In a land of myth and ice, seventeen-year-old Runa Unnursdóttir is not the rune caster her clan has been hoping for. She spends her days daydreaming of sailing away and exploring the world instead of studying the runes and learning her spells. The villagers consider her odd, in looks and in manner. She’s nothing like … Continue reading THE STONE OF SORROW: RUNECASTER, BOOK ONE, By Brooke Carter, Orcabooks, Orca Book Publishers
Fantasy
MERMAID MOON, by Susann Cokal, Candlewick Press
Blood calls to blood; charm calls to charm.It is the way of the world.Come close and tell us your dreams. Sanna is a mermaid — but she is only half seavish. The night of her birth, a sea-witch cast a spell that made Sanna’s people, including her landish mother, forget how and where she was … Continue reading MERMAID MOON, by Susann Cokal, Candlewick Press
THE SISTERS OF STRAYGARDEN PLACE, by Hayley Chewins, Candlewick Press
A riveting middle-grade fantasy about sibling bonds, enchanted houses, and encroaching wildness, lyrically told in eerily beautiful proseThe grass grew taller than the house itself, surrounding it on all sides. It stuffed the keyholes and scraped against the roof. It shook the walls and made paintings shiver.Seven years ago, the Ballastian sisters' parents left them … Continue reading THE SISTERS OF STRAYGARDEN PLACE, by Hayley Chewins, Candlewick Press
BEYOND THE SHADOWED EARTH, by Joanna Ruth Meyer, Page Street Publishing
It has always been Eda’s dream to become empress, no matter the cost. Haunted by her ambition and selfishness, she’s convinced that the only way to achieve her goal is to barter with the gods. But all requests come with a price and Eda bargains away the soul of her best friend in exchange for … Continue reading BEYOND THE SHADOWED EARTH, by Joanna Ruth Meyer, Page Street Publishing
A WISH IN THE DARK, by Christina Soontornvat, Candlewick Press
A boy on the run. A girl determined to find him. All light in Chattana is created by one man — the Governor, who appeared after the Great Fire to bring peace and order to the city. For Pong, who was born in Namwon Prison, the magical lights represent freedom, and he dreams of the … Continue reading A WISH IN THE DARK, by Christina Soontornvat, Candlewick Press
NEVERTELL, by Katharine Orton, Walker Books US/Candlewick Press
After escaping a Soviet prison camp, Lina is pursued by a powerful witch and her shadow wolves in a riveting debut that imbues frozen wilderness with fairy-tale magic. All that twelve-year-old Lina knows of the world is the Stalinist labor camp where she was born, a place of hunger, cruelty, and deprivation. After a daring … Continue reading NEVERTELL, by Katharine Orton, Walker Books US/Candlewick Press
ARCAMIRA, by Hannah Sandoval, Cosmic Egg Books
When the elf princess, Atalanta, is snatched from her palace and a vampire crashes a ball at the castle, all of Arcamira is on high alert. To uphold their alliance with the elves and to satisfy their desire for adventure, four young royals set out with a search party to find Atalanta. The small band … Continue reading ARCAMIRA, by Hannah Sandoval, Cosmic Egg Books
THE BONE THIEF: DUOLOGY, by Breeana Shields, Page Street Publishing
“I was absolutely swept away by the world of The Bone Charmer.” – Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns seriesA deft exploration of the weight of grief and cost of revenge, Breeana Shields’s Bone Charmer duology reaches its spine-tingling conclusion in this high-octane fantasy-thriller.Saskia returns to Ivory Hall to train in bone magic, determined to … Continue reading THE BONE THIEF: DUOLOGY, by Breeana Shields, Page Street Publishing
EARTHLINGS: A NOVEL, by Sayaka Murata, Grove Press/Publishers Group West
Ewww! Natsuki isn't like the other girls. She has a wand and a transformation mirror. She might be a witch, or an alien from another planet. Together with her cousin Yuu, Natsuki spends her summers in the wild mountains of Nagano, dreaming of other worlds. When a terrible sequence of events threatens to part the … Continue reading EARTHLINGS: A NOVEL, by Sayaka Murata, Grove Press/Publishers Group West
NIGHT SPINNER, LET THE DARKNESS CONSUME HER, by Addie Thorley, Page Street Publishing Co./Manda Group
Before the massacre at Nariin, Enebish was one of the greatest warriors in the Sky King’s Imperial Army: a rare and dangerous Night Spinner, blessed with the ability to control the threads of darkness. Now, she is known as Enebish the Destroyer―a monster and murderer, banished to a monastery for losing control of her power … Continue reading NIGHT SPINNER, LET THE DARKNESS CONSUME HER, by Addie Thorley, Page Street Publishing Co./Manda Group