You will find it hard to put down Lovely War by Julie Berry! The book is a combination of historical fiction and myth. The Greek gods Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Ares, Hades, and Apollo appear in the 1940s, as Aphrodite is found secretly meeting with her lover Ares. Stalling for time, Aphrodite recounts what she calls “the love story of the century.” The gods interrupt each other and talk over each other to jointly tell the World War I story of two couples: Hazel and James, and Collette and Aubrey.
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan is a coming-of-age story that follows teenager Leigh Chen Sanders as she deals with the aftermath of her mother’s suicide. Shortly after her mother’s death, Leigh believes that she has been visited by her mother- in the form of a bird. She is convinced that she will be able to see her once again if she journeys to Taiwan to meet her grandparents.
All sixteen-year-old Siria has ever known is darkness. Years ago, the esteemed Queen Iyzabel veiled the kingdom of Terra-Volat in it because the light was too dangerous, becoming a hero to the people. Black hair and pale skin became the popular fashion, and even a slight curiosity in the old days of light is illegal. But Siria, with her flaming red hair and fascination with the sun, has always been considered an oddity, much to the dismay of her parents.
At 40 years old, Linus Baker is a quiet, simple man who lives a solitary, uneventful life. Every morning he goes to the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, where he works as a Case Worker writing report after report, either encouraging or discouraging the continuation of orphanages that serve as homes to children with magical abilities. In the evening, he returns to his tiny house, which is situated in the midst of hundreds of the same identically tiny houses. Rinse. Repeat. Rinse. Repeat.
Adelina Amoutera, the White Wolf, has suffered greatly. Her mother? Dead. Her horrible father? Killed by her. Her so-called-friends? Betrayed her. Her sister? Alive, and fleeing Kennetra with Adelina. On a path of revenge, she unites other Young Elites to rid the Inquisition Axis, who killed her love and almost her. Terena Santora, leader of the Inquisition, is hunting her down. The Dagger Society, her former friends? Hunting her down. It’s only a matter of time before she gets caught. However, Adelina is a master of illusions.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black is one of my all-time favorites. Jude Duarte and her siblings were stolen by her mother’s ex-husband, after he murdered her parents. Being brought to Faerie land, she learns to adapt to her life despite how unfair it is to humans. Cardan Greenbriar, her furious classmate and faerie prince, sets out to destroy her dreams of knighthood. Jude Duarte soon gets wrapped into the political intrigue of the court and discovers something better and more dangerous than becoming a knight.
After accidentally killing a toddler, seventeen-year-old Juliette has spent the last 264 days locked up. Juliette's touch is fatal. Even though she kills anyone she touches, she does not want to hurt anyone. Shortly before Juliette gets locked up, the Reestablishment takes over. They told everyone that they were going to save the world. They gave them false hope. Even with everything going on in the world, Juliette does not see it. Not until another person comes into her cell.
Juliette was born with a strange power. A strange curse. A strange gift. Her touch kills, which leads her to live a large portion of her life in solitary confinement. Outside her cell, the dystopian world is faced with a dead ozone layer, fascist governments, and constant dilemmas. One day Adam, a boy that reminds her of her childhood crush, starts to live with her in the cell. After a series of events she is held hostage by Warner, the son of The Reestablishment’s leader. She is faced with the two outcomes: become a weapon, or fight back.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is an exotic and lovable fantasy novel by J.K. Rowling. This book is about a prisoner named Sirius Black who escaped Azkaban (wizarding prison). Everyone believes that Sirius is after Harry because they think Sirius was under Voldemort. Harry, Ron, and Hermione find out what Sirius black was after. I love the way Sirius and Harry get along after they find out the truth after Harry’s parents’ deaths.
A retelling of the Goose Girl, Khanani introduces us to Princess Alyrra who is soon to be betrothed to the Crown Prince Kestrin. She travels to his kingdom with her handmaiden where the Lady, a fae folk, switches their appearances and uses this to capture Kestrin. Distraught, Alyrra has to warn him of the fake princess and the soon coming danger to his life. She soon realizes that he’s aware of this, and Alyrra comes to accept her new life. She takes on the position of a goose girl and the new name of Thorn.
