Tut: the Story of My Immortal Life

Thanks to a nearly deadly standoff with his murdering uncle a couple thousand years ago, Tut has been trapped in the body and mind of fourteen year old ever since.  Something happened in that moment when Horemheb tried to kill his nephew, and now the two are immortal.

Now Tut lives in Washington D.C. with his gods-appointed protector/babysitter Gill, the cat form of the god Horus, and an army of shabtis.  This makes for an interesting life, but things are about to crazy because Horemheb is back with the cult of Set in tow.  Horus and Set are old enemies and Tut and Horemheb are playing for opposing teams.

Now Tut has to figure out a way to defend himself from his immortal enemy and an angry god.  Plus, he's got normal stuff like an overeager partner for a project on Egyptian history and a crush on the new girl who is cute but maybe not trustworthy.

I think Percy Jackson fans will enjoy P.J. Hoover's new book, but it was a real struggle for me to finish it.  I think it kind of fall into that Twilight category of wasted immortality.  Yes, you are trapped in a teenager's body, but do you really think repeating the same few grades over and over is the best use of your time?  You could be curing disease or traveling the world, but instead you play video games and repeat the 8th grade forever.  I think I would've liked this a lot more if Tut had been magically transported to the future or been in gods induced coma or something.

The Mark of the Thief

Nic has been a slave for years, toiling away in the miles for his cruel master Sal.  Everything changes when the miners discover a forgotten tunnel rumored to contain the lost treasure of Julius Caesar himself.  The only problem is the first man sent to the cave never returned, and the second has been reduced to a babbling fool.  Nic wants nothing to do with this supposed treasure, but when General Radulf shows up demanding that Nic, because he is the smallest slave, descend to cave, he has no choice but to comply.

Once inside, Nic must battle a griffin to get a bulla once owned by Caesar.  He is supposed to deliver the bulla to Radulf, but now that he has it, he decides to keep it for himself.

Thus begins a tale of magic, treason, and political machinations. Now Nic is thrust into the midst of a vicious power struggle in the heart of Rome itself.

 Fans of Jennifer A. Nielsen's Ascendance Trilogy will enjoy the action and adventure in this new book.  Recommended for adventure fans and those hungry for more mythology after the Percy Jackson series.  The gods don't make an appearance in this book, but they are a powerful force in the story.

Beware the Wild

When Sterling Saucier's brother walked into the swamp, she knew nothing good would come of it.  Everyone is Sticks, Louisiana, knows swamps are dangerous.  There are all kinds of predators lurking in all swamps, but the Sticks swamp is different.  There are stories about the people it's taken and the supernatural creatures who live there.  There's is even a fence to keep the swamp back and the people out.

This is why Sterling knows Phin was past angry when he strode off into the murky swamp.  He was gone for an entire day, and then someone came out--someone not Phin.  This new creature, a beautiful girl named Lenora May, eases into Phin's life like it is nothing, and Sterling is the only one who even remembers she has a brother.  Everyone else, including her mother, only remembers her sister, Lenora May.

Sterling is determined to find out the truth and get her brother back.  She finds an unlikely ally in the handsome but reckless loner Heath.  He has his own reasons to distrust the swamp, and he seems to be the only one who believes her.

As Sterling and Heath dig into the past, they discover the history of the swamp is much more complicated than either of them could have imagined.  And saving may come at a price that is dear to them both.

Read Natalie C. Parker's southern Gothic ghost story for thrills, suspense, and a touch of romance. This was a dark, moody, and thoroughly enjoyable read.

Summer of the Mariposas

Odilia and her sisters are left to run wild after their father abandons them.  Their Mama is stuck in a fog of depression and constant working to pay the bills, and the cinco hermanitas spend the summer days swimming in the river.

Everything changes the day they find the dead man floating in the river.  They are afraid to call the authorities because they know if he is an illegal his family may never find out what happened to him.  So they decide to steal the junky car their father left behind and take the man home to his family in Mexico.

Odilia is opposed to the plan at first, but when La Llorona appears to her to tell this is a quest she and her sisters must complete together, she reluctantly decides to go.  After all, their abuelita doesn't live far from the man's home, and it's been years since they've seen her.

On the way the sisters will have to face dangers both normal and paranormal.  They will have to evade border guards, a witch, the lechuzas (owl creatures with human heads), and even the chupacabras!  Will the cinco hermanitas be able to complete their quest?

Guadalupe Garcia McCall wrote this book because of a conversation she had with her students one day while teaching The Odyssey.  One of the girls in her class asked why all the stories where about old white guys, so she decided to write her own version of the story using sisters and Mexican folklore.

The Red Pyramid

Fans of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books should definitley give The Kane Chronicles a try!  The Red Pyramid is the first book in the trilogy, and all three books are now available.

Sadie and Carter Kane may be brother and sister, but they've only seen each other once or twice a year since their mother's death.  Sadie grew up in London with her mother's parents, and Carter has spent the past years traveling the world with their father, a respected Egyptologist.

When their father is involved in a accident and disappears, Sadie and Carter are thrown together into a new and dangerous world where magic is real and the gods of ancient Egypt not only existed, but they are alive and free in the modern the world.

But Sadie and Carter aren't innocent bystanders.  They are descendants of two powerful ancient families, and this brother and sister team must learn to work together and master their abilities or lose the world to the forces of chaos!

Visit Rick Riordan's website to find out more about this series and all his books and explore cool extras and info.

Sweet Venom

This is the latest book from Tera Lynn Childs, author of Forgive My Fins, Oh. My. Gods, and other books.  Sweet Venom goes back to the world of Greek mythology with the story of Gretchen, Grace, and Greer, three girls adopted into different families.  Though they are adopted and come from different backgrounds, they can't deny that they are physically identical.  The shock of finding long lost triplet sisters isn't the only thing they'll have to deal with!

Gretchen is the only one of the sisters who knows anything about who they really are, descendants of Medusa.  Forget everything you learned about the hideous gorgon who could turn men to stone with a single glance.  That's just a smear campaign from Athena who was jealous!  The truth is that Medusa was a guardian of the seal that separates the human world from the world of mythological creatures.  Regular humans can't see the truth about these creatures; the three sisters are the only ones who can.

Gretchen thought she had everything figured out, but now her mentor is gone, two new untrained sisters have appeared, and the beasties are popping up everywhere!  These sisters will have to discover the truth, protect the humans, and keep from getting killed themselves, but first they'll have to figure out how to keep from killing each other!

We have a signed copy of Sweet Venom and a signed ARC of Sweet Shadows, the not-yet-published sequel to give away at the Biggest Reader party!  Get your tickets ready!

No book trailer yet, but I'll add one when I find one.  Here is a video of the author talking about making character collages.  You can see some examples for this book at Tera Lynn Child's website.