The Sunbearer Trials (Book 1)

 

Stars: 4 for fast moving fantasy, world building extraordinaire and an end too soon.

My Thoughts:

I was a little slow to pick up this fantasy book, but it is magical and fast paced. The storytelling and world building is refreshingly exotic. The trials are out of our best dystopian stories like Hunger Games and Maze Runner. Add in different classes of beings, from teenage gods to half deities, everyone with strengths and weaknesses in a trial where the loser is the ultimate sacrifices and you have the start of this fabulous book. Inspired by Mexican culture, this is an exciting and fast read. Don't forget to get book 2 before you get to the end. Otherwise, it will be a very frustrating wait. 

When book talking this book, in this political climate, you have to reveal that the main character as well as other characters are trans. Although this is a LGBTQIA+ book, that is not the theme of the book and I don't think it should be a hindrance, however, in full transparency, it is present. For students that enjoyed Percy Jackson and other Rick Riordan Presents books like Tristan Strong books or Pahua, this is an older version of their same comfortable genre. Give them these next step books. 

From the Publisher:

“Only the most powerful and honorable semidioses get chosen. I’m just a Jade. I’m not a real hero.”


As each new decade begins, the Sun’s power must be replenished so that Sol can keep traveling along the sky and keep the chaotic Obsidian gods at bay. Sol selects ten of the most worthy semidioses to compete in the Sunbearer Trials. The winner carries light and life to all the temples of Reino del Sol, but the loser has the greatest honor of all—they will be sacrificed to Sol, their body melted down to refuel the Sun Stones, protecting the world for another ten years.

Teo, a seventeen-year-old Jade semidiós and the trans son of the goddess of birds, isn't worried about the Trials . . . at least, not for himself. His best friend, Niya is a Gold semidiós and a shoo-in for the Trials, and while he trusts her abilities, the odds of becoming the sacrifice is one-in-ten.

But then, for the first time in over a century, the impossible happens. Sol chooses not one, but two Jade competitors. Teo, and Xio, the thirteen-year-old child of the god of bad luck. Now they must compete in five trials against Gold opponents who are more powerful and better trained. Worst of all, Teo’s annoyingly handsome ex-best friend and famous semidiós Hero, Aurelio is favored to win. Teo is determined to get himself and his friends through the trials unscathed—for fame, glory, and their own survival.

Publication Information:

Author: Aiden Thomas

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (September 6, 2022)

Print length: 413 pages

We Hunt the Flame (Sands of Arawiya, book 1)

 

Stars: 4 for world building, and a powerful female protagonist

My Thoughts:

In a sweeping Arabic desert of shifting sands and ancient magic, Faizal also builds in hidden identities, political intrigue and ecological darkness. The characters are both heroic and deeply flawed, which makes them interesting and complex. I feel like only in a YA with young adult characters can this kind of character building of both heroic and non heroic/immature actions be done by the same person in a plausible way. 

The power of this book is in Faizal's adept world building as well as the ability to want to invest in the characters. It needs to be a movie.

From the Publisher:

People lived because she killed. People died because he lived.

Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the sultan. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. Both Zafira and Nasir are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya―but neither wants to be.

War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the sultan on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds―and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.

Publication Information:

Author: Hafsah Faizal

Publisher: Square Fish (reprint edition: December 1, 2020)

Paperback: 480 pages

Grade level: 4-7

Raybearer: Audiobook

 

4 stars: Good if you like fantasy, magic, a different kind of world building, afrofuturism.

My Thoughts:

“You don’t have to help me change the world. But you mark my words; when I get going, this world will change. And you can be a part of that...or you can stand back and watch.”

16 year old Tarisai wants a family, wants to love and be loved. But the Lady, her mother, who for some reason I thought was a figment of her imagination, has other ideas for Tarisai. When Tarisai tries to kill the crown prince who she actually loves, she has to do what she needs to do to actually stop being a pawn and remove herself from all hope of family, love and goodness. Readers will feel for her as she fights for love. It is more than a 16 year old should bear.

The storytelling is lush and diverse for YA readers who are used to reading western centered novels. I think that is why I say it is a kind of world building. As our own country is in turmoil and unrecognizable as a civilization and nation of dreamers, it is good to be in a different culture and world to escape. This is a good escape. 

As far as the narrator, this was an easy listen, even at 13  plus hours. 

From the Publisher:

Nothing is more important than loyalty. But what if you’ve sworn to protect the one you were born to destroy?

Tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. She was raised in isolation by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as the Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital of the global empire of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as one of the crown prince’s Council of Eleven. If she’s picked, she’ll be joined with the other council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood. That closeness is irresistible to Tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere. But the Lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is compelled to obey: kill the crown prince once she gains his trust. Tarisai won’t stand by and become someone’s pawn - but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself?

With extraordinary world-building and breathtaking prose, Raybearer is the story of loyalty, fate, and the lengths we’re willing to go for the ones we love.

Publication Information:

Author: Jordan Ifueko

Narrator: Joniece Abbott-Pratt

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing (August 18, 2020)

Listening Length: 13 hours, 48 minutes

Paper Dragons: The Fight for the Hidden Realm

 

My Thoughts:

Zhi Ging enters the middle level fantasy genre as the next spunky 12-year-old heroine in this Hong Kong inspired undersea adventure. What I was NOT paying attention to is that this is a duology. I admit that I did not pay attention to that, so when Zhi Ging must step up to her save the world moment, the book was done! I was not prepared. In other words, know before you start reading this aloud to your upper elementary child or let the tweens know that the next book does not come out until March 2025. 

The appeal of this book is that it takes a plucky girl who is orphaned and bullied as a talentless "no glow," and gives her a chance to shine in this delightful magic-school genre. The world building, or under sea building is new and a solid contribution that makes me want to go to the local aquarium and study jellyfish.  In other words, think Pippi or Anne of Green Gables, but Asian with Cantonese cultural motifs and magic food spoons. I am most obsessed with the spoons and would like to visit the movie set in the sea near Hong Kong so I can bowl with a stone, choose a spoon and eat whatever appears when I pour hot water in the bowl and crack the spoon on the stone. 

In reality, I don't know if there will be a movie, but if you get to the north island of New Zealand, you can visit Hobbiton in Matamata. The tour takes you through the movie set shire, and it ends at the Green Dragon Inn where you get a complimentary beverage. Pay a little more and you can join others for second breakfast or a dinner feast. The food in Paper Dragons would be worth a visit to Hong Kong. 

From the Publishers:

An outsider in her village above the cloud sea, 12-year-old orphan Yeung Zhi Ging’s only hope of escape is to win the single invitation to train as a Silhouette: an apprentice to the immortals. After her ill-fated attempt to impress the Silhouette scout leads to a dragon attack on the jade mountain, Zhi Ging is sure that her chances, and her life, are over. But the scout spots her potential and offers her protection and a second chance. She’s in.

In her lessons in Hok Woh, the underwater realm of the immortals, Zhi Ging must face the challenging trials set by her teachers to prove that she’s worthy of being a Silhouette—despite her rivals' attempts to sabotage her. But as Zhi Ging’s power grows, so do the rumours of the return of the Fui Gwai, an evil spirit that turns people into grey-eyed thralls.

When the impossible happens and the Fui Gwai attack the Silhouettes, can Zhi Ging use her newly uncovered talents to save her friends and the world beyond? Or will the grey-eyed spirit consume them all?

Publication Information:

Author: Siobhan McDermott

Publisher: Delacorte Press (March 5, 2024)

Hardcover: 384 pages

ISBN-13: 978-0593706114

Grade level: 5-6

Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu Volume 2

 

My Thoughts:

This is not a new manga, but it is a heart warming story of a magical izakaya in some German made up village. It is placed in a world where what is foreign and exotic for this town is not ridiculed as gross and different. Instead, in this seemingly secretive space, regulars find good food, cold drink and the ability to fellowship with enemies and superiors. 

In this second volume the reader gets a look into the magic of the place and how the pub sits in one time continuum/place and the back door of the restaurant is a portal into a future Japan.  Through the eyes of a young girl and would be water thief, the readers get a glimpse behind the Nobu curtain. This is perfect for young middles  and upper elementary. Readers will understand that kindness and hospitality will go far. Here is a place where rivals can find more in common than what makes them different. In addition, behaving badly cuts you off from the goodies. Also, if you are in the middle of the continent, USA, try to find some of these Japanese foods. It will be an adventure.

From the Publisher:

Japanese-style pub “Nobu” is open for business in an odd, foreign world, and the ever-welcoming Shinobu and Chief are happy to serve up unusually tasty bar food to an array of strange customers. A little thief, an obnoxious messenger, and a pair of squabbling craftsmen are all ready to chow down! Kisu tempura, sashimi, omusoba, and shuto and more are on the menu... The delicious aromas of food and drink bring everyone together in this gourmet tale of humanity!

Publication Information:

Author: Natsuya Semikawa

Artist: Virginia Nitouhei

Translator: Caleb D. Cook

Publisher: Udon Entertainment (December 11, 2018)

Paperback: 180 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1772940688

We Are All So Good At Smiling

 

From the Publisher:

They Both Die at the End meets The Bell Jar in this haunting, beautiful young adult novel-in-verse about clinical depression and healing from trauma, from National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride.

Whimsy is back in the hospital for treatment of clinical depression. When she meets a boy named Faerry, she recognizes they both have magic in the marrow of their bones. And when Faerry and his family move to the same street, the two start to realize that their lifelines may have twined and untwined many times before.

They are both terrified of the forest at the end of Marsh Creek Lane.

The Forest whispers to Whimsy. The Forest might hold the answers to the part of Faerry he feels is missing. They discover the Forest holds monsters, fairy tales, and pain that they have both been running from for 11 years.

My Review:

McBride's first book, another novel in verse, Me (Moth) was a definite 5-star book for me. It was also my 100th book of 100 in 2021. I love to end a big reading year in verse and this was a great way to end 2021. I said of Me (Moth) the verse was fire, the end broke my heart and the cover was just beautiful. 

For this book, We Are All So Good at Smiling, the cover, again, is exquisite, and McBrideʻs verse is still fire.  This book keeps with the fantasy/magic of Me (Moth). It still has depression and mental health as a key theme. This will speak to dark fantasy readers like my sister Becky whose favorite book is probably still Alice in Wonderland. 

Whimsy is both broken and strongly stubborn. Faery is a beautiful boy with flower tattoos peeking out of his clothes. I love the description:

Faerry rolls up his sleeves & floral tattoos/(honeysuckle, snapdragon & angelica/root)/bloom up his muscular arms.

I also love Whimsy's group therapy metaphor early on in the book when she says "I am jealous of leaves" and her explanation in the next poem about what she means. That stayed with me for days. I thought about it when I was writing a graduation message to my student teachers.

The problem I have with the book is that there was a little too much action for this genre of novel in verse. I almost wanted it to be a just a prose novel with the usual literary devices woven in. I found myself getting confused and had to borrow the audiobook to do a read along, so I really read this book 1 and a half times. The audiobook is read by the author, so it works out if you can provide both to readers.  

Suggestions for Curriculum & Classroom Use

Thematic currents:

• Depression
• Mental Health
• Familial Trauma
• Racial Stereotyping
• Grief, Loss of a Child/Sibling
• Friendship

Activity:

Catharsis Gardening: Using the idea of our own writing as catharsis for our inner fears and turmoils, students can draw, write, create their own stories of "getting through" as a way of getting out of Sorrow's Garden. This will take a lot of support, so make sure you have created a safe environment and have lots of backup ready. 

Heroes/heroines as humans: Looking at your own cultural mythology, in my case, native Hawaiian mythology, students look at the very human struggles of our heroes, like Maui, in my case. Just watch Disney's Moana. Students will actively seek out characteristics and incidences when our mythological heroes are also very human and battle the same kinds of emotions. This would be a character study into what makes someone a hero or heroine.

Save the Last Word for the Author: In this text, McBride leaves readers with both a narrator (interlude) as well as author's notes. She gets to tell her story and some of her intentions in sharing this story. For her, stories keep the world intact. That is the power of including author's notes, is that the reading transaction can also be with the author. Use this as a mentor text for when the students tell their own story. Encourage them to leave an author's notes of their own.

Publication Information:

Author: Amber McBride (also the narrator in the audiobook version)

Publisher: Macmillan Publishing Group (January 10, 2023)

Hardcover page count: 280 

Amari and the Night Brothers

 

My Thoughts:

Amari and the Night Brothers is touted as Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black, but my memory of books for YA is much longer than Artemis Fowl so I see Amari as early Harry Potter. Amari is teased, picked on, misunderstood, but she has the ultimate faith that her brother Quinton is somewhere, still alive, and not dead like others think.  She is determined to find him and a strange messenger comes to deliver a "package" for her and this starts her wild adventure into the supernatural world. When she finds out that she is a born magician/illusionist she is once again ostracized in this new community. Will she find her brother? Will she ever fit in? Will she have a friend she can trust? This is the newest #blackgirlmagic series and Amariʻs star fills the night sky.

From the Publisher:

Amari Peters has never stopped believing her missing brother, Quinton, is alive. Not even when the police told her otherwise, or when she got in trouble for standing up to bullies who said he was gone for good.

So when she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet, containing a nomination for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she’s certain the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton—if only she can wrap her head around the idea of magicians, fairies, aliens, and other supernatural creatures all being real.

Now she must compete for a spot against kids who’ve known about magic their whole lives. No matter how hard she tries, Amari can’t seem to escape their intense doubt and scrutiny—especially once her supernaturally enhanced talent is deemed “illegal.” With an evil magician threatening the supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she’s an enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t stick it out and pass the tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton

Publication Information:

Author: B.B. Alston

Publisher: Balzer & Bray (January 19, 2021)

Hotel Magnifique

 

My Thoughts:

I am a sucker for girl magic and danger books so this one gets a 5 star. Like Beasts of Prey which started my year in 2022, this is gripping action, betrayal, family and loss. It is hard to say much more than the publishers about the book because it needs to unfold at the same pace as the main character, but the idea of a mystery hotel that shows up in an alley is already intriguing. Add to it the golden ticket aspect of packing for a 2 week adventure to places unknown. . .even with your memory swiped after, it would be worth it?

Read it in one sitting.

From the Publisher:

Decadent and darkly enchanting, this lavish YA fantasy debut follows seventeen-year-old Jani as she uncovers the deeply disturbing secrets of the legendary Hotel Magnifique.

All her life, Jani has dreamed of Elsewhere. Just barely scraping by with her job at a tannery, she’s resigned to a dreary life in the port town of Durc, caring for her younger sister Zosa. That is, until the Hotel Magnifique comes to town.
 
The hotel is legendary not only for its whimsical enchantments, but also for its ability to travel—appearing in a different destination every morning. While Jani and Zosa can’t afford the exorbitant costs of a guest’s stay, they can interview to join the staff, and are soon whisked away on the greatest adventure of their lives. But once inside, Jani quickly discovers their contracts are unbreakable and that beneath the marvelous glamour, the hotel is hiding dangerous secrets.
 
With the vexingly handsome doorman Bel as her only ally, Jani embarks on a mission to unravel the mystery of the magic at the heart of the hotel and free Zosa—and the other staff—from the cruelty of the ruthless maître d’hôtel. To succeed, she’ll have to risk everything she loves, but failure would mean a fate far worse than never returning home.

Publication Information:

Author: Emily J. Taylor

Publisher: Razorbill (April 5, 2022)

Spell Sweeper

 

My Thoughts:

Truth be told, I was too late to request this ARC from Net Galley as an ebook. The only option I had was to grab the audiobook version, however, this is not a preview of the audio book. Instead this is a Voice Galley which means that the book is read by a synthetic voice only for review use. I already have a hard time carving time for audiobooks, so this method of listening to a synthetic voice is definitely NOT my cup of tea. At least I tried. But I will never do that again.

STILL, I wanted to read this book because look at the cover and read the description from the publisher. This is right up my alley and I know many middle grade fantasy readers will love this so on the cover and the description alone, I stuck it out with robot voice. Making the recording go faster or slower did not help either, but Iʻm sure the real audiobook is fabulous because this is a fun story. Cara Moone (love her name) has attitude galore. She reminds me of Pippi Longstocking or Anne of Green Gables but with more sass. Cara's life is not fair and I did not come to a satisfying end, but perhaps there is more to come. I hope to see Cara older, a little more self reflective, but that does not come until high school and beyond. 

From the Publisher:

Fans of Nevermoor and the School for Good and Evil will love this standalone middle grade fantasy featuring a failed young wizard and her chaotically fun cleanup crew.

Cara Moone is a wizard—and she’s basically flunked out of wizard school. Now she’s in training to be a MOP, a.k.a. Magical Occurrence Purger, a.k.a. it’s Cara’s job to sweep up the hazardous dust a real wizard’s spells leave behind.

A real wizard, that is, like Harlee Wu, the so-called “Chosen One” destined to save the magical world. But when one of Harlee’s spells goes awry and leaves behind a rift in the fabric of magic itself, it'll take more than magic to clean up that mess. Luckily, messes are kind of Cara’s thing.

Packed with humor, adventure, and attitude, Lee Edward Födi’s twist on a school of magic is delightfully dysfunctional and fantastically fun.

Author: Lee Edward Födi

Publisher: Harper 

Publication Date November 30, 2021

A Magic Steeped in Poison (The Book of Tea, 1)

 

Publication date: March 29, 2022

My Thoughts:

This debut Asian fantasy book by Judy I. Lin just adds magic and world building to the other Asian fantasy books making a mark on the YA scene. In this year of the water tiger, arts will be strong, and I find that Magic can hold up along with other strong YA Asian fantasy books that are also getting lots of love. 

Ning, the main character, may not be ready to take her mother's place in the shennong-shi competition, and her sister Shu is supposed to be her mother's apprentice, but when her mother and sister fall victim to poisoned tea, like Maia from Spin the Dawn, Ning must win a competition to save her family.  Shennong-shi are magic tea makers, but each person has magic in different areas. Some are healers, like Ning and her mother. Some wield magic in tea that can give strength to the drinker. Although Ning has not officially trained with her mother, she must rely on her gift for plants, her ability to speak to flowers and her training with her father, a physician. 

Like Mina, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh, Nng is headstrong and brash. She often acts first without thinking through consequences which makes this first of two books twisty and exacerbating, packed with action, high court intrigue, revolution and espionage. 

This book is going to be another hit. I am just loving these beautiful covers and the devour worthy AAPI fantasy books coming out. This one is good for YA and middle grades if readers are ok with the violence and death.

From the Publisher:

I used to look at my hands with pride. Now all I can think is, "These are the hands that buried my mother."

For Ning, the only thing worse than losing her mother is knowing that it's her own fault. She was the one who unknowingly brewed the poison tea that killed her―the poison tea that now threatens to also take her sister, Shu.

When Ning hears of a competition to find the kingdom's greatest shennong-shi―masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making―she travels to the imperial city to compete. The winner will receive a favor from the princess, which may be Ning's only chance to save her sister's life.

But between the backstabbing competitors, bloody court politics, and a mysterious (and handsome) boy with a shocking secret, Ning might actually be the one in more danger.

Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars, Book 1)

 

My Thoughts:

Elizabeth Lim is the author of Six Crimson Cranes that I loved and devoured earlier this year. This one is actually her first original novel. She had an earlier "twisted tale" of Mulan that answers the question of what might happen if Mulan had to journey to the Underworld in Reflection. This however, though Mulan-esque, has the appeal of a Project Runway type of competition and a life and death quest with the hunky sorcerer/love interest. Oh, and in addition, like Mulan, the main character, Maia, must disguise herself as her brother Keton in order to even enter this competiton to be the Royal Tailor and save her family.

Like Cranes, this has girl power magic, romance, demons, and brothers who love her. Now that I know that Lim did this book first, I think the strength of her later books is that she further ties her books to cultural tales and mythology. I am not saying that this is not strong. I just am saying that as a storyteller, Lim is getting better and better. 

If I was not on the waitlist at my local library for this past year, I probably would recommend giving readers of fantasy/girl magic/romance this book first because the second book is already out. I think having the next book out is how young readers will want to read Six Crimson Cranes too, so steer them to this first. I, unfortunately, am still on the library waitlist for Unravel the Dusk (Blood of Stars, Book 2), but as of this morning, I am #9 on the queue.

From the Publisher:

Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping fantasy about a teenage girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars. And don’t miss Elizabeth Lim’s new novel, the instant New York Times bestseller, Six Crimson Cranes!

“All the cutthroat competition of a runway fashion reality show and the thrilling exploits of an epic quest." —The Washington Post

Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia makes the ultimate sacrifice and poses as a boy to take his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she'll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There's just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors in a cutthroat competition for the job.
 
Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia's task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.

And nothing could have prepared her for the unthinkable final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, from the sun, the moon, and the stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.
 
Steeped in Chinese culture, sizzling with forbidden romance, and shimmering with magic, this fantasy novel is not to be missed.

"This is a white-knuckle read." —Tamora Pierce, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of Tempests and Slaughter

Akata Witch

From the Publisher:

    Sunny Nwazue lives in Nigeria, but she was born in New York City. Her features are West African, but she's albino. She's a terrific athlete, but can't go out into the sun to play soccer. There seems to be no place where she fits in. And then she discovers something amazing—she is a "free agent" with latent magical power. And she has a lot of catching up to do. 
      Soon she's part of a quartet of magic students, studying the visible and invisible, learning to change reality. But as she’s finding her footing, Sunny and her friends are asked by the magical authorities to help track down a career criminal who knows magic, too. Will their training be enough to help them combat a threat whose powers greatly outnumber theirs? 
      World Fantasy Award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor blends magic and adventure to create a lush world. Her writing has been called “stunning” by The New York Times and her fans include Neil Gaiman, Rick Riordan, John Green, Ursula K. Le Guin, and many more! 

My Thoughts:

Nnedi Okorafor is the fantasy, science fiction writer who uses minority YA characters and weaves in Indigenous technology and magic (in this case juju). She is the author of the Binti trilogy that is another girl power Afropolitan character in a space and ethnic/race drama. Even in her fantasy world there is still hegemony, racial cleansing, colonization and oppression which makes for an exciting trilogy.

But this is about this book/series. It has been called the African Harry Potter, and while I can see that, what I was missing and wanted to see was the actual schooling, studying and struggle of these young magicians (similar to what Rowling did in Sorcerer's Stone). There was not enough time spent on their learning together. I also wanted to see the mentor's come in and do more with the young students.

I think it has potential to be good. I was just missing some of the work on character development so that these characters could be more rounded and I could root for them. 

In other words, it was ok. I will definitely read the next one, but I am going back to the Folk of Air series first.

Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4)

My thoughts:

I don't have enough free time in the day or night to devour these, but usually by this time in a series, my interest waives. Not this time. My new understanding about the main characters:

• Aelin the Schemer/Trickster/Queen reveals her super power and that is cunning and smarts.
• Team Aelin and whoever makes her happy (Rowan for now) - but this just shows that she can save her own damn self
• The loyalty and honor amongst the women in this series, even those who are enemies makes this stand out from other similar series. 
• This one could actually end the series but the fact that it does not just means there is more disappointment ahead and we cannot make up any happy ending so have #5 in hand and expect heartbreak. 

Tween Tuesday: Baker's Magic

Description:

Bee is an orphan, alone in a poor, crumbling kingdom. In desperation, she steals a bun from a bakery, and to her surprise, the baker offers her a place at his shop. As she learns to bake, Bee discovers that she has a magical power. When a new friend desperately needs her help against an evil mage, Bee wonders what an orphan girl with only a small bit of magic can do. Bee's journey to help her friend becomes a journey to save the kingdom, and a discovery of the meaning of family.

My Thoughts:

This has all the upper elementary, tween appeal of those classics like Anne of Green Gables or Pippi Longstocking, some of my favorite tween books growing up. As an only child, it sometimes seemed like I was an orphan and left to fend for myself. But I was shy and introverted. Nothing like the characters in my favorite books who were spunky and unique and unafraid. Bee, like Anne and Pippi  must fend for herself, but like these two other characters, she is spunky and brave different (and unafraid). She not only finds the source of her magic, but she is able to harness that magic to save her "family."  That kind of magic has never felt far fetched. Young ladies will find much to admire in Bee.

Young Elites

Marie Lu is the author of Warcross, the Ready Player One/Hunger Games  series being written now. While I was waiting on the library list I decided to try one of her earlier series.

Description:

 am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.
Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.
 
It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt

My Thoughts:

I liked the story, was rooting for the flawed Adelina until in Game of Thrones fashion, the author, Lu, killed off the only character I actually liked and the only one that could possibly be her saving grace. 

At the end of book 1, as a flawed character she has not progressed and I am left without a moral center. I don't feel for her and I feel like she is a major boo hoo whiner who now has more power than she can keep in check. 

Will I read the next book? Probably because there is no waiting list at the library. That might not be a good thing, but "hope springs eternal."

Gilded Wolves

Description:

No one believes in them. But soon no one will forget them.

It's 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian banished from his home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in arms if not blood.

Together, they will join Séverin as he explores the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history--but only if they can stay alive.

My Thoughts:

This is a story of young thieves with different powers. If this were contemporary novel, the characters would have different 21st century tech skills. Together, under the leadership of their own ousted "prince," these young people have created their own extended family, working together to try and return their "prince" to his throne, or his House. What I like about this is the fact that in a way the characters are both loyal to each other and using each other at the same time. That lends a complexity to the relationships that draws me in. I also like that this is not a happy sappy. The best YA stories, in my opinion balance victory and tragedy, magic and mundane, disappointment and optimism. 

Ms. Chokshi is not known as a trilogy YA writer, however, although there is no hype about a second book, based on the end of the book, there will be at least one more story. If I am wrong about that, I am very confused because there are so many unanswered questions left hanging. 

The Wellspring Trilogy: The Crystal Key

Description:

The sun has not shone in over a thousand years. Sixteen year old Felicity lives in a world where the Dark rules. Humanity stays to the Wellsprings, illuminated swathes of land where the light of eternal fountains keeps the skies bright all day long. But beyond that, the world is wrapped in eternal shadows, filled with monstrous Horrors who pray on the unsuspecting. When Felicity discovers that she is a Turnkey, a guardian selected to protect the Wellsprings, her life unexpectedly changes. Not only is she gifted with a magical Key with amazing abilities, but her fate soon takes her deep into the Dark, where with the help of a mysterious boy named Tobin she must survive astonishing odds. For it is soon that the Horrors begin hunting her, and a race to get home is only the beginning of her worries.

My Thoughts:

This is a great book for tweens and middle schoolers who like Harry Potter without the bulk of reading Harry Potter. This first in the trilogy takes a girl with hidden talents thrust into a world she is not familiar with who must face horrors and zombies and things that go bump in the Dark. If you like magic, quests, a little romance and things that can kill you in the dark, this is the book for you.

A Few Words:

"Tobin - " she began.     He looked up languidly. "You shouldn't call me that. It's not my name."  "It is," Felicity insisted, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. "To me, you are Tobin. I've never known you by anything else. Besides, some people can name themselves, why not you. I like that name."

An ARC provided by Net Galley for an honest review

Windy Hollows

Authors: Neo Edmund and Adira Edmund

Publisher: Zenoscope (April 2012)

Paperback: 80 pages

Genre: Kids's Graphic Novel

Tweet Summary:

4 kids at a wizardry school - misadventure, hilarity, a boy who turns into a frog. Family-friendly fun and activities and stickers to boot.

My thoughts:

I don't bother rating books because with my schedule, I only share what I like. With two 5-year old grandsons, this is the perfect book to read together. The adventures are short and problem-based. There's also non-scary magic. We also got to use the activity pages at the end for some quiet time art therapy before nap time.

The art is very reminiscent of super saturated kids manga which sets a nice tone for the book, and for the 5-year olds, there's enough text to read together.