Category: Adventure

YA Fantasy Where The Oppression Is Real

4/3/2020

Have you read Tomi Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone and the second in the series, Children of Vice and Vengeance? They're the start of a fantasy series that takes place in Africa where wielders of magic ("magi") have been terribly oppressed. But a commoner, Zelie, teams up with some royals to end the oppression against the magi-- and end the fear of magic. Because it's not a stand-alone book, things go awry, and Children of Vice and Vengeance is a lot darker than Blood and Bone.

In January, Adeyemi was interviewed about the oppression, heavy topics, and the way Adeyemi utilizes diction (word choice) and the language of her characters. It's super interesting! You can read the article here.

YA F Ade + Libby ebooks

YA F Ade (New)

Appreciate a Dragon Day

1/16/2020

Dragons are part of our cultural milieu, and with Game of Thrones, they are more popular than ever. #thanksdaenerys

Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
YA F Mun (New)

Annie and Lee were just children when a brutal revolution changed their world, giving everyone--even the lowborn--a chance to test into the governing class of dragonriders.

Now they are both rising stars in the new regime, despite backgrounds that couldn't be more different. Annie's lowborn family was executed by dragonfire, while Lee's aristocratic family was murdered by revolutionaries. Growing up in the same orphanage forged their friendship, and seven years of training have made them rivals for the top position in the dragonriding fleet.

But everything changes when survivors from the old regime surface, bent on reclaiming the city.

With war on the horizon and his relationship with Annie changing fast, Lee must choose to kill the only family he has left or to betray everything he's come to believe in. And Annie must decide whether to protect the boy she loves . . . or step up to be the champion her city needs.

From debut author Rosaria Munda comes a gripping adventure that calls into question which matters most: the family you were born into, or the one you've chosen.

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman
YA F Har

In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons can be whomever they choose. Tess is none of these things. Tess is. . . different. She speaks out of turn, has wild ideas, and can't seem to keep out of trouble. Then Tess goes too far. What she's done is so disgraceful, she can't even allow herself to think of it. Unfortunately, the past cannot be ignored. So Tess's family decide the only path for her is a nunnery.

But on the day she is to join the nuns, Tess chooses a different path for herself. She cuts her hair, pulls on her boots, and sets out on a journey. She's not running away, she's running towards something. What that something is, she doesn't know. Tess just knows that the open road is a map to somewhere else--a life where she might belong.

Returning to the spellbinding world of the Southlands she created in the award-winning, New York Times bestselling novel Seraphina, Rachel Hartman explores self-reliance and redemption in this wholly original fantasy.

Talon by Julie Kagawa
YA F Kag

THE DRAGONS OF TALON: Once hunted nearly to extinction, they are now poised to take over the world.

THE ORDER OF ST. GEORGE: The legendary dragonslayers will stop at nothing to wipe dragons from the face of the earth.

These mortal enemies are locked in secret and deadly combat, with humanity none the wiser.

To take her rightful place in the Talon organization, young dragon Ember Hill must prove she can hide her true nature and blend in with humans. Her delight at the prospect of a summer of “normal” teen experiences is short-lived, however, once she discovers that she’s also expected to train for her destined career in Talon. But a chance meeting with a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught.

As Ember struggles to accept her future, St. George soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian is tasked with hunting her down. But when faced with Ember’s bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything the Order has ingrained in him—and what he might be willing to give up to uncover the truth about dragons.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
YA F Har

Seraphina is a half-dragon, descended from a dragon mother who took human form and a father who has no particular fondness for Seraphina’s kind.

Not that anyone else does either. Hers is a world where dragons and humans live and work side by side—but below the surface, tensions and hostilities are on the rise. Seraphina guards her true self with all of her being, but when a member of the royal family is brutally murdered, she’s suddenly thrust into the spotlight, drawn into the investigation alongside the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian.

As the two uncover a sinister plot to destroy the wavering peace of the kingdom, Seraphina’s struggle to protect her secret becomes increasingly difficult . . . and its discovery could mean her very life.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini
YA F Pao

Fifteen-year-old Eragon believes that he is merely a poor farm boy—until his destiny as a Dragon Rider is revealed. Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save—or destroy—the Empire.

Dec. 5th: A fantasy

12/5/2019

This one comes in at a very close second for favorite book of the year!

Dec. 3rd: A book about friendship

12/3/2019

Friendship > romance in Seafire!

D&D REad-Alikes

11/11/2019

Last month, I shared on the Teen Instagram a list of read-alikes according to your Dungeons and Dragons class. In case you missed it, here it is again!

Funny Zombie (Singular)!

10/31/2019

Dino comes face-to-face with his ex-best friend, after a year apart, in his family's mortuary, as he's putting her make-up on for her funeral. To his complete surprise, she sits up and promises she's not dead. The organs tied up in a bag inside her empty chest cavity beg otherwise. And so begins a hilarious adventure of these two friends as they careen around Palm Springs, Florida witnessing people not-die, getting into accidental? break-ups, digging up bodies, trying to figure out why July isn't dead, and the list continues. There's a surprising heartwarming aspect to the story, too, as both July and Dino learn what it means to be friends, to grow-up, to take ownership of our own lives, and to be in a relationship.

HILARIOUS! I'm not usually one for laugh-out-loud-funny books, but The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried does a great job of being all funny and a little serious.

5/5 stars!

YA F Hut (New)

For fans of Daughter of the Pirate King

4/17/2019

YA F Lev

YA F Par

Did you read and love Tricia Levensellar's Daughter of the Pirate King and Daughter of the Siren Queen duology?

Well, Seafire is right up your alley (gangplank?)!

Caledonia and her best friend Pisces have their lives turned upside down when they are about 12 years old when their brother, parents, and their ship are attacked by Bullets, army minions of Aric, a tyrant overlord. In retaliation, the girls salvage their ship, take command of it, and adopt quite the crew --entirely made of girls-- over the next four years. But when they take on a Bullet as a prisoner after he saves Pisces's life, their course changes. The Bullet, Orin, knows where Caledonia and Pisces's brothers are. And even though they've become drugged minions like the other Bullets, Caledonia and Pisces and the crew of the Mors Navis set out to rescue them. It's quite the trip to get there... will they make it in time? Will the crew survive? And when they find their brothers' ship, will their brothers' spirits have survived?

Seafire is an awesome sci-fi story that is set in the indeterminate future with advanced technology, but also with some aspects of modern-day living lost. Caledonia and Pisces are strong female characters who have their own minds, and their all-female crew are diverse in their likes, abilities (one is mute), personalities, and penchant for violence. It is fast-paced and the emphasis is on friendship and how the crew has come together--many of them orphans--to become a family for one another.

There is very little romance, and while the reader gets clear affirmation that some of the girls in the crew are lesbians, we are not 100% sure of Caledonia and Pisces's sexualities. I came away, though, thinking that Caledonia is bi and Pisces is a lesbian.

For the Supernatural Fans

4/9/2019

For all you Supernatural fans who can't get enough of the flannel-wearing, trenchcoat-sporting, and rugged looks of the Winchester brothers and Cas, I present to you this list of read-alikes from Bustle:

CW juggernaut Supernatural just aired its 300th episode during its 14th season on television. It goes without saying that this a huge milestone in the world of TV, where hitting syndication (typically 88 episodes, or about four seasons) is all that most programs can ask for. If you're not familiar with the premise, the show stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as the Winchester brothers Sam and Dean — famed hunters of all things ghostly, demonic or otherwise evil — as they fight the bad guys, grapple with their pasts, and gift viewers with arguably one of the greatest family love stories to ever hit TV screens.

Dec. 24th: An adventure story

12/24/2018

With 2019 upon us, I leave you with an exciting adventure story, to take with you on your adventure into 2019. What was your favorite adventure-y read of 2019?

Dec. 14th: A villain you love to hate

12/14/2018

Which books you read this year had a villain that inspired you to send them **smite thee** vibes?