Inkheart

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke is a young adult fantasy novel about a father and daughter, Mo and Meggie, who find themselves in a mysterious adventure when strangers show up at their house one night. Meggie is thoroughly confused, but her father seems to know more than he lets on. Meggie later finds out that her father can read characters out of books and has found himself in a bitter battle against an evil character from a book. In addition, his book reading skills have caused his wife to disappear into a book and he's been desperately trying to get her out ever since. Meggie and Mo find themselves in desperate danger as they try to figure out the mysteries of Mo's gift. Read this book if you like fantasy, if you've seen the film, or if father-daughter stories touch your heart. I give it an 8 out of 10.

Brisingr

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini is the third book in the Inheritance Cycle. It follows Eragon's and Saphira's journey after their success during Battle of The Burning Plains. Eragon is faced with several choices as he struggles to fulfill the several duties and oaths he has taken on in the last two books. First, he must help his cousin, Roran, save Katrina from the Ra'zac. Then, he must follow Nasuada's demands for what she feels is right for the Varden. Eragon must decide who he is faithful to and what he must do in order to help bring down the evil king Galbatorix. The book was very well written and leaves the reader wanting to find out how the cycle ends in the fourth book (yet to be titled or released). Read this book if you like fantasy, if you read the first two books, or if you're interested in young adult fiction. I give it a 9 out of 10.

A Lion Among Men

A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire is the third volume in the Wicked Years series.  The book takes a slightly different approach by following the life of the famous Cowardly Lion, Brrr. Now a Sir Brrr, he has been sent on assignment from the Emerald City to interview the mysterious Yackle, the old oracle that seems to have been around for much of the late Elphaba's life. As Yackle shares her story, Brrr recalls his own - a life that can only be classified as "always in the wrong place at the wrong time."  The most interesting parts of this book are the sections that cross over into Elphaba or Liir's story, because we were left wondering from the first two books. This story ends in a very disappointing way, and one can only hope that a fourth volume will pick up the pieces where this left off. Otherwise, the book seems pointless all together despite the themes of fate, chance, and family. The rating could go up depending on if a fourth book is written. Read this book if you want to keep up with the Wicked series, if you like retold fairy tales, or if you're interested in the world of Oz. I give it a 6 out of 10.

Son of a Witch

Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire is the second book in The Wicked Years. After the Wicked Witch of the West was killed by Dorothy's accident at her castle, Liir is left behind wondering if Elphaba was truly his mother of if he is destined to never know who his parents were.  Several years later he is found alone, practically dead by a traveling party and is returned to the Mauntery where he was born. Unconscious and unaware of his surroundings, Liir is put into the care of a young novice who barely speaks but beautifully plays a strange instrument. As she plays for him, he relives the memories of his life from the day of the witch's fateful death to his injury that led him to this point. As more of Liir's life is revealed, the politics and religious tensions of Oz are brought forward. This wonderful second book in the series brings up more questions for the reader. Is fate a real force? Does our upbringing or our parentage matter in who we will become? What is identity and what decides it? Is there really a purpose in trying? This book was a fantastic follow up to Wicked and made me want to pick up the third, A Lion Among Men. Read this book if you read Wicked, if you love retold stories, or if you love a book that makes you think and leaves you wanting more. I give it a 9 out of 10.

Wicked

Wicked by Gregory Maguire is the story of The Wicked Witch of the West. The story begins on the day Elphaba is born to a Unionist minister and a once heiress to the seat of Eminent Thropp of Munchkinland. Elphaba was cursed from the beginning as she was born with green skin. The story follows Elphaba's life as her family grows, adding a sister and a brother, and then shrinks, losing a mother. Elphaba enters college an outcast, but soon develops a passion for the understanding and rights of Animals, animals that have the power of thought and speech. Once she begins to understand that the Wizard of Oz has some dark plans for Animals, and eventually all of Oz, she takes on a mission against the man and his absolute power. Looking into this life of a well-known literary character beyond the surface of what we've been told about her begins to bring about deep, perhaps unanswerable, questions. What is good? What is evil? Who should have power? Who is right? Who is wrong? Are there really only the good guys and the bad guys? This book has taken a beloved children's story and turned it's history into a thought-provoking adult literary jewel.  Read this book if you're interested in questions about good and evil, if you like retellings of classics, or if you enjoyed The Wizard of Oz and want to learn more. I give it a 9.5 out of 10.

The Looking Glass Wars: Seeing Redd

The Looking Glass Wars: Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor is the second book in his trilogy chronicling the true story of Alice in Wonderland.  In this book, Alyss has returned to power as the Queen of Wonderland after defeating her evil aunt, Redd Heart. Redd's whereabouts are unknown, but some suspect that she is somewhere on earth after travelling through the Heart Crystal.  When forces begin an attack on Wonderland, many believe Redd is back. However, could it be that forces within the Wondernations are conspiring against Alyss? What about the mysterious King Arch who rules over Boarderland who has always hated the way women rule Wonderland? Or is Redd really back, ready to regain the thrown that she thinks she deserves? As Alyss and her forces unite against an unknown enemy, relationships between family members and lovers are revealed and put to the test. This book was definitely slower than the first one. I had a very difficult time getting through the first half of the book where background stories of several characters are being laid out. Read this book if you read the first, if you're interested in fantasy, or if you enjoy fractured fairy tales. I give it a 7 out of 10.

The Looking Glass Wars

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor is the first in a trilogy of the "true" story behind Alice in Wonderland. Alyss Heart is a princess in the land of Wonderland. When her evil Aunt Redd decided to take the thrown, Alyss' parents are murdered, and she must escape through a porthole to another world. Alyss ends up in Victorian Oxford, and must assimilate to her new life as an ordinary little girl. Alyss must forget the world that she came from to make her life easier in our world. As she continues to live her life, a royal guard from her land searches for her in order to bring her back to Wonderland to claim the thrown.  Meanwhile, in Wonderland, the citizens, thinking Alyss is dead, form an army to fight against Redd. The book is fast-paced and interesting as the readers learn what really happened to Alyss, not the horrible make-believe story written by Lewis Carroll. Read this book if you like fantasy, if you enjoy retold classic stories, or if you enjoy intense battles of good against evil. I give it an 8 out of 10.

The Subtle Knife

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman is the second book in His Dark Materials trilogy. In this book, the characters can move between worlds including the world that we, the readers, live in. A great battle is about to be waged, and Lyra's journey has taken a turn. She has met Will Parry, a boy from our world, and together they must travel towards their destiny that could quite possibly be linked beyond their understanding. Read this book if you read the first, if you enjoy mystery and intrigue, or if you like to read a book that you can't put down. I give it a 9 out of 10.

The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman is the first book in Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. The story takes place in a world very similar to ours but also very different. Lyra, a young girl growing up at Oxford under the care of scholars, is taken onto a strange and curious adventure when she must leave Oxford in the care of a beautiful, mysterious woman. Her adventure will take her far north to a land of fighting bears, clans of witches, and scientific experiments. Lyra doesn't know it yet, but her destiny is somehow wrapped up in her journey to the north, but she must discover that destiny by herself. The fast-paced action creates a story that you can't put down because you really, really want to know what's next...in fact, I already have the next book to pick up and read. Read this book if you love fantasty, if you're looking forward to the film and want to read the book first, or if you've heard the controversy but want to learn the facts straight from the source. I give it an 8.5 out of 10.

Eldest

Eldest by Christopher Paolini is the second book in the Inheritance Trilogy. The first book, Eragon tells of a boy who finds a mysterious rock. Later the rock hatches into a dragon and Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, must journey to new lands in order to save their empire from the terrible and corrupt king, Galbatorix. The second book follows his adventures across the lands. In this book he heads to the land of the elves in order to train to become the ultimate Rider. The book ends in a fierce battle that will definitely be picked up in the third book (when it is actually published). What I enjoyed about this book was that the first book was written when the author was fifteen. The second book definitely shows his maturity as a writer. Also, the book switches back and forth between Eragon's story and the story of his cousin, Roran. This makes for good reading when you have a short amount of time to read a day. Read this book if you love fantasy, if you read Eragon and want to find out what happens next, or if you saw the (completely horrible) film based on the first book and want to see a much, much better version. I give it an 8.5 out of 10.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling is the seventh, and final, book in the fantastical Harry Potter series. Rowling attempts to tie up all the strings that she has left hanging in previous books. The book is long and at times I felt like it was dragging on simply to make the book longer than the previous one. However, fans of Harry Potter will not be disappointed with Rowling's conclusion to the much-loved series. I don't want to ruin it for anyone, so I'll leave it at that. Read this book if you're a fan of Harry Potter, if you love fantasy, or if you simply want to see what all the hype is about. I give it a 9.5 out of 10.