Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner

This was such an intense book.  It took me literally two days to read.  From the first chapter it just grips you and doesn't let go at all until you are done reading the entire book.  You are taken to this future world where the world of faerie, which no one believed existed, went to war with our world as we know it.  Faerie's brought magic into our world affecting trees and plants to come to life and kill us, while we used nuclear bombs in the faerie world.  Ground zero was in St. Louis, as the arch was used as the portal between worlds.  As a result of the war cities were demolished, millions of people were killed in horrendous ways with magic and civilization was forced to start from scratch.  Liza, the main character of the story, is tormented after she sees her father take her newborn sister out to a hill to be devoured by beasts all because she was born with silver translucent hair and silver eyes, signs of faerie magic.  Ever since the war, children that are born have been subjected to magic gifts ranging from being a healer, to seeing visions, to being a shifter, to controlling plants, the list goes on.  Liza is sent on a journey after being beaten by her father too many times, to find her mother who went missing years before.  Mathew, the neighborly shifter tags along with her and they form a close bond.  Along the way they meet another town who is totally opposite from their own.  They use and control their magic, they're not afraid of it.  They welcome visitors and are kind to them, while her home town would kill people on sight for having any sign of magic. In Lizas hometown, children would be ripped from their families the moment that showed any sign of having faerie magic.  Along her journey to find her mom, Liza learns that the magic inside her is good as long as she controls it and that people aren't all bad.  There is good still in the world after the war.  Alli is proof of that.  Allie is a healer whom Liza and Matthew meet up with in the next town who ends up following them on their journey, despite her father not knowing. The ending to the book was great.  The way that Janni envisioned this futuristic world, you can also see it in the way that she writes this story.  Its enchanting and spellbinding.  I seriously could not put down this book until I was finished reading it in its entirety.  Awesome!!! Strongly recommend from fifth grade up to adults.  It was so good.  I hope to see more books like this from Janni.