Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

Vane Weston is the "Miracle Child" who survived a freak tornado that killed his parents and several other people. He doesn't remember anything from that day, except the face of a girl who haunts his dreams. But the girl in his dreams - Audra - is real and she is a guardian who has pledged to keep him safe from warriors who seek him. When a mistake reveals Vane's location, Audra has to tell him the truth: she's a sylph and so is he. Now they have a limited amount of time for Vane to come to terms with his heritage, learn the skills he needs to survive, and to remember the past, before it catches up with him.

The sequel, Let the Storm Break, will be released in March 2014.

This story is told from both Vane's and Audra's points of view, which gives each of them quite a bit of depth throughout the book. I found it interesting that the air elementals are the main characters and I was curious to find out what would happen, although parts of the story are a little predictable. I would recommend this series to fantasy fans who enjoy stories about magical creatures in the real world and romance.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Living Violet, the Trylle trilogy, Wicked Lovely, or Carrier of the Mark

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Tamsin feels out of place in her own family. All of them have magical talents and, at her birth, her grandmother claimed that she would be one of the most powerful witches they'd ever seen. Except that she's never had a Talent. Instead, she's going to a boarding school in Manhattan and trying to pretend that she's a normal teenager. But while she's home, working in the family bookstore, a professor mistakes her for Tamsin's extremely Talented older sister, Rowena and she doesn't correct him. Instead, she agrees to track down a family heirloom, lost more than a century before. But it turns out that the request is not so simple; Tamsin will learn more about herself, her magic, and her family on her quest. The story concludes in Always a Witch.

For the most part I really enjoyed this story. At times, the plot seemed a little convoluted, but generally the characters were well developed and it was easy to like Tamsin and sympathize with her situation. Also, I did like the way that everything tied up neatly at the end of the second book. I would recommend these books to fantasy fans who enjoy books about magic in the real world, or time travel.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: the Dark Mirror series, Immortal Beloved, Now You See It, or Unfamiliar Magic

My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

Savannah's having a rough time after her boyfriend, Hunter, dumps her for her older sister, Jane. Things should have been looking up when she gets three wishes from a fairy godmother, except that she gets stuck with Chrissy - and she's only a "fair" godmother because she only made average grades in fairy godmother school. Chrissy's misunderstandings send Savannah back to the Middle Ages, first as Cinderella, then as Snow White. As if that isn't bad enough, her third wish sends Tristan - her current crush - to the Middle Ages where he is faced with a series of life-threatening challenges. Now Savannah must figure out how to get both of them back to modern times...and survive her godmother's "help."

This book was a fun change from the usual "fairy godmother" stories and put a bit of a spin on the retelling of the fairy tales into which Savannah is thrust. I personally found the prologue material (including the narrative from Chrissy, correspondence from her teachers, etc.) to be a little tedious even though it does provide some context, but I enjoyed the story once I got to the main narrative. I also liked the way that the story mixed some Middle Ages realism with various aspects of magic. I would recommend this to fantasy fans who enjoy slightly-twisted fairy tales, or stories about magic in the real world.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: The Prophecy, Dark Lord of Derkholm, The Frog Princess, or A Kiss in Time

Slayed by Amanda Marronne

Daphne Van Helsing comes from a long line of slayers, but she isn't happy about the family business. She'd much prefer a real home and an ordinary life to traveling around the country with her parents killing vampires. But something is different when they get to South Bristol, Maine; not only do the vampires seem stronger than usual, strange occurrences are plaguing the town. Meanwhile, her family is forced to work with the Harkers, a rival slayer father and son team. Between the bad blood between the families, the problems facing all of the slayers, and Daphne's inconvenient crush on Tyler Harker - among other complications - this job is shaping up to be anything but straightforward.

This book was a quick read and I enjoyed the story. The point of view provided a realistic aspect to the "romantic" profession of vampire slaying; the characters were relatable and had quite a bit of depth. Even though a lot of elements were introduced throughout the book, they were balanced well. I would recommend this book to older fantasy fans who enjoy stories about vampires and magic in the real world and who like a bit of romance.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Fairy Bad Day, the Dark Mirror series, Sweet Venom, or Young Warriors