Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater

Thanks to Paisley Monday for recommending this book!

First book I’ve read by Maggie Stiefvater and certainly my first book involving faeries. I’m hooked in both cases. Stiefvater has developed a strong female lead character in Deirdre, who must endure a tumultuous relationship, not only with her mother and her obnoxious aunt, but also with the Faerie Queen, who essentially has put out a hit on her. Deirdre must also sort out and understand her obsessed relationship with Luke, the boy of her dreams. She struggles to grasp Luke’s true identity and intentions while coming to terms with her own identity and newly acquired mysterious powers. An absorbing book with great character development, Lament is a real page turner and a joy to read. I particularly enjoyed Stiefvater’s descriptive details of the various faeries that coexist with humans but remain largely unseen. I’m looking forward to reading the second book of Gathering of Faerie series "Ballad."

The Dogs of War: The Courage, Love, and Loyalty of Military Working Dogs By Lisa Rogak

The Dogs of War: The Courage, Love, and Loyalty of Military Working Dogs Lisa Rogak

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to its release date.

Great book about perhaps the lesser known and certainly less appreciated soldier, the military dog. Kogak provides us a myriad of personal insights into the lives of the dogs and their trainers. These incredible dogs have been serving alongside our service members for decades. Our soldiers rely upon them heavily to seek out dangers we as humans couldn’t possibly do and in the process have saved countless lives. Rogak does an excellent job providing the history of the military dog, the complex system of selecting the right ones for duty, the rigorous and constant training dogs and trainers must endure, and the close personal relationships that develop between of dog and trainer. Her book is quite timely with the recent public interest and story about Cairo, the military dog who was with Seal Team 6 when they raided Osama Bin Laden’s hideout in Pakistan. Rogak does well to include a segment about Cairo and the raid in her book.