Storms of the Greek Gods

Today is a dark and stormy day! I am reminded that the Greek gods and goddesses are a source of infinite wisdom. With this in mind, I would like to recommend the book Greece, Rome, Monsters by John Harris. In this great book, twenty mythical monsters are featured along with a supporting cast of gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines. The book begins with a  warning telling you that you are about to embark into the land of creepy creatures. There is the Basilisk and if you see him run for your life! Keep away from the Cyclops, he’s a very big and very mean guy. You’ll not want to look at Medusa because there’s that terrible option of turning to stone. The book does offer a few nice creatures such as, Pegasus the beautiful white horse with wings, and the fiery Phoenix who is reborn out of the ashes over and over again. Calef Brown’s artwork is fun and playful with shades of sour-apple green, turquoise blue, and terracotta orange.

Of course this brings on a surge of memories for me of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan featuring the notorious yet amazing Percy Jackson. Our hero is a teenage boy who is quirky, clever, and determined always ends up having nasty creatures chase after him. Percy soon finds out that his life as he knew it is not really the truth of who he really is. He has been cloistered away from the world of gods and goddesses in which he knows nothing about. There just might be a surprise relative that Percy never even knew about, but I'm not going to give that away. As Percy learns how to deal with his newly found origin story, he decides to go on a quest to find out who stole  Zeus' lightning rod. This book is excellent and full of great surprises. You'll want to read this one and the entire Percy Jackson series to catch up on your Greek Mythology!

Until next time, Happy Reading!

Mrs. Librarian Lady

She Was Forged From Iron - Holly Black's The Darkest Part of the Forest

The Darkest Part of the Forest

Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointy as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down and a hero is needed to save them all, Hazel tries to remember her years spent pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

A new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black. Start reading now at http://DarkestPartoftheForest.com


I love Holly Black and am a total fan of faeries. This is why I read everything that Black writes! The Darkest Part of the Forest was an interesting read for me because it is centered in the town of Fairfold, which is a place full of magic and horror. I have studied faeries almost my whole life and am ever so intrigued by the history and fanfare around them. While faeries have been known to humans as the fair ones, it seems that the magical inhabitants that live near Fairfold are not all sweet and adorable like the ones we see in the movies. These faeries are the bad boys of magic and there seems to be some kind of faerie family feud going on that no one can stop. I love the magic and the mystery of the book. Way out there in the middle of the forest lies a beautiful boy and he's in a glass coffin that no one can break. He's mysterious and obviously very hot because everyone is in love with him, boys, girls, moms, basically whoever gazes upon him. I like Ben because he has the magic of music inside him and that comes out when he most needs it for survival. I like Hazel because she's tough and can wield a sword like a medieval warrior. Severin is an interesting character because he's in the glass coffin for most of the book, but when he gets out he's got Hazel and Ben on his side to look out for him. Black weaves in what I would call her magic, which is her expertise in the land of the faerie and her clever way of mixing it in with the human world, which I always love. I had a feeling that The Darkest Part of the Forest might become a series, but it seems like it had a pretty good solid ending. I won't tell you if it was a happily ever after one or not, you have to read it for yourself!

Happy Reading to you!

Mrs. Librarian Lady

Passion Beyond the Grave

I just finished "Such Wicked Intent" the second book in the Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein and it was just as good as the first book! I highly recommend these books if you like secrets, mysterious creatures, and love triangles.