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GRAVE OF HUMMINGBIRDS - Jennifer Skutelsky

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 A small town, deep in the Andes Mountains, has some dark secrets. There is an unexplained death of a woman, Nita, who was well loved by everyone in the community, including a poor, misfit youth named Alberto. Alberto stumbles upon a dead body that resembles Nita. The woman is covered in feathers and Alberto is convinced she is Nita, an angel who has fallen to earth. With no other identity to ascribe to the woman, the small, rural community tends to accept the superstitions and hints of magic and supernatural. Years later and some Americans arrive to town in order to experience the local festival. One of the visitors bears an uncanny resemblance to the still beloved Nita. But the American has a less than positive opinion of the pagan rituals she's observed, which creates a rift between the cultures and sets up a clash between reason and belief. This book was one of my earliest Amazon First Reads selections. The supernatural and mysticism aspects appealed to me and I figured the who...
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THE ESCAPE GAME - Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss

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Escape Rooms ... Reality TV ... Game Shows ... well of COURSE they're going to be combined in an exciting made-for-TV-audiences fashion. The Escape Game is the hottest 'reality' show on television. Create teams of smart teens, each with different abilities and have them compete in getting out of escape rooms, and you have a recipe for thrills and excitement and ... murder. Just six months ago, during season four, contestant Alicia Angelos was discovered murdered on the set.  Of course that's not enough to derail a show. Now season five is just getting underway with a new group of contestants, including Sierra Angelos - Alicia's sister whom everyone believes got away with her sister's murder.  Sierra isn't here to compete for a game show prize - she's here seeking a different set of clues. Sierra wants to see justice for her sister and to uncover the real killer.  Of course her team needs to stay in the contest if Sierra wants to stay on set and look for ...
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ALICE WITH A WHY - Anna James

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I believe that Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is one of the most creative, endearing fantasies for children ever written. Since the book came into the public domain (and perhaps even before that) there have been other authors adding to the Wonderland collection of stories, many of them with Alice. There have also been adaptations and other books using Carroll's world, characters, and stories as a reference for their own stories. Some, like Christina Henry's The Chronicles of Alice series are fabulous while more than a few that I've read are simply not worth reading. Alice With a Why by Anna James is one of the best I've ever read. 1919 and Alyce's father has died in the war and she now lives with her grandmother, Alice. Yes ... the original Alice who journeyed to Wonderland. One afternoon, and invitation to a tea party hits Alyce in the face. While it's addressed to an Alice with an 'I' she's certain that since it came to ...
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OTHELLO - Ted Neill & William Shakespeare

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It is so far into the future that humanity is extinct. Evidence of humanity, however, still exists - primarily through the machines that continue to operate and have developed a complex form of intelligence. The machines have been able to create - or rather 're'create - civilizations based on information it/they have managed to gather. It is the surprising discovery of the works of William Shakespeare that has shed new light on ancient humanity.  In an effort to learn more about humans, the machines understand that the best way to make sense of Shakespeare's works is to stage the plays through a simulation that is indistinguishable from reality. Entering into the plays is J-9 - a machine construct that is human-like. J-9 prefers to be identified by the more human-like name: Janine. Along with a mechanical owl, Janine observes the play from inside the performances, commenting on the events and the behavior of the different characters. Based on Janine's experiences and im...
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VON BEK - Michael Moorcock

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This book collects two von Bek novels. The first is The Warhound and the World's Pain .  Ulrich von Bek, one incarnation of the Eternal Champion, is operating as a mercenary, selling his soldiering skills in the wars in 17th century Europe. He decides to take a break after one extremely ugly city destruction and wanders alone to reflect. Choosing to take refuge in a castle he encounters on his wandering, von Bek falls in love with the beautiful Sabrina, keeper of the castle. It also in the castle, however, that von Bek meets Lucifer. Yes, THAT Lucifer. Von Bek, it turns out, is already destined to spend his eternity in Hell (Was he really surprised by this?) Lucifer is willing to cut him a deal.  Lucifer is, let's remember, an angel.  A fallen angel, but an angel nonetheless. Lucifer can get in God's good graces if he, or someone he selects, can cure for the world's pain (by finding the Holy Grail). Von Bek travels through both earthly and magical lands, following up on...
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MAGIC MOLLY: THE MIRROR MAZE - Trevor Forest

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Molly Miggins is the 9 year old daughter of magical parents. Her mother is a High Witch and her father is a stage magician who uses real magic in his acts. During one particular performance, something goes wrong and both of her parents vanish without a trace.  Now Molly is told by a wizard that she is the only one who can rescue them, but to do so, she must first pass her tests to become a Junior Witch, even though she is too young to enroll in the witches academy. Thus begins an adventure for Molly that will either get her parents back or doom her to being an orphan. This was a delightful, light story for young readers - children maybe not ready yet for the darkness is the Harry Potter books but who want a magical fantasy. This is very appropriate for early elementary school readers (ages 8-10 maybe?). Those who read well and also for those who enjoy having their parents read longer books to them.  I think my children would have liked this when they were the appropriate age. ...
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VATTU BOOK 1: THE NAME & THE MARK - graphic novel

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I don't know what to make of this. I loved it. I was confused by it. I was bored. I was fascinated. I was ... at some point I ran through just about every possible reaction to this. How to describe this slightly off-beat (in a good way), unusual, sci-fi/fi fantasy.... A race of bi-pedal, primitive aliens, known as Fluters are a nomadic group just trying to survive. This is getting harder and harder to do with changes happening to the river Ata. Their numbers are on the decline, with only one child born in the past year - a girl who is named Vattu. Not everyone is happy with the birth of a girl, and when the Fluters encounter a more aggressive race from the Empire of Sahta who demand their tax. Having nothing, they give them Vattu, promising them that Vattu is a boy and will prove to be a strong slave. Vattu is accompanied (and looked after) by a faceless, voiceless warrior from still another race. While the warrior would appear more dangerous, he submits to beatings and punishmen...
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