I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

Spies are wise. Spies are strong. But, most of all, spies are patient. We waited two weeks. TWO WEEKS! Do you know how long that is in fifteen-year-old-girl time? A lot. A LOT, a lot.
Cammie goes to a school for spies. Sure, they say it's for any job the girls would wish to take, when they graduate, but how many schools teach fourteen languages, how to decode CIA codes, and give extra credit for cracking the codes that protect U.S. spy satellites, and then expect you to go into a job as a banker? Yeah. Not so much. Cammie is a chameleon. No one notices her if she doesn't want them to. Until she meets Josh. Josh is a regular boy, who believes that Cammie is a regular girl; well, except for the fact that she's a "homeschooler" for "religious reasons". When she meets Josh, she decides to act on her instincts, and keep seeing him. With the help of her roommates, Bex, Liz, and Macey, she starts on the hard job.
I instantly imagined what it would be like to get a note like that myself someday. 'Darling, I may have to work late, so I might not be here when you get back. I hope you had a great time in North Korea and disabled lots of nuclear weapons. With all my love, Josh.' (But that's just a draft.)
I don't usually go for fluff books like this. Usually I try to have at least a little bit of substance to the books I read, but with this one, I didn't. I have to admit, this was an awesome book. It was definitely not a book that you can say was a hard read, or even a medium read. I read this book in probably about three hours. If I had to come with one word to describe this book, however, it would be "Hilarious." I would give this book... 4 stars (out of five).

The Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison

"He is one of my people," said Richon. "If I make an enemy of him, whose fault is it, his or mine?" Chala thought there was a simple answer to that question, but Richon apparently did not agree. "He lives," he said, with finality in his voice.
A bear, and a hound. A king, and a princess. They live together, getting along... most of the time, except for a few small fights... When, however, the king (now a bear), is asked by the man who transfigured him to go back in time, to when he was king, as a human, and make sure that magic will flourish in the future, the bear and the hound (now Richon and Chala), will have to find a way to stop the unmagic, restore peace to Richon's kingdom, and to figure out their own feelings towards each other.
A week after, a lack-witted noblewoman sat at dinner and mentioned casually that she thought that Chala's teeth were rather large for her face. Chala opened her mouth very wide and said, "And yet they are perfect for tearing flesh from bones. I always liked the taste of warm blood." The noblewoman went very still, then left the dinner table after a few minutes and did not return. She left the palace the following day and was not seen again. Chala was not sorry for her. But it stopped the rumors.
I loved this book. Not enjoyed... not liked... I loved it. It was well, written, and hilarious. Chala is a hound... and reading from a hound's point of view can be very entertaining, as you find out in this book. Reading the differences in opinion in this book- human and hound -are very satisfying, and the ending fills you up- the way a good book should. I would recommend this book to virtually anyone- especially people who like happy endings and strong heroes/heroines.
It was one of the most difficult things she had ever done. If only she could have simply leaped through the window and attacked. That was what the hound in her longed to do. Not thinking about choices, about chances. Do it, or don't do it. But don't stew over it like a human.

A Young Man Without Magic by Lawrence Watt-Evans

He was a criminal; there could be no real argument. He had committed real crimes in his determination to ensure that Valin's words were heard. He had not planned to commit assault or theft or impersonation of a watchman; it had all just happened as he proceeded from one step to the next.
Born to a powerful family, with a long history of magic, it's a wonder that Anrel Murau has no magic of his own. He's a simple scholar, come back to his home town after four years of studying in the capital city. Everything would seem to be going back to normal.
Until the baker's son is accused of stealing herbs from the powerful Lord Allutar.
Anrel can't see any way around the boy being killed- the law clearly states that theives must be executed, and Lord Allutar has need of a death for his spell. When, however, a close friend of his is killed... murdered, in a sense, by the same Lord Allutar, and Anrel swears to get his friend's words heard, he becomes a criminal, and this time it is he who is wanted to be executed.
"Three needless deaths in half a year, Landgrave, to appease your vanity- have you no shame? no shred of decency or mercy remaining?"
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. (does that not seem to be the first sentence in my reviews?). It was well structured, the main character, the villain- indeed, all the characters, were human. They were believable. The politics of the fantasy land- not unlike those of France, before the revolution- take up most of the book, but are interesting, none the less. I would definitely recommend this book. I would give it five stars (out of five), and would suggest it for anyone happening to be doing the "One Year Adventure Novel" writing program. :D
"Other nations regulate their magicians in their own manner," the burgrave said. His voice was barely audible over the intervening distance. "And does that involve calling their healers?"

Paperquake: A Puzzle by Kathryn Reiss

"She died. She didn't marry Hal after all, and I don't know how she died!"

Violet has a dilemma. Her parents (and everyone else, for that matter), think that she's a weak little girl still. She's not! She's just as old as Jasmine and Rose- her triplets. No one seems to believe that, though. Violet is annoyed at that. Sure, she doesn't look like her sisters, but she's just as strong as they are! When their parents, Lily and Greg, buy a dusty old house, to turn into a new florist's shop, Violet is determined to help clean it up. When she gets there, however, weird things start happening. She discovers ancient letters from a mysterious "Hal", which seem to be addressed to her! With the help of her sisters, a boy named Sam, and a cast of characters from the past, Violet must determine the meaning of these letters (and later, diary entries), before it's to late.
The only problem is, they seem to be pointing to a death.
her death.
"Death." At his shocked expression, she sighed. "Sudden death, Sam. My death."
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was an amazing read, and I couldn't seem to put it down, until I had read the entire thing. I would give it around five stars... I enjoyed the voices in this book, and how you could not, no matter what, predict what was going to happen. At all.
"While she is busy, she doesn't chatter so much. Really, her chattering is making me nervous. She says very strange things now and has nightmares nearly every night that disturb our sleep. She shouts about bridges and cries out that the children need help, and we must save the little girl...I ask her what bridge? What children? What girl? But she cannot tell me."

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