Among the Imposters

 

Among the Imposters is the second book in the Shadow Children series. 

With a fake ID Luke has finally emerged from the shadows into a school for boys. Terrified and unsure what to do Luke stumbles along confused and upset that no one seems to want to answer his questions. As Luke deals with being around other people for the first time in his life he is subjected to cruel hazing and witness to other bizarre acting boys. Or perhaps Luke is acting bizarre since he only has only interacted wit a handful of people before in his life. Unsure how to act, who to trust, and what to even do at school Luke stumbles from one problem to another as he unravels the web that is Hendrick's School for Boys.

I finished Among the Imposters in one sitting, since it is for middle school kids it was a fast read. The reader is left sort of confused at times though since Haddix uses word they invented and does not explain the words to the reader until Luke finds out what they mean. Overall the story was simple but full of twists and turns. Even though a different character takes center stage in Among the Betrayed I still want to read it. 

An Ember in the Ashes

 

A friend gave me An Ember in the Ashes and said she thought I would like it. She was right and she was wrong to an extent. The sheer amount of violence and torture really turned me off from the story. I would get into the story and read several chapters then the violence would make me stop. I really wish this was not classified as young adult since I feel it is too violent for that age group.

The story is told from duel points of view between Laia, a scholar in the empire is seen as no better then chattel. Her life is nothing to brag about but at least she has her grandparents and elder brother to help guide her in a dangerous world. All that changes when her brother is accused of treason and Laia harsh life becomes even worse. With no where to go and unsure what to do Laia turns to The Resistance, a band of rebels who do not want anything to do with her. 

Elias hates his life and what he is forced to do as a mask, the number one student at Blackrock he has learned over the years how to kill and be efficient in killing. Horrified at what he has become Elias wishes nothing more then to flee and run from the monster he has been trained to be. All his plans change though when his fate becomes intertwined with Laia's. 

The characters are amazing, I love seeing how much each of them grew. Even the side characters had a feel to them that made them have depth. Oddly enough Cook was one of my favorite characters and I do hope she will make an appearance in future books. 

Again my only flaw with the story is the violence it gets super intense in parts and made me feel queasy. However that does show the level or writing ability that Sabaa Tahir posses. Since I have the whole series I do plan on continuing the story but I need a break before I pick up A Torch in the Night. 

A Christmas Visitor

 

Once again A Christmas Visitor was the only book in the local free library. I also did not realize this was part of a series but it read okay as a standalone.

The story covers several different people and yet I still feel like I know them all.

Miranda is unsure about the direction her life is no longer going when she finds a unconscious man in her families orchard. After helping him to the house and calling for an ambulance she learns he has amnesia and has no clue how he ended up in the middle of the orchard. 

Reverend Ben is happy with his life as the town pastor and even happier when lots of people come to church that is until they believe an old angel statue found in the basement is performing miracles. Not wanting to ruin the faith of his congregation Ben tries to get the story behind the angel. 

Molly has it all finally, a devoted husband, lovely house, a successful catering business, and has almost finished raising her kids. Then suddenly she finds out she is pregnant and to make matters worse her husbands new partner is an old fling from medical school. 

Overall a fun and clean read. It had some humorous moments with a bit of drama thrown in at times. The writing was smooth and I never once had any problem figuring out which character was being talked about.