City of Fire (City Trilogy, #1)
by Laurence Yep
2 out of 5 stars
Scirye vows revenge on the dragon that killed her sister, and she is joined in her quest for revenge by Leech, whose friend was also killed, and Bayang, a dragon disguised as a human. This unlikely crew start on the trail to find the evil dragon, Badik, and they end up as stowaways on a plane to Honolulu to track him down and retrieve the priceless artifacts he stole.
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Alkrem
by Marta Palazzesi, Christopher Turner (translator)
4 out of 5 stars
On his birthday Theo discovers that he was abandoned as a baby by Alkrem wizards trying to save his life from the Archemist government who imprisoned and executed all the Alkrem years before. Theo was adopted by Chimius, who raised him as an Archemist wizard in Paris. The Archemists hate the Alkrem and blame them for the constant war against Negato monsters that roam the countryside. At midnight on his birthday, Theo’s magic animal companion appears on his doorstep, confirming that he is indeed an Alkrem wizard. His animal companion is a ferocious and powerful Fire Fox, a rare animal even among Alkrem. The Archemists get wind of an Alkrem boy in the city, and Chimius is arrested after being wounded by a mysterious wizard named only the Shadow. Now Theo and his Fire Fox travel to the secret city of the Alkrem, hoping to find the only magic item that can cure Chimius’s wounds, the legendary and dangerous Alkrexa, a weapon that also has the power to heal.
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A World Without Princes (The School for Good and Evil, #2)
by Soman Chainani (Goodreads Author), Iacopo Bruno (Illustrator)
Sophie and Agatha are back at the School for Good and Evil, except now the schools are divided between boys and girls. The girls want to make the boys their slaves, and the boys want to kill Sophie because they blame her for all the changes in the fairy tale world. Agatha wished that she could have Tedros as her prince, and Sophie will do anything to keep them apart. Sophie tries so hard to be good, but will her witchy evil side come out despite Agatha’s friendship?
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The Cloud Kingdom
by Máire Zepf (Goodreads Author)
5 out of 5 stars
This circular collection of fairy stories is set in the framework of a girl who makes a deal with the fairies after they kidnap her cat. If they return her cat, she agrees to read them a story every week. Each story leads into the next, as the characters in the current story begin to tell another story which leads us into the next chapter, similar to the story structure of The Thousand and One Nights.
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The Death of a Maven (The Haunted Farmhouse Mysteries, #1)
by Kathryn Johnson
3 out of 5 stars
Verity’s friends gather at her farmhouse to comfort her on the anniversary of her husband’s death. When one of them is found dead the next day, the cops say suicide, but Verity thinks it must be murder. Verity and her friends begin to look into the victim’s death, determined to find some proof that she didn’t kill herself. The victim’s family asks Verity to help go through the deceased’s possessions and Verity begins reading the old journals that could contain the secret to her death. Verity discovers that her old farmhouse is also home to two ghosts who are unable to move on after hundreds of years. They watch over Verity and the dairy farm and eagerly join in the investigation.
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The Grey King (The Dark is Rising, #4)
by Susan Cooper
5 out of 5 stars
Will is recovering from a serious illness, and is sent for a holiday with his aunt in Wales. There he meets Bran, a mysterious albino boy with a dog who can see the Dark wind of the Grey King. Will is on a quest to find the golden harp and use its music to awaken the Sleepers to fight against the Dark. With the help of Bran and his dog, Will stands up against the menace of the Grey King and searches for the harp, but at a terrible cost.
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The Tyrant’s Tomb (The Trials of Apollo, #4)
by Rick Riordan
3 out of 5 stars
Zeus punishes Apollo by turning him into a mortal human. Apollo must complete various trials and serve a demigod named Meg, so that he can regain his godly status. In this fourth book of the series, Meg and Apollo are trying to turn back the zombie forces of the Triumvirate from attacking New Rome. A prophecy tells them that if they can capture the breath of a dying god, they could summon godly help to face Caligula’s armies.
Apollo and Meg are joined by Hazel, Frank, and Reyna in their quest. Lavinia, a lesbian with a crush on a Poison Oak dryad, breaks all the rules of the 12th Legion to help Meg and Apollo sneak in and out of New Rome on their quest.
The Puppets of Spelhorst
by Kate DiCamillo (Goodreads Author), Julie Morstad (Illustrator)
An old sea captain purchases five puppets from a shop window (a king, an owl, a girl, a boy, and a wolf), propelling them on an adventure to find their purpose. Each puppet has their own dreams and desires. The king wishes to hear beautiful music and respected. The wolf wants to bite and chase. The boy dreams of accomplishing some great deed. The girl longs for beauty under the moonlit sky. The owl advises them with wise words.
When the puppets become the property of two little girls, they think they will find their purpose in acting out a story with the children, but the obstacles they face are greater than they can ever imagine.
Burning Beauty
by Temple Bailey
4.5 out of 5 stars
Virginia is overshadowed by her selfish brother Rickey, who is convinced that he has the genius to write a bestselling book. He potentially sells the manuscript to a famous editor, Michael McMillan, who is smitten with the lovely Virginia. But Virginia is also being wooed by rich Anthony, who impresses her with his fancy country estate. Virginia must choose if she will marry for money or for love, but her brother’s selfish concerns take precedence and Virginia runs away from both her suitors in order to take care of Rickey.
Rickey is obsessed with a wealthy socialite called Marty that he dubs his “silver witch”. She is his muse for a new book, but she is just toying with him. He barely notices the sweet Mary Lee who truly loves him.
5 out of 5 stars
Bunns is a rabbit born with short ears. Her parents worry that the superstitious rabbits in the warren will reject her, and they are right. The entire family is going to be evicted from their burrow, because the other rabbits think that Bunns will bring bad luck on the whole meadow. Bunns runs away on her own, hoping that with her gone, her family will be allowed to stay safely in their home. She meets the Spirit Fox who sends Monarch butterflies to lead her through the forest, where she will be tested. If she is found worthy, the Spirit Fox may grant her a wish.
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