​By Ella
​
Tarisai has grown up in Bhekina House, a strange, mysterious building full of rumors and spirits, where she is surrounded by tutors who avoid touching her skin and a vast grassland which she is forbidden from venturing  into. For as long as she can remember, her life has been full of secrets--and her mother, known only as The Lady, visits Bhekina House too infrequently to provide any answers. More than anything, Tarisai longs for the Lady's love and connection, but her long absences curtail any such dreams. 

When Tarisai is sent away from Bhekina House, though, it is not with her freedom. She must now compete for a spot on the crown prince's council--a group of individuals from across the Aritsar empire bonded by the prince's magical Ray--a position that would offer the connection and family Tarisai has always wanted. But she is ensnared by a cursed command: when she loves the prince and is chosen for his council, she must kill him. 

Caught between her birth and past and a new future she may not be able to forge, Tarisai must find the strength to choose her own path--or lose the family she has only just found. 

As I found myself struggling to write a review for Raybearer which accurately described this book to its fullest, I eventually came to the conclusion that nothing so brief could truly encapsulate this story. I picked up this book after hearing about it for months, and it exceeded even my highest expectations. Ifueko delivers an exquisitely written, superbly plotted story full of complexity, originality and magic. I was sucked in from the first sentence and was caught up in its magic even before I finished the first page; the combination of engrossing, beautiful writing and a vivid, atmospheric world make it compelling and incredible. Tarisai is a strong, fierce, determined protagonist who refuses to let her fate be controlled by another, whose conflicts and choices are relatable and never felt contrived, who makes this book character-driven even in the midst of a complex plot full of twists and surprises. Raybearer is brimming with unique twists and details which make the world feel expansive and vividly realized. I highly recommend Raybearer to readers ages twelve and up--it's one of my favorite books, period! 

By Piranha T. 

Sheetal's mother is a star--and when she left Earth to return to her place in the sky, it changed Sheetal's life forever. Now, ten years later, her presence in Sheetal's life has faded to memories and oddities which make it impossible for her to fit in in modern-day New Jersey. Far more than her ethereal singing voice or the star songs she sometimes hears at night, it's Sheetal's hair that keeps her in a constant struggle to be seen as 'normal'. Sure, black dye can mask the silver, glowing hair Sheetal inherited from her mother, but it never lasts as long as it should--and lately, the silver has been showing through faster and faster than ever before. 

Oh, and of course, all the secrets she's keeping don't make anything easier, either. 

Sheetal has managed to keep her star side under control for years, but the delicate balance she used to have on her life is beginning to come undone. At first it's just the dye fading from her hair faster than ever before, and the star song becoming more and more insistent--almost as if it's calling her... But when she lashes out at her father and burns him with celestial fire, Sheetal finally has to accept that she can no longer ignore the half-star part of her--and that the only place to find something which will heal her father is the home of the stars themselves. 

But the stars have other plans for Sheetal, and no matter how much she finds herself falling in love with their sparkling, shimmering world, she's having more and more trouble reconciling it--and herself--with the Sheetal she used to be. And when the stars ask her to choose between her two worlds, she has to confront the truth about humans and stars--and to ask herself what she's willing to give up. 

Star Daughter is a fantasy novel filled with magic, mystery, and starlight helmed by a strong, relatable protagonist. Thakrar's prose is exquisite and engrossing, and carries the story to complex places and relationships with a constantly interesting tale; she manages to capture both how Sheetal speaks and thinks as a modern-day teen and the magic and uniqueness of the setting. I particularly enjoyed the layers of the supporting cast throughout the book, which helped make it a consistently captivating read. The stars' world feels complete and beautifully imagined, and Sheetal's development as she enters it was especially notable to me. I also love the cover! I recommend Star Daughter to readers ages thirteen and up who enjoy fully realized and interesting stories with unique settings and strong characters. 

By SK

​Arthur's soon-to-be-bride Guinevere travels toward Camelot, accompanied through the unfamiliar landscape by a group of the new king's best knights, as all of Camelot eagerly awaits her arrival and the coming wedding. 

But the approaching wild-haired girl is not the real Guinevere--and being queen is the least of her worries.

When Guinevere-not-Guinevere arrives in Came-lot, she has no idea where to begin. There is the blur of the wedding and feasts and celebrations, of course, and an endless stream of new people whose names she immediately forgets. She has never seen so many people. But she did not come for them--she came for Arthur. Merlin's warning was vague (well, when isn't he vague?) but his message was clear--the king is in grave danger, and he needs someone beside him who is powerful and willing to bend the rules. 

Of course, Merlin didn't say what the threat actually is. He just sent her here, equipped only with the magic of a forest witch. And somehow simple knot magic doesn't seem like it'll be enough. 

As Guinevere begins to uncover a web of secrecy in Camelot's walls and beyond, she discovers a web of deceptions hiding far below the surface, and a plot which could destroy Arthur's fledgling rule. 

But how do you stop a gathering storm of secrets when you might be the biggest one of all?

I always enjoy reading retellings of classic stories and myths, especially ones like the Arthurian legends which I've read many versions of, and The Guinevere Deception didn't disappoint. White's Guinevere is intriguingly mysterious, but also resourceful and funny, and her magic is quite interesting. The portrayals of other central characters are also excellent, and I especially liked Lancelot--the characters feel unique, yet still fit with the impressions of them which I've gotten from other versions. And the plot reimagines many elements of the original stories as well, leading to some excellent twists. I would recommend The Guinevere Deception to readers ages twelve and up who enjoy magic, action, and court intrigue, and I'm looking forward to the next two books in the Camelot Rising trilogy!

By Piranha T.
 
I’ve heard it said that girls can’t keep secrets. That’s wrong: we’ve proved it. We’ve kept ours for years and years, ever since we came to Piscul Dracului and stumbled on the way into the Other Kingdom…We’d been going out and coming in nearly every month since then: nine whole years of Full Moons.
                              -Excerpt from Wildwood Dancing
                                                          by Juliet Marillier
 
Nine years ago, Jenica and her four sisters discovered the portal into the Other Kingdom, a place of magic, danger and mystery which exists at the edges of the Transylvanian town they live in. Their home, a crumbling castle called Piscul Dracului, is perched on the edges of the myth-ridden Wildwood, and is rumored to be as full of magic as the trees it lies on the skirts of.

In this, the tales are true. Every Full Moon, a portal opens there for Jena and her sisters which brings them to a midnight world of perilous magic and strange creatures, and Dancing Glade, where they spend the night among beings told of in whispered legends, as full of magic as the Wildwood itself. It’s always been dangerous—but one night, when the Night People, subjects of many dark and terrible stories, appear, it becomes much more so. Especially as one of them appears to take a particular interest in Jena’s elder sister.

As the Night People make the visits to Dancing Glade more perilous, the world Jena returns to after each monthly escapade into the Wildwood is growing worse and worse as well. Jena’s father, a merchant, has grown deeply ill, and he leaves Jena and her sisters in the care of their tyrannical cousin, Cezar, who is intent to destroy the Wildwood in revenge for his brother’s death years before, and constrict the sisters’ independence as much as possible. As both the Other Kingdom and the land Jena and her sisters inhabit grow more dangerous, she must confront those in both worlds if she is to protect not only the Wildwood, but the freedom of her and her sisters.
 
Deeply based in both Transylvanian folklore and the fairytale ‘The Twelve Dancing Princesses’, Wildwood Dancing is a story full of mystery and magic. Juliet Marillier’s writing effortlessly conjures a fairytale-like feeling, and the strange and dangerous setting of the Wildwood, which feels very real. Jena and her sisters are very interesting and multifaceted characters, especially Jena—I love her determination, stubborn nature, and protectiveness of her sisters. There is some romance in it, which is the major reason we've categorized this book as young adult. Overall, I recommend Wildwood Dancing to readers ages twelve and up.