STACKED

books

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

|

The plot of The Winner’s Curse is fairly simple: Kestrel, the daughter of a Valorian general, purchases a Herrani slave at the slave market. It’s an impulse on her part, but completely calculated on the slave’s, whose name is Arin. He has plans of his own, and unknown to Kestrel and the general, he has a very good reason for causing himself to be placed in that position.

When the Valorians conquered the Herrani, they took the Herrani as slaves. Now the Valorians live in the Herrani homes, and a whole generation of Herrani are growing up barely remembering what it was like to be free. Meanwhile, the Valorian empire continues to wage war on its neighbors, determined to further grow its holdings.

A book like this could very easily be ludicrous, offensive, or both. A situation like this is not pure fantasy; in her author’s note, Rutkoski explains how such things were and are common. Her American readers should know this already. But Rutkoski is a phenomenal writer. She’s careful to allow Kestrel to be sympathetic without condoning her actions. She doesn’t relish in the misery of the conquered or make them out to be uniformly victimized. It’s a tricky tightrope to walk, but Rutkoski does it well.

Despite its lack of magic or strange creatures, this is a fantasy novel, and its world-building is part of what makes it soar. Rutkoski excels at creating new places and showing them to us in a way that feels natural. We learn a little bit about the history of the Valorians and Herrani from their history books, but most of what we learn comes from their lived experiences in this world. This is the very definition of showing instead of telling. We learn about the slave market because Kestrel is there, seeing and smelling and experiencing it. We learn about Valorian parties because Kestrel goes to them, and we see them through her eyes. We learn about the slave quarters because Arin lives and works there. Rutkoski’s world is detailed and complex and fascinating. It recalls a memory of ancient Rome or Greece, but it’s also wholly new. (I appreciated the mix of oppression and liberation that women face in the Valorian empire, as well. They are trained fighters and many of them join the army, but they also are not allowed to venture anywhere alone. This is just one example of how original and well-crafted the world is.)

Another aspect that sets this book head and shoulders above its peers is the romance. Teen novels are no strangers to romance, but I can’t say there are many that are quite this intense. Intensity comes not only from the depth of feeling espoused between the leads, but also from just how well the two click on the page. I have to give major kudos to Rutkoski’s writing. She knows just when to let Kestrel and Arin touch – and when to pull them apart. She allows their feelings to develop organically, from many conversations and observations. Through their observations of each other, we learn how they see themselves, how they see each other, and how they really are. (These can often be three very different things.) It’s a brilliant way to explore character and it makes the romance that much deeper.

At times, it hurts just to read the book. Because Kestrel and Arin are fated to be at odds with each other, it’s a given that no matter what happens, one or both of them will end up in pain (emotional, physical, or both). Rutkoski makes us care deeply about both characters – so deeply that their pain becomes ours, and it’s difficult to see any end where both will be happy.

The book isn’t action-heavy. Most of it focuses on politics and society, but it does have two pretty major plot shifts (I wouldn’t call them twists). The second one provides an ending of sorts, giving us a full story in this first volume, and some measure of satisfaction. It once again changes the dynamic between Kestrel and Arin; I’m eager to see where Rutkoski takes the relationship in further installments, not to mention how she develops the relationship between the Valorian empire and the people it has subjugated.

Review copy provided by the publisher. The Winner’s Curse is available today.

Fantasy Without Magic

|

I spend a lot of my time thinking about the way we classify things (which may be one reason I became a librarian). This is probably most apparent in my Twitter feed, where I can often be found ruminating on the different kinds of genre fiction and their endless subgenres and overlaps and combinations. A listserv discussion about how to classify Marie Rutkoski’s excellent The Winner’s Curse (more on this title later) has me thinking a lot about fantasy novels without any magic, and about what is really required for a book to be fantasy.

I think a lot of readers are under the impression that fantasy requires magic as a matter of course. If it doesn’t have magic, then it must at least have beings that don’t exist in our own world, like dragons. This is an easy, though incorrect, assumption to make. Most fantasy novels do have magic. But not all.

Fantasy is, in my opinion, the genre with the most creative potential. Writers can quite literally do anything in a fantasy novel. It doesn’t matter if it could never happen in our own world – that’s the whole point. That’s what makes it exciting. You should be reading about things that could never possibly exist or happen. And you don’t need magic to achieve that.

Most of these magic-free books are what is usually called high fantasy, which is defined by a setting in an entirely imaginary world. It makes sense that not every imaginary world dreamt of by writers would involve magic or dragons. Nevertheless, if the world isn’t our own, it’s fantasy.

So why does this matter? From a librarian’s standpoint, it’s vital for readers’ advisory. It would be foolish to recommend a magic-heavy book to someone looking for readalikes to the Winner’s Curse, which has no magic at all. Most likely, people looking for more of the same want thoughtful worldbuilding, intense romance, and a minimal amount of strange words and concepts. So, why not just give them a bunch of historical fiction? Yes, these things could be achieved with historical fiction, but historical fiction doesn’t also provide a reading experience that sparks the imagination in quite the same way. Historical fiction is still limited by history. (It also has a harder time not spoiling the ending.)

Magic-free fantasy is a good entry point for readers who are just beginning to dip their toes into the genre. But beyond that, it’s important to recognize that yes, these stories are fantasy, because fantasy is awesome, in all meanings of the word. It’s hugely variable, has immense depth, and tells readers that you can literally find anything you can possibly imagine within the pages of a book. Including a completely new world without magic. (Denying that certain things are fantasy is also often done – however unintentionally – as a way to denigrate the genre as a whole. Think of someone saying, “Oh, I don’t read fantasy,” followed by the reply, “Well, it’s not really fantasy since there’s no magic.” The implications are there.)

Below are a few middle grade and YA fantasy titles without magic. They take place in imaginary worlds, fully-formed with complex cultures that you won’t find on Earth. Descriptions are from Worldcat. My own comments are in bracketed italics. Please comment with other titles you know of – even adult titles. I’m curious to see what others are out there.

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski
An aristocratic girl who is a member of a warmongering and enslaving
empire purchases a slave, an act that sets in motion a rebellion that
might overthrow her world as well as her heart. [I read somewhere this is going to be a trilogy, but now I can’t remember where I found that piece of information.]

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

In the country of Carthya, a devious nobleman engages four orphans in
a brutal competition to be selected to impersonate the king’s
long-missing son in an effort to avoid a civil war. [Book two: The Runaway King; Book three: The Shadow Throne.]

Jackaroo by Cynthia Voigt
When hard times among the People revive the old stories of the hero
Jackaroo, an innkeeper’s daughter follows her own quest to unlock the
secret reality behind the legend. [Voigt wrote three other books set in the same world, loosely connected to one another but set many years apart. Together, they’re called the Kingdom series. They include, in order, Jackaroo, On Fortune’s Wheel, The Wings of a Falcon, and Elske. I highly recommend them all, though my favorite is On Fortune’s Wheel.]

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
Gen flaunts his ingenuity as a thief and relishes the adventure which
takes him to a remote temple of the gods where he will attempt to steal a
precious stone. [This is the first in the Queen’s Thief series, which includes The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, and A Conspiracy of Kings. It’s been many years since I’ve read these, but to the best of my memory, they contain no magic.]

Westmark by Lloyd Alexander
A boy fleeing from criminal charges falls in with a charlatan, his dwarf
attendant, and an urchin girl, travels with them about the kingdom of
Westmark, and ultimately arrives at the palace where the king is
grieving over the loss of his daughter. [These books are even more of a distant memory, but the Internet agrees with my recollection that they’re magic-free.]

The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen

|

The Shadow Throne, the third and final book in the False Prince trilogy, starts off with a bang: Carthya is officially at war. Its neighbors – led by King Vargan of Avenia – are sending armies to attack, and it looks like its allies are few and far between. Jaron must become a war strategist, using a combination of trickery, fast talking, and military prowess to fight back.

And then the situation gets even worse: Imogen is kidnapped. By Vargan and the Avenians. Jaron knows they plan to leverage her against him in some way, but he can’t bear to leave her to the Avenians and whatever tortures they devise. He mounts a rescue. He falls into a trap. All within the first few pages. This is an exciting, action-packed book, and much like in the first two installments, Jaron isn’t completely forthright with the reader about his plans – which just makes everything all the more fun when those plans are fully revealed.

While I enjoyed this volume, it has some of the same problems present in the second book. Specifically, there’s a couple of loyalty shifts near the end, spurred by Jaron’s behavior, that feel too quick and too easy. It makes character development seem sloppy. This happened in book two with Roden, and it happens in a similar way, at a most convenient moment, in this third book with two other characters. It feels a bit lazy, and more than a little unbelievable. It makes not only that particular event seem off, but – since it takes place near the end of the book – the conclusion to the entire series seem a bit off, too.

It’s not a huge problem, though for me personally, it did mar an otherwise very good book. While this seems to be a weakness of Nielsen’s, her strengths are all here too: fast-paced and exciting plotting, humor, suspense, trickery. Jaron is so well-drawn, it’s a pity that not all ancillary characters are as well.

Jaron’s growth is very evident here. At times, it seems like he is too wise to be believed, but then Nielsen will have him do or say something that makes it patently clear he is still a teenager – a child. The amount of responsibility he shoulders is immense. As an adult reading it, it was at times difficult to believe that a child would be permitted such responsibility – but this is middle grade, and this is typical for middle grade high fantasy. Such books’ heroes and heroines are not sheltered children; they risk, they go on adventures without adult chaperones, and they frequently learn to lead and inspire the respect of people much older than them. It can be very empowering for its readers.

This is a worthy conclusion, though it’s not as strong as the first book, which had a hook and a twist that simply can’t be beat. It may be unfair to compare its sequels to it.

Review copy provided by the publisher. The Shadow Throne will be published February 25.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

|

From the time Nyx was a small child, not even ten years old, she knew she would marry the Gentle Lord, the terrible master of demons who has ruled Arcadia for the past 900 years. Before Nyx’s birth, her father made a bargain with the Gentle Lord. He and his wife, Nyx’s mother, hoped so desperately for children. The Gentle Lord told him they could have them – two children, though girls. In return, the Lord required one of the girls to become his bride at seventeen.

But the Gentle Lord always deceives, even while speaking words that have the ring of truth. Nyx’s mother died in childbirth, and in his grief, Nyx’s father decided that Nyx – the girl who looked most like him – would be sacrificed to the Gentle Lord upon her seventeenth birthday, marrying him in hopes of killing him and avenging the mother she never knew. It is also hoped that by killing him, Arcadia will return to its former splendor, that the sun and stars will return, that the demons who came with the Gentle Lord will be forever banished.

So Nyx has been trained her whole life on how to kill the Gentle Lord. Her twin sister, born mere seconds after her, has been coddled and lied to, told that Nyx’s mission is achievable, even easy. Nyx knows better. She knows that she’s being sent as a sacrifice and that her mission is a fantasy. Her resentment is powerful. She hates her father for his choice, she hates her mother for dying, and she hates her sister for her smiles and her optimism and the fact that she will live a long, long life.

Nyx’s story begins the day before her wedding, and the anticipation leading up to her first meeting with the Gentle Lord is almost excruciating. As readers, we know that this is a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, but we don’t know how Hodge is shaking things up. She masterfully builds the tension and doesn’t let it snap until the very end.

I’m kind of amazed this is a debut. The writing is so polished, almost always lovely. I was engaged the entire time and read it in a single sitting. (This is something I very rarely do.) The pacing is excellent, which really sets this a notch above many other debuts; uneven pacing is often a hallmark of a first novel.

What I may have liked most about Cruel Beauty is how Hodge turns the idea of a pure, innocent, and good-hearted fairy tale heroine completely on its head. I don’t mean that Hodge’s heroine is a girl who “doesn’t allow herself to be victimized,” which is actually a rather common trope and a problematic one at that. Instead, Hodge has created in Nyx a character – a protagonist, importantly – who is cruel. Not all the time, of course. Not even most of the time, but sometimes. And it’s not passing cruelty. She hates her sister – not the kind of hate that washes over you and passes quickly, but the kind of hate that lingers, that takes root in your heart and lives there for years. It’s not the only emotion Nyx feels for her sister. Like in most of us, intense hatred commingles with intense love. It’s human. Nyx is painfully human.

It’s important to see characters like this in our novels, but it’s especially well-done here because Nyx’s cruelty – her impure heart, as it’s often described in a fairy tale – is what makes her a match for the Gentle Lord, who is more overtly cruel. Their shared cruelty is even more important, plot-wise, near the end of the story. This is how Hodge simultaneously honors fairy tales and subverts them, and it’s incredibly effective.

Stories inspired by Beauty and the Beast are always in danger of dipping into abusive relationship territory. A lot of re-tellings ask the reader to excuse abusive behavior – both physical and psychological – on the part of the hero by giving him a tragic backstory. They disguise the abuse as exaggerated misunderstandings. That’s not how it’s done here. To reveal too much would ruin some of the discovery of the novel, but I can say that one of the main reasons this book is different is there is no threat of sexual violence from the Gentle Lord. The other characters expect it, certainly, but that implication comes from them.

What else do I love about this book? I love how it incorporates Greek mythology in a way that makes it fresh again. I love that it sneaks in bits of other fairy tales, like Easter eggs for the reader to discover. I love how creative the plot is, how it uses something almost all of us recognize and gives us something completely new at the same time. I love how all the myths and stories and little details come together at the end, making this such a smart book. I love the ever-changing castle of the Gentle Lord, and how clearly Hodge is able to describe it to her readers, inspiring interest and awe. I love that its conflict, while magical, is rooted in complex humans. I love its magic, too, which has rules and is used as something more than a convenient plot device or deus ex machina. I love that it’s full of how the things we say can be misunderstood, how our words can have double meanings, purposeful or not. I loved nearly all of it.

I did have quibbles with the very end. There’s a huge plot twist, which does make sense and is true to the rest of the book, but its effects seem rushed. I feel like Hodge was trying to cram a whole new book into the last 40 pages. There was enough story there to cover an entirely new book, though I don’t think that would have been a wise decision either. This weakness is not enough to erase everything that came before, though, and Hodge still brings her story to a thoroughly satisfying conclusion – tender and true to her cruel/kind characters.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Cruel Beauty is available now.

Looking Ahead to Science Fiction and Fantasy in 2014: Part One

|

If you’re at all like me, adding books to your to-read list is almost as fun as the reading itself. Therefore, I present to you: upcoming 2014 YA SFF releases. I’ve combed through publisher catalogs for 2014 science fiction and fantasy titles and grouped them into a few categories that stuck out to me. It’s a great way to add titles to my TBR pile and pick up on trends at the same time. Today’s post, part 1, will focus on fantasy titles (mostly), and tomorrow’s post, part 2, will focus on science fiction titles (mostly).

And because I love all of you, dear readers, I’ve put an asterisk next to each title that is either a standalone or the start of a new series (no catch-up reading required). Most descriptions are pulled directly from Goodreads, but a few come from Worldcat.

Witches
If you like reading about witches, you’re in luck in 2014. There’s nearly a book each month for you.


  
The Witch is Back by Brittany Geragotelis (January)

After leading her coven into battle against the Parrishables,
teenaged witch Hadley Bishop is looking forward to a relaxing,
love-filled summer with boyfriend Asher, until his ex-girlfriend,
Brooklyn, shows up and a power struggle ensues.

*Half Bad by Sally Green (March)
In modern-day England, where witches live alongside humans, Nathan, son
of a White witch and the most powerful Black witch, must escape
captivity before his seventeenth birthday and receive the gifts that
will determine his future.

*Stolen Songbird by Danielle Jensen (April)
For five centuries, a
witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of
Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to
fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a
union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes
is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far
more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.
*The Wizard’s Promise by Cassandra Rose Clark (May)
All Hanna Euli wants is
to become a proper witch – but unfortunately, she’s stuck as an
apprentice to a grumpy fisherman. When their boat gets caught up in a
mysterious storm and blown wildly off course, Hanna finds herself
further away from home than she’s ever been before. As she tries
to get back, she learns there may be more to her apprentice master than
she realized, especially when a mysterious, beautiful, and very
non-human boy begins following her through the ocean, claiming that he
needs Hanna’s help. (no cover image available)

*Hexed by Michelle Krys (June)
Popular cheerleader Indigo Blackwood, sixteen, finds her perfect life
threatened when Bishop, a tattooed, leather-clad stranger, tells her the
family Bible just stolen from the attic of her mother’s occult shop
could mean the end to all witches, including, he says, Indigo herself.

Witchfall by Victoria Lamb (July)
London, 1554. At the court of Mary Tudor, life is safe for no one. The
jealous, embittered queen sees enemies all around her, and the infamous
Spanish Inquisition holds the court in its merciless grip. But Meg Lytton has more reason to be afraid than most – for Meg is a witch, and exposure would mean certain death.

Sisters’ Fate by Jessica Spotswood (August)
A fever ravages New
London, but with the Brotherhood sending suspected witches straight to
the gallows, the Sisters are powerless against the disease. They can’t
help without revealing their powers—as Cate learns when a potent display
of magic turns her into the most wanted witch in all of New England. 

Other Paranormal/Supernatural Creatures & Human Hybrids
2014 continues the YA love affair with all sorts of creatures from the imagination: fairies, vampires, mermaids, angels, demons, shapeshifters, and even genies. Included are a slew of novels about human/creature hybrids.

*White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout (February)

Seventeen-year-old
Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a
soul, she’s anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has
abilities no one else possesses. Raised among the Wardens—a race
of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla
tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she
loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous
and completely off-limits Warden she’s crushed on since forever.  


*Fates by Lanie Bross (February)
Corinthe, a former Fate and now Executor, responsible for carrying out
unfulfilled destinies on Earth, finds herself falling for Lucas, a human
boy whose death she is supposed to enact as her last act before
returning to Pyralis.

Feral Curse by Cynthia Leitich-Smith (February)
The adopted daughter of
two respectable human parents, Kayla is a werecat in the closet. All she
knows is the human world. When she comes out to her boyfriend, tragedy
ensues, and her determination to know and embrace her heritage grows.
 
Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor (April)
By way of a staggering
deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is
intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future
rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in
war-ravaged Eretz.



*Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins (April)

Seventeen-year-old Harper Price’s charmed life is turned upside down
when she discovers she’s been given magical powers in order to protect
her school nemesis David Stark, who’s an Oracle.

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa (April)
Allie will embrace her
cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire
who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left
many surprises for Allie and her companions—her creator, Kanin, and her
blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place
they must protect at any cost—the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden.
And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie. (no cover image available)

*Stolen Songbird by Danielle Jensen (April)
For five centuries, a
witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of
Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to
fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a
union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes
is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far
more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.

*A Creature of Moonlight by Rebecca Hahn (May)
As the only heir to the
throne, Marni should have been surrounded by wealth and privilege, not
living in exile-but now the time has come when she must choose between
claiming her birthright as princess of a realm whose king wants her
dead, and life with the father she has never known: a wild dragon who is
sending his magical woods to capture her.

Of Neptune by Anna Banks (May)
Emma, who is half human and half Syrena, and her Syrena love, Galen, need time together. Alone. Away from the kingdoms of Poseidon and Triton. Emma’s grandfather, the Poseidon king, suggests the two visit a small town called Neptune.

*The Dark World by Cara Lynn Schultz (May)

Paige Kelly is used to
weird–in fact, she probably corners the market on weird, considering
that her best friend, Dottie, has been dead since the 1950s. But when a
fire demon attacks Paige in detention, she has to admit that things have
gotten out of her league. Luckily, the cute new boy in school, Logan
Bradley, is a practiced demon slayer-and he isn’t fazed by Paige’s
propensity to chat with the dead. (no cover image available)

*Feather Bound by Sarah Raughley (May)
When Deanna’s missing
friend Hyde turns up at his father’s funeral to claim his corporate
empire and inheritance, she is swept into his glittering world of
paparazzi and wealth. But re-kindling her friendship and the
dizzying new emotions along for the ride are the least of her concerns.
Because Deanna has a secret – and somebody knows. Someone who is out to
get Hyde. And if she doesn’t play along, and help the enemy destroy
him…she will be sold to the highest bidder in the black market for human
swans. 

*An Angel Torched My Homework and Other Lies by Miche Sipes (June)
Imagine if vampires,
werewolves, angels and zombies were merely humans with a genetic
mutation . . . could Norms and Differents ever get along? (no cover image available)
 
The Fourth Wish by Lindsay Ribar (July)

When eighteen-year-old Margo McKenna becomes a genie, she must figure
out how her new powers work, deal with having a master who attends her
high school, and try to graduate with her secret under wraps–all while
learning what “forever” really means when your boyfriend is a centuries
old genie.

Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater (July)

Everybody thinks they
know Cole’s story. Stardom. Addiction. Downfall. Disappearance. But only
a few people know Cole’s darkest secret — his ability to shift into a
wolf. One of these people is Isabel. At one point, they may have even
loved each other. But that feels like a lifetime ago. Now Cole is back.
Back in the spotlight. Back in the danger zone. Back in Isabel’s life.
Can this sinner be saved?  


Battle Angel by Scott Speer (August)
With Maddy torn between
two loves, Guardian Jackson and heroic pilot Tom, and Angels and humans
on the brink of an epic war, the Immortal City is more vulnerable than
ever. And when demons descend upon Angel City with the intent to
destroy, the humans don’t stand a fighting chance without the Angels on
their side. 

Teens With Superpowers 
These books feature teens who are fully human, but can do extraordinary things. Some are fantasy, some science fiction.

*Vitro by Jessica Khoury (January)
On a remote island in the
Pacific, Corpus scientists have taken test tube embryos and given them
life. These beings—the Vitros—have knowledge and abilities most humans
can only dream of. But they also have one enormous flaw.

Invisible by Dawn Metcalf (April)
Joy Malone wants it all:
power, freedom and the boyfriend who loves her. Yet when an unstoppable
assassin is hired to kill her, Joy learns that being the girl with the
Sight comes with a price that might be too high to pay. Love will be
tested, lives will be threatened, and everyone Joy knows and cares about
will be affected by her decision to stand by Ink or to leave the Twixt
forever. (no cover image available)

*Sleep No More by Aprilynne Pike (April)
Oracles see the future
but are never supposed to interfere. Charlotte learned that the hard
way. If she hadn’t tried to change one of her childhood visions, her
father would still be alive. Since the accident, Charlotte has
suppressed her visions to avoid making the same mistake. But when she
receives a premonition of a classmate’s murder, she can no longer ignore
her powerful gift. 

 Hunter by Michael Carroll (May)
The defeat of the
near-invincible villain Krodin has left a void in the superhuman
hierarchy, a void that two opposing factors are trying to fill. The
powerful telepath Max Dalton believes that the human race must be
controlled and shepherded to a safe future, while his rival Casey Duval
believes that strength can only be achieved through conflict.

Gasp by Lisa McMann (June)
After narrowly surviving
two harrowing tragedies, Jules now fully understands the importance of
the visions that she and people around her are experiencing. She’s
convinced that if the visions passed from her to Sawyer after she saved
him, then they must now have passed from Sawyer to one of the people he
saved. 

 *Illusive by Emily Lloyd-Jones (July)
After a vaccine accidentally creates superpowers in a small percentage
of the population, seventeen-year-old Ciere, an illusionist, teams up
with a group of fellow high-class, super-powered thieves to steal the
vaccine’s formula while staying one step ahead of mobsters and deadly
government agents.
  

Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray (August)

After a supernatural
showdown with a serial killer, Evie O’Neill has outed herself as a
Diviner. Now that the world knows of her ability to “read” objects, and
therefore, read the past, she has become a media darling, earning the
title, “America’s Sweetheart Seer.” But not everyone is so accepting of
the Diviners’ abilities.

High Fantasy
2014 brings us a good crop of new worlds full of wizards, princesses, kingdoms, political intrigue, and battles.

*Defy by Sara B. Larson (January)
Seventeen-year-old Alexa’s parents were killed by a sorcerer during a
raid, so she has disguised herself as a boy, joined Antion’s army, and
earned a place on Prince Damian’s guard–but Antion is ruled by an evil
king, and “Alex” must find a way to defeat him and protect her prince.

The Queen’s Choice by Cayla Kluver (January)
When sixteen-year-old
Anya learns that her aunt, Queen of the Faerie Kingdom of Chrior, will
soon die, her grief is equaled only by her despair for the future of the
kingdom. Her young cousin, Illumina, is unfit to rule, and Anya is
determined not to take up the queen’s mantle herself. Convinced
that the only solution is to find Prince Zabriel, who long ago
disappeared into the human realm of Warckum, and persuade him to take up
his rightful crown, Anya journeys into the Warckum Territory to bring
him home.

  
The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen (February)

Young King Jaron has had nothing but trouble with his advisors and
regents since he ascended the throne of Carthya, and now King Vargan of
Avenia has invaded the land and captured Imogen–and Jaron must find
some way to rescue her and save his kingdom.
*Stolen Songbird by Danielle Jensen (April)
For five centuries, a
witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of
Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to
fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a
union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes
is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far
more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined. [This book is clearly leading the trend pack.]

*Allies and Assassins by Justin Somper (May)
Sixteen-year-old Jared inherits the throne of Archenfield after his
older brother, Prince Anders, is murdered. He relies on the twelve
officers of the court to advise him but soon suspects one of them could
be responsible for his brother’s death and vows to hunt down the killer,
who may be after Jared as well.

Chantress Alchemy by Amy Butler Greenfield (May)
Lucy, a chantress who works magic by singing, is called to court to find
a lost instrument of Alchemy. But her magic isn’t working properly.

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo (June)
The capital has fallen. The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne. Now
the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced
tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army. Deep
in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must
submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who
worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for
the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives. (no cover image available)

*The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson (July)
In a society steeped in
tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First
Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she
doesn’t—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they
arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to
a prince she has never met. On the morning of her wedding, Lia
flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when
two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the
jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. (no cover image available) [I am so incredibly excited about this one.]

Mythology/Retellings/Classically Inspired
These appear to be perennial favorites: retellings of fairy tales, new twists on ancient legends, stories inspired by myth, and other similar tales with older roots.

*Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge (January)
Graceling meets
Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl’s journey
to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing
her heart.

*Grim (February)
Inspired by classic fairy tales, but with a dark and sinister twist, Grim contains short stories from some of the best voices in young adult literature today: Ellen Hopkins, Amanda Hocking, Julie Kagawa, Claudia Gray, Rachel Hawkins, Kimberly Derting, Myra McEntire, Malinda Lo, Sarah Rees-Brennan, Jackson Pearce, Christine Johnson, Jeri Smith Ready, Shaun David Hutchinson, Saundra Mitchell, Sonia Gensler, Tessa Gratton, and Jon Skrovron.

Cress by Marissa Meyer (February)
Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and
Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and
prevent her army from invading Earth. Their best hope lies with Cress, a
girl trapped on a satellite since childhood who’s only ever had her
netscreens as company. Based on Rapunzel.

*The Shadow Prince by Bree Despain (March)
Haden Lord, the
disgraced prince of the Underrealm, has been sent to the mortal world to
entice a girl into returning with him to the land of the dead. Posing
as a student at Olympus Hills High—a haven for children of the rich and
famous—Haden must single out the one girl rumored to be able to restore
immortality to his race.

 *Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Page (April)
My name is Amy Gumm—and I’m the other girl from Kansas. I’ve been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked. I’ve been trained to fight. And I have a mission: Remove the Tin Woodman’s heart. Steal the Scarecrow’s brain. Take the Lion’s courage. Then and only then—Dorothy must die!

Rain by Amanda Sun (June)
American Katie Green has
decided to stay in Japan. She’s started to build a life in the city of
Shizuoka, and she can’t imagine leaving behind her friends, her aunt and
especially Tomohiro, the guy she’s fallen in love with. But her return
is not as simple as she thought. She’s flunking out of Japanese school
and committing cultural faux pas wherever she goes. Tomohiro is also
struggling—as a Kami, his connection to the ancient gods of Japan and
his power to bring drawings to life have begun to spiral out of control. (no cover image available)

The Strange Maid by Tessa Gratton (June)
Signy Valborn was seven
years old when she climbed the New World Tree and met Odin Alfather, who
declared that if she could solve a single riddle, he would make her one
of his Valkyrie. For ten years Signy has trained in the arts of war,
politics, and leadership, never dreaming that a Greater Mountain Troll
might hold the answer to the riddle, but that’s exactly what Ned the
Spiritless promises her. 

The Island of Excess Love by Francesca Lia Block (August)
Pen has lost her
parents. She’s lost her eye. But she has fought Kronen; she has won back
her fragile friends and her beloved brother. Now Pen, Hex, Ash, Ez, and
Venice are living in the pink house by the sea, getting by on hard
work, companionship, and dreams. Until the day a foreboding ship appears
in the harbor across from their home. As soon as the ship arrives, they
all start having strange visions of destruction and violence.
Trance-like, they head for the ship and their new battles begin. Based on Virgil’s Aeneid. 

Which books are you looking forward to in 2014?