The Demon King

Author: Cinda Williams Chima

Publisher: Hyperion

Series: Seven Realms #1

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Rating:  4.5/5 

Recommendation: Ages 15+

From Goodreads:

This novel marks the first giant step in a momentous fantasy journey orchestrated by Cinda Williams Chima, the author of the popular Warrior Heir series. Its two chief protagonists are ex-thief Han Alister, an impoverished commoner, and Raisa ana’Marianna, the headstrong Princess Heir of the Fells. The Demon King brings them together, creating part of a volatile mix of action, magic, and danger. Empathetic characters; wizardly attacks.

The Deal: When semi-reformed thief Han has a run-in with three arrogant young wizards, that ends with him stealing a magical artifact from one of them, he unwittingly sets in motion a chain of events that will make him a key player in the tense and multi-layered politics of his once great and now struggling kingdom. Mix in a smart, strong-willed princess who is just beginning to realize that she’s already tangled up in lies and intrigue, warriors, wizards, thieves, and a whole world of players and pawns all with their own agendas and you’ve got The Demon King.

Heist Society (plus Uncommon Criminals)

Author: Ally Carter

Publisher: Disney Book Group (Hyperion)

Series: Heist Society  (#1 & 2)

Genre: YA

Rating:  3.5/5 

Recommendation: Ages 13+

**Warning There May Be Spoilers** Since I’m reviewing books 1 and 2 together.

From Goodreads:

(Heist Society)

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

(Uncommon Criminals)

Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life. Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.

I loved these books, so much that after I finished the first (I stumbled upon it at a used book store, had never heard of it, and bought it on a whim) I rushed out to get the sequel immediately upon checking Goodreads to see if it was out. I regret nothing.

Bad Girls Dont Die

Author: Katie Alender

Publisher: Disney Book Group (Hyperion), Although I couldn’t find it on their website, so there’s that. Amazon link is here.

Series: Bad Girls Don’t Die (#1)

Genre: YA Fantasy (Horror-Paranormal)

Rating:  3.5/5 

Recommendation: Ages 13+, Reading level 9/10th  grade, YA Fantasy Fans

From GoodReads:

When Alexis’s little sister Kasey becomes obsessed with an antique doll, Alexis thinks nothing of it. Kasey is a weird kid. Period. Alexis is considered weird, too, by the kids in her high school, by her parents, even by her own Goth friends. Things get weirder, though, when the old house they live in starts changing. Doors open and close by themselves; water boils on the unlit stove; and an unplugged air conditioner turns the house cold enough to see their breath in. Kasey is changing, too. Her blue eyes go green and she speaks in old-fashioned language, then forgets chunks of time.

Most disturbing of all is the dangerous new chip on Kasey’s shoulder. The formerly gentle, doll-loving child is gone, and the new Kasey is angry. Alexis is the only one who can stop her sister — but what if that green-eyed girl isn’t even Kasey anymore?

This book would probably be more of a solid 3 for me if Alender wasn’t so good at the creepy. So creepy. I wanted something with a creep factor with Halloween coming up, what this book didn’t deliver in other areas it definitely made up for in scares.