Awakening: Chasing Yesterday
By Robin Wasserman
Reviewed by: S. H., 11th Grade

***** Great! I would recommend it to my friends.

Chasing Yesterday: Awakening is one the most amazing books I have read in awhile. J.D. is a 13 year old girl without a past. She obviously has a past, but she does not remember a single bit of it-not even her name. Slowly she realizes that she can not trust anyone. There is something wrong with her., something different. But what is it?  She will have to bear the daily nightmares and slowly put the puzzle of her life together. The main question is whether or not her past wants to be remembered.

Morrigan's Cross
By Nora Roberts
Reviewed by: S. H., 10th Grade

***** Great! I would recommend it to my friends.

Bestselling author Nora Roberts ventures deep into the paranormal and fantasy worlds with an action-packed powerhouse of a book; the first in what promises to be a terrific trilogy. The backstory is the stuff of legend: Lilith the vampire turns Cian, the brother of Hoyt (a sorcerer in 12th-century Ireland), into a bloodsucker like herself. Hoyt is charged by the goddess Morrigan to wage a battle against Lilith, using a very specific team of six -- "the witch, the warrior, the scholar, the one of many forms, and the one you've lost."   The gathering of the team is a strong story in itself, but that's just the beginning. As Hoyt puts together the team, he discovers Glenna, a modern-day witch, and their cross-centuries romance begins, thanks to the marvels of time travel. There are some wonderful moments as they fall in love, with Glenna teaching Hoyt about the role of women in the 21st century and demonstrating the use of appliances. Then there's the decision of where they should live -- and by that we mean, in which century. The evolving relationship between Hoyt and his vampire brother, who joins the team, is also moving. Book One closes with an exciting wedding/battle that sets the stage for the next books, Dance of the Gods and Valley of Silence.

Dance of the Gods
By Nora Roberts
Reviewed by: S. H., 10th Grade

***** Great! I would recommend it to my friends.

This time the focus is on Blair Murphy, a woman warrior and demon hunter who has always worked alone. Learning to trust others has always been an issue, but now she is working in a circle of six -- the sorcerer, the witch, the warrior, the school, the one of many forms, and the one who was lost. Even more disconcerting is her attraction to shapeshifter Larkin, a nobleman from the past, who can turn dragon, bear, or wolf in an instant. His easy charm is suspicious; his unconditional love, more terrifying still. As Blair wrestles with her own inner demons, Lilith and her minions make surprise ambushes, putting the six in grave danger. Toward the end, they travel through time to Larkin's family in Geall to finish preparations for the big showdown. This book is, in my opinion, the best out of the all the books in the trilogy. It was amazing. You should read the first book before reading this one though. This is probably one of my favorite books.

Valley of Silence
By Nora Roberts
Reviewed by: S. H., 10th Grade

***** Great! I would recommend it to my friends.

Roberts' paranormal Circle Trilogy concludes with the "circle of six" warriors the sorcerer Hoyt, Hoyt's vampire brother Cian, the witch Glenna, the warrior Blair, the shape-shifter Larkin and Larkin's scholar-princess cousin Moira preparing for battle against the evil vampire, Lilith. Having traveled back through time to Moira and Larkin's ancient kingdom of Geall, Moira raises the sword from the stone to take her place as queen. With her five warrior companions by her side, Moira leads her people into battle against Lilith's army of vampires, who are intent on destroying Geall. Meanwhile, Moira and Cian give in to powerful feelings of love, stealing nights of passion that could spell ruin for both of them. As war befalls the kingdom, Roberts brings the same precise, resonant energy to battle scenes that make her sexual interludes shine, grounding magic, dragons and vampires in a believable world. The truest moments of this novel, however, belong to Roberts's fully formed characters, especially in the love sacrifices of Moira and Cian. This is an amazing end to the trilogy. This is probably Nora Roberts' best work so far. Once you start reading this book, you will not be able to stop until you are finished.

I love this book. You could never guess the ending of this  book from the start. This book is about Tally going on an adventure to find Shay and betray her, so she can become pretty. (When you turn 16 you get an operation to become pretty.) Since the moment I picked up this book I couldn't put it down. I personally would have done exactly what Tally did if I were in her shoes. I RECOMMEND THAT EVERYONE READS THIS BOOK!!

Stravaganza: City of Stars
By Mary Hoffman
Reviewed by: Mrs. Christman, Staff

**** I am glad I read it.

Stravaganza: City of Stars by Mary Hoffman is a story of an imaginary place with duchesses, dukes, fortune tellers, magic, mystery and intrigue. This story is a sequel to the 2005-06 Black-Eyed Susan nominated book, Stravaganza: City of Masks. In this story, Georgia is living between contemporary London with her conniving step-brother, Russell and 16th century Talia, where she is reunited with a former crush, Lucien (and she thought he was dead!) Although the story drags in places, I was captivated enough with the plot to forge on 'till the end. Hoffman does a good job of showing the reader that things are not always as we presume--sometimes bad people are not always inherently evil & sometimes good deeds do not always have happy endings.