Dead to the world but somewhere in our souls we are both scratching at the walls yelling to the sky punching the air to let everyone and everything know that we are in here still alive
Amal is sent to prison for a crime he did not commit. Not that anyone is listening to him. He’s black and the victim is white. And in a coma. No one else can clear his name. Now he is in prison and angry.
On a scale of one to ten how angry are you?
Eleven, I say
Amal is a reader, an artist, and a poet. He wants to join a poetry class but is too broken to care. The white prisoners are making his life a hell. He doesn’t want to join a black gang. It is only when his crush sends him a letter out of the blue that he grabs onto a tiny bit of hope and of life.
Zoboi make us feel Amal, inside and out. Past, present, and future. Her writing is phenomenal. Give this book to everyone.
At the end of the first book, Heart of Thorns, Mia kills herself in order to spare her sister. In this book, she rises from the dead. Only she is not herself. She has some memories but no emotions including the love she once felt for Quin. Quin has discovered that he has been manipulated by Angelyne and can no longer trust his own feelings, even about Mia. Pilar feels everything, but primarily feels gutted by her mother’s betrayal. The three characters are headed separately to the Snow Queendom of Luumia for answers and assistance. They cannot count on each other but they can trust that no one is telling the whole truth.
The author provides a note at the beginning of the book to warn readers of a potential trigger as one of the characters is carrying the weight of a rape that she thinks is her own fault. This burden threatens to destroy her with guilt and shame.
Since the end of the war, Magic Crafters in Creije have gone into hiding. With no crafters, all of the city’s magic has to be recycled. When a new, dangerous magic appears, it is newly crafted; Somewhere there are crafters who still exist. And they are under the control of the Kingpin, the drug lord who plans to rewrite the world’s hierarchy no matter who gets hurt. Wesley is one of the Kingpin’s underlords and Tavia is one of his buskers/sellers. Saxony is an illegal immigrant and former lover of Karam, Wesley’s warrior bodyguard. These four flawed heroes reluctantly join together to defeat the Kingpin and make the realm safe for all. But they each harbor secrets and regrets that may put everything at risk.
Using icons and magic, Angel Mages can call angels to perform various tasks. Each realm is devoted to and guarded over by an archangel. The kingdom of Ystara was forsaken by its angel, Pallenial, and the inhabitants were forced to run or turn into beastlings with no memory of themselves as they were. Generations later, in the neighboring land of Lutace, the powerful Liliath awakens from a self-imposed sleep as though it were only a day later. She is a skilled magic user as well as an icon-maker with one goal: to return to Ystara and bring back the broken angel Pallenial. In order for her plan to succeed, she needs four descendants from Ystara and the magical connection between them. Henri, Simeon, Agnez, and Dorotea are strangers to each other yet each felt a pull to one another. They became fast friends and companions on the trek to Ystara. Unfortunately, the same element that brought them together may succeed in separating them forever.
Characters are diverse and females are in less “traditional” roles. The story was complete but hopefully Garth Nix will set more stories in the angel mage world.
King Ferdinand of Puerto Leones has consolidated power over all neighboring countries until almost all are bowing to his might. Except the rebels from the abolished kingdom of Memoria; those who wield forbidden magic. Ren is part of the rebels in the Lynx Unit under the command of Dez, her lover and defender. Her magic is the kind that allows her to take away memories; she spent her early days as a pawn for King Ferdinand turning rebels into husks of themselves with no memory or will of their own. Though she escaped she cannot shake her past.
When Dez is captured by the cruel Bloodied Prince Castian, heir to the crown, Ren infiltrates the castle to finish his task of locating the powerful mind-altering weapon about to be unleashed on them all. She falls back into her former life feigning illness to avoid the inevitable task of clearing the minds of innocent victims while she desperately tries to find the weapon. While searching for clues, she finds support in the most unexpected places and preconceived judgements shattered.
Plenty of twists make this book hard to put down. The characters are multi-dimensional with various motivations and personalities. This epic political fantasy will appeal to fans of Sarah Maas, Marie Rutkoski, and Renee Ahdieh. Looking forward to the sequel.
I read this as a proof copy for NetGalley. Here is my review: Sage is quite observant, brutally honest, and totally unfit for marriage according to those around her. Instead she is apprenticed to the local matchmaker and tasked with not only keeping an eye on the girls during their travel to the main city, but also to recommend which eligible bachelor would make a good match. Her astute observation skills catch the notice of an attractive soldier/captain and soon she is recruited to spy for the soldiers too. As the journey progresses, danger increases, and her heart has difficulty staying out of the matching pool. The only complaint I have is that the title does not really reflect the story.
Update: I enjoyed the rest of the series but once again, I didn’t like the title. Every time I see the title, I struggle to remember the series because it just doesn’t fit!
The Traitor’s Circle: The Traitor’s Kiss, The Traitor’s Ruin and The Traitor’s Kingdom
Hilari Bell – Fall of a Kingdom
The kingdom of Farsala has enjoyed peace and prosperity for so long that it doesn’t see the danger rising next door. Three young people do see the prospect of war and try to prepare Farsala against the immovable political structures. Each of the three heroes have a unique voice and perspective throughout the series. The story is supposedly based on a Persian legend and definitely brings this culture alive.
The Farsala Trilogy: Fall of a Kingdom, Rise of a Hero, and Forging the Sword
Holly Black – The Cruel Prince
Jude and her sisters were taken to the Faerie world after her step-father murdered her father. Now at seventeen, Jude wants to earn a place in the Faerie world in spite of her significant handicap of mortality. She finds her human ability to lie an advantage to her new position as spy. Now if only her staunchest enemy, the crown Prince, would just get out of her way.
Holly writes awesome “faeries behaving badly” urban fantasies. This trilogy is just her latest.
The Folk of the Air: The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King, and The Queen of Nothing
Kristin Cashore – Graceling
A “graceling” is one who was born with a special talent – baking bread that never burns, calming any animal, the voice of an angel – and are noted because of their two different colored eyes. Katsa’s grace is the ability to kill. As the king’s enforcer, she is feared across the land yet she hides a double life working for justice. When she is sent to rescue a kidnapped king, she meets Po and her world gets upended.
The other two books in this “series” focus on different characters and time periods in the same world but this first one was my favorite.
Series: Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue
Cinda Williams Chima – The Warrior Heir
Imagine the War of the Roses is not between British royal families but between two magical houses competing for leadership of the Weir, or magical world. Jack lives with his hippy mom in a little town in the middle of nowhere and his only ambition is to be on the soccer team. When he tries out for the team, he blasts by the rest of the players with strength and energy he has never had before. The only thing that is out of the ordinary is that he forgot to take his daily heart medicine. And now everything is out of the ordinary because he is one of only two surviving Warriors destined to duel to the death, this year.
Series: The Warrior Heir, The Wizard Heir, The Dragon Heir, The Enchanter Heir, and The Sorcerer Heir
Cinda Williams Chima –The Demon King
Former street gang leader Han is trying to live a straight life taking care of his mother and sister. After confronting three privileged young wizards, he ends up with the amulet of the long-dead demon king. And he knows the wizards will be after him to get it back. Princess Raisa has returned to court after three years of freedom running in the mountains with the clans of her father. Court life is stifling when she realizes her mother plans to marry her off.
I LOVE this series. The world is so intricate and the characters are plenty complicated, even the minor ones. This is definitely a re-read.
Series: The Demon King, The Exiled Queen, The Gray Wolf Throne, and The Crimson Crown
Honestly I would read anything that Chima writes. Her characters are diverse, complicated, and compelling. Her worlds are easily imagined and complete. And she always surprises.
My nephew’s girlfriend asked for some book recommendations to read while quarantined during this COVID-19 pandemic. I think others might also want some suggestions so I decided to resurrect my blog and publish a few different lists. I am starting with my one of my favorites, YA fantasy series. These also appeal to adults but are marketed to teens. So if you are looking for adult titles, this isn’t your list. And since there are so many great authors out there, I will split up the post and cover a few authors a day with a final pdf on the last post.
These are the first books in their series. Some are duologies, others much longer.
Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh
While traveling to marry the emperor, Mariko’s entourage is attacked and all are left for dead. Mariko manages to get away and joins the band of bandits she believes is responsible for the attack. Sequel is Smoke in the Sun.
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
Every night a girl is married to the young king and every morning, she is killed. When Sharhrzad’s best friend is one of the girls, she volunteers to be the next bride in order to get close enough to kill him. Sequel is The Rose and the Dagger.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
The color of your blood determines your class: those with silver are the rulers over those with red. When the red-blooded Mare is discovered to have some of the powers of silver-bloods, she is drawn into the palace, the princes, and all of its intrigue. Series includes Red Queen, Glass Sword, King’s Cage, and War Storm. To be upfront, I’ve only read the first of this series but I’ve included it because my students really like it.
The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad
Fatima lives in a city of immigrants living cooperatively under the safety of the Ifrit, a race of djinn committed to order and reason. When her friend and mentor dies, Fatima is filled with a unfamiliar power that may threaten the peace she has known. This is actually a one-off! Great to read a story that actually ends.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
When common soldier Alina demonstrates unusual powers, she is whisked away from her best friend, Mal, to the city to be trained by the Grisha, the magical elite who serve the king. This series has a Slavic/Russian setting and folktale background. Pretty unique when it was written (2012). Series includes Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Kaz Brekker selects a team of criminals, each with special skills, to break into a fortress within the ice palace of an enemy kingdom. Set in the same world as Shadow and Bone, this duology features others with Grisha skills. Sequel is Crooked Kingdom.
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
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
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
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.
February is a time to focus on the amazing African-Americans who may not have yet become household names. From singers to scientists to writers to athletes, many extraordinary African-Americans deserve recognition for their accomplishments.
On the North Creek High School Instagram, I posted a different figure each day. (Well, I didn’t really get started on it until halfway through the month. A snow storm in Seattle messed up my routine.) You are welcome to browse through the account archive to view the posts. Or you can see my text and hashtags here:
