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Psyche loses her first love to self-doubt, sure that she can’t be enough for a god. After he leaves, she sets about punishing herself in hopes of getting him back. She travels through Orpheus, Hades, her mother, Demeter. Eventually, she moves back home to work for her stepmother, who is fond of turning her into flowers and other things with which to make her dresses. But even Aphrodite can see how Psyche suffers, and one day brings her a book. A book so much like her life that she writes the author, and they agree to meet.
Finally, she has found her Eros. And is content in knowing that when he leaves this time, she will have a part of him with her always. Their child.
Follow her journey, in this modern retelling of popular greek myths.
Forewarning: there are brief instances where the language is fairly expicit; therefore, I would probably recommend this book for older teens only. But it’s only a couple of words, and it’s only a couple of times.
Any FLB lover will definitely appreciate Psyche. But it’s not Weetzie Bat, I guess that’s all I’m saying.
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Bella Swan isn’t looking forward to life in Forks. Though her dad is easy to be around, she’s spent most of her life without him. On top of which, she can’t stand the weather, and she knows she won’t fit in.
So when the first week of school is full of stares and whispers, Bella’s not surprised. Some of her classmates seem friendly enough, though some also seem overly friendly. All in all, things seem to be going fairly well. Until Biology, when her lab partner takes an immediate dislike to her, more along the lines of hatred.
When Edward Cullen stops coming to school, Bella assumes it must somehow be her fault, and can’t imagine what she did that was so bad. She finds out from a classmate that the Cullens are frequently absent, being big campers, and is somewhat appeased. But unprepared for Edward’s reappearance and attitude change.
While most of the school stears clear of the Cullen family, and Bella herself finds them intimidating, she’s also enthralled, especially with the ever-changing Edward. After he saves her life, it only gets more complex. The more she learns, the more curious she becomes, and the more reticent he is to tell her.
This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. The story is great, and the characters will pull you right in. I, myself, am currently awaiting the sequel (with not enough patience).
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Henry Atherton thought he was living a pretty normal life. Sure, working for Mr. Fogarty could be strange, as the man was completely paranoid, but all in all things were good. He even made his cardboard pig fly–and that’s no mean feat. But when he comes down to breakfast to find his Mother acting strangely, and his father turns up acting even stranger, he starts to get the feeling something is amiss.
He mulls it over on the ride to Mr. Fogarty’s with his father, and bites the bullet when he gets let off, and asks his father if he’s having an affair. The answer he receives sends him reeling. So, while cleaning out Mr. Fogarty’s shed and realizing the cat has caught a miniature person with winds, and NOT a butterfly as he first suspected, he captures the thing in a jamjar and takes it to Fogarty, sure things can’t get much weirder.
At home later, he starts to think he must have been crazy to believe in faeries, even if he had been just talking to one. But he knows it was real. When he arrives the next day to find Fogarty with a youth about his own age, things get better and odder all at once.
As promised, Pyrgus has returned to his actual size.
Pyrgus and Henry break into Henry’s school to gather components needed to build a portal to enable Pyrgus to get back home, where he’s certain plots against his father are unfolding. After delivering the parts, Henry’s bit is meant to be done. He’s promised never to see Mr. Fogarty again. But after many days of unanswered calls, he can’t take it anymore, and heads to Fogarty’s to make sure everything is all right.
By this time, Pyrgus has disappeared through the portal and no one’s sure where he is, and his father has come through and gone back with Mr. Fogarty in tow. Henry manages to find the clues left behind and open the portal himself to get through.
After arriving at the Purple Palace, things take one unfortunate turn after another. Only though a stroke of imagination does Henry manage to turn things back around.
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David Case’s life took a definitive turn towards desolation the day his baby brother contemplated flight at the suggestion of a passing bird. Only happening to look up by chance, David is just in time to pull Charlie back from the window ledge before he leaps. Charlie can see his brother is very disturbed by this, but no matter how clearly he tries to explain himself, David doesn’t seem to understand.
Certain that fate is out to get him, David decides drastic action is needed. He must go into hiding. He will become someone else. Justin Case.
While shopping at a thrift store for a new wardrobe to go with his new persona, Justin meets Agnes, a very eclectic sort of girl who seems to love nothing better than photographing him. They strike up a friendship of sorts, which goes well for awhile, and then takes a turn towards disaster once Justin decides he’s in love.
Justin also invents an invisible dog for himself–a greyhound called Boy. His friend Peter and his sisters, and Justin’s brother Charlie are able to see him too, but otherwise, he mainly gets strange looks when interacting with his pet.
Charlie continues throughout the year to try to explain himself to Justin. He can see that his older brother is a changed person, ever since the incident with the flying. But even when he manages to spell out JST IN CASE WHAT with his ABC blocks, he can’t get through to Justin.
After being present for a completely incredible plane crash at Luton Airport, Justin sleeps even farther into despair in paranoia. He moves in first with Agnes, and then with Peter. What will it take for Justin Case to get his life back?
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At age 7, Henry Day runs away from home and hides himself in an old Chestnut tree in the woods. He thinks he’s clever when he hides from the rescue workers sent out to seek him. But everything changes when his rescue turns instead to a kidnapping.
Told in alternating chapters by Aniday, Henry as a changeling, and Henry, the changeling who took his place, this is a compelling and complex story of the thin line between fantasy and reality, myth and the real world, the search for self and the meaning of family.
After nearly a century living amongst the faeries in the woods, the new Henry is excited to be back in the world. But as he grows he meets with much discontent. A childhood love of music leads to displeasure and disappointment. A search for his original family leads to unsettling realizations. The birth of his own son leads to constant paranoia and worry over the past and what it means for his future.
Aniday, at first confused and alone among the changelings, slowly comes to piece the halves of himself together. He struggles to retain his abilities to read and write, not wanting to lose everything of himself. But memories of his other life, and the family he knows he once had, fade with time, and Speck, Chavisory and the others become his family.
As the outside world encroaches more and more upon the wild, life as a changeling becomes more and more difficult. A series of events, unfortunate and accidently, shakes things up even further, until everyone is left with endless questions and no sense of certainty about the way things are and the way they should be.
Will peace be found by our narrators? can such a thing even be?
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In this sequel to Airborn, we pick up about where we left off. Matt’s taken his money and used it to enroll in the Airship Academy, sending some home for his mother and sister’s. Kate has enrolled in the Sorbonne and taken up flying lessons. The adventure begins with Matt’s internship about the Flotsam.
Assistant to the Navigator, he’s learning things he never really took the time to notice board the Aurora. He was always more concerned with the flying than the routes. And while he appreciates his realization of the importance of the Navigator to a ship, he can’t wait to be done with the Flotsam, whose captain is questionable at best. When he flies them straight into a storm, Matt is sure he’s mad. When they get through, he begins to rethink his opinion…until they get caught in an updraft, and having jettisoned their ballast, are all but powerless to stop their ascent.
While floating at dangerous heights, they stumble upon an incredible discovery–an airship that has become myth, declared lost years ago. At 20,000 feet she floats, a ghost ship. The captain means to salvage her, but as the crew one by one all succumb to air sickness, Matt goes against orders, vents the ship’s hydrium, and saves their lives.
Despite the manner of the discovery, the news is still magical. While he feels a deep sadness when he hears of the loss of the navigator, Matt also realizes this makes him the only person to now know the coordinates of the mythical Hyperion. He can’t wait to tell Kate. Only Kate’s already found out. The story, it seems, has been leaked. This makes the idea less appealing.
When a meeting with a supposed member of the family of the deceased owner of the Hyperion turns bad, Matt starts to second-guess everything. Whether finding the ship was a good thing after all, whether Kate’s scheme to go after it is insanity or a worthwhile dream. An attempt on his life and the discovery of another man in Kate’s house make his mind up for him.
And still things don’t go his way. The very ship he and his newfound partner Nadira mean to hire is the same ship Kate has already hired, its owner the very man Matt spied in her house. And yet, the ragtag crew strikes a deal. Hal has the ship, Kate has the funds, Nadira the key, Matt the coordinates.
This adventure is even more fantastic than the last. An excellent read, highly recommended.
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