Library of Souls

Riggs, Ransom. Library of Souls. Book 3 of Mrs. Peregrine’s Peculiar Children. 2015. 458p. ISBN 9781594747588. Available at FIC RIG on the library shelves.

At the end of Hollow City, Jacob and Emma had been left on the platform of a metro station in modern-day London. Library of Souls picks up right where the 2nd book of the trilogy left off, with Jacob and Emma separated from the other peculiar children. They must discover where their friends have been taken by the Wights, but it is a race against time as peculiars out of their Loop age quickly.

Jacob and Emma continue to fall in love with each other as they connect with Addison, Mrs. Wren’s intelligent and articulate dog. Racing through London trying to escape the Wights that chase them, the trio manages to pick up the scent of their peculiar friends and trace them to the Thames river. There they meet the enigmatic Sharon, a boatsman who offers to take them across on a historical tour.

When they arrive at their destination, the trio is crestfallen. They are on Devil’s Acres, the worst slum of the Victorian era. The Wights have built their fortress here, and the peculiar children and their Ymbryne leaders are imprisoned in the foul basement. Unfortunately, the other inhabitants of Devil’s Acres are as deadly as the Wights. So Jacob, Emma and Addison must figure a way to infiltrate the fortress to free their friends. Even his newfound ability to control the hollowghasts may not be enough to survive this rescue mission.

Black Cat, Vol 11

Yakubi, Kentaro. Black Cat, Vol 11. 2000. 192. ISBN 978-1-4215-1040-8. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Having abandoned the Apostles of the Stars, Charden and Kyoko run into Train, Sven and Eve. Kyoko is thrilled to see the Black Cat again, and decides to join forces with him. Still a child following his nano transformation in Black Cat, vol 10, Train nevertheless agrees to allow Kyoko to remain with them.

Unfortunately, two of Chronos’ rogue members, Baldor and Kranz, are on the hunt looking for the Apostles, and Train’s presence is an added bonus. The fight ends in a stalemate when Jenos arrives on the scene with Rinslet and tells Baldor and Kranz they are to report to Chronos immediately.

Rinslet agrees to take Kyoko to meet with Chronos’s Number I, while the Black Cat and his team decide to track Dr. Tearju, the scientist who engineered Eve. Maybe she can bring him back to his correct age!

Wizard Heir

Chima, Cinda Williams. Wizard Heir. Book 2 of the Heir Chronicles series. 2008. 458p. ISBN 9781423104872. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Joseph McCauley has always crackled with power. He can subtly alter people’s perceptions. He is irresistible to women and men alike. Everyone want to help Seph. Except that he is racking up a high number of accidents. When a night club warehouse burns down in Toronto, Seph gets sent to the Havens, a school for boys in trouble.

But Seph is not like the others there. He knows he is a wizard. He is untrained, and his guardian died many years ago, leaving him orphaned. He doesn’t know his birth parents, nor does he know how to control this magic that courses in him. At the Havens, Seph quickly realizes that he is different from the other boys there, but that he shares a trait in common with the alumni. All are wizards. The Headmaster, Gregory Leicester, tells Seph he will train him in the ways of the wizard world, but in exchange Seph has to merge his powers with him.

Not wanting to participate in Leicester’s nefarious purposes, Seph is stuck at school. He meets Jason, who also refused to join with the rest of the alumni. Jason teaches him a few tricks to harness his power and to resist the mental invasions of Leicester, but without breaking out of the Havens, Seph cannot hope to survive. With a wizard war looming, Seph needs to choose sides, but what choices does he really have?

Taking place a year after Jack and Ellen upended the magical world order, the story of Seph eventually rejoins that of the Warrior Heir. Fans of the first book will not be disappointed with this second book of the Heir Chronicles.

Black Butler, Vol 1

Toboso, Yana. Black Butler, Vol 1. 2007. 192p. ISBN 9780316080842. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

In a modern Victorian London, Sebastian Michaelis is the best butler there is. Working for the child Earl of Phantomhive, he ensures that the household runs smoothly and efficiently. But both master and butler know there is much more to this relationship than meet the eyes.

When Ciel Phantomhive is kidnapped by Italian mafiosos, Sebastian must intervene to save him. In a series of uncanny moves, he tracks his master down, and eliminate all of the goons. That’s when he reveals that he is in fact a demon, to whom Ciel has pledged his soul in exchange for destroying his enemies. And Sebastian is more than happy to oblige...

Ancient Sparta

DiPrimio, Pete. Ancient Sparta. 2013. 48p. ISBN 978-1612282763. Available at 938 DIP on the library shelves.

One of the most feared ancient society, Sparta was, at the height of its power, a militaristic society living a simple lifestyle based on harsh laws. Over six chapters, this short book discusses different aspects of Spartan life and society through a storytelling format supplemented by pictures.

Topics examined include laws and the founding of Sparta; its military might and prowess on the field of battle; Spartan women, who were more educated and more equal with their men than the rest of Greek society; and the Spartan way of life. The book also includes a map of Greece and a timeline of Spartan history.

The Other Normals

Vizzini, Ned. The Other Normals. 2012. 387p. ISBN 9780062079909. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Fifteen-year-old Peregrine Eckert is a late bloomer. He’s socially incompetent, and would rather spend all of his time in the world of Creatures & Caverns. A paper and dice roleplaying game with strange creatures, strong magical powers, and weapons that can cleave a man in half, C&C is the only hobby Perry has. His older brother is a drunk and a drug addict. His parents are divorced and dating their divorce attorneys. And he has no friends. Except when he meets Sam, a fellow C&C fan. They begin meeting at Perry’s school, playing during lunch in a back staircase.

Concerned at Perry’s absences and social ineptitude, his parents, through their lawyers, sign up Perry for a summer camp experience away from Brooklyn and from C&C. Perry is crushed. At fifteen, he shouldn’t be going to camp. Once there, however, he realizes he’s the only white boy there. The other kids are openly hostile to him. Except Sam, who also happens to be attending this camp.

After a fight with one of the resident bullies, Perry goes to the infirmary and meets Anna, the first girl who even deigns to talk to him. But the conversation does not go well. Then Perry notices something strange outside. A human with the head of a fox and a bushy tail that matches seems to be lurking outside, a creature similar to one of the denizens of C&C. Perry manages to catch up to the creatures, and he meets Mortin Enaw, a special consultant on C&C who reveals that he comes from the World of the Other Normals, a place very similar to Earth and the inspiration for C&C.

Traveling to the World of the Other Normals, Perry meets Ada Ember, a very pretty girl with blue hair and undefined animal features, and he immediately falls hopelessly in love. Unfortunately, not everything is perfect in the World of the Other Normals. The Princess has been kidnapped by the forces of evil, and the only thing that can save her is kissing her correspondent on Earth, Anna.

All the hours of geek and nerd training are coming to fruition, and Perry can be the great warrior and hero he’s always known he could be. But only if he can conquer his fear of girls.

In the vein of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and Grasshopper Jungle, readers will cheer for Perry on his odyssey of self-discovery and late-blooming!

Sword of Kuromori

Rohan, Jason. The Sword of Kuromori. Book 1 of The Sword of Kuromori series. 2016. 336p. ISBN 978-1610673556. Available at FIC ROH on the library shelves.

Fifteen years old Kenny Blackwood is on his way to Japan to meet his father when he receives a strange letter aboard the plane taking him there. His grandfather, who currently lives in England, provides him a few words of advice about the magical place he’s heading to. With the letter comes a wooden whistle. What is this all about?

He quickly finds out when he gets off the plane. Arrested by Japan’s Homeland Security, he realizes that one of the officers is in fact an Oni, an ogre disguised as a man. Escorted away, he blow the whistle and is then freed by a strange creature and by Kiyomi, a girl on a motorcycle with plenty of combat skills. As Kuromori, Kenny is the only one who can summon and control the legendary sword Kusanagi, the only weapon that can defeat the gigantic dragon Namazu before he creates an earthquake of epic proportions that will destroy the West Coast of the United States. But the prophecy states that the cost will be one Kenny loves. Is the price too high to save millions of people?

The first in a series, the story stands by itself and provides a satisfying conclusion while hinting at future events. Fans of James Dashner’s Mortality Doctrine and of James Patterson’s Maximum Ride series will devour this book.
The story continues in The Shield of Kuromori.