Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell

Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell

by | May 17, 2017 | 0 comments

Once Upon a Dream

by Liz Braswell
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What if the sleeping beauty never woke up? Once Upon a Dream marks the second book in a new YA line that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways.

It should be simple—a dragon defeated, a slumbering maiden, a prince poised to wake her. But when said prince falls asleep as soon as his lips meet the princess’, it is clear that this fairy tale is far from over.

With a desperate fairy’s last curse infiltrating her mind, Princess Aurora will have to navigate a dangerous and magical landscape deep in the depths of her dreams. Soon she stumbles upon Phillip, a charming prince eager to join her quest. But with Maleficent’s agents following her every move, Aurora struggles to discover who her true allies are, and moreover, who she truly is. Time is running out. Will the sleeping beauty be able to wake herself up?

book 2 in the Twisted Tales series

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2017
fantasyfairy tale retellingsYAfiction

 

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

by | May 17, 2017 | 0 comments

Passenger

by Alexandra Bracken
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Passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them—whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home… forever.

book 1 in the Passenger series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Miranda rated it ★★★★ and said “What a great new series from Bracken! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going into this one, but it has great world building and the characters are fully develeoped and likeable. Plus the cover is fabulous.

“Etta has spent years preparing for this moment, and now she is ready to start performing. When she overhears her mother and her beloved mentor arguing about her readiness, she is extremely hurt. And then her world falls apart . . . and she is off on an adventure where lives hang in the balance. Discovering that she descends from a long line of time travelers and that she has the ability to travel herself, Etta is thrown into an unfamiliar world of corruption. Who can she trust? How will she save those she loves?

“A great start, though I could have done without the horrible cliff-hanger ending. Now I have to wait forever to find out what happens next!”

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2017
romancefantasyscience fictionYAfiction

 

The Killing Jar by Jennifer Bosworth

The Killing Jar by Jennifer Bosworth

by | May 17, 2017 | 0 comments

The Killing Jar

by Jennifer Bosworth
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“I try not to think about it, what I did to that boy.”

Seventeen-year-old Kenna Marsden has a secret.

She’s haunted by a violent tragedy she can’t explain. Kenna’s past has kept people—even her own mother—at a distance for years. Just when she finds a friend who loves her and life begins to improve, she’s plunged into a new nightmare. Her mom and twin sister are attacked, and the dark powers Kenna has struggled to suppress awaken with a vengeance.

On the heels of the assault, Kenna is exiled to a nearby commune, known as Eclipse, to live with a relative she never knew she had. There, she discovers an extraordinary new way of life as she learns who she really is, and the wonders she’s capable of. For the first time, she starts to feel like she belongs somewhere. That her terrible secret makes her beautiful and strong, not dangerous. But the longer she stays at Eclipse, the more she senses there is something malignant lurking underneath it all. And she begins to suspect that her new family has sinister plans for her…

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2017

fantasyhorrorYAfiction

Nightstruck by Jenna Black

Nightstruck by Jenna Black

by | May 17, 2017 | 0 comments

Nightstruck

by Jenna Black
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It starts with a cry in the night.

Becket, walking her dog one winter evening, fears it’s an abandoned baby left out in the cold. But it is something else—something evil—and it tricks Becket into opening a doorway to another realm, letting a darkness into our world, a corruption that begins transforming Philadelphia into a sinister and menacing version of itself…but only at night.

The changes are subtle at first, causing Becket to doubt her senses and her sanity. But soon the nightmarish truth is impossible to deny: By day, the city is just a city, but at night it literally comes alive with malevolent purpose. Brick and steel become bone, streetlights turn into gallows, and hungry alleys wait to snare mortal victims. Terrified citizens huddle indoors after dusk, as others succumb to the siren song of the night, letting their darker sides run wild.

Once, Becket’s biggest problems were living up to her police commissioner father’s high expectations and a secret crush on her best friend’s boyfriend. Now she must find a way to survive and protect her loved ones…before the darkness takes her as well.

book 1 in the Nightstruck series

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2017

fantasyhorrorYAfiction

The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

by | Jun 15, 2016 | 0 comments

The Screwtape Letters

by C. S. Lewis
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A masterpiece of satire, this classic has entertained and enlightened readers the world over with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life from the vantage point of Screwtape, a senior tempter in the service of “Our Father Below.” At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, C. S. Lewis gives us the correspondence of the worldly-wise old devil to his nephew Wormwood, a novice demon in charge of securing the damnation of an ordinary young man. The Screwtape Letters is the most engaging and humorous account of temptation—and triumph over it—ever written.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Cathy rated it ★★★★★.

Exercise Your Mind: Meditation, Prayer & Spirituality

classicsChristianityspiritualityfantasyfiction

Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, and Deborah Biancotti

Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, and Deborah Biancotti

by | Apr 14, 2016 | 0 comments

Zeroes

by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, and Deborah Biancotti

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Don’t call them heroes.

But these six Californian teens have powers that set them apart. They can do stuff ordinary people can’t.

Take Ethan, a.k.a. Scam. He’s got a voice inside him that’ll say whatever you want to hear, whether it’s true or not. Which is handy, except when it isn’t—like when the voice starts gabbing in the middle of a bank robbery. The only people who can help are the other Zeroes, who aren’t exactly best friends these days.

Enter Nate, a.k.a. Bellwether, the group’s “glorious leader.” After Scam’s SOS, he pulls the scattered Zeroes back together. But when the rescue blows up in their faces, the Zeroes find themselves propelled into whirlwind encounters with ever more dangerous criminals. And at the heart of the chaos they find Kelsie, who can take a crowd in the palm of her hand and tame it or let it loose as she pleases.

Filled with high-stakes action and drama, Zeroes unites three powerhouse authors for the opening installment of a thrilling new series.

book 1 in the Zeroes series

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2016

superheroesfantasyYAfiction

Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt

Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt

by | Apr 14, 2016 | 0 comments

Hold Me Like a Breath

by Tiffany Schmidt
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Penelope Landlow has grown up with the knowledge that almost anything can be bought or sold—including body parts. She’s the daughter of one of the three crime families that control the black market for organ transplants.

Penelope’s surrounded by all the suffocating privilege and protection her family can provide, but they can’t protect her from the autoimmune disorder that causes her to bruise so easily.

And in her family’s line of work no one can be safe forever.

All Penelope has ever wanted is freedom and independence. But when she’s caught in the crossfire as rival families scramble for prominence, she learns that her wishes come with casualties, that betrayal hurts worse than bruises, that love is a risk worth taking…and maybe she’s not as fragile as everyone thinks.

book 1 in the Once Upon a Crime Family series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Miranda rated it ★★★★ and said, “This was very different from other stuff I have read before, while still having a similar feel to it, if that makes sense at all. This is a retelling of The Princess and the Pea, though I didn’t know that until after I was finished with it. It makes a lot of sense now.  I was expecting a lot more mob-boss/intimidation, and while that was included, it was also much more. The MC’s illness brought a different level to the action than I would have otherwise thought of, and really made me think about the interactions we have with others on a daily basis and the random ways people touch each other and bump into things.”

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2016

fairy talesfantasyYAfiction

The Novice by Taran Matharu

The Novice by Taran Matharu

by | Apr 14, 2016 | 0 comments

The Novice

by Taran Matharu

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When blacksmith apprentice Fletcher discovers that he has the ability to summon demons from another world, he travels to Adept Military Academy. There the gifted are trained in the art of summoning. Fletcher is put through grueling training as a battlemage to fight in the Hominum Empire’s war against orcs. He must tread carefully while training alongside children of powerful nobles. The power hungry, those seeking alliances, and the fear of betrayal surround him. Fletcher finds himself caught in the middle of powerful forces, with only his demon Ignatius for help.

As the pieces on the board maneuver for supremacy, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands. The Novice is the first in a trilogy about Fletcher, his demon Ignatius, and the war against the Orcs.

book 1 in the Summoner series

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2016YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Winners 2016

fantasyYAfiction

When by Victoria Laurie

When by Victoria Laurie

by | Apr 14, 2016 | 0 comments

When

by Victoria Laurie

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Maddie Fynn is a shy high school junior, cursed with an eerie intuitive ability: she sees a series of unique digits hovering above the foreheads of each person she encounters. Her earliest memories are marked by these numbers, but it takes her father’s premature death for Maddie and her family to realize that these mysterious digits are actually death dates, and just like birthdays, everyone has one.

Forced by her alcoholic mother to use her ability to make extra money, Maddie identifies the quickly approaching death date of one client’s young son, but because her ability only allows her to see the when and not the how, she’s unable to offer any more insight. When the boy goes missing on that exact date, law enforcement turns to Maddie.

Soon, Maddie is entangled in a homicide investigation, and more young people disappear and are later found murdered. A suspect for the investigation, a target for the murderer, and attracting the attentions of a mysterious young admirer who may be connected to it all, Maddie’s whole existence is about to be turned upside down. Can she right things before it’s too late?

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2016YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Winners 2016

fantasymysteryYAfiction

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