Review: Ancient Future by Traci Harding

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Publication Date: Omnibus 1st March 2014, originally 1996
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
ISBN: 9780732298784
Age Group: Young Adult (15+)
Genre: Fantasy, Time Travel, Science Fiction, History, Adventure
Source: Bookshelf!
Lootability: ***

Late one evening, an accident near a ring of stones throws Tory Alexander across the vortex of time and space to the Dark Ages. There she meets Prince Maelgwn of Gwynedd and his band of warriors, who initially brand her as a witch and are frightened by her strange appearance. They finally overcome their fears and soon the tales of her adventures, brave deeds and beauty spread across the land. Twenty years later, Tory Alexander, from the 20th century, has ruled as Queen in 6th century Britain. But dark forces are stirring...Tory seeks the advice of the triple Goddess, and the women of the Otherworld send Tory through time to Plato's City of the Golden Gates - Atlantis. Once there Tory has to find her own way home, and a cure for the High King's sickness. In an epic climax, the Shining Ones and the Chosen, who are hiding within the circuits of times, gather to defeat the evil ones and bring about a new age of awareness to the world. Yet again, Tory must draw on all of her courage, strength of character and resourcefulness.

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

#34 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Egmont USA
Country: USA
Publication Date: 28.12.2010
ISBN: 9781606840580
Page Count: 416

Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She was infected with the werewolf curse while trying to save him, and lost her beloved brother in the process. When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do. She must become a Hound of Heaven.
Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot—a newcomer to town who promises her that he can help her be a hero. But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel is put in danger—in more ways than one.
Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace begins to give into the wolf inside of her—not realizing that an enemy has returned and a deadly trap is about to be sprung.

The Divine family return in The Lost Saint six months after the life changing events of Dark Divine. Grace and Daniel are pushing themselves to adjust to their new selves while Grace's family are still suffering from Jude's continued absence. The Lost Saint throws more than one new complications into the romance of Grace and Daniel as another distraction in a new adventure.

Broken by Kelley Armstrong

#27 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Bantam Books/Spectra
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2005
ISBN: 0553588184
Page Count: 480

In this thrilling new novel from the author of Industrial Magic , a pregnant werewolf may have unwittingly unleashed Jack the Ripper on twenty-first-century—and become his next target. Ever since she discovered she’s pregnant, Elena Michaels has been on edge. After all, she’s never heard of another living female werewolf, let alone one who’s given birth. But thankfully, her expertise is needed to retrieve a stolen letter allegedly written by Jack the Ripper. As a distraction, the job seems simple enough—only the letter contains a portal to Victorian London’s underworld, which Elena inadvertently triggers—unleashing a vicious killer and a pair of zombie thugs. Now Elena must find a way to seal the portal before the unwelcome visitors get what they’re looking for—which, for some unknown reason, is Elena.

Broken is the sixth Women of the Otherworld novel by Kelley Armstrong. Set approximately 7 years after Bitten, Elena Danver (nee Michaels) is pregnant and terrified. The only female werewolf, Elena fears the unknown; of a child born to two werewolf parents. In the meantime, she is sick of being coddled by Clay and Jeremy, so when the opportunity comes to safely complete a job for a friend, Elena is excited to participate.

To Catch a Pirate by Jade Parker

#26 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Country: United States
Publication Date: May 2007
ISBN: 9780439026949
Page Count: 230

Once caught, it’s harder still to let a pirate go. When Annalisa Townsend’s ship is set upon by pirates in search of her father’s treasure, one of the crew, James Sterling, discovers her in the hold. When he moves to take her necklace, she begs him not to, as it is all she has left of her mother. He accepts a kiss in exchange for the necklace. “A fair trade, m’lady,” he tells her afterward, before disappearing. A year later, with a forged letter of marque, Annalisa is intent on hunting down the wretched James Sterling and reclaiming her father’s treasure from him. But now she’s in danger of him stealing something far more vulnerable this time: her heart.

To Catch a Pirate is Jade Parker’s first foray into the realm of pirates and she does it with ease. Unfortunately, while writing with ease may imply easy ready it does not also mean quality reading.

A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly

#15 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Harcourt’s Childrens Books
Country: United States
Publication Date: April 1, 2003
ISBN: 978-0-15-216705-9
Page Count: 400

Sixteen-year-old Mattie Gokey has big dreams but little hope of seeing them come true. Desperate for money, she takes a job at the Glenmore, where hotel guest Grace Brown entrusts her with the task of burning a secret bundle of letters. But when Grace’s drowned body is fished from the lake, Mattie discovers that the letters could reveal the grim truth behind a murder. Set in 1906 against the backdrop of the murder that inspired Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy, Jennifer Donnelly’s astonishing debut novel effortlessly weaves romance, history, and a murder mystery into something moving, and real, and wholly original. Includes a reader’s guide and an interview with the author.

Jennifer Donnelly’s most celebrated young adult novel, winner of the 2003 Carnegie Medal, A Gathering Light (also published as A Northern Light), is the inspiring tale of Mattie Gokey, a young woman desperate to further her education. The novel details important moments in Mattie’s life, the death of her Mother, her beau Royal Loomis and the general going’s on in her home town in the Adirondack Mountains. In addition, there are chapters detailing her work at the Glenmore Hotel, where a young woman has drowned and her partner is missing.