Sync is a free program for teens to engage with awesome audiobooks. Every week, teens (and anyone else) can access two “free” audiobooks through the free SORA app. (The books are “on loan” indefinitely – so basically free.) New titles are available every Thursday at midnight Eastern Time. If you miss the deadline, no books for you! (My suggestion is to log in every Thursday morning and download them right away!)
To find out more, visit the Sync FAQ page.
The midlands is home to humans, stuck between the worlds of gods and demons. Odin gave much to learn the future and spent his life trying to avoid it. But the end of his world came anyway. Now the midlands is a barbaric place with very little magic and even less hope for the future.
Reggin Eiklund is a thrall, or slave, to Asger Elder, a demon stranded from the fiery world of Muspelheim. She works as a singer, healer, and seer while Asger travels nearby, always watching. He abuses her and draws out her magic to strengthen his own. She is offered a chance to escape to the mysterious Temple at the Grove, promised safety and a chance to learn about the magic she didn’t realize she had.
Eiric Halvosen is an angry young viking, falsely convicted of murdering his mother and step-father. A rich jarl offers to pay the blood fee if Eiric takes on the job of locating the Temple. As he prepares to leave, his half-sister demands to go with him across the sea, along with an untested stranger willing to learn to sail in return for adventure. And it appears that only with her help will Eiric be able to locate the hidden island where the Temple is located.
This is the first in a series, so much of the book is spent worldbuilding. It is a complicated world, especially for those less familiar with Norse Mythology. (Even the movies about Thor barely touch on the information crammed into this book.) It is slow going. Very slow. As a fan of Chima, I pushed on but I don’t know if my high school students will do the same. The story could be tighter and would appeal to many more readers. It is a slog, even for fans of Norse mythology – and Cinda Williams Chima.
The King’s Assassin, Celaena, has traveled to Wendlyn to kill the King and Queen on her employer’s orders. Once again, she finds that she cannot; the rulers of Wendlyn are beloved by their people because they are good. Celaena spirals into a self-pitying depression that lasts and lasts, even when the Fae warrior, Rowan has dragged her to the edge of her aunt Maeve’s Fae kingdom and proceeds to train her to control the magic within her. She will not forgive herself for letting down so many people nor will she accept her true name, Aelin, Queen of Terrasen.
Moran, a Blackbeak witch, enjoys killing. Enjoys the hunt, the fear, the screams, the taste of blood, human blood. She is the heir to the Blackbeak coven and proud leader of the Thirteen, a tight-knit fighting unit of witches. She is heartless, soul-less, and proud. She is training to compete in the War Games on the back of a wyvern but surprises herself by caring about her animal, and quite possibly, other beings.
Aedion, cousin and childhood friend to Aelin, has been outwardly working for the evil King of Adarlan while secretly protecting the rebels and working towards freedom. He meets with Chaol, Aelin’s former lover and captain of the guard, and Dorian, heir to the throne of Adarlan and possessor of forbidden magic. Individually the three have secrets that may help each other but their distrust prevents sharing and might possibly cost all of them their freedom.
Maas has once again created compelling characters and woven their stories into the fabric of Erilea. There are several newly introduced characters which limits the voices of some of the others. The relationship between Chaol and Dorian has unfortunately deteriorated and their interactions have none of the easy banter that made them irresistible in the first books. While it is easy to despise Moran, she is complex and worth watching. The same with fae warrior, Rowan. Celaena/Aelin struggles to deal with her inner demons (but personally, it was tiring hearing her whiny voice for so long.) All in all, an exciting read that will be snapped up by those following the series. Just a little disappointing to find out that instead of a trilogy, the series will encompass six titles. It is just so difficult to sustain interest for that long.
Sarah’s webpage: http://sarahjmaas.com/
Book Review:
Always on the lookout for biographies to pitch to teen readers, I jumped in to a galley of Laughing at My Nightmare. I couldn’t put it down. Shane Burcaw is a 21-year-old writer who has amassed a following for his LAMN blog on Tumblr in the short time it has been on. He writes quirky observations on random stuff, answers real and ridiculous questions, and lays it on the line on how it is to live with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, his own personal Nightmare. SMA is a degenerative disease that doesn’t allow his body to create muscles, making his life one of depending on others for help. And he lives with the knowledge that it might take one respiratory infection to overwhelm his ability to clear his lungs enough to breathe.
In spite of that, Shane spends his days laughing.
Shane’s irreverent sense of humor rings clearly through his writing. While wincing at the indignities he has to endure, you laugh at the way he views them. The book is a collection of moments that have made him who he is, self-perceived warts and all. From playing football with his neighborhood friends, to the rides in the “short bus”, to the realization that he isn’t as strong as he was ten years ago, to finding a girlfriend, Shane comes through as a funny kid with lots of friends, a gift for writing, and a mission to make others laugh.
I joined Tumblr just to be able to follow his blog and the book will be on my library shelf as soon as it is published in October.
Read his blog here: http://laughingatmynightmare.tumblr.com/
Congratulations to Markus Zusak for winning the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults.
