Title: I Am Number Four
Author: Pittacus Lore
Pages: 400
Genre: Fantasy

‘Daniel Jones’ was taken from Earth when he was just four years old. He is one of nine children from the planet Lorien who were taken from their families and forced to assimilate to life on Earth after the Mogadorians looted their planet. The children left with their guardians in order to uninterruptedly develop their powers in order to defeat their enemies and save their planet.

A charm was placed upon the nine guaranteeing their safety as long as they scattered from each other and never came together. If the evil Mogadorians discovered them they would be killed off in a numerical sequence. Each child would know of the others’ deaths when a searing scar would bind itself around their ankles. Originally there were nine powerful children, three had been killed off already and ‘Daniel’ thought to himself, “I am Number Four”.

After burning their identities, alien ‘Number Four’ (Daniel Jones) and his guardian Henri left their latest hideout to begin yet another life in Paradise, Ohio. ‘Number Four’s’ new identity is now John Smith. This was yet another new town, another new home and another new school to adapt to for the aliens as they dodge the Mogadorians. The two were grasping for any sense of normalcy and security. John now has a lot more at stake than just survival; he must now defend the entire race of Lorien by merely keeping himself alive. He must develop his Legacies, his super powers in time to save his people.

Since moving to a new town, John has several responsibilities to juggle in order to keep his identity secured. He certainly doesn’t want to stick out or call attention to himself. Though, making friends and developing relationships would mean putting trust in people who could easily reveal his identity. Unfortunately, John throws caution to the wind and befriends the local nerdy sci-fi alien conspirator. He also falls head over heals for a beautiful girl named Sarah and crashes headfirst into the incorrigible bully of his new school. So much for keeping a low profile!

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (aka Jobie Hughes and James Frey) is a thrilling science fiction novel with well-developed characters that the reader can empathize with and make connections to. It is well paced and offers the reader adventure, knowledge and compelling scenes that live within the reader’s mind. With the movie due out in February, I am Number Four should be an intriguing blockbuster.

Title: Pleasure of A Dark Prince
Author: Kresley Cole
Pages: 448
Genre: Fantasy

Lucia and Garreth have a complicated history and a vow of chastity only heightens the sexual tension between them. Pleasures of a Dark Prince is the ninth installment of the fantasy romance Immortals After Dark series. Author Kresley Cole first introduced Lucia and Garreth in the premier novel, A Hunger Like No Other.

Lucia is a Valkyrie, who has been endowed with special skills as an archer and huntress. Garreth happens to be a Lykae, who was initially lured into a trap set by the beautiful Lucia. The novel reintroduces the meeting between the two would-be lovers and recounts some of the events that have influenced their lives and separated them. The largest obstacle to their relationship is a vow of chastity.

Through Lucia’s reoccurring thoughts, the reader is taken back to the origin of her dilemma. As a naïve young woman, Lucia became involved with the man of her dreams. However, away from her family and unprotected, she finds out that her new husband is the embodiment of evil. Unable to withstand his cruelty and torture, Lucia sought to escape. Feeling helpless and defeated, she takes the only escape route that she believes will free her; suicide.

Regin, Lucia’s sister finds her near death and takes her to the spirit. There, Regin pleads for the life of her sister. Skathi, the spirit, hears her and grants the request with one condition: Skathi will restore Lucia and bestow a special talent upon her but she must remain chaste. Once she allows herself to be seduced by another man, the powerful gift will be taken from her.

Unaware of Lucia’s predicament, Garreth continues to pursue her. You see, Garreth knows that Lucia is his soulmate. But Lucia has managed to elude him for one year and she’s now on a mission; every 500 years, the malevolent god Cruach must be imprisoned – a difficult job. Lucia can’t let her guard down, because she has a stake in this final confrontation with Cruach. And thanks to Skathi and her sister, she now has the power to destroy him. Since her escape, she’s encountered him several times, but each time he walked away unscathed. His contagion has made him stronger and as he continues to ascend his evil spreads like a virus.

It’s clear that Lucia is a woman on a mission. So you can probably understand why to her, Garreth is an unwanted distraction. But Garreth is a determined man.

Can love unite these two fighters or will it serve to tear them (and their lives) apart? Check out Pleasure Of A Dark Prince to find out if opposites attract.

Title: Horns
Author: Joe Hill
Pages: 416
Genre: Fantasy

Ignatius Perrish appears to be a regular small town guy, who for some reason attracts the ire of practically everyone he meets. Ig, as he is referred to in the novel, suffers a tragic loss. His one true love, Merrin was violated and murdered. Instead of consolation, Ig is barraged by accusations of guilt. The entire town believes the evidence destroyed in a fire was the work of his wealthy father. In Horns: A Novel, author Joe Hill takes the reader into a world that straddles the delicate border between paranormal and Christianity.

Although the case never made it to trial, Ignatius cannot escape the scrutiny of the community. To make matters worse, his entire family believes he committed the vile act. For some inexplicable reason, his family has the audacity to tell him to his face just how much they hate and despise him, even though he has never given them cause to feel such a way. His only crime is that he tends to drink too much and occasionally ends up in a scrap with the local police.

Ig knows he did not kill Merrin, but he needs to find out who did and why. One night, while feeling depressed, Ig drinks himself into a stupor. When he wakes in the morning, he has no recollection of what happened or what he might have done the previous night. He soon begins to worry, because he discovers what appear to be horns growing out from his forehead. Initially, he believes he is hallucinating; however, he soon becomes aware that others can also see his horns.

As the tale thickens, Ig becomes privy to everyone’s darkest secrets. Each person he comes into contact with is compelled to reveal deeply buried sentiments, indiscretions and crimes. Why they confess is a mystery to Ig, but he is learning to use this information to his advantage. After all, it may lead him to the identity of the killer.

Hill has a talent for questioning mainstream belief systems. What constitutes good? What defines evil? He delves into the psyche to examine why hypocrisy and dishonesty are tolerated and accepted in a society that claims to harbor disgust for such behavior. All the preconceived notions, trappings and beliefs surrounding the devil, or Satan also appear in the novel. Some of which are very humorous and amusing. A scene involving a blue dress and references to the Rolling Stones provides a good contrast and chuckle to the omnipresent horror. Joe Hill has excelled in finding his own path to the horror genre in Horns, setting him apart from his famous father Stephen King.