Scarlett has dreamed of attending Caraval, a performance of sorts, for her whole life. Unfortunately, her abusive father has not only forced her to remain on her home island but will soon require her to participate in an arranged marriage. Shortly before said marriage, Scarlett receives a letter from Caraval Master Legend himself, inviting her to the upcoming Caraval. With her sister, Tella, and Tella’s boyfriend, Scarlett runs away from home to attend the event. However, as audience participation is quintessential, her sister is stolen upon their arrival. Scar
In 1893, witch trials are rampant, especially in the town of New Salem. Juniper, Agnes, and Bella are three sisters bound together by magic after years of separation. While having to work through buried conflicts with themselves and each other, these sisters realize how magic and witchcraft are on the brink of extinction. Together, these sisters work with witches in the town of New Salem to combat the misogyny and anti-witch attitudes that dominate New Salem society, all the while learning the value of their own witching abilities and womanhood.
Veronica Roth’s Divergent, the first series in her trilogy of the same name, is a young adult dystopian novel. At this time, society is split into five factions, each based around a core value. Beatrice Prior’s initiation ceremony is arriving soon now that she’s sixteen, and she’ll have to choose between remaining in the faction she was born into or joining one of the others. After making her choice, Beatrice, nicknamed Tris, must navigate training, initiation, and relationships with her peers and family.
Anna Bright’s The Boundless, the sequel to The Beholder, is an amazing finish to Selah’s adventure. Selah’s stepmother sends her across the seas to find a husband, and now she is not only worried about finding love, but also helping the resistance to defeat the tsarytysa. Her next stop is the Shvartsval'd, a kingdom inside the Imperiya, to meet Prince Fritz.
The Beholder by Anna Bright has the perfect hints of familiar fairy tales scattered throughout her book, but also has elements that make The Beholder an original adventure story about a girl named Selah. Selah is in line to be the Seneschal of Potomac, but her stepmother sends her away to find a husband without giving Selah much of an option, and her sick father doesn’t really have a choice either.
American Born Chinese, written by Gene Yang, is a graphic novel about a high school boy, an annoying cousin, and a king who doesn't accept himself. Jin, a high school boy, always struggles with racist stereotypes as he is from Chinese background. He meets a boy, Wei Chen, who is also Chinese, but he is considered a FOB (Fresh off the Boat). Jin first judges him, but sooner than later, they become best friends.
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi is the story of a unique and talented group of teenagers and the eclectic leader who holds them together. The characters are already a seasoned group of treasure hunters by the time the story begins, but the mission that the book sends them on is an important one. The acquisition of this ancient artifact has the power to alter each of their individual lives for the better.
There is a breakout from Azkaban! Sirius Black is on the loose, and he is trying to find Harry Potter, for Black was a supporter of the Dark Lord. Sirius Black is also known for killing thirteen people with a single curse. Because of Harry Potter’s defeat against the Dark Lord, there was a downfall for all the dark wizards, including Sirius Black. Azkaban guards heard Sirius Black saying “He’s at Hogwarts...He’s at Hogwarts,” which happens to be the place Harry studies at. Even though Harry is protected by spells and Professor Dumbledore, he is not safe.
The Silvered Serpents is Roshani Chokshi’s brilliant follow up to The Gilded Wolves. It picks up with the characters grappling with the extreme loss they face at the end of The Gilded Wolves. Fractured and confused, they go on one final, all important, mission.
Marvel Fairy Tales is a graphic novel compilation of several different stories written and illustrated by C.B. Cebulski, Claire Wendling, and many others. I loved the idea of this book and was excited to see my favorite Marvel characters transported into some of my favorite fantasy worlds, but I was disappointed by the execution. There is no character or plot development; the stories all have a great beginning, but there’s no build-up to their climaxes; all of the stories suddenly end and feel almost incomplete.
