I am so happy that I read this book. Other than the Song of Ice and Fire series, I don't typically read fantasy books even though I've always wanted to. I've never had one hold my attention, but this one had just enough magic, intrigue, politics, and drama to keep me engaged.

This has a medieval feel to it, but we get little hints throughout the narrative that this set in the future. From what I could glean, our present day is considered the Pre-Crossing, and then an event called The Crossing occurred, which led to the end of civilization as we know it.

We start with Kelsea Raleigh, who is heir to the throne of the Tearling. Kelsea's mother, Queen Elyssa, senses danger and sends Kelsea away as a young child to be fostered by Barty and Carlin Glynn in a picturesque cottage outside of the capital city, New London. Queen Elyssa is murdered when Kelsea is just a toddler and Kelsea knows that she is the future queen. She is given a rigorous formal education by the steely spined Carlin while Barty showers Kelsea with affection and teaches her about things like plants and knife fighting. Kelsea must never be discovered because there are people in the kingdom who do not want her to claim her throne and are trying to assassinate her.

Kelsea's proof that she is the future queen is borne on her arm and around her neck: she was branded with a burn the length of her forearm and always wears a beautiful sapphire necklace. When she is 19, members of her mother's guard who remain loyal to the true rulers of the Tearling, arrive on horseback at the cottage to return her to her rightful home.

This journey and her early days of ruling are fraught with danger. She quickly learns that her uncle, acting as regent, is a selfish sycophant and has stood idle as the kingdom has suffered at the hands of the Red Queen, with which they have a treaty that demands a regular shipment of Tearling people to serve as slaves, prostitutes, and laborers in her own kingdom. She begins to learn things about her mother, who agreed to and signed the treaty, that lead her to believe that she wasn't a very successful queen. Kelsea has to earn the respect and loyalty of her Queen's Guard as well as the people of the kingdom.

Kelsea begins to learn the magic of her sapphire necklace as soon as she leaves the Glynn's cottage - it glows and gives off heat when it tries to tell her something. Sounds kooky? Yes, but it works! And I totally want one of these necklaces. Each time the sapphire necklace was mentioned, I thought about the Princess Diana/Kate Middleton sapphire engagement ring. I have a hunch that the Tear is one of the British Isles - so I wonder if the author meant to make that allusion?

Similar to The Song of Ice and Fire, the author attempts to tell the narrative from different viewpoints. She succeeds in helping the reader understand other motives, yet doesn't draw the same distinct pictures as George RR Martin. While reading this book, I was on the edge of my seat and couldn't wait to find out what happened to the characters - the author sucked me right in and made me care about most of the characters.

I agree with the blurb on the book stating that it's a mix of The Song of Ice and Fire and the Hunter Games (many people don't). I believe that the author captured the badassery of Katniss and told the story in a way that was reminiscent of the Game of Thrones. So if you enjoyed either of those series, I think you might enjoy this one!

I enjoyed this book immensely. It continues to follow Erica, Patrik and the small town of Fjallbacka. Lackberg does a great job weaving characters' stories together - even stories that span nearly 70 years! The murder in this book is of a small girl, Sara, who is found floating in the ocean. At first the police believe that her death is an accident, but investigative discoveries cause them to change their minds. Meanwhile, the story flashes back to Sweden in the 1920s to the life of Agnes, a spoiled rich girl who believes that she has a right to anything she wants, and how her choices and deeds have affected lives to this day.

This is the story of a woman (Framboise) who owns a restaurant (of course, Joanne Harris and her food books!) in France who was a young girl during WWII and when the German soldiers were patrolling the area. The premise of the story seems to be that the girl's mother gave information to the soldiers and was ran out of the village in shame. Framboise went back to the village as an older woman (with a different last name) and kept her identity a secret and opened a very successful restaurant. It flashes back and forth from current times to when she was a little girl - and we learn more and more about the truth of the story. love reading books set in WWII and this one has really hit the spot for me.returnreturnThis book really moved me - I think many of us can remember back to when we were young and to that summer when our lives completely changed forever. How strong young love is and feels - and how that connection and memory can truly last into adulthood. Especially when the end of that relationship is so terribly tragic.

This book won the 2009 Newbery Medal. It was based on a young boy named Nobody Owens. His family was killed when he was just a toddler, but he escaped to a nearby cemetery where the spirits took him in as if he was their own. They gave him special powers so that he had free reign of the graveyard and he could come and go as he pleased within its gates.returnreturnUnfortunately, the man that murdered his family is still out there and is still looking for Bod.returnreturnThis was a cute story, with cozy ghosts and witches. It took me a little while to get into it, but it was a very fast read and worth the time if you're looking for something quick and light.

This story takes us into the hallowed halls of St. Oswalds - a private boys school that is everything that one thinks of when those words are said - stately, old, and steeped in tradition. returnreturnWe have two main characters. The first is Roy Straitley, a Latin teacher who has been teaching at Oswalds for 33 years. He is the epitome of tradition - begrudges the technology changes and doesn't do email; teaches a dying language that is mocked by other instructors and is constantly trying to be pushed aside and ended by the school; and fiercely loves his boys and what he teaches. The second is a new teacher with a vendetta. This new teacher was actually the child of a past Porter (groundskeeper, basically) and longed to be a student at St. Oswalds. A tragic incident in the past causes this new teacher to seek revenge.returnreturnAnd boy, is the revenge serious. It starts out simply: missing pens, tea mugs. And then it becomes more and more serious as the story evolves.returnreturnI really enjoyed this book - reading about St. Oswalds made me feel cozy and the mystery and suspense of the story really drew me in. I'd definitely suggest this book to anyone who is interested in the life of private schools and the traditions they entail or anyone who likes twisted-types of mysteries.

**Includes spoilers**returnreturnI'm not sure how I feel about this one. I started out loving it - Winifred Rudge is an author from the Boston area who travels to London to visit her cousin (but not by blood) and to research Jack the Ripper. When she arrives in London, her cousin is not home and she cannot find him. Furthermore, her cousin seems to have hired workers to remodel his kitchen and they hear strange noises and are scared out of their minds.returnreturnThe main mysteries of the book involve finding her cousin and solving this haunting sound. She investigates the people living in and around the building and seems to be going quite mad herself.returnreturnThe text of this novel is interrupted with the novel that Winnie herself is writing. Sometimes it seems like the two are on totally different wavelengths but it starts to make a little more sense at the end. There were some boring spots but the plot wasn't totally predictable, which kept me reading. At times I felt it was a bit anti-feminist: Winnie's life seems to disintegrate when the men in her life leave her and she's unable to satisfy her desire of having a child. Even at the end of the story, she's looking for her ex and wondering if he's come back to her yet.returnreturnI enjoy ghost stories and this was definitely a good ghost story. Realistic? Of course not, but Maguire doesn't write realistic stories. My advice would be to take this is a ghost story and enjoy the ride!