Keeper Of The Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

Sophie Foster is a 12 year old misfit. But all that changes when she meets a strange boy named Fitz who has the same special talent Sophie has: They can both read minds. Join Sophie on her adventure in a new world as she tries to find who she really is, and what she really is. If you like suspense, action, emotion, and magic you should definitely read Keeper of the Lost Cities.This book was amazing! I'd have to say it was the best Flamingnet book I have read yet. I didn't want to put it down. The book made me think of things in ways I'd never have thought to. Each chapter got better and better and better. The characters were developed so strongly. I want to give this author a round of applause.Reviewer Age:10Reviewer City, State and Country: Charlotte, NC United States of America

Summoning the NIght by Jenn Bennett

Summoning the Night is about a female magician who has gotten caught up in a mystery concerning her demon boyfriend and his son. In the book Cady, the female lead, goes on a hunt for a person found in a supposed myth. This demon she is trying to find is called the snatcher, due to the fact that he steals demon children to perform a crazy ritual. This ritual will open up the world of humans to the world of demons and no one will be safe from the demons any longer. When the snatcher steals Cady’s boyfriend’s son, Jupe, Cady must take on a quest to take down the snatcher and save Jupe. Jupe’s life is in Cady’s hands.

I really enjoyed this book because of its adventurous storyline and the fact that you can never guess what is going to happen next. This book intrigued me because it never stopped sending surprises toward the reader. I stayed up late every night not wanting to put the book down due to the cliffhangers provided at the end of every chapter. This book is best for people who like adventure, fighting, and fantasy. This book is definitely one I would recommend to many of my friends. This book drew me in and wouldn’t release me until it was over. It is a very well done novel by Arcadia Bell.

There are some references to sex and sexual behaviors in this book. Possibly not suitable for children.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Charlotte, North Carolina United States of America

Destiny and Deception by Shannon Delany

The Rusakova family has just begun a normal life, as they have taken the cure to extend their lives and cease being werewolves. However, normal seems to be a let down after the previous adventures Jess has had with her boyfriend, Pietr Rusakova. Upset that his attentions seem to now be lying elsewhere, but determined to support him through anything, Jess finds herself caught between her wants and her promises. Then danger comes to the town in the form of a new werewolf pack. Will the Rusakovas be able to overcome past grievances to save the town? Or will their attempts simply crash and burn?

Destiny and Deception was an engaging read with interesting plot twists. However, the way the author connected the two interwoven plots of the story was oftentimes confusing. The plot seemed to rely more on the romantic interests of the characters than the dangers occurring in the town, a disappointment, as these conflicts were interesting and engaging. Nonetheless, Destiny and Deception was well written and the chapters written from each perspective gave the reader an understanding into every character s feelings and purpose. I would recommend Destiny and Deception for those who are fans of mysteries and fantasies, as well as those who have read the books in the 13 to Life series preceding this one.


Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Colleyville, Texas US

The Mirror of N'de by L.K. Malone

Hadlay Mivana and her people, the Ramash, have lived their entire lives as slaves or beggars, unlike the haughty Oresed. Hadlay wants nothing more than to help her people. When Hadlay becomes an Initiate at 13, the long lost Emperor and his son return to the city of Turris. Hadlay is hired as a servant in the Tower, the residence of the Emperor. Things are looking up for Hadlay until she finds that the Emperor is not what he seems. Hadlay then finds herself in the middle of a plot to destroy her people. Fortunately for the Ramash, Hadlay isn't about to let that happen.

This book was a bit like a roller coaster ride. It kept changing the way it felt. It started out rather slow, not exactly boring, just slow. Then it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when Hadlay's living conditions improved. Awhile after that it got a little creepy when the danger increased. It certainly kept me enthralled, though. Hadlay is very easy to relate to, so you really feel the emotions of her character. The plot was complicated enough that you didn't see everything coming, but not so complicated that you got confused. If you look for them, you (at least I) can find some parallels to the Bible. I feel glad I got to review it, and recommend it to any teen fantasy reader.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Rockwell, IA USA

Blood Sacrifice

Blood Sacrifice is a fantasy about vampires, fae, and shape shifters.  Kiera Kelly has accepted Challenge from her former lover Gideon and may lose her land because of it. Everybody involved in Challenge has to leave the land, but while they’re gone strange things are happening. The land is being vandalized, and Minerva Kelly, the clan’s leader has gone missing. Will they find her, and save their land or will Gideon take over?

This book is definitely for mature fantasy readers. I loved Kiera Kelly, she was funny and it was really easy to get into her character. Although I enjoyed reading this book, I didn’t like the ending. I was left confused and wondering what happened. I thought there could have been more of a clear explanation. It still is a book that I would recommend.
language and sexual content
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Springfield, Ohio US

Fury by Elizabeth Miles

Emily Winters is really happy when the boy she has liked forever shows some interest in her. The only problem is he is her best friend's boyfriend. Chase did something really stupid a long time ago. Now his life is turning upside-down. A mysterious and beautiful girl takes an interest in him. He thinks life is looking up until awful things start happening. Three girls punish those who do wrong. Chase and Emily must be punished.



I give this book 1 star. The first word that pops in my head when I think of this book is drama. The really well-written and interesting parts didn't make sense with the rest of the story. The idea was a great idea that just wasn't done as well as it could have been. I also rate it R for mildly inappropriate content and extreme amounts of bad language. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
The book had inappropriate contents and awful language.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Cibolo, Texas United States

Flamingnet Recommended Readng

Check out this article by the LA Times. It's a fascinating look at the trend of adults reading young adult fantasy books.

Wildwing by Emily Whitman

As a young woman of no means in 20th century England, Addy has very few options for her future. When a rich classmate taunts her in school, Addy leaves and becomes the maid of mysterious local man, Mr. Greenwood. While in Mr. Greenwood's house, Addy comes across a time machine in a locked room. She is transported back to the 13th century where she is mistaken for a Lady. Addy is given the chance to live the life of the rich, and she couldn't be happier. But as time passes, she learns that the life of a wealthy lady is just as difficult as hers was. As she comes to this realization, Addy has to make a choice between staying a Lady in the 13th Century or returning back to the future and her family.
As soon as I picked up Wildwing, I got caught up in the story. I'm a huge fan of all historical fiction novels, and this story combined both the 13th and 20th centuries. The idea of time travel made the story more interesting. Addy was a great character to follow and I looked forward to all of her adventures. The only thing that bothered me about the novel was the way it was written; it's better suited for younger readers. But the story was excellent and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

Reviewer Age:24
Reviewer City, State and Country: Philadelphia, PA USA

The Immortals by Paul Stewart

Nate Quarter is a lamplighter for a phraxmine in the Deepwoods in the third age of flight.  His only possesions are a small lufwood box and a portrait of a sky pirate from the first age of flight.  When the mine sergeant threatens to kill him, Nate escapes from the mine with a goblin named Slip.  The two friends go to Great Glade, one of two great cities.  There they meet a man known as the Professor, a banderbear named Weelum, and a mineowner’s daughter, Eudoxia Prade.  They soon learn that Eudoxia’s father has been kidnapped by gyle goblins from Hive, the other great city.  They leave for Hive at once. They find that the only way to rescue Eudoxia’s father is to pretend they are soldiers from the Hive Militia.  Eudoxia’s father, Falston, is rescued, but Eudoxia and Nate, upon leaving the gyle goblin palace, are caught by the real Hive Militia, and forced to march.   When they reach the Midwood Docks there is a battle between the people of Hive and Great Glade.  During the battle, an ironwood bullet lodges itself deep in Eudoxia’s ear.  Will Nate be able to get Eudoxia to Riverrise in time?  And what will happen to the rest of the Edge with a mysterious storm brewing overhead?

The Immortals was an astounding book.  It has the same qualities as the other Edge Chronicles books: adventure, fantastic creatures, flight, fussy academics, and a little romance.  I have read all nine of the other books and I have to say this one is my favorite. The first nine books were actually three trilogies, each about one character, but this book is as good as any trilogy.  I found it amazing that because they were storm-touched, Quint, Twig, and Rook could never really die until Nate got rid of Golderayce One-Eye so Twig and Rook could be united with Quint. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a change from his or her normal read.  The Edge Chronicles are wonderful, and I am sad that they had to come to an end.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Lake City, IA USA

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book is the story of Nobody Owens' upbringing in a cemetery after the tragic murder of his family. Bod--short for Nobody--is welcomed by the inhabitants of the graveyard (who are ghosts), after an attempt to protect Bod from the man Jack, the assassin who killed his family. Bod' s new guardians show him the ways of the graveyard, along with the many secrets and legends it holds. Bod encounters ghouls, witches, and other creatures of the graveyard throughout his bizarre upbringing. Ultimately, these experiences help him face his family' s killer with the hopes of seeing the world beyond the gates of the graveyard.

Neil Gaiman lives in a world that science fiction enthusiasts would do anything to explore. The number of creatures and worlds presented in this book are tightly woven together and creates endless possibilities to the reader' s imagination. Gaiman has written a book that mesmerizes readers while taking them on a journey of a boy' s coming of age. Gaiman effortlessly combines the fantasy world he created along with a tale of childhood that everyone can relate to. The Graveyard Book is a masterful story that I highly recommend.

Reviewer Age:20
Reviewer City, State and Country: Eden Prairie, Minnesota USA

Falling Under by Gwen Hayes

'Falling under' is about Theia Alderson, an exceptionally overprotected girl who has never really had any interest in the male gender. Theia s disinterest appears that it will continue forever, or at least till she is out of the grips of her father. However, a new, utterly beautiful and utterly mysterious new student threatens to change all that. His dark past and allure is only magnified by the fact that he has been slipping through her dreams for weeks, before she had ever laid eyes on him. He sends her mixed signals, flirting with her through her subconscious, touching her with his mind, kissing her so she can feel it somehow, when he is yards away. What is he? Who is he really? Is this book just 'Twilight' down to the letter? All important questions, all of which are answered in Falling Under.

At first glance, 'Falling under' IS 'Twilight'. For the first 100 pages, there is not really a difference to be found. This had the potential to be annoying, and the author realized this. She managed to make the book poke fun at itself and its similarities to the saga within the dialogue. The best example of this is in the book, during one scene, (which is the 'Falling Under' equivalent of the famous Say it. Out loud. scene from 'Twilight'), it shamelessly points out the glaringly obvious and slightly humorous similarities to the saga. Theia actually says 'You aren' t going to tell me that you are a vampire who sparkles in the sunlight, ARE YOU?' Luckily, Haden is a demon, not a vampire, and about 50 times more believable and WAY more attractive than Edward can ever dream of being. In my opinion, this is a much better book, written with MUCH better technique, and the audience quickly forgets the saga altogether as the plotline gets more intense. The hilarious, dark cast of minor characters (including a drag-queen psychic, a man-eating, gorgeous goth girl, a terrifying demon queen and a beautiful, but naive best friend) make this book edgy, enjoyable and funny. A lesser author with the same plot would have found it impossible to make this story not be depressing, due to the incredibly sad and dark subject matter, but there is never a point where our hearts remain broken for too long, which is a very, very selling quality. A gripping, uplifting tale of growing up and teenage rebellion, 'Falling Under' is to be one of the best books of the year.


Reviewer Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Exeter, NH USA

Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry

In Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry, Evie lives a quiet life in a small village with her grandfather. She's the village healer, the person everyone turns to anytime there's an illness or emergency. One day, the village receives word that the king is coming, to see the famous feast of Saint Bronwyn. They very quickly clean up the town in order to make it presentable for the king. When he arrives, he brings with him a sickly Lord Chancellor. Luckily, Evie is able to save him, and Evie and her best friend Priscilla are granted a place at the university at the kingdom's capital. They have difficulties getting there, since the carriage is overrun by bandits and their ship sinks in a storm. Evie learns that she is
magical and has a pet leviathan. In the capital, she gets caught up with politics and becomes best friends with Annalise, a princess meant to marry the king.

Secondhand Charm was very enjoyable to read. It was well written and had an interesting plot. Also, there were no stereotypical werewolves or vampires. Leviathans were a nice change. Evie was a well-rounded character with realistic feelings. Her surprise at finding out about her heritage and leviathan were palpable. It was interesting to read about Evie's surprise when she discovered that she was a Serpentina. While some parts were predictable, such as the soon-to-be
Queen Annalise's motives, the book was not ruined. Overall, Secondhand Charm was an exceptional novel with interesting characters.

Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Charleston , South Carolina, USA

Sleepless by Cyn Balog

Julia, a redheaded girl who was kidnapped at age seven but escaped, is pitied by the world for her tragic past. She is a misunderstood, lonely outcast among her peers but takes to a boy named Griffin, who becomes her first boyfriend.  Griffin helps her to move on with her life and not dwell in the past. Since he always plays tricks on her, Julia believes that the phone call she receives notifying her of boyfriend’s death in a fatal car accident is just another one of his pranks. Then reality hits and she realizes it was no joke at all. Griffin’s best friend, Bret, is in love with Julia and is hopeful that after Griffin’s death Julia with fall for him. But she doesn’t feel the same way about him. 

Julia, sad, lonely, and lost, can’t sleep well anymore and her dreams are now filled with grief. Eron DeMarchelle is her sandman, a supernatural being who helps humans sleep and who was sent to her when she was a child. He helps to provide her with better nights during her troubling time. Chimere, Eron’s mentor, has been stricken with him forever and would do anything to gain his love and admiration. But Eron’s affections already belong to another. Eron longs for Julia. His 100-year term as a sandman is almost up and his return to a human is quickly coming.  Will he break his contract and risk being stuck as a sandman forever by pursuing his love for her, or will he lose his chance of a lifetime and possibly the woman of his dreams in order to guarantee his return to humankind? As the fight for Julia’s heart, and also Eron’s, gets increasingly intense the stakes involved grow even higher.

I really enjoyed reading Sleepless. From the moment I saw the delightfully gorgeous cover and read the first page, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. The author did an amazing job at developing the characters and creating a gripping tale that will hold your attention until the very end and even long after. I was smitten with Eron and I now long for a sandman of my very own. The story is written in two perspectives, Eron’s and Julia’s, and the chapters alternate between the two. I thought this added to the book’s overall appeal and allowed me to have a better feel for what was going on. I highly recommend this cute, young adult fantasy and I’m excited to read more novels by this author. Sleepless is the second novel of Cyn Balog . Her debut novel was Fairy Tale and she has yet another, no doubt enticing, novel named Starstruck, which will be released the summer of 2011.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA USA

Not safe for vampires

In this novel, the main character, Thomas L. Watson, is a vampire and has been one since the Civil War.  However, unlike some other vampires, he does not drink human blood.  In the year 2037, Thomas is a scientific researcher working under Professor Goldsmith with fellow researcher Allee on a project to harness the hydrogen atom for energy.  As the research nears completion, Thomas begins feeling somewhat human and becomes increasingly ill.  He must discover what is causing his symptoms and then enlist Allee s and possibly even vampires aid.  Flashbacks to how Thomas became a vampire and interactions he has had with humans and other vampires in the past are inserted throughout the story as well.
This is not your typical fantasy novel.  The grammar, punctuation, and capitalization are nonstandard.  This is probably done to mirror the way people actually speak and has an interesting effect on the novel.  As for the plot, it was entertaining and intriguing.  The characters are varied, and there are several unexpected plot twists.  However, I found the novel a bit confusing.  It would have been nice for the story to have been longer as the plot seems too rushed.  This book, because of its unusual writing style and shorter length, may be especially good for teenagers who are reluctant readers.

Reviewer Age:16Reviewer City, State and Country: Royersford, PA United States

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

When Tessa Gray's brother sends for her, she is excited to start over with her beloved brother in England. After the death of her aunt, her brother is all Tessa has, and upon arriving in England she discovers that he has gotten himself into another sticky situation, thanks to his gambling issues. This throws Tessa into a whole new world complete with not one, but two extremely desirable men.

Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Angel is an amazing prequel to The Mortal Instruments series. Every character has amazing depth and the entire story is full of twists and turns and plenty of romance. If you like the tortured soul type, and who doesn't, you will immediately fall for Jem, the beautiful brooding Shadowhunter. If you like the open book, sweet and quiet type, and who doesn't, Will will pull on every one of your heartstrings. Throw in vampires, demons and Magnus Bane, and you have one amazing book!

Reviewer Age:16
Reviewer City, State and Country: Greenwood Village, Colorado USA

The Last Seal

In the year 1380, Stephen Blake of the Liberati released the demon Dantalion. The demon was stopped by the sorcerer Cornelius Silver who trapped Dantalion in a new prison. For 286 years, the demon was trapped beneath London. Now, in 1666, Artemas and the evil Liberati are working to bring the demon back to wreak havoc on the unknowing people of London and the rest of the world. It is up to Benjamin, a school-skipping schoolboy; Freya, a thief; Dr. Tobias Janssen, a Dutch doctor on the run from the King s personal spy; and Gabriel, the only one left of the Praesidium, the group that works against the evil Liberati. Artemas is gathering the supplies and knowledge needed to raise the demon. He also needs
Ben, who is the flesh and bone and blood of the man who imprisoned the demon, Cornelius Silver.
Ben and his friends must stop Artemas. The world is at stake. The Liberati and the Praesidium must fight.  It will be the battle that causes the Great Fire of London and destroys 13,000 homes and leaves 70,000 out of London's population of 80,000 homeless. Will Ben, Freya, Tobias, and Gabriel be able to stop the demon from rising and save their precious London?
The Last Seal by Richard Denning was an interesting book. It is a fantasy book with a hint of historical fiction. One of the main events this book talks about is the Great Fire of London. I found this book more enjoyable after I looked it up and learned a little about what the Great Fire of London actually was.
There were times in this book where I felt nervous and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen. At other times, the book didn t seem to be going anywhere. Overall though it was a pretty good book.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country:
Harleysville, PA USA

Keeper by Kathi Appelt

Poor, poor Keeper! It's supposed to be a wonderful day: the blue moon will come out tonight, Dogie is going to ask Signe to marry him, Signe will make her blue moon gumbo, and Mr. Beauchamp's magic flowers are going to bloom! But when ten crabs spoke to Keeper, the whole day just went disastrously wrong. Going off the stories Signe told Keeper about her mother, Keeper ventures off with her dog named B.D. (Best Dog) and her seagull friend, Captain, to go find her mermaid mother at the sandbar. What will happen to Keeper, Captain, and B.D. on this crazy trip? Will Keeper ever find her mother and fix everything that went wrong, or will she find out everything is not what it seems?

Keeper, by Kathi Appelt, was a truly enchanting story. This book reminds me of me, of something I might do if told certain things. A strength of Keeper is always keeping the reader puzzled. It had me guessing what would happen next, and then amazed me by doing something totally different. One weakness it had was the skipping between characters. Most of the time I'm pretty good about realizing who is talking in the story or whose point of view the story is coming from, but in this book's case I was constantly confused about what was going on in the different story settings. I would recommend this book to kids who love mermaids and to kids between the ages of eight and twelve.

Reviewer Age:12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Fresno, California USA

The Silver Mage by Katharine Kerr

In the Magical world of Deverry, war has broken out. The humans and their allies, the elves, are realizing that the fate of the Northlands is in their hands. The evil army of the Horsekin continue to try to convert the denizens of Deverry with any means possible, even deadly force. In order to stop the powerful Horsekin army, the magic of the elven Wise Ones, such as Dallandra and Valandario, and the help of the dragons, Arzoash and Rori,can possible defeat the crusaiding army. But at what cost? Will Rori, a man in a dragon's body, ever be freed? The Silver Mage by Katharine Kerr, is the exciting ending to the entire Deverry saga, which fans of the series will enjoy immensely.

The Silver Mage, by Katharine Kerr and her world of Deverry is a wonderful fantasy, but hard to follow. In the Silver Mage, you are immediately thrust into the middle of a war and you hardly get to realize who is the main character. There is many character names and view points that are thrown at you that can get confusing at times. I wouldn't suggest this book as a way to start reading the Deverry saga. It is also hard to visualize the layout of the story (previous books in this saga probably describe Deverry more indepth than The Silver Mage does). Although, when Kerr writes about the way that Dweomer (magic) is used, she creates a wonderful painting in words. The way she describes magic makes it seem real to the reader. With an overall view of the Silver Mage, it was well written and a good conclusion to the Deverry saga. It left no loose ends and ended happily. A very good book overall. One more thing, there are no chapters in The Silver Mage, only parts and symbols that start the beginning of a different section. Very confusing at times but it was a decient way of breaking up the information.

Reviewer Age: 14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Paynesville, MN USA

Foxfire by Barbara Campbell

This was an adventurous book with lots of emotion and fighting. It's the third book in an action packed trilogy and I highly recommend it! Once in a while, the chapters feel boring and I wanted to put the book down. It moves through extremely slowly, but I loved the fast parts and if you like the fantasy genre, you'll like Foxfire!

There are six main characters: Darak, Griane, Keirith, Faelia, Callie and Rigat. They live in a clan with their closest friends and Keirith and Rigat are the special ones in this family. Keirith can touch people's spirits and relieve them of their pain, while Rigat is almost as powerful as a god. Very very powerful. It turned out that Rigat was not the son of Darak, who was the chief of their clan, but the son of Fellgair, the trickster god of Zherosi, who had been at war with the tree people for as long as they can remember. Rigat decides to join his father, who has his best interests at heart.

I think that this book was really adventurous! It had lots of mischief and action and I could tell that the writer put a lot of thought into her writing. I think that the author, Barbara Campbell, was a little harsh at the end of the book because there is a war and many soldiers die in it, but my overall reaction to it was that it was an interesting story and that i loved the book. The vocabulary age is definitely appropriate and the author definitely achieved her purpose. The strength of this book is that it was well written and the weakness is that some of the information was excessive and not necessary. I would recommend it to many people, as long as they're older than 12. It's a pg-13 book.

This is a little mature for some children and I would recommend parental guidance.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: New York, NY, USA

Killer Pizza

School just got out, and Toby MaGill is bored already. Pursuing his secret ambition to become a chef, he applies to work at Killer Pizza, a small pizza shop on the edge of his small town. He gets along well with his co-workers, Annabel and Strobe, until they're introduced to the company's main goal and the world of monsters. Unbeknownst to the general population, a group of vicious monsters are living in secret among the residents. Killer Pizza's manager offers a promotion and a raise if Toby and his friends agree to become KP's newest Monster Combat Officers (MCOs). Is Toby up for the challenge?

I thought Killer Pizza was a well written adventure/fantasy book. The writing was very fluent and enjoyable. This is a great story if you liked the Percy Jackson books, what with all the monster slaying. I liked how the author used intense detail when describing the monsters, which really helped me visualize what they looked like. For example, the author describes a guttata as having an abnormally large chest, even for its six-foot-tall frame. Finally, there was the distinctive-looking skin. Tough as leather, it was irregularly spotted light and dark, camouflage-like. I'd recommend this book to grades 5 and up.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Round Rock, TX United States