Book Review: Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner

Liza lives in a world that has been ravaged because of a war between humans and fae.  Trees and other plants have a thirst for human blood, and during the night shadows that cut deeper than any thorn roam the land.  Humans live in constant fear of this magic, and when Liza's little sister is born with faerie pale hair and eyes, she is cast out to die before she can turn on her parents.  As if this isn't bad enough, Liza soon finds that she too has magic, and runs away before she can turn on her town.  A boy from Liza's town, Matthew, follows Liza and tells her that all children born after the war have magic, and not all magic is bad.  Matthew is proven right when he and Liza are taken to another town, and their lives are saved by Caleb and Allie, both of whom possess healing magic.  Soon, Liza, Matthew, and Allie are off on a quest to save Liza's mother from the remains of the Faerie realm.  Will they be in time to save Liza's mother?

I liked Janni Lee Simner's Bones of Faerie trilogy (Bones of Faerie, Faerie Winter, and Faerie After) for many reasons, including the rich and original plot and fantastic storytelling. I also liked Thief Eyes, in which Haley, a girl from Tucson, goes to Iceland following her mother's disappearance and becomes swept up in a spell cast by her many times great-grandmother Hallgerd.

Janni Lee Simner lives in Tucson, Arizona.  In addition to her books for teens, Janni has written a middle grade adventure story published under two titles: The Secret of the Three Treasures and Tiernay West, Professional Adventurer.  For more information about Janni, visit her website.

- Emily C.

Book Review: The Islands of Chaldea by Diana Wynne Jones

Aileen has failed her initiation as a Wise Woman, but she's still being sent on a quest to save The Islands of Chaldea by bringing down the transparent wall that blocks one of the four islands from the others and saving the captive prince held there.  She's not feeling up to the challenge, but when her famous Wise Woman aunt ends up under a curse, Aileen's going to have to make it work somehow.  Helped along by a odd crew, including a large pink cat that can turn invisible, a prophetic parrot, and a spoiled prince, she'll face the many plots against them and the evil magic worker behind it all.

I love that the animals have so much personality in this story.  And while you'll see some similarities between these islands and some real-life countries, the Islands of Chaldea are very much their own countries, filled with different magics and wonders.  This was the Godmother of Fantasy's last book and it had to be finished by Ursula Jones after Diana died.  Diana inspired countless children and adults alike with her books and she'll be missed.

~ Book Ninja

Tucson Festival of Books Teen Author Spotlight: Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater is a YA author who specializes in paranormal and urban fantasy. She has a gift for lyrical prose, and her books are always rich with atmosphere. Luckily for us Tucsonans, Ms. Stiefvater is going to be attending the Tucson Festival of Books! If you've never heard of her or are a die-hard fan looking for more of her work, there are a lot of good choices.

Ms. Stiefvater's first book was Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception. In it, Dierdre Monaghan is a painfully shy musical prodigy. She is also a cloverhand--a human who can see faeries. She and her best friend James are about to become embroiled in an ancient faerie war; there are two faerie assassins on their way to kill Dierdre before her music captures the Fae's attention. The story continues in the sequel, Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie, and involves Nuala, a deadly faerie muse.

The Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy is set in the icy winter of Minnesota. In Shiver, Grace has always been obsessed with the wolves that live in the forest behind her home. What she doesn't know, however, is that the wolves are actually werewolves, who turn human in the summer and wolf in the winter. One of the wolves, Sam, has loved Grace from afar for years, and a threat to the pack brings the two together. The story of Grace and Sam continues in Linger and is concluded in Forever.

Are You Going to Scarborough Fair...

I'll admit it. I frequently judge a book by its cover. In the case of Impossible by Nancy Werlin, the premise of the book combined with the cover was too irresistible a combination.

On her seventeenth birthday, Lucy discovers that she, like countless generations of women before her, is under an ancient curse placed by an elfin king. Now pregnant (part of the curse), she has until the baby is born to complete three impossible tasks. If she succeeds? She frees herself and her baby from the curse. If she fails? She descends into madness and the curse is passed to her unborn daughter.

Princeton and Faeries

In Enchanted Ivy, college entrance is even more daunting than average.  Lily desperately wants to attend Princeton, her grandfather's alma mater.  Then a secretive group of alumni offer her automatic entrance to Princeton if she can find the Ivy Key.  It turns out that Princeton has a door to the magical world of Faerie and the Ivy Key will let people travel between worlds.  Lily quickly learns that many magical beings are not very friendly, so it's good that there are two boys who are willing to help protect her.  Unfortunately they might each have their own agenda too. 

This story was a little slow to start, but turned into a lot of fun.  There was magic, mystery, and a little romance.  You know there is more going on than Lily is aware of, but it's hard to figure it out.  The storyline was creative, the characters were well developed, and the result was an enchanting read.