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Fantasy

The Last Namsara

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The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli
Format : Book
Who it’s for: Teens

This fast paced, world building novel draws you in at the very start of the story. We meet Asha, an Iskari and the most feared dragon slayer in Firgaard. Between chapters, the author lays out the deep history and myth of the world, explaining not only Asha’s backstory but that of the belief system of the characters who inhabit the world. Ciccarelli does a wonderful job of keeping these sub-chapters short to the point and immensely enjoyable.

Asha has the ability to give dragons their fire, which is poisonous, by telling them the Old stories. Such stories were banned generations ago when the dragons betrayed the inhabitants of Figaard. Yet Asha uses these stories to lure and kill the dragons, presenting their heads to her father, the Dragon King of Figaard. Though she is greatly feared, she is betrothed to the sadistic commandant, who has little regard for her prowess. Only by defeating the most powerful dragon, the one who scorched the side of her face with his fire, can Asha find her freedom. In her quest, she discovers there is far more truth in the ancient stories than she ever dreamed.

Find it in the catalog.

A Winter’s Promise

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Series Title: The Mirror Visitor by Christelle Dabos
First Book: A Winter’s Promise
Who it’s for: Teens, Adults

Meet Ophelia. She’s petite with voluminous, brown curly hair and a mouse of a voice. When she fumbles and drops her rectangular glasses, which she is apt to do, the world becomes one big blur.  She wears gloves. If not, she would be able to read the history of every item and person that she touches. She can also pass through mirrors from one room to another. She wears a tri-colored scarf that is more a pet than an accessory. It wraps itself around her leg or her neck and flaps like a cat’s tail. She’s from the land of Anima.

Ophelia is engaged to Thorn who is exceedingly tall, skinny, and blonde with two facial scars and a severe mien. Thorn is from the land of Pole. Like Ophelia, he’s not thrilled about their arranged marriage, but what else can they do? Ophelia would be banished if she rejects this marriage contract. And Thorn would never overcome the infamy of his illegitimate birth. When Thorn and Ophelia marry, they will each gain some of each other’s abilities. From the Dragon clan, Thorn is able to claw and squeeze the air out of people telepathically. He is a Chronicler too, able to remember everything from birth. He needs Ophelia’s ability to read objects to interpret the ancient book of Farouk, the spirit god of Pole. Unfortunately, Pole is rife with cut-throat clans such as the Mirages, Nihilists, and the Web who will stop at nothing to court the favor of Farouk. Thorn wants to protect Ophelia. And Ophelia wants to help Thorn. What will happen next??

If  you are drawn to fantasy tales with unique characters and a fast-paced plot, then the Mirror Visitor series is for you!

House of Salt and Sorrows

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 House of Salt and SorrowsHouse of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
Publication Date: August 6, 2019
Format: Book
Who it’s for:  Teens, Adults

House of Salt and Sorrows is a retelling of the German fairy tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses with a little bit of influence from Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, Annabell Lee.  Annaleigh is one of twelve sisters in the Thaumas family living in a kingdom by the sea.  One by one her sisters tragically die.  Each death appears to be accidental but the kingdom starts to whisper that the family is cursed.  Suddenly, Annaleigh is one of seven remaining sisters and she is second in line to inherit the kingdom.

Annaleigh’s stepmother is determined they are no longer going to mourn and they must celebrate that she is pregnant with a boy.  They decide to have a ball and new dancing shoes are ordered for the girls.  The ball is a failure as no one wants to dance with the “cursed” sisters.  Disappointed and lonely they find a doorway to other kingdoms where they can dance the night away with people that don’t know who they are.  After attending a few of these magical balls, Annaleigh starts to have disturbing visions and begins to question if her sisters’ deaths were accidental or were they murder.

Meanwhile, Annaleigh meets a mysterious stranger on the docks who seems to have a romantic interest in her.  And, her childhood friend, Fisher, returns to attend the ball.  Fisher and Annaleigh have always just been friends, but it seems that he might want more than just friendship.  However, Annaleigh needs to solve the mystery surrounding her sisters’ deaths and figure out why she is having ghostly visions before she can decide on her romantic future.

This a great Gothic tale with lots of creepy atmosphere.  If you are familiar with Poe’s poem and a fan of fairy tale retellings, you will like this one.  Another one of my favorite fairy tale retellings also happens to be based on The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier.

Find House of Salt and Sorrows in the catalog.

Dark Shores

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Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen
Format: Book
Who’s It For: Teens

Jensen’s sea faring adventure is set in a Romanesque world inhabited by forgotten gods and greedy empires. We have two main characters the story follows; Teriana and Marcus.

Marcus is the young leader of a ruthless legion, the Thirty-Seventh, with a brutal reputation of conquering nations in the name of the empire. He is hiding a secret that could not only strip him of his title but cost him his life.

Teriana was born on the mysterious Dark Shores and is heir to the Maarin ship, Quincense. The Maarin are not only traders but have vowed to never allow anyone from the Empire to discover the Dark Shores existence. Then Teriana and Marcus are both faced with what seem to be impossible decisions and are forced together on a mission neither of them wants.

Find it on the catalog.

 

 

Every Heart a Doorway

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Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults, Teens

There are a lot of stories about children unexpectedly finding doorways to other worlds, like Alice in Wonderland, or the Chronicles of Narnia. There are also a lot of stories, sad stories in the news occasionally, about children who disappear without a trace, never to be seen again. What if there was a correlation between these stories? What if children really were stumbling through magical doorways all the time? What if some never return from those worlds, and those that do come back with such fantastic tales, they can only be accepted as fiction?

For those who return from their magical lands, our world, the “real” world, is difficult to re-acclimate to, and for them there is a special school, Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, where they can process what happened to them. This is where 17 year old Nancy Whitman finds herself upon returning from the Halls of the Dead. She longs to go back, where the Lord and Lady of the Dead rule over their underworld wisely and justly, while she serves them stilly and silently. She’s not alone in hoping to one day find another doorway leading back “home.” Though Nancy’s found kindred spirits at her new school, all is not well, and when a fellow student turns up dead, an incredible mystery begins to unfold.

I would recommend this to adult or teen readers interested in fantasy, horror, or mystery, but preferably all three, and if you like it, there are more books in the “Wayward Children” series. See Every Heart a Doorway in our catalog.

In Another Time by Jillian Cantor

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In Another Time by Jillian Cantor
Format: Book
Who’s it For: Adults

“Where am I?” Hannalie Ginsberg awoke in a deserted field one starry night.  She clutched her precious violin to her chest.  “Where’s Max?”  The last thing she remembered, Hanna was playing her violin for Max in his workshop.  Hanna stumbled along until she came upon a church.  “It’s unlocked!”  Hanna quietly entered.  “Hello?”  When no one replied, Hanna curled up on a pew and succumbed to the familiarity of slumber.

The gentle hand of a nun, Sister Louisa, roused her later.  “Where am I?” asked Hanna.  “What?  My Germany’s been at war?  Hitler’s dead?”  After Sister Louisa drove Hanna to Berlin, a doctor diagnosed  her with “dissociative memory loss.”  Her memory of the past ten years was gone!  Hannah phoned her sister Julia who’d moved with her family to London before the war.  “I’m not dead!”  She phoned Max’s friends, Johann and Elsa.  They only knew that Max had left to find Hanna.  Hanna joined Julia in London.  She had her violin.  She had her family.  Now where was Max?

I was very moved by this poignant tale of romance set in two different times. Max described how he met Hanna, the girl who played the violin with fire, before the war.  He wooed her with books from his bookshop.  Hanna described her life after the war, her quest to find Max.  Although Hanna was Jewish and Max was not, they were united in their love for each other.  Yet Max hid a secret in his bookshop.  Moreover, Max couldn’t stop himself from coming to the aid of his Jewish neighbors.  What would Max’s secret cost him and Hanna?

It’s available as a book or downloadable with Overdrive!