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Before She Ignites

Jodi Meadows

From the New York Times bestselling co-author of My Lady Jane comes a smoldering new fantasy trilogy perfect for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Kristin Cashore about a girl condemned for defending dragons and the inner fire that may be her only chance of escape.

Mira has always been a symbol of hope for the Fallen Isles, perfect and beautiful—or at least that’s how she’s forced to appear. But when she uncovers a dangerous secret, Mira is betrayed by those closest to her and sentenced to the deadliest prison in the Fallen Isles.

Except Mira is over being a pawn. Fighting to survive against outer threats and inner demons of mental illness, Mira must find her inner fire and the scorching truth about her own endangered magic—before her very world collapses.

And that’s all before she ignites.

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The Way We Fall

Megan Crewe

16 year old Kaelyn lives on a small island along with her mom, dad and brother. Being the quieter type, she vows to speak out and interact with more people this year. Kaelyn writes a journal directed to her former long best friend Leo, who has left the island to attend school. She hopes to speak with him when he next visits.

However, a fatal epidemic no one has seen before begins to sweep the island. What starts off as a severe itch with coughing and sneezing, develops into the victim spilling their secrets and being terrified at something only they can see. With her father as a microbiologist on this small-scale island, Kaelyn hopes he will discover a cure for everyone who has been entangled in this severely contagious disease. But what started off looking bad now looks even worse.
The connection is soon broken off to the mainland, and power starts running out. The amount of people being admitted to the hospital overwhelms the nurses and doctors. Doctors start dying, as well as nurses, teachers, parents, and kids. The island is placed under quarantine and resources start running out. Homes become abandoned and the uninfected break in to scavenge what supplies are left in order to survive. The people Kaelyn has known her whole life and the ones she loves are slowly being taken away from her. Kaelyn becomes a fighter using her new found inner strength along with new bonds she has made.

This book is exciting, terrifying, and thrilling, as you know that everyone is terrified, but they keep pushing forward. The book had a bit of a slow beginning, but once involved in the plot and characters it is hard to put down! Many people can closely relate to the characters and/or the plot which makes this book appealing and unique. – Juliana M.

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The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Douglas Adams

Although The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, written by Douglas Adams is a fairly old book, published in 1979, it still remains a lively story full of adventure and dark humour. The story begins with a normal English citizen, Arthur Dent, who wakes up to a construction team that wants to destroy his home to make way for a bypass. The next thing he knows, his eccentric best friend Ford Prefect, tells him that the Earth is about to be destroyed and hitchhikes his way onto a Vogon fleet’s spaceship with a dazed Arthur in his wake. But soon, they are rejected by the Vogons, who are unpleasant space creatures, and sent out to suffocate in space — that is, until they’re picked up by yet another ship — a stolen top-of-the-line government project, driven by the president of the universe. The novel follows their wild adventures through space and time and their search for the answer to the ultimate question; the answer to life, the universe and everything.

I think this novel is a great sci-fi comedy with plot twists and turns at every chapter. Douglas Adams’ strange sense of humour is entertaining, although the narrative of the whole story does get a bit confusing near the end. It can become a little difficult to keep track of everything that’s taking place in the novel because a lot of the story flips back and forth in between the past, present, and many different locations around the universe. Despite all this, I still think it’s really fascinating to read, especially when you consider how long ago it was written and the author’s perspective of futuristic beings and technology. So, overall, I’d recommend this book to anybody who’s into adventurous sci-fi, because it’s exactly the sort of thing they’d enjoy.
– Mady R.

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Three Dark Crowns - Kendare BlakeThree Dark Crowns

Kendare Blake

Three dark queens are born in a glen… this fantasy novel takes place on the isle of Fennbirn, where every generation the queen gives birth to triplets, each one possessing a different powerful magic. But only one can become heir and rule the island, so on their sixteenth birthday, the young queens are unleashed upon each other in a fight to the death for the crown.

Mirabella is an elemental, able to control the winds and fire. Katharine is a poisoner, trained in crafting poisons and immune to them herself. Arsinoe, a naturalist, can command the plants and animals. Raised apart from each other in three cities of magic, the queens have not met since they were children. But as their sixteenth birthday and the presentation ceremony approaches, it becomes apparent that the rise to power of the next queen is dependent on a lot more than their natural gifts, as some of their natural gifts are lacking. Mirabella is the most talented and has the support of the Temple, but Arsinoe and Katharine each have powerful friends and allies willing to risk themselves for the queen who shares their magic.

While the beginning of the book can be a little slow, it builds a world of politics, romance, and danger as you learn about the inhabitants and history of Fennbirn – perhaps though, for those people who like detailed worlds, it is not as fleshed out as we’d like. The love triangle is the most frustrating part of this book, as its intention is unclear. Nevertheless, the story grows towards a climax and cliffhanger that will make you want to read the sequel, One Dark Throne, which will be published in late 2017.  — Lisa WM

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