Poisoned brings an interesting alternative plot line to the classic fairytale Snow White. Sophie is both compassionate and the heir to her father’s throne. Her stepmother shares different ideas when it comes to ruling. She orders for the hunter to bring back Sophie’s heart. Unlike the traditional tale, the hunter accomplishes his task. Sophie is thankfully saved by many mysterious strangers that she meets along the way. She of course has also saved many creatures of sorts, and many of them return the favor.
This fantasy book by J.K Rowling is one of my favorites. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is about an 11-year-old boy named Harry, who is taken in by his cruel aunt and uncle. One day he gets a letter that changes his life forever. He meets new friends and enemies, and adventures towards his old enemy. I think the most compelling aspect of this book is when Harry learns about the wizarding world from a big man named Hagrid. I recommend this book to anyone who is willing to explore the land of fantasy.
Nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts, and a new generation of witches and wizards are born. Albus Severus Potter, the son of Harry Potter, gets put in the house that no one wanted, Slytherin. After this, Albus changed drastically. He has a new attitude and a new friend, Scorpius. But not any Scorpius, Scorpius Malfoy! With this Albus has uncovered secrets and uses time travel to change the past. But, with that comes a lot of problems. Do you think they can fix these problems before Harry, and the golden trio find out?
Prince George has tried his entire life to be like his father, but in his magic, he will always be like his mother. Animal magic, the ability to understand and talk to animals, has never been officially outlawed by his father, but those with animal magic are rarely left to live in peace, and before her death, George’s mother made it clear that his magic was best left a secret—even from his father. When the king of a rival kingdom offers his daughter, Princess Beatrice, in marriage, George can’t refuse. Princess Beatrice is unlike any woman George has ever met.
10-year-old Alanna of Trebond wants to be a knight. Unfortunately, in the land of Tortall, girls of noble birth are sent to the convent to learn the skills they will need as the wives of knights and lords. Her twin brother, Thom, wants to learn to use the powerful magic that they were both born with, but as the only son of the fief of Trebond, Thom must become a knight of the realm. Alanna and Thom trade places, so that Alanna, disguised as a boy, can travel to Corus to become a great knight and Thom can travel to the City of the Gods to study magic.
You-Know-Who is back. Harry did not think he would return, but he did. Harry has to go back to Hogwarts, thankfully, and has protection from his professors. Until he doesn’t. A new professor has joined the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, where Harry learns all about new spells and new techniques to defend himself from Voldemort. But, this professor is not a good one. She teaches in the “safety” of her classroom. The pink might look like she is friendly, but trust me, she is not.
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin is about two main characters, Malik and Karina. This book is fantasy fiction with a little bit of West African culture as inspiration for key parts of the book. The point of view shifts from Malik and Karina throughout the book to show two very different perspectives, one a poor refugee, and the other a princess. Unfortunately, both Malik and Karina need the other to die in order to save someone they love.
Alianne of Pirate’s Swoop wants nothing more than to have fun and be a spy like her father, the spymaster of the kingdom of Tortall. After an argument with her mother, the famed Lioness and King’s Champion, Aly decides to leave home for a brief taste of independence. When she is captured by slavers and taken to the Copper Isles, she finds that her knowledge in the art of spying is about to be put to the ultimate test.
Zahra, a Jinni, has been imprisoned in her lamp ever since her last master and best friend, Queen Roshana, was killed by a Jinn. She has just resigned herself to an eternity alone when a boy, Aladdin, stumbles across her lamp—and picks it up. Now Aladdin, the son of long-dead revolutionaries, has the power to finally create the change he had believed impossible—and to get revenge on the monarchy that killed his parents.
The School for Good and Evil is the first book in a series of the same name by Soman Chainani. This is a middle-grade fantasy novel that follows two girls in their early teens as they are taken from their hometown and thrust into a school to learn to become either good or evil. Although this is a middle-grade book, it has some more mature themes and insinuating moments in the dialogue.
