Forever Doon

Forever Doon by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon, 2016 Blink

     After fighting their way back to Doon after Addie sent them home Veronica and McKenna are again separated by the Portal. Vee is helping her people survive through Doon's bleak winter - brought on by the weak position Emily-cum-Addie's betrayal has put her in and Jamie's apparent execution.
     Kenna and Duncan have taken nearly a third of Doon's population into the modern world where they've camped in Alloway. The Witch of Doon destroyed the Bridge between worlds and Duncan has made it his mission to restore the Brig o' Doon to return home. The pair is struggling as Duncan fights the feeling of leaving his brother to an unknown fate and Kenna feels like she's his second choice, even after she's given up her whole world.
     In Doon, Veronica leads the remainder of her people as they hide from the witch and search for a way to bring those who have escaped home. The witch eats away at Doon and her people to create an undead army to hold the small kingdom against Vee and the rightful citizens.
     With a third of her people to trapped in the modern world, her best friend and oldest confidant separated from her by the veil protecting Doon, and Jamie, the love of her life, presumably dead Veronica battles her own misgivings. When they discover Jamie is alive Vee and her advisors plan his rescue. Jamie has his own concerns with his release and the abuse he suffered at the hands of Abigail, the witch of Doon.
     The pair work to create a team and guide their people despite the loss of over half of their supporters. When it appears all has been lost Veronica discovers the friendship she shares with McKenna is a calling - just as the relationships the girls have with the McCrae brothers - and she and McKenna can speak across the veil.
     Veronica's faith in her people, in herself, and the Protector grow as she goes through the challenges Addie throws at her and her followers. When it appears Doon may be lost forever Vee calls on her friend and those called to Doon to solve their problems.
     Developing her leadership skills and learning to trust the people around her, Veronica has changed form the insecure young woman into a queen worthy of her kingdom. Readers who enjoyed the first installments of the Doon Series will like this completion of Veronica and McKenna's story. With adventure, conflict and a touch of romance Forever Doon is aimed at teen readers.

Odin's Ravens

Odin's Ravens by K.L. Armstrong & M.A. Marr, 2014 Little, Brown & Company

     Laurie, Matt, and Fen are traumatized by the loss of Baldwin - much like Baldur he was friendly and loved by all the young teens replacing long-dead gods, and seemingly everyone. The three friends travel into Hel's realm to rescue Baldwin.
     Their quest is hampered by Viking zombies, Hel the Goddess of the Dead, and various other monsters and creatures. The friends manage to escape Hel and continue on their quest to prevent Ragnarok.
     Laurie finds their quest begins to take a turn as she is gifted and her cousin Fen ignored. Again, Laurie meets Odin's representative, Owen. Owen has Odin's ability to see the future he isn't involved in and has avoided the main quest so he can help Matt, Laurie, Fen, and the rest of the descendants to stop Ragnarok.
     But Owen has been captured by the wulfenkind - Loki's wolf-descendants who are battling to cause the end of the world. Owen sends his tow ravens: Thought & Memory to be his eyes and ears in the world. To unite the descendants Laurie insists Matt and Fen help locate and rescue Owen.
     As Laurie's role appears to grow, despite his friendship with Matt, Fen begins to feel more and more left out. The young man distances himself from his closest friends.
     Saving Baldwin could change the scope of the battle, but it doesn't appear to have stopped the end of the world. As they stumble onward, the trio faces more difficulties and challenges building toward betrayal.
     Sequel to Loki's Wolves, Odin's Ravens picks up just after Baldwin's death. The story is swamped in Norse mythology and follows the thirteen-year-olds as they fight battles greater than they ever could have imagined. Readers who enjoyed Rick Riordan's Magnus Chase series will enjoy another take on the myths of Scandinavia; The Blackwell Pages trio is aimed at a similar reader-base.

A Star Looks Down

A Star Looks Down by Betty Neels, 1975 Harlequin Romance

     Elizabeth Partridge works as Staff Nurse at a busy London hospital preparing patients for surgery and releasing them to Recovery. Beth is a plain girl with a younger brother to support and is intent on giving her brother his best chance.
     When William introduces her to a visiting professor Beth is amused by the reverence her brother treats him to. Professor Alexander Van Zeust is a kind man in his later thirties to Beth's fresh-faced twenties but a handsome man, nonetheless. When the professor's sister is hospitalized for appendicitis he seeks out Beth to care for his four nieces and nephews.
     Beth and the children get on, but when one week turns to three, turns to five Beth finds herself falling for the kind doctor and his family. The professor, his sister, and her children invite Beth to his country home, near where she grew up; and later to their home in Holland.
     When disaster strikes and the professor discovers Beth, as unsuitable as she believes, has fallen in love Beth decides there's nothing to be done and returns to England. Whether the professor follows her or not, Beth has made up her mind and is waiting for Alexander to change it.
     Betty Neels wrote simple love stories with predictable plots, A Star Looks Down is a refreshingly unique installment full of old-fashioned romance. Suitable for readers of romance of all ages Beth's story is a new variation of the same, favorite melody.

Long May She Reign

Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas, 2017 HarperTeen

     Freya has never felt like she fit at court: she says the wrong thing and cannot master the subterfuge the gaudy court requires. Instead, she would rather be in her laboratory completing experiments and discovering answers to her never-ending questions. Freya's father is the king's advisor and treasurer. He insists she attend the king's birthday party, but the stress of the court triggers a panic attack. Freya and her best friend, Naomi, escape back to her lab.
     After a night of experiments, Freya is stunned at the news the entire court has been murdered. Freya, twenty-fourth in line, is now Queen. She is rushed from her childhood home to the Fort where the remainder of the court is taking refuge. In a country which has not been engaged in warfare for centuries, the Fort is the only truly defensible location in the city.
    Freya and her new advisors investigate the murder of the old court from the old castle. She fights to become what the court is used to a queen being, but it is a real challenge for the young woman used to lurking in the background. Naomi continues to support the new queen as she meets the court and tries to develop her own style of leadership, and their friendship sustains through the challenges. The old king's bastard son, William Fitzroy, attaches himself to their small group. When Freya's heir, Madeline Wolfe, returns to court the young woman becomes part of Freya's new entourage.
    The group makes slow progress but when the old king's closest advisor and best friend, Torsten Wolfe, accuses Freya of murdering the old court to gain power the remainder of the court is split. Some follow Torsten in his bid to remove Freya from the throne, others flee from the brewing conflict, and still others remain and support the anxious young queen in her bid to change her country for the better.
    Despite her advisors' misgivings and apparent attempts to stifle her investigation, Freya is intent on solving the problem of mass-murder to clear her name and build a cohesive country which can flourish. At the final conflict, Torsten is up against Freya and her scientific mind - the strategist and the scientist vie for the superstitious nation's support.
    Freya's story tells of a young woman trying to find her place in a world she has never felt a part of. She discovers her own ability is more than she once believed, and that there are many different ways to win the support of her people. Long May She Reign is an underdog story and a story of facing challenges despite the fear of failure.

Belle's Song

Belle's Song by K. M. Grant, 2010 Quercus Publishing

     Belle's father is a bell founder and named after the bells he has devoted his life to. Belle' smother made their home run smoothly while Belle is absorbed by the stories in her head. When her mother dies, Belle is hopeless as a housekeeper and one of the widows in their London neighborhood moves in to care for the young woman and her father.
     She does take part in her father's work and while helping the men raise the bells, Belle is distracted and her distraction results in the large bell falling and breaking both of her father's legs. Belle's father is crippled and his work begins to fall off, but the neighborhood helps keep Belle's little family running.
     After her father's accident, Belle feels she caused the incident and she starts searching for a way to make it right. When a pilgrimage leaves from the local tavern to Canterbury, Belle decides to join and pay penance at the shrine, hoping to heal her father's injuries. Belle discovers that one of their party is the famous Chaucer.
    On their way to Canterbury Chaucer's assistant, Luke catches the pretty girls' eyes. Luke is the son of an alchemist who no longer wants to deceive audiences and is traveling to become a monk as penance. Belle is fascinated, though the squire traveling with the party seems to be just the right amount of courtly charming. Walter is a flamboyant young man on pilgrimage with his father as recompense for his sister's elopement against the church's doctrine.
     The trio become friends, though Luke is wary of becoming too attached to the pretty girl when he is meant to become a monk. When Walter and Belle appear to be more than mere friends Luke begins to distance himself from their interactions. Both Belle and Walter are concerned that their actions have pushed away the boy they're both falling for. Walter confides in Belle as they discover one of their party may be dipping into nefarious activities.
    A Catholic priest who gathers sins for the church is called the Summoner. The Summoner traveling with the pilgrimage has some sins of his own. When the Summoner blackmails Belle, she and Walter uncover a political plot against the king. They discover an unknowing Luke at the center and the pair work to untangle the knot around him.
    When her life and immortal soul are threatened by the Summoner, Belle is unsure what to do. She struggles with self-harm and an obsession with the number three. Her friendship with Walter and budding relationship with Luke driver her to challenge the Summoner and bring the nefarious plot into the open.
    Belle's Song deals with mature topics in a way younger readers may not understand including self-harm and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The tale is a retelling of Chaucer's famous Canterbury Tales with political intrigue and an unanticipated love triangle. Teen and young adult readers who enjoyed A Golden Web and In the Shadow of the Lamp will enjoy this tale.