Brisingr

Paolini, Christopher. Brisingr. Book 3 of the Inheritance series. 2008. 763p. ISBN 978-0-375-82672-6. Available at FIC PAO on the library shelves.

In Eldest, Murtagh reappeared as a dragon rider under the control of their enemy, King Galbatorix. Eragon and Saphira now find themselves at the center of events affecting Alagaësia. Having nearly been defeated by Murtagh and Thorn on the battlefield, Eragon knows he is hopelessly outmatched against the magical skills of the king. He will need more training in order to gain enough strength to overthrow Galbatorix. Fortunately, the Varden was able to win the battle in the end, and now Nasuarda and her troops are on the offensive, moving deep in the Empire.

Hoping to save Katrina, Eragon and his cousin Roran set out on Saphira to Hellgrind, the Ra’zac’s lair. Discovering the fell beasts and their parents, the trio triumph and dispatch the monsters, rescuing Roran’s love in the process. Unfortunately, Eragon finds that Sloan, Katrina’s father, is a prisoner of the Ra’zac. Having been rendered blind and tortured, the butcher is in bad shape, but Eragon knows he cannot be both judge and jury on the penalty he should suffer. He lets Roran and Katrina escape on Saphira, while he rescues the old man and sends him on a quest to seek shelter in the land of the elves.

Trekking back on foot, Eragon is reunited with Arya, who departed the Varden to meet up with him when Nasuarda learned what had transpired at Hellgrind. Together they travel back to the Varden. There Nasuarda sends him out to travel to Farthen Dur, the dwarves’ capital, to convince them to elect a king and support the Varden’s efforts. Saphira, meanwhile, stays back and runs patrols in the sky to let the Varden and its supporters believe Eragon is still with them.

Following the election of King Orik and his support to the cause of freedom, Eragon travels back to Ellesméra to meet once again with his teacher, Oromis. There Eragon and Saphira finally discover Galbatorix’ secret of collecting dragon heart of hearts. Filled with the consciousness of a dragon before he or she died, these items are powerful magic and the evil king has been drawing off them to oppress the people of Alagaësia.

With Roran fulfilling several dangerous missions for the Varden, and with Eragon, Saphira, Oromis and Glaedr heading back to the various battlefronts, the fate of an entire continent rests in the efforts of this motley crew.

Eragon tries to uphold the oath he made to save Katrina from King Galbatorix, while being pulled in different directions by the needs of the Varden, elves, and dwarves--all of whom need his help and strength to overcome the tyranny of the king.

The Demon Covenant

Brennan, Sarah Rees. The Demon Covenant. Book 2 of the Demon Lexicon trilogy. 2010. 440p. 901 mins. ISBN 9781416963813. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

In The Demon Lexicon, Alan and Nick discovered after a confrontation with the magicians of the Obsidian Circle that Nick was not human, but rather an ancient demon inserted in the body of a newborn to achieve Black Archer’s dark purpose of acquiring even more magic. Nick’s capture had failed, and as a result many of the magicians of the circle had been slain. Mae Crawford and her younger brother Jamie had returned to Exeter and resumed their lives. Having discovered that the two siblings were playing their divorced parents against each other, Annabelle, Mae and Jamie’s mother, has assumed sole custody and now keeps a closer eye on her kids.

Mae is flabbergasted when she discovers that Jamie has continued to meet and talk with Gerald, now the leader of the Obsidian Circle. Jamie possesses magical talents and hopes to develop them further, and he is also madly in love with Gerald. She contacts Alan and Nick to inform them of her worries. The two brothers appear to have had a falling out of sorts, and are barely speaking to each other. As Mae work with Nick to attempt to make him appear more human, she also begins to fall for Sebastian, a tough boy at school who’s been picking on Jamie, causing further tensions between herself and her brother. She’s also still attracted to Alan, and to Nick.

With Gerald planning to capture Nick and draining him of magical powers for his own nefarious purposes, Mae realizes that she must unite all of the magicians’ enemies into a strike force to take the magicians out. This, however, will require careful planning and the setting aside of old hatreds. Can Mae maneuver the deadly pitfalls to save everyone she cares about?

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart

Burgis, Stephanie. The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart. 2017. 242p. ISBN 978-1-68119-343-4. Available at FIC BUR on the library shelves.

Life as a dragon can be very exasperating, especially when you have older siblings. Aventurine is tired of being hidden in the mountain by her parents. Her mother and grandfather have informed her on occasions too many to count that she can’t leave the mountain for it is dangerous out there, and humans could harm her. Only when her scales have thickened enough to protect her from most every bullet and magic will she be allowed out. But that’s in about a hundred more years, and she’s had enough playing with her older brother, who is more interested in reading human books anyway. Plus, Aventurine has an older sister who has left the mountain years ago, and she’s just so perfect that Aventurine can never compare in the eyes of her mother.

So when the opportunity presents itself, Aventurine sneaks out of the mountain to go hunting by herself. This task proves more complicated than she thought it would be, however, and she’s unable to catch prey. Until, that is, she smells a human sheltering in a cave. She follows the scent, only to discover that he’s cooking … hot chocolate. Entranced by the amazing smell, Aventurine agrees to spare the human’s life until the hot chocolate is ready. Unfortunately, he turns out to be a food mage, and as she drinks the hot chocolate, which is amazing and tastes nothing like she’s ever had, she is transformed into a puny human.

Unable to return home (grandfather tried to roast her when she approached the mountain), Aventurine makes her way to the capital of the kingdom in search of chocolate. She soons becomes an apprentice to the cantakerous Marina, whose uncompromising baking and cooking style and her infuriating personality fit perfectly with Adventurine’s own. Soon, she’s learning more about chocolate than she ever thought possible. But the dragons in the mountain have stirred, and they’ve been spotted as far as the outskirts of the capital. And when an entire flight of them bears down on the city, striking panic and fear in the inhabitants’ hearts, only Adventurine can save them all.

Eldest

Paolini, Christopher. Eldest. Book 2 of the Inheritance series. 2005. 681p. ISBN   0-375-82670-X. Available at FIC PAO on the library shelves.

Eragon survived the assault on the dwarven city of Tronjheim but was maimed by Durza the Shade before killing him. Known as the Shadeslayer, Eragon looks forward to heading to Ellesmera, capital of the Elves, to complete his training as a Rider of Dragons. Now that Eragon and Saphira have joined the Varden and with the destruction of his army, Nasuada decides it is time to take the fight to King Galbatorix, he who singlehandedly eliminated the Order of the Riders.

As the Varden moves south to Surda, Eragon, Saphira, Arya and Orik head north to Ellesmera. There Eragon and Saphira discover that they are not the last riders aside from the King. Oromis,  the Crippled Who is Whole and Glaedr his dragon still live in the forest, having hidden themselves from Galbatorix. Together and with limited time, they begin the process of training Rider and Dragon in the art of magic, flying, and fighting.

Meanwhile, in Carvahall, Roran and the villagers are visited by the Ra’zac, who are here to seize him. Refusing to surrender, Roran hides in the forest, but the soldiers accompanying the Ra’zac soon begin making the villagers’ lives miserable. When one of them dies at the hands of a soldier and is returned as nothing but a pile of bones, Roran is so incensed that he leads the villagers in battle against the Ra’zac and the soldiers, and soon the soldiers are forced to abandon Carvahall. Getting ready for a siege, the villagers fortify all access points and wait for the Empire’s assault.

Eragon’s training proceeds apace, but his desire for Arya, whom, he discovers, is the daughter of Queen Islanzadí, soon turns the elf against him, and she departs to return to the Varden. Meanwhile, Roran’s love, Katrina, is kidnapped by the Ra’zac following her father Sloan’s treachery, and with the knowledge that more soldiers is on the way, the villagers soon face a stark choice. Remain behind and be enslaved, or tempt their chance through the Spine to the ocean to secure passage down to the Varden and Surda.

As forces mass on both sides, and with an ally of Galbatorix ready to take the field against the Varden, will Eragon and Saphira’s training be completed in time to save his friends from complete destruction?

The story continues in Brisingr.

The Frog Princess Returns

Baker, E. D. The Frog Princess Returns. Book 9 of the Tales of the Frog Princess series. 2017. 196p. ISBN 978-1-68119-137-9. Available at FIC BAK on the library shelves.

Previously, Princess Emma, the Green Witch had been turned into a frog and had met Prince Eadric, who had suffered the same fate. Now the two of them are humans again, and are spending time in Emma’s kingdom, Greater Greensward. The two lovebirds’ peace is disturbed, however, when Princess Adara arrives in the royal carriage of Eadric’s parents. Claiming to be a distant relative, it is clear to Emma that Adara is very attracted to Eadric.

At the same time, all is not right in the world of the fairies. Queen Willow, the fairy queen, has disappeared, and three fairies are standing for an election to choose the new ruler of the fairy world. Unfortunately, all three are deeply flawed characters that are not liked by a majority of the other fairies, and they offer drastically different programs towards their relationships with the humans. When local plants become afflicted by electoral logos, Emma is asked by the fairies to intervene.

Taking Eadric and Adara with her, Emma investigates who is behind the plants’ destruction and realizes that it will take quite a bit of effort and magic to track down Queen Willow and restore peace to the area.

Filled with dragons, fairies and magic, this light tale is a perfect read for fans of humorous fantasy.

The Disappearances

Murphy, Emily Bain. The Disappearances. 2017. 400p. ISBN 978-0-544-87936-2. Available as an eBook from Overdrive.

It is 1942, and fifteen-year old Aila Quinn’s mother, Juliet, has just died, and her father has just been drafted by the U.S. Navy to fight in the war. With no other relatives in the small town of Gardner, Connecticut, Aila and her younger brother Myles are sent to live with Mathilda and Malcolm Cliffton in another small town called Sterling a few hours away by train. Mathilda was Juliet’s best friend when they were growing up, and Aila vaguely recalls her coming to visit them when she was four with her son Will. Present at the funeral, she volunteered to house the children while their father was away.

Pulled away from everything, Aila is resentful of her mother’s death and her departure from everything she knows. Wanting a souvenir from her mother, she takes her old copy of Shakespeare’s complete works and discovers a ring and a message addressed to Stefen and hidden in the book. In the message Juliet tells Stefen she loves him. Aila has never heard of Stefen, but her mother always kept her childhood a secret.

Arriving in Sterling, Aila quickly discovers that all is not well. The town, along with two other villages, have lost several ordinary things present everywhere else. Titled the Disappearances, these elements have vanished one at a time, every seven years, over the last thirty five years. There are no smells in Sterling. No vivid colors. No stars in the sky. No dreams. No reflections in mirrors. And the next Disappearance is coming soon. The people of Sterling have developed variants, dust that can temporarily alleviate these missing things, but for the most part they do without.

The disappearances began on the day that Juliet was born, and she is known as a catalyst. Aila quickly realizes that the people in town feared and hated Juliet, for she was the only one who regained a Disappearance when she left the town. As Aila begins to investigate this mystery, she discovers that the Disappearances appear related to Shakespeare’s plays, and her mother had taken extensive notes in her book. The more she digs, however, the more she discovers information about her mother she did not know. She also begins to fall for handsome Will, who likes her as well.

But a powerful actor is bent on insuring that no one solves the Disappearances, for there is profit to be made selling variants. With the next Disappearance fast approaching, can Aila navigates small town politics and enemies before it is too late?

Eragon

Paolini, Christopher. Eragon. Book 1 of the Inheritance Cycle series. 2003. 509p. ISBN 0-375-82668-8. Available at FIC PAO on the library shelves.

On the large continent of Alagaësia, fifteen-year-old Eragon occupies a very small place in the village of Carvahall, as removed from everything else as one can get. An orphan, Eragon lives with his farming uncle Garrow and his cousin Roran about 10 miles out of the village, in the shadows of the Spine mountains. A foreboding place and rumored to be full of magic, the Spine mountains are left alone by the local residents, but Eragon long ago learned how to hunt and avoid its pitfalls.

Eragon is looking for food for the coming winter during one of these hunts when he comes across the strangest stone he has ever seen. Polished and with different shades of blue, it must be worth a small fortune. He brings it back to the village and attempts to sell it, only to discover no one wants to purchase it because it comes from the Spine. Then one night the stone hatches, and a dragon emerges. Soon, Eragon and Saphira are inseparable friends, but as the dragon grows it becomes harder to hide her.

Agents of the evil king Galbatorix are on the move, searching everywhere for the dragon egg that was stolen from the king. The elf that carried the egg was captured, but not before she transported the egg away. Two of those agents, a mix of bird and men, the Ra’zac arrive at Carvahall looking for Brom, a former dragon rider, but they stumble upon Eragon and begin the chase. Eragon escapes in the Spine, and the Ra’zac kill his uncle Garrow.

Vowing vengeance, Eragon decides to pursue his attackers as they retreat. Brom accompanies Eragon and trains him on the history of dragon riders and of Alagaësia, as well as on the proper ways of magic and combat skills. Soon the pursuers become the pursued as Galbatorix’ soldiers are intent on capturing Eragon and forcing him to join forces with the evil king. Saved from imprisonment several times by a new friend named Murtagh, Eragon rescues Arya, the elf who carried the egg, but she is dying and in a magically induced sleep. Now Eragon and Saphira’s only hope is to find the Varden, an opposition group fighting Galbatorix, in their secret base before it is too late. But with an army of Urgals, fierce and ruthless creatures, on their tails, will they reach their destination in time to save Arya, and, if so, at what cost?

Peopled with amazing creatures and vivid descriptions, Eragon is fantasy at its best, with magic, dragons, and sweeping vistas. Fans of Lord of the Rings will find themselves at home in the universe of the dragon riders.

Truthwitch

Dennard, Susan. Truthwitch. Book 1 of the Witchlands series. 2016. 415p. ISBN 978-0-7653-7928-3. Available at FIC DEN on the library shelves.

Many of the inhabitants of the Witchlands have strange powers. Known as witches, they control one or more aspect of life, from water to fire to the threads that bind people together. Twenty years ago the nations of the Witchlands agreed to a binding twenty years truce, but this only provided time for leader to re-arm and re-equip their troops and plan new attacks. Nineteen years later, the last months of the truce are ticking by and everyone is ready to head back to war.

Safiya and Iseult are thread sisters, and both of them are also witches. Current residents of Venaza City in the Dalmotti Empire,  Iseult is a Nomatsi, a group of nomads reviled by non-Nomatsi people. She is a threadwitch, and she sees the connections between people as well as the threads that define their thoughts and feelings. Safiya is a domna of Cartorra, a noblewoman of the Empire of Cartorra. She’s a truthwitch, one of the rarest of witches. She can discern truth from lie, a useful power to have when the world is heading back to war. She was sent to Venaza City by her uncle to get her away from the Emperor of Cartorra, but she has done nothing but get herself in trouble, much to her tutors’ dismay.

When Safiya and Iseult attempt to rob the wrong caravan, they become the target of a bloodwitch, a man with the power to smell the blood and the quality of the witchcraft within. Assisted by Prince Merik, a wind witch, Safiya and Iseult must now run for their very lives are threatened, and as war gets set to resume, the two thread sisters will either be the salvation of the continent as predicted by the old Carwen prophecy or its doom.

Dragon Heir

Chima, Cinda Williams. Dragon Heir. Book 3 of the Heir Chronicles series. 2009. 348p. ISBN  978-1-42313713-9. Available as an eBook from Overdrive.

At the end of Wizard Heir, D’Orsay fled his conspiratorial meeting at Second Sisters with a Covenant that once again binded the underguilds to the wizards’ dominion, following the wizards’ loss of control at the Tournament in Warrior Heir. The Roses have laid siege to D’Orsay’s ancestral home, hoping to get their hands on that Covenant. The Weir inhabitants of Trinity are weary of this battle between the three sides and have declared themselves a Sanctuary for all Weirs.

Jason Haley, wishing to get involved, smuggles himself in D’Orsay’s land and discovers a long-forgotten cave and a hoard of powerful magical items, including the Dragonheart, a strange stone filled with magical energy. When elicitor Madison Moss touches the Dragonheart, it suddenly reacts to her and wizards suddenly lose access to it. As wizards marshall outside the Weirwall erected around Trinity and protected by the wizard Seph, and the warriors Jack, Ellen, and their ghost armies, betrayal and tragedy are about to befall the unlikely band of rebels. Are Jason and Madison willing to finally commit to the cause of magic?

A satisfying if bitter-sweet end to the Heir Chronicles, all of the main characters gather one more time in a fast-moving plot in which many of them will die. Fans of the fantasy / modern world hybrid will find their fill in this brilliant conclusion.

The Grimm Legacy

Shulman, Polly. The Grimm Legacy. Book 1 of the Grimm Legacy series. 2010. 325p. ISBN 0-399-25096-4. Available on the library shelves at FIC SHU.

Elizabeth Rew is having trouble adjusting to a new life. Her mother died, and her father remarried to a woman who already had two teenage girls. Elizabeth feels lonely, and now she doesn’t even get to spend time with her father. The only highlight of her day is her English class, with Mr. Mauskopf. The rest of the time, she hangs out by herself.

When Mr. Mauskopf asks the class to come up with a topic to study, Elizabeth selects the Brother Grimms on a whim. They were her favorite stories, and she has fond memories of her mother reading them to her. Mr. Mauskopf is suitably impressed with her paper, and he offers her a job at the New York Circulating Material Repository, a library of objects that can be checked out by companies and individuals.

There she meets the dreamy Mark, a star basketball player who goes to her school, but whom would most likely never have spoken to her. She also meets Anjali, a beautiful Indian girl, and Aaron, who pins hard for Anjali. The four teens are pages at the library. It is their job to retrieve items off the shelves and bring them to the circulation desk, and to shelves returned items.

Among the mundane but precious items at the Repository are several intriguing collections, including the HG Wells, HP Lovecraft, and the Grimms Collection. Elizabeth quickly discovers that the items in the GC are in fact magical. Many of them were accumulated by the Grimm brothers themselves, and were the inspiration for their tales. From the magical mirror in Snow White to the boots of seven leagues, each object in the collection is powerful.

Elizabeth also discovers that there is a thief stealing objects from the Repository, as well as a giant bird ready to do harm to those in possession in a GC object. With Mark, Anjali and a reluctant Aaron, Elizabeth plans on solving this mystery. The thief, however, has other ideas and suddenly Elizabeth finds herself a target. Can she trust anyone?

This story is entertaining and very creative. What would the world be like if the objects in the fairy tales really existed? Fans of magic in a modern day setting will thoroughly enjoy this book, and will definitively like The Raven Boys series.

The Crown's Game

Skye, Evelyn. The Crown’s Game. Book 1 of The Crown’s Game series. 2016. 399p. ISBN 0062422588. Available as a eBook on Overdrive.

Russia has always been protected by an Enchanter, someone able to wield the magic of the land to protect the Tsar and Mother Russia against its enemies. Vika Andreyeva has been trained by her father all of her life to fill in that role. She can summon lightning, and emerge unscated from a ball of fire. When the time comes, she will fill in as one of the the Tsar’s trusted advisors.

But when she is summoned by the Tsar, it is to discover that this time there are two Enchanters, herself and a mysterious man. Since there can only be one, the Tsar orders a fight between the two candidates. Amaze him with their displays to celebrate his son’s birthday, and the winner will become the official Enchanter. The loser will lose everything, including his or her life, since there is not enough magic in the land to sustain two Enchanters. It is, of course, appropriate for an Enchanter to kill another one through magic, and such a display would immediately end the game with a winner.

Vika quickly discovers that her heart is not in killing the other Enchanter, however. With the Ottomans to the South, Kazakhs to the East threatening the Russian Empire, the heart of the Tsar’s son in play, and a foul enemy coming back from the grave to find those who did her wrong, the Crown’s game becomes deadly.

Filled with Russian lore and exploring a part of the world we are not familiar with, the Crown’s Game will be appreciated by those who enjoyed The Egg and the Spoon.

The Raven King

Stiefwater, Maggie. The Raven King. Book 4 and final book of the Raven Cycle. 437p. ISBN 9780545424981. Available at FIC STI on the library shelves.

The Raven Boys are nearing the end of their quest for Glendower and the secrets of Cabeswater. Gansey, their leader, has sought Glendower because the legends state that he who finds and wakes the ancient Welsh king will be granted a favor. And Gansey desperately needs that favor, since his death has been foretold for sometimes this year.

As the search becomes more desperate, the very existence of Cabeswater becomes threatened. Having released a demon from the black caves of Cabeswater, Blue and Gansey continue to fall in love with each other and wonder: Will the fatal kiss Blue will give her lover be the cause of Gansey’s death? The quest proceeds apace as old villains and new enemies make their way to Henrietta for the magical sale of the century.

Ronan meanwhile seeks to discover the true nature of his dreams and of the objects, and, more frightful, creatures he brings back. Adam pursues his exploration of what it means to be a man, and must deal with Blue and Gansey’s relationship. Noah, for his part, begins fading as the strength of Cabeswater dissipates under the demon’s assault. As dreams turn into nightmares under the demon’s assault, Blue and the boys will discover that love sometimes takes a surprising form, but that loving eventually means losing someone. The path that they have travelled on will lead them to a place they never envisioned...

Egg and Spoon

Maguire, Gregory. Egg and Spoon. 2014. 475p. ISBN 9780763672201. Available as an eBook from Overdrive.

Life in Tsarist Russia is hard, harder than most places. For peasants living in hovels in small villages sprinkled in the middle of nowhere, it is even more the case. Elena Rudina has never been outside the boundaries of her village. Now a teen of about 15, she must take care of her sick mother. Her father drowned a few years ago, her younger brother is indentured to the local Baron who has moved to Moscow due to food shortages in the area, and her older brother has just been recruited by the Tsar’s army to dig ditches in St. Petersburg. Elena struggles to survive and find enough food for herself and her mother. Thankfully, old doctor Peter Petrovich provides some humor in an otherwise drab land.

The unexpected always happens, however, and in Russia every peasant knows that despite how bad things are, they can always get worse. When a train pulls in on the disaffected line, Elena’s life irreversibly changes. She meets the Tsar, dressed in a white uniform. But he turns out to be a butler. The train has stopped because the bridge further down the track is out. Onboard is every type of food imaginable, as well as a girl whose looks are very similar to Elena, aside from the fact that she’s an aristocrat. Ekaterina is traveling with her great aunt to St. Petersburg so she can make her debut at the Tsar’s great ball, and even meet the Tsar’s nephew. She carries a Fabergé egg crafted especially for the Tsar.

Through this short stop, Elena and Kat get to know each other a little, but through circumstances they exchange places. Elena now finds herself hurling towards St. Petersburg and the chance to ask the Tsar to release her brother from service so he can return home. Kat, for her part, is left stranded in the middle of nowhere with not enough local lore to be able to survive long in this hostile environment.

Thus begins a most amazing adventure featuring matryoshka dolls, snow soldiers, talking cats, ice dragons, and probably the best character in the book, the famed Baba Yaga, the Russian witch whose house is equipped with chicken legs and travels by itself. Elena, Kat, and Baba Yaga must pull their resources and wits together to solve a danger that threatens the very nature of Mother Russia. A fable with improbable characters, Egg and Spoon takes a train ride through Tsarist Russia exploring some of its myths and legends.

Fans of fantastic fiction will enjoy this book, and should take a look at Far Far Away, a book with similar themes of self discovery.

A March of Kings

Rice, Morgan. A March of Kings. Book 2 of the Sorcerer’s Ring series. 2013. 232 p. ISBN 9781939416018. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Thrown in the dungeon for his clumsy attempt at saving King MacGil in A Quest of Heroes, Thor is facing death. However, Thor’s vision comes true, and the King is in fact assassinated. Unaware of this, Thor manages to escape the dungeon, but once back with Reece, he finds out that his vision realized despite his best efforts. The two of them head to the King’s room, and the King, sliding down towards death, apologizes for Thor, confessing that he was wrong and that Thor had in fact had the King’s interest at heart. Sending everyone out, he tells Thor that he is destined to greater things.

Gareth, meanwhile, becomes King following his father and the successful assassination attempt he had orchestrated through his sycophant lover. Now sitting on the throne, he plans on eliminating his siblings, starting with the former King’s eldest bastard son. This edges the kingdom towards civil war.

On the western border, the MacCloud muster their forces, ready to pounce on the other half of the Ring. With a possible alliance with the Empire, King MacCloud feels strong enough to attack MacGil while the succession is in disarray.

Finally, Thor manages to patch things up with Gwendolyn, but now the Legion is shipping out to the Isle of Mist for their Hundred Days of training, a dangerous time where only the brave and true survive. With the Kingdom in turmoil, civil war looming and his love left behind, and a vision from Gwendolyn that Thor will not come back, will the Kingdom’s savior even make it to the island?

The story continues in A Feast of Dragons.