Category: Books

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Nameless Queen by Rebecca McLoughlin

Thanks to NetGalley for the preview copy.

Rule in the kingdom of Sheridan is not transferred by blood but by a magical tattoo that appears on the one named with the king’s last breath. Coin is one of the Nameless who live by theft and con; the people so low they don’t even have names. Yet the magic tattoo burns on her shoulder and is verified by the late king’s daughter. She knows all about surviving in the streets but nothing about living through the politics in the Royal class. She just wants to last long enough to find out why young Nameless are disappearing from the streets and to rescue her best friend from the gallows. She can use her new magic and old swagger to run the ultimate con and perhaps make a difference in the lives of those she loves.

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The Silvered Serpent by Roshani Chokshi

Cover of The Silvered Serpents

“You cannot protect everyone from everything. You are only human, Severin.” With these words Laila inadvertently plants a seed in Severin’s mind: if he were immortal, he could save everyone. All he needs is the book, The Divine Lyrics. All he needs to get the book are his friends, the people he cares most about, the people he must keep at arms-length in order to reach his goal. With reluctance, the team gets back together and travels to the ice-covered location of the Sleeping Palace to find the book before the winter meeting of the magic-wielding Houses convenes. For when they do, the possible will become impossible.

This is the second in a series (hopefully only a trilogy!) It won’t make sense unless you read the first. The characters are individuals with their own quirks, desires, and opinions. Love them, though Severin gets pretty annoying in this title with his one-minded goal that tears his friends apart. I hope the spark remaining in him at the end will burn brighter in the next book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the preview copy. The book is scheduled to be published September 2020.

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National Tell a Fairy Tale Day

Today happens to be National Tell a Fairy Tale Day. Who knew?! I’ve always been a fan of fairy tales. Now I’m a fan of retold fairy tales in the young adult genre. (I’m sure there are good adult versions out there, but YA is what I read.) There are many out there but here are a few of my favorites.

The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

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Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad’s dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride.
Description from Goodreads.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cover of Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She’s reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she finds herself at the center of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen – and a dangerous temptation.
Description from Goodreads.

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Cover of Beastly by Alex Flinn

I am a monster. … And I’ll stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. Description from Goodreads.

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Don’t give into hate

I always spend a good portion of the summer reading young adult books for the Evergreen Teen Book Award. I haven’t been too excited about the titles I’ve been reading lately, but this one is worth pointing out, especially since it will be released as a movie this fall.

Cover of Angie Thomas' book The Hate U Give

Starr is an African-American teenager living in two worlds. The community she lives in can be dangerous: a poor, inner-city neighborhood. Her parents send her and her brother to a private school in a suburban area where they are definitely minorities. When she witnessed the shooting of an old friend by a police officer, she is forced to reconcile her place and find her voice in any community.

Her father stands out for me as he shows inner strength and total commitment to his family. Many YA books have “absent” parents or ones that contribute to whatever crisis the teenagers are going through. Starr’s father is integral to her life and to the story.  It is his strength that allows Starr to find her own.

As always, I highly recommend reading the book prior to seeing the movie.

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A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix

Nix, Garth. A Confusion of Princes.

A treat for Sci-Fi fans. No dragons! or vampires!

Khemri was taken from his parents as a baby, trained to be a leader, and enhanced with super-capabilities. He is now one of a million princes in line to replace the Emperor. His biggest obstacle is staying alive. As part of his trials to prove himself worthy as an emperor, Khemri is stripped of his enhancements and sent to live in several different environments where he must learn to adapt quickly or die. His mysterious Master of Assassins councils him in more ways than just avoiding death and helps him to mature from a selfish teen to a young man who must choose how he wants to live his life. Raine lives on a far planet and it is through her and her family that Khemri learns what the empire means to the average citizen. There is no on-screen sex but references to courtesans might make this for older teens in some communities. Highly recommended.