Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey

Isabella Beauchamps spends her time managing her father's household, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and that her stepmother and twin stepsisters are comfortable. Her life changes drastically when she is bitten by a werewolf on her way home from Granny's house. Suddenly she is packed up and moved to the local duke's castle, where she discovers that he's the werewolf and she's required to stay for at least three months, until they can be certain that she won't turn as well. No one lives at the castle except the duke -- a sorcerer who spends his time as a human trying to find a way to break his curse -- and the unfriendly Gamekeeper, as well as the invisible servants summoned to keep house. Bella slowly finds ways to stay occupied during her time at the castle, but she starts to realize that unraveling the mysteries of the duke's castle may be more dangerous than any of them expected.

This book is part of the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series; it's helpful to read the first book for context, but most of the books (including this one) stand alone fairly well. I will say that this is not one of the best in the series and the ending feels a bit forced, but it was a good read overall and the melding of Little Red Riding Hood with Beauty and the Beast was particularly interesting. I would recommend this to older teens who enjoy retellings of fairy tales or who want something a little bit light with lots of magic.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Rose Daughter, The Prophecy, Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, or The Two Princesses of Bamarre

The Dark Mirror Series by M. J. Putney

In the first book, Dark Mirror, Victoria Mansfield (Tory) discovers that she has a strong magical talent. For a girl in a noble English family in 1804, it means that Tory is suddenly an outcast and her family can be tainted by association. She is immediately sent to Lackland Academy, a school devoted to "curing" students of their magical abilities. Although Tory initially wants nothing more than to lose her talents and return home, she pledges to join a secret society of students who are learning to strengthen their powers instead of suppressing them when she finds out that they are doing it in order to protect England from an invasion by Napoleon. When Tory accidentally stumbles into a time-traveling mirror and ends up in WWII England, her powers are even more important to a modern war that threatens the British coast. Tory becomes friends with a family in 1940s England, and, over the course of the next two books -- Dark Passage and Dark Destiny -- she and some of her classmates team up with teens from the future; deep friendships and romances develop as they engage in a desperate fight to keep England safe during the wars of both time periods.

I really enjoyed this series; the first book started out a little slowly, but once I got about halfway through I had trouble putting them down until I finished all three. Although the books are only loosely based on historical events, the plots are fast-paced and not entirely predictable, with good characterization, as well. I would absolutely recommend this series to fantasy fans who enjoy historical fiction or romance in their books.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Cecelia and Kate (series), The Elemental Masters series, A Kiss in Time, or Bewitching Season

Me, My Elf & I by Heather Swain

Zephyr is excited to start attending The Brooklyn Academy of Performing Arts High School in New York City, but it will be challenging; she's not only a new student, she's an elf. Until now, she has grown up in a secluded elf community in the woods, but her family is moving to the city for a year while her father pursues a music career and it will give Zephyr a chance to see the outside world. Even though Zephyr wants a chance to learn more about acting (and try out for a commercial to sell the ELPH camera), she gets caught up trying to make friends - and keep them - while steering clear of the most popular girl in school. Zephyr starts to feel overwhelmed balancing her elven family and human social life, but when everything she loves is threatened, will she be able to avert disaster?

This book was a fairly light, quick read with realistic characters. Although it's definitely got some fantasy in it, the main plot is more along the lines of dealing with bullies in high school and the magical elements feel a bit incidental. This would be a good read for younger teens and fantasy fans who enjoy reading about life in high school, or who want something a little fluffy. This book is also the first in a series.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Gifted: Out of Sight, Out of Mind, Princess Nevermore, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, or Once Upon a Marigold

The Sweetest Spell by Suzanne Selfors

Emmaline Thistle is considered "unnatural" in her village of Root because of her curled foot and the odd relationship she has with the cows that saved her when she was left at the edge of the forest as a newborn. In the Flatlands, everyone works hard to eke out a living, gets married, and starts a family; Emmaline has no prospects. But then her world falls apart. her father and other men in the village are taken by soldiers to fight in a war, right before endless days of rain wash away Root. Emmaline finds herself carried away by the flood waters and is rescued by the Oak family. While staying with them, she discovers that she has the ability to churn cream into chocolate -- a delicacy that has been lost for generations. Suddenly everyone wants to have Emmaline and her talent for themselves. And some of them are willing to do anything to make that happen.

This was definitely an interesting story -- how can you not love magic that creates chocolate? -- but there were a couple of things that bothered me. First, the point of view switches between Emmaline and Owen Oak (the son), but they chapters aren't labeled and don't follow any sort of pattern. It's fairly obvious from the context which person is "speaking" within a few sentences, but I found it mildly distracting. Secondly, the plot is rather convoluted and incredibly coincidental (unless the whole country is the size of a large city). The writing isn't bad and the characterization is decent, but the storyline felt a little haphazard. Overall, the book was ok, but not a favorite. This book could be a good choice if you're looking for something that's a little out of the ordinary and light reading.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: The Goose Girl, The Two Princesses of Bamarre, or Once Upon a Marigold

As You Wish by Jackson Pearce

Viola Cohen feels invisible. She doesn't fit into any of the high school cliques, and her heart was broken by her best friend, Lawrence, who used to be her boyfriend. Even her artwork does not give her any fulfilment. But on an ordinary day in her Shakespeare class, Viola has a real, true wish and is lucky enough to have a genie appear to grant her three wishes. "Jinn" is used to following the rules: grant wishes as quickly as possible and return to Caliban, where life is perfect and no one ages. But Viola refuses to follow the rules and the longer Jinn spends with Viola on Earth, the more both of them start to change as they help each other find out who they really are and who they want to be.

I really enjoyed this book, both because of the interesting fantasy elements, and because the characters are incredibly easy to relate to. The book is told in first-person, but alternates between Viola and Jinn so that readers get an in-depth sense of what drives both of the main characters and their development throughout the story. Although there is a romance element to this story, the focus is on friendships and finding oneself; anyone who has felt "lost" or "invisible" would certainly relate to Viola's feelings. I would definitely recommend this to teens (particularly girls) who enjoy books about magic in the real world, and even non-fantasy fans who like books about life in high school.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Rampant, , The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, or The Wish List