The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

From Goodreads.com:

   High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness. Angry and alone, he takes refuge in his imagination and soon finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. While his family falls apart around him, David is violently propelled into a world that is a strange reflection of his own -- populated by heroes and monsters and ruled by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book, The Book of Lost Things.

   I was hooked on The Book of Lost Things by page three. There was an awesome paragraph on the lives of stories. I was sold. Wow. Add to it the Crooked Man. He is one creeeepy fellow. Even his name elicits a dread in my soul. I knew in my heart not to believe in him but at times he didn't seem quite so bad. He is very convincing. And David's courage... I loved many things about this book. 

   I got this book thinking it was going to be a fun young adult read. I was wrong. John Connolly took a few of your childhood fairy tales and twisted them around into something much darker. I've heard that all fairy tales stem from dark roots and I feel like The Book of Lost Things kind of took me back there. This is definitely not young adult. I think that a teen could easily read and love this book, but it is adult fiction.

   If you like Gregory Maguire I'd give this book a chance. It has a much different feel to it, but I think it's similar enough for you to enjoy. If you're a teen who loved The Lunar Chronicles, this might be a good read for you, assuming you liked it for more than the multiple love stories. I recommend this book to fans of fairy tales everywhere! 

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

From Goodreads.com:
   Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl.
   Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.

   This cover art caught my eye a while ago, but the book just wasn't high on my list, until I was at work without my best friend to talk with. I was browsing my Overdrive app looking for audio books I could check out from the library and this is what I came across. I listened to this book in two days. I just didn't want to stop, every car ride became another chapter to hear.
   Cinder is a young adult book, and I think it's a relatively clean one. I've recently read some YA books that have some pretty questionable morals and language in them, this isn't one of them. Other than mild language I think this one was good for the younger YA audience. I did get slightly annoyed with some of the younger dramatics, but I'm sure if I were a teen this would just be perfect.
   I've also listened to book two, Scarlet and it's just as good, but there's more violence. I haven't read/listened to book three yet but The Lunar Chronicles seems to be a very promising series. If you're a fan of the retelling of fairy tales you should like this book. If you like Gregory Maguire or Once Upon a Time these are the next books you should check out.