Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Cashore, Kristin. (2008). Graceling. NY: Harcourt Children's Books.
ISBN: 978-0152063962
Awards/Honors: Amelia Bloomer List (2009)
Andre Norton Award Finalist (2008)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2009)
William C. Morris YA Debut Finalist (2009)
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award (Children's Literature, 2009)
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2008)
Locus Recommended Reading (First Novel, 2008)
Locus Nominee (First Novel, 2009, 6)
SIBA Book Award (Young Adult, 2009)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Independence, Moral Integrity, Survival, Love, Strong Female
Genre: Fantasy
Annotation: At eight, Katsa was able to kill full grown men with a single blow. Now, at 16, she takes fate into her own hands to escape the evil king making her kill and save the kingdom from his tyrannical reign.
Summary: Katsa has been blessed with a powerful “Grace”: an extreme and often feared skill. Her Grace makes her almost invincible, but she is in the service of an evil king, her uncle, and is forced to use her Grace to harm others. With her different colored eyes, the mark of the Graced, she stands out as one to be feared. Then she meets Po, a prince who is willing to look her in the eye with his own mismatched eyes. With Po on her side, Katsa attempts to end her uncle’s tyrannical reign and struggles for redemption from her own Grace.
Evaluation: Katsa and Po are compelling and believable characters; they contain the power of self-reflection and honest emotion in a way that makes us like them all the more. The story they are unfolding is full of adventure, danger, love, and evil too. A great read.

The Summoning (Book 1, Darkest Powers) by Kelley Armstrong

Armstrong, Kelley. (2009). The Summoning. NY: HarperCollins.
ISBN: 978-0061450549
Award/Honor: Sunburst Award Nominee (Young Adult, 2009)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Mental Illness, Secrets, Friends, Romance, Love, Independence
Genre: Fantasy
Annotation: The Lyle House for disturbed teens is not what it seems. Fifteen year old Chloe sees ghosts, but is she really crazy?
Summary: Chloe Saunders is 15, short, and has a slight stutter, but she also can talk to ghosts. Her screaming reaction to seeing a dead custodian at school gets her diagnosed with schizophrenia and sent to the Lyle House for troubled teens. However, it seems that all the kids at the Lyle House have mysterious abilities. Chloe and her new friends slowly learn the truth about the Lyle House and it horrific past. When Chloe discovers the dead bodies of past Lyle House inhabitants, she and her supernatural friends decide that they must solve the mystery of their deaths and in doing so, save themselves.
Evaluation: While I thought parts of the story were, well, silly, I think teen girls will race through this one. Chloe is not a perfect beautiful specimin of a girl, which makes her more appealing right off the bat, and she struggles with normal teen issues. At first anyway. I do enjoy stories involving discovered powers, hidden identities, and magic, and this one fits the bill.

The Awakening (Book 2, Darkest Powers) by Kelley Armstrong

Armstrong, Kelley. (2009). The Awakening. NY: HarperCollins.
ISBN: 978-0061450556
Award: Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award (YA Paranormal/Fantasy Novel, 2009)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Betrayal, Trust, Friends, Love
Genre: Fantasy
Annotation: Chloe, Derek, Simon, and Tori are running for their lives from the Edison Group, a group that wants to control, and if need be extinguish, their supernatural powers.
Summary: In this continuation of adventure from Armstrong's first book, The Summoning, Chloe and her friends must once again run from the Edison Group and practice controlling their powers. Chloe can talk to ghosts, Derek is a werewolf, Simon can cast spells, Rea can burn people with her bare hands, and Tori is a budding witch. They are a group of supernaturals that are being experimented on by the Edison Group, a group that Tori's mom and Chloe's aunt are a part of. The kids make a run for it, leaving behind the institution that wants to control them, or, if that's not possible, kill them. They know it has been done in the past.
Evaluation: This is a fairly fast paced book chock full of magic, crushes, betrayal, and teens running for their lives with evil right behind them. I think it is better than the first book that seems to set the scene for this continued action. I really enjoyed both of these books and plan on reading the third, The Reckoning.