Hunter by Mercedes Lackey

Published: September 1st, 2015

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Pages: 384

Copy: Publisher/Netgalley

Summary:Goodreads

Centuries ago, the barriers between our world and the Otherworld were slashed open allowing hideous fantastical monsters to wreak havoc; destroying entire cities in their wake. Now, people must live in enclosed communities, behind walls that keep them safe from the evil creatures constantly trying to break in. Only the corps of teen Hunters with lightning reflexes and magical abilities can protect the populace from the daily attacks.

Joyeaux Charmand is a mountain girl from a close knit village who comes to the big city to join the Hunters. Joy thinks she is only there to perform her civic duty and protect the capitol Cits, or civilians, but as cameras follow her every move, she soon learns that the more successful she is in her hunts, the more famous she becomes.

With millions of fans watching her on reality TV, Joy begins to realize that Apex is not all it seems. She is forced to question everything she grew up believing about the legendary Hunters and the very world she lives in. Soon she finds that her fame may be part of a deep conspiracy that threatens to upend the protective structure built to keep dark magic out. The monsters are getting in and it is up to Joy to find out why.

I have loved Mercedes Lackey for many years.  While I may not go out and buy her books the instant they hit the shelves, I am always aware of new books and I try and read as many as I possibly can.  Her Obsidian trilogy and 500 Kingdoms series are amongst my very favourites.  What I love is her variety.  Her books range from SciFi, to fantasy and every possible shade in between.  She has fairytales, dragons, mages, elves, owls and spaceships, and just about anything else you can think of.  She writes by herself and she writes with other authors.  A very versatile author indeed.

Hunter is the newest YA novel and captivated me from page one.  Joy is a down to earth, pleasant, well adjusted protagonist who is comfortable in her own skin.  She thinks problems through, isn't impulsive and allows herself time to break down and recharge once she has the job done.  I just loved her non -confrontational way of dealing with bullies and the very special relationship she has with her hounds.  I also loved that she acknowledges that she still has a lot to learn.

Josh, Karly and Mark were all great characters too. We get to know them a little, but are aware that there is still more to learn.  There's friendship and fun,  work and stress, fighting and dying - yup, she's not afraid to kill off characters, much to my distress. There is also a little romance, although only a very little and it is by no means a focus of the story, which makes this book fairly suitable for younger teens.  Expect to see all those nasty creatures from old fairytales - goblins, tommyknockers, wyverns, vampires, 'folk' and any number of unusual nasties and they are all up to no good.  

I'm thinking that, given the ending, there are going to be one or two more books, although this one ends fairly satisfactorily there are definitely some non-resolved issues.  I will be keeping my eye open for sequels. With lots of mystery and tension, lovable characters and some intense action, Hunter was pure delight to read.  I'll definitely be recommending this one.

Two'fer - Conspiracies and Sacrifices by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill

 

Published: July 2011

Publisher: Tor Teen

Pages: 342

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodreads

 

The second book in the Shadow Grail series by the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling authors Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill
Spirit and her friends Burke, Loch, Muirin, and Addie have managed to defeat the evil force that has been killing students at Oakhurst Academy for the past forty years—or so they think. When a series of magical attacks disrupts the school, Doctor Ambrosius calls upon alumnus Mark Rider to secure the campus—and start training the students for war. The only student without magic, Spirit doesn’t trust Mark or his methods. She knows that Oakhurst isn’t safe. And if Spirit and her friends want to live long enough to graduate, they have to find out what is really going on—before it’s too late.

 

Published: April 2nd, 2013

Publisher: Tor Teen

Pages: 304

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodreads

The third book in the Shadow Grail series by the New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill

The students of Oakhurst Academy believe they have triumphed over the Shadow Knights. But Spirit, Burke, Muirin, Loch, and Addie know better. Under the guise of a company called Breakthrough Adventure Systems, the Shadow Knights have actually taken over the campus. The new regime is brutal, designed to turn the students into soldiers wielding both weapons and magic. Anyone who protests disappears.

Desperate, the group decides that Muirin should go undercover to spy on Breakthrough. But Muirin’s act is a little too good, and Spirit begins to fear that her friend’s loyalties might have truly changed. Surrounded by enemies and friends who suddenly seem like strangers, Spirit has decide who can—and cannot—be trusted.


I recently reviewed the first book in this series by Lackey and Edghill, Legacies - you'll find it HERE if you're interested - and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  The bonus being that the 2nd and 3rd volumes of this 4 part series were already published.  Since I read them back to back, I thought I'd cheat and make it one review for two books.

I'm happy to report that the tight plot lines and sense of all-pervading menace have not disappeared in Conspiracies and Sacrifices.  In fact, these two talented writers have upped the ante considerably.  As the story progresses through these volumes the mystery just keeps getting deeper and deeper.  Woven around old Arthurian legends, it is very obvious that the ladies have done their research.  The further into the books that you read, the deeper into legend you go and the stranger and more twisted the plot line becomes.  This could become confusing, but thankfully did not. 

Main characters Spirit, Burke, Muirin, Addie and Loch spend time researching and rarely leap to conclusions.  They are puzzled and frightened and nasty people keep arriving at their school, Oakhurst, and even nastier things keep happening, but  there was always a reason behind the action which I just loved. 

Towards the end of Sacrifices the reader becomes aware of something that the characters haven't figured out yet, which results in a bit of an AHA! moment.  We all know that Spirit is destined for something, but up until this point, no-one has a clue just exactly what that is.  Ok, let's face it, I still really don't know, but I have a very strong idea and I'm going to be champing at the bit until April to find out.

The relationships between the main characters always stays real and interesting.  There is no insta love or unreasoning hatred, but the characters continue to develop and grow along with the story.  All in all I'm loving this series.  School/orphanage for magical teens coming into their abilities and fighting the bad guys. FUN.  This is also a fairly clean read that is more than suitable for younger teens.  In fact if I have anything bad to say about the series so far, it's that very occasionally the characters thoughts seemed a little young, but that could just be from my older perspective.

Keep your eyes open for this series and for the final volume, Victories, which appears to be hitting bookstores in April.  I can't wait.

Legacies by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edgehill

 

Published: July 2010

Publisher: Tor Teen

Pages: 320

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodreads

Who—or what—is stalking the students at Oakhurst Academy?

In the wake of the accident that killed her family, Spirit White is spirited away to Oakhurst Academy, a combination school and orphanage in the middle of Montana. There she learns she is a legacy—not only to the school, which her parents also attended, but to magic.

All the students at Oakhurst have magical powers, and although Spirit’s hasn’t manifested itself yet, the administrators insist she has one. Spirit isn’t sure she cares. Devastated by the loss of her family, she finds comfort with a group of friends: Burke Hallows, Lachlann Spears, Muirin Shae, and Adelaide Lake.

But something strange is going on at Oakhurst. Students start disappearing under mysterious circumstances, and the school seems to be trying to cover it up. Spirit and her friends must find out what’s happening—before one of them becomes the next victim…

Legacies is the first book in a series that I missed when it first came out.  It crossed my line of sight at work and since I'm a huge fan of Ms. Lackey and figured I'd better give it a try.  The books I normally read by Ms. Lackey tend to be more traditional fantasies (pretty much all of which are suitable for older YA readers) so I was really intrigued to see how she would handle the typical YA boarding school outline.  I'm very happy to say that she and Ms. Edgehill succeeded very well.

The school in this series is also an orphanage - was successfully does away with all those pesky parents who might object to any mistreatment of their children.  Of course the twist is that these kids find out that they all have some form of magic.  It could have been corny, but actually it managed to retain a sense of menace, that ran through the entire book. There are a couple of nods to Harry Potter here - particularly with the Principal - long white hair and beard - but he is no Dumbledore and  there seems to be no softness to him at all.
Loch, Burke, Muirin and Addie, along with Spirit realise that something is seriously wrong at the school and try to solve the mystery of why so many kids go missing.  It's obvious to the reader, and to the kids, that there is a lot more going on than meets the eye, but the clues are buried deeply, and the kids have their work cut out.  I enjoyed the logical progression of their search and that there was very little leaping to convenient conclusions. A little bit of magic, a little bit of mystery and a little bit of menace all meld together into an enjoyable read.

One of the nice things about finding trilogies late is that you don't have to wait for the succeeding volumes to out.  I've already put holds on Conspiracies, and Sacrifices and I'm really looking forward to seeing how the kids handle what's coming next.

Fantastic Fairytales - Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey

Published: October 2011

Publisher: Luna

Pages:329

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodreads

The eldest daughter is often doomed in fairy tales. But Bella--Isabella Beauchamps, daughter of a wealthy merchant--vows to escape the usual pitfalls.

Anxious to avoid the Traditional path, Bella dons a red cloak and ventures into the forbidden forest to consult with "Granny," the local wisewoman. But on the way home she's attacked by a wolf--who turns out to be a cursed nobleman Secluded in his castle, Bella is torn between her family and this strange man who creates marvelous inventions and makes her laugh--when he isn't howling at the moon.

Breaking spells is never easy. But a determined beauty, a wizard (after all, he's only an occasional werewolf) and a little godmotherly interference might just be able to bring about a happy ending....

Beauty and the Werewolf is the 6th book in Mercedes Lackey's Five Hundred Kingdoms series.  Each book in the series is based on a fairytale, and in this case, obviously, the fairytale is Beauty and the Beast - my favourite.

Ms Lackey has crafted a delightful fantasy with a feisty Beauty and a sweet and lovable Beast, well most of the time, anyway.  What makes this tale different is the addition of an extra antagonist, who has more sides to him than can be counted and who I found myself loving and hating in equal measure.

What I particularly enjoyed about this version of the story are the nods to Cinderella and Red Riding Hood.  Beauty has a stepmother and two stepsisters and goes to visit Granny in the woods wearing her red cape.  So much fun! Then there are the magic mirrors and mysterious servants in the mirror, a la Snow White. And don't forget the invisible servants! Add in a pinch of Tradition and Ms Lackey takes the traditional tale and twists it this way and that to produce an entrancing story that I finished in one day and loved every minute of.

Fairytale lovers, if you haven't yet encountered Ms Lackey's Five Hundred Kingdoms, then give yourself a treat and search them out.  They shouldn't be too hard to find.

1.The Fairy Godmother
2. One Good Knight
3. Fortune's Fool
4. The Snow Queen
5. The Sleeping Beauty
6. Beauty and the Werewolf