Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs

Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs

by | Apr 14, 2016 | 0 comments

Powerless

by Tera Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs

Kenna is tired of being “normal”. The only thing special about her is that she isn’t special at all. Which is frustrating in a world of absolutes. Villains, like the one who killed her father, are bad. Heroes, like her mother and best friend, are good. And Kenna, unlike everyone else around her, is completely ordinary— which she hates.

She’s secretly working on an experiment that will land her a place among the Heroes, but when a Villain saves her life during a break-in at her lab, Kenna discovers there’s a whole lot of gray area when it comes to good and evil and who she can trust.. After all…not all strength comes from superpowers.

book 1 in the Hero Agenda series

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2016

superheroesfantasyYAfiction

The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough

The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough

by | Apr 14, 2016 | 0 comments

The Game of Love and Death

by Martha Brockenbrough

Antony and Cleopatra. Helen of Troy and Paris. Romeo and Juliet. And now…Henry and Flora.

For centuries Love and Death have chosen their players. They have set the rules, rolled the dice, and kept close, ready to influence, angling for supremacy. And Death has always won. Always.

Could there ever be one time, one place, one pair whose love would truly tip the balance?

Meet Flora Saudade, an African-American girl who dreams of becoming the next Amelia Earhart by day and sings in the smoky jazz clubs of Seattle by night. Meet Henry Bishop, born a few blocks and a million worlds away, a white boy with his future assured—a wealthy adoptive family in the midst of the Great Depression, a college scholarship, and all the opportunities in the world seemingly available to him.

The players have been chosen. The dice have been rolled. But when human beings make moves of their own, what happens next is anyone’s guess.

Achingly romantic and brilliantly imagined, The Game of Love and Death is a love story you will never forget.

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

fantasyhistoricalYAfiction

The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

by | Apr 14, 2016 | 0 comments

The Witch Hunter

by Virginia Boecker

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Your greatest enemy isn’t what you fight, but what you fear.

Elizabeth Grey is one of the king’s best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. But when she’s accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to burn at the stake.

Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can break the deadly curse that’s been laid upon him.

But Nicholas and his followers know nothing of Elizabeth’s witch hunting past–if they find out, the stake will be the least of her worries. And as she’s thrust into the magical world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and one all-too-handsome healer, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate.

Virginia Boecker weaves a riveting tale of magic, betrayal, and sacrifice in this unforgettable fantasy debut.

book 1 in the Witch Hunter series

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2016

fantasyYAfiction

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

by | Apr 14, 2016 | 0 comments

The Darkest Part of the Forest

by Holly Black
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Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Bekka rated it ★★★★ and said, “I really enjoyed this! The whole fairy element was great, and properly scary. I think it’s wonderful when author’s use the original fairies, and not the cutsie Victorian ones. The fairies here are quite dangerous as well as intriguing and beautiful. I loved how it was set in the New World, in our world, and how the teens coped with the magic in their lives. This is a great read for any Holly Black fans, as well as Maggie Stiefvater fans. It’s great writing with great characters and an edge-of-your-seat kind of plot. Great fun!”

YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten Nominees 2016

romancefantasyYAfiction

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

by | Apr 14, 2016 | 0 comments

Six of Crows

by Leigh Bardugo

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Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Kaz’s crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

book 1 in the Six of Crows series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Miranda rated it ★★★★ and said, “Set in the same world as Bardugo’s Grisha series, this one takes a different spin. Kaz has had to fight his way through life just to survive, so when he is offered the chance to earn enough money to bring down his mortal enemy, he has to take it. But he can’t pull it off by himself, and he gathers those closest to him to make the exodus and bring back the prize. A great new series. The characters in this book are dark and gritty, but they also have spunk and loyalty to each other. Bardugo is not afraid to add a little bit of gruesome blood and gore to her tale, and this book shows that not all stories are sparkle and light. Can’t wait for more.”

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

fantasyYAfiction

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

by | Dec 2, 2015 | 0 comments

Before I Fall

by Lauren Oliver

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With this stunning debut novel, New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver emerged as one of today’s foremost authors of young adult fiction. Like Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why and Gayle Forman’s If I Stay, Before I Fall raises thought-provoking questions about love, death, and how one person’s life can affect so many others.

For popular high school senior Samantha Kingston, February 12—”Cupid Day”—should be one big party, a day of valentines and roses and the privileges that come with being at the top of the social pyramid. And it is…until she dies in a terrible accident that night.

However, she still wakes up the next morning. In fact, Sam lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she ever imagined.

Named to numerous state reading lists, this novel was also recognized as a Best Book of the Year by Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, The Daily Beast, NPR, and Publishers Weekly. It has been optioned for film by Fox 2000 Pictures.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Bekka rated it ★★★★ and said, “Excellent book! The characters stay with you a long time after the book is finished.”

Miranda rated it ★★★★★ and said, “Edgy and real. A great book to be on the [Teens’ Top Ten] nominee list.”

Timely Topic: Tired of Trilogies?

romancefantasyYAfiction

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

by | Dec 2, 2015 | 0 comments

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

by Mitch Albom

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Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination, but an answer.

In heaven, five people explain your life to you. Some you knew, others may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie’s five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his “meaningless” life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: “Why was I here?”

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Lorna rated it ★★★★★.

Cathy rated it ★★★★.

Vivian rated it ★★★.

Rebekah rated it ★★★★★ and said, “This instantly became one of my top five favorite books of all time.”

Timely Topic: Tired of Trilogies?

book-to-screenfantasyfiction

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause

by | Dec 2, 2015 | 0 comments

Book Title

by Author's Name

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Vivian Gandillon relishes the change, the sweet, fierce ache that carries her from girl to wolf. At sixteen, she is beautiful and strong, and all the young wolves are on her tail. But Vivian still grieves for her dead father; her pack remains leaderless and in disarray, and she feels lost in the suburbs of Maryland. She longs for a normal life. But what is normal for a werewolf?

Then Vivian falls in love with a human, a meat-boy. Aiden is kind and gentle, a welcome relief from the squabbling pack. He’s fascinated by magic, and Vivian longs to reveal herself to him. Surely he would understand her and delight in the wonder of her dual nature, not fear her as an ordinary human would.

Vivian’s divided loyalties are strained further when a brutal murder threatens to expose the pack. Moving between two worlds, she does not seem to belong in either. What is she really—human or beast? Which tastes sweeter—blood or chocolate?

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Miranda rated it ★★★★.

Lorna rated it ★★★.

Timely Topic: Tired of Trilogies?

book-to-screenwerewolvesfantasyYAfiction

Life of Pi

Life of Pi

by | Dec 1, 2015 | 0 comments

Life of Pi

by Yann Martel

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After the tragic sinking of a cargo ship, one solitary lifeboat remains bobbling on the wild, blue Pacific. The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi, a hyena, a zebra (with a broken leg), a female orangutan…and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger.

The scene is set for one of the most extraordinary works of fiction in recent years.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Bekka rated it ★★★★★ and said, “Wow—this is one fantastic book! Incredible story, but so infused with depth and nuance that it takes on a life of its own. It’s definitely one that will hold up to repeated readings, with new things being discovered with each reading. The ending is completely satisfying! I have no idea how they can possibly put this into a film, but I’m really curious to see now! At any rate, I can’t recommend the book highly enough. This is a fantastic read, and will leave you with much to think about.”

Lorna rated it ★★★★★ and said, “At times it seemed bogged down somewhat with details, but overall I have to give this book 5 stars for character development, theme, language usage and the story. Amazing!”

Cathy rated it ★★★★★.

Timely Topic: Tired of Trilogies?

book-to-screenfantasyfiction

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