Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas

Title: Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy
Author: Angie Thomas
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Perfect for fans of this author (have you read The Hate U Give) to enjoy or to pass on to a younger sibling, Nic Blake is a character that you can't help but find relatable - even while she's running around with her pet hellhound or complaining about having to wait to get her own dragon! Nic is from a family of Manifestors, who have magic in their blood. But she can't do anything cool with her powers yet, because her father refuses to teach her how to use them! Join Nic on the adventure of a lifetime as she discovers who her family is, who she truly is, and where she belongs - all while trying to dodge Hairy Junior and the Devil's Daughter!

-Katrina

Check out Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas @ the library!

Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed

Title: Shubeik Lubeik

Author: Deena Mohamed

Genre: Graphic novel, Fantasy, Magical Realism

Shubeik Lubeik means "Your Wish is My Command" in Arabic. This heavy graphic novel depicts how the world might look if wishes really did come true. In this story the characters navigate a world where they can buy wishes on the street but the saying be careful what you wish for has never been more true. Read this book if you're interested in magical realism stories!

- Gina

Check out Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed @ the library!

Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer

Title: Midnight Sun

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance

Stephanie Meyer (Twilight series) has pulled an E.L. James and reproduced her most popular story from the male point-of-view. In Midnight Sun, the meeting of Bella is told from Edward's perspective and thus fleshes out more of his history and feelings. It is long and doesn't have as many surprises if you're already familiar with their love story, but it does add enough new material that if you are a fan of these sun-crossed lovers then you will appreciate the added nuances to their complicated romance.

- Sarah R.

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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

Title: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Author: V. E. Schwab

Genre: Fantasy

Never make a deal with the gods that answer after dark. Wise words from Adeline's neighbor that in a moment of desperation she decides to ignore. What follows is a deal with the devil that will allow her to live free but not be remembered. Follow Addie as she navigates the extent of her curse. Will she continue to confound death or will she give up and walk to him with open arms?

I am generally not a time-traveling story person, but I really liked this one - just be sure to note the date at the start of each chapter because it does skip around from past to present.

- Sarah R.

Check out The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab @ the library!

A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

If you're looking for a book series with outstanding world building and character development, Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses series is for you. Affectionally called ACOTAR by its fans, this book series follows Feyre, a poor human, as she is forced to go into the world of fairies after "accidentally" (you decide if it's actually an accident) killing a fey disguised as a wolf. While in the fairy world, Feyre finds trouble, but also love. This series has a lot of twists and turns throughout it so you will not want to put it down!

While it is currently listed as YA, there are some serious adult themes. The newest book in the series, A Court of Silver Flames, comes out next year and you can bet I will be one of the first on the holdlist when it comes out!

- Megan

Check out A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas @ the library!

Folklords by Matt Kindt

Title: Folklords

Author: Matt Kindt

Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy

I love binge reading graphic novels! So to start a series like this and only being able to read one book is very hard! The story begins by explaining that everyone in their village goes on a quest at the age of 18, and this is the year the main character Ansel will choose and go on his quest. He has been having visions of a strange modern world, one with lighters, and automobiles. He wants to choose to go seek out the Folklords. However, the librarians have forbidden this knowledge. The librarians are the scary/creepy kind that you hope to never come across. This first installment ends right when the story starts getting good and I am looking forward to the next one.

- Gina

Check out Folklords by Matt Kindt @ the library!

Aladdin: A New Translation by Yasmine Seale

Title: Aladdin: A New Translation
Author: Yasmine Seale (Translator)
Genre: Fantasy, Folklore, Translation

I thoroughly enjoyed this short, quick read! I had never read the original story of Aladdin, nor did I know anything about its origin in general. It was actually first recorded on paper in French, based on an oral story told by a Syrian in the 1700s. The story really isn't much like Disney's Aladdin at all; for one, it's actually set in China. And no, there aren't 3 wishes or a pet tiger. Or a flying carpet. But there is a lot of magic! I found the story to read very much like an old folk tale. At only 115 pages with modern, understandable language, it's easy to digest as well. I highly recommend this, especially if you're in a reading slump!

Also, if you're interested in more fascinating background knowledge, check out this interview from Publisher's Weekly with Yasmine Seale, the French-Syrian who translated this tale into English. Seale is in the process of translating all of The Arabian Nights, of which Aladdin is a part.

- Sarah P.

Check out Aladdin: A New Translation @ the library!

Bunny by Mona Awad

Title: Bunny
Author: Mona Awad
Genre: Horror, Fantasy

MFA student Samantha Mackey is an offbeat outsider at Warren University, who spends all of her time with her wild imagination and her best friend Ava, and avoids the rest of her creative writing cohort at all costs—a quartet of rich, pastel-clad, like, totally spunky girls who all call each other “Bunny” and seem to be more of a creepy amalgamation rather than individual people. After being invited to one of the Bunnies’ get-togethers, curiosity gets the best of her and Samantha finds herself led into the sweet, sugary, ritualistic nightmare world of Bunny friendship.  

Mix together Clueless, Mean Girls, The Craft, and Heathers, add in a dash of gruesome horror and a whole lot of “What did I just read?!”, and you get Bunny. I loved this one.

- Ashley

Check out Bunny @ the library!

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

I have been rereading some of my favorite stories, and allowing myself to escape back into some of my favorite worlds for pockets of time. It's comforting, which is especially nice in winter. This series is filled with angels and demons, vampires and werewolves, warlocks and fairies, but at its heart, it is about the love between family, the strength found in friendship, and the miracles created by putting aside differences and working together. The first story introduces Clary to a world of darkness and monsters that she didn't know existed, and leaves her to face the fact that she might just belong there more than she has ever truly belonged in the typical New York City world that she has grown up within. “What would you do if you saw something nobody else could see?” 

- Katrina

Check out City of Bones @ the library!

A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty

Title: A Corner of White
Author: Jaclyn Moriarty
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

The tentative connection, based only on the written letters of two teenagers, between our world and the new world of Cello is intriguing. Because these teens continue to write and share the details of their lives, both begin to gain knowledge of the other world and insight into their own. Although, as the first in a trilogy, this book spends a lot of time on world building, the big reveals at the end have me eager to read more!

- Katrina

Check out A Corner of White @ the library!

The Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede

Title: The Thirteenth Child
Author: Patricia C. Wrede
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

In a world where numbers hold a lot of magic in and of themselves, where magic tumbles forth from the edges of all of the known civilization, and where society itself has declared some children extra special and powerful from birth, but has declared this young to be such bad luck that even her own relatives often don't want her around, Eff has been conditioned to shrink into the background of her own life. However, when she discovers her own magical talents may rival her talented, lauded brother (who is the seventh son of a seventh son!) but may also lie in a different realm of magic altogether, Eff can no longer be ignored and cast aside by anyone, least of all herself!

- Katrina

Check out The Thirteenth Child @ the library!

Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Title: Eye of the World
Author: Robert Jordan
Genre: Fantasy

The novel began a bit slow but as the story progressed I became more enthralled with the story and characters. The author captures the voice of each character and their unique personalities provide a variety of characters to be drawn to. The story follows the classic structure of a Hero's Journey that fantasy lovers are accustomed to (LOTR/Star Wars). Events arise that force the main character to leave his hometown. Before embarking on his journey his two friends and love interest join him. Having never left their small town they jump at a chance to go explore the world. Little do they know how much danger awaits them as fate pulls them towards their destinies. This is the first of a 14 book series, it is quite a commitment but definitely worth your time if you like fantasy. 

- Gina

Check out Eye of the World @ the library!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder
Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction/Fantasy

Though Cinder is the best mechanic in New Beijing and the breadwinner for her family, her stepmother treats her like she is a burden. It's true that cyborgs like Cinder are treated as second-class citizens - even used as guinea pigs in an effort to find a cure for letumosis, a disease currently ravaging the planet. 

Prince Kai is in the horrible position of needing to prepare to take the throne if his father, the Emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth, doesn't recover from the dreaded "Blue Fever." If Emperor Rikan dies, it will be up to Kai to try to work out a treaty with the Lunars, a different race from the Earth's satellite that have the ability to control minds and seem to be looking for an excuse to wage war. Their queen, Levana, is rumored to have killed to capture the crown, but a more legitimate heir is out there.

When Cinder is hired by Kai to fix his droid, it will forever change her destiny. Will she live through the spreading plague? Will she be able to help Kai with his droid and the information it holds? Will she find a dress for the royal ball? Read this first book of The Lunar Chronicles to find out.

- Sarah R.

Check out Cinder @ the library.

Harry's Trees by Jon Cohen

Title: Harry's Trees

Author: Jon Cohen

Genre: Magical Realism, Fantasy

When Harry's wife dies in a sudden accident, he is heartbroken. He is stuck in an unrewarding job and has always dreamed of working outside with trees. In his grief he tries to escape from all the pressures of his job and his money-hungry brother by commiting suicide in a nearby forest. Little does he know that he will be found by a young girl moments after his plan fails, and that she will interpret his arrival in her life as a fantastical sign from her father who recently died unexpectedly. What follows is a story of how friendship can be found in unlikely ways and redemption in doing things that you love. A heartwarming and uplifting read.

- Elizabeth

Check out Harry's Trees @ the library.

Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King

Title: Sleeping Beauties

Author: Stephen King and Owen King

Genre: Horror, Fantasy

A mysterious woman shows up in small Appalachian town at the same time as women around the world are being cocooned as soon as they fall asleep. Is this "Evie Black" the source of the webbing? What is happening to the women as they sleep? More importantly, what happens to the men when they attempt to wake them? While the women try everything imaginable to stay awake, the men must determine if Evie is someone, or something, to be protected or destroyed. 

The book is long, but it allows for character development and the crisis to progress, so don't let it daunt you.  The book also makes you think: is either sex better off in a world by themselves? Supernatural elements not withstanding, it paints a town and a populace that the reader can relate to which makes the goings-on that much more terrible.

- Sarah R.

Check out Sleeping Beauties @ the library.

Slade House by David Mitchell

By the time young Nathan and his mother have found the mysterious entrance to Slade House, the reader already feels uneasy on their behalf. Nathan is an adolescent, perhaps autistic, and very sensitive to his surroundings. His mother, eager to make a good impression on the mistress of Slade House, Lady Grayer is impatient and bossy. And it is her impatience that puts them both in danger. Nathan can sense that something is not quite right in Slade House but his mother, so concerned with appearances, ignores his apprehension. As a result, they fall victim to Jonah and Norah, the immortal twins who dwell in Slade House. They are Anchorites, malevolent beings who will never die so long as they inhale the souls of others on a regular basis. Every nine years, a vulnerable person is lured to Slade House on one pretext or another. A shape-shifting twin will flatter and intrigue the victim until the trap is spring and there is no escape. Author David Mitchell's story ranges from 1979 to 2015. Each of the five victims is vulnerable in his or her own way and dies accordingly. Slade House is an eerie tale of soul vampires and their victims. Prepare to be frightened.

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

It sounds like the opening of a joke: marine biologist, soldier and famous rapper are all on a beach… These three strangers are all walking on a Bar Beach in Lagos, Nigeria when they are interrupted by the sound of an explosion followed by a rising wall of water from the ocean.  The three are sucked out to sea and miraculously, re-deposited on the sand later unharmed.  Then, the unthinkable happens: the representative of an alien race makes first contact with Earth. 

The story of the three strangers picks up pace as we meet the alien envoy herself: a being who can change her appearance at will; a “woman” the biologist names Ayodele.  Soon, everyone is trying to meet the alien and use her for their own ends: young men hoping for money, priests who want to “convert” the entire alien race, crazies who are convinced the world is ending.  Panic engulfs the masses and we see the three strangers and Ayodele fighting to convince people that the aliens are here because they love the potential of Nigeria and they want to live among humans. 

Okorafor does a great job of describing the invisible anxiety that lies underneath all of Lagos in these new, uncertain times.  She describes people from all walks of life who are just living their lives and then have to figure out how to live now that everything has suddenly changed.  The pages of this book are charged with superstition and old-world magic; with the unknown and unknowable.  This is an examination of contemporary society under the guise of a science fiction novel.

Lagoon is available now.  

The First Phone Call from Heaven by Mitch Albom

How would you like to receive a phone call from one of your loved ones who passed away?  Well the townspeople of Coldwater are able to do just that.  Many of the members of this small town are getting frequent calls from their loved ones that have passed away.  This event leaks to the media and everyone wants to head to Coldwater to learn more about this miraculous happening.  One member of the town, Sully Harding becomes suspicious of these phone calls and decides to investigate what is happening.  Are these phone calls a hoax or are the townspeople really getting phone calls from their loved ones? Find out for yourself in this novel written by the author who also wrote, The Five People you Meet in Heaven.  This novel will leave you at the edge of your seat wanting to learn the truth.  As a reader you become attached to the characters while they are all trying to make sense of this phenomenon.

 

The audiobook version of this novel is read by Mitch Albom and who better to read the story than the author himself.  This moving story comes to life as the author takes you through this emotional story. With a surprise ending, this is a must read for anyone who believes in the afterlife or is curious about how the world could react if their loved ones are calling from the dead. 

Check out the The First Phone Call from Heaven @ the library! 

The Returned by Jason Mott

This book is about the life of Harold and Lucille Hargrave whose world is turned upside down with a knock on the door.  Their son died 50 years ago and he has now returned from the dead.  At eight years of age Jacob is exactly how Lucille remembered him.  All over the world loved ones are returning from the dead.   What would you do if your loved one was back from the dead?

Lucille and Harold live in the small town of Arcadia and with so many people returning it is difficult to find room for all of them.  The Federal Bureau of the Returned starts to take over the situation and many of the townsfolk are not too happy.  One of the struggles that everyone is having is that they do not know why people are returning and if it should be considered a miracle or a warning of something to come.

This was a really good read and really made me think more about life and death.  The author’s note at the end of the novel really gives a food feel for why the author wrote this story.  This is a good read for anyone who is interested in the afterlife.  Or if you are curious as to what the world could become if all our loved ones returned.    

Want to read more about the returned? Jason Mott wrote some short stories as prequels to The Returned they  are in e-book form and can be found through the library.  They are, “The Choice,” “The First” and “The Sparrow.”   These short stories give more background information on some of those that were returned in his novel, The Returned.

Jason Mott’s Novel is being made into a television program called, The Resurrection.  It premiers on Sunday March 9 @ 9/8c on ABC.  Check out more about the show here: http://abc.go.com/shows/resurrection

Check out The Returned @ the library!

Here I Go Again by Jen Lancaster

Lissy Ryder is that girl: the one in high school who was head cheerleader, homecoming queen and the one who tore you to shreds just for being different. Now things are a bit different. Sure at one time she was married to her high school sweetheart with a great job doing PR in Chicago, but now he wants a divorce and her liberal use of work time has caused her to be downsized. Living in her parents home deep in credit card debt, Lissy doesn't have much to look forward to- except her 20 year high school reunion.

Expecting her classmates to accept simple apologies, Lissy goes ready to start her own PR firm to represent their now successful lives. It's too bad for Lissy that none of them want to forgive her. After having a bit too much box wine to drink, she ends up in the care of classmate Debbie, now Deva. Deva gives Lissy a remedy that will help her find inner peace, which really takes Lissy back. Back 1991 and her 17 year old self.

With a second chance to right all her wrongs, will the new Lissy Ryder make all the right choices, and will those choices be worth it in the end? Jen Lancaster does it again with a hysterical look at second chances and how one little change to the past can create an entirely different future. Make sure you have a huge chunk of time to read, because once you start Here I Go Again, you won't want to put it down!