The Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking

In the first book, Switched, Wendy Everly has had a complicated life -- her mother tried to kill her on her sixth birthday, claiming that Wendy was not her child -- but now she is seventeen and has just moved to a new town with her aunt and brother. Just when she starts to think that she could settle in to an ordinary senior year of high school, she meets Finn Holmes, an odd boy who spends most of his time staring at her. Finn tells Wendy that she is actually a changeling, switched at birth, and now he's going to take her home to meet her real family.

The series continues in Torn and Ascend. Wendy learns more about her family and the world of the Trylle.

Overall, this series was engaging and a fairly quick read. It started a little slow and I found some of the love-triangle drama in the second and third books to be a bit tedious. However, the characters are well developed and the concept of changelings in the modern world is certainly an interesting twist. I would recommend this to older fantasy who enjoy stories in the real world with a bit of romance.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Wicked Lovely, Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, Me, My Elf, and I, or Radiant Darkness

Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley

When Isabel's mother dies in childbirth, she is sent to a nearby village to live with a wet nurse in the family of a blacksmith. She grows up as a peasant girl, although she is friends with Prince Julian who lives at the village castle since Beatrice, Bella's adoptive mother, was his wet nurse as well. Meanwhile, their country has been at war with a neighboring country for nearly one hundred years, wreaking havoc on the lives of all the citizens. But when Bella is thirteen, everything falls apart: she finds out that her father is a knight in the city who has just remarried and decided to bring her home, away from the only family she has ever known. Unfortunately, her "new" family is not any more excited to see her and life is complicated for everyone. It will take courage, ingenuity, and a little bit of magic to make everything come out right again.

Although this is an unusual retelling of Cinderella, it felt a little dry to me, and not much like a fairy tale at the end (though several Cinderella elements were there). The story is told from several different points of view, which helps to understand all of the characters involved and the plot is unpredictable enough to stay interesting. I would recommend this book to fantasy fans that enjoy books that are a little serious.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Aurelie, Beauty, The Other Book, or Warbreaker

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

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

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt

You know you've got your hands on a great book when you just mean to read the first page at the library and end up cross-legged in the stacks, intent on finishing it. This is one of those can't-put-it-down kind of books.

Keturah is the village beauty and a great storyteller. One day she follows a magical hart into the forest. She gets lost for three days. She is supposed to die. When Lord Death meets the lovely girl, however, he finds himself making a bargain with her. She may keep her life if she finds her one true love within the time allowed.

This is a romance, no way around it. And generally, I'm not super crazy about romances. But this book is engrossing. Keturah is interesting to follow and the character of Lord Death is mysterious and alluring. The story is full of fantasy, character interaction and displays the fears of dying any fifteen year old girl likely possess. Additionally, the story is not long by any means; at barely 200 pages most readers can finish the book in an afternoon. Of course, most readers will know what the ending is within the first twenty pages, but I found that knowing this made the story no less enjoyable to me.

If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Ella Enchanted, The Fairy Godmother or Magic Under Glass.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

When a royal messenger unexpectedly arrives in fourteen-year-old Miri’s isolated mountain village and announces that the nation’s crown prince will marry one of the village girls, a “princess academy” is established outside the village to train every possible future princess—even though the mountain peopleare frequently thought of as uneducated and generally not as cultured as “lowlanders.” Attendance is mandatory for all girls of marrying age and at the end of the year, the prince himself will come to the academy to choose his wife.

For Miri, a delicate girl who has never been permitted to work in the stone quarry that provides the town with its yearly income, this is a chance make her father proud. At the academy, Miri makes new friends and together, the girls weather the hardships of prejudice and feelings of isolation.

Give me a book by Shannon Hale and I’ll devour it cover to cover. As expected, I really enjoyed this story. While you will not find as many magical or fantastic elements in Princess Academy the story is engaging and the reader will easily find herself empathizing with Miri and her classmates.

I would recommend this book to readers that enjoy a strong female lead or stories about oppressed peoples gaining respect in society. Though Princess Academy is based in a rugged, cold mountain setting, Hale has created a world that left me wanting to discover more about the cultures and people she has imagined.

Princess Academy has earned several awards including a 2006 Newberry Honor Award.

Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

Nimira is a "trouser girl" who works as a singer in a music hall for little money and even less respect. When Hollin Parry, a mysterious sorcerer, offers her a position singing to accompany a piano-playing automaton, Nimira decides to take a chance for better luck. When Nimira gets to Parry's country estate, however, nothing is quite what it seems. Parry attempts to build a tentative romance with Nimira even though he has never gotten over the death of his wife - who may not actually be dead, after all. The automaton is rumored to be "haunted" and Nimira begins to suspect that there may be some truth to the gossip. Meanwhile, all of the rumors are part of larger political problems and Nimira wonders if she'll be able to find happiness after all.


This story was interesting and engaging although it did feel rather familiar. The main plot is almost identical to Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, retold in a fantasy world, although it does take a completely different direction somewhere around the middle. Nimira's character is fairly well developed and it's easy to sympathize with her, even though some of the other characters did not seem quite as deep. I was definitely curious to see what direction the story would take at the end of the book, and there did seem to be a definite set up for a sequel, though nothing has been said about one yet that I know of. I would recommend this to fantasy fans looking for something quick and slightly less fluffy, particularly if you want a story about romance.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Cecilia and Kate, Bewitching Season, A Posse of Princesses, or Reserved for the Cat

Anatopsis by Chris Abouzeid

Princess Anatopsis and Prince Barnaby come from rival Magical families. In the last year before the final wizard tests, a demigod tutor, Mr. Pound, insists that the two study together - a traditional requirement that has been enforced for generations. Ana and her human companion, Clarissa, and Barnaby with his dog, Uno, get off to a rocky start. Complicating matters is that neither Ana nor Barnaby wishes to inherit their family corporations. But, more importantly, they discover that Mr. Pound's requirements are part of a larger plan and hidden agenda which threatens the world as they know it. Resentments, personal preferences, and frustrations must all be put aside if everything is to be set to rights - and there are no guarantees for a happy ending.


I expected this book to be rather fluffy, but instead, this book is fairly serious, creating a fantastical alternate reality that explores human nature, dreams, discrimination, and sacrifice. Some of the plot points seemed a little more convoluted than necessary and a bit confusing at times, but overall, the issues within the story definitely come through. The main characters are well-developed and identifiable, though I did not always find it easy to sympathize with them. In general = if you're looking for a light-hearted book with a satisfying ending, this is not the one to pick up. Fantasy fans - particularly older teens - who are looking for something more thought-provoking or serious may consider trying this one out.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Princess Academy, Poison, Fablehaven, or The Abhorson Trilogy