Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Scarlett and Rosie March have always been close; after a werewolf kills their grandmother and leaves Scarlett with only one eye and extensive scars, they stick together even more. The sisters train to become hunters, spending their time luring and killing wolves to keep other girls safe, along with one of the woodsman's younger sons, Silas. Rosie feels tied to her sister, but she starts to wonder if there is more to life, even though Scarlett is content to devote herself to hunting. When they hear about the possibility that something big is developing in Atlanta, the three of them decide to temporarily move to the city. But each of them may find more there than they realized, including themselves.

This book alternates points of view between Scarlett and Rosie to help give a balanced picture of the events. It is easy to sympathize with both of the girls, even though they are extremely different. Some of the plot elements felt predictable, but the focus is on the character development and I still enjoyed reading it to find out what would happen. This book is a bit dark and bittersweet, but I would definitely recommend it to fantasy fans who enjoy those kinds of stories or retellings in the real world.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Black Pearls, Beauty and the Werewolf, Morganville Vampires, or A Tale Dark and Grimm

The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney

The first book in this series The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch introduces Tom Ward, a twelve year old boy who has just been apprenticed to the Spook. As the seventh son of a seventh son, Tom has a special awareness for creatures of the dark - which are what spooks fight against, keeping the County safe for ordinary people. The work is not for the faint hearted - he must quickly learn about ghosts, ghasts, and how to bind the different sorts of boggarts. Perhaps most importantly, Tom will have to learn who to trust and how to get himself out of some particularly difficult situations...

In the second book, Curse of the Bane, several months of Tom's apprenticeship have passed and he has learned a lot. But now he and his master have set out to rid Priestown of a particularly old and malevolent spirit called the Bane. Although the Bane is trapped in the catacombs beneath the main temple of Priestown, it has the ability to convince those outside to do its will. Tom is worried because the last time the Spook faced the Bane, he nearly died. To make matters worse, the Quisitor, a ranking official who will burn them both at the stake as 'warlocks' if he finds them, has just come to Priestown too. Taking care of the Bane and getting out of Priestown alive will require work and some particularly good luck.

The third book, Night of the Soul Stealer, explains what happens when they move to the Spook's winter home in Anglezarke. The 'dark' is closer there and Tom and his master have more than enough work. Their biggest problem, however, is the possibility that someone will try to release an ancient god of winter, Golgoth, and bring about the destruction of everything. Tom will need everything he's learned so far to make it through the winter alive.

These are great books. I'm not usually a fan of 'horror', but these novels venture into the 'dark' without getting too caught up in the suspense and attempts to startle readers. They seem to be geared more toward younger teens, but I think they're definitely at a level that older readers can appreciate as well - the plots are fairly complex and have a level of sophistication that make them unpredictable. There's quite a bit of good characterization in these books, although some characters still have unresolved issues/motives so that readers are not entirely sure what to make of them. I enjoyed reading them and I would absolutely recommend them to fantasy readers, particularly those who prefer the books that are more about the dark aspects of fantasy, but also anyone looking for an interesting series that isn't fluffy.


Notes:

Books 4 (Attack of the Fiend) and 5 (Wrath of the Bloodeye) are also published now, but I have not yet read them.

Since Delaney is a British author, these books were also published in the UK as the "Wardstone Chronicles" with the titles The Spook's Apprentice, The Spook's Curse, The Spook's Secret, The Spook's Battle, and The Spook's Mistake.

• If these books sound interesting, consider these: Keys to the Kingdom, Dark Lord of Derkholm, or Fablehaven

Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms

I am definitely a fan of Mercedes Lackey in general, but I truly enjoy her Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series. The premise is that all of the stories take place in a world where magic is ruled by the Tradition - which refers to common fairy tales. Daily life tends to take the shape of the fairy tales that the people tell. Note that although all of the stories are linked in some way, each one is written to be stand-alone. In fact, each story looks at different kingdoms which have different stories so every book has a unique voice, despite the fact that they are all in the same series.

The first, The Fairy Godmother tells the story of Elena Klovis, who was supposed to be a Cinderella. Unfortunately, however, her prince was still a child and so the Cinderella story could not be fulfilled. Instead, Elena gets the chance to become a fairy godmother and carry on the work of 'herding' the magic of the Tradition to keep evil from creeping in. As a godmother, Elena faces many challenges, most notably, a prince needing to be reformed. Godmothers always have something going on! I love this story because it's a unique look at fairy tales, and also because the story and characters are richly developed.

In the next story, One Good Knight, Princess Andromeda lives in a kingdom reminiscent of Greece. Her mother, Queen Andromeda has enough ambition for the whole of the kingdom, while Andromeda is rather bookish wishes that she could measure up to her mother's standards. Andromeda's life changes drastically, however, when her name is drawn in a lottery forcing her to be sacrificed to the dragon that has invaded their kingdom. I have to admit that this book doesn't feel quite as 'deep' and engaging as the first. However, the story and characters are just as unique and interesting. I would definitely recommend this book, particularly to book lovers who will empathize with the bibliophiles in the story.

The third, and newest installment, Fortune's Fool, looks at the Russian tradition. This story follows two characters: Prince Sasha Pieterovich, the seventh son in the kingdom of Led Belarus and Princess Ekaterina, the seventh daughter of the Sea King. As a Songweaver, Sasha keeps his kingdom safe by creating songs that reflect pleasant ways of life, and also by drawing on his extraordinary 'luck' by virtue of being the seventh son. Although few know it, Katya serves as her father's spy: as someone who can come and go as easily on land as in the sea, she is uniquely suited to scout out problems on land before they reach the sea kingdom. The two meet and fall in love, only to be separated when Katya is captured by a Jinn, leaving Sasha to find some way to get her back. This book definitely has the feel of the first - any lack of depth in the second is not present here. Once again, the book has a unique style reflecting the 'Tradition' of the kingdoms, and the characters and story are well developed and fun to read.

These are some of the most creative books I have read - drawing on 'traditions' and fairy tales, but also turning them around to make completely different stories. Mercedes Lackey creates life-like characters and intriguing story lines. I definitely recommend all of these books to fantasy readers.

For more information about the author and her books, check out her website.

• If these books sound interesting, consider these: Cecelia and Kate, Wicked Lovely, or Black Pearls