Fallen by Kate

Luce, short for Lucinda, has some problems. Other than seeing things and watching a boy she kissed burst into flame last summer, she has to deal with her new school, which is more like a jail for crazy teenagers. There she meets Cam and Daniel. Cam is attentive and sweet. Daniel is the poster boy for mixed signals. Luce is crazy for Daniel and feels like they've known each other before. A classic love triangle with some weird Milton "Paradise Lost" elements thrown in. It wasn't bad, but a whole lot of agonizing over which boy to choose. It got a little old.

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Ryan

This book is a companion novel to Forest of Hands and Teeth. The zombie world is pretty much the same, but with a heartless central government and a crazy cult thrown in for fun. There's still a love triangle and, unfortunately, this one isn't as well crafted as the last. And there's definitely a sequel.

It's good, but not the magnum opus the first one was.

Wicked Lovely by Marr

Aislinn has "the sight." She sees fairies. They're on the streets, in the pool hall, and definitely in the woods. What's more, they're mean, malicious, and sometimes scary. Aislinn knows the rules - don't look at them, don't talk to them, and stick to places with iron where they can't get you. That's part of the reason she hangs out with Seth, who lives in a converted train. The other reason is that Aislinn is crazy in love with him, but she's sure that's out of the question.

When Aislinn is stalked by two insistent fairies, one of whom is the Summer King, suddenly her precious rules don't apply. They follow her, manipulate the people she loves, and mess with her life. Once the truth comes to light, Aislinn's world is going to get a lot more complicated.

A bit gritty in places, this fairy story does a lot of things right. Marr did her homework before she wrote it, so there's a lot of authentic fairy lore in here. If you can get past the more complicated and lurid relationships, the book is pretty good.

Beastly by Flinn

Kyle has it all - money, popularity, good looks, and brains. What he doesn't have is a heart. When he humiliates a nobody in his English class, he's put under a curse. The nobody, it seems, is a witch and Kyle is now a beast. Animal-like and ugly forever unless he can convince someone to love him for what he is. Helping Kyle is a blind tutor and a chat room support group for others who've been enchanted: a mermaid, a frog prince, and a bear with princess problems.

Like all fairy tales, we know the ending, but the telling is fresh and satisfying. It's a worthy read.

Blood and Chocolate by Klause

Vivian is a werewolf. She was born one, as were her parents. Her pack lives in out-of-the-way places in the country, trying not to attract suspicion or mobs of angry humans carrying torches. Life is pretty simple in the pack - obey the alpha, don't do anything stupid, etc. Vivian complicates things when she goes and falls in love with a human. She believes that, because of his artistic soul, he'll understand and appreciate their seemingly insurmountable differences.

The book is a bit, uh, steamy. As my mother would say, it makes your eyeballs fog up.

Never judge a book by its movie, especially not this one. The film version is terrible.

If I Stay by Forman

Mia's a talneted cellist living in rural Oregon with her former rocker parents and a younger brother. Her future is bright, but complicated. A waiting spot at Julliard makes her relationship with her rising rock star boyfriend even more difficult and there are some big decisions coming up.

All of that is suddenly unimportant when Mia's family is involved in a devastating car crash on a snowy morning. Mia faces her hardest question yet: is it better to live or to give up and die?

I understand they're making a movie of this book. Unless it's made very carefully, it's going to be awful. What keeps this book from drowning in its own tears is Mia's unique voice, and I'm not convinced Hollywood can pull that off. Through flashbacks and Mia's narration, we come to appreciate who Mia is an exactly what her life means.

The Body Finder by Derting

Violet has a gift/curse thing going on. When something or someone is killed violently, it leaves a trace that only she can sense. When a serial killer starts operating in her small Washington town, Violet tries to help by using her abilities to aid her uncle, the police chief. Meanwhile, she's also trying to figure out the dynamic between her and her best friend, the boy next door who, during the summer blossomed into a hottie.

The romance is cute but not out of control. The idea of imprints of the dead is new and interesting. Not exactly life-altering, but a good fun read.

Jellicoe Road by Marchetta

This is one of the most beautiful compilations of ugliness I've ever read. It's got all the bad things in this world - violence, drugs, abuse, a serial killer - but somehow I ended up feeling like I'd been honored by being able to read it; that the author had told me a wonderful secret entrusted to a few favored friends.

Taylor Markham lives in a boarding school off of Jellicoe Road. She is the war master, in charge of leading her school to victory in the annual territory war with the Townies (locals) and the Cadets (military school students who visit for a few months). When House Mother Hannah goes missing, Taylor must solve the mystery of her own past, including who the boy in her dreams is and why her mother dumped her at a 7-11 when she was eleven. The result is an incredibly pleasing, emotional tale about identity and family.

That being said, it takes a bit of doing to get used to the rhythm of the book. The organization is a little like the TV show LOST. Flashbacks in the form of book excerpts as well as dream time intermingle with the here and now with little warning. Stop fighting it, and things go better. Try and create a timeline and you'll want to pull your hair out.

The Iron King by Kagawa

Meghan Chase's 16th birthday is anything but ordinary. There's no cake, no car, no driver's license. Instead, her sweet little brother is swapped out with a faery demon, her best friend reveals himself to be a mythical creature, and Meghan learns her dad isn't a pig farmer, but a faery king. Meghan also wins a one-way ticket to the Nevernever, the land of faeries. There she must brave the weird and wild to rescue her brother and exchange him for the changeling at home.

I feel like this book didn't meet it's potential. The story's pretty good, the characters okay, but the romance is totally improbable. In the hands of a better publisher/editor, this book could really shine. Unfortunately, Harlequin Teen isn't exactly Harcourt Classics. My favorite part of this first novel is the depiction of the Nevernever. The descriptions are totally captivating.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Austen and Grahame-Smith

Elizabeth is the spunky daughter of a 19th century landowner who lives beyond his means. Mr. Darcy is a reserved gazillionaire who is entranced by Elizabeth's humor and liveliness. Will Elizabeth let go of her prejudice against Darcy? Will Darcy overcome his pride and tell Elizabeth his true feelings? Or will zombies kill them both?

You wouldn't think this combination would work - zombies set loose in Jane Austen's orderly world of courtship and marriage. But it does. Graham-Smith's revision of this timeless classic is an undead romp through the English countryside. My personal favorite scene is when Darcy proposes. Elizabeth tells him to drop dead - and then tries to slice him to bits with a katana sword.

The black humor is awesome. So are the action sequences. Love it, love it, love it.

North of Beautiful by Headley

Terra's life is burdened by two things she can't get rid of: a bright red birthmark on her face and her emotionally abusive father. Though she tries to hide from both with make-up and ambition, Terra eventually learns that she must accept herself and her life as they are in order to understand and change them.

I was somewhat surprised that this novel was not Headley's first attempt. Sometimes it seems she forgets she's writing for young adults. This is particularly evident in her erudite vocabulary and more obscure literary references. Also, the extended map methaphor is cloying and heavy-handed. However, her characters are realistic and the descriptions of China are captivating. The themes of beauty, identity, family, and abuse are all relevant, but this book feels like a better fit for older teens and early twenty-somethings.

The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Bray

I was reluctant to read this series. The cheesy-romance novel cover of the first novel, A Great and Terrible Beauty, kind of turned me off. On the recommendation of someone I trust, I decided to give them a shot.

Gemma Doyle lives in India with her mother, prat of a brother Tom, and her doting father. Following the tragic murder of her mother, the family relocates to England where Gemma is inducted to stuffy Victorian society - boarding school, corsets, and all. There, a beloved teacher fills Gemma's head with stories of "The Order," a mysterious circle of women with extraordinary powers. These stories launch Gemma and her friends on a beautiful and terrifying journey into the world between life and death.

As Gemma deals with unraveling the secret of her mother's death, controlling her new-found powers, and coping with the petty rivalries of upper-class English society, she grows into a powerful and formidable heroine. It takes a bit to warm up to this series, but once you do, you'll be hooked.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Ryan

Mary lives with her mother and brother in a village isolated from the outside world by a fence. Beyond the fence are trees and zombies. When Mary's mother becomes infected with the disease and her brother disowns her, Mary is taken in by the mysterious Sisterhood, the governing force of this strange place. Plagued by questions and a longing for things she can't have, Mary learns to recognize what she loves most when the village is overrun by the undead.

I don't cry easily, so when I say that this book brought tears to my eyes, it's a big thing. The story is filled with drama, horror, and suspense. To anyone who has ever loved, The Forest of Hands and Teeth is hauntingly tragic.

How I Live Now by Rosoff

This book is an interesting mixture of parts. In the beginning, it reads like a cross between Cinderella and Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. Daisy, a native New Yorker, is sent to England to live with her cousins because of issues with her evil stepmother. When Daisy arrives, she's greeted by Edmund, one of her cousins, who takes her to the family farm to meet her other three cousins: two boys and a girl. Daisy's aunt is off at a peace summit trying to use diplomacy to stop an impending war.

Shortly after the aunt leaves, London is bombed and the country is occupied by unnamed invaders. England quickly falls to pieces and the farm becomes more and more isolated. When soldiers come to camp there, however, the family is separated and the girls must find a way to return home. From that point on, the book takes a much more somber tone. In fact, it almost sounds like McCarthy's The Road, only better.

The relationship that develops between Daisy and Edmund is complicated to say the least, but Rosoff manages to make her tale incredibly personal and convincing. Rosoff's characterizations are honest and the emotions are totally believable. It's a great read.

Burning Up by Caroline B. Cooney

Cooney, author of "Face on a Milk Carton" and other award-winners, has a talent for creating readable romantic mysteries. Her characters are believable and the lovey-dovey stuff is never over-the-top. Burning Up is a great example of Cooney at her best.

Main character Macey is a typical girl growing up in a typical wealthy community. She believes all is well in her town and in her family. When a school project leads Macey to investigate the burning of a building on her road, she starts to discover that nothing in her world is quite as perfect as it seems. This book is incredibly thought-provoking. Themes like the danger of secrets, the fallibility of family, and the burden we all share to make the world better keep you thinking beyond the final page. It was a really good book.