Magic in the Mirrorstone: Tales of Fantasy edited by Steve Berman

This collection contains fifteen different fantasy stories. Many of the short stories are about high school students or characters of a similar age, although several are more 'fantastical.' A short breakdown of the stories:

• Princess Bufo marinus, Also Known As Amy by Eugie Foster - A story similar to 'the princess and the frog' but set in a modern-day high school


• Lights, Camera, Action by Cecil Castellucci - A young actress discovers that one movie can change her entire life


• Ten Thousand Waves by Ann Zeddies - Jun Ho is not proud of his Asian heritage, but he soon learns that he cannot embrace his own power without it


• Mauve's Quilt by Craig Laurance Gidney - Quentin and his father move into an old house and he finds a quilt in the attic that seems to be more than just a quilt


• Have You Ever Seen a Shoggoth by Cassandra Clare - Sometimes the 'weird' kids in high school are hiding more than it seems


• The Amulet of Winter by Lawrence M. Schoen - Aleks, a skilled thief, is sent to steal a magical amulet but finds himself trapped in a magical library


• Veronica Brown by Sean Manseau - Veronica knows there's a sea monster in Lake Champlain but she's tired of letting it ruin her summer


• The Jewel of Abandon by Nina Kiriki Hoffman - Sometimes ignorance really is bliss...


• School Spirit by Jim C. Hines - An evil wizard's curse haunts a magical school, but a new goblin student is determined to take him down once and for all


• Blackwater Baby by Tiffany Trent - Father Joseph rescues the Marsh King's daughter from unsuspecting humans but the Fey want her back...(this story is about characters from a separate fantasy series)


• Old Crimes by J. D. Everyhope - While on vacation, a girl has a chat with an ancient Toltec god


• The Fortunate Dream by Gregory Frost - A young man finds that fairy tales are sometimes more useful than they seem


• Out of Her Element by E. Sedia - Leticia, a young girl dying of consumption in England, befriends a salamander and faces a difficult choice


• Virgin by Holly Black - Jen, a runaway foster teen meets Zachary, another runaway with a secret


• Pig, Crane, Fox: Three Hearts Unfolding by Beth Bernobich - An Asian story similar to the Princess on the Glass Hill

I enjoyed this collection of short stories - some more than others, but overall, this is a collection I would recommend to fantasy fans looking for short reads with plenty of variety.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: The Frog Princess, Now You See It, Aurelie: A Fairie Tale, or The Wish List

A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn


Talia is a princess of the tiny European country Euphrasia. Like most princesses, she is watched every moment of the day, but unlike others, she is also reminded constantly to never touch a spindle. Despite the warnings, Talia accidentally pricks her finger on her sixteenth birthday, fulfilling the well-known curse placed on her at her christening. Three hundred years later, Jack - a bored U.S. high school student - breaks away from his tour group looking for adventure and stumbles on the sleeping country. Though he doesn't know why, he kisses Talia and breaks the spell. Suddenly, Talia is yanked into a world she doesn't understand, Jack is stuck with a 'spoiled' princess, and the witch who cast the curse is not happy. Now everyone is wondering - did Jack make a mistake, or is it really true love?


This retelling of Sleeping Beauty is rather interesting since it drops characters from the past into the twenty-first century. It is less realistic than some other retellings, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The story switches back and forth between Talia's and Jack's point of view which helps to develop all of the characters very well and also give the plot some unique perspective. I would recommend this to fantasy fans looking for something to read that's just a little bit fluffy - particularly fans of retellings and time travel-type stories.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Beauty Sleep, Princess Nevermore, Gifted: Out of Sight, Out of Mind, or The Elemental Masters Series

Swoon by Nina Malkin

Candice "Dice" Moskow has just moved from New York to Swoon, Connecticut where she lives across the street from her aunt, uncle, and cousin Penelope ("Pen"). She is, as she puts it, "a teensy bit psychic" which is why she knows that Pen is possessed by a ghost after she falls out of a tree and nearly dies. The ghost - Sinclair ("Sin") - immediately starts wreaking havoc on the inhabitants of Swoon. Desperate to free her cousin, Dice performs a ritual she believes is meant to exorcise his spirit, but instead gives him a body. Now Sin is free to do whatever he wishes and Dice is the only one who can stop him. But Dice has her own problems that she hasn't figured out how to deal with, and, on top of it all, she's somehow fallen in love with the ghost she has to destroy.


I was definitely drawn into this story although it's a bit darker than most of the fantasy that I read. This book is written from Dice's point of view and is as much about trauma and psychology as the supernatural. I would not suggest this to anyone looking for a fluffy read. However, older fantasy fans looking for something a little more serious or character-centric might enjoy this, particularly anyone who prefers books about the supernatural.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: The Summoning, Wicked Lovely, Annals of the Western Shore, or Black Pearls

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

Astrid hates her mother's obsession with unicorns. According to Lilith, unicorns are nasty, man-eating monsters and Astrid herself is descended from a long line of women warriors who hunt them. But Astrid has never bought into the stores - until her boyfriend, Brandt is gored by one and nearly dies. Suddenly Astrid finds herself packed off to Rome where the cloisters of the Order of the Lioness (a.k.a. unicorn hunters) is being revived. But when she arrives, nothing is what she expected. Surrounded by expectations of what she's "supposed" to be and hating every minute of it, Astrid must discover whether she has what it takes to embrace her birthright and lead her fellow warriors against an enemy that once again threatens mankind.


This story, told from Astrid's point of view, is definitely an interesting twist on fairy tales about fluffy versions of unicorns. I felt as though it was a little slow getting started, but once I got into it, there was plenty of action and side stories to keep it going. It was also a bit difficult to keep track of all of the characters, but I didn't feel as though it detracted from the story. By the end, I was wondering if there would be a sequel - and hoping that we would find out more about what happens to Astrid and her friends. I would definitely recommend this book to older teens, particularly those who like stories that take place in the 'real world' or about women warriors.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: A Posse of Princesses, Song of the Lioness Quartet, The Lightning Thief, or The Abhorsen Trilogy