Broken Illusions by Ellie James

In BROKEN ILLUSIONS (2012, St. Martin's Griffin), book 2 in the Midnight Dragonfly novels, Ellie James has our girl Trinity back in the thick of things.

Picking up where SHATTERED DREAMS left off, Trinity is beyond being the new kid with the weird psychic powers. The prank that resulted in the kidnapping of a classmate is behind her. Her romance with that classmates' ex seems to be blossoming. Things are finally getting settled down when a friend suggests they play with a Ouija Board.

Oh, you know that's going to lead to no good.

It's nearly Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and when the Ouija experience turns creepy, Trinity wishes she'd followed her instincts. Now her dreams are back, another girl is missing, and it seems as if the kidnapper isn't dead after all.

Trinity is pulled between her feelings for Chase and her feelings for the mysterious Dylan, and compelled to find the missing girl — even though someone seems hell bent on keeping that from happening and people around her are getting hurt. Could her dreams be trying to tell her something more than where the kidnapper has hidden his latest victim?

James keeps her stories cranking along, mixing in tension, romance and deep thoughts about the paranormal. I think I liked this one even better than SHATTERED DREAMS and by half-way through was having an extremely difficult time putting it down. By the end, the twists and surprises had me completely hooked on this series.

Luckily, we don't have long to wait for the conclusion. FRAGILE DARKNESS comes out the end of November.

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Blogging about books definitely has its perks. One happens to be getting an early peek at my favorite authors' latest releases, before the general public. Thanks to rockstar librarian Rose Brock (she of the Coppell Middle School West fame), I was able to read an ARC of THE DIVINERS (Little, Brown 2012) by the incomparable Libba Bray (she of the Gemma Doyle trilogy, Printz award-winning GOING BOVINE, and BEAUTY QUEENS fame).

*insert squee here

Being a mother, creative director, writer, and pseudo runner has its perks, too -- sadly, much time to read isn't one of them. However, there is a silver lining about how long it took me to get through the 608 pages that is THE DIVINERS. And that was getting to spend as much time as possible savoring it. 

After the satire of her last two books, Bray's new trilogy (UPDATE: this is a 4-book series, not a trilogy. My bad on that. But YAY!!!!!!) returns to a mystical history, this time, New York City during the 1920s. Her setting has a luscious texture that puts atmosphere in your ears and scents in your nose. Quintessential razor-sharp dialogue, so pos-i-TOOT-ly perfect, you'll feel like you're watching one of those new-fangled "talking picture shows." Thick under cover of the prohibition era, the Big Apple thrums to life blissfully unaware that the end days may be just around the corner. The spirit of a serial killer has come back to town and if everything goes his way, he'll not only be staying, he'll be running the gin joint.

More than a trip back in time, more than a ghost story, THE DIVINERS also shows that teenagers 100 years ago weren't all that different than they are today -- they just had different ways of finding trouble. And for this group of kids with special powers, the return of the aptly named Naughty John (whose constant crooning of his namesake song is downright Stephen King creepy) provides plenty of trouble. The rebellious Evie O'Neill has a gift for seeing into other people's secrets — a party trick that's raised too many eyebrows back home in Ohio so she's sent to live with her uncle Will in NYC. Will happens to run The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult, aka The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies, a place that houses and attracts a rather other worldly crowd, perfect for Evie and her secret talent.

Soon Evie is hanging out with Zeigfield girls, hitting the speakeasies with the frustratingly adorable thief Sam, and helping her uncle investigate the occult aspects some horrific murders. Evie isn't the only one with powers that might help crack the case — there's something strange about her uncle's assistant, Jericho, and Sam seems to have incredible luck avoiding arrest. Bray weaves their stories with that of Memphis, Theta and Henry, as the kids find themselves drawn to each other to stop Naughty John.

Brutal and shiver-inducing, heart-breaking and snarky, THE DIVINERS introduces Bray's ensemble, painting each character in tender, caring strokes. As with the Gemma Doyle trilogy, she captures the spooky essence of the time period, its tone swinging effortlessly between devil-may-care flapper to pure evil. 

Here's to hoping I'm lucky enough to snag myself an early copy of book 2 when ARCs become available. Because any longer will be just too long to wait. 

How do dinosaurs say Merry Christmas/Happy Chanukah? By Jane Yolen and Mark Teague?

It might seem a little early to be thinking about holiday books (but then again, Halloween decorations have already taken over the malls and grocery stores and it's only just past Labor Day). However, I was lucky enough to receive HOW DO DINOSAURS SAY HAPPY CHANUKAH? and HOW DO DINOSAURS SAY MERRY CHRISTMAS? (Scholastic, 2012) to review (thanks, Scholastic!) and I have to say they gave me a little anticipatory thrill of holiday excitement.

The author/illustrator team of Jane Yolen and Mark Teague has produced a number of these adorable books with their bright, energetic depictions of a wide variety of dinosaurs -- not just the typical T-Rex or Bronto. This newest additions are just as adorable and, as a pair, give kid's a fun view of holiday traditions they might not celebrate themselves.

The parallel story lines that juxtapose both naught and nice dino holiday behavior help kids see that, just like with people, similarities exist even when it might seem there are only differences. From sneaking peeks at presents to putting up decorations to family togetherness, seeing the silly ways dinos might misbehave (and then how they actually behave well) will have kids giggling as they learn a little something about other cultures and traditions.

As always, Teagues colorful depictions of unusual dinosaurs adds to the fun and brings Yolen's quirky verse to life. If you're like me, and you have a box of holiday books packed away with the decorations, then add these two this year.