Katherine Harbour's Blog, page 8

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me
An apocalyptic love story with lyrical language. The face of the villainous re-establishment is a secretive and cruel young man. Juliette is imprisoned for her power to kill with a touch. She receives a cellmate one day, a boy named Adam, whom she knew before the world fell apart.
Fast-paced, with a tortured and traumatized protagonist, this fantasy could be a story about a superhero's beginnings. The POV from Juliette is absolutely riveting, that of a teen who has lost everything.
For anyone who loved The Hunger Games.

Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho

Sorcerer to the Crown
Zacharias is an outcast among the Royal
Society of Unnatural Philosophers, but he is also Sorcerer Royal. Rescued from an African slave ship by Sir Stephen, once Sorcerer Royal and his faster father, Zacharias is soon dealing with conspiracies from his fellow sorcerers and a few murder attempts, all while dealing with a dark secret of his own, racism, and a prodigal young sorceress-it's improper for women to use magic for anything serious-and a political crisis involving fairies and the lamiae of another country.
It's a dazzling alternate Regency England. Zacharias' apprentice, Prunella Gentleman, is a Becky Sharp boldly making her way in a strangling society. I loved her and Zacharias, who is a polite and practical man, not one of those broody heroes.
For anyone who loved Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell.

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

The Bone Witch
As Tea learns to become a dark ahsha, a bone witch, in her kingdom, her future plays out between chapters seen by the eyes of an unknown narrator.
The ahsha world is detailed and interesting. Tea is apprenticed to lady Mykaela, who has a tragic past of her own. Tea, who has a habit of raising the dead--including her brother Fox-- is supported by a kind prince and his brooding lieutenant, a Deathseeker. The other characters in this world add to its vividness and unique detail.
But future glimpses show a harder, scarier Tea, because this story is only the beginning of her journey.

Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton

Strange Grace
Loved this book! Set in the village of Three Graces, the story is about young Mairwen, a witch and daughter of a witch. Her town sacrifices one boy very 7 years, to the devil of the forest, and two of Mairwen's best friends--the noble, affable Rhun and the brooding, temperamental Arthur--are set for the honor.
The forest is a character itself, a place of bone boys and mad bird women. Mairwen feels familiar with the forest, since her father was one of the sacrifices.
The relationship between Mairwen, Rhun, and Arthur is wrought with complications and there's a mystery at the core of the sacrifice. A book for anyone who loves dark fairy tales, haunted forests, and the movie The Witch.

Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore

Jane, Unlimited
This is a book about possibilities. Jane is invited to her friend's mansion Tu Reviens. Jane has just lost her aunt, who was raising her. Jane's hobby is making umbrellas that reflect her moods.
Tu Reviens is inhabited by a group of eccentric people preparing for a gala.There are the knowledgeable servants, the mysterious brother and sister, Patrick and Ivy, and the best friend's brother, Ravi. There's the reclusive millionaire father and others who have secrets. Although the story seems contemporary, there are hints, in paintings and frog rains, that things are not quite as they seem.
Jane is presented with five choices throughout the story.With each path she chooses, there's a different outcome and a different genre. It's an amazing feat of writing, weird and wonderful, with a protagonist who has the best qualities of the pluckiest Austen heroines.

The Unseen by Katherine Webb

The Unseen
Taking place in the present and the past, the focus is on a murder that happened in the English countryside in 1911. In the present, Leah, a writer is investigating letters found in the pack of a mummified World War II soldier. These lead her to Cold Ash Holt and the descendant of the characters from the past.
The past is where young Cat Morley has been sent from prison to live with the young vicar of Cold Ash Holt and his wife, Hester. Cat has been imprisoned and abused because she was a serving girl who became involved with the Suffragette movement. She is simmering with anger and resentment. When a beautiful young man named Robin Durant arrives, claiming he is a theosophist and believes in the elemental fairies the vicar has claimed to have seen, a tragic murder is the end result.
Cat Morley became one of my favorite heroines, with her Bronte-ish tale and her refusal to settle for the life of a servant. The story itself simmers with dread, as you know someone is going to be killed. It's a haunting tale with brilliant characters.

The House by Christina Lauren

The House
Delilah has returned to her hometown to attend her last year of high school. Her parents are bland, non-entities. When she sees a boy who interested her when she was a kid--the strange, tousled Gavin--she strikes up a friendship with him. There's an instant attraction and a steamy chemistry between them. Delilah's confidante is her best friend, Dhaval.
The third main character is Gavin's house, the house that raised him after his mother vanished when he was a toddler. The house is alive. Food appears, clothing is laundered, a hall table with clawed feet roams the halls at night. Gavin knows he's had a strange upbringing, and when Delilah --who loves horror movies and scary things--meets House, she's fascinated.
Mixed with the romance, this story is clever take on the haunted house trope, as the house becomes darker, displaying a sinister jealousy, and finally going after Delilah.

The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green

The Smoke Thieves
A multi-character fantasy about the quest for demon smoke. Catherine is sold to the prince of another kingdom despite her love for brave Ambrose. A young servant, bitter and vengeful, seeks out the last son of the prince who murdered his people and becomes attracted to him. Then there is the apprentice to a man who hunts the sometimes beautiful, sometimes frightening demons for their smoke, which is like a drug.
A satisfying fantasy world. The characters make it interesting and I look forward to reading more in the sequels, hoping these diverse characters meet and I find out more about the demons.

The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School by Kim Newman

The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School
Set in an alternate version of what seems to be the 1940s, the story begins with teen Amy's secret--she floats, mostly at will. By the time she discovers that others at her all-girls school have equally strange talents, it's too late-- menace has arrived in the form of a hooded cult called the Red Flame and a diminutive, insect-loving, teen tyrant named Antoinette Rowley Rayne. Amy loses her two best friends--a staunch British girl named Freckles and an Indian girl named Kali, who learned English from gangster films.
Amy is soon creating the Moth Club to fight the Red Flame and save Kali. But she isn't prepared for the cruel reign of Miss Rayne.
An exquisitely written fantasy with a nearly all-female cast, about superheroes of a sort, and dangerous school cliques gone wrong. For anyone who loved A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Steampunk by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant

Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories
There are fourteen YA stories in this volume, set in the future, the past, and contemporary times. There is a time-traveling romance, and strange weaponry wielded by an outlaw girl gang in the the Old West. There's a Dickensian tale of orphans and their gruesome marionette Fagin. A ghost mechanical story and mini graphic novels.

My three favorites:
Gethesmane by Elizabeth Knox is set in an alternate reality, in the South Pacific, where dirigibles roam the skies, a girl is believed to be a witch. Five characters are involved in a catastrophic tragedy that lingers.

The Summer People by Kelly Link is a contemporary story about a girl in the south who longs to leave her tiny town,but is obligated to remain due to an agreement with the 'summer people', who are never seen and live in a strange house down the road. With exquisite details like a miniature war room and hints of Faerie, it's a charming and bittersweet tale of being careful what you wish for.

Steam Girl by Dylan Horroocks is also a contemporary story, set in high school. A boy who considers himself a loser becomes fascinated by a geeky girl who dresses like a steampunk heroine and tells fantastical stories. It's a poignant tale of outcasts who find strength in the imagination.

This is definitely one I'm keeping on my shelves!