Previous SFF Author: John Wyndham
Fantasy Literature for Young Adults (over the age of 12).
Low Red Moon — not to be confused with the Caitlin R. Kiernan novel by the same name — is Ivy Devlin’s entry into the field of YA paranormal romance. The protagonist is Avery Hood, a teenage girl whose parents have just been murdered. Avery remembers only brief flashes from that fateful night. Now, she’s trying to deal with her grief, adjust to her new life with her grandmother, and piece together her memories to solve the mystery.
November 13th, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 2 | Ivy Devlin | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Keeper of the Grail by Michael P. Spradlin
Tristan of Saint Albans is an orphan foundling, raised by the monks and with no idea who his birth-parents are. Despite this, he’s happy enough living in the monastery, and is given a good education by the time a group of Templar Knights arrive on their way to the Holy Land. One of them, Sir Thomas, takes an interest in young Tristan, just as another, Sir Hugh, takes an immediate dislike. To Tristan’s astonishment, Sir Thomas offers him a job as his squire and by the next morning,
November 12th, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3 | Michael P. Spradlin | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
Meghan Chase has kept her promise and allowed Ash, prince of the Winter Court, to take her back to the castle of his mother, Queen Mab. Before arriving at the castle, Meghan thought a hint of romance had blossomed between her and Ash. Yet now he treats her with cold disdain before the entire Unseelie court.
The early chapters of The Iron Daughter (2010) focus largely on Ash’s icy demeanor and Meghan’s resulting hurt feelings. Meghan is rather annoying in these scenes;
November 12th, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3.5 | Julie Kagawa | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
East of Midnight by Tanith Lee
It Died Eight Times My Love. After that, Love Stays Dead…
Tanith Lee once again proves herself a master of young adult fantasy with this wonderful (but apparently little known) story of the battle of the sexes. Set in a gloriously created world where women ride horned lions and rule over mankind, East of Midnight is a book that is easy to read, yet raises a range of questions on the differences between man and woman and the way in which we interact with each other.
November 7th, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Tanith Lee | Stand-Alone, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Power of Three by Diana Wynne Jones
Combining the atmosphere of Celtic folklore with a plot reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, an intricate plot (including a huge twist halfway through that will completely turn your perception of the story on its head), and likable characters, Power of Three is one of Diana Wynne Jones’ best novels — and so inevitably it is one of her least known.
Set on moorlands inhabited by Giants, reptilian Dorig and tribes of warrior-like clans,
November 3rd, 2010. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 5 | Diana Wynne Jones | Stand-Alone, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Enchanted Ivy by Sara Beth Durst
One problem I often have with contemporary fantasy is its tendency to ignore the magic of the world around us in its longing for something Other. Enchanted Ivy avoids this problem by striking a nice balance. There’s certainly a great deal of otherworldly magic, as evidenced by the dragons and faeries and talking gargoyles and cute were-tiger boys. Yet I got a real sense that all this magic was inspired by the feelings the campus of Princeton genuinely evoked in Durst.
November 2nd, 2010. Beth Johnson Sonderby (guest)´s rating: 4.5 | Sarah Beth Durst | Stand-Alone, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
In the collection White Time, Margo Lanagan writes with a clear, distinctive style that doesn’t spoon-feed, but rather challenges the reader in a good way. Her text is multi-layered and works on multiple levels to create interesting speculative fiction stories, some using the tropes of science fiction and some those of fantasy.
White Time features ten stories, and each is unique and different. The eponymous story, “White Time,” is the opener for this publication.
October 30th, 2010. Charles Tan (GUEST)´s rating: 3.5 | Margo Lanagan | Short Fiction, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Majix: Notes from a Serious Teen Witch is charming in both senses of the word. Told from the point-of-view of a fourteen-year-old Wiccan, Majix is a funny and heartwarming story about family, friends, and finding oneself. It isn’t quite a fantasy novel, though there’s arguably a little magical realism in it. For the most part, the “magic” is really psychology. I think believers and skeptics could enjoy this book equally.
It’s a little annoying at first. Kestrel “never call me Susan” Murphy comes off as something of a brat,
October 28th, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 4.5 | Douglas Rees | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Everlasting is a comfort read. It’s kind of like having cake for dinner. It’s really sweet and a little silly, but sometimes it hits the spot.
Camille Rowen is a young girl living in 1850s San Francisco, but she’s not like other young girls. She’d rather go adventuring with her sea captain father than hang around the city being a proper lady. But Camille’s adventuring days seem numbered. She’s engaged to Randall Jackson, a wealthy young man, and their wedding is scheduled to take place in just a few months.
October 25th, 2010. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3 | Angie Frazier | Stand-Alone, Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Dragon’s Apprentice by James A. Owen
The Dragon’s Apprentice is a delightful blend of historical fiction and urban fantasy. Written specifically for the young adult audience, James A. Owen’s latest installment in The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica is really quite fun. For someone starting the series here, it is easy to adapt to the storyline and enjoy this novel.
The principle characters in The Dragon’s Apprentice are a group of English intellectuals, adult men who live in the 1940s,
October 8th, 2010. John Hulet´s rating: 3.5 | James A. Owen | Young Adult | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Previous SFF Author: John Wyndham
Do it! One of the best things I've read in recent years.
This reminds me. I want to read Addie LaRue.
We’re in total agreement David!
I felt just the same. The prose and character work was excellent. The larger story was unsatisfying, especially compared to…
Hmmm. I think I'll pass.