Category: Fantasy

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

4/4/2020

Teenage mortal Jude has spent more than half her life in Faerieland, a dangerous place where everyone is beautiful, powerful, and magical -- except for for her. Mortals are few and far between in Faerie, mostly servants or lovers, powerless and frequently humiliated; it's a dark, intoxicating, and supremely scary world, but it's home nonetheless.
Jude and her twin sister Taryn have been raised by the ruthless faerie general, Madoc, her mother's ex-husband (who murdered Jude's parents in front of her very eyes ten years ago), and she has learned much from him about strategy and sword-fighting.
Jude longs to be a knight and fight on behalf of one of the high court faeries, so when presented with the opportunity to work for a faerie prince, she seizes it in hopes of gaining power -- only to be swept up in political schemes that endanger her and her whole family. Is getting what she wants worth the price?

Grades 9-12
Book 1 of The Folk of the Air series

Love this series so much I'm rereading it. Jude is a prickly heroine who has decided to stop playing nice and go after what she wants, and it's so fun to tag along on her journey. The whole series is full of suspense and plot twists. If you like Game of Thrones-style twisted politics and betrayal, swordplay, romance, spying, and family drama, then I bet you won't be able to put this one down.

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Red Rising by Pierce Brown

3/20/2018

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Darrow lives on Mars deep underground where he works in the mines and struggles for survival.
When his wife is taken from him, he comes to realize that his people, known as Reds, are essentially slaves who have been lied to for hundreds of years.
Darrow is recruited by a guerrilla group called the Sons of Ares, and in a search for justice and revenge, he accepts a mission to infiltrate the Golds, the powerful and cruel overlords who rule the planets.

This book has it all -- nonstop action; a great plot; brutal, bloody fights; a cooler than cool main character; and lots of twists and turns. Kind of like The Hunger Games (spectator sports! battles! revolution!) but about a million times better -- and it's in outer space!

Book 1 of the Red Rising Saga
Grades 9-12

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Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

6/14/2017

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Only seventeen, Kaz Brekker is already one of the most infamous gangsters of the Barrel, nicknamed "Dirtyhands" because there's nothing he won't do.
Inej is known as the Wraith because of her ability to come and go unnoticed as she gathers secrets for and goes on missions with Kaz.
Jesper is a sharpshooter with a gambling problem who is also a member of Kaz's gang.
Nina is a girl with superhuman gifts, but she is essentially a slave at the House of the White Rose.
Matthias is a warrior who's been wrongly imprisoned at Hellgate, a nightmare of a prison, and he is focused on the twin goals of redemption and revenge.
Wylan is a demolitions expert with a secret history.
Can these six come together to pull off an impossible heist, or will enemies within and without their group betray them?

Amazing characters and a plot full of action that does not stop, this one is a must read. If you like adventure stories with a dash of fantasy/supernatural (but completely grounded in a very realistic world) and a plot with more twists and turns than a mountain road, give this one a look.

Grades 7-12
Book 1 of the Six of Crows duology

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Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

5/11/2017

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Lazlo is an orphan raised in a monastery -- until he he escapes to the Great Library of Zosma where he gets a job and where he can read histories and fairy tales to his heart's content. His one true passion is uncovering information about the Unseen city, a mysterious, mythical city no one has visited or heard from in more than 200 years.
Sarai is a blue skinned girl who has the power to enter and control people's dreams. She lives in a floating tower with her four magical siblings, hidden from a world who would kill her and her sisters and brother if it knew they still existed.
When Lazlo has the chance to join a group traveling to the Unseen city, he seizes the opportunity to fulfill his lifelong dream, and he sets himself on a course destined to intersect with Sarai -- at least in his dreams.

I adored Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, and if it's even possible, I loved this book more. It's a gorgeous fantasy novel set in a richly developed world with characters you will love, admire, and root for. It takes a little while for Taylor to set the stage and for the story to get off the ground, but you'll be rewarded for sticking with it.

Grades 9-12
Book 1 of the Strange the Dreamer duology

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Court of Fives by Kate Elliot

11/7/2016

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Jessamy is the daughter of a Commoner mother and a Patron father, a commander whose status is dependent on his rank in the army. Jes and her sisters are mixed-race and are looked down on in her world, so they must be very careful in everything they do
When disaster strikes and threatens to tear her family apart, Jes takes the opportunity to compete in the Fives, a complex athletic competition for which she has secretly been training for years.
Jes hopes that the Fives will give her the chance to protect her mother and sisters, save her father’s reputation, and perhaps bring herself a little glory.

The author describes her book as "Little Women meets American Ninja Warrior in a setting inspired by Greco-Roman Egypt" while her publisher has pitched it as "Little Women meets Game of Thrones meets The Hunger Games" -- but I would just say it's a great adventure fantasy story set in a unique world.

Grades 7-12
Book 1 of Court of Fives Series

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The Lie Tree by Francis Hardinge

10/12/2016

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In Victorian England, girls are supposed to be well-mannered, modest, and good; they are not supposed to be smart or well-educated because they are not expected to have a job other than being a wife and a mother.
Faith Sunderly craves to be a scientist like her father, but everyone, including her father and even her little brother, dismisses her as being "just a girl."
When Faith's father dies mysteriously, she delves into his research for answers, but instead she finds a secret that may have lead to her father's death and also puts her in great danger.

This book is an interesting blend of historical fiction and fantasy, and it makes you think about how restricted women were not so very long ago.

Grades 7-12

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The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

5/16/2016

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Blue Sargent lives in a house full of psychics and has been told all her life that if she kisses her true love he will die.
When Blue meets Gansey, a wealthy boy and a student at the local prep school, Aglionby Academy, she joins him and his friends in their quest to find a long dead Welsh king.
Blue wonders if this will be the year she finds her ill-fated true love. Will it be Gansey, Adam, Ronan, Noah, or someone else she hasn't met yet?

A mesmerizing blend of fantasy, magic, and mystery. Each character is so real and unique - I just want to live inside this book.

Book 1 of the Raven Cycle Quartet
Grades 8-12

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book reviews

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Court of Fives by Kate Elliot

The Lie Tree by Francis Hardinge

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Ms. Wheaton

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