The Cruel Prince is the first novel in The Folk of the Air trilogy, a young adult fantasy series by Holly Black. Jude Duarte is a mortal raised in the realm of the fey. Trained by her adopted father, a formidable fey general, Jude becomes vicious and cunning. She wants nothing more to belong among the people that hate her for being mortal, and when a great betrayal threatens the existence of Fairie, Jude must form an alliance with the person she hates the most to save the realm.
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo is the second book in the Shadow and Bone series. It’s a young adult/fantasy novel that was recently made into a Netflix show. The reader continues to follow Alina Starkov, a powerful summoner of light as she tries to evade the Darkling. The Darkling, a nearly immortal summoner of shadows, wants to use her to aid in his goal of ruling their country, Ravka.
This is the first book of the series Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. In The Sword of Summer, 16-year-old Magnus Chase lives on the streets of Boston when he discovers that he is the son of Norse god Frey. His uncle tasks him with finding a sword to protect him from a fire giant named Surt. Magnus attacks the fire giant but dies saving the civilians on the bridge. Magnus wakes up in Hotel Valhalla, the place where einherjars go for their bravery.
Becca is a new girl in high school which is never easy. Luckily, the popular girls take her in and while they expect some things of her that she isn’t quite comfortable with, she goes along with it. Until it turns out there’s a reason the girls run this high school, and it’s not pleasant. Squad is a story that talks about the struggles of being out of place. It shows how conforming isn’t always the best idea and can lead to issues. It addresses themes such as patriarchal issues, LGBTQ+ representation, being different, and not being complacent. I rate Squad 4 out of 5 stars.
Bloodlines by Richelle Mead is a paranormal, young adult, Vampire Academy spin-off series. Jill Dragomir is in danger, threatening Lissa’s place as queen. When Jill is sent into hiding, Sydney is assigned to be her protector. Her childhood was defined by the condemnation of Moroi, but now she must live among them. Although I didn’t care for Sydney in the Vampire Academy books, I was hooked on her character by the end of this novel.
In this twisted fairy tale, Marissa Meyer reveals the backstory of the Queen of Hearts in her book Heartless. Set in Wonderland, main character Catherine must decide what life she wishes to lead. Catherine is the daughter of a Marquess, however, she wishes she could own a bakery with her maid Mary Ann. Unfortunately, her societal role prevents this career and her parents wish for her to marry the King. Her life is turned around when she meets the court jester and must choose if she wants to be the perfect daughter or choose the path that makes her happy.
When she was younger, Jude and her sisters were taken to a strange land, different from their earth. The High Courts of Faerie where different types of fey live. Though, her and her sisters were the only humans in this kingdom. The fey are not fond of humans and think of them as inferior. Jude wants to prove herself worthy and become a knight in the court. As she tries to make her way up, betrayal happens within the court, making it crumble.
Yadriel is a Blacksheep. His whole family brujos and brujas fit into their roles as spirit savers and healers respectfully. But Yadriel, a transgender boy, is stuck in the middle identifying as a brujo but being acknowledged as a bruja by most of his family. To prove he is a brujo, Yadriel appoints his cousin (the other Blacksheep of the family) in saving the day through the powers of the brujos. Yadriel succeeds in using the brujo powers but summons the wrong spirit. Instead of helping his family, he summoned the spirit of bad boy Julian...
Fable has yet to reach her happily-ever-after as she has now been snatched into a world of smoke and mirrors after being abducted by Zola, her father’s rival. In Namesake, plans unfold, intentions are set, and love keeps getting in the way. Meanwhile, Fable is caught in the middle.
“You weren’t made for this world, Fable,” were the last words Fable’s father, Saint, said as he abandoned her on the dredger island of Jeval. Abandoned on the island, Fable fought to escape Jeval dredging gems and trading them for copper to West, a helmsman to the ship named Marigold. Meanwhile, as Fable accumulated copper, she began to draw murderous gazes...
