By Piranha T.

Sixteen-year-old Seraphina Dombegh is hardly like others in the land of Goredd, and not just because of her extraordinary musical talent. Her mother was a saarantras—a dragon in human form—and although the Goreddi-dragon treaty signed forty years ago frames the two species as allies, intolerance remains rampant between them. Seraphina only keeps this secret by remaining out of the spotlight, but when she is apprenticed to the court musician, Viridius, this becomes much more difficult. Especially as, with the anniversary of the treaty approaching, tensions rise between dragons and humans.

Crown Prince Rufus is killed in a mysteriously draconian fashion. The leader of the dragons comes to Goredd, but perhaps is therefore placed in terrible danger. Sightings of strange shapes in the night come from exiled knights. As more and more pieces of the puzzle begin to be uncovered, Seraphina must join forces with Prince Lucian Kiggs, the perceptive captain of the guard, on a quest not just to save Goredd, but to accept herself.

Seraphina is a multilayered, engrossing fantasy novel full of well-defined characters and intricate worldbuilding. Seraphina is one of my favorite main characters, equal parts sympathetic and flawed, many-layered and understandable. Her emotional and internal journey is what makes this book so beautiful and strong: it’s about more than dragons and court intrigue, it’s about a girl who is, despite her mixed ancestry, deeply and beautifully human. Her choices and decisions make this story much more than it might have been otherwise.

That said, Seraphina is one of my favorite books for other reasons, too. Goredd and the surrounding lands (though fleshed out more fully in the sequel, Shadow Scale) feel very real; the same can be said for all the supporting characters, who are unique and interesting. The plot, similar to a mystery, is full of twists, court intrigue, and unexpected realizations; it reminds me a little of books such as Shadow and Bone and The Candle and the Flame. Overall, I highly recommend Seraphina to readers ages twelve and up looking for a strong heroine, a complex plot, and an engrossing story which you won’t want to leave. 

By Super Kitty
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Makenna has grown up in a small village, learning to become a hedgewitch like her mother, running wild with the village children. One tragic day, however, her mother is betrayed by those she thought were friends, and she is killed. Narrowly avoiding death, Makenna becomes bitter with all humankind, and instead befriends a small group of goblins, where she finds that her mother’s death is just a small part of a larger and darker plan, one she swears to stop at all costs.
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When Tobin, a young knight, gets tangled in a dangerous misunderstanding, he loses everything. His only hope of earning it back lies in a dangerous quest to destroy the allegedly evil sorceress that is said to live in the Goblin Wood, along with her army of goblins. Tobin has been raised to see right and wrong, good and bad, but as his mission gets more complex, he begins to realize that the world is more complicated than he always thought.

As the Tobin and Makenna struggle in the growing conflict, it becomes clear that the battles being fought are not what either of them thought they were, and that loyalties cannot be divided—decisions must be made, and they could change the tide of war…

I liked this book for several reasons. First of all, the goblins were very well done. Hilari Bell has created a species that are not in essence just small, powerful humans, as too many fantastic creatures seem to be, but beings which see the world in a unique way and act accordingly, something which I always appreciate. The characters and their relationships very well done, and I particularly liked Makenna—she’s like the best combination of Keladry of Mindalin (the Protector of the Small Quartet) and Lyra Belaqua (The Golden Compass) that I can imagine! The story is told alternating between Makenna’s and Tobin’s perspectives, and while I usually prefer one main character, the two perspectives made it even better. Also, I liked that there were good and bad people on both sides of the conflict—one species or race is never purely one or the other, and the story felt much more believable that way. I would recommend The Goblin Wood to those ages ten and up looking for a satisfying, absorbing, and sometimes amusing read.

By Piranha T.

High on Eld Mountain, the young wizard Sybel continues her father’s and grandfather’s collection of long-forgotten, magical creatures: Cyrin the boar, who knows the answers to all riddles but one; Gyld, a dragon who longs for its treasure; Moriah, the great black cat that rules the night; and many, many besides. Yet of all creatures, the one Sybel desires most manages to evade all her callings: the Lilaren, a beautiful white swan.

But Sybel’s life is about to change forever when a man comes, bearing a young baby who she must raise. Before long, she is pulled into the battle that goes on far beneath her home, into a world of power and deceit, love and terror, where all will soon seem to come at far too high a price.

This is by far one of my favorite books of all time, winner of the World Fantasy Award. Part of what makes it so magnificent is not only the characters, who are well-crafted and believable, but that you love them and care about what happens to them so much that you can understand everything too, and what they do in return.
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The story itself is one of the best plotlines I have ever read. It is so multi-layered and well written that it has a similar lyrical style to fantasy books like The Last Dragon and other masterpieces. I would highly recommend it to kids and adults twelve and up. It is one of those timeless books which adults can appreciate just as much as kids can, and I hope they will.

- By Super Kitty

Sophie Foster knew she was different. After all, how many 12-year-olds are not only high school seniors, but can hear people’s thoughts? But she had no idea how different she was until she meets Fitz, a telepath like herself, who tells her the truth: she is an elf, and she must leave her human family—her world—as soon as possible. Now Sophie must learn the ways of the Lost Cities, making friends, enemies, and discoveries. But even among her own people, Sophie is special... And as she battles the rising sinister forces of the elven world, she begins to discover that her past—and her future—are intertwined with more secrets then she ever could have imagined.

I really enjoyed this book—an adventure story (or in this case, series) that I can lose myself in is always welcome. There are seven* books in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, getting progressively longer, but only six have come out. Sophie ages fairly quickly (in Lodestar, book five, she is fourteen), so I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone under the age of eight, especially since some of the evil characters can be quite intimidating. Also, although the first two have good endings, starting with book three the cliffhanger endings get progressively more suspenseful, and in book five it was so much so that the author started the afterward with “Yay! You’re still talking to me!” and went on to apologize about the ending and extreme cliffhanger. It works, though—Piranha T. and I are desperate to know what happens next! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys exciting, fast paced books filled with friendship, adventure, and magic.                            

​*There are now going to be nine books in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series. Book seven came out in November 2018.