The Scorpion Queen

Fears, Mina. The Scorpion Queen. 2025. 320p. ISBN 9781250392350.

Amie, a young woman from a wealthy Timbuktu family in Renaissance Mali. Her older sister was accused of an improper relationship with a noble, and rejected the blame on Amie. As a result, Amie suffers a tragic fall from grace. Disinherited by her angry father, and separated from her sister, Amie is forced to serve Princess Mariama in the imperial palace almost as a slave, as all of her wages are to be paid to her father, and not to her. Amie will never again see the boy she loves, Kader.

Princess Mariama is also a prisoner in her own palace. Her father, the Emperor of Mali, has devised a series of deadly trials for her suitors. Designed to weed the nobility of its sons, the trials have resulted in ninety-nine deaths. Despite the hardships and the princess's volatile personality, Amie and Mariama form an unexpected bond. When Amie discovers a map that leads them to the desert and to the home of one of the exiled gods, who could provide a hammer that would end the trial once and for all, she devises a desperate plan to escape the palace with Kader and two other maids, and make their way to the desert and retrieve the hammer. Only then will the trial end, freeing Mariama from her father's control, and allowing Amie and Kader to live happily every after.

Only, things don't go according to plan. Caught by the god after suffering in the desert, Amie makes a startling discovery. Faced with a difficult choice, Amie must decide for whom she is fighting, and whether the effort is worth it. 

The Scorpion Queen is inspired by a Malian folktale, and features a strong character with divided loyalties. Amie often makes the wrong decision for the right reasons, adding to her challenges. Family dynamics and rebellion are also explored as Amie attempts to reassert control over her own life. Fans of fantasy with a touch of light magic will appreciate this story told from a perspective we are not familiar with, but will enjoy the universal themes of betrayal and love.

Silver in the Bone

 Bracken, Alexandra. Silver in the Bone. Book 1 of the Silver in the Bone series. 2023. 480p. ISBN 9780593481653.

Unlike all of the people she knows, Tamsin has no magical abilities to speak of. This unfortunate circumstance makes her chosen profession especially difficult, as breaking into ancient burial sites looking for magical treasures also sought by sorceresses and faeries puts her at a clear disadvantage. Thankfully her younger brother Cabell is able to see the magical threads that link objects and people, which facilitates their job.

Abandoned by their foster father, who disappeared one night after stealing a powerful Arthurian ring rumored to be able to break the curse of lycanthrope that affects Cabell, the two of them had to fend for themselves. Now ten years later, Tamsin hears rumors that the ring is back in play, and that a powerful sorceress seeks it. Tamsin receives a comtract to find the fabled ring, only to discover that her erstwhile enemy, Emrys, is also looking for the ring.

Forced to unite their abilities for the time being due to the swarm of other seekers also looking for the ring, Tamsin, Cabell and Emrys track the last whereabouts of her foster father, only to stumble upon the Arthurian lands themselves through a gate. But the sickness that has taken over these lands threatens not only that kingdom, but also their present. With danger and treachery swirling around her, Tamsin's lack of magical abilities may in fact be her greatest strength ...

Children of Blood and Bone

Adeyemi, Tomi. Children of Blood and Bone. Book 1 of the Legacy of Orïsha series. 2018. 544p. ISBN 9781250170972. 

Orisha once was a land filled with magic. People could manipulate flames, water, and even the souls of the departed. A ruthless king took power, however, and immediately eliminated those known as maji, people would could control magic. As a result, magic died in Orisha. At least, that is the official line. In practice, magic survived, but those that practice it are being hunted down by the king and his forces. Zelie Adebola lost her maji mother by the king's command, and now she and her people are barely surviving on the scraps of humanity. 

Zelie runs into Princess  Arami, who has just escaped after discovering she herself has magical abilities. Zelie realizes that this may be the one way she can fight bak against the king and re-establish magic throughout the land, as Amari has as much claims to the throne as her father. Unfortunately, Inan, the princess's brother is looking for her, his devotion to destroy all things magic being widely known. 

As they cross Orisha, seeking allies and hoping to escape the prince, Zelie must not only avoid traps and the dangers offered by the land, but she must learn to control the magic that is slowly building inside her, with no one to give her the guidance she needs ...

This Was Our Pact

Andrews, Ryan. This Was Our Pact. 2019. 330p. ISBN 9781250196958. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Every year, during the night of the Autumn Equinox, Ben's town celebrates by holding a festival and releasing lit lanterns down the river. Ben has always wondered what happens to the lanterns as they fade from view. After releasing them, the adults return home, but this year Ben and his friends have made a pact to follow them and find out if the legend that they eventually drift into the Milky Way are true. The boys' pact is simple. No one will turn back for home, and no one will quit.

As soon as the lanterns are released, the boys ride their bikes by the road that follows the river. Ben is soon chased by Nathaniel, a boy who's a little strange and who's often picked on by the other boys. Ben likes Nathaniel, but he doesn't want to be marked as different so he doesn't defend him when the other boys make wisecracks at him.

But one by one the boys peel off, violating the pack. Soon only Ben and Nathaniel stand before the bridge over the river, the furthest they have ever ridden. Deciding to abide by the pact, Ben and Nathaniel cross the bridge, and enter a land populated by strange people, a talking bear looking for his fishing spot, and the enlightened ones coming over to visit. With the help of magical beings along the way, the boys will discover that friendship can be forged in the unlikeliest of circumstances.

Whimsically illustrated with rich blues, This Was Our Pact defies categorization. Readers who enjoy magic on the light side will appreciate the voyage that Ben and Nathaniel are embarked on, while they might wish that a friendly bear could join them to share some of their adventures.

Ember Queen

Sebastian, Laura. Ember Queen. Book 3 of the Ash Princess series. 2020. 465p. ISBN 9781524767143. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

In Lady Smoke, Princess Theodosia assembled a fleet of ships to carry her ragtag army back to Astrea to wage war against the Kaiserin, her former friend and the daughter of the Kaiser's own Thain. Having assassinated the Kaiser and seized power, the Kaiserin is ready to exploit a newfound magical power Theodosia unwittingly delivered her when she was attempting to kill her instead. With Prince Soren held hostage by the Kaiserin and untold number of troops blocking their path, Theodosia and her friends will need to devise an unorthodox plan to turn the tide of war and restore her to her rightful throne.

Whatever has affected the Kaiserin also affected Theodosia, however, and she's able to control fire in a way that stoke hope in her people's heart. Poorly armed, yet led by inspired commanders, soldiers who have nothing to lose begin a series of marches getting them ever closer to the palace, with the ultimate infiltration and destruction of the Kaiserin their goal.

But as armies assemble, and as hearts collide, Theodosia will be faced with a difficult choice. Save the one she loves, or save her kingdom from a terrible fate under the continuing rule of the Kaiserin. Can Theodosia defeat cruelty and evil to restore faith and peace to Astrea?

Gilded

Meyer, Marissa. Gilded. Book 1 of the Gilded series. 2021. 502p. ISBN 978-1-250-61884-9. Available at FIC MEY on the library shelves.

Serilda was blessed by Hulda with the abilities to tell stories, or so her father tells her, along with the story that he had saved a god and had been granted the wish of a strong and healthy child. For others, however, Serilda was cursed, with eyes that look like golden wheels. Always distorting the truth and weaving in outlandish lies, Serilda has grown up in the small village of Märchenfeld with her father, the local miller. Her mother disappeared one full moon night, lured by the hunt, the one time of the month there the veil between this reality and that of the Dark Ones breaks down. 

Led by the Erlking, the hunt seeks rare animals, monsters, and other creatures, and its call often lulls humans to its ranks. Most die, but some are found later confused and abandoned. Often, children are taken by the hunt and are never seen again. The Erlking dwells within a castle on the other side of the Ashen Wood, which borders Mächenfeld.

On a full moon night, Serilda heard the hounds of the Erlking. Going outside her home despite the legends warning her not to do so, she saw two moss maidens attempting to hide. She helped them disappear in the crawl space below the house, and when the hunt and the Erlking at its head. His Grim inquired what she was doing out in the middle of a winter full moon, and Serilda's tongue once again got the better of her as she claimed she was here to harvest winter wheat so she could weave it into threads of gold. 

Intrigued, the Erlking let her live, and Serilda could almost have imagined the whole thing except for the ring and necklaces the moss maidens offered her as payment for saving their lives. The next month, the Erlking returned, and this time he demanded she accompany him to his castle to prove that she could in fact weave gold from wheat.

Caught by her own lie, Serilda is imprisoned in the castle, where she meets Gild, who can in fact weave gold from wheat, but his help will come at a cost. As the months repeat themselves, and the amount of weaving increases, Serilda finds herself a captive in the Erlking's evil plans. The castle is imbued with a curse, its inhabitants now ghosts bound to the Erlking's service, but she's sure that if she could break the curse, then the Erlking's power would dissipate, and the denizens would be free.

Engaged in a deadly battle of wits with the leader of the Dark Ones, Serilda can only count on the power of her stories, and the help of unlikely allies, to keep her safe, while knowing that every day that passes gets her closer with a reckoning that could cost her her life.

Fans of fantasy will love this reimagining of the tale of Rumpelstiltskin from an author who successfully recreated the tale of Cinderella into Cinder, the first of awesome Lunar Chronicles series. 

The Witcher, Vol. 3: Curse of Crows

Tobin, Paul and Joe Querio. The Witcher, Vol. 3: Curse of Crows. 2017. 136p.  ISBN 9781506701615.

Geralt is on his way to Novigrad and he is traveling with his daughter, the beautiful Ciri. They have been contracted to slay the Striga that plagues the city. A mythical monster stronger than most and exceedingly violent, most witchers stay clear of Strigas. Geralt, however, once confronted one and survived to tell the tale. With his daughter at his side, Geralt believes they can successfully defeat the Striga.

On the trip over to the sinking city, Ciri asks Geralt to explain how he defeated the first one. He tells her of the Duke who impregnated his sister and tried to marry her. She died in childbirth, and so did her child, but not before the midwife, who now runs a bath in Novigrad, witnessed the horrible creature that was birthed. 

This midwife is in fact the one who contracted the witchers to solve the Striga problem. Her son meets Ciri and reveals he can transform into a crow, and that his sister is the Striga they seek. Yennifer, Geralt's former wife, pays him and her daughter a visit, and attempts to stir them away from the Striga, convinced that they are in danger if they attempt to slay it. But Ciri wants her own adventure ...

All the Stars and Teeth

Grace, Adalyn. All the Stars and Teeth. Book 1  of the All the Stars and Teeth series. 2020. 373p. 744 mins. ISBN 9781250307781. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Amora Montara is the first daughter and princess of the King of Visidia. Her family masters the magic of souls, and Amora and she has spent her whole life preparing to ascend the throne as the High Animancer. In this role, she will rule the islands that comprise Visidia with fairness, judging each soul on its merits. Each island is known for one type of magic, and all work together for the greater glory of Visidia.

However, not all is as it seems. The kingdom is plagued by a rebellion that seeks to overthrow the monarchy. An entire island has been laid waste, its population now starving. When Amora fails the test designed to demonstrate that she masters the complicated soul magic, her life is immediately in danger. Her father has no choice but to imprison her until the royal council can determine what to do with her. Rescued by a handsome pirate named Bastian, and accompanied by Ferrick, her fiancee and magic healer, they depart Visidia. Bastian explains that a strange magic is at work in the rebellion, where people are wielding multiple kinds of magic instead of being limited to one. 

In order to regain her name and the right to rule the kingdom, Amora sets off to stop the rebellion, only to learn that there are far more powerful secrets out in the world she was never allowed to visit ...

The Witcher, Vol. 2: Fox Children

 Tobin, Paul and Joe Querio. The Witcher, Vol. 2: Fox Children. 2014. 136p.  ISBN 9781616557935.

Looking for transport to Novigrad, Geralt the Witcher and his dwarven friend Addario book passage on a ship heading for that city. The passengers, led by Mr. Fysh, happen to be on a secret mission. At first glance it appears they have been hired to retrieve a child that has been kidnapped by a vulpess, a fox imbued with intelligence, the ability to transform into a human, and the cunning skills of a master illusionist. Unfortunately for the group, they were unable to find the child, so instead they captured another vulpess child and are bringing that creature back to Novigrad to collect the reward. Geralt knows this is a really bad idea, but since the ship is already underway, it is too late for him and Addario to get off.

As they sail down the river, the crew soon becomes aware that the mother vulpess is trailing them. Soon the ship and its crew finds itself hopelessly lost in the swamp, and dangerous illusions begin to play havoc on the dim-witted crew members. Sometimes, however, the real monsters are not the creatures out there in the swamp, but those on the ship ... 

Throne of Glass

Maas, Sarah J. Throne of Glass. 2012. 406p. ISBN 978-1-59990-695-9. Available at FIC MAA on the library shelves. 

Life in the prison salt mines of Endovier is harsh, even for a skilled assassin like Celaena Sardothien. For the last year, she has grown progressively weaker as violence and death are daily companions. When she meets Dorian, the Crown Prince of Adarlan, Celaena learns that the King of Adarlan, who has already conquered much of the world, seeks to appoint a Champion. To select someone who will serve as his enforcer, the King is holding a competition in which nobles of Adarlan can enter their own candidate. The most skilled following a series of tests will serve the King, bringing riches to their sponsor.

Though a year as a prisoner and slave in the mines has weakened  Celaena, the Crown Prince has no doubt that she can win this competition. Her very presence back in Rifthold, the capital, is sure to irke his father, which is a bonus. Celaena will compete under an assumed name, as no one knows that this young girl is in fact the most skilled assassin the continent of Erilea has seen in ages. Given the choice between dying in Endovier or perhaps earning her freedom if she wins the competition and serves the King faithfully, Celaena accepts the Crown Prince's offer.

Once in Rifthold, however, Celaena realizes that the competition will be deadlier than she thought. Ancient magic seems to affect the area, while Champions are killed in gruesome and inexplicable ways between tests. With every day more dangerous than the next, Celaena will need to quickly regain her strength and hone her assassin skills if she hopes to survive long enough to become the King's own assassin ...

The Witcher, Vol. 1: House of Glass

Tobin, Paul and Joe Querio. The Witcher, Vol. 1: House of Glass. 2014. 120p.  ISBN 9781616554743.

Geralt the Witcher is traveling when he encounters Jakob, a hunter living on the edge of the Brokilon forest. A welcomed sight after days without human contacts, Geralt and Jakob are both happy for the company. Geralt saves Jakob from a Drowned attack, and the two then spend some time hunting and fishing. Jakob tells Geralt about his wife Marta, who was captured by female vampires and transformed into one of them. Ever since, she's been haunting these woods, and Jakob feels he can't depart and leave her behind. Geralt agrees to enter the forest with him and see if they can find Marta.

Venturing deep in the forest, they are confronted by a Leshen and a grave hag, before stumbling upon a manor house, with Marta standing on the balcony. The manor is not what it seems, and its denizens are under a curse. Geralt and Jakob soon find themselves in danger as they seek to discover what happened to Marta and who is holding the inhabitants back...

Lady Smoke

Sebastian, Laura. Lady Smoke. Book 2 of the Ash Princess Trilogy. 2019. 512p. ISBN 9781524767105. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Following her escape in Ash Princess, Theodosia must stay one step ahead of the Kaiser and his assassins, who will stop at nothing to bring her back and torture her again. Accompanied by Prinz Soren and those that call themselves her shadows, Theo and Dragonbane the pirate queen, who is in fact her mother's twin sister, head to Stacrivero, the most prosperous nation, in order to find a husband and an army with which to regain her throne. 

As rich and powerful nobles parade in front of her, Theo is not convinced this is the way to solve her problems. She is falling more and more for Soren, while she still has feelings for X, a youthful friend and one of Astrea's guardians. Furthermore, while the nobility of Stacrivero lives in luxury, thousands of refugees from the Kalovaxians' wars populate camps on the outskirts of the capital and live in misery. As she and her friends search for solutions, an archduke is murdered, and Soren is arrested on the suspicion that he was involved. With an assassin in their mists, Theo must exert extreme caution in who she trust.

With none of the nobles an acceptable partner for her, Theo stalls for time. The arrival of Erik, Soren's half-brother and heir to a ruined kingdom, changes her calculations. If Theo was able to free the Astrean slaves currently working in the Kaiser's mines, if she was able to free the refugees languishing here without a future, and if she was able to get Erik's soldiers, as meager as they are, it might be enough to defeat the Kaiser.

As this unlikely coalition of forces sails to Astrea, this will be a battle of which only one will emerge victorious!

The story concludes in Ember Queen.

Ash Princess

Sebastian, Laura. Ash Princess. Book 1 of the Ash Princess trilogy. 2018. 432p. ISBN 9781524767068. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

The Kalovaxians are conquerors in nature. They invade a territory, eliminate its ruling class, seize its inhabitants as slaves, and drain the land from resources. When what's left is unable to sustain them, they move on to their next conquest. At six, princess Theodosia of the island of Astrea witnessed her land being subjugated, her queen mother executed in front of her eyes, and her people enslaved and sent to the magical mines underneath the temples that made the renown of Astrea. Theodosia, for her part, was given by the Kaiser, leader of the Kalovaxians, to the Thain, his second-in-command and the man who slit the throat of Theodosia's mother.

Now raised as Thora, Theodosia becomes friends with the Thain's daughter, Cress. Unfortunately, Thora is punished for every little mistake her or her people make. A rebellion? Thora gets lashes on her back. She lives in constant fear she will be violently attacked. Her every move are supervised by three shadows, who watch her around the clock, even when she is alone in her room. For all appearances, Thora is broken. Insultingly dubbed the Ash Princess by the Kaiser, to mock her mother's title of Fire Queen, Theodosia bids her time, hoping against all hope she will be able to escape her tormentor. 

Ten years have passed, but Theodosia still lives in fear. Forced to kill her mother's guardian and the man she suspects was her father, Theodosia realizes there will be no rescue. She must engineer her own. The arrival of Prinz Soren only complicates matters, while Blade, a childhood friend, smuggles himself in the palace and, with two others, remove the shadows, taking their places. Now armed with allies, Theodosia must tread very carefully to forment a revolution that will overthrow the Kaiser and end his rule forever.

Similar to the dystopian themes in Red Queen, this fantasy story features awesome world building but characters continously make poor decisions, even with the bad hands they are dealt. Fans of the fantastic will nonetheless appreciate this love triangle story and will cheer as Theodosia attempt to escape the violent circumstances her queendom has been thrown in by the Kalovaxian invasion. The adventure continues in Lady Smoke.

The Way of Kings

Sanderson, Brandon. The Way of Kings. Book 1 of The Stormlight Archive. 2010. 1007p. ISBN 9780765326355.

In this sweeping fantasy epic, Alethela, the most powerful kingdom on the continent is at war with the Parshendi, a nation of strange folks from the Shattered Plains of the Unclaimed Lands. Six years ago, Galivar, king of the newly united kingdom of Alethela, met the Parshendi on the Shattered Plains during a hunting expedition. Similar in many ways to the Alethela's servant race of Parshmen, but bigger and stronger, they sponsored the assassination of the king and claimed responsibility. In response, the ten High Princes led their armies to the Shattered Plains and have been besieging the Parshendi ever since, fighting them on plateaus as each side seek to acquire the valuable gem hearts out of giant chasmfiends. 

Brightlord Dalinar Kholin is brother to the former king, and commands the most disciplined and trained Alethela army. Whispers around the ten war camps talk of his slowly dropping into madness, for every time one of the devastating storm that flows on the continent from east to west he sees visions of the past. Slow to attack, Dalinar has fallen behind in the assaults on the Parshendi, but the visions are telling him he must unite the warring factions in the face of the Devastation that is to come. The storms have become more frequent and more violent.

Kaladin, who was the son of a surgeon, followed his younger brother to war when he was forcibly enrolled in the military so he could protect him. He failed his mission, but soon became an extraordinary squad leader. Slayer of a Shardbearer, a strange armor and weapon from ancient Knight Radiants who once fought against the Devastation, he was sentenced to become a slave so that the Brightlord he served under could claim the armor and weapon for his own. Kaladin finds himself a lowly bridgeman, condemned to serve on Bridge Four's crew. The bridge crews move Brightlord Sadeas' mobile bridges from one plateau to another, so that his army can travel and confront the Parshendi. The death rate of bridgemen is 100%. Against all odds, Kaladin survives, and begins training his own crew of bridgemen to be better than the rest, to increase their own odds of survival. With a windspren named Syl, who seems to encourage him, Kaladin searches for a way out, while he ponders why everything he touches eventually fails.

Shallan hopes to save her family's estate by stealing the Soulcaster worn by a famous scholar, Jasnah, who happens to be the daughter of the former king and niece of Dalinar. But Shallan also hopes to become a scholar, and as she trains under Jasnah, bidding her time to complete the steal, she discovers that the scholar has been studying the Voidbringers, who have been responsible for the last Desolations and the many crumblings of human civilizations. 

With a mysterious Truthless assassin on the loose, and with conspiracy and treachery abounding, it will take more than luck to discover the threat faced by the continent of Roshar.

Spellsinger

Foster, Alan Dean. Spellsinger. Book 1 of the Spellsinger Adventures Series. 2011. 290p. ISBN 9780743498258.

Jonathan-Thomas Meriweather is a pre-law student at UCLA who works as a sanitation engineer (also known as a janitor) for the school, and who appreciates music and marijuana. When he wakes up in the middle of a forest from an epic party the night before, he is thoroughly confused. Why is he not in his bed? Why is this otter wearing clothes and standing on two legs threatening him with a sword? Thinking this must be a dream, Jonathan gets himself stabbed, which reveals to him that he is very much here, in this fantasy world where animals are anthropomorphic.

Brought to meet the great turtle wizard Clothahump by the otter, Jon-Tom, as he becomes known, is informed that the turtle is in fact the one who summoned him here. Looking for an engineer, the turtle brought him over to help defeat an unspeakable evil that threatens their world with destruction.

Armed with nothing but law, politics, and history, Jon-Tom joins a merry rag-tag of animal and human adventurers looking to warn all of the world's communities of the impending doom that will come from their insect-like neighbors, who have acquired a powerful weapon and who hope to finally achieve the conquest they have been denied for thousands of years. From a card-cheating rabbit to a Marxist-spewing dragon and an angry indented bat servant, the group must make its way across the continent before it is too late!

While Jon-Tom learns to master the magic that defines the land, he and his companions gets in all sorts of trouble. Hilarious and poking fun of fantasy tropes, the Spellsinger nevertheless delivers an interesting world building and memorable characters!

Finale

 Garber, Stephanie. Finale. Book 3 of the Caraval series. 2019. 478p. ISBN 9781250157669. Available at FIC GAR on the library shelves.

Barely two months have gone by since the Fates escaped Donnatella's magic deck of cards in Legendary. Now the sisters are confronted by a larger problem. Scarlet has lost Julian, who has not returned since he departed on a mission for Legend. She misses him and wishes he would return. Legend, for his part, is set to ascent the throne of the Meridian Empire, but Tella discovered that the boy she fell in love does not really exist. Jack, the Prince of hearts, is obsessed with her and tries to make her an immortal. Meanwhile, the Fates that have escaped are gathering in Valenda, as the Fallen Star, the creator of all Fates, plans to claim the imperial throne for himself.

Scarlet, Tella, Legend, Julian, Jack. All five of them find themselves in the middle of an epic battle for the throne. The Falling Star is immortal, like the other Fates, and only by falling in love can he become human long enough to be killed and forever removed as a threat. Attempting to convince this violent murderer who controls fire will be nothing but deadly, and as Scarlet and Tella become more desperate to forestall the Fallen Star's ascension, the games become ever more dangerous. 

With secrets, violent twists, and a surprise or two, Finale brings the story of Caraval to a satisfactory ending. Fans of fantasy and those who enjoyed the previous two books in the series will enjoy discovering whether true love can in fact save the world!

Nocturna

Motayne, Maya. Nocturna. Book 1 of the Forgery of Magic series 2019. 471p. ISBN 978-0-06-284273-2. Available at FIC MOT on the library shelves.

For centuries, the Castellans were dominated by the Englassians, who crushed their knowledge of magic. When they freed themselves, they restored their kindgom, but not all of the magic has returned. Most possess magical talents, a power that is unique and quirky. For everyday folks, these are useful. For Finn, it's the ability to disguise herself at will, literally taking on someone else's face. As a thief, Finn has had her share of deadly encounters, but the loss of a precious book in a gambling den puts her in the impossible position of having to break into the royal palace and steal an invisibility cloak for the mobster whose talent is to deprive other people of their talents.

Prince Alfehr is first in line for the throne when his father dies. His older brother's disappearance into a void a few years ago suddenly deprived Alfehr of his best friend and landed crushing new responsibilities on his shoulders. Since then, Alfehr has been looking for ways to explore the void and discover what happened to his brother, hoping against all hope to bring him back. If that means Alfehr has to tinker with dark magic, so be it.

Unfortunately, Alfehr's dabbling has dire consequences. An ancient evil has been locked for many years, and Alfehr broke the bonds that were holding it in its imprisoned state. With Alfehr and Finn thrown together through circumstances, they now have precious little time to figure out how to combat this evil, and in the process, they will need to face their own dark secrets.

Mark of the Raven

Busse, Morgan L. Mark of the Raven. Book 1 of the Ravenwood Saga. 2018. 352p. ISBN 9780764232824. Available at FIC BUS on the library shelves.

A hundred years ago, the seven Great Houses were forced to unite to defeat an invader. Each House possessed strange abilities like controlling waters, commanding fire, and detecting lies, and these powers were used to stop and repel the invader. Defeating the invaders, however, did not occur before most of House Ravenwood was destroyed, its family almost wiped out. Leaders of the Great Houses now believe Ravenwood to be powerless. Lady Selene, the heir to Ravenwood, know that this is not the case. The firstborn daughter of Ravenwood is entrusted with the secret that Ravenwoods continue to walk through other people's dreams, manipulating them, extracting information and causing death when necessary.

Lady Selene has trained her entire life to master this family inheritance. Her mother, a disciplined strategist and assassin, plans on restoring Ravenwood to its former glory by inflicting a terrible vengeance on the other Great Houses that abandoned Ravenwood in its time of need. To do that, she has recruited the invaders, who stand poised to return as allies of Ravenwood, throwing the continent in the fires of war.

Lady Selene is entrusted by her mother to kill Lord Damien, a Great House leader and the only one who could unite them against the impending threat of the invaders. When Selene realizes the role she must play in this stratagem, she faces a dilemma. On the one hand she wishes to protect her family and her secret. Killing Lord Damien means ascending to the title of Lady Ravenwood, and protecting her younger sisters from the taxing demands that dream walking require. On the other, her mother's plans will cause the destruction of everything she knows by bringing war back to the Great Houses. Not killing Lord Damien will spell the doom of Ravenwood. Selene is therefore faced with an impossible choice, with a price so high it may not be worth paying.

Fans of fantasy will appreciate the descriptive world-building and the tangled plot set in motion by Selene's mother.

The Name of the Wind

Rothfuss, Patrick. The Name of the Wind. Book 1 of the Kingkiller Chronicle. 2009. 661p. ISBN 978-0-7564-0589-2. Available at FIC ROT on the library shelves.

Chronicler finds the red-haired man running a tavern in the middle of nowhere. His information is clear. This man is none other than Kvothe, a hero and villain who marked the recent history of Temerant. Through cajoling, Chronicler manages to get Kvothe to tell his tale.

As a youth, Kvothe always wanted to join the University where magic is learned. A member of the Ruh, a tribe of people who are performers, he has spent his youth moving throughout the continent playing in front of crowds large and small. On the road he met a man who taught him the rudiments of sympathy, how everything is connected together and how diverse properties can be used to perform actions others would perceive as magic.

But when his father and his caravan are slain for talking too much about the Chandrian, a mythical race, Kvothe is left alone, and must now survive in a world he is not entirely prepared for. Making his way to the large city of Tarbean, he survives for years as a beggar and thief, encountering other children like him and left for dead more times than he can count following violent encounters. Through it all, Kvothe holds the faint hope of making it to the University, and when he hears a storyteller recount the tales of the Chandrian, Kvothe realizes that he must chance the trip to the University.

On the way there he meets Denna, who is an accomplished singer. The two of them get along great, but when they arrive in Imre, Kvothe knows he'll never see Denna again. Penniless, he nevertheless participates in the University's entrance exam, and manages not only to impress the Masters, but also score a tuition whereby the University will pay him, something it has very rarely done.

Kvothe is hoping to use the expansive archives of the University to find more information about the Chandrian, but following an altercation with a rich student named Ambrose, he finds himself banished. Having to balance school work with regular work so he can eat, Kvothe progresses in his mastery of sympathy and his knowledge of magic, yet he remains far from his objective of learning more about the Chandrian.

Over the course of one day, Kvothe tells Chronicler about his life at the University, about the challenges he faced, and about Denna, the only girl he really loved. Fans of fantasy will appreciate the author's approach to telling a tale that features both deep world building and well-defined characters in a different way, having the main character retell his story to a biographer, with few interjections and interactions in the present.

The story continues in The Wise Man's Fear.

Ptolemy's Gate

Stroud, Jonathan. Ptolemy's Gate. Book 3 of the Bartimaeus trilogy. 2006. 501p. ISBN 978-0-7868-1861-7. Available at FIC STR on the library shelves.

Following the events in A Golem's Eye, seventeen-year-old Nathaniel has now risen to a position of importance in the British government. This ascension would not have been possible without the help of Bartimaeus, a djinni he summoned to help him root out rebels. However, Nathaniel has exploited Bartimaeus to the point of exhaustion. The djinni's essence has weakening due to having spent too long in the real world, and finds himself unable to help when Nathaniel runs into more trouble.

After escaping the golem, Kitty Jones found anonymity in the crowd and secured employment with a magician where she carefully learned the skills necessary to master magic. The resourceful rebel has a plan. She wants to discover how to free demons from their bindings to magicians and establish a more equal relationship between the two of them. Inspired by the rumored trial of an ancient Egyptian who traveled to the demon world, Kitty seeks to discover how to make Ptolemy's Gate a reality. Bartimaeus himself spent time with Ptolemy back in the day, and found him to be more than a master. They became friends.

As the three of them are once again thrown together to prevent a conspiracy seeking to destroy Britain's government, they will have hard choices to make that will forever change how demons and humans interact ...

A riveting conclusion to the Bartimaeus trilogy, readers will enjoy how Nathaniel, Kitty, and Bartimaeus overcome the odds and manage to craft a new world.