The publication of a new novel by Anne Rice is always an event, and especially when she begins a new series. The Wolf Gift is a werewolf novel that displays her unique combination of philosophy, sensuality and gothic horror. I was thrilled to interview Anne Rice for the AB4T blog, and Random House is also featuring a giveaway of the novel — be sure to read to the end. Without further ado, enjoy! The Wolf Gift combines philosophical questioning and headlong action. Is this a balance that you consciously nurture in your writing? How do you maintain the story’s pacing so effectively? I go by instinct when writing.  I pretty much focus on my main character, on his point of view, his journey, and the philosophical Read more…

Ernie Colón’s transformation of a quartet of horror tales from the essentially aural to equally essentially visual suggests some interesting questions about how our minds meet and work with elements of story. Inner Sanctum was among the radio-broadcast “theaters” through which audiences could get doses of pleasing thrills in pre-television days—about 500 tales of “mystery, horror and suspense” were brought to life by actors using voices and sound effects between 1941 and 1952. Altering the support of sounds for the support of pictures is only part of Colón’s work here: his choices of panels and perspectives come to the fore to create a new—but loyal—way of experiencing what started as actor’s voices. By maintaining Read more…

  First, I have to say how thrilled I am that AB4T has been nominated for an Edublog Award in the Best Librarian/Library Blog category. I certainly share the honor with the many fellow librarians who contribute book reviews and guest posts to this blog. It is a wonderfully collaborative effort, which is what makes this blog special — not to mention fun! If you want to vote for the Edublogs (and you can vote for as many categories as you want, once a day), click here. And take a look at the other fabulous SLJ blogs shortlisted for the awards! Now, on to our review of the day. Frail is Book 2 in Joan Frances Turner’s The Resurgam Trilogy. The first, Dust (Ace, 2010), made a splash last year, including a starred review from Read more…

Jonathan Maberry, author of popular YA novels Rot & Ruin and Dust & Decay (both Simon & Schuster, 2010 & 2011 respectively), is out with a new adult zombie novel this week. Maberry debuted Dead of Night as a special guest at ZomBcom 2011 this weekend. You may also know Maberry for his Joe Ledger novels, beginning with Patient Zero (St. Martins, 2009), which address zombies in a sort of bioterrorism techno-thriller. In preparing this post, I went straight to http://jonathanmaberry.com/ where I got distracted by a virtual panel discussion titled “What Makes YA Fiction So Hot” featuring librarians from across the country. Highly recommended! Diane Colson, formerly of New Port Richey Library, FL Adult/High Read more…

John Ajvide Lindqvist is single-handedly establishing Swedish horror as a sub-genre of its own. Although there’s some debate as to whether Harbor is really a horror novel. Our reviewer says it plays out as more fantasy than horror, while others find it closer to psychological thriller. I think this is only to its advantage when it comes to teen readers. Many teens want something scary, but not TOO scary. Creepy and unsettling, but not terrifying. Lindqvist is best known for his first novel, Let the Right One In (Thomas Dunne, 2008). Next he took on zombies in Handling the Undead (Thomas Dunne, 2010). Now he takes on the sea. LINDQVIST, John Ajvide. Harbor. tr. from Swedish by Marlaine Delargy. 512p. Thomas Dunne. 2011. Tr $25.99. Read more…

BOHJALIAN, Chris. Horror can begin on the most ordinary of days. For Chip Linton, piloting a routine flight from Philadelphia to Burlington, it began with geese. Geese that covered the plane and choked the engines, forcing an emergency landing on Lake Champlain. If Chip could have guided the plane into a clean landing, the horror would have ended there. But it was not a clean landing. Thirty-nine passengers died, including a young girl and her grief-stricken father, and a woman who had been in Philadelphia for a job interview. Chip would meet these tormented souls again, over and over, in the dark months ahead. He and his wife, along with their 10-year-old twin daughters, try to start again by moving into an old house in Read more…

by Shan, DarrenAn ordinary day leads to the beginning of a nightmare for Darren and his friend, Steve. Darren and his friends find an invitation to a freak show. Since there isn’t enough money for the entire group to go, they draw straws. Darren and Steve win and purchase two tickets. At first, the show is merely creepy: a wolf-man, a poisonous tarantula, the skinniest man alive. But, a scary night quickly becomes horrifying when they discover that one of the main acts is also a vampire. A wish denied, a stolen tarantula, and near-death experiences are only a few of the events that will change the course of Darren’s life forever. This fast-paced novel will leave you begging for more (and luckily it’s the first in a series).- Read more…

by Collier, James LincolnOrphan Nick Hodges lost both of his parents in the flu epidemic of the early 1900s. Being raised by his uncle has its challenges, but Nick’s life becomes much more difficult when members of his community start seeing a boy that could be his twin breaking windows and setting fires around town. To try to prove that he is innocent, Nick must learn more about his family’s tragic past and conquer a vengeful spirit who wants to take over and finish his life for him. This delightfully chilling ghost story offers a historical atmosphere, genuinely spooky thrills and a satisfying action-packed ending. – reviewed by Rene, Mountain Island Branch, Read more…

by Ryan, CarrieThis fast-paced, suspense-filled YA novel is set in a small village that must always be guarded for fear of the entrance of the Unconsecrated who live on the other side of the fence. The protagonist, Mary, is sent to live with the sisters who protect the village after her mother and father join the Unconsecrated. Soon after, the village becomes unsafe and Mary is forced to set out into the unknown in hopes of finding a safe home away from the Unconsecrated. In the meantime, she is trying to work out her feelings for the boy whom she is betrothed to and the boy she really loves who was betrothed to her best friend. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a unique and well-written YA book!- reviewed by Amy, ImaginOn, Read more…

by Hino, Read more…

Helen Grant’s debut, The Vanishing of Katharina Linden was an Alex Award winner last year, and one of our own Best Adult Books 4 Teens 2010. (You can read the blog review here.) Needless to say, there has been a great deal of anticipation for her second novel, which does not (in the least!) disappoint. Both novels were published for the young adult market in the U.K. (but for adults here in the states). They were both nominated for the Carnegie Medal, Britain’s top award for children’s or young adult literature. GRANT, Helen. The Glass Demon: A Novel. 320p. Bantam. 2011. pap. $15. ISBN 978-0-385-34420-3. LC number unavailable.  Adult/High School–Grant’s follow-up to The Vanishing of Katharina Linden (Delacorte, 2010) is a Read more…

The first in Mira Grant’s Newsflesh series, Feed, was the second book ever reviewed on this blog, back in October. Since then, Feed has been nominated for the 2011 Hugo Award for Best Novel (awarded by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy novel). The Newsflesh series webpage, on Grant’s site, does a great job of summarizing the plot of Feed and the series concept. The final book, Blackout, is scheduled for May 2012 release. GRANT, Mira. Deadline. 608p. (Newsflesh Trilogy). Orbit. 2011. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-08106-1. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–Shaun Mason is literally mad with grief after the death of his sister. She still speaks to him. He still answers her, Read more…

Today a review of Jennifer McMahon’s new paperback original. I quite enjoyed her 2007 coming-of-age novel, Promise Not to Tell (Harper), so I was happy to see that this one also has teen potential. Both novels will appeal to teens who enjoy a good, creepy mystery. MCMAHON, Jennifer. Don’t Breathe a Word. 464p. Harper. 2011. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-06-168937-6. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–Twelve-year-old Lisa wants to meet the King of the Fairies and has been exchanging gifts with him in the woods near her Vermont home. Her subsequent disappearance rocks her small town. Did she cross over to the land of the fairies and become Queen as she wished, or did she meet a more realistic, horrible fate? Fifteen years later, Read more…

By Micol Ostow Family by Micol Ostow It is a day like any other when seventeen-year-old Melinda Jensen hits the road for San Francisco, leaving behind her fractured home life and a constant assault on her self-esteem. Henry is the handsome, charismatic man who comes upon her, collapsed on a park bench, and offers love, a bright new consciousness, and—best of all—a family. One that will embrace her and give her love. Because family is what Mel has never really had. And this new family, Henry’s family, shares everything. They share the chores, their bodies, and their beliefs. And if Mel truly wants to belong, she will share in everything they do. No matter what the family does, or how far they go. Told in episodic verse, Read more…

Another creepy gothic mystery today. It seems to me that gothic is trending right now. Just within the last couple months we’ve reviewed The Distant Hours, The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead, and Bent Road. Justin Evans offers forbidden romance, a boarding school setting, murder, ghosts, secrets, and Lord Byron. Harper dubs it “Joe Hill’s Horns meets Donna Tartt’s The Secret History.” There is an audiobook in the works. Evans gushed charmingly on his blog, in a post titled “Voldemort Does My Audio,” when he learned that Christian Coulson would be narrating the recording. Christian Coulson played Tom Riddle in the Harry Potter movies, and evidently Evans is a huge Harry Potter fan. EVANS, Justin. Read more…

By Shannon Delany Everything about Jessie Gillmansen’s life changed when her mother died. Now even her hometown of Junction is changing.  Mysterious dark things are happening. All Jessie wants is to avoid more change. But showing a hot new guy around Junction High, she’s about to discover a whole new type of change. Pietr Rusakova is more than good looks and a fascinating accent—he’s a guy with a dangerous secret. And his very existence is sure to bring big trouble to Jessie’s small town. It seems change is the one thing Jessie can’t avoid… *** 13 to Life was a work of art and a true masterpiece! I absolutely loved it! The way Delany constructs the characters and formulates the events made me unable to put the Read more…

By Charlie Higson In the wake of a devastating disease, everyone older than sixteen is either dead or a decomposing, brainless creature with a ravenous appetite for flesh. Teens have barricaded themselves in buildings throughout London and venture outside only when they need to scavenge for food. The group of kids living at Waitrose supermarket is beginning to run out of options. When a mysterious traveler arrives and offers them safe haven at Buckingham Palace, they begin a harrowing journey across London. But their fight is far from over— the threat from within the palace is as real as the one outside it. Full of unexpected twists and quick-thinking heroes, The Enemy is a fast-paced, whiteknuckle tale of survival in the face of Read more…

By Sherrilyn Kenyon At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. Until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save Read more…

By Rick Yancey In modern times, a man finds the diary of young Will Henry, a boy who works as an assistant to Dr. Warthrop, a strange man who considers himself a doctor with a specialization in “Monstrumology.” In this universe, monstrumology is the scientific study of monsters, as well as the act of hunting these monsters. Will Henry’s diary opens with a strange (though, not so uncommon in the monstrumology universe), late night visit from a man with a freshly-retrieved corpse from the cemetery. The corpse is revealed to be that of a young woman and a hellish, terrifying monster that appears to have been eating her. Will Henry never expected that late night visit to lead to a wild adventure to hunt down a terrifying monster. At Read more…

By Jackson Pearce Scarlett and Rosie March lost their grandmother to a Fenris (others might call it a werewolf). Scarlett was severely mauled in the struggle, losing an eye and living now with scars from her attempt to save the life of her younger sister Rosie. Scarlett has dedicated herself to tracking down and killing as many of the Fenris as she can. Every evening she dons her red cloak and hood and uses herself as bait to lure the human form somewhere when she can wield her axe and knives. Rosie wants to perform her first solo hunt, but Scarlett is so concerned that she might lose her sister, her family, that she has yet to permit this. However, there seems to be a gathering of the Fenris. The news is reporting more Read more…

by Cast, P.C., editorNeed another vampire fix? If so, take a bite out this mouth-watering collection of short stories by eight popular vampire novelists. Travel back to pre-Civil War New Orleans in Claudia Gray’s Free, a story revolving around characters from her Evernight series. Or get lost in a post-apocalyptic New York City in Changed by Nancy Holder, author of the Wicked series. Other familiar authors include Kristin Cast, co-author of the House of Night series, Richelle Mead, Vampire Academy author, and Rachel Caine, author of the Morganville Vampires series. Each story is filled with romance, adventure, and chills, and will leave you wishing for more as well as looking over your shoulder.- reviewed by Kim, Read more…

by Smith, L.J.Elena is the queen bee of the small town of Fell’s Church. Stefan is a stranger to the town and is the only one able to resist Elena. But when fate throws them together only one thing could come between them. Stephan has a secret and Elena isn’t going to stop until she finds out what it is. When Damon shows up and Stefan tries to protect the town from him, Elena ends up hiding a few secrets of her own. The girl who has always gotten whatever she wanted is now trying to save the boy she loves from the only one who could destroy him. – reviewed by Elizabeth, , Read more…

by Jenkins, A.M.”This house is mine and I am its beating heart,” exclaims Cora when her once quiet run down house is overtaken by 17-year old Evan, his mother and his 5-year old sister Libby. Yet, Cora becomes fascinated with Evan as he reminds her of a past lover from when she used to live in the house nearly 100 years earlier. Cora is a ghost. She first appears in Evan’s dreams, causing him to question whether he truly loves his girlfriend Carrie, but then later reveals herself as shadows and moving objects throughout the house. Through an unusual combination of poetry and prose, author A.M. Jenkins creates an eerie and romantic coming of age tale of two teenagers — one dead and one alive.- reviewed by Kim, University City Read more…