Sammy Feral's Diaries of Weird #2: Yeti Rescue by Eleanor Hawken

Sammy's family of ex-werewolves owns the Feral Zoo and has its share of strange animals. A Mongolian Death Worm shows up and says Bert, Chief of the Yetis, has been kidnapped. He says the wish frog has been hiding at the zoo, and it will grant wishes, although the wishes sometimes end in disasters. Sammy and his group discover the kidnapper used the yeti as bait in order to find the wish frog. When the kidnapper shows up, one-hundred angry yetis aren't able to overpower him. There seems to be no way to stop him, and time is running out. The Yeti Snarls are the last chance.

If the plot seems rather silly, it is. However, it's an easy story to follow, and the silliness makes it entertaining. It's not meant to be classic literature, and it doesn't have any hidden, deep messages about life. This book is the second book in a series, I didn't read the first one, but this story stands by itself. There are references to the first book, but they don't affect this book.

Michael Vey #4: Hunt For Jade Dragon By Richard Paul Evans

Dr. Hatch kidnapped a young girl, Jade Dragon, at the end of the last book, and she has knowledge that will allow him to create an army of Elgen. The Electroclan, led by Michael, are recovering at a hidden ranch, but they know they'll need to rescue her. However, she's imprisoned in an Elgen power plant, guarded by Elgen forces, Glows, and the Taiwanese army and coast guard. The mission seems impossible, and the Electroclan may need help from a former enemy. To make matters worse, Michael is tricked into giving up information that may endanger the lives of his mom and other members of the resistance.

You can browse the previous books in the series by typing Michael Vey in the search box at the top left of the screen. The members of the Electroclan have special powers, and some of their enemies have powers too. For example, Michael is able to control electricity, Taylor can read minds, and Ian can see things behind walls and miles away. You'll need to read the other books in the series before this one. The first half of the book focused on the relationship between Michael and Taylor and planning the mission. I didn't understand why the author spent so much time describing how Michael could change the direction of bullets; he never used the power during the mission. The second half of the plot has all the action we've come to expect in this series. Fighting, shooting, explosions!

Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell

Tilda is a princess and future ruler of Alder Brook. While her mother is away, she is kidnapped by her cousin, Prince Ivo, who plans to take over her family's lands. She is rescued from her cell by Prince Parz who wants to become a dragon slayer. Parz was kicked out of training, so Tilda help him search for a small dragon to slay. They don't really know what they're doing, so she plans to write a manual about dragons to help future slayers. Along the way, she frees two magical horses, one made of silver and one made of bronze, and decides she doesn't want to rule a kingdom anymore. However, Tilda may not get a chance to make her decision if she can't survive the dragons, Ivo, and the leader of the Wild Hunt.

The magical horses become a big part of the story, so horse lovers will like this book (even though one normal horse is eaten by a dragon). The first half of the book didn't move as quickly as I like, but the second half was full of adventure. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the book, because it was well-written. The climax had a creative, unexpected twist that helped Tilda learn powerful lessons about life and her role as a princess.

The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel

Will is traveling across the continent on the first railroad tracks through the mountains. The train is miles long and is carrying the dead body of the former owner of the company. This railroad car is electrified to protect the body and some other secret treasures, including a golden spike worth thousands of dollars. There are only two keys into the car; Will's father has one and the guard has the other. Will manages to get his hands on a key after he witnesses the guard's murder, but the killer is now after Will. Will gets help from the owner of a circus traveling on the train, but there aren't many places to hide. He discovers the murderer has other helpers on the train, and they're getting closer to finding Will. To make matters worse, he finds there are other dangers that may worse than this killer!

 Most of the story reads like an adventure, but there are elements of fantasy. A Sasquatch is introduced early in the plot, and it reappears later in the book. The circus owner is a magician, and he's trying to find a painting with the power to save his life. There are also supernatural moments with time and a deadly hag. The story's setting created suspense, because Will was forced to stay on the train knowing that killers were nearby. The circus acts added some entertaining moments and helped save Will's life several times.

Underworlds #1: The Battle Begins by Tony Abbott

Owen arrives late to school, but he gets a huge surprise as he runs through the empty hallways. He sees the floor open up in fire, and his best friend, Dana, disappears into the hole. She's kidnapped by a mythological god, and Owen must travel to the underworld to save her. Along with a friend and a new girl, the trio must steal a magical instrument, escape from a seven-foot tall wolf, and face Hades and Loki.

This book is a very quick-read, only 59 pages in the eBook, and it mixes gods from different cultures. I was amazed at how much action the author was able to cram into the plot. There was not a lot of character development, but it really kept my interest. I was surprised to find the book coming to an end as the suspense was still high. The resolution informs readers that more monsters are on the way!

The Unwanteds #4: Island of Legends by Lisa McMann

Alex and the rest of Artime are still recovering from the death of Mr. Today and the rescue of Sky and Crow from Warbler Island. However, Queen Eagala leads an attack to recover the escaped prisoners. Later, Alex leads a group to rescue Sky's mother from another island. Florence is captured by a giant eel in the process, so the force must save her along with several other creatures. This adventure then leads the group to the Island of Legends where they encounter creatures living atop the shell of a huge crab. Meanwhile, Aaron, Alex's twin brother, is trying to prepare the citizens of Quill for an attack on Artime. He's also discovered a secret jungle where Mr. Today was hiding some dangerous, uncontrollable creatures. Aaron believes he can use them as secret weapons against Artime

You should read the whole series in order, since each book continues where the previous book left off. Type Unwanteds in the search box at the top right corner to see reviews of all four books. You'll need to accept some strange characters, because there's a talking statue, rock, fox, and Alex even creates a talking whale. There are a couple of plots going on, and they will lead you to several different settings. This book doesn't have as much action as the first three books, but it's still entertaining. If you read and enjoy the first book, The Unwanteds, then you'll like this book too.

Grave Images by Jenny Goebel

Bernie, short for Bernadette, lives with her father, mother, and grandmother. Even after a year, her mother is still grieving for a baby brother who died. Her father makes a living engraving monuments for the deceased, but Bernie's life changes when Mr. Stein shows up. He creates etchings, and Bernie's father lets him live in the little room out back in exchange for his work. However, Bernie gets a creepy feeling about him even though his work is beautiful. She gets suspicious when he completes a plaque less than a day after receiving a picture, so she snoops around. She finds a finished etching of a man in Mr. Stein's drawer, and she's frightened when the man turns up dead. What's going on? Is Mr. Stein actually a murderer?

Most of this book is realistic fiction, but there is also an air of supernatural powers to it. I can't say that I've read many books that deal with death in this way. I kept wondering about Mr. Stein, and the author kept making him more mysterious. Bernie teams up with an unlikely partner, and they become detectives trying to solve the mystery. It gets creepy when Bernie finds her own face etched into stone.