Croak

Croak 1 by Gina Damico Young Adult Fantasy Fiction Lexington is a disgruntled teenager. Actually, it is worse than that. She has a big chip on her shoulder, but no one can say why. She is sent to live with her biker uncle to straighten her out. It turns out that he is the Grim Reaper! One of the grim reapers, anyway. The reapers' job (of course) is to take the souls of the dead to the afterlife. Lex becomes a reapers' apprentice. This is the job she was meant to do. This is a smart alecky book with a nod to classical mythology. Since the author called it "Croak 1" it is obvious that this is book one in a trilogy or longer.

Fairy Godmother

Fairy Godmother
by
Mercedes Lackey
adult fantasy fiction
http://www.mercedeslackey.com/biblio_series.html
Book 1 in the 500 Kingdoms Series

Everyone knows the Cinderella story, but what if Cinderella's Prince never came? I guess she had better find an apprenticeship for herself.

Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty by Mercedes Lackey adult fantasy/romance This is #5 in the 500 Kingdoms Series 1.The Fairy Godmother (2004) 2.One Good Knight (2006) 3.Fortune's Fool (2007) 4.The Snow Queen (2008) 5.The Sleeping Beauty (2010) 6.Beauty and the Werewolf (June[17] 2011)

The tale starts off with a princess whose mother has died. Then it moves into Sleeping Beauty and Snow White mode. The princess flees to the woods and finds 7 dwarves. Later, she falls asleep due to poison and has to be resurrected by magic. A number of homeless, penniless princes woo her, hoping to be next in line to the throne of her wealthy kingdom. Throw in some Norse mythology, a few heroic challenges, and there is big fun! I recommend this series to women and their teenage daughters looking for a lighthearted read. The romance is mild and gentle. Generally there are longing looks and that is about it - not even kissing until the end. Some men and teen boys may find the adventure and fantasy appealing as well. The publisher is Luna Books, a division of Harlequin.

Fortune's Fool

Fortune's Fool
by
Mercedes Lackey
adult fantasy fiction
http://www.mercedeslackey.com/biblio_series.html
Book 3 in the 500 Kingdoms Series
read on my Kobo E-book reader

Oops. I didn't know I was skipping from book 1 to book 3 in a series, but in this case it worked out okay. The books are set in the same fantasy realm, but do not feature the same main characters. I think I only encountered one "spoiler" bit of information that must have happened in book 2.
This series that is based on twists in fairy tales features the Little Mermaid and a Seventh Son who fall in love. The conflict is not with their parents objecting or anything, but in their professions. The mermaid is a spy and in the Sea King's secret service. The Seventh Son of a (land) king is a rover who with his music pushes magical blessing on his father's kingdom. The mermaid and the prince must team up along with a variety of other Champions (dragons, an underground Queen, etc.) to rid the land of a maiden-stealing djinn (genie). How is that for a fantasy quest! Now all we need is some unicorns. Yes, there are unicorns!
Lackey's series is fun and a quick read for teens and adults. If you love Oz and/or Xanth, then you will aslo fall in love with the 500 Kingdoms.

Sea of Monsters

Sea of Monsters: Percy Jackson & the Olympians Book Two
by
Rick Riordan
children's fantasy fiction, ages 9-14

This book follows up on the first book and the series is best read in order. Percy is a seventh grader with a few more problems than the average tween. Once again he is stuck in the middle of the bickering Greek gods' constant games with each other and with mortals.
Percy sticks with his friends from the first book and is challenged to see the good in some new friends (or are they enemies?) such as a cyclops. Riordan throws in a whole lot of action courtesy of Ares and the other gods and introduces some surprising anachronisms - how about enlisting some dead Confederate sailors in a quest? Why not?

I have already checked out the next book in the series ("The Titan's Curse") and a book of short stories about Percy Jackson ("The Demigod Files"). I am assuming that the second movie is somewhere in the works.

After I read what I have checked out, I might try a book from a different series by the same author just for a change-up.

Lightning Thief

Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson & the Olympians Book 1
by
Rick Riordan
Children's Fiction, ages 9-13

I was not familiar with the Percy Jackson books when I went to see this movie in the theatre. I enjoyed the film then decided to read this book. I had seen it on a list of "If you have read Harry Potter books, then read..." books.
Twelve year old Percy Jackson knows that something is different about him. Sometimes things happen that don't make sense. Like Harrhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gify Potter, an event causes him to leave home and find a new residence with others of his kind. In this case, Percy is not a wizard but a demigod. He is the son of Poseidon. There are other "half bloods" like him at the demigod training camp.

From there he and his demigod friends have adventures. In this first book Percy and his friends must find out who stole Zeus' lightning bolt and make amends to stop the Greek gods from waging a war. A good blend of ancient Greek mythology and modern storytelling make this book highly readable for children, teens, and adults.

I look forward to the next book in the series - the Sea of Monsters.

http://www.rickriordan.com/home.aspx

Rhapsody: Child of Blood

Rhapsody: Child of Blood
by
Elizabeth Haydon
adult fantasy fiction

I have read and enjoyed Elizabeth Haydon's later works about Ven Polypheme, the teenage dwarf, a series of books in our children's section so I was curious what would be the same and what would be different about her longer, earlier work for adults.
For one thing, this adult book is a hefty 479 pages long with maps and no interior pictures. It is more violent and includes sexual images which move it into the adult reader range. What is the same is the fantasy realm she has created, rich with elves, dwarves, ogres, humans, half breeds of these species, ghosts, demons, kings, queens, dragons, and more.
There are three main characters in this book - a half human half elf young woman, a half ogre half something-else warrior, and a half ogre half something-else assassin. These three are thrown together by fate and survive multiple attacks while building a friendship. Rhapsody was a runaway who was ill used and took to prostitution before becoming an apprentice singer. Grunthor is a hulk of a being, a splendid warrior with a heart of gold. Achmed is hard to get to know, a slim, taciturn killer for hire.
There is lots of adventure, some romance, and a whole lot of sword fights as our heroes fight off injustice and evil.
Here is a passage showing the kind of things the bad guys do:
"they [the good guys] were knocked off their feet by another explosion of dark fire that set the countless bookshelves aflame".
Here is the heroine's response:
"Rhapsody closed her eyes, and calmed her spirit. She concentrated on the fire. 'Be at peace,' she said. At once the flames responded, the bonfire fed by the books and scrolls died down to flickering embers".
OBVIOUSLY the one who saves the books is on the good side!

This is number one of a trilogy, so I will have to set aside two more weekends for books 2 and 3 in the series while I continue to wait for the latest Ven Polypheme book to be released.
2. Prophecy: Child of Earth
3. Destiny: Child of Sky