Iron Crowned is worth its weight in Gold!

Iron Crowned

By Richelle Mead

Copyright March 2011

Publisher Zebra

 

Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham is the best at banishing entities trespassing in the mortal realm. But as the Thorn Land’s queen, she’s fast running out of ways to end the brutal war devastating her kingdom. Her only hope: the Iron Crown, a legendary object even the most powerful gentry fear. . .

Who Eugenie can trust is the hardest part. Fairy king Dorian has his own agenda for aiding her search. And Kiyo, her shape-shifter ex-boyfriend, has every reason to betray her along the way. To control the Crown’s ever-consuming powers, Eugenie will have to confront an unimaginable temptation–one that will put her soul and the fate of two worlds in mortal peril. . .

 

Iron Crowned is the third book in the Dark Swan Series, and the most challenging one to date. Eugenie is being faced by challenges from every point in her rather busy life.  Be it Arizona, where her office manager keeps pushing her to take more cases, her roommate is driving her crazy, to Thorn Land, her land in  Faerie.  She is having a hard time trusting the people she thinks she should trust as she realizes that they are lying by omission and by half truths.  Her ally King Dorian is pushing her into a quest that could either kill her, or make her into the monster all the other Kingdoms  already think she is becoming.

I love Urban Fantasy and I love Fantasy.  This series takes you back and forth deeply into both genres so seamlessly that you feel like you are there not only on Eugenie’s quest but also embedded into her psych looking at the worlds through her eyes.

Richelle Mead is not only the author of The Dark Swan Series but also the award winning Georgina Kincaid Series. Ms. Mead can be found hanging out at http://www.richellemead.com/ and also at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=602520919&sk=info#!/richellemeadfanpage

FTC Full Disclosure: I borrow this book from my local library for my own enjoyment and for review.

The Throne of Fire is one hot adventure

The Throne of Fire

By Rick Riordan

Copyright May 2011

Publisher Hyperion Books

“Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister Sadie have been in trouble. As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven’t given them much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become a training ground for young magicians.

And now their most threatening enemy yet – the chaos snake Apophis – is rising. If they don’t prevent him from breaking free in a few days’ time, the world will come to an end. In other words, it’s a typical week for the Kane family.

First they have to search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells. Oh, and did we mention that no one knows where Ra is exactly?

Told in two different wisecracking voices, featuring a large cast of new and unforgettable characters, and with adventures spanning the globe, this second installment in the Kane Chronicles is nothing short of a thrill ride.”

Carter and Sadie Kane are once again thrown into the fires of a war that they really don’t want. Their mission this time? To find Ra and place him back on his Throne. While doing that they must defeat Apophis and the Magicians who don’t want them to even live through the day.

If this is a YA book, then I don’t ever want to grow up. My 12yr old grandson breezed through this book in one day. It’s taken me 2 days. I’ve enjoyed the story and am looking forward to the third outing by these amazing kids and their students.

FTC Full Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my local library to enjoy and to review.