothing but taunt her.

Addy reluctantly serves out her duty as a maid, when one day she discovers, of all things, an elevator cab in an abandoned bedroom. She steps inside and is suddenly swept away into a world very different from her own. Here, she is mistaken for the future bride of the lord that lives in the castle Addy recognizes as the ruins she has seen so often in her time. Addy becomes used to the pampered, high life that she lives as Lady Matilda while the lord is still away on business, but then she meets William, the falconer's son, whose stunning blue eyes and love for hawking make Addy wonder if she is really ready to leave her entire life behind and become the bride of this man she has never met, but does she really have a choice?

Once again, I have chosen a book about time travel. What can I say, it fascinates me. This book was no exception. It was wonderful. The characters were very likeable and the plot, although just a little bit predictable, was fascinating, although this could be because time travel is one of my favorite subjects. It wasn't focused as much on the time as it was Addy's desire to be someone different, and using a different time period was her way of becoming that person. The midieval times seemed pretty accurate, but for some reason the 1900s, which is where (when?) Addy is actually from, didn't seem very much like the other books I have read about from that time period. It could be that I have never really read one from that perspective. The end was very surprising to me, and I am sure that this book will be enjoyable for anyone who enjoys books about time travel and finding one's true identity. Overall, Wildwing is a great book that I enjoyed very, very much.

Emily Whitman is an author from Oregon who shares my love for time (and worldly) travel. Her first book, Radiant Darkness, was a #1 Indiebound Pick and I look forward to reading it soon! For more information about Wildwing, Radiant Darkness, and Emily Whitman, visit www.emilywhitman.com,

Stravaganza: City of Masks by Mary Hoffman

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Present day, London. Lucien Mulholland spends his days in a hospital bed receiving vicious treatment for the cancer that has taken over his brain. It makes him so sick that sometimes he wonders what makes him feel worse: the cancer or the chemo. His parents do everything they can to try and make him feel better, and one day his father brings him a little notebook he found in a house he was cleaning out. It doesn't seem like much, but when Lucien falls asleep with the notebook in his hand, he realizes it's a much bigger thing than he could have ever imagined.

Suddenly, Lucien finds himself transported to a different time, different place. He quickly realizes that his hair, long gone because of the cancer treatments, is back, and he feels stronger and healthier than ever, although a little confused. He meets a girl who is not where she's supposed to be, and he is somehow trapped into being in the service of the Duchess of the Island Bellezza, which he comes to realize is very much like the city he knows as Venice. When he wakes up in his hospital bed, he decides all this must be a dream. But when the dreams keep coming back, they become almost more real than his home in London. He meets a man who tells him he isn't dreaming but stravagating. Traveling from one world to another, and all this because of the little notebook his father had given him. Can Lucien handle living in both worlds, thriving in one, barely surviving in another? Find out in this book filled with adventure, magic, and even a little romance.

I picked this book up at the library, not sure what to expect. I was intrigued by the cover, and the thought of travel to a different time and place has always been interesting to me. Though it was a little hard to get into, I loved this book. It was not predictable at all, a very big advantage when it comes to the books I read, and it was so good I couldn't put it down. I read it in a very short amount of time, not because of it's level of difficulty, but because of the storyline that kept me reading. I thought the parallels between Talia of the book and Italy of our world were very interesting, but the two places weren't too similar to be boring. It was a great read and I definitely reccomend it! I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Mary Hoffman has loved Italy since her first trip there at 14, and she has transferred that love into City of Masks. She has written four sequels to City of Masks, and the sixth one is due to come out in 2012. For more information about Mary Hoffman and her other books, visit maryhoffman.co.uk.

I'm Back!

I am very sad to say that once school started I suddenly became so busy I was completely unable to post anything. On the bright side, I have been reading almost as much as usual and have many books that I can possibly write reviews on in the next few weeks, so hopefully I will have some up soon!
Thanks for following!
Rachel

The Luxe by Anna Godberson

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Manhattan. 1899. Parties, dresses, romance... and betrayal.

In the highest classes of society in 19th century New York, even the closest of friends will turn on each other to obtain what they desire, or hide their darkest secrets. Heiresses Elizabeth and Dianna Holland, Penelope Hayes, and Lina Broud are right in the middle of all of it. Elizabeth is engaged to a man she does not love, and who does not love her, and wants nothing more than to be with Will, the stable boy who has had her heart for years. Penelope wants power and is willing to crush anything that gets in her way, especially her friends. Diana is young and in love with none other than her sister's fiance who claims to love her too. Lina is Elizabeth's former maid who has managed to climb her way up the society ladder in a less-than honest way in the hope of stealing Will's love from Elisabeth. Lies told and believed weave a complicated web for these 4 young women, will their stories end as they hope?

I fell in love with this book as soon as I picked it up. Though at times it is confusing and seems almost to be a 19th century soap opera, it is intriguing and it kept me wanting to read the next one in the series as soon as possible. It is a historically accurate love story whose fantastic plot will never leave you bored, though sometimes a little confused. You will find yourself quickly taking sides with the very developed characters and getting lost in the beautiful setting that is New York City at the turn of the century. The Luxe Series is an amazing couple of books that I recommend to teenage girls.

Anna Godberson has written 3 sequels to Luxe: Rumors, Envy and Splendor, all of which are fantastic books and I highly recommend. She is also publishing Bright Young Things, a book about the roaring 20s, in October, which I look forward to reading.