Green Lantern: Secret Origin by Geoff Johns Illustrated by Ivan Reis YP FIC JOHNS

Hal Jordan is afraid. He witnessed his dad’s death as a child and has never let go of the fear and hatred it caused. Now he has been chosen to be a Green Lantern, a guardian and protector of the universe. He has the power to create anything he wills, but first he must team up with the greatest Green Lantern, Sinestro and solve the murder of the alien that granted him his ring. However, what they find is the beginning of an ancient prophecy that could lead to an evil like no other and the only way to stop it is for Hal Jordan to face his fears.

This is a really clever retcon of the Green Lantern origin story. Retcons are when writers go back to part of a heroes official past storyline and rewrite it to make way for new stories. In this case it helps set up a relationship with Hal Jordan and one of his greatest enemies ( Sinestro) and sets up the upcoming Blackest Night comic. What makes this comic work is that is gives readers a fresh beginning and jump right into the Green Lantern universe. It also has plenty of popular characters form the Green Lantern universe so long time fans will enjoy it too. The art is absolutely top notch with excellent detail throughout. This is just a good old fashioned super hero story with a strong central character. If you are a fan of super hero books or have liked super hero movies of the past few years you should really have fun with this one.

Blue Bloods: Keys to the Repository by Melissa De La Cruz YPFIC DELACRUZ

This companion piece to the Blue Bloods novels gives a deeper look into the world of our favorite high society bloodsuckers. With a complete back story of the previous novels, in depth character profiles, maps, character journal entries and letters, and brand new short stories this companion is both a perfect introduction for new readers wanting to jump into the series and a juicy morsel for fans to suck dry before the next novel.

I always look at companion books with skepticism. They sometimes seem like they are just a way to pull together cast off writings to make some extra dough between novels. But Keys has enough new material to be worth a look to hardcore fans. However, I think it will be most enjoyed by newcomers or those that may be hazy on some of the details of the books between readings. It is a fun and easy way to find out about the Blue Bloods’ world and the characters that inhabit it. So if you think you may want to read a new vampire series with plenty of mystery and romance then you really should grab the first novel Blue Bloods or just jump into this much shorter companion.

The Beautiful Dead: Jonas by Eden Maguire YP FIC MAGUIRE

Something very odd is happening at Ellerton High. Four students have died within the space of a year: Jonas, Arizona, Summer, and now Phoenix. People say they have started to see ghosts and hear the strange sound of thousands of wings beating at once. Darina was Phoenix’s girlfriend and isn’t sure what to think about all the rumors until she sees Phoenix and then the rest of the dead students. Are the Beautiful Dead real or is Darina just losing her sanity? And if they are real what do they want with her?

This is a really good start to a paranormal-mystery-romance series. The pace is fast and there’s loads of cool superpowers and danger as well as the central romance. I thought most of the characters were kind of the same old same old that we see in these paranormal books, but the book has great pacing and description and should be a hit with people that enjoyed Twilight and its ilk. Hopefully the characters are deeper and change as the series goes on. What’s sort of cool is that the Beautiful dead are kind of like a mix between Zombies and Angels, so we have something for everyone!

Silverfin: The Graphic Novel by Charlie Higson illustrated by Kev Walker YP FIC HIGSON

Something dark and deadly slithers in the waters of a Scottish castle. There is only one boy that can uncover the mysteries of the castle and stop a diabolical madman in his plan for global conquest: Bond, James Bond. This is the first adventure of a young James Bond discovering for the first time his innate ability at escaping any danger.

This is a fun and action filled comic with really good art, but not the best pacing. The novel of the same name(also by Higson and well worth reading YP FIC HIGSON) takes more time to set tone and character and by comparison the graphic novels seems to jump around from place to place. However, this is a fun comic in its own right and the finale is well and truly awesome. I just hope that future installments are a little better. If you’re looking for a fun quick comic read or are a young Bond fan, check it out.

Free? Stories About Human Rights by Amnesty International YP FIC FREE

Bringing together a truly impressive group of international authors, Free? asks the troubling question, “If some of us aren’t truly free, than are any of us?” Each one of the stories looks at young people struggling to assert their freedom and highlights one of the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Stories come from all across the globe from all sorts of young people showing that the struggle for freedom is truly never over.

I was surprised how enjoyable this book is. Since the subject matter is so Important and Serious, I thought I might get bored or depressed, but the stories are really well written and positive. All of them look at the possibility of hope and change in even the worst situations. My absolute favorite is Rita Williams-Garcia’s verse story about Katrina After the Hurricane. It is very emotionally powerful and has stayed with me. This is a good read for fans of realistic fiction, especially if you’re interested in foreign countries.