The Girl with All the Gifts

by M.R. Carey

NOT EVERY GIFT IS A BLESSING

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class.

When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite. But they don't laugh.

Melanie is a very special girl.
(summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

Normally anything that even hints of scary I don't give a chance, but this book hooked me from the first line and made me read all of it... just not before bed. Seriously.
It was one of the most thrilling reads of the summer. A wonderful exploration of humanity and what it means to be human. There are no easy answers. I loved this book.

The Wolves in the Walls

by Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author), Dave McKean (Illustrator)

Lucy hears sneaking, creeping,
crumpling noises
coming from inside
the walls.

She is sure there are
wolves living in
the walls
of her house.

(Retrieved from goodreads.com)

I stumbled across this gem in my grad school library of all places and read it about three times over the course of an hour. Lets just say I wish I had been as much of a bad-ass as Lucy when I was her age.
Fantastic illustrations. They go with the story perfectly.

Let the Right One In

by John Ajvide Lindqvist

It is autumn 1981 when the inconceivable comes to Blackeberg, a suburb in Sweden. The body of a teenage boy is found, emptied of blood, the murder rumored to be part of a ritual killing. Twelve-year-old Oskar is personally hoping that revenge has come at long last—revenge for the bullying he endures at school, day after day.

But the murder is not the most important thing on his mind. A new girl has moved in next door—a girl who has never seen a Rubik’s Cube before, but who can solve it at once. There is something wrong with her, though, something odd. And she only comes out at night....

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

So my flight had been delayed by about 4 hours and I tried desperately not to loose my mind. I felt like getting violent when all of a sudden... I spotted this book in the Waterstones bookshop in Heathrow Terminal 4. I figured it would be safer and legal-er for a [hopefully] fictional character to kill people instead of me resorting to such things. I loved the two main characters and the dark new take on vampires. This is the perfect example of fiction featuring young protagonists that was definitely not intended for the young. Absolutely captivating, regardless of the fact that I was trapped in Heathrow forever.

Fevre Dream

by George R.R. Martin

When struggling riverboat captain Abner Marsh receives an offer of partnership from a wealthy aristocrat, he suspects something’s amiss. But when he meets the hauntingly pale, steely-eyed Joshua York, he is certain. For York doesn’t care that the icy winter of 1857 has wiped out all but one of Marsh’s dilapidated fleet. Nor does he care that he won’t earn back his investment in a decade. York has his own reasons for wanting to traverse the powerful Mississippi. And they are to be none of Marsh’s concern—no matter how bizarre, arbitrary, or capricious his actions may prove.
(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

I haven't worked up the emotional stamina to handle the Game of Thrones series, I hesitate to admit. However, Martin's style, his talent, is unquestionable. I decided to start with this work of his and I'm quite pleased I did. If you like a good horror/adventure/vampire tale, this is dark enough to be taken seriously and has incredible character development and interaction. It was perfect for my daily commute when I wanted to desperately dispose of the teeming masses I was sandwiched between. I'm grateful, however, that Martin's fantastic characters did so for me. Thanks ladies and gents.