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

The Plague by Joanne Dahme

Fifteen year-old Nell is the spitting image of Princess Joan. With her parents dead of plague, Nell takes the job of royal body double to feed herself and her younger brother, George. And for a while, everything seems wonderful. The princess is kind, Nell learns how to read, George is happy. And then, on a trip to marry Princess Joan to the prince of Spain, everything goes horribly wrong. Add in an evil Prince, the plague, a crime, and an army of unholy rats and poor Nell and her brother are in for a terrible journey home.

This book was certainly interesting at the story's start. Real world historical events are twisted and warped with sorcery to make a nasty villain. While reading, I did find myself wishing that the author had chosen to make such and such happen or that parts of the story were changed. The beginning of the book is really interesting and effectively captivates the reader but then, it falls flat. My attention wavered and in a book with just over 250 pages, this is not a good thing. Sometimes, I even lost what was happening in the story. I was saying "Wait...when did THAT happen?!"a lot. I did finish the book and the ending was hugely unsatisfying for me. I felt a little bit irritated that after 200 pages, nothing happened.

As I said, the beginning was really interesting; the book started with a great idea and I think this book could have been fascinating but as it was, it was not a book I was really glad I had read.

Nevertheless, if this book sounds interesting, consider these: The Magic and the Healing or Bewitching Season.

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.

Cloaked by Alex Flinn

Johnny works at a shoe repair shop in an upscale Florida hotel, where he knows all of the staff and is best friends with Meg, who works at the hotel's cafe. He works as many hours as possible to help his mom pay the bills but his fondest wish is that he could have enough money to create the shoes that he designs in his spare time. When he catches the attention of an idiosyncratic princess staying at the hotel, he agrees to help her, even though has no idea that he'll end up on a fairy-tale adventure, complete with talking animals, magical objects, and quest-like tasks - not to mention witches and plenty of danger. Assuming that Johnny can keep his promise (and survive to tell about it), he just might discover things about his life and himself.

I enjoyed reading this book very much. The characters are well-developed and the plot takes a couple of interesting twists even though parts of it are easy to predict - particularly for fans of fairy tale re-tellings. Despite that, this book actually draws on a wide range of fairy tale traditions (including quite a few lesser-known stories that I was unfamiliar with) and weaves them all together into an almost-believable modern-day story. This is definitely a book to pick up if you're looking for something fun, a little off the norm, or if you love reading re-tellings of fairy tales.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: The Dragon Princess, The Two Princesses of Bamarre, or The Prophecy

The Moorchild by Eloise McGraw

Saaski is a changeling. Her adopted human parents, Anwara and Yanno love her but find her (as most of the village does) a little bit odd. Saaski's appearance is unusual, she does not act as a human child should and she has a love for the wild lands of the moor above the sleepy village; a place described by villagers as filled with "eldritch" happenings and mischief.

Tormented daily by the other village children and feeling just as "freaky-odd" as they call her, Saaski belongs neither with the human villagers or with the elves that swapped her for Anwara's true human child. As the story progresses, Saaski struggles to find some measure of peace with her human family. When a traveling tinkerer and his young ward stumble into town, Saaski begins to discover who she truly is and where she came from.

I love this book and believe all young readers should give it a try. It is one of the few books that I have had to purchase because I reread and reread this story. This is a story about a young girl who feels very alone in a world that she finds incredibly dull. I was emotionally vested in this story and even found some parts of this story hard to read as McGraw describes the terrible injustices done to Saaski through fear of the unknown. This book is at times, heartwarming and at others, heartbreaking but always enthralling. The story is heavily steeped in Irish folklore about fairies and changelings for the reader interested in European mythology.

The Moorchild was awarded the Newbery Honor in 1997.

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.

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

Hallandren and Idris are two countries on the brink of war. As a means of promoting peace, young princess Siri is sent to marry the God King who rules Hallandren. Siri must learn to deal with the radical change in belief and culture as her people eschew the magic used by Hallandrens. Her sister Vivenna (previously betrothed to the God King) has to come to terms with her own purpose in life and becomes entangled in politics as she attempts to work for the good of the Idrian people. Meanwhile, other characters are caught up in the social and political maneuverings including Lightsong, one of the reborn gods that live in T'Telir, and Vasher, a mysterious figure who carries a bloodthirsty, sentient sword (Nightblood) and who wields magical Breath in his own pursuits. With hostilities becoming more and more of a potential reality, all of the characters will have to find a way to save those they love.


I thought this book started a little slowly, but once I got into the story, it was very interesting. The concept and world-building in this story are certainly novel and well-done and the characters are all well-developed also. The plot is fairly complex and includes quite a bit of political intrigue and secrets, for readers who enjoy that kind of storyline. The ending does a great job of wrapping up all of the salient points, although I was curious about what happens to some of the characters afterwards (so far as I know, this book is a stand-alone without sequels). I would recommend this to fantasy readers who are looking for something with a lot of depth and development rather than a quick, fluffy read, or who enjoy books with a lot of characters and complexity.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Abhorsen Trilogy, Lady in Gil, The Soprano Sorceress, or Spirit Fox

Daughter of the Flames by Zoe Marriott

Badly burned and orphaned by fires when she was young, Zira has been raised in a temple where she has been training to become a warrior priestess and protect the faith of her people, the Ruan. The invading forces of the Sedorne people have oppressed and terrorized the Ruan people since the day of the fires, and Zira longs to fight back and free her country. But now, as she turns sixteen, Zira finds that she may get her wish, but that it will be a long and difficult road as she discovers who she truly is and looks for the strength to work with her enemy to end the oppression for all.

This was an interesting book and the plot takes several turns as Zira learns what it means to grow up and to become a leader. I enjoyed finding out where the story would go and the characters were written very realistically. I would recommend this to fantasy readers who like books with strong female characters.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: A Posse of Princesses, Rampant, or Song of the Lioness Quartet

Once Upon a Time Series

• Belle: A Retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" by Cameron Dokey - Belle (Annabelle Evangeline Delaurier) is the youngest of three daughters; her sisters are named Celestial Heavens (Celeste) and April Dawn. Belle often feels as though she cannot quite live up to the expectations of her name the way that her sisters have been able to, and takes solace in non-feminine pursuits, like wood carving. When the family fortune turns south, they pack up and move to a small country cottage on the other side of "the Wood." According to stories, a unique tree, the Heartwood Tree, is at the heart of the Wood, waiting for someone with the skill to carve its wood and reveal the face of true love. When Belle's father meets a fierce Beast at the heart of the Wood, he realizes that the story may not be all fable - and now Belle will have to use her skills to unlock the secrets before time runs out.
  
  
  
• The Crimson Thread: A Retelling of "Rumpelstiltskin" by Suzanne Weyn - Bridget O'Malley and her family have just moved to New York in 1880 to escape the famine in Ireland and find a better life. But it turns out that life is just as difficult in New York, forcing them to change their names and take whatever they can get to remain afloat. Bridget (now Bertie) gets a job as a seamstress working for a textile tycoon thanks to her father's over-inflated description of her skills. When an ordering glitch threatens the entire company, Bertie recklessly claims that she can salvage it - and she manages to do it with the help of Ray Stalls, a mysterious neighbor who spins straw into the cloth to make it look as though it is spun from gold. As a joke, Bertie offers her firstborn child to him, since she has no other payment, but then it looks as though he might have taken her at her word...
  
  
  
• The Storyteller's Daughter by Cameron Dokey - In this retelling of The Arabian Nights, two brothers (both kings) are betrayed by those they love, leaving them bitter and searching for vengeance. When one of the kings threatens to kill the young women one-by-one unless someone agrees to marry him, everyone is relieved when Shahrazad chooses to risk her own life and wed the king. Now she has a plan to save herself, the other women of the kingdom, and the king himself but other plots threaten to ruin her hard work. Now she will need to use all of her storytelling skills, and her wisdom to save the kingdom which she has come to love as much as the king.
  
  

Generally, I'm a fan of retellings. The books in this series are always quick reads that give a new and interesting voice to the fairy tales. Belle is similar to some other retellings of Beauty and the Beast, but gives a different twist to the story, even as often as it's been re-written. The Crimson Thread gives a realistic, real-world interpretation of Rumpelstiltskin similar to other historic stories told about this time period. The Storyteller's Daughter takes the story of Shahrazad and adds a touch of magic and romance. Overall, I would recommend The Crimson Thread to fans of historic fantasy, and any of these books to fantasy fans looking for something quick or who love reading old tales retold in new ways.


Other titles in the Once Upon a Time series include:

• Beauty Sleep; Before Midnight; Golden; Sunlight and Shandow; Wild Orchid; and Winter's Child by Cameron Dokey


• The Rose Bride by Nancy Holder


• Snow by Tracy Lynn


• Midnight Pearls and Violet Eyes by Debbie Viguié


• The Diamond Secret; The Night Dance; and Water Song by Suzanne Weyn

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: The Two Princesses of Bamarre, Cecelia and Kate, The Prophecy, or Once Upon a Marigold

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

In this sequel to The Summoning, Chloe finds herself locked up by the Edison Group with several others of her housemates from Lyle House (a group home for "troubled" teens). Chloe (a necromancer who can summon ghosts) is finding out new things about herself and the Group's experiments every day, but unfortunately, she doesn't have many options. When she and Tori (a witch) manage to escape and meet up with some other friends (Simon, a sorcerer, and Derek, a werewolf), they realized that their adventures - and problems - have just begun.


I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than the first one. Once the story picked up, it was much more engaging and there was more character development than the first book really addressed. Honestly, I would suggest skipping The Summoning (you only miss a few minor details) or making sure that you have both of them so that you can go straight on to the second. I would recommend this series to fantasy fans who enjoy books that take place in the real world and are less about "magic" and more about the supernatural elements.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Wicked Lovely, Swoon, Gifted: Out of Sight, Out of Mind, or Dragonhaven

How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

In New Avalon, everyone has tiny, invisible fairies. Charlie's friend, Rochelle has a shopping fairy (one of the more useful sorts) and their hated enemy, Fiorenze has an all-the-boys-like-you fairy. Either of these would be better than Charlie's parking fairy. Since she is only fourteen and can't drive, Charlie's fairy is only good for turning her into everyone's favorite passenger and she's tired of it. But Charlie has a Plan to get rid of her fairy and get a better one. Unfortunately, things aren't going so well and it might require some unexpected allies (and dangerous situations) to get rid of the parking fairy for good.


This book was amusing and somewhat unpredictable. It took a few chapters for me to get used to the slang (which seems to be a mix of American and Australian words, and possibly some that are only used in the world of New Avalon), but once I got oriented, the story was very easy to follow. Even though this story isn't set in the "real world" it would appeal to readers who enjoy books like Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging since it has that same kind of tone and story. Generally, I would recommend this to fantasy fans looking for something a little bit fluffy with a "chick lit" feel.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Gifted: Out of Sight, Out of Mind, Beastly, or Magic Can Be Murder

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

Morganville Vampires Series by Rachel Caine

Claire Danvers really wanted to go to MIT, but since she's only sixteen, her parents have decided that it would be better for her to go to a small, local college instead. Unfortunately, Texas Prairie University in Morganville, Texas leaves a lot to be desired. A bad experience in the dorms leads Claire to look at off-campus housing, ending up with roommates Michael, Eve, and Shane. But that's when things get even more complicated: Morganville is run by vampires. Claire isn't willing to stand idly by, which means that soon she is in the thick of vampire-human relationship issues, dragging her new friends along with her.

The current books in the series are: Glass Houses, The Dead Girls' Dance, Midnight Alley, Feast of Fools, Lord of Misrule, Carpe Corpus, and Fade Out. (The first two books were also published in a single volume titled The Morganville Vampires.)


These books were fast-paced and highly addicted. They're slightly more fluffy than some vampire books, but less fluffy than I expected. The main characters are well-developed and the plot is not entirely predictable. One of the things that I like best about these books is that the characters and dialogue feel very realistic. I would definitely recommend this series to older teens who are looking for books about vampires or something set in the real world full of life-or-death fantasy situations.


**Note: Book 8, Kiss of Death, is supposed to be released April 27, 2010; Book 9, Ghost Town is set to come out in November.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Wicked Lovely, Fablehaven, or Tantalize

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