Moloka'i.

Moloka'i, by Alan Brennert

Moloka'i is the life story of a young Hawaiian girl named Rachel Kalama, who contracts leprosy, (later known as Hansen's disease,) at the age of 8. It is a rich tale, at times both grotesque and beautiful. Much of the story takes place on Kalaupapa, the leprosy settlement on the island of Moloka'i. Those who are afflicted with leprosy are quarantined there, with no medical aid beyond what the priests and nuns who volunteer there can provide.

This story is based on true events, with some of the characters being based on real people. Some true accounts are woven in, painting a vivid picture of what life was like for those suffering from leprosy at the beginning of the 20th century. Mr. Brennert pulls no punches when discussing the hardships faced, including what leprosy can do to each and every part of the body. For this reason, I can't recommend this book for any but adults, as some content is simply very mature. However, it is so well written that I can't help but recommend to any adult who finds the premise intriguing. I gained a new perspective on the actual historical events woven in throughout the story that I knew of, and learned of many more. Wonderful read.

The Books of Pellinor Series.

 The Books of Pellinor are an epic tale of a girl named Maerad (pronounced MY-rad) who discovers that she is expected to save the world she's only recently come to know as her own. It takes place over the course of a year and a halfs time, during which she goes from being an orphaned slave to a free woman who makes family and friends out of those she meets along her way. She also discovers more enemies than she's known could exist.

Maerad is rescued from slavery by Cadvan, a man who she later learns is a well-known bard. In this world, bards have abilities that are intended for use in service to those they live amongst - abilities to heal, promote growth of crops and herds, and create works of art and song, not the least of these abilities. Most still continue in this service, but some have chosen to turn away from that, seeking instead power over all. The leader of these, most often known as The Nameless One, seeks to destroy and rule all in his path. Maerad and Cadvan soon discover that Maerad has been foretold as the one who is to defeat The Nameless One. As she struggles with this destiny, she overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds and grows into a discerning young woman.

These books are intended for a teen/young adult audience, but the level of writing makes them appealing for adults as well. The story is well crafted, engaging and unpredictable. The tale is reminiscent of the Wheel of Time series, though, in my humble opinion, of a better length. Each book is hefty, but with only four, there is an end in sight. :) Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a fantasy tale. With the exception of rather dark foes and desperate situations at times that dissuades this from being for a young (preteen or younger) audience, there is little within these stories that could cause offense. I highly recommend that you lose yourself in this series as soon as possible.

The Naming, by Allison Croggan

The Riddle, by Allison Croggan

The Crow, by Allison Croggan

The Singing, by Allison Croggan

The Black Echo.

The Black Echo, by Michael Connelly

My Dad gave me a most of a series that he's been reading for me to read as well. The difference between my Dad and me is that I have to read the series in order, and he doesn't. This book was not included in the bundle, as he'd borrowed it from another library while on vacation, and so I got it from my local library. 

This book is definitely an adult selection. Were this book to have a warning label, it would be labeled for violence, language, and mature content. The star of the book, and of the series (this is book one), is Harry Bosch. He is a vietnam war veteran and a homicide detective in the Hollywood division of LAPD. He is a very complex and well-crafted character, as are all the characters in the novel, including the victims. He is not the perfect hero as he has significant failings, flaws, and vices. The reader is asked to overlook these, with the commendation that he is extremely good at his job, and indeed it is easy to overlook them.

In this novel, Harry finds an old acquanitance from Vietnam dead in a tunnel. At first glance it looks like an overdose, but Harry suspects more is at stake. He digs in, despite resistence, and uncovers, well, many interesting things. I can't say much more without revealing the good stuff, but I can say that if you like detective novels, this is a great read. While it's not a slow read, there are many seemingly inconsequential points that don't pull together until the final quarter of the mystery.

Impossible.

Impossible, by Nancy Werlin

Call to mind the song, Scarborough Fair. The lyrics, apart from the beautiful melody, are a bit strange, aren't they?

Take this verse for example: (Thanks Wikipedia!)

Tell him (her) to make me a cambric shirt,

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,

Without a seam or needle work,

Then (s)he'll be a true love of mine.

A seemingly impossible task is set before the singer's love. That thought, and the reasons behind the song, were the inspiration for this book. Lucy, the seventeen year old whom the story follows, is forced to attempt the completion of all the tasks listed in the song, (in her family's version of it, the author took a few liberties to shorten and amend the better known versions out there) or become slave to the fae who cursed her family generations before.  

 This is not a gentle book. Lucy is emotionally tortured, her mother has been insane since Lucy's birth, and there is a rape. I was honestly shocked when I found out this was considered a teen book, well after I'd read it. I would personally call it adult fiction, and would not recommend it to the average teen. It is, however a very good book, in my opinion. Despite the overwhelming amount of frenzied darkness that is in this book, that Lucy is asked to face, there is also small but strong undercurrent of hope running throughout. It is as enchanting as it is haunting. Overall, this is a book I'm continually drawn back to read again.

City of Cannibals.

 

City of Cannibals, by Ricki Thompson

Ok, I admit, I picked this book up under false pretenses. I thought this book would be about a society that didn't exist, either yet, or ever, where cannibals had taken over against a small resistence. Nope, not even close. 

Dell is a sixteen year old girl living with her father, brother and aunt on a hillside beyond what she knows as the City of Cannibals. She's been warned never to venture too near or she may be kidnapped by the cannibals and eaten. However, the increasing brutality of her father and the kindnesses bestowed upon the family by a boy from the city give Dell the courage to escape her home and venture beyond with the hope of a better life on her own. She discovers a new kind of hope, and brutality, in the city that she comes to learn is London.

City of Cannibals gives you a personal view of the happenings of England in 1536, when King Henry VIII desired a divorce from his wife, Catherine, and the church would not grant it. He divorced her anyway, and began his way through many wives. Dell's point of view gives you the perspective of the aftermath to the churches in England, as King Henry chose to take over. This book is well written, beautiful, and, at first, very innocent, at least in Dell's perspective of the world.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone, but it's especially great for teens studying this time period, to get another, (although fictional) point of view on that tumultuous time in history.