Black Magic Sanction

Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison, 2010 Harper Voyager

     She hasn't quite accepted that she is a day-walking demon, but the Coven of Moral and Ethical Standards is after Rachel anyway. After the shunning, a woman attacks her in the grocery store while she and Ivy shop. Vivian is a member of the Coven, using her white magic with deadly consequences. Rachel is sent to the FIB and made to pay for damages while Vivian is absolved of her part.
     On her way home from the FIB offices, Rachel is summoned to San Francisco where the Coven attempts to railroad her into either being magically neutered, or literally neutered. Rachel is sent to Alcatraz when she refuses where she learns some of the ways the Coven manages trouble-maker witches. The church's gargoyle, Bis, finds Rachel and comforts her until Ivy can summon her back home to Cincinnati.
     Thus begins the tug-o-war between Rachel and the forces who want to control her. Trent Kalamack is still itching to get her under his control, Algaliarept (her demon teacher) attempts to keep her in the ever-after whenever he gets the chance, Pierce (the ghost brought back to life in a previous book) leverages attraction to influence her, and the Coven is on the prowl for her ability to kindle demon magic.
     After several near-death excursions and the loss of a close friend, Rachel makes her stand, accepting her place as a step between witches and demons but refusing to let it be the reason she dies.
     Rachel Morgan doesn't want to use black magic, but her blood is having difficulty kindling standard magic. She is becoming a different entity, and the consequences on her life spiral out of control. Through her friendships and faith in herself Rachel holds her world together and manages to get out okay. Like her reader, Rachel deals with the mess of everyday life as it comes to her and hopes what comes tomorrow won't kill her.

Awakened

Awakened by Kristin and P.C. Cast, 2011 St. Martin's Press

    Zoey has returned from the Otherworld to her family and friends on Sgiach, the Island of Skye. She reaffirms her connection with her warrior Stark and Zoey discovers she can call on the ancient fey to support her elemental magic. Aphrodite, Damien, and the twins return home to Stevie Rae who is back in Tulsa with the red fledglings 

     Neferet kills Jack--Damien's boyfriend and a member of the nerd-herd--as a tribute to the Darkness. The loss of their friend draws Zoey and Stark back to their responsibilities. Kalona finds that he has a connection to Stark after breathing some of his immortality into the dying warrior. 

     Neferet uses Jack's funeral as a public display to try regaining the House of Night's trust. Zoey sees through the fake apology but in the same spectacle to order the Sons of Erebus to murder Rephaim and Stevie Rae for their association with Darkness. 

     Stevie Rae asks the nerd herd to protect Rephaim - who has only defended himself rather than actively fighting for his freedom. She asks Kalona to release Rephaim and he grants his son's freedom in a direct contradiction of his oath to Neferet. Not all of the members of the House of Night accept that Rephaim has chosen the path of Light. 

     Their goddess, Nyx, appears and forgives the Raven Mocker. She details her wish for the vampyres to move forward in life - singling out Damien and Dragon after the deaths of Jack and Anastasia. Dragon holds on to his anger and, with Neferet, drives Rephaim from the Tulsa House of Night. 

     To be with their friends Zoey creates her own House of Night in the tunnels beneath the city. Zoey is their leader and Vampyre Queen; Stevie Rae is their High Priestess; Kramisha their poet Laureate; and Aphrodite the Prophetess. The red fledglings and nerd herd are their students trying to maintain Nyx's teachings. 

     Neferet continues her quest for power by striking at those close to Zoey Redbird in her human life. Kalona experiments with the piece of his soul in Stark. Zoey and her friends struggle in the changing world and with the blows to their cause. The Vampyre High Council has cleared Neferet of wrongdoing and Zoey has lost significant supports in her system. Neferet's plan for revenge appears to be on a strong course. 

     Zoey has a more adult take on the events in her life--including a mature relationship with her warrior-protector. Older teen readers who enjoyed the first seven episodes in the House of Night series will enjoy the eighth installment of Zoey Redbird's story. 

Nancy's Mysterious Letter

Nancy's Mysterious Letter by Carolyn Keene, 1968 Grosset & Dunlap

     Nancy Drew receives a letter that plunges her into another mystery. When Nancy and the girls invite the postman in for tea and cocoa his bag of mail is stolen. The authorities ask Nancy to come in for questioning; they believe she had something to do with the theft.
     When Ned Nickerson invites Nancy to visit him at Emerson College for the big football game she meets another woman whose mail was stolen. The woman believes Nancy to be part of a criminal enterprise.
     When the mail is re-sent Nancy, and others, receives a letter. While the letter is addressed to Nancy Drew, it is not intended for River Height's Miss Drew. Upon investigation with her friends Nancy discovers a Nancy Smith Drew teaching at the Emerson.
     The Nancy S Drew our detective finds is an heiress and there are those who would stop Nancy. They will even go so far as to kidnap the detective to stop her. Nancy Drew, along with her friends, searches for the answer to their newest mystery. Older elementary readers will enjoy the condensed mystery.