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.

You Are My Only - Beth Kephart

Thanks to NetGalley.com and Publisher Egmont USA for the opportunity to read this book prior to its publication.

A very well told and touching story written by Beth Kephart about Emmy, a young mother who one day has her baby stolen from her and Sophie, a young teen forced to live as a recluse on the run with her mother. The story alternates between the two characters, Emmy’s quest to find her baby and Sophie’s slow discovery of life outside her home and away from her mom, and how the two are connected. Good character development and will be a page turner for young adult readers. I felt the ending was a bit rushed and it would  have been nice if it had expanded just a bit. Otherwise, a very good read.

Arthur - Stephen Lawhead

Lawhead's continues his Pendragon series with Arthur. Like the first two books, I also enjoyed reading this book. In this story, we see Arthur become the foretold high king ruler of the Isle of the Mighty. We are taken through the arduous process Arthur must undertake to create the Kingdom of Summer. Arthur and Myrddin must combat treasonous kings as well as multiple invasions of Britain by barbarians. The battle sequences are epic and very well told. I'm glad Lawhead chose to use the first person account of the story once again, this time from a perspective of three characters. I gave this book four stars because of two reasons. The ending was a bit odd and appeared abrupt as if injected to meet a deadline. Also, like the other books, there's a good deal of Christianity wrapped into the story, as there may have been in 4th and 5th century Britain. However, I found it less intertwined and more preachy in this book.

Merlin - Stephen Lawhead



Merlin - Stephen Lawhead

The second book in the Pendragon Cycle by Stephen Lawhead does not disappoint. Lawhead provides an excellent, albeit a bit religious, adaption of the legendary Merlin. I felt the first book in the series, Taliesin, was a great book, but Merlin is a must read. Unlike Taliesin, Merlin is told in the first-person, by Merlin, which I felt made the book more enjoyable. The book is loaded with high kings (yes, there are several), bards, druids, evil, and epic battles with the ever present and menacing barbarians, the Saecsen. Now, on to book three in the series, Arthur.