Tag Archives: Fantasy

Elem./MG – The Eyes and the Impossible

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Eggers, Dave. The Eyes and the Impossible. Illustrated by Shawn Harris. Knopf. 2023. 978-1-524-76420-3. 249 p. $19.99. Grades 3 and up. 

Meet Johannes. A dog who lives on an island with all sorts of friends, various types of birds, raccoons, squirrels, and buffalo. Johannes is free and lightning fast, but the buffalo are not. He is the eyes of the island who works with the other helpers to report back to the buffalo nightly. Johannes loves beauty. He is mesmerized by the rectangles that are being brought into the new building and appreciates all of the natural beauty he is surrounded by. When a large herd of goats are brought onto the island to clean up weeds, Johannes’ world expands in a way he never thought possible. Would his life be forever changed by meeting a new friend? The art in this book is existing landscapes that Shawn Harris added Johannes to in a seamless manner.

THOUGHTS: This Newbery winning title is interesting. Very thought provoking, funny at times, heart wrenching at others. The altered illustrations are fascinating. Harris has added Johannes to each landscape, and it seems like he has always been there!

Fantasy

MG – Mabuhay!

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Sterling, Zachary. Mabuhay! Scholastic, 2023. 978-1-338-73860-5. $12.99. 240 p. Grades 3-7.

Siblings J.J. and Althea have two things in common. They both have trouble fitting in at school, and they both despise working for their parents. Their parents run a Filipino food truck called The Beautiful Pig, and expect their children to help out because “family comes first,” as their mother often reminds them. Spending a lot of time around their parents’ place of work means they hear a lot of Filipino folklore, and these tales all seem to end with an important lesson J.J. and Althea must learn. One day after work, the family arrives home to find Tito Arvin has arrived from the Philippines. His impromptu visit comes with lamentations about life back home and dreams about a monster who is after their family, a dream both J.J. and Althea have on the same night. Suddenly, the witches and monsters from Filipino folklore are more than just fairy tale creatures, and J.J. and Althea work together to save their heritage and their family.

THOUGHTS: Author Zachary Sterling weaves Filipino folklore with humor and adventure to create a heartwarming story about family, friendship, and food. The illustrations are vibrant and expressive. Tagalog words are used throughout and defined at the bottom of the page, and Sterling includes a Filipino recipe for Chicken Adobo in the back of the book. This graphic novel is a must-have and must-read for middle grade students.

Graphic Novel

YA – The Wicked Bargain

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Novoa, Gabe Cole. The Wicked Bargain. Random House, 2023. 978-0-593-37801-4.  361pg. $18.99. Grades 9-12.

The Wicked Bargain follows main character Mar who is a pirate on their father’s ship where they are celebrating their 18th birthday. However, el Diablo comes to collect a debt from Mar’s father… that is their father’s soul and the lives of all the crew leaving Mar as the only survivor. Mar has no choice but to avenge their fathers death, and they team up with another pirate named Bas in order to do that. However, finding el Diablo and getting their father’s soul won’t be so easy. Mar has magic that they have been suppressing and hiding almost their entire life, as well as their identity that they were born female but identify as nonbinary. Will Mar be able to manage their magic to save their father? And what do they do about their growing feelings for Bas?

THOUGHTS: This book surprised me in a great way! The plot seemed slightly uninteresting; however, once I got into the story, the writing was excellent and the plot moved along just fast enough to keep me interested. I loved all of the characters, but the dynamic between Mar and Bas was definitely my favorite. Great book for fans of young adult fantasy!

Fantasy

MG – The Cursed Moon

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Cervantes, Angela. The Cursed Moon. Scholastic Press, 2023. 978-1-338-81401-9. 224 p. $18.99. Grades 3-7.

Tell a great scary story, and you’re cool. Tell a great scary story under a cursed blood moon, and you’re also in big trouble. Sixth grade Rafa has found his niche in composing the best scary stories for his sister, Brianna, and new friends like Jayden. Together, Rafa and Brianna have moved in with their Abuelo and Abuela. Although their incarcerated mother, Nikki, is about to be released and return home, too, the impending reunion is met with anxiety and distrust by both siblings. In the days leading up to Nikki’s return, an older neighbor gives Rafa an ominous warning not to tell any of his scary stories under that night’s blood moon. Despite this plea, Rafa shares a terrifying tale with friends that night: The story of a spirit named the Caretaker who lures people into a local park’s pond to die. Unfortunately, Rafa should have listened to his neighbor. Now, it is too late. The Caretaker has come to life, and it is searching for new lives to claim. Rafa will have to figure out how to make this story have a happy ending…quickly.

THOUGHTS: The Cursed Moon contains just the right combination of creepy details and caring characters for a middle grade reader to thoroughly enjoy. While some of the focus is on the supernatural story action, Cervantes also weaves in lots of great realistic details that help fully form the characters of Rafa and Brianna. Pieces read like a realistic fiction story. At just over 200 pages, this is also an accessible book for developing middle grade readers who like a good thrill and chill!

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 – Silver in the Bone

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Bracken, Alexandra. Silver in the Bone. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2023. 978-0-593-48165-3. $19.99. 496 p. Grades 9-12.

In a world full of magic, Tasmin Lark has none. After being abandoned by their guardian Nash, she and her brother, Cabell, must learn to survive on their own. Years later, as members of the Hollowers, they spend their time breaking curses and entering ancient crypts in search of treasure. When Tamsin takes a job from a sorcerer, the race to find an ancient ring begins. According to the rumors, Nash was the last to have it, and Tamsin hopes to find it to break a curse on Cabell. Others are after the ring as well, including her rival, Emrys. Suddenly, Tamsin finds herself in Camelot, navigating the myths and legends of old while discovering the dark and dangerous secrets of the realm and learning to open her heart to others.

THOUGHTS: I love the fantasy world created by Bracken for her newest series. It’s a mix of urban and ancient fantasy, and she is able to blend the two worlds seamlessly. This one hooked me from the start, and I think the uniqueness of the story will draw in other fantasy readers as well. The slow burn romance between Tamsin and Emrys was also a highlight of this novel, and I’d recommend this one to any reader who loves fantasy or the stories from the Arthurian legends. 

Fantasy

YA – Chain of Thorns

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Clare, Cassandra. Chain of Thorns. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2023. 978-1-481-43193-4. $24.99. 800 p. Grades 9-12.

Chain of Thorns, the final book in The Last Hours series, concludes the story of James Herondale and Cordelia Carstairs who found themselves engaged to one another to avoid ruining Cordelia’s reputation. After witnessing an intimate moment between James and Grace Blackthorn, Cordelia escapes to Paris with Matthew Fairchild. Although James runs after them, he instead accompanies his father and Magnus Bane to find his sister, Lucy. Meanwhile, The Merry Thieves and the rest of the Shadowhunters are making plans to fight back against Belial and Tatiana Blackthorn, who has escaped imprisonment. Once they are all reunited, these friends uncover dark secrets and find the courage to speak their truths while they attempt to protect their fellow Shadowhunters from harm and save the entire city of London.

THOUGHTS: Cassandra Clare is a unique, fantasy author. She has never “left” the world of Shadowhunters that she first created with The Mortal Instruments, but instead continues the story both before and after the events of the original series. In my opinion, each series gets better and better and should be included in every young adult library collection. If you can get a student hooked on one series, they’ll want to read them all! I was not disappointed with the conclusion of this series, and Clare has plans for one more series in the Shadowhunter world, and she does a fantastic job of including diverse characters into her novels.

Fantasy

YA – A Hunger of Thorns

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Wilkinson, Lili. A Hunger of Thorns. Delacorte Press, 2023. 978-0-593-56266-6. $19.99. 432 p. Grades 9-12.

When Maude and Oddette were young girls, they were best friends. Maude, a daughter of witches, processed magic in the form of storytelling. They would have grand and wild adventures through the stories Maude would tell. Now, they’re grown up. Maude has lost her magic, and Odette, no longer her friend, is missing. Odette has always longed to possess magic as her friend did, and Maude knows she went into the forbidden Sticklehurst to hunt for it. Armed only with her stories and flashes of her past inside of the abandoned power plant, Maude journeys into Sticklehurst to rescue her former friend and become the hero of one of her own stories. Will she be able to defeat the monsters once and for all?

THOUGHTS: A Hunger of Thorns is an urban wonderland full of magic, stories, cursed princes, monsters, and wild girls trying to find their place in the world. I’d recommend this one to readers looking for a more sinister and darker fantasy. Although this can be read as a stand alone novel, a sequel planned for the same world, but with different characters and storylines, will be published next year. 

Fantasy

YA – Once There Was

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Monsef, Kiyash. Once There Was. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023. 978-0-665-92850-2. 406 p. $18.99. Grades 7-12.

Marjun is a sophomore in high school when her father suddenly dies. She also lost her mother to cancer when she was only eight years old. She finds herself now in charge of running her father’s veterinary business when a stranger approaches her with a seemingly impossible task. She is whisked away to help a sick animal, but this is not your average family pet – it is a magical creature! Marjun soon discovers secrets that her father has kept from her, and she now finds herself immersed in a magical world where she holds more power than she could ever imagine. At first, she believes she is helping these creatures, but she soon discovers that there are sinister motives of those in this new world where magical creatures are bought and sold. Marjun tries to make things right, but she discovers this is not something that she can do alone.  

THOUGHTS: This magical realism book is for serious readers of fantasy. It is not a light read, and there are some sad events. I am confident true lovers of magical creatures will love this story.

Fantasy

Elem./MG – The One and Only Ruby

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Applegate, Kathrine. The One and Only Ruby. Harper Collins, 2023. 978-0-063-08008-9. 240 p. $19.99. Grades 3-7.

Ruby’s story picks up a few months after the events of The One and Only Bob. Ruby is now living in a wildlife sanctuary that is right next to her friend Ivan. Of course, Bob comes to visit often. When Ruby discovers that her old caretaker from the elephant orphanage in Africa is there, Ruby’s story unfolds. Happy and sad memories surface as readers finally learn Ruby’s backstory.

THOUGHTS: The story we’ve been waiting for has finally arrived!  Applegate does not disappoint in the final book in her series.

Fantasy