The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Not just another vampire book.  Oh, I really liked this one!  I believe the next one in the "Blood of Eden" series is coming out this summer and I will definitely be getting it for the library as soon as I can.  A disease has killed off most of human kind, vampires have always been around but hiding on the fringe of society, but now they are in charge.  Using humans as "blood cows."  At least those humans who are registered.  Allison Sekemoto, our wonderfully strong main character, is NOT one of those registered, because she refuses to be at the beck and call of monsters.  After a night of scavenging for food, Allison is attacked by "rabids" and she has to make a choice, die a forever death, or die and become one of the monsters she loathes.  And that is just the beginning of the novel.  Allison is so strong throughout this novel, trying to retain her humanity even when her need to hunt is almost unbearable.  There is a little bit of romance, but not a lot.  This is a very good read.

Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy

Wow, what a book.  Lucy was nine when she was diagnosed with cancer.  As she tells the story, you realize how unaware she was at the severity of her disease.  Like we all like special attention when a minor illness keeps us home from school, Lucy recounts how even through her surgeries and chemo. and radiation she enjoyed that "specialness."  Other parts of the book are heart wrenching.  Lucy had about 1/3 of her jaw removed because of her cancer and her classmates taunts and teasing caused her so much pain.  This is an incredibly moving story about how so much of our self worth can be caught up in trying to be "beautiful" to others.  Lucy grew up to be a successful author and poet, but died in 2002 from an accidental overdose.

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

This was my first Golden Sower Nominee of the season and I liked it.  Dystopian and magic in one book.  Quill is a society where the motto is "Quill prevails when the strong survive."  Every year "the Purge takes place and 13 year olds are sorted into 3 categories: the Wanteds, (who will go on to University) the Necessaries (who do the menial tasks to keep the society running, and the Unwanteds (who are sent to die in the Great Lake of boiling oil).  Our main character does not die and discovers a wonderful world where his creative talents lead to magic.  I did like that the character's magical talents were tied to their creative pursuits.  It did bother me a little bit that those sent to the university to study math and science were not thought of as creative, but I didn't let that spoil my enjoyment of this story.

Numbers by Rachel Ward

Another Trilogy...and this one grabs you from the start...I now have to immediately start number 2!  This story focuses on Jem.  She tells her story in 1st person.  Jem has the ability to see the date that people will die and it is a huge burden for her to know this information.  Her and her one friend get thrown into a bizarre situation when they are seen running away from the bombing of the London Eye Ferris wheel.  Now Jem and her friend are on the run!  This is a great story.

13 Secrets by Michelle Harrison

As good as the other two!  This final story in the trilogy is great.  Like the Harry Potter series this trilogy seems to get darker with each book.  This one is full of revenge and death.  A great finish to a great trilogy.

Bad Hair Day by Carrie Harris

Now that Kate solved the zombie crisis in her town in Bad Taste in Boys, she is faced with another mystery.  This time someone is killing kids and it looks like whatever is doing it has LOTS of hair and claws!!  Kate continues to entertain in this book and we get to see more of her "dorktastic" brother Jonah.  I love both of these books and am looking forward to more from this author.

Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris

Oh, this is a great book.  What an interesting twist to the zombie story.  Told in the 1st person by the main character, Kate Grable.  Kate is a stitch!  She is a self proclaimed science geek who is desperate to go to medical school.  Kate is the trainer of her high school's football team and something fishy is going on with the team.  There are some gory details (black vomit and loss of body parts) so beware.  Such and enjoyable read!  I finished the first one at home and was so sad that I had left Kate's next adventure at school!