Tag Archives: Demons

YA – The Sacred & The Divine

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Christensen, Kate, and Eliza Wolfe. The Sacred & The Divine. Hyperion. 2025. 978-1-368-09943-1. $18.99. 320 p. Grades 9-12.

In 1848, the three Wolfson sisters of the seaside town of Redcliffe, Massachusetts perform their first new moon ritual and may have made a crucial error allowing a demon to enter the town. Amid small town gossip and cranky rich aunts, the girls grow in their new age skills reading tarot cards and practicing energy healing. Daisy, the youngest Wolfson, is explicitly our story’s hero, or fool, according to the cards and her abilities capture the attention of two potential suitors, one of whom is a student at none other than the Harvard School of Medicine. Can naturalism and science co-exist? And can they work together to banish the demon threatening Redcliffe? 

THOUGHTS: Readers who are interested in tarot and new age practices will delight in reading about the adventure of these three young “witches” and their growing skill in using crystals and energy for healing, and learning to fix their novice mistake. There are family secrets to uncover and scenes of happy town celebrations filled with dancing and flirting. The scenes with the supernatural are not terribly scary, though a poignant sacrifice is made. An epilogue opens the door for a sequel.

Historical Fiction
Fantasy

YA – Song of the Six Realms

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Lin, Judy I. Song of the Six Realms. Feiwel and Friends, 2024. 978-1-250-87161-9. 376 p. $20.99. Grades 9-12. 

Xue is an orphan with not much hope for her future, until her uncle gets her an apprenticeship at a local entertainment house. There she learns how to play the qin and may even eventually have a hope of leaving until she discovers that her uncle was brutally murdered. Things seem hopeless until she is asked to play for Duke Meng and he makes her an offer; come to his estate and play for him for 1 year and he will release her from her servitude. Things seem almost perfect until they are attacked by a monster on their way, and Xue starts to wonder if there is more happening than she knows. Finally Duke Meng sits her down and tells her the truth, that he is the Duke of Dreams, one of the members of the Celestial Realm and he needs her help. The monster that attacked them is a demon, and the attacks are getting worse throughout their realm. What the Duke of Dreams needs from Xue is her memories which are unlocked when she plays her qin. Will she be able to find the information that the Duke needs in order to stop the monsters, or is she doomed to turn into one of those monsters?

THOUGHTS: This is a great introduction to Asian mythology if you haven’t read any before. This book would also be a great introduction to fantasy in general as the world building feels very realistic and grounded. Overall, this is a solid young adult fantasy book that will appeal to lots of different readers.

Fantasy

YA – The Diablo’s Curse

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Novoa, Gabe Cole. The Diablo’s Curse. Random House, 2024. 978-0-593-37805-2. 388 p. $19.99. Grades 9-12.

The Diablo’s Curse follows Dami who is a demon that wants to become human again. In order to do that, he has to cancel every deal he ever made, which is when Silas enters the picture. Silas is a human who was cursed to die young until he made a deal with Dami to never die. If Dami cancels the deal he made with Silas, Silas will die, unless they can get rid of the curse that has plagued Silas’s family for years. As the two try to figure out how to do just that, they end up on an island that isn’t quite what it seems. Are they going to escape, or will Silas be cursed forever? Will Dami never be a human again?

THOUGHTS: This is a solid young adult fantasy with some amazing world building and wonderful gender fluid characters. This is not a sequel to The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa, and the reader doesn’t need to read that to follow what’s happening in this book. Highly recommended for high school collections, just be aware of the conversations about gender. Dami describes themselves are gender fluid, and Silas and he have several conversations regarding that topic.

Fantasy

YA – Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White

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Zhao, Amelie Wen. Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White. Delacorte Press, 2024. 978-0-593-48754-9. $19.99. 368 p. Grades 9-12.

The Black Tortoise. The Azure Tiger. The Crimson Phoenix. The Silver Dragon. The four Demon Gods must be destroyed, but in order for that to happen, the Godslayer must be located, and Lan, who has bound herself to the Silver Dragon, is determined to find it. She believes the destruction of the Gods will lead their land to peace and keep the Gods’ destructive powers away from the Elantian army. Meanwhile, Zen, who has bound himself to the Black Tortoise, is traveling to the ruins of his former Mansurian Clan. There, he knows he will find an undead army of practitioners, and through the power of his Demon God, he plans to use the army to destroy the Elantians once and for all. Although Lan and Zen have the same end goal, they’ve chosen different paths, but as they find their way back to each other, can they forgive their past actions and make painful sacrifices to win the war and destroy the Demons Gods once and for all?

THOUGHTS: The young characters in this story literally have the weight of the world on their shoulders, and I felt as if my heart was breaking for them as I was reading. I couldn’t put this one down and enjoyed it even more than the first. Readers will enjoy the action, mystery, and adventure this fantasy novel provides as well as the inclusion of ancient Chinese mythology, and reading book one is a must in order to have the world building knowledge provided in Song of Silver, Flame Like Night. 

Fantasy

YA – Song of Silver, Flame Like Night

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Zhao, Amelie Wen. Song of Silver, Flame Like Night. Delacorte Press, 2023. 978-0593487501. $19.99. 480p. Grades 9-12.

Lan is a performing song girl in Haak’gong, and although her life appears to be the same as the other girls she lives and performs with, she has a secret. Lan spends her days trying to understand the message behind the strange mark left on her arm by her mother before she died. In her quest for answers, she meets Zen. Zen is a practitioner and only uses his magic in secret. When their worlds collide one fateful night, Zen agrees to take Lan to his practitioner masters after she uses her powers in a moment of panic. As Lan begins to understand her powers and the fate of her mother and her people, Lan realizes that everyone has secrets. She’s swept up in a war to overthrow the Elantian regime who want to outlaw her magic. Drawing upon ancient Chinese myths and legends, Zhao has crafted a story of love, loss, betrayal, and power. Will Lan and Zen use the powers they possess to save their world, or will they destroy it?

THOUGHTS: This book really kept me on my toes! I felt that a lot of the characters made surprising decisions that somewhat “broke the mold” of what I would expect of a YA character. There is a ton of gray area when it comes to the magic the characters possess and the decisions they make when it comes to obtaining power to protect the ones they love. Readers will enjoy the action, mystery, and adventure this fantasy novel provides as well as the inclusion of ancient Chinese mythology.

Fantasy

YA – This Vicious Grace

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Thiede, Emily. This Vicious Grace. Wednesday Books, 2022. 978-1-399-70305-5. 436 p. $18.99. Grades 9-12.

Alessa’s gift has killed three people, and she somehow needs to convince someone to marry her again…which isn’t going well. There is an army of demons headed to destroy her island in a few weeks. There is a priest who is convincing people that Alessa needs to die, and her own soldiers are trying to kill her. All of these things are causing Alessa to feel like she needs to take desperate measures to save herself, and her island.  Enter Dante, an outcast who Alessa hires to try to protect her; however, he wants nothing to do with her or her plan to save the island. Will Alessa be able to protect the island she calls home? Will she be able to convince someone to marry her? Or she is destined to fail at everything, no matter how hard she tries, while Dante is hiding a secret from her that could ruin everything. 

THOUGHTS: This is a fast paced young adult fantasy novel with some romance throughout. There are some predictable twists and turns, but the writing is really well done. There is a sequel planned for this book coming out in 2023.

Fantasy            Mary McEndree, Lehigh Valley Regional Charter Academy

Tags: demons, romance, friendship. 

YA Paranormal – Useless Bay; Holding Smoke; Best Friend’s Exorcism

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uselessbay

Beaufrand, M. J. Useless Bay. New York: Amulet Books, 2016. 978-1-4197-2138-0. 229pp. $17.95. Grades 7 and up.

The Gray quintuplets are a remarkable force on the isolated and windswept island they call home.  Pixie Gray and her four brothers are “born of the island itself”; strong and tall, independent and mischievous, and fiercely united .  The Grays and Pixie’s bloodhound, Patience, are the ones the residents of the island turn to in times of trouble; they serve as the official search team for any accidents or missing persons. When Grant Shepard, the 10-year-old son of a millionaire vacation home owner, disappears on a stormy night the Grays are called in for the search, but they are also under suspicion since they may have been the last people to see him.  The story is told through alternating perspectives of Pixie and Grant’s older brother, Henry. The  novel pieces together the events leading to Grant’s disappearance and provides insight into the family dramas in the Gray and Shepard clans.  The Gray search party finds the body of Grant’s mother, and strange and unsettling coincidences begin to pile up.  The realization that a killer is on the loose, and Grant is still missing sets everyone on edge, and the Grays and Henry struggle to find answers before it’s too late.  Paranormal elements mix with gothic intrigue; Whidbey Island is almost a character itself.  Pixie has an unusual connection with her home; she hears voices and has visions from her dreams and the sea which offer warning and clues as the evening’s events unfold   Confusing and complicated at times, but ultimately a satisfying read. THOUGHTS: An atmospheric, brooding mystery with a paranormal twist and a hint of romance.

Paranormal Mystery          Nancy Summers, Abington SHS

 

holdingsmoke

Cosimano, Elle.  Holding Smoke. Los Angeles: Disney-Hyperion, 2016. 978-1484725979. 336pp. $17.99. Gr 7 and up.

Weeks after nearly being killed by his own father, John “Smoke” Conlan is convicted of murdering his teacher and a student at his high school.  Now he lives on the toughest block in “The Y”, the Denver Detention Center with the most hardened juvenile offenders. But Smoke stands apart; he has a secret, the ability to leave his body and travel outside the walls.  The knowledge he gets on the street is valuable to his cellmates though no one knows how he gets his information. While tracking down info for a friend he happens upon a former classmate, a girl named Pink who has the ability to see his spirit as he walks outside. With her help, he has the chance to clear his name, but someone is trying to stop anyone from finding out the truth. Pink, Smoke, and the warden’s daughter are now in danger as they each try to find out more about the  circumstances of the double murder. John himself is a compelling and believable character, a damaged individual with a past that may be impossible to escape.  Good character development for each of the boys in juvie, both friends and foes of Smoke, with believable interactions and relationships between the kids on the block. THOUGHTS: A solid mystery with paranormal elements in a gritty and realistic setting that would appeal to fans of Lisa McMann’s Wake trilogy. An interesting author’s note at the end reveals the similarities between Cosimano’s experiences as the daugher of a warden and the details in her novel.

Paranormal Mystery       Nancy Summers, Abington SHS

 

mybestfriend

Hendrix, Grady. My Best Friend’s Exorcism. Philadelphia: Quirk Books, 2016. 978-1-59474-862-2. 330 pp. $19.99. Gr. 9 and up.

Grady Hendrix’s 2014 novel, Horrorstör, was packaged to resemble an IKEA catalog. His latest, My Best Friend’s Exorcism, simulates a 1989 Albemarle Academy yearbook, complete with heartfelt inscriptions inside the covers. It’s the story of sophomores and lifelong besties Abby and Gretchen, who take LSD on a whim after a day of boating with pals. Gretchen disappears into the woods, and when she reappears the next morning, something is a little off. She has strange symptoms and outbursts and feels invisible hands touching her incessantly, and that is just the beginning. Though Abby is determined to help her friend, she’s met with resistance at every turn. Help finally arrives during a school assembly when Christian, a member of the Lemon Brothers Faith and Fitness Show, perceives the demon within Gretchen and challenges it to emerge, and an exorcism is born! THOUGHTS: With 1980s song titles setting the tone for each chapter, and a tip of the hat to Stephen King’s Thinner, this is Grady Hendrix at his humorously horrific (and sometimes just horrifying) best!

Horror (Adult Crossover)       Amy V. Pickett, Ridley High School Library

YouTube has a playlist of all 27 chapter titles!  Playlist: My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix