Clockwork Princess

"Clockwork Princess," by Cassandra Clare, is the third and final book in the 'Infernal Devices' trilogy.  If you haven't read the first two books in the series, then I would advise that you not read this, as to not spoil them for yourself.
         Mortmain is almost a thought of the past in the London Institute, with Tessa and Jem busy preparing for their wedding and Will's younger sister, Cecily, recently installed into the household.  Then Gabriel Lightwood comes, pounding on the doors of the Institute, with the news that his father has succumbed to the deadly Demon Pox.  London's supply of Yin Fen, the drug that prolongs the life of people who have contracted Demon Pox, has run out.  Jem, who must also take the drug, is days away from death when the message comes that Mortmain will give the London shadow hunters all the Yin Fen that they want, if only they give him Tessa Gray.  The fight comes to the Institute's own front stoop, and the Shadowhunters are forced to reevaluate everything they know, lest they too fall to the Infernal Devices.

I did not like the ending of this book. What ending do I like?  There are only a few perfect endings in the world, and I'll just have to accept that conclusion.  Sadly, this book is not one of the better endings, though the ending is halfway decent, I'll give it that.  But I hate how everyone has to have their cake and eat it too.  I won't say more than that, lest I spoil anything.  Still, though.  Some people have to go home unhappy at the end of the day, don't they?  -- not saying any more--
       I wish that Tessa was more of a spunky heroine.  She's more of a . . . background character, though, even if the whole book is supposed to center around her.  She's more obsessed with her boys then with getting out of . . . wherever she was.  A bit like in the first book, "Clockwork Angel."  Come on, Tessa!  I thought that we had been making progress in "Clockwork Prince!"  But, noooo, Tessa Gray must be some deranged princess.  She does three great acts throughout the whole books, three great acts that show she has a strong spine, and a fourth that isn't so great but, still, it's definitive. But, her strength is not apparent in her speech, and she is described as 'bookish.'  Uh, I can see Tessa as so much more than that.  It's a shame that her full potential isn't realized.
        Jem Carstairs is a bit better.  He's made his decision of how he's going to live his life, illness or not, and he sticks to that, which is admirable.  He does sort of . . . I won't say anything.  I've just never liked his character that much (I prefer Will).  Jem was always a bit of a wallflower, until he decided that he was going to marry Tessa and then boom, now he's his own person.  He hardly talked to Tessa before he decided he was going to marry her!  In my opinion, at least.  So, I never 'knew' him as well as I would have liked to.  And I won't say anything else here, because I could rant for a good while and give away everything.
       Will Herondale is the real break-out character here.  Before this book, you see him as a good man in the throes of a curse that will ruin his life until his dying day.  Here, Magnus has finally told him he's free of the curse and he's free to live his life as he pleases.  Then Jem and Tessa lay it on him that they're getting married, oops, Will, here's your dreams, let's stick 'em to ya.  In this book, he's dealing with his loyalty to both of them, as well as his loyalty to himself.  His inner turmoil is fantastically done.  You can feel what he's feeling with a rare acuteness, and that's a treat, even if most of what he's feeling is self-loathing.
       The Lightwood brothers also become more prominent in this book, which is good in its own way, but it takes away from the drama surrounding the main three characters.  The time that's spent focusing on Gideon and Gabriel is time that we are not focusing on Tessa.  Also, I had trouble remembering which was the older brother (it's Gideon) because both have the same first letter in their name.
       There are some happy parts where the unexpected happens.  Not that that is a happy thing, because the unexpected is usually not so pretty, but it is good all of the same.  Not everyone has to have a happy ending, and that's a lesson we all need to learn in life.  There are also some mushy parts--namely one--which is annoying, because they're just about to fight demons and stuff.  But, Magnus handles it gamely. (Magnus is, like, the most awesome person in both of the Shadowhunter series.)
       The conflicts in these books are always pretty weird, though.  It's all physiological until the last fifty or so pages, and then some big physical conflict happens.  You know what I'm trying to say?  It's almost as though the story arc has been modified to include some gigantic final battle between the two sides, while the rest of the story is entirely about the manipulation of the mind.  And it has some pretty good manipulation.  Cassandra Clare is, as always, very, very good at portraying human emotion in impossible situations.  
       One of the coolest thing about these book are the crossovers between the stories.  Between the two Shadowhunter series, there are some objects and people that are the same (hint, hint, Isabelle's locket, Church the cat) and it's cool to get their origin stories.  The families that participate in both dramas are the same (So, Clary, it isn't your fault--it's genetic), and you get to see what the 'Mortal Instrument' character's great-grandparents were like.  If you get the hardcover book, the paper covering of the books comes off to become a family tree of the Fairchilds, Lightwoods, and Herondales spanning from the 1800s to 2008.
       As mentioned, this is the third book in the 'Infernal Devicies' triology, with the first two books being 'Clockwork Angel' and 'Clockwork Prince,' respectively. I think that 'Clockwork Prince' was my favorite of the three, with 'Clockwork Angel' and 'Clockwork Princess' tied for third.  And, let me tell you, the name 'Clockwork Princess' is a misnomer.  Technically, it's a metaphor, referring to something Mortmain said in the second book.
       Some things are a little too convenient, and other things are a little too perfect, but as always, Cassandra Clare is adept at capturing the tangled webs of human (or warlock, or Shadowhunter) emotion, making 'Clockwork Princess' a tale that's a little too good.  The cast peddles in humor and misery equally, facing an inhuman army with the pure definition of humanity.
        In our world, in our time, everything goes on as planned, but in the London of the 1800s, the Shadowhunters fight their final fight.  THE INFERNAL DEVICES ARE WITHOUT PITY.  MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON THEIR SOULS.

The url to the Infernal Devices website is this:  http://www.shadowhunters.com/theinfernaldevices/index.php
Though not as extensive as the Mortal Instruments sight, this one does have some pretty decent 'extras,' including a 'Clockwork Princess' countdown widget, which went into negative numbers 10 days, 9 hours, 48 a minutes, and 47 seconds ago.  I got the picture above from the site (I can't draw that well).  

"Beautiful Creatures" Novels

The "Beautiful Creatures" quartet by Kami Garcia and Margret Stohlr can be beautifully intricate . . . or beautifully confusing.
    Beautiful Creatures:  Ethan Wate has wanted to escape Gatlin since he could remember.  To be free, not to be cooped up with in the predictable parameters of small-town Southern life.  Before he gets a chance to make good on his dreams, a girl in a hearse pulls up in the school parking lot, and his life changes forever.  Soon, Ethan has stopped asking how he can get out of Gatlin, but how he can get in to the secrets that the old town holds.
    Beautiful Darkness:  Lena Duchannes blew Gatlin away, almost quiet literally, on her sixteenth birthday.  She put off the decision of her lifetime--Should she become Dark or Light?--  for another year, but the guilt at causing her uncle's death has ravaged her mind.  Already she's pulling away from Ethan and showing Dark tendencies, such as running away with a strange Caster boy.  Concerned and worried Ethan hits the charts with a new friend and finds that the extent to which Lena's mother will go to make Lena Dark is beyond imagination--even in a world where anything is possible.
    Beautiful Chaos: With Lena finally Claimed, life in Gatlin should finally be going back to sweet, sweet normalcy.  But plagues of grasshoppers, drought, and scorching heat are ravaging the land, even though it's the middle of December.  The high-society ladies of Gatlin have decided that it must be the End of Days, but the Casters know better.  Lean broke the Order when she was claimed, and now Mortal and Caster worlds alike must suffer.  Ethan is the only one who has all of the pieces of the puzzle in his hand, and when he puts them together he arrives at a sickening conclusion:  For the world to survive, one of them must die.
    Beautiful Redemption:  The sacrifice has been made, but down in Gatlin no one is willing to let matters be with one of their own buried in the ground.  They must bend Heaven and Earth, putting themselves at risk for death themselves at the hands of their old enemy.  The peril on the other side of the veil is great as well as Ethan risks it all to return to the place he once fought to escape.

My two favorite books in this series are "Beautiful Creatures" and "Beautiful Chaos."  "Beautiful Redemption is pretty decent, while my reaction to "Beautiful Darkness" was 'Wha . . .?  That was random."  But, more on that later.
     Yeah, I know that this is a romance story, okay?  Deal with it.  They also fight evil-demon thingies and evil relatives.  And such.  So, yeah.  And Lena is strange and writes long skirts and funky necklaces and writes depressing poetry, so that makes everything okay.  Anyway . . .
    It's very interesting that these books are written from the perspective of a male. They're obviously aimed towards girls (though, I know a guy who likes them), but they're written by two women. I say kudos to them for being able to pull it off.  No offense to you, males, if you're reading this, but it is very hard to write from your perspectives, I not being one of you. And, most books aimed at girls have girl main characters.  Easier to relate to and all that.  Ethan, though, is very easy to relate too.  Which propels the book to its status.  If you couldn't relate to Ethan, at least, then the second book is too difficult to even attempt to pursue. 
      That leads me to my special rant, written out specifically for you on "Beautiful Darkness."  Wow.  Okay, when you write/read fantasy, you generally come to accept that each fantasy world you enter comes with a certain set of rules.  In "Eragon" by Christopher Paloni, it is accepted that using magic saps some of your energy.  In one book, Eragon gets exhausted from causing rocks to hail down on someone. If, in the next book, he was able to lift an entire mountain using magic without any extra reserves of magic, then everyone would be outraged because he just violated the rules of the world Christopher Paloni created for him.  Does that make any sense?  In the book, the characters operate by the rules which are set down, much like we must operate by the rules of physics and all that.  Because flying isn't possible.  You would look twice at someone who started flying right in the middle of the street, right?  Because that violates the 'rules' of this world.  So, why in the name of all that is did Kathy Garcia and Margret Stohl make Sarafine pull the ---- out of ----!?  That made no sense!  They never said that they couldn't do it, yeah, but they never explained why she could!  Very random.  I was very outraged.  And what was the deal with that place that ---- ----- took Lena?  It was hardly mentioned in the rest of the books.  It was just this random place that they needed to make their story work.  But a story only works if it works within the parameters that's already set out for it.
        Anyway.  Sorry, I've been planning that rant for some time.
        One of the best things about these books are the characters.  We've already established that Ethan is pretty darn awesome. So is Lena.  There are a bunch others, though, that all deserve and honorable mention;  Link, Liv, Ridley, John, Amma, Macon, the Sisters.  They are all fantastically quirky.  Hardly any cookie-cutter in them at all, which is fantastic and keep the whole thing very interesting to read.  I think that you start reading these books for the cool titles they have (Oh, come on, admit it."Beautiful Creatures" is one cool title.) and keep reading for the characters.  They're the sort that stay with you long after the last cover of the last book has been shut.
       One thing that I don't get, though; a bunch of people have names that begin with 'L' and are four or less letters long.  That makes it pretty hard when you speed read.  All during "Beautiful Darkness" I kept tripping up.  "Wait, isn't Lena supposed to be--Oh, wait, that word was Liv."  Yeah.  That might just be an issue for me, but, you know . . .
       Even though some of the books don't follow all of the 'rules' and though they are very mushy and romantic, for each of their bad qualities they have details and twists that redeem them.  And, believe me, the result is very beautiful.

Even though these are popular books, I can't find an official site on it.  But, as half the world knows, there is a movie out (heh heh heh), so here's the link to the IMDb trailer of that.  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1559547/   I would advise you to watch the featurette (is that what it's called?) of Ridley meeting Ethan and Link because it is very amusing.  Also, I want it for the record that no one in the movie looks like they do in the book, and in the book they look better.  And that the dude who plays Ethan is not extraordinarily good looking.  Just saying.

Death Watch

"Death Watch," Ari Berk, is a fantastic novel on death and what it means to live.
       Lichport is a town where the dead outnumber the living.  Amos Umber used to be the town's Undertaker, putting the spirits of the dead to rest and keeping the fragile peace between the world.  Amos Umber went missing while working a year ago, though, and his disappearance has haunted his son, Silas.  Moving into his uncle's house in Lichport, Silas stalks the old, abandoned streets looking for clues to his fathers appearance.  But Silas is no child and the more time he spends looking for his lost father is less time he has to figure out the real problem in Lichport, the one that's got everyone on their toes; a lonely ghost locked in a house, an insane man looking for blood, and the ship wicked that's hovering just beyond the horizon.

You know what's going on forty pages after Silas steps over the threshold and into his uncle's house.  Well, you know the basic premise of what's going to happen, but still.  That's a hundred pages into a (I want to say) 500 page book? Eh.  Could be better.
     Also, Silas is a spoiled brat.  All he thinks about is his 'girlfriend' and his father's disappearance.  Okay, so, maybe he's not a spoiled brat.  But he's pretty self-absorbed.  He is a basically good person and he's selfless when he can see past his own problem.  When Mr. Peale dies he's still wrapped up in his father and he has to do the final rites.  Hello?  Quit worrying.  There's a time for everything.  Eventually, though, I do believe that he learns his lesson.  It's always nice to see a character grow after reading an absurdly long novel.  In my mind, he was cutting an impressive figure by the end, but that might just be my perception and my obsession of good beating evil, good personalities over bad personalities.
     I'm not saying that it's a bad book, though. It's one of those books that can carrying on no matter what mood the protagonist is in.  There isn't a dreadful amount of dialogue; the descriptions of things outweigh the dialogue by far.  The amount of description is like that of C.S. Lewis's, in literary nature, of course.  I've heard some people describe the Narnia books as wordy, and if you can't handle those I don't believe that "Death Watch" is for you.
      But, lo, the descriptions describe something wonderful.  The ghostly worlds jump of the page.  It's phenomenal.  The town of Lichport is as real as any town on the map, sometimes more real.  The closed in lanes of the Narrows; the playground;  the cramped, chaotic, and serene sight of that graveyard that's on the hill that I've gone and forgotten the name of; and (one of my favorite parts) the tea house and the alehouse where the spirits go to forget that they ever lived.  They all played like a little movie in my head, and I believe that I would recognize those places if I ever stumbled across them.
       Also, I love books about death.  I know that's extraordinarily morbid, but I do. Books that bring up theories about what happens to you after you die, books that speculate what the meaning of death is.  This is a book that does both, with an added question: What is death if you've never really lived at all  The question is sort of buried within the many pages, but I agree with it wholeheartedly, or, at least, as much as one can agree with a question.  The book also brings up another interesting concept (yes, this one also has to do with death); the memory of the dead.
       Not the memory of the spirits, but how people remember them.  Silas's mother's grandfather decided not to die, so he's basically a 'zombie' or a corpse with a will.  No, he does not try to eat anyone's brains, sorry for the disappointment.  Mainly, he sleeps.  But, all that aside, Silas's mother's grandfather is a good example of the books theme "Remember the dead," because Silas's mother is afraid of her grandfather. She doesn't want to remember him.  In fact, she moves so she doesn't have to remember him anymore.  This could be in part because he's a corpse, but it also could be a metaphor, and not just about death.  A lot of people are afraid to remember things that are painful to them.
      Also, in the spirit world, spirits try to remember things too.  I think that those souls 'have lost something but have given up on looking for it' but I don't have the book in front of me so I can't check up on the correct wording.  But these souls lost something in their life, and now, upon their death, they've given up looking, but they're still stuck. This could be another metaphor, but about people who are living.
     So, really, the book isn't all about death.  It's about the living and how death affects them.  It has multiple levels, which makes for an enthralling read.  All in all, Silas Umber's story isn't half bad, not half bad at all.  Now, if only he can stay alive long enough to give us more of them.

The Iron Thorn

"The Iron Thorn," Caitlin Kittredge, is worth it's weight in gold, even though it's a decently heavy book.
      Aofie Greyson is going to go mad when she turns 16 years old.  It happened to her mother and it happened to her brother.  They say it's because of a necrovirus that came into the world years ago.  It creates such creatures as the nightjars and the shaggoths . . . and for some unknown reason, it's going to drive Aofie mad.  But when Aofie gets a cryptic message from her mad brother that takes her on a journey beyond all that she ever imagined knowing, she realizes that there might be more to the madness than a simple virus.  A journey between the dimensions forces Aofie and her companions that what is rational may not be what's right.

If you know me at all, then you know that my three literary loves are steampunk, Faeries, and creepiness.  Believe it or not, this hits three out of three. On the head.  It's really quite extraordinary, the way that first two are woven together, with the third as a result.
     There are three main characters:  Aofie, Dean, and Cal.  Aofie is a well-defined character.  She has her edges and her ripples, and even though she's constantly changing you know where she is, in the metaphorical sense, all the time.  I would've liked it if we were shown that Aofie is good with machines.  I mean, yes, she is in engineer school, and it says about a dozen times throughout the book that the only thing that had "ever felt real to her were machines" or the whatnot, but we don't really see her in action until she's fixing the clock.  Maybe show her fixing some clockwork before she drags Cal off to the night market or something.  I don't know.  But it's always best to show, not tell, in the story sense, and this story does a bit more telling than strictly wanted.
      Dean Harrison is to "The Iron Thorn" as Jack is to "The Blood Red Road."  The lovable rouge who comes in the nick of time, always manages to find a way out of scrapes, and manages to win the tough maiden's heart (even though it's never that hard, as seeing they have little to none competition).  Yes, I know this is a stereotypical character for the adventure genre, but Jack and Dean could be the same exact person, save for the name.  Not that that's a bad thing.  I like rouges.  If I was a character in an adventure story, I would be the rouge.  But, you know.  Every genre has it's stereotypes, so, I was just pointing that out.  Playing devil's advocate over here.
      Cal . . . *sigh*.  Cal.  Um, well, let's just say that Cal is an interesting character.  I am not pleased with how he was built up, but I am pleased with the problems he presents.  You won't follow me until you read the book.  And I can't tell you until you read the book.  Because I'd hate to ruin the surprise of it all.
      Now . . . The plot!  The real gold of this endeavor!  Oh, I can't gush enough over the plot.  There are things you don't see coming, things you do see coming and cringe when they do come, and things that are so inevitable, but so well done.  There is the romance plot, of course, which you can spot coming from a mile off because it's like "duh".  That one is pretty well done, but it's not the best.  I like the Faerie plot the best.  Of course, they don't call them Faeries, exactly, but if you've ever read a contemporary fiction book, you can tell what they are.  And of course, you know what's going to happen just after the people close their mouths', but it's like a train wreck.  You can't stop yourself from reading it, even though you know it's going to be horrible.
       Also, I love the steampunk world.  Love, love, love.  It's a completely believable world, one where they live and love and breath and it's all too real.  The detail is incredible, and what detail you aren't given isn't hard to fill in on your own.  The politics of cities and the rules of life are completely relatable, even though they don't apply at all to real life.  It takes true talent to make a make-believe world real, and this one has it all.
     There are also several things that have been given a new face.  Most importantly, Weirds.  In most books they're called 'affinities.'  Or, at least, I would call them affinities, but then again, I do live in my own special universe.  So, I guess I wouldn't know what they are called, generally.  But this, again, is one you can see from miles away.  I'm just glad that she doesn't make some sort of big deal out of it.  Because if it was half the book, just trying to figure that out . . . that would be boring.  Half a book spent doing anything, really, is pretty boring.
        This one might be the first one in the series.  Something about the "Iron Codex" was in the author's bio, but I'm not so sure.
      Aofie Grayson:  Torn between the iron and the wild.  She must figure out where she fits in before it destroys her and everyone she's ever cared about.  And even though her tale might be one of tragedy, she and her folk will always survive and prosper in my heart.
     
www.caitlinkittredge.com   She generally writes adult books, that's my impression, but it might be worth a shot.  Uh, and her "books" page isn't up and running, so go to the "blogs" tab, then go to "caitlin's books."  Not a lot of information there, but just if you were wondering.

Thirteen Days to Midnight

Thirteen Days to Midnight is another one by Patrick Carmen. 
       Jacob Fielding's adoptive parent, Mr. Fielding has just died in a car crash.  The last words he ever said to Jacob were 'You are indestructable'.  And then he died.  Jacob must shove aside his guilt, though, his guilt of something he hopes to never tell anyone, and go to school, acting like everything is normal.  And then he meets a girl, Ophelia James, or Oh, a girl who likes to do crazy and dangerous things.  On the cast she received from falling down on her longboard, he writes the words Mr. Fielding told him 'You are indestructable'.  It seems an appropriate thing to tell a good-looking girl who has just broken their arms--reassuring and philosophical. And maybe cool. 
       But a few minutes later, Oh gets into a crash that should've ruined her life.  Miraculously she gets up, unharmed.  But what is this strange phenomenon?  What is the secret of the power Jacob, Oh, and their friend Milo, will come to call the diamond? And how far will the two boys go to save the life of a girl they met only thirteen days ago -- are they willing to kill her? 

I have to admit, Thirteen Days to Midnight isn't as good as I was hoping.  In other words, it wasn't as disturbing as Dark Eden.  It does not give me the chills every time I think about it.  (But maybe that's because I flipped to the end. I don't know.) 
     Really, I don't know what Jacob sees in Oh.  He only knew her for, like, forty-eight hours, if that, before she became possessed.  But, I guess she has a good heart, until the end. Then she sort of gets . . . creepy.  Never mind, I do get chills.   Also, sometimes I had to go back and look at the sentences again.  I read very quickly, so sometimes I read "Oh, said she'd meet me there,"  when it really said, "Oh said she'd meet me there."  But Patrick Carmen tried to make her seem multi-layered, maybe a seven-layer girl with plenty of secrets, but I can only find three layers and secrets that aren't so secret.
      Jacob, well, I sort of figured out his guilt trip before he said it, because a lot of clues are dropped.(And no, I did not figure it out by reading ahead.)  Also, you only learn just enough about his life before and with Mr. Fielding to make him seem human, something with a past.  He does seem to be many-layered, only if the view is first person and there is always that niggling suspicion that he isn't admitting everything, even to himself.
      Milo is the one character who is as sturdy as a block.  You don't really learn too much about him either.  He was the second-best-thought-out character, in my opinion, behind Jacob.  Oh is just there to be a pretty girl and provide conflict, but even though Milo can seem to be an afterthought sometimes he is still always there and there is something . . . good about that.  Because even though the plot twists violently, there is always someone who is only slightly changed by the ordeal.
      As I said, the plot twists violently, but it is a well-thought out plot.  Sure, the diamond thing doesn't make too much sense to me, but who am I to judge?  Anyway, it is a dark enough power to threaten our heroes and their heroine, and it does it's job well.  It doesn't throw me into a panic, though, only them.  Does that make any sense?  Ok, let's put it this way:  You don't feel the danger as the characters do because you saw it coming from a mile off.  So, what if you're an avid fantasy reader and can see every twist and turn coming around the corner?  It still ruins the surprise. 
     Patrick Carmen might not have gone to great lengths to make the world of Jacob Fielding vibrant, but he succeeds.  The back story of Holy Crosses seems real, and the descriptions of the retired priests and the 'normal' teachers, the teachers who have other lives, really hit me in the gut.  Their rivalry with the opposing high school seems real too, like something you would read about in the newspaper. 
       All in all, I thought the book was pretty good. Sure, there were some things that could've been made better, but maybe I was reading it too fast.  It was a pretty fast paced book.  And if you're into science-fiction/alternative heroes this is the thing for you.

Fablehaven

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull is the first novel that I read that gave the idea that fairies weren't all fairy dust, cute wings, and springtime.
       Seth and Kendra Sorenson were caught unawares when they found out that their grandparent's large farm was actually a preserve for the endangered and hidden species of our world:  the magical and dangerous.  Now they're up to their necks in fairies who turn into imps, egocentric centaurs, Frito-lay-eating and television-watching satyrs, devious demons, shape-shifting dragons, ancient wizards, a quest for the five keys to the demon prison, and an evil society who knows no scruples.  But what is a fantasy story without romance, death, and fairy royalty?  Kendra and Seth will live to explore another day, if only they can figure out how to stop the rising Morning Star.

I believe that these books are Brandon Mull's best.  Sure, there are many different artifacts you have to keep track of, as well as the names of various enemies inside the Society of the Evening Star, but it all ties together nicely.  On top of that, the characters are likable and believable:  none of them are perfect or immune to human emotions.  In fact, more often than naught their actions lead them into more danger then they would've been in if they hadn't acted, if that makes any sense.  The characters are human, therefore, you can connect with the story better.  You find yourself agonizing whenever the characters (or, one character in particular) is going to do something that you know is rash or doesn't heed given directions. 
       Another thing I liked about these books are that you know no more than the characters do.  In some books you cut away to what the enemy is plotting, but in these books you can only see what Kendra (and sometimes Seth) are seeing.  You cannot see what their enemies are planning, so when the surprises come, they come with, well, surprise.  Also, the action comes fairly steadily, so rest assured -- there is at least one grand battle scene in every book (except the second, in which there is a scene involving sneaking somewhere).
        The books should be read in this order:  Fablehaven, Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star, Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague, Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, and Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison.

The Inheritance Cycle

I'll start with a basic piece of fiction--The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. 
      This is a four part series about a fictional country, Agalasia, in a fictional world.  There are elves, dragons, dwarves, humans, 'urgals' (brutes akin to trolls and the like), and a combined race of humans, elves, and dragons known as 'dragon riders' (humans and elves who ride dragons).  If it was a historical fiction piece the setting would be the middle ages.
      Agalasia is being ruled by an evil dragon rider who is supposed to be the only one who can use magic, but a rebellion has been growing.  Our young hero finds himself in possesion of an illegal dragon, the power, and duty, to defeat the evil king, and the influence of a thousand coffers of gold. Aided by an old man, an outlaw, the leader of the rebels, the princess of the elves, the king of dwarves, an herbalist who might be insane, his cousin, and his dragon Eragon holds the fate of the realm in his hand.
      
It is basically a less complicated version of the Lord of the Rings.  No, there is only one ring, but with the vast quantity of magical swords, lances, and belts you have to keep track of it doesn't really make much of a difference.  At least with the rings several had the same purpose and only one had a specific name. If you read these books be prepared to have to put up with names such as 'The Belt of Beloth the Wise' and 'Zar'roc.' But, to continue my comparison, Urgals are the Orcs replacement, and instead of sightless beasts on horses you have the Ra'zac riding on letherblanka -- duck-like things riding on other duck-like things.
        Thankfully, though, you can get past the complicated and similar names to some degree.  And though the covers aren't stuffed full of action when you do get sword- and fist- fights they are coherant and are there for a reason.  Another bonus for those unwilling to suspend their disbelief is that the 'magic' in this books comes with a well defined limit.  So, while you might see hovering rocks those rocks aren't going to sprout wings and fly away. 
        The books in this series are as follows:  Eragon, Eldest, Brisinger, Inheritance.  Please, do yourself a favor and do not read them out of order.  The latter three have a preface of what happened in the previous three, but in my opinion, they just confuse you even more. 

The books' website--they have a few games on here and some trivia stuff.  http://www.alagaesia.com/