Katherine Harbour's Blog, page 12

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova

Labyrinth Lost
This contemporary dark fantasy is about Alex, a teen born into a family of brujas and brujos. Alex's nightmare journey begins after a family magic ritual is ruined and she must enter Los Lagos, a dangerous alternative world, to find her loved ones. Her White Rabbits is Nova, a shady brujo boy whose motives may not be pure. With the help of her best friend Rishi, Alex and Nova encounter harpy-like creatures, faery folk, and a terrifying witch called The Devourer.
A detailed and fantastical take on magic, both ancestral and talismanic, with an emotional core about family and betrayal. My favorite part was the trinity of main characters. For anyone who loved Danielle Paige's Oz series.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows
In a sprawling city reminiscent of a cross between Amsterdam and Dickensian London, Kaz Brekker runs his gang ruthlessly, if only to keep them alive.
Then he's offered a large sum of money to retrieve a man who might have created a dangerous drug. Accepting the mission, he takes with him a group of teens with singular talents. Inez is a former acrobat who can move as silently as a cat. Jesper is a brash gunslinger. Wyland is an explosives expert. Nina is a seductive young woman with the power to kill. Matthias is a young man with interior knowledge of their destination, but needs to broken out of a hellish prison.
Each character has their own baggage. It's a quest and a heist all in one. Kaz and Inez are meant for one another, but there's a lot standing between them. The others are given their moments and budding relationships and each one is intriguing. This story never gets dull. One of the best character-driven fantasies I've ever read.

The Call by Peadar O Guilin

The Call
This is not a fairy tale, but horror, brutal and grim. Nessa and other young people live in a future Ireland closed off by an enchanted mist. When they're teenagers, they're sent to schools to learn the very necessary art of survival--because, at any moment, they could vanish into a horrifying otherworld for 3 minutes, during which they have to survive being hunted by the Sidhe, beautiful psychopaths with a penchant for transforming their victims into monsters.
Nessa was born with a disability in her legs that won't allow her to walk without extreme difficulty. But she's determined to survive, and learns to run with crutches. Then she beings losing friends to the Sidhe...
The story was a little depressing at first, like the Hunger Games with monstrous faery folk, but Nessa and her schoolmates are tough kids in a nightmarish world. I read this in two days, just to find out what was going to happen. That's a record for me.

And I Darken by Kiersten White

And I Darken
A fictional historical fantasy set during the time of turmoil between Transylvania and the Ottoman Empire.
Radu and Lada are the son and daughter of Vlad Dracul, who ignores his youngest, Radu, in favor of his fierce daughter, Lada. This has an impact on both of them. When they are kept in the Ottoman court as hostages and threatened daily with terrible cruelty, it is Lada who becomes dark and ruthless, and Radu who begins to use charm and cleverness.
When they meat Mehmed, the handsome, devout, and charismatic son of the sultan, the three instantly become friends. Mehmed takes them away from his father's dangerous manipulations and the three mature together. Their chemistry as they negotiate the intrigues of the Ottoman court is complicated, especially with Lada's determination to become a warrior, the existence of Mehmed's harem, and Radu's realization that he's in love with Mehmed.
This is YA at its best-- character-driven, the world beautifully detailed, with a complex story inspired by history. It could just as easily be in the fantasy/SF section of a bookstore. For any fans of Judith Tarr, Sarah Maass, and Laini Taylor.

Slasher Girls and Monster Boys by April Genevieve Tucholke

Slasher Girls & Monster Boys
14 stories in this anthology are inspired by films and books and each has its inspiration listed at the end. These are artfully crafted horror stories starring characters who fit the descriptions on the book title.
My favorites were Danielle Paige's 'The Dark, Scary Parts and All' , inspired by 'The Omen, 'Verse Chorus Verse' by Leigh Bardugo, about famous kids and a monstrous rehab. The Frankenstein-Southern Gothic 'Stitches' by A.G. Howard. 'The Flicker, The Fingers, The Beat, The Sigh' by April Genevieve Tucholke. But they're all excellent, heartbreaking, and creepy. Definitely one of the best anthologies I've ever read.

Grey by Christi J. Whitney

Grey
Sebastian lives with his brother, Hugo, the owner of a tattoo parlor, and his brothers' friends, in the U.S. town of Sixes. He has a group of close friends himself and lives a good life. Then the circus arrives, and Sebastian's world changes as his true nature begins to emerge.

With elements inspired by The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Grey is a unique twist on the teen monster tale. The gypsy folklore arrives in the form of the Romany, the family who own the circus. Their daughter, Josephine, is the star, and Sebastian immediately feels drawn to her, despite being warned off by her elegant and alpha boyfriend.

Told in the first person by Sebastian, Grey is a contemporary fantasy about a young man realizing his entire life was a lie. As Sebastian learns what he is, and meets others of his kind, the urgency ramps up, ending in a devastating betrayal. Sebastian and Josephine are charismatic teens, as are Sebastian's friends. Can't wait to read more about this world.

Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl

Special Topics in Calamity Physics

Blue Van Meer and her urbane professor father Gareth are constantly moving. Blue, intelligent and perceptive, has come to rely on her father as a best friend. Her father, who has left a trail of broken hearts after his wife's death, is funny, sarcastic, and vain.
When they move again, Blue meets Hannah Schneider, a beautiful and mysterious teacher who has acquired a group of young people like a goddess collects worshipers. Blue is soon transformed by this interesting group the school calls the Bluebloods.
Then Hannah commits suicide--Blue's world falls to pieces. But Blue, as intrepid and imaginative as Nancy Drew, does not. And, whether her eventual conclusions are true or "The materials Blue used for her boat, in order to pass without serious injury through a harrowing path of sea," it is Blue whose funny, heartbreaking, and suspenseful journey navigating her final year of high school that drove me through this detailed story. At the end I thought, Oh no, it's over. Loved this book.

Nettle King Giveaway

I'll be sending out the 5 signed copies of Nettle King Mon or Tues the 23-24 January. I hope you love the conclusion to Finn and Jack's story!

Everland by Wendy Spinale

Everland
A steampunk Peter Pan set in an alternative London besieged by a plague that has killed the adult population and is working on the children. Gwen and her little brother and sister are surviving when they encounter a young girl named Bella who has a winged jetpack. This encounter leads to a mysterious rebel named Peter who brings Gwen to an underground city run by the Lost Boys, a charming group of eccentric characters. Peter, reckless and brave, may be harboring secrets. Hook is a young baron and the leader of the marauders sent by a tyrannical queen (his mother) who wants world domination. Hook has a great back story, (His own mother injured one of his eyes), but he's still an evil bastard.
Filed with steampunk details and creatively re-imagined characters, its background reminiscent of World War II, Everland is a book I was thrilled to learn had a sequel.

Wink, Poppy, Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke

Wink Poppy Midnight

With its unique portraits of a group of young people struggling through the trials of adolescence, this is a vivid, dark fairy tale of a book, sparse and lyrical.

Midnight is the wounded boy surviving his parents' divorce. Wink is an awkward girl with a strange family. Poppy is the spoiled mean girl. The Yellows are Poppy's gang.

No one is who they at first appear to be. Everyone has secrets and these secrets collide one night in one fateful act--a prank gone wrong. Nothing that happens is expected, and the love triangle between Wink, Midnight, and Poppy is headed for a bad ending because of Midnight's desperation, Wink's belief in fairy tales, and Poppy's cruelty. This is one of my favorite books of the year, especially because of the ending. Definitely for anyone who loves Francesca Lia Block.