Tag Archives: Urban 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 – Greywaren

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Stiefvater, Maggie. Greywaren. Scholastic, 2022. 978-1-338-18839-4. $19.99. 384 p. Grades 9-12.

The Lynch family secrets finally are being revealed. Their lives are intertwined with dreams and realities, but the surviving brothers are on the brink of destruction. Declan is doing his best to keep Matthew awake and alive while Ronan has fallen into a deep and unwaking sleep. As the story of their parents comes to light, so does the reality of Ronan’s actions, and dreams around the world are in dire need of sweetmetals to keep them awake. Will Ronan find the strength to save the world and his family, or will he abandon them to ruin and destruction amongst the chaos in the world?

THOUGHTS: Greywaren is the final book in Stiefvater’s Dreamer trilogy, a companion to The Raven Cycle. Stiefvater has crafted a perfect ending for the brothers Lynch, first introduced to readers in The Raven Boys, and readers will be rooting for Ronan and Adam as they find their way back to one another outside of their idyllic life at the Barns. 

Fantasy          Emily Hoffman, Conestoga Valley SD

YA – Wings of Ebony

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Elle, J. Wings of Ebony. Simon & Schuster, 2021. 978-1534470675. $19.99. 368 p. Grades 9-12.

Rue has lived in Houston with her mother and half sister for her entire life, but when her mother is murdered outside of their apartment, the sisters are separated. Rue is sent to live with her father, who had previously been absent from her life. Not only is she forced to leave Houston, but discovers her father lives on the hidden island of Ghizon, a home for magic wielders. Rue discovers she has these magical abilities also, and although she makes some friends in Ghizon, she leaves on the anniversary of her mother’s death, hoping to catch a glimpse of her sister Tasha. However, Rue wasn’t supposed to leave the island, and her actions lead to violent consequences. Although Houston and Ghizon are on opposite sides of the world, Rue’s two homes collide, and it’s up to her to save her neighborhood and Ghizon from the violence and corruption that could destroy both.

THOUGHTS: Rue is a strong, African American female protagonist, whose motto is “make a way out of no way” and puts family above all. Wings of Ebony is the perfect blend of fantasy and contemporary, urban fiction, and I would recommend this title to fans of Angie Thomas, Jason Reynolds, and Tomi Adeyemi. 

Fantasy          Emily Hoffman, Conestoga Valley SD