Lois Lane Series by Gwenda Bond (Fallout & Cloudy With a Chance of Destruction)

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In a high school science class, Lois Lane must deal with some bad chemistry. . .

This is an official teaser short story for the young adult novel LOIS LANE: FALLOUT that takes place before Lois moves to Metropolis. FALLOUT is forthcoming from Switch Press in May 2015.

Lois Lane is starting a new life in Metropolis.  An Army brat, Lois has lived all over – and seen all kinds of things.  (Some of them defy explanation, like the near-disaster she witnessed in Kansas in the middle of one night.)  But now her family is putting down roots in the big city, and Lois is determined to fit in.  Stay quiet.  Fly straight. 

As soon as she steps into her new high school, though, she can see it won’t be that easy.  A group known as the Warheads is making life miserable for another girl at school.  They’re messing with her mind, somehow, via the high-tech immersive videogame they all play.  Not cool.  Armed with her wit and her new snazzy job as a reporter, Lois has her sights set on solving this mystery.  But sometimes it’s all a bit much.  Thank goodness for her maybe-more-than-a-friend, a guy she knows only by his screenname, SmallvilleGuy…

Cloudy With a Chance of Destruction is a teaser pre-quel for Gwenda Bond's new series about a young Lois Lane.  Cloudy finds Lois attempting to save her school from a guy who is trying way too hard to keep/impress his girlfriend when he brings in some confidential technology his dad is developing for the DOD for his science project.  With the help of SmallvilleGuy, Lois saves the day and finds herself in hot water...

Fallout, Book 1 in the series, takes place after Cloudy, when Lois finds herself starting over in Metropolis, because her Army-Dad takes a permanent assignment.  Despite her best intentions to keep her head down and fit in, Lois can't stand a bully or turn her back on someone in need of help.  A chance meeting with Perry White, of the Daily Planet, lands her the perfect job (and excuse to snoop) as a reporter for a teen-focused Planet website.

The Lois Lane series is a re-vamp of the infamous intrepid reporter for a modern generation and a series to love.  As a dedicated Superman fan, especially the Smallville series, I loved this opportunity to explore a new version of Lois.  If you watched Smallville, this version of Lois is similar, snarky, strong, confident (sometimes overly so), with a drive to discover the truth and ensure justice.  But this pre-Superman Lois Lane is less about the superheroes and more a mystery, which is why most reviewers are comparing her to Veronica Mars (and rightly so).  Fans of Mars, iZombie, Ally Carter books and Superman will love this series.  

The next installment, Lois Lane: Double Down releases May 1, 2016 from Switch Press/Capstone.  I, for one, cannot freakin' wait!  

~Shel  

The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling

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Releases October 1, 2014

No one performs on the circus trapeze like 16-year-old Rémy Brunel. But Rémy also leads another life, prowling through the backstreets of Victorian London as a jewel thief. When she is forced to steal one of the world’s most valuable diamonds, she uncovers a world of treachery and fiendish plots.

Meanwhile, young detective Thaddeus Rec is determined to find the jewel and clear his name. Will Thaddeus manage to rescue the jewel? Or is it really Rémy that he needs to save?

This is what The Diamond Thief has to offer: an idealistic young man intent on upholding his principles, an evil plot to disrupt and most importantly, a smart young heroine who’s not afraid to put her neck on the line. All set against an alluring circus backdrop in London in the 1800’s.

I had a fun time reading this. Rémy is instantly likable for her grace, confidence and generous heart. Thaddeus’ discipline and strong sense of right and wrong make him equally impressive. You wouldn’t think these two would hit it off. Well they don’t, at least not initially since they’re on opposite sides of the law.  When it turns out that they have both been duped and that the precious jewel still needs to be recovered, they have to work together out of desperation. It’s an awkward undertaking as neither of them trusts the other and recovering the jewel serves a different purpose for each.

When they come across a plot that could be catastrophic if allowed to happen, they acknowledge that there is something bigger than their issues to fight for. This is where the story gets especially exciting.

As I said earlier, this is a fun story littered with some interesting and lovable characters.  What makes it a winner for me is Rémy. She’s fearless and focused.  Her thieving ways aside, her affection and loyalty to the people she loves are admirable as are her certainty and belief in her abilities. She’s no silly waif waiting to be rescued. She is just the kind of person Thaddeus needs to help him expand his strict black and white view of life.  And he helps Rémy see that her distrust of the law isn’t always valid. The two of them have a subtle chemistry that becomes even sweeter as they become roiled in the dangerous position they find themselves in.

I enjoyed The Diamond Thief very much and recommend it of you're looking for something fun and quick and perhaps a taste of a different period in time.

~ Bel