Inkheart and Inkspell by Cornelia Funke

SYNOPSIS:  Meggie's mother has been gone for most of her life.  She has lived a somewhat nomadic life with her father, moving as often as she can settle in any place.  When a mysterious stranger finds them, however, her life is forever changed.  She discovers that her father can read characters out of books and into real life.  However, when he does, the story takes people from the world around them to replace the missing characters.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  This is a fun, adventurous story that has plenty of suspense in it.  It is told in classic fairy-tale style, so it has plenty of fantasy and some violence.  There is very little sensuality, including a brief reference to maturation.

RATING:  PG13 for Violence and Language

AUDIENCE:  Teens

STARS:  3 1/2

BOOKS LIKE THIS:  Howl's Moving Castle, The False Prince

To read about the final book in this trilogy, click here.

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

SYNOPSIS:  This is a story following three different characters:  Han Alister, the street thief trying to change his life, Raisa Ana' Marianna, the heir to the the throne, and Amon Byrne, her guard and friend.   As the Queendom shows signs of war, the three characters discover secrets about their pasts, and try to do what is best for their people.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  Although I sometimes like viewing the story from different points of view, it was a little confusing in this book, because the stories are so intricate and complicated.  However, I did enjoy the story and the characters in the book.  Content-wise, it was OK, although there was some violence and sensuality.

RATING:  PG13 for Sensuality and Violence

AUDIENCE:  Teens and Young Adults

STARS:  3

BOOKS LIKE THIS:  Immortals Series, The False Prince

Evermore by Alyson Noel

SYNOPSIS:  After surviving a serious car accident that kills her parents and sister, Ever is different.  She can hear others' thoughts and speak with her sister's ghost.  When she becomes friends with Damen, she starts to notice that she is not the only one with unusual abilities.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  This is another book that I could have done without.  Once more, we have an average girl, a supernatural guy, and lots of what I consider to be infatuation.  There is also quite a bit of sensuality in the book, and some morbid violence.  I also don't really consider the story to be unique, but rather a copycat of other popular books.  I don't recommend this one.

RATING:  PG13 for Strong Sensuality, Sexual References, and Grotesque Violence

AUDIENCE:  Young Adults

STARS:  1

BOOKS LIKE THIS:  Fallen, Shiver

The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen

SUMMARY:  When the royal family dies, the race is on to provide the next ruler.  A nobleman named Conner discovers Sage, an orphan boy, and tries to turn him, along with two other orphans, into the missing prince.  However, Sage has plans and secrets of his own.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  After an unlucky streak with books, I was happy to find a book that I actually enjoyed.  This was one of those classic stories that keeps you coming back for more.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Aside from some violence, the content was very mild.  I would definitely recommend this book.

RATING:  PG with some Violence

AUDIENCE:  Teens and Young Adults

STARS:  4

BOOKS LIKE THIS:  Beauty, Dave at Night

The Odyssey by Homer

SUMMARY:  The story follows Odysseus, returning from the Trojan war, and his son Telemachus, who is eager to discover his father's fate, while unwelcome suitors court his mother and eat his food.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of this book.  I listened to the audiobook, mostly because it was a classic I had never experienced.  However, I didn't enjoy it too much.  The viewpoints, although typical and standard of the time, were misogynistic, and the violence was grotesque.  I could definitely see teenage boys enjoying the gore and fights, but personally, I didn't like it.

RATING:  PG13 for Violence and Sexual Reference

AUDIENCE:  Adults

STARS:  2

BOOKS LIKE THIS:  The Illiad, Nobody's Princess

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

SUMMARY:  Evie is the girl with everything.  The only bad part of her life is that she sees horrifying visions. After spending two years in a mental institution, she is determined to act like a normal teenager.  However, when her visions start coming true, she realizes she should have paid more attention.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  The content in this book was very mature.  There was some bad language, overt sexual references, and grotesque imagery and violence.  In my opinion, it is not appropriate for the intended teen audience.  Although the writing style is polished, and the characters are memorable, I personally couldn't stomach it, and probably wouldn't recommend it.

RATING:  PG13 for Violence, Sensuality, and Language

AUDIENCE:  Adult

STARS:  1 1/2

BOOKS LIKE THIS:  Wither, 13 Days to Midnight

Born at Midnight by C. C. Hunter

SUMMARY:  Kylie gets labeled as a "troubled teen" and sent to a camp away from home.  She discovers that everyone at the camp has supernatural traits, and struggles to come to terms with the fact that she isn't normal, either.

AUNT SHARON'S TAKE:  Honestly, I would recommend skipping this book.  It is clearly written for teens, with lots of teenage drama and lust and angst, but I felt that it wasn't content-appropriate for teens.  I didn't even enjoy the story or the writing all that much.  I could tell that the series was very popular, but I was glad to put this book down, and not recommend it to others.

RATING:  PG13 for Violence, Language, and Sensuality/Sexual Reference

AUDIENCE:  Young Adults

STARS:  0

BOOKS LIKE THIS:  Fallen, Shiver