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The Caged Queen

Kristen Ciccarelli

Once there were two sisters born with a bond so strong that it forged them together forever. When they were angry, mirrors shattered, and when they were happy, flowers bloomed. It was a magic they cherished—until the day a terrible accident took Essie’s life and trapped her soul in this world.

Dax—the heir to Firgaard’s throne—was responsible for the accident. Roa swore to hate him forever. But eight years later he returned, begging for her help. He was determined to dethrone his cruel father, under whose oppressive reign Roa’s people had suffered. Roa made him a deal: she’d give him the army he needed if he made her queen.

Together with Dax and his sister, Asha, Roa and her people waged war and deposed a tyrant. But now Asha is on the run, hiding from the price on her head. And Roa is an outlander queen, far from home and married to her enemy. Worst of all: Dax’s promises go unfulfilled. Roa’s people continue to suffer.

Then a chance to right every wrong arises—an opportunity for Roa to rid herself of this enemy king and rescue her beloved sister. During the Reliquishing, when the spirits of the dead are said to return, Roa can reclaim her sister for good.

All she has to do is kill the king.

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Diamonds In The Rough

Eric Walters

After the sudden death of Sky’s mother, Sky wants nothing more than to keep her and her three younger sisters together. The solution may lie with a newly discovered uncle. But Cole’s criminal history and his constant struggle to escape his past are not exactly the stable parental qualities that the authorities are looking for. When Sky and Cole strike a mutually beneficial deal to create an acceptable image, they both get more than they bargained for.

I pulled out the picture Cole had given us . . . my gaze fell on the boy, my uncle. I thought about the sadness in his eyes and what he’d been through at such a young age. And I was shocked to see a bit of me, staring back.

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The Cruel Prince

Holly Black

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. However, many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. As civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

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Give Up The Ghost

Megan Crewe

Cass McKenna can talk to and see people who are dead. Ghosts, you may call them. Ones who have for some reason have not moved on from earth. In fact, she highly prefers communicating with them than ‘breathers’, people who are living. They are so much more uncomplicated and always tell Cass any dirt or secrets they can dig up on people. Ones that ‘breathers’ think are told in private places, however, little do they know that the dead are listening in. Cass uses this to her advantage to expose the poseurs in her school which is why most of her peers highly dislike her and keep their distance. And to be honest? She is totally fine with this.

When Tim, the extremely popular president of the student council, approaches her asking for her help, Cass’s guard automatically goes up. However, when Tim keeps persisting, she finally relents a little bit and only will help him if he gives back secrets and information on a few select students. Nonetheless, as she becomes more involved in his life and helping him out, their relationship becomes much more than just trading each other for things they want. Although they are an unlikely couple, Megan Crewe keeps her readers guessing at every turn of the page!

This book was sometimes slow at certain parts, but other than that it was an interesting story to read. Despite the fact that I usually am not into these kinds of genres, I still enjoyed this novel and the characters within. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance books with a classic ghost fantasy twist. – Juliana M.

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Caraval

Stephanie Garber

Just reading the synopsis of this novel is enough to get you excited for what’s to come. Straight from the get go I was anticipating the world created in Caraval to be an intriguing one, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. Caraval is a book you won’t want to put down.

Scarlett Dragna has lived her life without achieving her dream of visiting the annual performance, Caraval, when her father sets her up in an arranged marriage. Believing her dreams of seeing the performance are crushed, she’s elated when an invitation finally reaches her, a letter from the master of the game, Legend, after years of her writing to him. The game of Caraval is a magical one, and readers get to learn its rules at the same time as Scarlett does.

The whole mystery aspect of the novel, as well as being a world of fantasy and magic, is something that really appeals to my taste of books. While those three points are a big part of Caraval, the elements of love, romance and family are also present, and the subject of abuse is touched upon too. Combining the characteristics of the book and the important points brought up throughout it, was what sold me completely. That’s all I can tell you about this one. Stephanie Garber created the type of plot in which you end up enjoying the story more when you know less about the plot.

Fantasy fans will enjoy this one. It keeps you waiting for more, with the thrill and action of the world inside this book.– Stacie C.

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The Fixer

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Tess Kendrick has lived on her grandfather’s farm for as long as she can remember. She spent years hiding her grandfather from the world so no one would know about his mental state. She was successful until her older sister, Ivy, sends him to a mental hospital and brings Tess to live with her in Washington D.C. Tess is anything but happy about this new arrangement, as she hates her sister for abandoning her years ago.

Tess starts at a private school, Hardwicke Academy, only attended by the children of politicians and occasionally the very wealthy. It doesn’t take Tess long to realize that her sister has far from an ordinary job. Ivy is what Washington calls a “fixer”. Weirdly, Tess takes after her sister and while Ivy is solving the problems of people in the White House, Tess is solving the problems of their teenage kids. For Tess, it starts off as smaller problems, such as bullies and grades, but it soon enlarges into a national problem.

Tess is a natural born investigator. When a Supreme Court Justice dies, Ivy is the first person on the case. While Ivy does her best to keep Tess out of it, Tess cannot help herself. Individually, they gather information, but whoever planned the death for the Justice isn’t going down easily. Tess and Ivy soon find themselves in a position where their lives are on the line. Tess just got her sister back, but is she going to lose her again?

The Fixer is a great mystery novel based around American politics. It has an interesting plot with lots of twists, always leaving you wanting to know what is going to happen next. I thought it was refreshing that this book didn’t revolved around a romance with the main character. The book also has a message with Tess and Ivy that even though their relationship is complicated, they still love and want the best for each other. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, as it is one of my new favourites, and would definitely recommend it.

If you want to read more about Tess, you should check out the sequel, The Long Game. – Melanie G.

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