Black Hole Sun by David Macinnis Gill

Durango has given his word that he will protect the miners of Outpost Fisher Four against the increasingly destructive raids of the Draeus--part-human carnivores who go wild at even the thought of blood and who demand the miners’ children (to eat) in return for “peace.”  Durango is a dalit, a disgraced regulator highly trained in warfare and duty.  Traditionally a regulator commits suicide when his commander or leader dies, but Durango’s father, former head of the planetary (Mars) government, ordered his son to live and to claim his rightful place as ruler of the planet. Durango and his small band have become mercenaries--this time on a mission to fight a ruthless opponent in defense of a subterranean culture that has its own sinister secrets. At his side is the feisty and seemingly unattainable Vienne--who wields her armalite with deadly accuracy and who is sworn to protect and serve her chief, which doesn’t mean she has to respect or even like him.  Durango also conducts constant and witty “thought-conversations” with Mimi, his symbiotic nano brain implant, who serves as a scout, advisor, and monitor of his armor's electronics.  

The book is best characterized by its nonstop action--usually quite violent and bloody, as the regulators blast away with armalites, explosives and chain guns against an enemy that travels on power sleds and is armed with plasma projectiles and grenades. To be caught by a Drae means to be eaten alive. Mystery about what treasure the miners are hiding, hints of romance, and Durango’s sense of humor combined with crisp dialog add to the entertainment value of this tale set in a dystopian future on a environmentally traumatized planet.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post: a novel by Emily M. Danforth

Cameron Post is an orphan; her parents were killed in a car accident when she was 12.  When she heard the news, Cam was on a sleepover with her best friend, Irene.  Just the day before, the girls were in the barn at Irene's ranch, kissing, a memory that leaves Cam with an almost overwhelming sense of guilt.  The novel serves as Cameron's journal of discovery; through it she speaks of her struggles to come to terms with her sexuality and her unconventional values in the highly conservative atmosphere of Miles City, Montana, where to survive means to blend in.   The tension of suppressing her identity as a lesbian runs through the first half of the book.  Eventually, Cam develops an intimate relationship with a popular and beautiful cowgirl, only to have her trust and love betrayed in humiliating fashion. Her aunt sends her to God's Promise, a residential center for re-educating teens exhibiting deviant behavior.  There, Cam discovers friendship, support and the ability to deal with her parents' death.  The book delves into complex, sensitive subjects in the stunning yet at time suffocating atmosphere of rural Montana.   While occasionally unsettling, as the voice of the much wiser narrator at the end is the same one giving a realtime account of the sexual awakening of a 12-year-old, the novel is a worthwhile read.  Recommended

17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma

Seventeen-year-old Lauren Woodman stops at a red light one day and sees an old flyer on a telephone pole asking for information about a missing 17-year old girl.  The assumption that Abigail Sinclair, the girl in question, is a runaway starts Lauren thinking about all the missing girls who are forgotten by their communities. Lauren begins to see visions of a former neighbor and babysitter who left home when she was 17 as well as glimpses of Abigail and her activities on the night she disappeared.   Ghostly images of the girls appear in her car, in her home and in her dreams.  Lauren starts to understand that there is something ominous about their individual stories;  clearly they did not all choose to leave home forever.  She knows she needs to do something to make the police and the girls' families more aware--to keep looking!

The suspense builds as Lauren puts herself in some pretty sketchy situations--visiting people related in one way or another to the missing girls and trespassing in a gloomy, isolated summer camp where Abby worked until, abruptly, she didn't.  Increasingly it becomes apparent that Lauren is obsessed and very troubled.  She breaks up with her boyfriend, shuts out her mother, avoids her former best friend, and starts skipping school. Lauren's voice as she tells her story is one of desperation--she knows she is losing the ability to distinguish between her visions and reality, but doesn't believe she can trust anyone to help her find out the truth about the girls who, through her, are crying for help.  As her relationships with her friends and family wither, her communications with the ghosts increase in frequency and power, telling Lauren what to do.  Lauren's struggles,  punctuated by the tragic stories of the missing teens, make this a definite page-turner.

Night Angel

The Way of the Shadows is the first of Brent Weeks' Night Angel trilogy.  This fantasy fiction series introduces the reader to two very strong, but diverse characters  Durzo and Azoth (later known as Kylar). One is a "wetboy", a well-known assassin; the other is an orphan who must steal money to pay dues to the guild rat and food to survive.  His only way out is to become Durzo's apprentice.  Together, they face heart-wrenching decisions and the cruelties of reality.  You are immediately invested in these two characters - their strengths, weaknesses and internal conflicts.  It is thought-provoking, a fast-read and very captivating.

Dodger by Terry Pratchett

Dodger is, of course, the Artful Dodger.  In this Victorian mystery, he is master of the sewers, and this propensity to pop up anywhere on London's streets puts him in the middle of a murderous attack on a young woman one dark and rainy night.  After driving off her assailants, Dodger then prepares to fight off two passers-by,  one of whom turns out to be Charles Dickens.  This is a great story of a young man struggling against all odds to save the girl from future harm while dodging powerful forces that seek to control the fate of nations.  Pratchett uses real characters, among them Benjamin Disraeli, a growing political player in London; Sir Robert Peel, head of London's police; wealthy, influential Angela Burdett-Coutts; and, of course, Dickens as newspaperman  His characters reveal much about life and language of the underclass, with accurate details on the diseases, filth, crime,  despair, and unexpected kindnesses that defined London's darker world.  At the same time, this is a tale of derring-do as Dodger proves himself to be nimble in both body and mind, and fully able to craft clever plots to foil his many enemies.  Lots of fun.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

This haunting tale centers around the childhood memories of a middle-aged man returning to his home in Sussex, England, to attend a funeral.  Driving aimlessly after the service, he ends up at an old farm where he used to visit the Hempstocks--a young girl, her mother and her grandmother, witches all, who were welcoming and supportive during a time of family struggles and strange happenings. Sitting by the small farmyard pond, he sinks into a reverie where he recalls a tenant's suicide, the appearance of a scheming and suspicious housekeeper, and an evil and destructive spirit that threatens to use him as a portal into his increasingly fragile world.  Only the Hempstocks, particularly young Lettie, can help him.  The author blends fantasy and myth with a story grounded in familiar tragedy--a family in financial difficulty, a father with a wandering eye, and a lonely, vulnerable boy who finds comfort in books. In these few (180) pages, one can find the power of friendship, sacrifice, and childhood resilience.

Butter By Erin Jade Lange

Butter has enormous musical talent; he plays the saxophone and loves jazz.  Sadly, he only plays alone, to forget he is an emotionally isolated and physically challenged teen.  For Butter weighs over 400 pounds and is convinced that no one can see beyond his dimensions to get to really know him.  Butter (you learn about his nickname in the book) escapes through his music and through the web, where he has a deepening relationship with Anna, one of the coolest girls in school. Fearful that revealing his true identity will scare away the girl of his dreams, Butter creates a new persona--that of a star athlete at a nearby private school.

While most of his classmates ignore him completely or look at him only with pity and a certain fascination, there are some who see opportunities to be cruel. After Butter discovers someone's online post that shows him eating, he impulsively decides to start his own website where he can control the comments while getting attention. Butterslastmeal.com is an immediate success, unfortunately, and all of a sudden he's in a corner.  If he doesn't eat himself to death, he is a failure.  If he does, well, he's dead.  Not much of a choice.

As the narrator, Butter reveals  both the depth of his torment and clues to the nice and funny person he can be.  The author uses Butter's experiences to raise issues of stereotyping, online relationships, and online bullying without being preachy.  Telling the story using a lot of dialog keeps things moving. Recommended.