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Fantasy

Strange the Dreamer

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In this beautifully written book, Laini Taylor introduces us to Lazlo Strange, a war orphan with an enormous imagination. Cared for as a child by abbots, Lazlo has become captivated by the stories of the Lost city of Weep. His love of reading only grows as he does and he becomes a junior librarian but he fears his dreams of discovering the Lost City will never come true.

When an unexpected opportunity presents itself, Lazlo surprises everyone and even himself by seizing the chance to follow his dream. Along his journey, he makes friends and enemies both as he unravels the mysteries of Weep and even encounters a blue skinned goddess.

There are stories within stories, brimming with lore and myth that make the world of Lazlo Strange full, rich and one you’ll want to stay in after you’ve finished reading the book.

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Furyborn

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Furyborn by Claire Legrand
Format: Book
Who’s it for: Adults and Teens

A queen screams in the throes of childbirth.

A little boy travels to another place and time with a power that is a mystery to even himself.

An angel comes to the door with an evil intent.

A young woman decides to barter her soul for her family’s safety.

Claire Legrand’s Furyborn is bursting with tales of magic, love lost, heroic deeds, and tantalizing mysteries.  It is fantasy at its absolute best, but what makes Furyborn so compelling, and unique among its peers, is how Legrand sets up her narrative.  It follows two young women, Rielle, an aristocrat who is discovered to have a magical power that could either doom or save the world, and Eliana, a young bounty hunter that will do anything to protect the ones she loves.  The twist is that Rielle’s story takes place roughly 1000 years before Eliana’s.  The chapters alternate between each character’s point of view, as well as their place in time, which results in an amazing case where one story would seem to foreshadow the next, only to surprise you in how events actually play out.

Furyborn features a world that is as deep as it is complex, with an implicit history that helps the world to feel as real as any created by J.R.R. Tolkien or Christopher Paolini.  Each chapter starts with a quote from a historical figure of its world, each adding a satisfying tidbit of lore for readers to ponder.  For readers that love to figure out the timeline of a story and how events all fit together, this is an absolute paradise.

The first book in the Empirium trilogy, Furyborn introduces and resolves enough plot points to feel satisfying, but still leaves enough mysteries for readers to theorize about in the wait before its sequel, Kingsbane, is released next year.

Recommended for: fans of young adult fantasy, strong female protagonists, magic, time travel, rich fictional histories, and action.

Find it in the catalog.

The Night Circus

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The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Format: eBook
Who it’s for: Adults

If you enjoy getting lost in a story filled with magic and mystery then The Night Circus will be a delight. Since she was a small child Celia has been bound into a competition with an unknown rival by her magician father, Prospero. The setting will be an enchanting circus that arrives without warning and only opens at night. Celia struggles through years of difficult training to harness her unique magical abilities. When Celia inadvertently falls in love with her secret competitor, Marco, the game threatens to unravel the circus and all who reside in it. Celia and Marco must find a way to end this dangerous game and save their beautiful circus home and the family of magical performers who live within it. Find it in the catalog

Ready Player One

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Read the Book, Watch the Movie!

Book: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Movie: Ready Player One
Movie Release Date: March 29, 2018

Set in the year 2045, the people of a dystopian global society rely on the OASIS, an immersive virtual reality game, to escape the stress and bleakness of their poverty-stricken actuality.  When the game’s eccentric creator dies, he sends the entire world on an 80’s-themed treasure hunt—the prize being his enormous fortune and complete control over the OASIS. Wade Watts (aka Parzival), a teenager “gunter”, devotes his life to the contest, studying all things retro, while navigating this fantastical and dangerous universe in pursuit of the elusive “Easter egg”.  Ready Player One combines 80’s nostalgia with the transcendence of virtual reality technology in this action-packed adventure, exploring themes of teamwork, perseverance, and the value of real-life connections along the way. Find it in the catalog.

Children of Blood and Bone

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Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Format: Book

Who’s it for: Teens

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi is a sweeping fantasy set in the land of Orisha. The story is told from three perspectives; Zelie, Amari and Inan. There are ten different magi clans, or magic users, all with unique skillsets and abilities. This is a world were magic has been stolen and maji clans are feared, hated and oppressed.

After wiping out the older generation of maji, The king of Orisha allowed child maji to live but sealed their magic away. Now they only have enslavement or poverty to look forward to. We meet Zelie of the Iku clan at the very start in a scene that paints a perfect picture of who the main character is; fighter, determined, fearless. Amari is Zelie’s opposite in so many ways, yet Tomi Adeyemi did a wonderful job of building a unique and unlikely bond between the two girls that is endearing and strong. Inan struggles to gain the approval and acceptance of his father, the king but finds himself torn with wanting to protect his sister and then later, himself. These characters lives become enmeshed in unexpected ways as their journey forces them to face issues of loss, loyalty discrimination, tyranny, acceptance and love. Find it in the catalog.