I just finished two very interesting books by British author Chris Wooding. Not only does he have fantastic writing skills, but he is only two years older than I am, and way more accomplished. On one hand, that kind of bums me out, but on the other, it gives me hope. People my age can be successful (and I’m talking success NOT of the Lindsay Lohan variety) and smart and talented…ooo, it’s almost too much to take in. Anyway, to the books.

The first was Poison, which falls into the fairy tale/fantasy stuff that I’ve been reading. It’s rather meta in a Hamletesque play-within-a-play sort of way, except this is obviously a book-within-a-book situation. In this tale we meet Poison, a sullen girl who lives with her family in a bleak and dangerous marsh. She is unhappy, but stuck with her life, until one morning the phaeries steal her baby sister away. Determined to rescue Azalea, Poison sets out to find the Phaerie Lord, and meets an interesting assortment of characters along the way: a bone eating witch, an evil fairy lord, a terrifying spider woman, a most unusual man, a scared young girl, and a very unnatural cat, among others. As she faces one trial after another, Poison comes to realize that the quest isn’t about Azalea at all; this is Poison’s story, and she holds the key to the whole adventure. A really cool read.

I followed it up with The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray, Wooding’s critically acclaimed gothic horror novel, which is being adapted into a film. Set in an alternate, 1900s-esque London, this is the story of a world gone wrong. Thaniel Fox is a young but accomplished wych-hunter, who seeks out and destroys the demons that haunt London’s streets. One night during his hunt, he discovers a beautiful, mad girl and feels compelled to bring her home. With the help of his friend Cathaline, Thaniel saves the Alaizabel from a fever, only to find that she is afflicted with something much, much worse. She brings out all of Thaniel’s protective feelings, and along with Cathaline and a motley assortment of London’s finest, he sets out to save Alaizabel and London from the grip of the Fraternity, a powerful, evil cult determined to unleash hell on earth. A little bit chilling, a lot gripping. I recommend it.

I’ve had Charles de Lint’s The Blue Girl sitting on my nightstand for more than a month, but I just couldn’t seem to get around to reading it. It first came onto my radar in March, when I heard it discussed at a Young Adult Fantasy session at PLA. Since I’d been reading "urban fantasy" books with teen protagonists, this made my list, and I finally managed to read it this weekend.

I can see why de Lint is so reknowned. This book has everything: ghosts, fairies, monsters, bullies, friendship, love…It was a pretty great read. The book is set in the fictional town of Newford, which de Lint has visited in more than one of his novels. It tells the tale of Imogene and Maxine, two high school girls who are social outcasts. Imogene is outgoing and strange, while Maxine is smart and controlled by her domineering mother. Recognizing kindred spirits within each other, the girls become best friends. But when Imogene’s reckless bravery captures the attention of the school ghost, he inadvertenly unleashes a world of trouble on the girls. "Aided" by a band of malicious fairies, the ghost accidentally siccs the soul-sucking anamithim on Imogene, and she and Maxine must use all their wits and courage, not to mention a little magic, to save themselves.

Patricia McKillip’s Solstice Wood is a slightly different sort of fantasy from what I’ve been reading lately. It’s such an unusual book, I’m not entirely sure how to describe it. In fact, I was probably about halfway through the book before I finally got a firm grasp on what was going on. Sylvia Lynn, who fled her childhood home seven years ago, has returned for her grandfather’s funeral. Summoned by her grandmother, Iris, Sylvia reluctantly returns to the town of Lynnwood, but hopes to make her visit a short one. Unfortunately, things begin to go wrong almost immediately; Iris is not what she seems, Iris’s close friend Owen is harboring a dangerous secret, Sylvia’s cousin Tyler is in desperate trouble, and Sylvia grandfather has willed to her the one thing she wants least: Lynn Hall, the estate where she was born. As Sylvia comes to terms with her grandmother’s secret identity and tries to rescue Tyler, she is forced to admit just exactly what she is and why she ran away so many years ago. A most unusual book.

As part of my quest to further explore the fantasy and horror genres, I just read Libba’s Bray’s duet A Great and  Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels. Set in the late 1800s, they are the story of Gemma Doyle, a British girl raised in India, whose world is turned upside down when she begins experiencing disturbing visions at the exact moment of her mother’s murder. Sent by her father to a British boarding school, Gemma must contend with bratty classmates and a dreary roommate. However, she soon discovers a mysterious diary that tells the story of Mary Dowd and Sarah Rees-Toome, two former students who experienced visions like Gemma’s. Determined to find the two women and understand what is happening to her, Gemma begins to explore her power. She, along with three other students, seeks out the magic of the Realms, a mysterious world that was once controlled by a group of sorceresses called The Order. Heady with their newfound powers, the girls use their magic recklessly, but the consequences soon catch up with them. Gemma is being stalked by a mysterious group called The Rakshana, and eventually discovers her mother’s own terrible connection to The Order. But things turn even worse when Pippa, one of her friends, becomes trapped in the Realms, perhaps forever.

Rebel Angels picks up the story here; it is Chrismastime, and Gemma and her friends Felicity and Ann are spending the holidays in London. But their vacation will not be carefree; in addition to a whirlwind of balls and social engagements, the girls must restore order to the Realms, which have grown wild in the absence of the Order. Gemma must also contend with the attentions of the attractive Simon Middleton, her father’s depression and drug use, and the fate of her friend Pippa, who is still trapped in the Realms. She is also desperately trying to decipher the ravings of a madwoman who knows the secrets of the Realms, all the while dodging the ever-closing net of the evil witch Circe, who longs to take the magic for herself.

An intriguing pair. I’m curious to see whether Bray will make them a trilogy.

I just finished Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, a book that I had been waiting to read for several weeks. This one was worth the wait; I devoured all 498 pages in a matter of hours. In this haunting, almost heartbreaking love story, we meet Bella, a high school junior in a self-imposed exile in Washington. Bella longs to return to her mother in sunny Phoenix, and hates living with her father in the small, rainy town of Forks, where she is the lone new kid in school. But as she begins to settle in, she meets Edward, an unusual boy from a respected but strange family. Although forced to be lab partners, Edward is intent on keeping his distance from Bella, and makes it clear to her at every opportunity that they should not be friends. Nevertheless, Bella finds herself helplessly fascinated by his cold beauty and mesmerizing eyes, and despite his warnings, the two gradually become close. As they come to know each other, Bella begins to understand that there is something special about Edward…and that he isn’t quite human. As Edward repeatedly saves Bella’s life, they are pulled deeply into love, but face complicated circumstances: Edward must constantly fight his predatory nature, which compels him to kill her, and Bella discovers that she would rather die than be without him. They manage to delicately make their way together, but just as she grows closer to his incredible family, an unexpected danger throws them all into chaos.

This book was mesmerizing, and I am eagerly awaiting its sequel, New Moon, due out in August!

Lately I’ve found myself drifting away from the books I generally read. I like "fluffy" books: those that are lighthearted, swift and funny. But recently I’ve felt a pull toward more substantial literary fiction as well as things in the fantasy and horror genres. I read two this week.

The first: Thirsty, by M.T. Anderson. In this strange little tale, Chris, a high school freshman, finds himself slowly turning into a vampire. As he struggles with the enormity of this change, as well as the difficulties in keeping it a secret, he meets Chet, an otherworldly being who enlists Chris on a mission to save the world. Chris reluctantly agrees, but things go horribly wrong, leading the the book’s surprising and abrupt ending. Weird but interesting.

The second was Holly Black’s Tithe, which I really enjoyed. High school dropout Kaye is wasting her life partying when she rescues a stange and beautiful man one rainy night. Realizing that he is a faery, she stumbles into a world of magic and strife, as two rival fairy factions struggle to gain control of their world. As Kaye is pulled in deeper, she discovers the surprising truth about herself, and begins a tumultous friendship with a faery knight who may or may not be trustworthy. Compelling and fascinating.