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Happy reading,
​Super Kitty & Piranha T.

By Super Kitty
 
The city of Ketterdam is the center of world trade, an industrious city of merchants, ships, banks, embassies, and the like, along with theaters and festivals to delight its many visitors. But Ketterdam has another side, too: one home to ruthless crime bosses, competing street gangs, and a notoriously talented young thief by the name of Kaz Brekker.

When Kaz, who has a gift for the impossible, is offered a deal involving his breaking into one of the most secure buildings in the world, located in distant enemy territory, he shocks everyone by accepting. But as always, he has more prepared than it appears, and he recruits a team that most people would never dream of. A legendary spy, a disgraced elite warrior, a runaway Grisha, a sarcastic sharpshooter, and a fugitive with a flair for chemicals join the master thief himself on a dangerous mission destined to change the fates of Grisha everywhere.

There are several things about this book which really struck me. The characters and character development is outstanding: for most books six different points of view would be confusing and awkward, but instead readers are able to understand each character intimately, and sympathize even with Kaz, who is so cold and ruthless that rumor has it he isn’t even human. Indeed, at first all of the crew members appear heartless and unfeeling, but slowly readers begin to appreciate what they’ve gone through, and also how, despite all appearances, each member of the cast is still incredibly human. Each seems totally different, but as the journey continues, it becomes clear that they may be more similar that they had thought. Each has lost something more precious to them than anything else, and the mission might just give each of them a second chance. But how far are any of them willing to go? And, ultimately, at what cost?

Also, I just want to say that this is definitely on the older side of what we review (think young adult section as oppose to middle grade). I would recommend it for ages 14+, largely because of the fact that there were some pretty violent scenes. However, if you are old enough, trust me and read it—it’s honestly not even the sort of thing I would usually read (I picked it up because I liked the original trilogy*), but the way the story unfolds is completely mind-blowing. Not only does Leigh Bardugo, who is a master of brilliant twists, create a story which gets progressively deeper and more complex as the stakes grow higher, but readers also get flashbacks from each of the six main character’s pasts, revealing their entwined stories as the author builds up to a climax which is impossible to put down. Overall, Six of Crows is an intense but spellbinding read that’s sure to appeal to fans of sophisticated and action-packed fantasy.
 
*The Six of Crows duology (there’s a sequel as well, and I highly recommend it too) takes place in the Grishaverse, the setting of the Shadow and Bone trilogy and The Language of Thorns. However, there is little overlap, and while I think you can appreciate the duology the most having read the previous books, it’s perfectly fine to start here. They’re very different, but both are really good.     
 

By Piranha T.

Meggie has never had the kinds of adventures she reads about in her favorite books. She’s lived a quiet life with her father, Mo, who binds and repairs books for a living, ever since her mother disappeared long before she can remember. But her quiet life changes forever when a man called Dustfinger comes to her home. He brings with him unwanted news. Someone who has been searching for Mo for years has found him, and Meggie and Mo must leave before he comes.

Meggie and Mo set out on an unforgettable journey. Along the way, they encounter Meggie’s book-loving great-aunt, an author with a love of his villains, and the man who Dustfinger has warned them of: Capricorn himself. Meggie is in the middle of an adventure the like of which she thought only happened in books—but what if books themselves could come alive?
​
Inkheart was an amazing book. Whenever I thought I knew where the story was going, Cornelia Funke added an unexpected twist, turning the story to a direction I never would have anticipated. The characters were amazing, the writing some of the best I’ve ever read. It is a book for writers, readers, or both. I’d recommend this book for readers ages ten and up, because parts were darker, but this isn’t a book only kids can enjoy—I know plenty of adults who love this book as much as I do. It is the first book in the Inkheart trilogy (the other two volumes being titled Inspell and Inkdeath), and though there were parts in each of them where I thought the story could never end well, it does. For people looking for an incredible, well-written fantasy book, I would highly recommend Inkheart.

By Super Kitty

In the medieval kingdom of Tortall, girls are forbidden to become knights, instead learning to be court ladies, getting sent to convents, or perhaps training as mages. Alanna of Trebond, though, has never thought much of such rules. When she and her twin brother Thom turn ten, their father arranges for them to be sent away from the family’s fiefdom for the standard forms of further education: Alanna to a convent, and Thom to become a page at the palace. But Thom prefers magic to swordplay, while Alanna secretly fears her Gift. So, they do the only thing they can think of. They switch places.

Disguised as a boy, Alanna works her way through the various levels of training knighthood requires. But though she tries to blend in, her fate is far from ordinary, and there are dangers lurking which could destroy her world—dangers closer to her than anyone realizes.

Full of action and twists, villains and sorcery, the Song of the Lioness quartet follows Alanna’s journey, from a fiery young girl to the legendary hero she is destined to become.

There’s a lot of things I enjoyed about these books, but first, I just love Alanna. She feels totally human—brave, determined, and notoriously hot-tempered. The supporting cast is also excellent, from Alanna’s friends and teachers to her worst enemies, and the stories get increasingly harder to put down, eventually building to an immensely satisfying climax. Over the course of the quartet, Alanna goes from ten years old to her early twenties, and although she stays the same wonderful character, the stories do get darker and more ‘young adult’ as she ages. Overall, I would recommend the Song of the Lioness quartet to readers ages 12+ who like strong heroines, high fantasy, and action-packed adventures.