The Nightmare Garden

Author: Caitlin Kittredge

Narrator: Katie MacNichol
Title: The Nightmare Garden: The Iron Codex Book Two

Publication: February 14, 2012

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers /Listening Library

Genre: Graphic Novel, Comic Book

Pages: 432
Length: 14 hours and 19 minutes

Audience: 16 and up

Rating: 4 out of 5

Source: Public Library

Synopsis (from the Amazon.com): Everything Aoife thought she knew about the world was a lie. There is no Necrovirus. And Aoife isn't going to succomb to madness because of a latent strain—she will lose her faculties because she is allergic to iron. Aoife isn't human. She is a changeling—half human and half from the land of Thorn. And time is running out for her.

When Aoife destroyed the Lovecraft engine she released the monsters from the Thorn Lands into the Iron Lands and now she must find a way to seal the gates and reverse the destruction she's ravaged on the world that's about to poison her.

My thoughts:

 My plans were not to continue with the series, but I could not get the characters or the story out of my head. I also accidentally read the cover of the last book in the trilogy, and I just knew I had to read it. After listening to this novel and the first, I have come to the conclusion that the first book is mainly to set the stage and introduce all the characters. This book is mainly action and a lot of truths come out in this one. The evidence behind the truth was always there, but were you clever enough to catch it? I wasn't and at first I was shocked, but when I thought back on the story the little revelations made a lot of sense.
Aoife really steps it up in this book. She is no longer the good, quiet Victorian girl. She is her own woman whether or not others like it. She also makes her own decisions and pays dearly for their consequences, but she is not as naive and is ready to face the challenge. Her brother Conrad is such a jerk in this novel. I'm not sure how she ever looked up to him. Dean is just as charming. Aoife and Conrad's father is now in the picture but he cannot make up for lost time. Plus, Aoife is smart and has already made up her mind.
There are some new characters and they help the action sequences along. I feel like Aoife really steps up to the game and accepts the responsibility for all that she has done and will do. She is such a strong willed character. There is more action in this novel than the first. From the synopsis of the last book, it looks like it will be filled with some action and life or death situations.
 I really enjoy Katie MacNichol's audio performance. If there was ever a movie production of this series, she would have to play Aoife (as well as Dean, Betina, and Conrad, Narissa, etc). She does the narration so well! There is never any confusion of who is speaking when and the voices she does for each individual character has been unique. She is a wonderful narrator and makes this crazy, sci-fi, dystopian, steam punk story an enjoyable story to listen to. I cannot wait to get my hands on the audio version of The Mirrored Shard.

The Iron Thorn, The Iron Codex Book One: Audiobook

Author: Caitlin Kittredge
Narrator: Katie MacNichol

Title: The Iron Thorn, The Iron Codex Book One

Publication: February 14, 2012

Publisher: Ember

Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Steampunk

Length: 13 hours
Pages: 512

Audience: 17 and up

Rating: 4 out of 5

Source: Public Library

Synopsis (from Goodreads): In the city of Lovecraft, the Proctors rule and a great Engine turns below the streets, grinding any resistance to their order to dust. The necrovirus is blamed for Lovecraft's epidemic of madness, for the strange and eldritch creatures that roam the streets after dark, and for everything that the city leaders deem Heretical—born of the belief in magic and witchcraft. And for Aoife Grayson, her time is growing shorter by the day.
     Aoife Grayson's family is unique, in the worst way—every one of them, including her mother and her elder brother Conrad, has gone mad on their 16th birthday. And now, a ward of the state, and one of the only female students at the School of Engines, she is trying to pretend that her fate can be different.

My thoughts:
Umm...well...where to begin? I picked this book up and was interested by the cover and synopsis. So here is a quick run down of my reactions to the book. I was excited, I was a little nervous and thought it was weird, then I loved it, then I hated it and wanted it to be over, and then I was angry because it got pretty good at the end and left me hanging. The final book to the trilogy just came out so I can finish the trilogy...maybe. I'm just not sure I want to. This book makes you think you are reading a harmless young adult, dystopian, fantasy, steampunk novel...but in reality it drops you into a world of creatures orginially created by the master of horror,sci-fi, and fantasy himself, H.P. Lovecraft. If you love H.P. Lovecraft then I suggest you read it. Ms. Kittredge made many, many references to him and his works. I think she throws everything into the novel except Cthulhu (he may appear in the later novels). I know I put this in a horror genre. I wasn't really scared, but some of the descriptions were so gross and the monsters so scary that I would define it as more of a light-horror (if there is such a thing! Ha!)
The characters in the book are the only things that seem real in this crazy weird story. Aoife (pronounced like Ee-fa) is our main leading lady. She is strong willed, a bit naive, a bit gullible, but she won't let her disadvantages get in her way. Her disadvantages include being a girl and possibility of going mad on her 16th birthday. Like I said though, she is a tough character and I can respect her for that. Her best friend Cal, I wish he would have been killed off because he was so whiny and scared through most of the book. It really grated on my nerves. Dean was the sexy bad heretic who helps Aoife and Cal find their way. I really liked him because he looked like the big bad wolf, but inside he was a soft marshmallow. One character I just loved who was not a main character was the maid, Betina. I have no idea why I loved her because she could be annoying at times, but her accent was awesome, and she was a bit loveable with all the craziness around.
The audio was performed by Katie MacNichol. She was really great to listen to. She did different accents to a believable Scottish to a manly Cajun accent. She was really great and I enjoyed her audio. When she played Aoife she really acted the part. If Aoife was out of breath, angry, or crying Ms. MacNichol acted it out as she read. She kept me entertained even though the story seemed to drone on and on in parts. The audio was superb, the story was entertaining enough that I stuck with it. I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars.

Gone

Author: Michael Grant

Title: Gone

Publication: April 28, 2009

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Genre: Dystopian, Horror, Young adult

Pages: 576

Audience: 16 and up

Rating:5 out of 5

Source: Library

Synopsis (Amazon):

In the blink of an eye.

Everyone disappears.

Gone.

Everyone except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not a single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Gone, too, are the phones, internet, and television. There is no way to get help.Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day. It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen and war is imminent.The first in a breathtaking saga about teens battling each other and their darkest selves, gone is a whole new way.

My thoughts:

So say you’re a kid and you’re just sitting in class trying to at least look like your paying attention to the teacher’s boring lecture, and with out any warning, the teacher and every other person over the age of fourteen vanishes in to thin air. Pretty sweet, right? No school, no homework, nobody to tell you what to do, you can do whatever you want and nobody can say jack, in a word- freedom. Sounds great in theory until you realize there is no one around to fix you dinner, wash your clothes, take care of you when you’re sick, all the things the adults do that you take for granted. Now throw in some kids with mutant powers, and put your whole town in a big impenetrable sphere, and suddenly you have your self a pressure cooker. Gone is a dystopian story I can get behind, it’s not just another Hunger Games wannabe. There is no evil government here, just kids fighting to survive this new dangerous world they have found themselves in, a world were literally anything can and will go wrong. I read this first book then immediately read the next four books in the series, and cannot wait for the sixth and final one to come out. Even though this is a young adult series, and doesn’t have very harsh language or any real descriptions of sex, it does however have a ton of violence and gritty imagery. I highly recommend this book and its sequels.