Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

I didn't expect to like this book.  Artemis Fowl came to my attention during a time when a lot of other teen or young adult novels were becoming wildly popular, and they all seemed too alike for my taste.  However, I like the dark side of young Master Fowl.  I like the strange way the character sucks you in to the story, despite the fact that he really is the bad guy of the tale.  This story centers around a brilliant 12 year old boy who masterminds a plan to rob fairies of their gold.  It's like nothing you've ever read before, even if you consider yourself to be an expert on fairies or teen novels.  This one is dark, interesting, and yet amazingly addictive.  I, for one, will be searching for the next in the series.  Five smiles and a wink for the twist I spent the entire book trying to figure out. Do yourself a favor, and check out this fast read.

Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey

This first book in the Drake Chronicles was a freebie being offered on my nook.  Always being interested in new authors and their writing styles, I gave it a chance.  This book was fun and entertaining, a quick read that could easily become someone's guilty pleasure. The book follows the Drake family, vampires, and their family troubles.  The story is much more geared toward teenagers, in that it stays in the teenage realm and doesn't venture into adult topics (like some other vampire novels).  Harvey is obviously a more green writer, her style is developing and is not perfect.  That being said, I'm planning on getting the other Drake Chronicles soon because her characters were well developed and interesting.  This one earns 3 smiles.

Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson is back and this time he's Roman!  My excitement for this book began when I finished The Lost Hero and realized that this book must exist.  I was not at all disappointed. Percy is better than he has ever been, with more confidence.  Mr. Riordan also does an amazing job, once again, at keeping our Greek and Roman mythology accurate and interesting.  Percy's new pals, Hazel and Frank, are two of my new favorite people.  My only complaint?  The 3rd book in this series isn't currently in my hands (although it just hit shelves last week).  Five big, huge smiles.  Coincidentally, this book is also highly recommended for teens.