Reader Girls Blog

Reading level: Ages 13 and up Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Balzer + Bray (October 25, 2011) ISBN-13: 978-0061802423 Blurb: A dark, gothic tale of romance… and murder.The latest book in the grippingly dark series, The Poison Diaries.Our heroine, Jessamine, has lost her faith in the men she loved, and her innocence as well. She turns to the dark side and plots to kill her father, using his own poisons, before becoming an assassin, a poisoner for hire. Can she recover from her heartache and reunite with her true love, Weed? Find out in this thrilling story where poisons, darkness and horror are a part of everyday life, and love is the only cure. My thoughts: I really enjoyed the intriguing world of alchemy Maryrose Wood created in  The Poison Diaries ( our review ) . In the first book teen Jessamine watches over her herbalist father, taking care of him and learning his craft. But not all of it. He omits the poison portion of his teachings--secretive research he's been condu

Spartacus the Gladiator by Ben Kane Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Category: Historical Fiction Available in Print and eBook, 480 pages Long the stuff of legends, Spartacus is known to most modern readers through the classic Kubrick film version of Howard Fast’s novel. Now bestselling historical novelist Ben Kane returns to the source material and presents a lively and compelling new vision of the man who was Spartacus—Roman army auxiliary, slave, gladiator and ultimately the leader of an army of slaves who nearly brought Rome to its knees. Ben Kane’s brilliant novel begins in the Thracian village to which Spartacus has returned after escaping from life as an auxiliary in the Roman army. Jealous of his attachment to Ariadne, a Dionysian priestess, the Thracian king betrays Spartacus to the Romans who take him, along with Ariadne, into captivity and to the school of gladiators at Capua. Against the background of the unbelievable brutality of gladiatorial life, Spartacus and Crixus