By Piranha T.

In Middle-Earth, a world full of wizards and humans, dwarves and elves, and many darker creatures who dwell in the shadows where none but evil dare to tread, there is one race not troubled with light and dark or terrible wars. The hobbits of the Shire live peacefully in their round-doored hobbit-holes, enjoying uneventful serenity, with an emphasis on frequent, delicious meals. They are not the types to go on adventures or gallivant about with dwarves or wizards. And especially not hobbits from a family so respectable, so down-to-earth, as the Bagginses.

Yet when the wizard Gandalf and thirteen dwarves appear at Bilbo Baggins’ front door one afternoon, he finds himself caught up in a strange business which can only be described as an adventure. Long ago, the dragon Smaug descended from the north and destroyed the halls ruled by the dwarf Thorin’s forefathers, Lonely Mountain, a place once full of numberless riches and excellent craftmanship. Now, it is a tomb to the dead, and Smaug sits atop the dwarves’ ancestral gold. The dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, have planned a dangerous quest: to slay the dragon and, at last, win back what once was theirs. And they wish for Bilbo Baggins to be the final member of their company.

Despite his initial misgivings, Bilbo accompanies the dwarves and Gandalf on the journey to Lonely Mountain. The path is long and perilous, crossing dangerous mountains, vast plains, a forest darkened by shadowy beasts, and at last the desolation of Smaug which surrounds the mountain itself.

Hobbits have never been a people for adventuring. But perhaps Bilbo will be the crucial piece in the journey to Lonely Mountain.

I find myself now rereading The Hobbit, and I can see quite clearly why it is such a fantasy classic. J. R. R. Tolkien’s story is not only full of danger and adventure, but also spots of humor, interesting characters, and excellent writing. Although this book is more sedately paced than more modern fantasy novels, it isn’t less engaging, as it is often seen as; instead, it is simply written in a different style.

As someone who loves excellent worldbuilding, Middle-Earth is high on my list. The lands this book travels through are distinct and multilayered, as are the creatures who dwell there. Each race—mainly humans, hobbits, dwarves, and elves—is distinct and well-defined. Tolkien clearly knew this universe very well, including its history; to those who love distinct fantasy worlds, I also highly recommend The Silmarillion, a prequel Tolkien wrote concerning the history of Middle-Earth. Tolkien’s novels of Middle-Earth are some of my favorites. I highly recommend The Hobbit to readers ages ten and up.

By Piranha T. 

More than anything, Riley Oh has always wanted to have magic. Her sister, Hattie, does, just like everyone else in their community of Korean-American witch clans hidden out in the middle of LA. But Riley is a saram--someone born without magic, an ordinary human, adopted by the Ohs soon after she was born. And though her adoptive family is awesome--particularly Hattie, who's Riley's age and the best sister ever--the rest of the Gifted community definitely doesn't think she belongs. 

So when Riley and Hattie discover a spell which allows them to share Hattie's magic between them, they're ready to perform it, no matter what. But everything changes when the spell doesn't go as planned--and it turns out the cost might be Hattie's life. 

Riley's last hope to save her sister is a bargain with the Cave Bear Goddess, but of course agreements with immortals can never be simple. Not only does she give Riley a task she has no idea how to complete--finding the Godrealm's last fallen star--she also has a time limit. If Riley can't find the star, and fast, Hattie will be gone forever. 

With the help of friends, a magical scooter, and the last person Riley ever would have expected, it's up to her to find the last fallen star and bring it to the Cave Bear Goddess before her time is up. But as Riley begins to uncover secrets which were never intended to be revealed, she has to decide what it really means to belong--and what she's willing to give up to fit in. 

The Last Fallen Star blends myth with the modern day in a story full of action, adventure, and awesomeness. Riley is a brilliant protagonist who I love--she's determined, funny, and immensely relatable, and I'm glad there will be two more books about her to enjoy! I also love her relationship with Hattie--the strength of the love between them is palpable throughout and one of the best sister relationships I've read. Graci Kim creates a complete world which feels real, with a cast of unique supporting characters who are all interesting and fun. Perhaps the most standout part of this book is the plot--every time I thought I knew just a little where it was going I was wrong, and a constant flow of action, surprises, and laughs made this book speed by until I couldn't believe I'd reached the end. I highly recommend The Last Fallen Star to readers ages ten and up who love fantasy adventures with strong characters, a fast-paced plot, and a fully realized world. I can't wait for book two! 

By Piranha T. 

Zima knows to put the safety of her pack above all else—and to avoid both the dangerous humans who are intruding upon her forest and Baba Yaga, the witch who every wolf knows will spell them if she gets the chance. But when Zima’s brother is hurt, she must appeal to Baba Yaga to heal him.

The witch agrees, for a price. She needs a wolf’s acute sense of smell to help restore the rightful tsar to the throne, and so she switches bodies with Zima in exchange for healing her brother.

Baba Yaga instructs Zima to stay put in her hut while she’s gone, but when a human girl named Nadya arrives bearing news of a plot to destroy the forest, Zima knows she must act. She sets off, with Nadya by her side, to foil the tsar’s dark plan.

Can she succeed in time? Or will her home—and her family—be destroyed?

A Wolf for a Spell is a beautiful, layered fantasy which reads like a fairy tale, perfect for fans of The Door by the Staircase and Begone the Raggedy Witches. Karah Sutton weaves a complex tale of magic, mystery, and hope full of elements of Russian folktales, creating an atmospheric story perfectly represented by Pauliina Hannuniemi’s beautiful illustrations throughout. The characters, particularly Zima, are all strong and distinct, and the plot is unusual and twisty. I highly recommend A Wolf for a Spell to readers of fantasy ages nine and up. 

By Piranha T.

“The exile of the princes of Lacharra didn’t begin with swords or spells. It began inside the castle kitchen with a quest for cloves.
It began with me.”
                  -from The Flight of Swans by Sarah McGuire

​When the King of Lacharra returns to the castle with a pale-haired woman without a name and eyes full of deception, only twelve-year-old Princess Andaryn doesn’t fall to the enchantments she weaves about the royal family. And when Ryn defies her, hoping in the doing to free her family from the Queen’s devious power, it instead gives her the chance to kill Ryn's six older brothers under false pretenses.

In desperation, Ryn makes the only bargain the Queen is willing to strike. She will be silent for six years—one for each of her brothers—if she allows them to go free.

And the Queen does set them free, but in the form of six black swans. They will regain their human forms only on the night of the full moon, and, after six years, will remain that way forever.

Only Ryn knows what the Queen has done, and she is unable to tell the story to any other. As the years pass and she travels across the land, she is pursued by the Queen’s fearsome Hunters and she herself pursues what she hopes will be a way to save her brothers. But as she learns more about the curse, she begins to wonder: who is the Queen, really?

The Flight of Swans is an effortless, brilliant fantasy novel. Based off the fairy tale Six Swans, this is one of my favorite fairy-tale retellings, adhering to the original story while expanding in unexpected directions. Sarah McGuire crafts a mysterious, multilayered landscape and world, with unusual magic, interesting history, and intriguing creatures. The Queen herself is a mystery who kept me wondering until the end, with her strange history and cunning mind. And Ryn is a courageous, bold protagonist who won’t stop at anything to save her brothers, who reminded me of heroines like Kara Westfall and Ella from Ella Enchanted. This book was engaging and fast-paced, despite taking place over a long period of time, with a twisting plot which kept me guessing. I highly recommend The Flight of Swans to readers ages twelve and up who love awesome main characters, complex worlds, and brilliant retellings of fairy tales! 

By Piranha T.

The place is Boston, in what is now called New Occident. The year is 1891.

The world has changed. Nearly a hundred years ago, an event known only as the Great Disruption cracked the world apart into many known and unknown Ages, from the distant past to the far-flung future. Old maps can no longer depict the world as it is, so new ones are made with different and mysterious materials, using what can only be seen as magic. Cartographers and explorers provide contact between places once connected in other ways, but now eschewed by the void of time.

Sophia Tims’s parents, two skilled explorers, disappeared on a voyage many years ago, so she’s been raised by her uncle Shadrack Elli, one of Boston’s most famous cartographers. She’s always wanted to eventually follow them, but never known if she can; Sophia, to her chagrin, has no internal clock, and easily loses track of minutes or hours, believing only seconds to have passed. Despite these things, her life is peaceful—until Shadrack is kidnapped, and Sophia leaves home with only a mysterious glass map to guide her.

She finds unexpected allies: Theo, a boy from a foreign age; a pair of flamboyant pirates; a botanist with little common sense. But as she is perused from age to age, she discovers the true motives of her enemies—and the secrets of the map she carries, secrets which may be much more dangerous than they seem…

Full of adventure and tension, The Glass Sentence was one of those books which I picked up with no expectations and couldn’t put down. What immediately struck me about this book was the worldbuilding, which I think would appeal to fans of The Golden Compass and Ink, Iron and Glass. Our world, fractured by the Great Disruption, made this an even more interesting read, intriguing me as I learned more and more about this alternate universe. But the layers of The Glass Sentence goes far beyond its setting. The plot was brilliant and unusual, and there was more than one point where it completely surprised me. And the characters—from Sophia and Theo to the brilliantly fascinating villain—were also spectacular. Overall, I highly recommend The Glass Sentence to fantasy fans ages eleven and up. 

By Piranha T.

Oliver Nelson loves to read. Books are quite frequently his only escape from his life, where he’s learned from years of terrible mistakes and miserable misfortunes that things can always get worse. But books are also the reason for his darkest secret: he steals them. Not many, of course, and just from his local library when they are musty, ripped, or even incomplete, like his favorite tome, The Timekeeper’s Children. Still, Oliver lives in fear that someone will learn he’s a thief.

And indeed, this fear seems to be realized when the Pribbles summon him to their mansion. The Pribbles—extraordinarily rich inventors, philan-thropists, and collectors of fine children’s books. What could they possibly want with Oliver except to sell him out for his crimes?

But instead of revealing Oliver’s thieving tendencies, the Pribbles are determined to steal The Timekeeper’s Children--from Oliver’s mind. Using their latest invention, they send him into the world formed from his memories of the original, and instruct him to follow the story. Chapter by chapter, they intend to take it from his thoughts, thereby securing the last copy of this rarest of children’s books.

Now Oliver must partner with the timekeeper’s children from the title, Cora and Jack, to complete their quest and save their land from the grip of an evil sorcerer. They’ll encounter hungry eels, angry warriors, and even the Nasty Rodent Eater (nice to meet you) on the way—as well as a strange, shadowy figure who Oliver definitely does not remember from the original text.

But even if Cora and Jack succeed, can Oliver find a way to keep this story? Or will the Pribbles steal it from him forever?

The Thieving Collectors of Fine Children’s Books is a hilarious, fast-paced, and wonderfully weird story. This book is so fantastically quirky and witty, particularly the writing and plot, that I couldn’t help but fall in love with it; both Oliver’s home and the book’s world of Dulum come alive with all manner of peculiar people and places, including the aforementioned Nasty Rodent Eater, who is definitely my favorite character. Adam Perry takes familiar story elements and makes fun of them so successfully that he creates a story I’ve never read anything quite like before. For this reason, I think this book would particularly appeal to young writers. I highly recommend The Thieving Collectors of Fine Children’s Books to readers ages eleven and up who like stories which take a new spin on books, reading, and fantasy adventures. 

By Piranha T.

Ever since the disastrous raft ride when Ned’s twin brother died, the villagers have whispered that the wrong boy live. They claim his brother was the smart one, the funny one, the hardworking one; Ned, on the other hand, has a stutter and keeps silent whenever possible. But he can’t stay fully out of sight. His mother, Sister Witch, is the keeper of a powerful, unpredictable cloud of magic. And when she’s away and a group of bandits arrive to steal it, it falls to Ned to protect it.

Áine has a different reason to want to keep the magic away from thieves. Her father, the Bandit King, is searching for it, and she knows if he finds it, the consequences will be disastrous. Ever resourceful, when her path collides with Ned’s, she helps him keep the magic safe. But her top priority is keeping her father. And she’ll do anything it takes to keep him away from the magic.

Ned and Áine’s journey leads them through a dangerous forest, down a rapidious river, and into the presence of the ancient Speaking Stones. But many forces are gathering to steal the magic. And if Ned and Áine are to have any hope of holding onto it, they will have to enlist the help of another power…

Many years ago, I read The Girl who Drank the Moon, by the same author, and loved it. Somehow, it has taken me all these years to finally read the novel The Witch’s Boy. I’m glad I did. It has the same quirky narrative, interesting characters, and unusual magic which I loved so much in The Girl who Drank the Moon. While not making the story overly complex, Kelly Barnhill weaves the stories of many characters and then brings them all together. I love her world and the cantankerous nature of her magic. The characters are also excellent, especially Ned and Áine. I recommend The Witch’s Boy to fans of fantasy and well-drawn characters ages nine and up. 

By Super Kitty

Charlie Thorne knows over a dozen languages. She's an extraordinary coder and inventor. Her IQ is quite simply off the charts, and she might be the only person alive capable of uncovering an equation discovered and hidden by Einstein himself--one which has eluded every intelligence agency in the world for decades. But after a not-100%-legal use of her talents which left her a multi-millionaire, she has been using them only to stay undercover.

And oh, yeah--she's twelve years old.

Under normal circumstances, the CIA wouldn't so much as consider sending a headstrong twelve-year-old into the field (especially one with such a...questionable history). But Einstein's last equation--better known as Pandora's Box--is said to have improved upon E = MC^2 so ingeniously that anyone who had access to it could easily create nuclear power, and the CIA's leaders have reason to believe that a small terrorist organization called the Furies has figured out its location. And, well, desperate times call for (very) desperate measures.

Charlie has absolutely no intention of working with the CIA--in fact, she's put a great deal of energy into avoiding them for the last few years. Yet she can't resist her curiosity, and as she begins to unravel clues left by Einstein himself, she's pulled into a mission that will cross the globe, race the Furies, and shape the fate of the world as she knows it. (No pressure or anything....) But the equation means something different for everyone--from sustainable energy to nuclear bombs--and the closer she gets to finding Pandora's Box, the more Charlie realizes that trusting humanity with the box could be its undoing. 

Clever, funny, and engaging, Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation is a fun, fast read. Charlie is stubborn, witty, and highly amusing, and I like how she uses her abilities and knowledge creatively to succeed in seemingly impossible situations--her ability to "see the numbers" is useful not just for unraveling equations, but also for outwitting her enemies and carefully calculated skateboard getaways. While most of the characters are likable but fairly straightforward, I really liked how each one has a logical goal and perspective which, instead of leading to a "good guys vs. bad guys" climax, results in a web of conflicting motivations, strategies, and factions that make the story highly entertaining, particularly the ending. I also liked the villains--most authors would have made the Furies into a brilliant underground network of evil which spanned the globe, but Gibbs instead made them simply a handful of average people, yet ones brimming with racism and blinding hatred. They aren't geniuses, but they don't need to be to be seriously dangerous and concern the CIA, which made them much more believable and interesting--I enjoyed seeing Charlie face off with them! I would recommend Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation to readers ages ten and up who enjoy complex clues, historical and scientific tidbits, and action-filled adventures. 

Note: Check out our interview with Stuart Gibbs, author of Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation! 

By Super Kitty

Note: When testing links in our archives, we discovered we'd accidentally deleted this review's original post. Years later, it's remained one of our favorites, so we decided to (re)share it. Enjoy! 

Twelve-year-old Aru Shah has made her fair share of mistakes. She has what she likes to call an imagination—and what her snooty classmates call a skill at lying. When three school bullies finally confront her with her stories, she’s determined to prove that she’s been telling the truth about some things, at least. So she accepts a dare. She lights a lamp. And she unleashes a legendary monster, who, if she cannot stop him, will tear Time itself apart. Which is definitely her record for Biggest Mistake Ever.

To keep the darkness she has loosed at bay, Aru must journey from her home to the Otherworld to the kingdom of Death itself, joining forces with a sarcastic pigeon (yes, a pigeon) and a skittish yet super-smart girl apparently woven into Aru’s destiny, searching for a way to destroy the ancient evil, and maybe even (gulp) save the world. Which might be way more than Aru and her new friends can manage. Because not only do stories turn out to be true— things Aru thought were true turn out to be stories.

Because Aru isn’t the only one with secrets…

This was one of those books which managed to be entertaining, surprising, and completely hilarious. Aru is an irresistible heroine, and her various adventures in a world where normal life and Hindu mythology overlap seamlessly make the book impossible to put down. The vivid settings and equally clever supporting cast combine to make this a highly enjoyable fantasy that I would recommend for ages 8+.

By Piranha T.

Earthsea: a land of many islands and vast oceans, ancient names and fierce dragons, skillful seafarers and powerful sorcerers. The first book in the Earthsea Cycle chronicles the tale of one of its greatest mages, and his terrible mistake.

Sparrowhawk is young when he casts a heavy mist about his village to protect it from eastern raiders and is sent to Roke Island, a school where the highest arts of magic are taught, to be trained in the uses of power. Arrogant and skilled in the ways of mages, Sparrowhawk summons a spirit from the dead, and in the doing releases a nameless shadow set on his death. By the time he is healed from the wounds it inflicts, he no longer cares for pride or shows of power, for the shadow he conjured is out in the world, and though it is far from Roke Island, he knows he will never be free of it until it is destroyed. He travels across Earthsea in search of its name and the means of its destruction, a quest which will bring him to uncharted waters, scheming dragons, and the truth of the shadow which he knows he must defeat.

A Wizard of Earthsea is one of those classic fantasy books which, like Patricia A. McKillip’s Riddle-Master Trilogy or J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, doesn’t disappoint. It has an amazing world, brilliant character development, a unique storyline, and beautiful writing. I’ve read many fantasy novels, and this one remains one of my favorites, along with the others in the Earthsea Cycle (although some of the subsequent volumes are better suited to readers of twelve or thirteen years). It’s one of those books which sweeps you up and you don’t want to stop reading until the end, and it’s perfect for dedicated high fantasy fans. I highly recommend A Wizard of Earthsea to readers ages eleven and up. ​

By Piranha T.

Out of Time is the third book in Laurie Graves’s ongoing Great Library Series, preceded by Maya and the Book of Everything and Library Lost. If you haven’t read the other books, skip the description here—there will be spoilers about events in them!

The Great Library Series begins with Maya Hammond, a fifteen-year-old girl thrust into an ancient conflict between Time and Chaos. The mysterious Great Library is part of it, as are the wise Books of Everything, sent to many different worlds to help Time triumph. In the first two books in this series, Maya travels across the universe to aid the Books of Everything and Time in their quest to defeat Chaos once and for all.

In Out of Time, the Great Library itself has fallen to one of Chaos’s servants, Cinnial, and it’s up to Maya to enter the strange new world of Elferterre to find the lock she’ll need to defeat him. Here, Magic rather than Time holds ultimate authority, and it’s unlike any other world she’s entered, full of mysterious powers and unfamiliar creatures. Only with the help of a trio of newfound friends can she hope to succeed in a quest which would help liberate not only the Great Library, but Elferterre as well.

Out of Time is a compelling, fast read, and an excellent third installment. Elferterre is an interesting and unique setting, different from those of the first two books but just as intriguing and fun to read about, complete with its own set of quirky and layered characters. Here, threads of the Great Library, Time, Chaos, and the Books of Everything continue to weave together, but this new world offers Maya something of a respite from the constant danger from Cinnial, although peril remains to hound her. Because of this, while Out of Time continues her mission to help defeat him, it also deeply explores the supporting characters and continues to give a stronger sense of Maya. Maya herself continues to shine, perhaps even more brightly than before in the face of this wholly new challenge; she’s an awesome protagonist whose determination to succeed no matter how much adversity she faces. I highly recommend Out of Time and the Great Library Series to readers who love strong fantasy series with interesting settings and plotlines ages eleven and up. I can’t wait to read book four!
​
Thank you to author Laurie Graves for sending us a copy of this book! 

By Piranha T.

The raggedy witches have never been part of Mup Taylor’s peaceful life. She’s grown up in the mundane world, where magic isn’t common, surrounded by her perfectly normal mam and dad, her younger brother Tipper, and her beloved Aunty. Aunty has always warned Mup against the witches, and told her that if she sees them, she must tell Aunty and no one else. But the night Mup sees them out her car window, Aunty has died—and her family has no protection left against the raggedy witches.

Mup is quickly torn from familiarity into a world of strange and powerful magic where people can become animals, and an unjust queen forces rebels to speak in rhyme. But she’s a part of this world, too, because it’s where her mam was born. And the queen—who restricts all magic, and commands the powerful raggedy witches—wants her, because Mup’s mam is her daughter.

In an unfamiliar world where Mup doesn’t know who or what to trust, and raggedy witches seem to lurk in every shadow, Mup has a single goal: to keep her family together. But that might just be the hardest quest of all.

​Begone the Raggedy Witches is a modern novel and a fairytale at the same time. Celine Kiernan skillfully manages to create a very real world which feels very deep and multilayered, yet is simple enough to easily grasp, and adds to the story instead of complicating it. The cast, including Mup, is interesting and realistic. Those elements of realism are part of what makes Begone the Raggedy Witches stand out, because they integrate seamlessly into the fairytale-like story invoked by the plot and writing; the feel of this book often reminded me of A Path Begins. I highly recommend Begone the Raggedy Witches to lovers of fairytales and whimsical stories ages ten and up. 

Note: If you enjoy Begone the Raggedy Witches, check out our interview with the author, Celine Kiernan! 

By Super Kitty

Twelve-year-old Horace F. Andrews is a very logical person. So when he sees a sign with his name on it through a bus window on the way home from school, he can't quite  convince himself that it's a coincidence--sure, Andrews is a common name, and the chances of having "F" as a middle initial seem greater than one in twenty-six, but...Horace? Definitely unusual.

He decides to investigate. And the results are most certainly not logical.

When Horace gets off the bus and looks for the sign, he stumbles into a towering man who smells of brimstone--and who no one else on the street seems able to see--who tells him that curiosity is a walk fraught with peril, his tone not a warning but a threat. Shaken, Horace slips away and finally finds the building the sign was advertising for: the House of Answers, which somehow only leads to more questions. He is introduced to Keepers of Tan'ji, or objects with magical powers--and is told that he, too, has the aptitudes necessary to bond with a Tan'ji and become a Keeper. And that the tall, brimstone-smelling man is one of the Riven, a people that has been fighting the Keepers for the Tan'ji for eons, and must be avoided at all costs.

Sure enough, Horace discovers his Tan'ji, an extraordinary box he immediately feels a bond with. Charged with uncovering the abilities of the box on his own, Horace slowly discovers its incredible powers, and in the process meets Chloe, a prickly girl who is bonded with her own Tan'ji and can see Riven, too. Together, Horace and Chloe might change the tide of an ancient war for the power of the Tan'ji, and Horace is willing to do anything to protect the box from the Riven. But the influence of the Riven runs deep, and they always seem to be a step ahead, threatening everything that Horace has gained.

Because Horace's instinct was correct: the box is extraordinary. And the Riven are determined to take it. At any cost. 

The Box and the Dragonfly is a fast-paced, clever, and highly amusing fantasy that kept me engrossed for days. Although it's a fantasy, (with science fiction components), it strongly reminded me of the Mysterious Benedict Society books, especially the quirky characters and writing style--if Trenton Lee Stewart wrote a fantasy book, I suspect it would read a lot like this one. Horace is a smart, determined, appealing protagonist, Chloe is irritable and hilarious, and the other supporting characters each have their own distinct quirks and personalities. 

As I was writing the above book description, I was struck by how many of the elements of The Box and the Dragonfly aren't uncommon in fantasy (scientifically inclined protagonist, ancient struggle, magical objects), yet the way Sanders uses them is genuinely fresh and unique, and one particular aspect of the generally excellent plot is truly original and different from anything I've ever read before! (The reader/writer part of me found the way the plot plays with time irresistible, and my astrophysics-enthusiast side greatly appreciated the references to gravitational time dilation...) Similarly, many of the powers the Tan'ji have aren't objectively super unusual, but the ways that the characters use them and the rules attached most certainly are. Filled with quirky characters and clever twists, plus one brilliant plot unfolding in multiple times (read it and you'll see what I mean!), I would highly recommend The Box and the Dragonfly to both dedicated fantasy/science fiction fans and readers new to the genre(s) ages nine and up.

By Piranha T.

Cassia Arroyo still thinks she’s normal the day her dad pulls her out of school and tells her they’re leaving the country. Cassie has been a lot of places and done a lot of things—Rome is just the latest of many homes—but this is definitely new. In the rapid car ride which follows, all he tells her is that someone wants to kill her before he’s injured and hospitalized, leaving Cassie alone in Rome, with no idea who she can trust and who might be a potential assassin.

Following her dad’s instructions, Cassie finds Brother Gregorio, an elderly monk who tells her all the secrets her dad never did. The car chase through the streets of Rome is only one event in a story which has been unfolding for the past two hundred years. He explains that there is a magical spearhead, called the Spear of Destiny, which can alter fate itself. And Cassie is one of only a few people who can use it.

Unfortunately, an organization known as the Hastati believes that the spear is too dangerous. They meant to hide it, but thirteen years ago, it disappeared. Their solution? Kill everyone who can use it. And Cassie is their next target.

Cassie doesn’t plan on sitting around, waiting for the Hastati to murder her. She figures that if she finds the spear and gives it to them, they won’t care about killing her anymore. With the help of Simone, her sarcastic best friend, and Asher, Brother Gregorio’s cautious nephew, Cassie sets off on a search across Italy, from crumbling cities to powerful fortresses and beyond. But there are more secrets than Cassie knows. And most of them aren’t pleasant.

Can Cassie find the Spear of Destiny? And even if she does, will it be enough to save her life?

​Moving Target is a fast-paced fantasy novel full of twisting plotlines, brilliant characters, and nefarious enemies. It’s set in a modern world, and Christina Diaz Gonzalez does a beautiful job of staying in that spirit, even with a story full of ancient lore and mystical objects and cities straight out of fairytales. I also love her use of the backdrop of Italy. Cassie is a great main character who feels like a normal kid, despite the dangerous story she’s in the center of. The supporting cast is also brilliant; I particularly like the conflict between Simone and Asher. This book is full of action and plot twists and is perfect for readers who love fast-paced fantasy. I recommend Moving Target to readers ages eleven and up. 

Note: If you enjoy Moving Target, check out both our interview with the author, Christina Diaz Gonzalez, and the sequel, Return Fire​, which we loved! 

By Piranha T.

Twelve-year-old Bryn has always known she wants to be a Seeker. Ever since her father, a Seeker himself, told her stories when she was young about the magical creatures who live within the Wild Realm, she’s known she wants to follow his footsteps. Only Seekers can enter the Wild Realm, where they help heal the plants and animals which live there, and protect its magic from outsiders.

When one of the Seekers retires, with Bryn finally old enough to compete for his place, she jumps at the chance to fulfil her dream. There’s just one problem: Bryn is the first girl ever to join the Seeker competitions. And not everyone’s happy she’s participating.

When Bryn is kicked out of the training sessions—and therefore her best chance of becoming a Seeker—she thinks she might not be able to win after all. But then she meets Ari, her fellow competitor, who agrees to help her train—if she helps him care for an illegal baby dragon who he’s hiding outside the village.

Bryn knows that if they’re discovered, she and Ari will be disqualified. But this is her best chance at winning, even though Ari refuses to tell her where he got the dragon egg.

But then she and Ari begin to uncover unfolding secrets in their village, and Bryn realizes this is about much more than who becomes a Seeker. It’ll decide the fate of the Wild Realm.

Seekers of the Wild Realm is a fast-paced fantasy novel somewhere between First Test and Septimus Heap. Bryn is a brave and likable protagonist, and I like how the story unfolds as she uncovers mysteries. I particularly like Alexandra Ott’s worldbuilding—the Wild Realm feels interesting and magical, and the magic the villagers have is a little different than anything I’ve come across before. I’m looking forward to reading book two! I would recommend Seekers of the Wild Realm to readers ages nine and up. 

Note: If you like Seekers of the Wild Realm, check out our interview with author Alexandra Ott!