An Abundance of Katherines

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, 2006 Dutton Books

     Colin Singleton has graduated high school and his girlfriend (the nineteenth) Katherine has dumped him. Colin's claim to fame, other than the number of Katherine's he's dated, is his propensity for anagrams and status as a child prodigy. After winning a televised competition Colin has funding to do whatever he'd like to get over this latest breakup.
     Hassan is Colin's best friend; the one who reminds Colin which subjects are uninteresting and what is interesting. Hassan is also an avid fan of Judge Judy and has decided to live off his allowance for the foreseeable future, despite the smarts to be accepted to North America's most selective universities and colleges.
     When Hassan suggests a roadtrip to get Colin over the latest breakup the two friends put Colin's winnings to good use--anything to get Colin back to himself, but no Katherines. Starting in Chicago and heading southeast across the United States the boys end up in small town Gutshot, Tennessee where they meet Lindsey Lee Wells. Lindsey helps her mother run the local store and is the town's darling.
     Colin and Hassan decide to stick around for a while - Lindsey's mother offers to pay them to collect the verbal history. While the boys work, sometimes with and sometimes without Lindsey, they find themselves partaking in the local pastimes. Colin begins a mission to find the Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability which will predict any relationship and bring justice to all dumpees everywhere.
     Examining his past relationships highlights the quirky nature of childhood love and young romance and teaches Colin that not everything is as simple as it appears. Colin, Hassan, and Lindsey turn a post-graduation, post-breakup road trip into a foray into new culture and possibly new romance.
     The three become friends as they learn to move away from the comfortable of home and childhood and into ever-changing adulthood. Written for teens and young adults, readers of all ages can enjoy the humor and somewhat sardonic tone which balances Colin's human- and emotion-centric search for an answer with complex mathematical rationale.

Heir of Fire

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas, 2014 Bloomsbury

     Adarlan's king has ordered Celaena to assassinate the royal family of Wendlyn based on his Captain of the Guard Chaol's suggestion. Chaol trades his future independence to his father to allow Celaena to escape the pit she's fallen into since Nehemia's death. In Wendlyn the King's Assassin has no intention of killing the royal family, instead Celaena drinks and gambles and fights the nights away until she can spend the days in an exhausted stupor.
     When her aunt, Maeve Queen of Fairies, sends Celaena's distant cousin, Rowan Whitethorn, to summon her to a demi-Fae outpost Celaena meets her aunt for the first time and realizes why her mother delayed the meeting. Maeve wants to see the Fae magic Celaena has hidden, but Celaena wants answers about the Wyrdkeys. The two come to an agreement: Celaena will come to the Fae city Doranelle when Rowan believes she has mastered her power and Maeve will share what she knows about the Wyrdkeys.
     Rowan begins to train Celaena - her magic so deeply buried she has difficulty even shifting from her human to Fae form. But mangled bodies of demi-Fae begin appearing around the fortress and the creatures in the forest become restless. As the most able investigative force Rowan and Celaena seek answers to the impending danger, driving Celaena to find and use her power.
    Back in Adarlan Chaol and Dorian are trying to understand their new dynamic. Dorian's magic has somehow persisted in a world where magic has been frozen. The pair work to discover why magic has gone, but Chaol refuses to hear about Dorian's power for fear the king might somehow use it against them. Dorian seeks companionship with a comely healer who has been attending the Crown Prince, Captain of the Guard and King's Assassin through their adventures. Sorscha promises not to tell, but may have an ulterior motive in gaining Dorian's trust.
     Far in the North, the Ironteeth Witches are made an offer too good to refuse. When magic died Manon Blackbeak and her kin in the Blackbeak, Yellowlegs and Bluebloods lost the ability to fly. Manon is the Blackbeak heir, considered one the cruelest beings in Elirea; the witches enjoy killing and maiming simply for the joy of the act. The King on the Throne of Glass offers the witches a place in his army and wyverns in exchange for their freedom after he's conquered the world. The Ironteeth wish to return to the Western Wastes where their enemies the Cochran Witches have cursed the land.
     Manon and her Blackbeak kin work to become the tip of the Ironteeth spear. They become the best fighters both on and off their wyverns. Manon develops a resounding rapport with her dragon-like beast and her wing discovers something in the mountain is rotting the humans - this drives the witches further afield for sustenance.
     While the King rallies his forces, the rebellion and discontent build within Adarlan. Aedion, cousin to the missing Queen Aelin Ashryver Galathynius of Terrasen, is the King's General in the North and summoned to Rifthold to attend the King. Chaol discovers Aedion has been subtly undermining the king's agenda in Terrasen; the resemblance between Aedion and Celaena suggests why. Aedion joins the rebellion, bringing hope to the movement.
     Action comes to a point when the King of Adarlan sends a force into Wendlyn lead by three Vlag princes. Celaena, Rowan, and the demi-Fae face the oncoming army and Celaena nearly gives in to the Vlag power reliving her worst memories, some so deeply repressed even she is surprised by their brutality. The Ironteeth compete and Manon with her Blackbeak clan becomes wing leader, creates a somewhat-alliance with the Bluebloods heir and confirms an enmity with the Yellowlegs heir. Chaol and Dorian's activities are discovered by the king with brutal results, but news that Aelin Ashryver Galathynius is alive and well begins to spread across Elirea as Celaena accepts her crown and demands answers from her aunt, Queen Maeve.
     Like the preceding books, Heir of Fire is a young adult read. Political intrigue, romantic entanglements, and brutal violence have shaped Celaena/Aelin's life and as she makes the decision to return to the world she was able to abandon as a child she revisits the darker side of what it means to be a political force. That said, Celaena is a multi-faceted character and Maas's story is rich in its own mythos making for a compelling read.

Midnight in Austenland

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale, 2012 Bloomsbury

     Charlotte Kinder lives a normal life with a nice husband and two good children. She is a successful businesswoman but something of a pushover.  When Charlotte's husband remarries leaving her with the care of their two teenagers a visit to the Regency Resort Austenland seems like the perfect vacation. Charlotte becomes Miss Cordial spending her days with the lovely Misses Charming and Gardenside being romanced by the handsome gentlemen scrounged by Pembroke Manor's housekeeper.
     Things are going well until Charlotte discovers a real corpse during a Victorian game of Bloody Murder. The identity of the murderer becomes the focus of Charlotte's stay, prompting her to find something she thought her ex-husband had taken from her.
     The possibility of a romance with one of the men at Pembroke Manor reminds Charlotte she is a successful mother, successful businesswoman, and an woman worth spending time with. Everyone at the Manor is playing a role, but Charlotte questions whether Mr. Mallery is as dark as he seems, what does the recognizable pop singer suffer from, and who put the dead body in the attic?
     Scripted more along the lines of Northanger Abbey than Pride and Prejudice, Midnight in Austenland is a murder mystery which brings wallflower Charlotte Kinder away from blending into the wallpaper to become a debutante. Readers who enjoyed Austenland and Austen's novels will see the parallels and enjoy them. Charlotte's story is aimed at teens and older readers.

A Whole New World

A Whole New World by Liz Braswell, 2015 Disney Press

     In distant Agrabah Aladdin is a streetrat running from Razoul the guard. When a beautiful young woman appears in the marketplace and very obviously doesn't belong Aladdin finds himself saving her from her own folly. The royal guard comes from the Royal Vizier Jafar to capture Aladdin and the girl is discovered to be the Princess Jasmine - who no one knew was missing.
     Aladdin is besotted with the girl only a little shocked at her identity. Thrown deep in the dungeons below the palace Abu the monkey comes to save Aladdin. They are startled by a strange old man who speaks of untold treasure. The trio leaves the palace through underground tunnels. Once outside they travel deep into the desert to the Cave of Wonders. The creepy old man keeps speaking with someone who isn't there, someone he calls Iago.
     At the cave Aladdin discovers a magical carpet which helps him find the dirty old lamp the old man sent him for. When Abu triggers the cave to self-destruct the carpet helps them to escape. But freedom is blocked by the old man. Once he has the lamp the old man becomes Grand Vizier Jafar and flings Aladdin from the entrance.
     The cave swallows Aladdin, Abu, and the carpet - they are trapped, but the streetrat fights to escape. Digging through the sand takes several days and the carpet flies Aladdin and Abu from the Cave of Wonders back to Agrabah where Jafar has used his first two wishes to become a powerful sorcerer and sultan. Jafar takes the opportunity to kill the sultan and makes plans to force Jasmine into marriage. She repeatedly rejects him and makes plans to escape.
     When Aladdin discovers the threat to the princes he is quickly swept into her orbit. Aladdin helps Jasmine meet her people and become a rebel leader in the fight against Jafar. As Agrabah becomes more and more restricted and families turn against each other Jasmine and her rebels find a foothold from which to launch their attack.
     Just as the Disney movie shows how the lamp changes Aladdin's life in helping him win the princess, this Twisted Tale shows how the story might have played out if Jafar kept the lamp. Aladdin and Jasmine find themselves at a turning point in Agrabah's future.

Two Princesses of Bamarre

The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine, 2001 Harper Collins

     Addie admires her older sister Meryl; the two princesses of Bamarre are complete opposites. Addie enjoys the predictable routine and simple pastimes of a lady: hearing about adventures and learning what she can about politics and such. Meryl is brash and confident, adventurous and dreams of battling monsters to save her people just like the epic poem she recites to her sister, their governess and the young sorcerer Rhys.
    The two girls are best of friends, but when Meryl comes down with the Grey Death it is twelve-year-old Addie who must discover her own courage and find the cure. An old prophecy guides her path as Addie travels with seven-league-boots, a magic spyglass, a feast-providing tablecloth, and magical cloak. She meets ogres, specters, gryphons, and a fascinating dragon all the while hoping to return to her sister and the young sorcerer who shyly declared his affection.
     With a declared timeline until Meryl's death, Addie struggles against the monsters of her homeland and the wish to return to safety. She finds inner strength and confidence through the relationships she develops, but there is always a breaking point and as Meryl runs out of time her younger sister finds she can be the decisive young lady Meryl constantly pushes her to be.
     Through a bittersweet ending, a touch of romance, a magical quest, and the friendship of sisters The Two Princesses of Bamarre tells the story of Addie's determination. She discovers that not all heroes want to save the world, but if there's no one else with the tools or the will a hero (or heroine) must step up to the task, despite their fears. The story is written for older elementary readers, however, readers of all ages who enjoy Levine's work will enjoy this tale.