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Fantasy

InuYasha

March 4, 2022 by Bekka Leave a Comment

InuYasha by Rumiko Takahashi
Format: Manga Series
Who it’s for: Teens

Kagome is a present-day high school student in Tokyo, but ends up getting sent back to Sengoku feudal era of Japan after she encounters a magical shrine. She meets a half-demon named InuYasha, who is stubborn but honest and loyal. After a treacherous event takes place where the powerful Shikon jewel shatters into a million pieces, the two heroes team up to find all of them before they slip into the wrong hands. Along the way, Kagome and InuYasha meet some amazing friends, go on great journeys, and try to protect the world from complete evil! This is a classic manga series that has so much depth and character development to it. The anime and movies that were based on this manga have been released, so if you love reading this series, give those a try! Find InuYasha in the catalog.

Filed Under: Recommended for Teens Tagged With: Action, Fantasy, Love, Manga, Time Travel

A Deadly Education

December 22, 2021 by Conor Leave a Comment

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Format: Book, ebook, audiobook
Who is it For: Adults

“In Wisdom, Shelter.” The official motto of the Scholomance, a giant, foreboding school for young wizards and witches. In the Scholomance, failure means death—or at the very least, lots of pain—as the school constantly throws all manner of hungry beasts and spirits at its students. Having allies watching your backs – as even a tray of scrambled eggs can be deadly – is a must, but making friends is rather hard to do when a dark prophecy is looming over your head and everyone brands you as a creepy outcast. Lacking any such friends and specializing in city-flattening magic, Galadriel Higgins has had to fight and strategize for her spot in the school more than most; for if she let loose, even a little, there would be dire consequences. To make matters worse, the entire school seems to think she has taken up with Orion Lake, the shining hero of the junior class, because he inadvertently saved her on a few occasions. How is she supposed to become dark empress of the world, if she keeps having to be saved?

This book has been one of my favorites this year! If Hogwarts took a page from the Hunger Games, you would end up with the Scholomance. This book is dark and gritty and the hard-core, survival mindset of the students is totally different from the typical fantasy settings. I thought Novik had some compelling ideas about how both wizards and the mundane interact with magic. I am very excited to read the next book in the series.

Find A Deadly Education in the catalog.

Filed Under: Recommended for Adults Tagged With: Fantasy, Magical Realism, Survival, Suspense

Kiki’s Delivery Service

November 3, 2021 by Jocelyn Leave a Comment

Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids

It is witch tradition that at thirteen a young witch leaves her home to find a town in need of magical services. Half-witch Kiki hasn’t fully mastered her magical abilities yet, but she also never runs from a challenge. Flying on her broomstick (one of the few magical things Kiki actually is pretty good at) with her black cat, Jiji, Kiki decides to stay one full year in the seaside town of Koriko. At first she’s met with some skepticism by the locals, but determined and lovable Kiki quickly finds her footing.

Kiki’s Delivery Service is a wholesome and warmhearted coming of age story. Originally published in 1985, it was later adapted into the animated movie of the same name by legendary director Hayao Miyazaki in 1989. The newest translation was published in 2020 with new beautiful new cover art and illustrations by Yuta Onoda. Families looking for a book to read aloud together will love its episodic chapters, but I wholeheartedly recommend Kiki’s Delivery Service to any witch in need of a cozy read.

Find Kiki’s Delivery Service in the catalog here!

Filed Under: Recommended for Kids Tagged With: Cozy, Fantasy, Magic, Middle Grade, Witches

Inkblot

September 20, 2021 by Kati Leave a Comment

Inkblot by Emma Kubert, Art by Rusty Gladd
Format: Book & eBook on Hoopla
Who’s it for?: Teens and Young Adults

Meet Inkblot! Anyone who cohabitates with a cat knows that our feline friends are going to do what they want, when they want. Inkblot is no exception. Seeker, a bookkeeping sorceress, accidentally summons this magical black cat, a “space-distorting demon” that has “no regard for any established law of nature, magic or otherwise.” As Seeker chases Inkblot through time and space, he leads them into chaos, from a pirate mutiny to battling giants and dragons and even solving a sphynx’s riddle. If you’re a cat person who happens to enjoy space travel, I highly recommend.

Find Inkblot in the catalog or on Hoopla!

Filed Under: New for Teens, Recommended for Teens Tagged With: Cats, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Time Travel

Legendborn

September 13, 2021 by Morgi Leave a Comment

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Teens

What caught my attention to read Legendborn was that it involved King Arthur lore that is rarely included in young adult fantasy. The story follows Bree, a determined teen that is trying to find the cause of her mother’s death after a terrible car accident that was classified to be a hit and run. She ends up getting involved in a secret society that is filled with descendants from King Arthur’s round table. In her gut, she knows this secret society had something to do with her mother’s accident. The society tried to alter or “mesmer” her and her father’s memories while visiting their mother in the hospital. What I liked about Legendborn were the characters and the magic system. I admired Bree’s stubborn spirit to find answers. She didn’t care what others thought of her and did what she needed to do. Legendborn is a good read for anyone that enjoys a modern twist on classic folklore.

Find Legendborn in the catalog.

Filed Under: Recommended for Teens Tagged With: Fantasy, Secret Society, Teens, Young Adult, Young Adult Fantasy

The Darkwater Saga

July 30, 2021 by Kimberle's Korner Leave a Comment

Recommended Series
Series Title: Darkwater Saga by Patrick W. Carr
First Book: The Shock of Night
Who it’s for: Teens & Adults

Brief Synopsis: A clean (no sex, gore, or swearing) medieval fantasy mystery with twists & turns, warring religions, gifted peoples, secret societies, battles between forces of good & evil, and complex characters that make one feel all the emotions set in one epic story told in 4 parts.

Review: The Darkwater Saga takes place in the fictional kingdom of Collum. Our hero is Willet Dura, a reeve, aka the King’s investigator. He fell in love with a Lady of the realm; so as a favor the King has made Willet a Lord; now they may marry. Willet is not a well-respected Lord or noble since he was not born to it and works a regular job. Willet is also looked down on and basically thought to be a little crazy because he survived a night in the Darkwater Woods. Everybody knows folks die or come out insane after a night in the Darkwater. 😬😨😱 Willet is even more suspect because he cannot remember his time in the Darkwater. Despite these difficulties, Lord Willet Dura is content as a typical working man.

Now the fantasy aspect comes in to play because in Collum there are people who are gifted. After Willet’s time in the Darkwater, he sometimes wakes up with blood on his clothes and no memory of how it got there. All Willet knows is that there is sure to have been a murder. A great thing for an investigator but is it a gift or a curse?

If one starts with book 1, The Shock of Night, many aspects of this world are not fully explained until almost the end of the book. I believe the author, Patrick W. Carr, wrote the free prequel, By Divine Right because some readers wanted more world building before they jumped right into the adventure. I learned about the prequel after reading book 1. The prequel is available on most major ebook platforms for free!😁👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

In Collum, there are folks that are gifted. They are the upper class in society. Gifts of uncanny physical strength, music, mental ability, and other talents can be passed down in families. A relative typically inherits gifts but sometimes they go to an apprentice. The gifted can give it to them before they die. Most gifted train their successors so they know how to use their gift properly. Sometimes gifts can “go rogue” when the gifted person is unable to pass it on their appointed successor. That is what happens to our hero, Lord Willet Dura in The Shock of Night.  Willet wakes up with mystery blood on his clothes and knows he will be investigating a murder. For the first time, Willet finds the victim still alive. The stranger lives just long enough to pass his gift to Willet.  A gift that comes with additional responsibilities which Willet soon discovers he would rather not have. The dying man belonged to a group called the Vigil. The Vigil is a group of gifted individuals who seek to vanquish the evil in their world. They are like magical Navy Seals or very limited in power X-men.  Willet does not like this whatsoever but he has a mystery to solve. 🕵️‍♂️

Thus begins the epic adventure of Lord Willet Dura saving the kingdom of Collum from evil. There are many heartaches. At times, it seems like all hope is lost but good does triumph…eventually. Many battles against evil forces will ensue. Some characters will die or be seriously injured. All of them will have injuries to their soul. Miracles will happen. Revelations will be brought to light. Many (unlikely) lifelong friendships will be formed as Willet is joined/joins others to fight the evil that is trying to engulf the kingdom of Collum. They do win in the end. But every win was hard won with blood, sweat, and tears aplenty.😫😭

If you read Sharon Kay Penman’s 4 book series of medieval mysteries featuring Justin de Quincey as the investigator, you will like Lord Willet Dura and his investigative style. If you enjoyed the Lord of the Rings movies, you will enjoy the medieval adventure, magical happenings, and teamwork found in this series.  I read this series because I liked his Sword and the Staff series. While looking for something similar to Stephen R. Lawhead, I discovered Patrick W.Carr under the tag of Christian fantasy. A Christian publisher, Baker, publishes Carr’s books but neither of his series are what I think of as Christian fiction. Carr’s books are clean and have few things in them that might offend a Christian but are definitely not what I would classify as a Christian fantasy novel like say C.S. Lewis. I recommend the series to teens and adults that can handle violence, character deaths, and hard emotions. None of the books are standalones.  All the novels pickup right where one book ends. Luckily, the series is finished and no need to wait a year or more for the rest of the story.🎉😀

Patrick W. Carr’s Darkwater Saga is available on Hoopla!

Filed Under: Recommended for Adults, Recommended for Teens Tagged With: Action, Adult, Adventure, Adventure Fiction, Character-Driven, Clean, Fantasy, Friendships, Good vs Evil, Historical, Historical Fiction, Historical Novel, Investigation, Kingdoms, Medieval, Mystery, Trilogy, War, Young Adult

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