Nick Lake

Well, friends, this book made me do a little research on Haitian history and I can tell you I got really angry about it. Did you know a U.S. government-funded agency called the International Republican Institute contributed to the ousting of Haiti's democratically elected president in 2004? Just, ugh.

Anyway, this is a powerful book. It's dark, disturbing, and gripping. It has a mix of modern and historical characters. If you want to read a great review of it, try Patrick Ness' take in the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jan/20/in-darkness-nick-lake-review

The audiobook was very good. Not recommended for the squeamish or highly sensitive.… (meer)

3.5 Stars rounded up to 4

That was a really interesting and creative take on the legends of the Japanese Ninja and Samurai. I mean vampire ninjas is a pretty cool concept. This is slightly on the longer side but as I know there is a shortage of YA action adventure books with male protagonists I would still encourage high school librarians to give this one a read and see if it would work in their library. It's a really engaging story with a blend of fantasy, action, supernatural, mystery and historical fiction. There are also some really good supporting characters in this heroes and heroine's journey.

CW: There are references to seppuku and a lot of bloody fights (including beheading) and blood drinking incidents.

On a side note, I listened to it as an audiobook and I was really disappointed that the voice actor did not pronounce some of the frequently used Japanese words correctly.… (meer)