Fire by Kristin Cashore

Fire is a human monster who has been hidden away for years because she is so beautiful that most people who see her go out of their mind. Plus, she has the ability to be able to take control of people's minds and make them do whatever she likes. Her father was an evil ruler in the kingdom of the Dells, but after he dies and with an impending war she is brought back to the kingdom. Along the way she has to fight off monster raptors, men who try to do her harm, her best friend Archer who wants to marry her and her budding feelings for one of the princes. This was a book that was so full of plot twists, characters, suprises, romance and set against a fantasy type backdrop that I found it consuming my life for two days even at work because I couldn't put it down. For the sake of comparison think of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, where you have multiple kingdoms and creatures. Some of the content might be questionable for anyone under 14 because it does make overt, but not detailed references to sex and rape. I have to say that I will be reading a lot more of Cashore's books in the near future.
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3508755/Fire_by_Kristin_Cashore

Candor by Pam Bachorz

Candor, FL is an exclusive new comunity attracting new families all the time because of it's promise of a small town feel as well as being good for troubled teens. In actuality it's a town that once you move in it's almost impossible to get out because of it's hidden secrets, which are everywhere. The main characters are Oscar and Nia. Oscar is the creator of the communities son, who isn't affected by his fathers sumbliminal messages because he's trained himself not to be, but his father doesn't know it. Oscar is the model teen in the the town and has seen the changes that his peers go through after a couple weeks in the town. He's even helped several escape. He meets Nia and decides he doesn't want to see her succumb to the messages, so he vows to help her without her knowledge. Definitely a lot of action and typical teen behavior. This reminded me of the Stepford Wives, yet for teens. This book does make you question whether it is possible to control people's minds and also about lost love and opportunities. I was disappointed with the ending because I wanted to see it turn out different and I thought it left a lot of unanswered questions.