Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling, 2000 Bloomsbury

     Harry goes to visit Ron at the Burrow in the summer after his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry, Ron, and Hermione travel to the World Quidditch Cup where all hell breaks loose. Death Eaters are more and more brash about their performances and the Dark Mark in the sky throws everything into confusion--Death Eaters attack wizards and witches and are not repelled by the Ministry of Magic.
     Back at school the Ministry has decided to revive the age-old tradition of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. A student from each of the three magical schools in Europe will participate in a three-tiered tournament for the honor of housing the Tri-Wizard Cup. Representatives from Beauxbaton Acadamy and Durmstrang Institute travel to Hogwarts hoping to be chosen.  With such a public distraction the Death Eaters and Voldemort's followers gain traction and progress toward bringing the Dark Lord back.
     Though the competitors must be of age--seventeen--fourteen-year-old Harry's name somehow makes it into the Goblet of Fire and Harry becomes the fourth contestant. Throughout the three challenges Harry is both aided and challenged by the people around him and his competitors. Not only are the adults around him taking sides, but his friendships seem to be cracking under the pressures of a competition Harry never wanted.
     Facing dragons, mer-folk, and a deadly maze all lead up to one of the most difficult experiences of Harry's life. He loses friends, gains enemies, and witnesses the rebirth of the most dangerous and terrifying wizard his world has ever known. Yet he persists and helps to unearth treachery in the most impregnable stronghold in the wizarding world: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
     Public opinion has never seemed to impact Harry's life, but when he transforms into the youngest competitor in the Tri-Wizard Tournament he is no longer just the Boy Who Lived--he becomes the hero and golden boy. Life has progressively gotten darker for Harry and his friends since they met their first year at Hogwarts yet they stick together and rely on each other for their strengths. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a story aimed at a teen audience, but one that has entertained readers of all ages since its publication.

Safe Haven

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks, 2010 Grand Central Publishing

     Katie has been running long enough to wish for a place to stop. In Southport she finds that place. A cabin at the end of a gravel road and a job in town make the small town in North Carolina a safe place to stop. Before long a woman moves into the cabin next door and befriends Katie--Jo is a relief from the loneliness and encourages Katie to find her home in Southport.
     With her new friend's encouragement Katie allows her interest in the mysterious widower who runs the store on the edge of town to bloom into a relationship. Alex and his two children worm their way into Katie's heart and she becomes more and more comfortable with the idea of home.
     As deep as their connection becomes, Katie tries to keep her past from washing over this family. But when the past finally catches up to her, Katie doesn't have time to protect the family she loves.
     Katie and Alex surmount their obstacles and after some pussyfooting around create a home she had never dreamed possible. The domestic abuse that forced Katie from her home and marriage is addressed, as well as the mentality that so many women fight to escape--Kaite is one of those successful women who survive their abusers.
     Safe Haven is more than just a romance. The issues it tackles are often overlooked in the romantic genre or solved with a hero saving the damsel in distress. The high tension many in Katie's place experience can be difficult for younger readers; the story is directed toward older teens and adults.

Drowned Wedensday

Drowned Wednesday by Garth Nix, 2005 Scholastic Books

      Arthur hasn't been home very long when he receives an invitation to join Wednesday’s trustee in the House. When his room begins to fill with water Arthur is confused, and then his friend Leaf gets sucked into the House’s realms with him. Arthur is afraid for his friend, but she manages to take care of herself.

     Leaf is picked up by the Flying Mantis and Arthur is picked up by the Moth. Arthur has been marked by the pirate Feverfew leading to the Moth's destruction and Arthur is only allowed to stay aboard the ship when he reveals the Mariner's Medallion (a gift from one of the Architect's sons) and helps the Moth escape Feverfew.
     Arthur convinces the captain of the Moth of his identity and is taken to meet Wednesday who promises to relinquish the key once the third part of the Will is released. Wednesday's Dawn helps Arthur find Leaf, but before he can rescue his friend Arthur must complete his mission.
     With the help of the Raised Rats, brought into the House by the Pied Piper, he finds the Will in a worldlet within Wednesday's stomach. Old friends return for the final stand as Arthur battles for the inheritance he has never really wanted.
     Though he's never been overly enthusiastic about being the Heir to the House, Arthur begins to take his duties seriously. He works toward obtaining the goal that is set out for him and makes it his own as he progresses through the Will's plan to reunite the keys. Arthur is still his own person at the end of the day and brings his own flair to the role set for him, teens young and old will find his story relate-able if somewhat fantastic. 

Bloody Jack

Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy by L.A. Meyer, 2002 Harcourt Publishing

     Mary Faber was abandoned as a child when her family died of disease, she joins a gang of other orphans, but when their leader is murdered Mary has no where to go. She takes her dead friend's clothes and disguises herself as a ship's boy under the name Jacky. Aboard the HMS Dolphin, a British warship, Jacky befriends the other ships boys and finds her place among the men. 

     She adopts one of the sailors, Liam Delaney, as her sea-dad and he teaches her the fine art of the pennywhistle and helps her gain her sea-legs. She is finally fitting in when pirates are spotted and a battle begins. When one pirate is poised to kill her friend, whom she is starting to have feelings for, Jacky saves Jaimy's life, but their brotherhood of ships' boys loses a member. 

     Not long after Jacky experiences her first menses, but unaware of the female body's maturation she believes she is dying. When the ship puts into port for repairs Jacky visits a brothel hoping for a woman to explain her body's changes. Her friends only know one reason to visit a brothel and rib Jacky mercilessly for her rakish ways. It isn't long before the rumor spreads aboard ship that young master Jacky is actually Miss Jacky and the men begin to act out of place. Jacky even kills one of the men in self-defense when he assaults her. 

     Jacky reveals her secret to Jaimy when he believes his feelings are socially inappropriate--until Jacky confesses to similar feelings. The two begin a courtship and secret engagement while ashore in Jamaica. They return to ship and the crew of the HMS Dolphin begins hunting pirates. They meet and do battle with LeFievre and his crew, who escape and later capture Jacky for ransom. Jacky manages to survive, but the entire crew of the HMS Dolphin discover her female identity and she is carted off to a Boston Finishing School for her own betterment. 

     Jacky Faber is independent, clever, and somewhat ruthless in her deception. Though she lives a very world-weary life, she is innocent of some of the most basic things in life. Her charm and wit earn Jacky friends in unlikely places and save her life more than once, but along with them come a recklessness that could get not only her neck, but the necks of her friends in more danger than they can withstand. With spunk and a bright outlook on the future, Jacky sails the seas with her friends and adopted family, living life and having fun. Readers of all ages will enjoy this saucy girl and her mischievous ways. 

100th Post!

On a non-book related note, here's to a hundredth post! Thank you for sticking with me and I hope you all are around for the next hundred.

Stephanie

Serpent's Kiss

Serpent's Kiss by Melissa de la Cruz, 2012 Hyperion Books

     After they've managed to save the world and gain their right to use magic, Joanna, Ingrid and Freya Beauchamp are back to living their lives in North Hampton on Long Island. Freya has been approached by her twin brother Freddie, and Freddie insists Killian was the one to commit the crime Freddie's been imprisoned in Limbo for. Ingrid's relationship with Matt Noble, the detective, is off to a rocky start. And Joanna has a spirit causing chaos trying to contact her for help.
     Freya is torn between her love affair with Killian her true love and fiance and the accusations of her twin brother Freddie. To top it off, Freddie wants her to keep his presence a secret from the rest of the family and her magic is failing. When she orchestrates Freddie's reappearance into the family fold Freya hopes it will ease some of the tension between herself and Killian.
     Though she and Matt have decided to try something more than a distant flirtation, Ingrid is having second thoughts. She is not the sexy seductress her sister is, but that shouldn't stop the eons-old virgin from having any relationship with a man. When Ingrid finally believes she might be able to have some relationship with Matt her life is turned topsy-turvy by a brood of child-like pixies.
     Joanna asks her estranged husband Norman for help with the persistent spirit, but her daughters' hopes for a family reunion is spoiled when she absentmindedly invites her gentleman-friend to Thanksgiving dinner. Life for the Beauchamp women seems to be thrown into tumult by the discovery of a traitor setting up Killian and Freddie for the collapse of the Bofrir and destruction of the gods' powers. With their family in danger the Beauchamps stand together to face whatever may challenge their lives and their home.
     In the second installment of their story, the Beauchamp women use their magic to fight for what they believe in--family, freedom, and fun. They've known someone has passed the blame for his nefarious deeds to Freddie, they assume it is Loki, the god of mischief. When life gets in the way each woman perseveres. Their story is more appropriate for more adult readers; each woman bends the rules in a different way to advance her cause for good.