May (Daughters of the Sea #2) by Kathryn Lasky

Pages:  328

Publishers: Scholastic Press

Published:  March 1, 2011

May feels her life drying up. The sea calls to her, but her parents forbid her from swimming. She longs for books, but her mother finds her passion for learning strange. She yearns for independence, but a persistent suitor, Rudd, wants to tame her spirited ways. Yet after her fifteenth birthday, the urge to break free becomes overpowering and May makes a life-changing discovery. She does not belong on land where girls are meant to be obedient. She is a mermaid-a creature of the sea.

For the first time, May learns what freedom feels like-the thrill of exploring both the vast ocean and the previously forbidden books. She even catches the eye of Hugh, an astronomy student who, unlike the townspeople, finds May anything but strange. But not everyone is pleased with May's transformation. Rudd decides that if can't have May, no one will. He knows how to destroy her happiness and goes to drastic measures to ensure that May loses everything: her freedom and the only boy she's ever loved.

Review:

The second book of the Daughters of the Sea quartet, features May.  She was found by a lighthouse keeper after the shipwreck that killed her mother and separated her from her two sisters.  She grows up on Egg rock, the same place where we saw Hannah visiting with the Hawley’s.  As she grows up, she catches the eye of a young fisherman named Rudd and that of an astronomer named Hugh.

When a storm comes to Egg rock, she and her sister meet.  Then they travel to the shipwreck to find who their mother was and who they were.  Rudd tries to court her, but she resists because he only cares about her beauty.  When she falls in love with the astronomer, Hugh, Rudd decides to get rid of the competition.

This book also stopped in the middle of the story.  I mean, it could have used some more details, such as, what did they do after Hugh discovered she was a mermaid?  Does her adoptive father find out about what she is?  What will happened to Rudd?  I stay tuned for the next book: Lucy (Daughters of the Sea #3) by Kathryn Laksy.

Fragment Friday's

This is a new segment on Sweet picks for the excerpts that come out before a book is released.  Today features Kiss of Frost, the second book in the Mythos Academy Series.  Hope it comes out soon!

Pages:  368

Publishers:  Kensington

Release Date:  November 29, 2011

Logan Quinn was trying to kill me. My Spartan classmate relentlessly pursued me, swinging his sword at me over and over again, the shining silver blade inching closer to my throat every time. A smile tugged up his lips, and his ice-blue eyes practically glowed with the thrill of battle …

I’m Gwen Frost, a second-year warrior-in-training at Mythos Academy, and I have no idea how I’m going to survive the rest of the semester. One day, I’m getting schooled in swordplay by the guy who broke my heart — the drop-dead gorgeous Logan who slays me every time. Then, an invisible archer in the Library of Antiquities decides to use me for target practice. And now, I find out that someone at the academy is really a Reaper bad guy who wants me dead. I’m afraid if I don’t learn how to live by the sword — with Logan’s help — I just might die by the sword …

This is a link to the excerpt:

 http://www.jenniferestep.com/excerpts-short-stories/kiss-of-frost/

And to learn more about the book:

 http://www.jenniferestep.com/books-series/books/kiss-of-frost/

Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

Pages:  350

Publisher:  Kensington Publishing Corporation

Published:  July 26, 2011

My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy — a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.

But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why—especially since I should have been the one who died. . .

Review:

I loved the book.  I mean really, does anyone ever think of writing about mythical monsters and warriors?  Jennifer is a genius!  This book has everything for fantasy readers: warriors, battle, and Romance with a capital R.  With another warning of spoilers I give you the rest of the review.

A mad Valkyrie who tries to sacrifice her best friend, a goddess who’s crazy enough to make Gwen her champion, and a Hot Spartan Warrior who’s hiding a dark, dark secret.  Really dude, I feel sorry for you, when Gwen wants to find a secret, she rips through minds just to get it.  And most of all let us never forget the talking sword, Vic.  Love you dear, but you’re kind of a snooze.

I thought that this book had me asking a lot of questions at the end.  Like what’s the Ashton family going to do to Gwen, what did Grandma Frost see in Gwen’s future, and most of all, what’s the secret that Logan hides.  But I suppose that it’ll be answered in the next book, Kiss of Frost.  I got the book read through it all in one sitting.  It was that good!  I’ll be following the series until they finish…5 stars and shooting higher!

Hannah (Daughters of the Sea #1) by Kathryn Lasky

Pages:  301

Publishers:  Scholastic Inc.

Published:  September 1, 2009

Hannah is not like other girls in the turn-of-the-century Boston orphanage where she grew up. Instead of seasickness, she gets land sickness. She leaves a ring of salt in the tub when she bathes, and sometimes she sees a faint tracing of scales on her feet. It's freakish, horrifying . . . and deeply thrilling.

Hannah feels a change coming. But she is not the only one who senses it. A young painter recognizes something in Hannah--a connection with the sea that recalls a secret from his own past. A choice lies ahead, and Hannah must discover if she is a creature of the land--or of the sea.

Review:

Kathryn Lasky has created her own little world into the world of mermaids.  This story follows a young girl name Hannah, who leaves the orphanage to work at the Hawleys household.  There she works as a scullery maid and makes friends with Henrietta ‘Ettie’ Hawley, while trying to hide what she is.

Hannah also meets a young painter named Stannish Whitman Wheeler, who complicates things for her.  She knows that he is different like her, but does not know why she hides it.  Then there’s the witch of the family and her monster cat.  Lila Hawley has her eyes on the painter, but his attention is on Hannah, so this causes her to try and harm Hannah on several occasions.

This book was good but had me asking many questions towards the end.  It ended unrepentantly with the storm and the mermaid’s tail.  It could have showed some history on how Hannah was found by the people of the orphanage.  Even though it provided a look onto how people of the 1900s lived.