Black

Summary
Fleeing assailants through deserted alleyways, Thomas Hunter narrowly escapes to the roof of a building. Then a silent bullet from the night clips his head . . . and his world goes black.
From the blackness comes an amazing reality of another world where evil is contained. A world where Thomas Hunter is in love with a beautiful woman.
But then he remembers the dream of being chased through an alleyway as he reaches to touch the blood on his head. Where does the dream end and reality begin?
Every time he falls asleep in one world, he awakes in the other. Yet in both, catastrophic disaster awaits him . . . may even be caused by him.

Some say the world hangs in the balance of every choice we make. Now the fate of two worlds hangs in the balance of one man's choices.

Afterthoughts
Have you ever wondered about other dimensions or parallel universes? This book, and the rest of the Circle series, explores the possibility of another world that is every bit as real as ours. Unfortunately, to Thomas, this truth is hard to grasp when he is the one bouncing between the two.
Yet, though this aspect of the story is a fixating hook, it will barely prepare you for this book's power.
The entire series is a wonderfully written, intriguing and stunning metaphor for the biblical story of redemption through creation, the fall, the crucifixion, the resurrection and God's continued wooing of His people. By taking insubstantial forces, such as good and evil, and making them physical in the parallel universe, Dekker makes abstract ideas easily understandable.
The truth woven into these metaphors will leave you reeling.
And, intermixed with this incredible 'otherworld story' is a fight to save this world from utter destruction. I have read this series countless times over the past 8 years, including last summer, and it astounds me every time. If you have time, go get it and read it. You will not be disappointed. I guarantee it.

Warnings
None.

Extras
Dekker's Facebook page.
Not really an extra (more of a cool fact), but one neat thing about the Circle series is that the four books literally go full circle. I don't want to give it away, but it is a really awesome technique. So, just if you needed extra incentive...

The Demon King

Summary
One day Han Alister catches three young wizard setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han takes an amulet away from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to ensure the boy won't use it against him. The amulet once belonged to the Demon King, who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece so powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.
Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana'Marianna has her own battle to fight. She's just returned to court after three years of riding and hunting with her father's family. Raisa aspires to be like Hanalea, the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But it seems that her mother has other plans for her — plans that include a suitor who goes against everything the Queendom stands for.

Afterthoughts
When I started this book, I was unsure how I would like it because it seemed to echo so many other books. Male and female main characters who each tell the story in alternating chapters — check. Subtle hints that afore mentioned characters will be love interests — check. Wizards, wolf-queen ghosts, natives who control the land's magic and a princess who actually wants to rule her kingdom — che- Wait, what?
This book, and the following series, surprised me and kept me intrigued until the end. I always enjoy the different ways authors portray magic in their stories, rarely is it the same. The story was easy to follow and threw unexpected twists, which is always a pleasure.
I enjoyed the main characters and the balance they each brought to the storytelling, as well as their personalities.
And, unlike most books and movies, I enjoyed the second, third and fourth books even more than the first. Definitely one to try.

Warnings
None.

Extras
Read the first chapter!
Chima has a bunch of resources for the series on her site.

Champion

Summary
June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has.

Afterthoughts
***Gush Warning***
I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! IT TOTALLY MADE THE TRILOGY AND I AM SO HAPPY WITH THE WAY IT ENDED!!!!
***End of gush. You may proceed.***
Silly, I know, but I couldn't contain my excitement with the way Lu ended the trilogy. So many of the recently published books I have read lately have ended with major tragedy — through the death of a main character or some other 'heartbreaking event' — and it is ruining perfectly good books. I don't know what started the 'kill your characters for no reason' trend, but inundation of dead main characters is overkill (pun intended) and, frankly, tends to feel like a cop out by an author who does not know how to end her story.
Now, rant aside, "Champion" was an appropriate ending to a trilogy that has interested me for the past few years. (In fact, you can read my review of the first book, Legend, here.) Main characters Day and June are great point-of-views to read and each brings a unique flavor to the story.
As a dystopian, the book presents a depressing view of a very changed America after world devastation. This imagined world and its politics and issues, along with a host of characters that range from snarky rogues to collected officials, creates a story that demonstrate the pain of sacrifice and the difficulty in choosing who to trust when everything is falling apart.

Warnings
Some mild language and a sex scene, not explicit.

Extras
The book trailer, which includes some cool parkour:

The book trailer for "Prodigy," the second book in the trilogy, which also has some awesome parkour:

The Warrior Heir

Summary
Before he knew about the Roses, 16-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high-schoolers. Then one day Jack skips his medicine. Suddenly, he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before. And it feels great-until he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts.
Soon, Jack learns the startling truth about himself: He is Weirlind; part of an underground society of magical people who live among us. At the head of this magical society sit the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing The Game-a magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death. The winning house rules the Weir.

As if his bizarre magical heritage isn't enough, Jack finds out that he's not just another member of Weirlind — he's one of the last of the warriors — at a time when both houses are scouting for a player.

Afterthoughts
This is the second series I have read by Williams and it was quite different than I had expected. Instead of a story set in a fantastic, magical world, I got a story set in boring old reality.
Or, at least, that was what I thought.
Williams creates the kind of story many people hope to find themselves in: a normal person who discovers he has extraordinary powers and has been destined for greatness since he was a baby. Sign me up.
And, though the story is a bit cliche (I guessed the biggest plot twist less than halfway into the book), the characters and blend of reality and fantasy made it worth the read. I love books that create worlds that could (somewhat) believably fit into reality (Harry Potter, anyone?) and this was one of those books. Williams takes well-known history, such as the War of the Roses, and gives it a magical twist, which is quite intriguing.
So, if you're between books and don't know what to read, you might give "The Warrior Heir" a try.

Warnings
None.

Extras
Read the first chapter of "The Warrior Heir," or...
Read the first chapter of the sequel, "The Wizard Heir."

Hangman's Curse

Summary
The Veritas Project is their code name—but only a handful of people know teens Elijah and Elisha Springfield have been covertly commissioned by the President to investigate strange mysteries that delve into the paranormal and supernatural. Their charge is to find out not only what happened, but why—the veritas (Latin for truth) behind the seemingly impossible phenomena.
Their new assignment: Hangman's Curse

In Baker, Washington, three popular student athletes lie in an incoherent coma, with loss of muscle coordination, severe paranoia, and hallucinations. It's whispered that they're victims of Abel Frye—a curse that's haunted the school since a student died there in the 1930s. Now the curse is spreading, and students are running scared. The Veritas Project must go undercover to find the truth . . . before it's too late.

Afterthoughts
Frank Peretti is a literary master and, of all his works, this is one of my favorites. "Hangman's Curse"  is thrilling, realistically believable and creepy enough to make you dig out that old nightlight. You've been warned.
Elijah and Elisha are two kids who are very different from most teenagers. They're highly trained spies who get to travel around and solve freaky mysteries. Basically, the dream-selves of many teenagers who wish for a more exciting reality, myself included.
I read this book when I was 12 and have read it a few times since, enjoying it each time. The characters are relatable and likable and the plot twist is completely unexpected. And creepy. Peretti provides a story that gives a thrill, but also addresses deeper topics. It's not your average horror story.
So, crack open those pages and reach for that nightlight. Really. You're gonna need it.

Warnings
Supernatural themes (like ghosts) and general creepy-crawly horror.

Extras
There's a movie! Watch the trailer:

The Obvious Game

Summary
"The Obvious Game" is a journey into anorexia. Diana starts out normal enough, but soon the spiraling reality of her mother's health and her growing relationship with a high school wrestler cutting weight find her helpless against the new rules taking shape in her mind. "The Obvious Game" is a look into the psychology of anorexia and how Diana finds her way back.

Afterthoughts
I read "The Obvious Game" because I recently did some beta reading for Rita Arens' next book (Which is great, by the way. You should definitely read it when it's released.) and I wanted to get a feel for her writing style and focus before I gave her feedback.
When I started reading the book and learned what it was about, I had to walk away from it for a few days because it hit way too close to home. I have seen the effects of an eating disorder firsthand and it was startling to find such a realistic treatment of this difficult topic. I am ever so glad I continued reading, though, because it was a gut-wrenchingly honest and somewhat painful look into the damage an eating disorder brings into a person's life.
Arens also struggled with an eating disorder in college and she uses her experience to write an emotionally powerful account of a young girl who experiments with alcohol, sex and self-harm to find the answers to her questions about life.
So, while this book was not the best-written or most gripping story I have ever read, it was one that resonated with my own experience. And isn't that really what makes a good story?

Warnings
Self-harm, underage drinking, sex and language (including some F-words). Like always, I will never recommend anything explicit, but I'm giving this one a stronger warning than usual.

Extras
Check out Rita's blog.