The Lucky Ones

The Lucky Ones by Anna Godbersen, 2012 HarperTeen

     As the heat rises in the city those who can escape to the cooler temperatures outside the city do. The Gray family estate experiences Gatsby-esque parties as bootlegger alcohol runs free.
    Letty Larkspur is getting a taste of fame as her hard work pays off. But when fame takes a  questionable relationship with a married Hollywood star Letty is opened up to a target for the hopefuls coming to the city. The starlet has dreams of Hollywood but her naivete leads to her Hollywood mentor betraying her trust and Letty discovered it by the man's wife.
     Astrid has returned from her honeymoon with the love of her life only to discover he hasn't been showing her his commitment to the business. When Charlie begins to keep Astrid under guard for fear a rival operation may use her as leverage, Astrid is stifled. One of her younger guards is sympathetic and listens to her, Victor becomes Astrid's escape. Victor is one of Charlie's most trusted men and the two keep their budding relationship secret for both their sakes. Charlie is possessive of his new wife,
     Astrid is trapped by the decisions she's made, but Cordelia and her famous boyfriend face complications. The daredevil is mulatto and to maintain his position his history cannot be made public and the normal stages of a relationship risk exposing Max's secret past. Cordelia loves her pilot but the risk of losing not only his good name and position, but also his main source of protecting his family. Can their love withstand his private life and her public persona?
     When Carlie's fears come to pass, but extend beyond simply impacting Astrid but also his sister and her best friend. Tensions run high at the end of the summer concluding the Jazz Age. The girls' paths have separated but in this violent conclusion to the Lucky Ones Trilogy the three meet again.

The Valiant

The Valiant by Lesley Livingston, 2017 Razorbill

     When seventeen-year-old Fallon was ten her brave older sister was a member of their father's royal war band. Sorcha went into battle to save her king and bring her father home to care for her young sister. Fallon and her father have mourned her fallen sister in different ways: Fallon has become a fierce warrior while her father has searched for a way to keep her from his eldest daughter's fate. 

     The night of the tribal gathering, Fallon's father betrays her not once, but twice. The princess leaves behind the trappings of her station and tries to flee. In the midst of her escape Fallon is captured by slave traders and though she despises the captivity, the hope that she will escape to wreak vengeance drives Fallon. 

     As a slave Fallon meets a fierce warrior girl from the far north and the two become grudging friends. When their fighting skills are put on display in Rome Fallon and her Viking companion are bought to be female gladiators by no less than Julius Caesar's personal ludis. 

     The Lady Achilleas is a hard, but fair, mistress. Fallon discovers her new home's profession of sisterhood mirrors true sisterhood in not just the camaraderie, but also the vicious rivalries. At her swearing ceremony Fallon discovers her new mistress isn't so much the stranger she thought, but the sister she thought long-dead. Sorcha as Lady Achilleas tries to drill into her reluctant little sister that in Rome one must fight for what she wants in the Roman way. 

     The new world of gladiatrix is similar to her practice at home, but the duplicity and depravity are new for the slave princess. Someone is intent on bringing Fallon, and through her Sorscha and Caesar, down from the pedestal of power they hold over the plebeian population. Sometimes the games played with swords are the least dangerous intrigues in the world of female gladiators. Despite the constant danger, Fallon finds a new home and family. 

     Livingston's story looks at a curiosity of history: female gladiators were long thought to be outliers and are only recently being rediscovered and their reach studied. Fallon is a transplant from the frontier who must learn to live in a new and treacherous world while sorting out old beliefs and alliances. Her desire to make a name and place for herself wars with her relationships. Like many young women, Fallon is faced with the choice to roll with the punches (sometimes literally) or get knocked down. Either way, she always gets back to her feet to continue fighting. 

The Marvelous Land of Oz

The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum, 1904 The Reilly and Lee Company

     Several years after the Wizard took Dorothy from Oz and left the Scarecrow on the throne of the Emerald City readers return to the magical land to meet Tip, a young boy living in the north with a sorceress, who has some outlandish adventures.
     When the sorceress travels to market and returns with a powder which animates inanimate objects. The witch things to terrify Tip by bringing to life a pumpkin-headed jack which the boy had created. Tip and the newly christened Jack flee the witch to travel to the Emerald City. Along the way they collect a sawhorse, a Highly Educated Woggle-bug, and a rebellion of girls.
     When General Juniper and her army follow Tip and his companions into the Emerald City they're bound to take the city by force and grant the women of the city free from drudgery. With their knitting needles and overwhelming numbers they succeed. General Juniper attempts to reprimand the Scarecrow, but Tip and his companions, along with their stolen magic, rescue Dorothy's former companion.
     The Scarecrow, Tip, Jack, the Woggle-bug, and the sawhorse create and bring to life a gump - a mixture of different odds-and-ends found around the Emerald Palace brought to life. The Tin Man has been elected to rule over his own domain and welcomes his friends.
     Tip's party vows to help the Scarecrow reclaim his throne, with the Tin Man's help they may succeed. They seek Glinda and her army to join and support their little band. Upon returning to the Emerald City a true army against General Juniper's legion of girls looks to be a quick resolution, but Glinda has a surprise for all of Oz.
     Continuing the story of Dorothy's newly discovered land nearly two decades after the original tale Baum takes readers deeper into the fantasy of Oz leading to over a dozen additional stories by Baum himself and twenty-six by various additional authors. Readers who enjoyed the original tale of Oz and the newer retellings will find this a quirky and fantastical tale. Like most of the Oz stories, The Marvelous Land of Oz is aimed at middle readers.

White Witch, Black Curse

White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison, 2009 Eos

     Rachel is a demon, well, kind of. When Trent’s father altered her DNA to save her from Rosewood Syndrome he reversed the elf curse that made demons unable to reproduce. Rachel continues the agreed-upon lessons with Al, learning to become a demon in exchange for Trent’s life and release from the Ever After.

     When Glenn, a FIB officer, is sent to the hospital during an off-book investigation Rachel, Ivy, and Jenks are called in to figure out what happened. Rachel and Ivy discover the woman they’re searching for is a banshee, Mia Harbor, sucking the emotion from the people around her and feeding her banshee child.

     In between hunting down the banshee, searching for Kisten’s killer, and spending time with Robbie, Rachel’s brother, Rachel, Ivy and Jenks discover a ghost from Rachel’s past has been haunting the church for nearly a year. Jenks is irate at the discovery of a spy in their midst. Ivy is ambivalent, and Rachel is excited at the prospect of Pierce’s return.

     The FIB finds Mia and calls Rachel to help bring her in. Rachel is sent to the hospital when the child sucks her aura and life force away before Rachel can escape. While her aura is regenerating Al kidnaps Pierce from the ley line he’s talking to Rachel in and Rachel goes after him, or tries to.

     The witch community decides to shun Rachel when Mia causes a riot between inderlanders at the mall in order to feed her child (the same incident that sent her to the hospital) and the media blames it on Rachel. Rachel discovers the Shunning when the FIB brings in another banshee, “The Walker”, to find and bring Mia in.

     Meanwhile Ivy and Rachel try to get Skimmer to reveal to whom Piscary sold Kisten, in order to find his killer. Skimmer is in jail for Piscary’s murder and won’t talk to Ivy unless Rachel is there. The visit becomes a power play, bringing some of Rachel’s memories to the surface and kicking Ivy’s hard-won control out of gear. However the memories that reappear after the incident lead to justice for Kisten.

     Ivy, Jenks and Rachel manage to find Mia and her child. After the child nearly kills Rachel again, Ford (the FIB psychologist) gets custody of the girl, who can keep him from experiencing every emotion from the people around him.

     Rachel, Ivy, and Jenks fight to complete the job, find the banshee child and bring her mother to justice through the many challenges in the way. Their friendship brings them through every obstacle they face; White Witch, Black Curse is about accepting and loving our friends and family through both the good and bad times. Rachel’s story flirts with her boundaries: what makes a black witch, how strongly does she care about Ivy and in what way, who is Rachel, and what do her decisions say about her?

     Some content of White Witch, Black Curse makes it a book better suited for older readers—sixteen and older. It is the eighth book in Harrison’s Hallows Series. 

Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, 1598 Folger's Shakespeare Library

     In fair Messina, the Governor Leonato is living with his daughter and unwed niece. Hero and Beatrice are fast friends and loving cousins, when the army of Don Pedro, a prince of Aragon, returns through their city the two women meet and celebrate the victory with the prince's trusted men.
     Benedick is a familiar face, one whom Beatrice enjoys mocking. The animosity between Beatrice and Benedick is fierce though Shakespeare hints at a prior romance, and their companions believe they're a perfect match. The two, however, are in agreement on the fates of their friends.
     Hero and young Count Claudio are in love at first sight. The prince agrees to push Claudio's suit for the shy officer. With Leonato's blessing, all appears to be in order for a wedding.
    Enter Don John. Don Pedro's younger brother finds himself sick at the happiness of others. Don John and his followers scheme to convince Claudio the prince is wooing Hero for his own purposes.
     While Hero and Claudio attempt to reconcile their feelings with Don John's commentary they help Don Pedro convince Beatrice and Benedick of their suitability.
     Originally a play to be performed Much Ado About Nothing is designed as a script to be read either as part of a performance or aloud. Much of the humor is adult-oriented, the story is intended for adults, yet has little objectionable material as much of the action is left to the imagination.