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Six Great Bossy Fantasy Reads I read some entertaining, imaginative, sometimes funny, fantastic fantasy You can find other lists of favorite fantasy reads from past years here . And you can c lick here for other science fiction and fantasy books that I've reviewed on Bossy Bookworm What are some of your favorite fantasy reads? Sarah Rees Brennan is also the author of the fantastic character-driven young-adult fantasy In Other

Six More Great Bossy Fantasy Reads I read lots of entertaining, imaginative, sometimes funny, fantastic fantasy in the past year--enough to make up multiple Greedy Reading List roundups. You can find other lists of favorite fantasy reads from past years here . And you can c lick here for other science fiction and fantasy books I've reviewed on Bossy Bookworm. What are some of your favorite fantasy reads?

Six Great Bossy Fantasy Reads I knew I was reading some gooood science fiction and fantasy, but didn't and one of fantasy alone. You can find my recent-ish two lists of favorite science fiction and fantasy reads from the past year and fantasy books that I've reviewed on Bossy Bookworm. What are some of your favorite fantasy reads?

Six Favorite Fantasy Reads I love spending Fridays raving about books I've loved! What are some of your favorite fantasy reads, from the past year or from this one so far? In Blanchet's young adult fantasy debut, Herrick's End, Ollie's only friend Gwen has disappeared. Six Crimson Cranes (Six Crimson Cranes #1) by Elizabeth Lim I was captivated by Lim's fairy tale of a fantasy Why not take this fantasy all the way, after all?).

Six More Great Bossy Science Fiction and Fantasy Reads The Obsessive Wrap-Up of Favorite Reads continues You can click here for other science fiction and fantasy books that I've reviewed on Bossy Bookworm. and the gutsy characters facing wartime struggles and challenges, but I was surprised that the book's fantasy I really liked this, but I was surprised by how light it felt on fantasy elements.

Six Great Bossy Science Fiction and Fantasy Reads The Obsessive Wrap-Up of Favorite Reads continues! You can click here for other science fiction and fantasy books that I've reviewed on Bossy Bookworm. I listened to the first installment in Shannon Chakraborty's Amina al-Sirafi fantasy series, The Adventures & Lattes (Legends & Lattes #1) by Travis Baldree The first in the Legends & Lattes series is a cozy fantasy This is a sweet, cozy fantasy story that feels like a big hug; it's a love letter to coffee, to the beauty

Fairy Tales and Retellings For this list, I focused on books with fantastical elements; clear good-and-evil and airborne dragon battles within the books, and the human protagonists are wonderfully faulted and fantastic

Wang is also the author of The Sword of Kaigen  and the YA fantasy series The Volta Academy Chronicles

Novik's newest work, Buried Deep ,  is a collection of thirteen stories that span the worlds of her fantastic Naomi Novik is the author of richly wrought fantasy novels featuring main protagonists I love: Uprooted Novik has also written a series of nine fantastic books about dragons, the Temeraire series. battles within the books' alternate history, and the human protagonists are wonderfully faulted and fantastic

If you're interested in other Bossy reviews of fantasy mysteries I've enjoyed, check out the titles at

Dowry of Blood is a shadowy, spooky, sultry story imagining Dracula's wife Constanta and their relationship, in which he exerts control and constricts her actions--until she dares to dream of exploring the world outside in the centuries of life she has left. I wonder if you would have wanted me if you found me like that: vibrant and loved and alive. Constanta is the sole survivor of a brutal medieval massacre in her village--but she's drawing her last breaths. Then a mysterious stranger arrives--seemingly drawn by her wavering between life and death--and promises her eternal life as his bride. Dowry of Blood is a spooky, sultry, shadowy story of Dracula's first wife, and in Constanta's point of view we witness her horror as the full impact of her husband's power and cruelty becomes clear. After years under his strict control (he is not named as Dracula here), the forced isolation begins to grate upon her. New members of their group are brought in, intimately connected to each other yet trapped in the same claustrophobic circle of hell. Constanta flirts with moments of joy and begins to imagine an alternate path to freedom and discovering the wonders out in the world. When Constanta breaks into her husband's private sanctum and discovers his significant studies, hidden knowledge, and vulnerability, Constanta and her precious allies debate whether to attempt to gather the significant courage to act against him or to continue on for centuries more under his confining, constricting thumb. But they have stayed too long in their fortress in the country; her husband's self-assured confidence and careless actions have led murderous villagers to their door. This could be the end of the "family"--or a sudden opportunity to fight for their freedom. I listened to Dowry of Blood as an audiobook. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? You might also want to check out these gothic-feeling stories. For a more playful take on vampires, check out Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series; you can read my review of the witty, fun Soulless here and my take on book two, Changeless, here. I plan to finish this great series at some point. For a very different take, you might check out The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, in which vampires mainly serve as catalysts for change.

In this return to the world of Elfhame (Folk of the Air trilogy), Holly Black takes us deeper into the story of characters Wren and Oak as they determine whether they can trust each other as they attempt to save Madoc. As a child, Wren read lots of fairy tales. That’s why, when the monsters came, she knew it was because she had been wicked. In The Stolen Heir, the first book in Holly Black's Stolen Heir duology, the story returns to the world of Elfhame. (It's important to first read the Folk of the Air trilogy--see link below in order to understand the plot and character development). Suren (Wren), changeling child queen of the Court of Teeth, is forced to band together with the charming, untrustworthy Oak (fae brother of Jude), to try to save Madoc from Lady Nore's Ice Needle Citadel. Wren and Oak were once betrothed, and Wren isn't sure how much of Oak's appealing vulnerability and honesty is real--or if she's being played for a fool. But Wren isn't content to let her fate be shaped by a beautiful, magical prince. She's going to need to wrest control of her own destiny. I didn't feel drawn in by Wren, who feels lost throughout much of the story, and I didn't feel as though Oak was as fully developed as I wanted him to be. I loved the return of the storm hag Bogdana! I listened to this as an audiobook. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Click here for my review of Black's The Queen of Nothing; I mentioned the great Folk of the Air trilogy in the Greedy Reading List Six Royally Magical Young Adult Series.

The first in the Legends & Lattes series is a cozy fantasy story about new beginnings, the transformative This is a sweet, cozy fantasy story that feels like a big hug; it's a love letter to coffee, to the beauty

I love a historical-fiction-feeling fantasy story like this one, and Blood of the Old Kings sets up

battles within the books' alternate history; and the human protagonists are wonderfully faulted and fantastic Naomi Novik is also the author of richly wrought fantasy novels featuring main protagonists I love: Uprooted

and the gutsy characters facing wartime struggles and challenges, but I was surprised that the book's fantasy I really liked this, but I was surprised by how light it felt on fantasy elements.

I felt like the story started off slowly, but once the world was built and the background established, I was hooked on the interpersonal relationships, the dramatic conflicts, the creatures' magical abilities, and their evolving quests. Various demons work as mercenaries in Nine Hells, and Bex trusts only them to protect her. Over time, some of these demons have evolved into grumbling lackeys for the Eternal King, or bound slaves. But when Bex and her demons team up with a new client--a powerful male witch who's got it in for the king--it could change everything. The first part of the book felt clunky to me, bogged down by explanations of how Aaron's imagined world works and the basic history of various conflicts and groups (gods, demigods, demons, free demons, witches, warlocks, East Coast/West Coast, heaven, hell--I was reeling a little bit). Eventually the story seemed to hit its stride, and the various demons, magical powers, dark histories, missions--and the Bex-Adrian friendship, client-bodyguard relationship, and growing attraction--made me wonder what would happen next. Neither Bex nor Adrian is exactly what they appear, nor are they following the scripts set out for them. Together, they are more powerful and capable and creative than alone, and they make a formidable team that reimagines reality for their kinds. Now that the world of the books has been built, I expect the second installment to move along at a nice clip; Aaron's dynamic battle scenes were a strength here. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! Rachel Aaron is also the author of the DFZ Changeling series, the Heartstrikers series, the Crystal Calamity series, and other books. I listened to Hell for Hire  as an audiobook.

The dark humor is fantastic. I'd love to hear your thoughts about this book or other fantasy books you've loved!

The supporting characters are fantastically odd, fiercely loyal, and a heartwarming support for a girl

the worldbuilding and the headstrong, powerful loose cannon of Nahri, as well as the Middle Eastern fantasy character Nahri, the complex cultural backgrounds clashing in the book, and the Middle Eastern-based, fantastical I listed Amina in the Greedy Reading List Six Four-Star (and Up) Science Fiction and Fantasy Reads I

Scholomance series and I realized I haven't posted a stand-alone review of some of Novik's other standout fantasy

battles within the books' alternate history, and the human protagonists are wonderfully faulted and fantastic

in a panic, she makes a magical deal in which she lives on...in the world of her sister's favorite fantasy Sarah Rees Brennan is also the author of the fantastic character-driven young-adult fantasy In Other

fiction-feeling story, a Sherlock Holmes and Watson-type investigatory relationship, and fascinating otherworldly fantasy

The first installment in Faizal's Blood and Tea series offers intriguing secrets, a swirling mystery, terrible betrayal, heartwarming found family, steady action--and vampires. "It's teatime, scoundrels." In the first book of Hafsah Faizal's Blood and Tea series, A Tempest of Tea , Arthie Casimir collects secrets--and by doing so, amasses enough power to become a criminal mastermind, exerting her influence within the city's dark underbelly. Her exclusive tea room becomes a posh hangout for vampires each night, but when her bloodhouse is threatened, she must work with one of her enemies in order to protect her livelihood and power. She helps plot to infiltrate the Athereum, an exclusive vampire society, but complex, dark conspiracies threaten to upend all of her plans, endangering Arthie and everyone aligned with her. “Aren’t you afraid?” she asked. “Fear stops life, not death.” Faizal combines secret identities, intricate plots, vampires!, hidden feelings, and wonderfully complex relationships in this mystery. A Tempest of Tea layers heartwarming found family, heartbreaking emotional barriers, and reluctant vulnerability to build characters that I cared about, funny gems, tantalizing moments, and an intriguing build-up to the books to come in this series. The cover artwork, palette, and the book's title felt off to me; they seemed to indicate Cozy Mystery (well, aside from the blood in the teacup), while the story feels more intricate and strange and deep. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? I listened to A Tempest of Tea  as an audiobook. Hafsah Faizal is also the author of We Hunt the Flame .

I love a mix of historical fiction and fantasy, and while this novel isn't as layered and complex or

The cover is arresting, and the sparkles and art are a nod to the novel's fantasy genre.

excited to read this final installment in Freya Marske's Last Binding trilogy, a queer historical fiction fantasy-mystery and compromise, and Marske's storytelling is yet again charming, funny, sometimes dark, and always fantastic

with ballet, an orphan's struggles, and Depression-era Chicago, but once Nocturne shifted into dark fantasy In Alyssa Wees's slim (it's 240 pages) fantasy novel Nocturne, set in the Little Italy of 1930s Chicago But once the fantasy elements became the focus, the story felt more like a series of ethereal concepts You can check out my Bossy reviews of other fantasy titles here.

In Blanchet's young adult fantasy debut, Herrick's End, Ollie's only friend Gwen has disappeared.

Only a few Antari have been born in a generation, and they have long been the only ones with the power If you've read the Shades of Magic books, you'll already be acquainted with the fantastic characters Now Kosika, a young, impressionable, fervor-driven young Antari, is taking up the mantle of the deceased

Book two of the series continues to be playful, mischievous, wonderfully detailed about Victorian life, and full of supernatural creatures and clever plotting. I loved the first book in Gail Carriger's five-book (plus a prequel short) Parasol Protectorate series, Soulless. I also included it in the Greedy Reading List Three Offbeat Series I Just Started and Love. But after raving about it for two years it seemed time to stop letting this second installment languish on my unmanageable to-read list and get on with it! The series takes place in 1870s London, and in book two as in book one, the immensely appealing, practical, fearless character of Alexia Tarabotti (now married to Lord Maccon, a werewolf) navigates danger and helps achieve justice by using her smarts, eschewing societal tradition and limits on women, and demonstrating her ability to neutralize the supernatural abilities of werewolves, vampires, and other creatures. She is a preternatural--a human without a soul--serving on Queen Victoria's somewhat secret advisory committee, which affords her a certain power, and she is also the Alpha female of her husband's pack, which affords her a very different one. When her husband disappears, Alexia tracks him to Scotland, where all manner of badly behaving creatures await, she needs her incredibly handy parasol, her unshakable nerve, some savviness, and the armor of the latest fashions in order to fight off danger, uncover dastardly plots, discover the power plays at work, and save her own life. This installment involves technology of the time, ancient Egyptian artifacts, revelations about Alexia's mysterious father (and about her husband's centuries of history that predate her), more racy moments and attractions, and dirigibles! I am in for all of these books and laughed out loud at the dialogue, Alexia's abrupt manner, and the delightful oddities in Changeless. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? My only issue here is personally logistical--my library doesn't own a copy of the next book in the series, Blameless. Carriger is the author of many series; this is the only one I've dug into so far.

Gwynne's epic, Norse-inspired saga tracks three fascinating main protagonists through battles, shifting alliances, strengthened resolve, and revenge journeys. I loved this. In John Gwynne's Norse-inspired saga The Shadow of the Gods , it's been a century since the gods battled themselves into extinction. Only their bones hold power now--for those brave enough to seek them out. There is talk of war's return, and three warriors will shape the future of the land of Vigrid: Elvar, a noblewoman searching for fame through battle; Orka, a huntress on a quest filled with danger; and Varg, a servant who joins the mercenaries called the Bloodsworn so that he may seek revenge. The three stories run along with plenty of steam, centered around violent battles, brutal revenge, extended searches for loved ones, and the carving out of new futures by our main protagonists. The story is always shifting--shaped by betrayals and the flipped script when fate and destiny aren't what the characters thought and they must come into their own. This is epic but never melodramatic, and I was hooked on the Viking-esque elements, the badass women who find their strength, and the perfect balance of resolution and cliffhanger to build anticipation for book two. Spoiler: a dragon appears at the very end of the book, laying the groundwork for more dragon page time in subsequent books. I loved this. I listened to The Shadow of the Gods  as an audiobook. More from John Gwynne: Gwynne is also the author of book two in this series, The Hunger of the Gods , the series Of Blood and Bone, and The Faithful and the Fallen series. Gwynne is also a Viking reenactor.

I wished for more of a focus on the character of Tess and her personal story--and less on political strategies, power plays, and the many other broad issues Hartman explores over the course of this almost-500-page sequel to Tess of the Road. In Rachel Hartman's Tess of the Road, we followed irresistible, hardheaded, wonderfully faulted Tess as she broke from rigid medieval gender roles in favor of adventure and discovery. That book was captivating, sometimes weighty, and often playful. I loved it. In the Serpent's Wake picks up where Tess of the Road left off. We're reintroduced to the story with an introductory poem written in verse that is funny, poignant--and also extremely helpful in its recap. It's the perfect reentry to the wonderfully cheeky, strong, faulted character of Tess as she tries yet again to be a loyal friend, refrain from punching people in the nose, and save the world. But the scope of In the Serpent's Wake is far broader than that of the first book. This second installation departs from a focus on Tess and her personal growth. Instead, the almost 500 pages of In the Serpent's Wake explores enormous, broad issues: colonization, persecuted indigenous people, human rights, racism, fights for autonomy, misogyny, and more. I was more eager to read more about Tess as a character than the extensive political machinations in the book and the shifting loyalties related to control of lands and attempted control of peoples and creatures. The sharing of stories and folklore through generations and cultures was a small-scale highlight. Hartman's sabanewts are fascinating creatures--and they also demand of the book's characters a new understanding of ownership, freedom, resources, and more. I loved the feminism, the complicated but steadfast friendships, and the dogged independence that various characters exhibit against all odds. I also enjoyed Tess's recognizing shades of gray where she once saw black-and-white right and wrong. But I wanted far more of a focus on Tess and for her to play a more key role in the book's events, as she did in book one. The rest of this book felt like a distraction from the character I love, and ultimately I wasn't particularly engaged with the broader story. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Click here to check out my review of the first book in this series, Tess of the Road. Hartman is also the author of Seraphina and Shadow Scale.

June struggles with the complicated implications of her family's curse of hallucinations and mental illness...until she realizes that the red door and visions of the past are real memories from her own time-travel experiences. I wasn't the first Farrow, but I would be the last. June Farrow is biding her time on her family's flower farm in the small town of Jasper, North Carolina. But she's been seeing and hearing visions for a year now, and she believes they're linked to the curse that the community believes has its hold on the Farrow women. June would love to end the curse, the fraying of the Farrow women's minds, once and for all--by never having a child and allowing the mental illness to die with her. But when she realizes she can walk through a magical red door, she finds unexpected circumstances--and realizes that she may be able to reinvent her path forward--and possibly also shift the events of the past. Young builds a story of traveling through time and of shimmers of other realities that might have been--or possibly did occur; whether they happened or not is not always clear. The Unmaking of June Farrow involves some maddening determination on certain characters' parts to keep the time-travel element wholly secret from those who would ultimately be faced with it. (If even the bare bones of this crucial information were shared on a need-to-know basis, a character's possibility of showing up as herself in a dangerous point in time--for example, a time in which she may have been accused of a grave crime--could help secure her own safety and preserve her existence through various timelines and her implications on others.) It was tough not to feel frustrated at characters' reluctance to even allude to the giant elephant in the room, once the situation was laid bare for the reader. Receiving only vague advice (which initially feels faulty, to say the least) about simply walking through the vision of a red door that appears to her leads June into a dangerous situation in the past--a past from which she built deep roots at one point, then simply disappeared. The mystery of why June left a past timeline is intriguing and keeps the story going. The story shifts between events of 1912, 1946, 1950, 1951, and 1989. Late in the book, June begins to understand the "folding of time" and intuits how timelines may have combined. It's a complicated web of cause and effect, and for much of the book I wasn't certain that the bundle of events affected by time-travel added up (which age and version of which person exists in which time, and how does the interaction between different versions affect everything else), but I was willing to roll with it. The circumstances of the ending are largely satisfying, the emotional connections June ultimately makes are poignant, and there's a character-reveal twist that was sweet and lovely. I received a prepublication edition of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group: Ballantine, Delacorte Press. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Adrienne Young is also the author of Fable, its sequel Namesake, and The Last Legacy, loosely set in the worlds of Fable and Namesake, and Spells for Forgetting.

Alternative Arthurian legends twist through this first in a young adult fantasy series, but what hooked

Novik is also the author of other fantasy novels featuring main protagonists I love: Uprooted and Spinning battles within the books' alternate history, and the human protagonists are wonderfully faulted and fantastic

I listened to the first installment in Shannon Chakraborty's Amina al-Sirafi fantasy series, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi as an audiobook, narrated by the fantastic Lameece Issaq and Amin El Gamal. irresistible main protagonist in the feminist Muslim character of Amina; and the sea adventure with various fantastical

In Nethercott's Thistlefoot, estranged siblings Bellatine and Isaac Yaga find their way back to each other within this odd, dark story that is steeped in Jewish folklore. "It's wild, isn't it...how there are all these stories that played out before we even existed. And their residue is all around us, all the time, but we don't even know it. Sometimes I wonder how much of me is my own, you know?" This recently published debut novel from Gennarose Nethercott is heavy on Eastern European folklore and feels like an immersive fairy tale with modern references (for example, cell phones). In Thistlefoot, estranged siblings Bellatine, a woodworker with mysterious powers, and Isaac, a con artist and street performer with his own magic, are reunited to claim a mysterious, bizarre inheritance: a sentient house on chicken legs. You're going to have to roll with that premise for Thistlefoot to work for you, and if you're up for it, there are a lot of delights here. Thistlefoot is a strange, epic, often dark adventure tale with roots in Jewish folklore, and puppets (which may or may not come to life at times) and the story they're used to tell are central to the plot. Bellatine and Isaac find their way back to each other, bonded by trying to untangle the dangerous, sentimental, mysterious circumstances surrounding the house's existence. They find unlikely allies who are also seeking the truth about the house--and who want to protect its legacy from those who would destroy it. This, as always, is only one version of the memory. Funny, how truth changes in the telling. How a person becomes a myth, how a myth becomes a hero. Do not mistake Baba Yaga for the hero of my stories. She is not. She is not the villain, either. She is only a woman. Sometimes, one cannot know until retelling what was right and what was wrong. Thistlefoot includes some scenes in which World War II atrocities are central; delves into the desperation and cruelties of those who have struggled to America, imagining their salvation; and explores the binds of family and history. I received a prepublication edition of this book courtesy of Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? If you like magical realism and folklore, you might also like the books on my Greedy Reading List Six Magical Fairy Tales Grown-Ups Will Love.

Paper & Blood is a quirky, lighthearted fantasy featuring copious Scottish lingo, magical creatures in

I was captivated by Lim's fairy tale of a fantasy novel, particularly the vivid magical realism, Shiori's

ICYMI: My recent review of Natalie Haynes's entertaining A Thousand Ships brought to mind this wonderful title by Madeline Miller that I adored. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or the mortals she has come to love. Circe, daughter of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, is an odd child. She's not striking and in fact, she's seemingly without power. But she grows into her glorious witchy wonder, and her abilities to transform her foes are revealed--along with her dangerous potential to threaten the gods. When Zeus, fearful of what she might be capable of, banishes her to a deserted island, Circe perfects her witchy powers, tames beasts, considers the world and her place in it, simmers and plans, and entertains well-known figures from mythology, including Icarus, the Minotaur, Medea, and Odysseus. We are sorry, we are sorry. Sorry you were caught, I said. Sorry that you thought I was weak, but you were wrong. Circe is a wonderfully faulted, curious, powerful witch. I was in for this book hook, line, and sinker. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? I mentioned Circe in the Greedy Reading List Six Wonderfully Witchy Stories to Charm You, and I recently mentioned it again in my review of Natalie Haynes's A Thousand Ships, a woman-centered retelling of events surrounding the Trojan War.

A Restless Truth is the second in Freya Marske's queer fantasy mystery Last Binding trilogy that began Maud and each of her unlikely allies are fantastic characters.

Check out this Bossy Greedy Reading List for Six Fantastic Dystopian and Postapocalyptic Novels I loved

The first book in Marske's duology is full of Edwardian England detail, gay love, mystery, magic, wonderful dialogue and banter, and plenty of heart. I adored it. A Marvellous Light, the first in Freya Marske's Last Binding duology, starts with a devastating ending (the demise of a character, caused by nefarious magicians) and a less-than-promising beginning (Robin Blyth's first day in his civil service job, for which he doesn't feel remotely qualified nor interested). Robin is trying to keep the household afloat after the deaths of his parents, to support his bright, ambitious younger sister, and to date some handsome men along the way. He soon realizes that (a) magic exists (!), (b) he's mistakenly been assigned the job of liaison to a secret magical society, (c) his office has been ransacked and a curse has been placed on him, (d) his curmudgeonly, book-smart coworker Edwin may be the key to saving them all, and (e) maybe he's falling for Edwin just the tiniest bit, despite himself. Marske offers immersive Edwardian England detail in this adorable, captivating, magical, queer book. Robin and Edwin's love is romantic and sweet and heartbreaking and sexy; the mystery at the heart of the book seems only to be solvable by the biggest book nerd in existence; and the story's magical details are fascinating and odd. I was completely hooked by A Marvellous Light, and I tried to slow down my reading to make it last. The amount of heart in this book was exquisite. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? I didn't see a mention anywhere in the book of a sequel, and some aspects felt tantalizingly unresolved, so I was relieved to find out that another book is coming. The second and final book in Marske's duology, A Restless Truth, is scheduled for publication in November.

Riley has crafted a middle-grade fantasy book with humor, adventure, characters to root for, and heart In James Riley's middle-grade fantasy book Story Thieves, young introvert Bethany and impulsive Owen I was surprised by the heart and depth in this fantasy book. and their allies, and loved the twists and turns and realizations--as well as the resolutions and the fantastic

In The Awakening, the first book in Nora Roberts's Dragon Heart Legacy series, she set up a romantic fantasy Why not take this fantasy all the way, after all?).

The first in the series sets up a strong young Black heroine who bucks tradition as she explores her own heritage, flexes her newfound power, and digs into the story of her mother's mysterious death--while infiltrating a magical, centuries-old Arthurian secret society. “Two faults. My race and my gender. But they are not faults. They are strength. And I am more than this man can comprehend.” After sixteen-year-old Bree's mother dies in an accident, she escapes the painful memories of her childhood home and town in favor of a special program for gifted youth at UNC-Chapel Hill (Go Heeeels!). But her first night on campus, she witnesses the magical attack of a mythical creature on a student--then must evade a fellow student's attempts to wipe her memory of the event. The experience jogs a buried recollection: a wizard was present at the hospital after her mother's accident. Now Bree is determined to find the truth about what happened. Was her mother connected to all of these mysterious goings-on? Did her mother have some sort of abilities she never told Bree about? When Bree, who is Black, stumbles upon an all-white, powerful secret society, she ends up with more questions than answers. So she infiltrates the group, pretending to be interested in pledging--but the stakes are higher than she ever could have imagined. Bree is wonderfully bristly, with a loyal best friend, Alice, that I loved. Bree has to keep in her trusted longtime friend in the dark about her delving into magical worlds and secrets, and this leads to tensions between them. Her forged connections to those who knew her mother and knew of her mother were a story element I loved. Much of the book is about duty and being born into roles, and Bree frequently struggles against racial inequalities and assumptions. The novel frequently questions the importance society places upon birth into privilege or hardship, race, and other factors beyond an individual's control. In the face of restrictions and rules, Bree repeatedly challenges the world's limitations, forging her own path. I was reading Legendborn, with its Arthurian references, during the same period I was reading another (very different) young adult book with references to Arthur and his court, Silver in the Bone. Whereas Silver in the Bone was more playful, Legendborn felt more earnest. Bree spends much of the book researching and wondering, and I preferred when she was taking action. There's a lot of fairly chaste attraction with a heavy emphasis on romantic feelings. I found Bree's main love interest Nick a little overbearing after a time. Deonn seems to be setting up a clear love triangle for book two--duties and resulting romantic possibilities are dramatically shaken up by the end of the book. And war is coming. I felt a little disjointed by the many elements of the Shadowborn, Legendborn, multiple Merlins, shapeshifters, Scions, Roots, and the various embodiments of some of these. I wasn't sure the story was made stronger for me by the links to Arthurian legend at its heart--I found myself wishing Deonn had developed her own wholly independent network of magic, inheritance, bucking expectations, and pending danger for her strong young Black heroine who's figuring out her place in the world. I loved Bree's infiltration of the white, storied, generational power. The story's many correlations to slavery in the South are fascinating and chilling. And Bree dramatically shakes up the ritual-based, staid, formal foundations of the Legendborn by the story's end. I'm imagining that book two shows Bree coming into her own with her power, drawing strength from her heritage, and a major reckoning, and I am up for all of it. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Legendborn is the first in Tracy Deonn's young adult Legendborn Cycle series. I look forward to reading the second book in the series, Bloodmarked.

I listened to this romantic fantasy about a chosen one, a long-lost family, portals to a magical world But possibly the most fantastical aspect of the story is the ease with which she secures an agent and

I adored the romantic setup and seemingly ill-fated attraction in Saft's young adult fantasy-mystery, I loved the setup of Saft's romantic young adult fantasy novel Down Comes the Night. The great young adult fantasy elements are all in place here: magic, healing, a defiant main protagonist Saft is also the author of another romantic young adult fantasy novel, A Far Wilder Magic. I loved her character-building, her balance with the young romance, her fantastic, detailed setting,