Harry Keller sees the world in a way no one else can. Able to both see and affect the threads of peoples’ pasts, presents and futures, he gets caught up in a bizarre time-traveling adventure to save those he knows from horrible fates. But what lies in store for Harry himself? A highly-imaginative, sharply-written story of trial and error, cause and consequence, this is the start of a fascinating series.
After Miranda Tate acts up once too often, she’s sent to the exclusive Bard Academy, a unique boarding reform school that seems to be haunted by dead writers and characters from classic literature. She’s in for the most unusual semester of her life, juggling two potential romances with literary ghosts and bizarre plots hatched by an unexpected villain. Wuthering High is entertaining, original, and quirky, with some nice twists.
Teen wizards Nita, Kit, Dairine, and all of their various human and non-human allies are challenged like never before when all of the adult wizards across the universe start losing their powers, just as a great evil threatens to destroy everything once and for all. It’s up to the heroes of this long-running series to save the day once more, but they’ll pay a heavy toll in the process. If not the best in the series to date, certainly one of the most intense, with a promise of more resolution to come in future books.
The third book in the series begun with A School For Sorcery, this volume picks up on threads left unfinished, most specifically the tale of Gray Becq, whose misguided actions in the first book got him in so much trouble. Now, as he tries to readjust to school life, and to atone for his part in past offenses, his world is thrown into chaos as a demon stalks his friends and schoolmates. Ultimately, he’ll have to understand his true role in the events at hand, and the true depths of his own powers. This is a nice continuation to the story, and a worthy resolution to the plotlines at hand.
When a young woman is stranded at her family estate in Belgium in early 1915, she’s granted a first-hand experience of the horrors of war, caught between the German and Allied forces. Shortly after rescuing an American soldier, she and her unlikely companion are taken hostage by German forces, and the shared experience forges a bond of friendship and magic between the two. Weyn’s latest entry into the “Once Upon A Time” series skillfully and imaginatively retells the Frog Prince fairy tale in an underused setting to great effect. It’s both romantic and magical, and a fun read.
Isabella Swan moves in with her father in the small town of Forks, Washington, and subsequently falls in love with a mysterious young man who turns out to be a vampire, just like the rest of his family. Their romance is challenged by her stubbornness, his reluctance to get close to anyone, vampire hunters, and fellow vampires with fewer scruples about hunting humans. With more than one question remaining unanswered, here’s hoping there’s more books to come in this series. All in all, it combines young adult romance and vampires to nice effect.
What do the three members of a popular boy band, twelve teenage “Dairy Princesses,” a family of hungry trolls, a cunning fox, and a magic fiddle have in common? They’re all elements in Troll Bridge, the second in Yolen and Stemple’s “Rock ‘N’ Roll Fairy Tale series, which draws upon several different fairy tales to create something new and magical. In this fast-paced tale, it falls upon two unlikely heroes – one a harpist, the other a rock musician – to outwit their ancient captors and unweave the manipulations of a dubious ally in order to save the day. As an added bonus, this book contains original lyrics by musician Adam Stemple (formerly of popular groups Cats Laughing and Boiled in Lead). Overall, an intriguing read but over far too quickly.
Two girls – one a fantasy-loving bookworm, the other a spoiled airhead – are accidentally thrown into the pages of a popular fantasy novel, where their presence almost immediately throws the true plot into disarray. Now Veronica Lopez and Heather Simms must reluctantly work together as they try to keep the entire story from unraveling until they can find a way out. An enjoyable send-up of the traditional “epic fantasy quest” novel, though occasionally sillier than it needs to be. It makes for a nice chance of pace, however, and the title says it all.
Teenage soccer hero Jack Swift discovers that he’s really part of an ancient, secret lineage called the Weirlind, a group of magical guilds who use warriors in duels to the death in order to settle disputes and decide leadership. One of the last warriors, Jack is naturally in hot demand as two rival Houses and numerous free agents try to stake their claim over him. Can his allies keep him alive long enough to train him to his full potential, before he’s forced to choose a side, and fight for his life? Surprises abound as the plot twists and turns, and no one is who they seem to be in this exciting, fresh new story that spans centuries and continents.
As teenagers fall ill around them, it’s up to Charlotte and her English cousin Zee to embark upon a quest to the Underworld, where they’ll battle harpies, resist dark temptations, and confront Hades himself. Can they prevent a horrible rebellion in the land of the dead, and make it home in time for dinner? A quirky, charming story that utilizes Greek myth to great effect, mixing horror, humor, and fantasy adeptly.
