Final Impact

Final Impact

John Birmingham

SUMMARY:
The Sequence of event of the Second World War was altered forever at the very moment the task force of ultra-modern stealth warships emerged from a rip in the time-space continuum. Hurled back from 2021 to 1942 after a quantum experiment goes horribly wrong, no one could have predicted the impact of this futuristic fighting force. Chaos ensues...In the third and final gripping instalment of the Axis of Time trilogy, the revised history of the War is more alarming than ever. Hitler and the Japanese race towards atomic capability; Stalin plots to tear down the future and rebuild it in his own image; and the allies begin their Great Crusade, with the weapons of know-how of the twenty-first century.The final battle of the war is about to begin...
Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures

Kami Garcia; Margaret Stohl

_There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere._
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.
Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.
In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.
Once Upon a Time in the North

Once Upon a Time in the North

Philip Pullman

From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up—In this prequel to the "His Dark Materials" trilogy (Knopf), Texas aeronaut Lee Scoresby meets armored bear Iorek Byrnison for the first time. In this short, fantastic adventure, young Scoresby finds himself on the Arctic island of Novy Odense, a community set in an alternate past world. The rich mining company Lars Manganese is trying to control the town, Ivan Dimitrovich Poliakov is a corrupt mayoral candidate, and Captain van Breda is prevented from unloading his cargo unjustly. Scoresby takes on the captain's cause, resulting in an Old West-style shootout. Many readers will likely enjoy this book because of its quick pace and action-filled plot, but some Pullman fans may be disappointed when comparing this short text to the trilogy. Characters are less developed, and events sometimes happen a bit too quickly. The ending is neat and tidy, though it does leave the door open for future adventures. The inclusion of documents and black-and-white engraved illustrations add a nice touch, and the board game Peril of the Pole is tucked into the back inside cover as a bonus.—_Jennifer D. Montgomery, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green_
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From
Starred Review As he did in Lyra’s Oxford (2004), Pullman returns to the world of His Dark Materials trilogy in this story of how aeronaut Lee Scoresby meets and befriends bear Iorke Byrnison. Pullman is as fine a writer as there is for young people, and this book is a small gem—literally—it’s 112 pages and the size of a paperback. The story begins as Lee’s cargo balloon drifts into the Arctic, landing in the icy environs of Novy Odense. The town is about to elect a new mayor, Ivan Poliakov, who wants to rid the place of bears, and Lee (along with daemon rabbit Hester) finds himself embroiled in local controversies. When Lee learns one of Poliakov’s allies is a vicious criminal with whom he once had a run-in, he knows he must choose sides. Beautifully crafted and spilling over with action, the novel has the feel of an old western (one can almost see Gary Cooper as Lee). Matching Pullman’s carefully calibrated prose is the book’s thoughtful design. Everything works together—from the sturdy, blue cloth cover to the the back matter, which features a miniature board game. Lawrence’s stamp-sized ink engravings  set the tale somewhere between fantasy and history. Grades 7-10. --Ilene Cooper
Hero of Ages

Hero of Ages

Brandon Sanderson

Who is the Hero of Ages?
To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepness---the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists---is back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed.
Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. Vin is consumed with guilt at having been tricked into releasing the mystic force known as Ruin from the Well. Ruin wants to end the world, and its near omniscience and ability to warp reality make stopping it seem impossible. She can’t even discuss it with Elend lest Ruin learn their plans!
The conclusion of the Mistborn trilogy fulfills all the promise of the first two books. Revelations abound, connections rooted in early chapters of the series click into place, and surprises, as satisfying as they are stunning, blossom like fireworks to dazzle and delight. It all leads up to a finale unmatched for originality and audacity that will leave readers rubbing their eyes in wonder, as if awaking from an amazing dream.
From Publishers Weekly
This adventure brings the Mistborn epic fantasy trilogy (after 2007's The Well of Ascension) to a dramatic and surprising climax. Tricked into releasing the evil spirit Ruin while attempting to close the Well of Ascension, new emperor Elend Venture and his wife, the assassin Vin, are now hard-pressed to save the world from Ruin's deadly Inquisitors, the insidious lethal mists called the Deepness and the increasingly heavy falls of black ash that threaten to bury the land and starve its inhabitants. As the duo search for the last of the former emperor's cache of atium, source of the strongest Mistborn energies, they battle Ruin's forces as well as monsters and prophetic powers. Sanderson's saga of consequences offers complex characters and a compelling plot, asking hard questions about loyalty, faith and responsibility. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
The Lord Ruler is dead, and Elend Venture is working on consolidating his rule. But the mist is becoming actively dangerous, ash falls almost constantly, and brutal earthquakes are shaking the world apart. The subtle, nearly omniscient Ruin is infiltrating both Elend’s army and his opponents. Fortunately, the stubborn Vin vows to discover a way to destroy him. When failure seems imminent, help comes from unexpected quarters. Sanderson pulls loose ends together, explains vague prophecies, and produces the Hero of Ages, and the Mistborn trilogy (The Final Empire, 2006; The Well of Ascension, 2007; and this book) concludes satisfactorily. --Regina Schroeder