Tag Archives: Magic

Review: Between Monsters and Marvels by Alysa Wishingrad

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Between Monsters and Marvels by Alysa Wishingrad

Between Monsters and Marvels
Alysa Wishingrad
HarperCollins
Published September 12, 2023

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About Monsters and Marvels

In the next standalone high-stakes middle-grade fantasy by Alysa Wishingrad, the author of the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection The Verdigris Pawn, a misunderstood young girl named Dare is shipped to the mainland from her tiny island and uncovers startling secrets behind her father’s death, the island itself, and the monsters that lend its lore.

Monsters are still lurking on Barrow’s Bay.

Dare Coates is sure of it. No drifter or ruffian could have killed her father, the Captain of the Guard, while he was on patrol. But everyone … Continue reading →

Review: The Bravest Warrior in Nefaria by Adi Alsaid

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The Bravest Warrior in Nefaria by Adi Alsaid

The Bravest Warrior in Nefaria
Adi Alsaid
Aladdin Books
Published September 5, 2023

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About The Bravest Warrior in Nefaria

Phineas and Ferb meets the Despicable Me series in this hilarious and heartwarming middle grade debut from acclaimed author Adi Alsaid about a wannabe hero who lives in a goofily evil kingdom where nefarious schemes abound.

Welcome to Nefaria, where nearly every day the kingdom faces another evil scheme.

Most are harmless, though, so the citizens of Nefaria simply learn to live with the latest hijinks and go on with their lives. This includes Bobert Bougainvillea, who is much more concerned with the fact … Continue reading →

Review: Deephaven by Ethan M. Aldridge

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Deephaven by Ethan Aldridge cover shows a boy holding up a torch and standing in front of an opened gate. Behind and above him lurks a shadowy monster with glowing eyes and tentacle-like hair.

Deephaven
Ethan M. Aldridge
Quill Tree Books
Published September 5, 2023

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About Deephaven

From Ethan M. Aldridge, bestselling creator of ESTRANGED, comes a gothic middle grade prose novel that follows a nonbinary student who is drawn to their boarding school’s forbidden east wing, where something stalks the shadowy corridors. Perfect for fans of J. A. White and Mary Downing Hahn!

When Guinevere “Nev” Tallow receives an acceptance letter to the exclusive Deephaven Academy, … Continue reading →

Review: Guardians of the Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones

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Guardians of Dawn: Zahra by S. Jae Jones cover shows a girl staring forward, her hands hovering over a ball of magic, other magic swirled around her in the colors of the sky at dawn.

Guardians of the Dawn: Zhara
S. Jae-Jones
Wednesday Books
Published August 1, 2023

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About Guardians of the Dawn: Zhara

Sailor Moon meets Cinder in Guardians of Dawn: Zhara, the start of a new, richly imagined fantasy series from S. Jae-Jones, the New York Times bestselling author of Wintersong.

Magic flickers.
Love flames.
Chaos reigns.

Magic is forbidden throughout the Morning Realms. Magicians are called abomination, and blamed for the plague of monsters that razed the land twenty years before.

Jin Zhara already had enough … Continue reading →

Review: The Lightstruck by Sunya Mara

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The Lightstruck by Sunya Mara cover shows a person's face in profile made of thin beams of light streaming out from where their eye would be.

The Lightstruck (The Darkening #2)
Sunya Mara
Clarion Books
Published August 29, 2023

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About The Lightstruck

In this epic sequel and conclusion to the Darkening duology, which has been called “enchanting and wildly clever” (Ayana Gray, New York Times bestselling author of Beasts of Prey), Vesper Vale, once savior to a city plagued by cursed storms, finds herself facing an even more sinister threat when an ominous light summoned by the Great King seizes control of the city.

Vesper Vale sacrificed everything to save her city from the cursed storm. … Continue reading →

Review: Cursed by Marissa Meyer

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Cursed by Marissa Meyer cover shows a dark castle in front of a full red moon. A person cloaked in red stands facing the castle.

Cursed (Gilded #2)
Marissa Meyer
Feiwel & Friends
Published November 8, 2022

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About Cursed

Before the Endless Moon, when the Erlking means to capture one of the seven gods and make a wish to return his lover, Perchta, from the underworld, Serilda and Gild attempt to break the curses that tether their spirits to Adalheid’s haunted castle. But it soon becomes clear that the Erlking’s hunger for vengeance won’t be satisfied with a single wish, and his true intentions have the power … Continue reading →