Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell, is a fantasy novel and the first in the Simon Snow trilogy. It's Simon Snow's last year at Watford School of Magicks and time is running out for him to defeat the Insidious Humdrum, whose goal is to destroy all magic in the United Kingdom. When Simon searches for his evil roommate, Baz Pitch, who fails to show up at school at the beginning of term, Simon discovers secrets that he was not meant to find out and that may threaten everything he knows about the World of Mages.
Harry goes to the Quidditch World Cup with Ron and Hermione, when a mysterious event happens there. He also dreams about his crush Cho Chang, but does not get a chance, as Edward Cullen takes his spot. A new event during school started and Harry was chosen as a competitor. Something mysterious happens as he did not put his name in. He just wants to be a normal wizard. But, because he is not a normal wizard, he goes through a different route through his fourth year of Hogwarts.
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo is the second book in the Shadow and Bone series. It’s a young adult/fantasy novel that was recently made into a Netflix show. The reader continues to follow Alina Starkov, a powerful summoner of light as she tries to evade the Darkling. The Darkling, a nearly immortal summoner of shadows, wants to use her to aid in his goal of ruling their country, Ravka.
When she was younger, Jude and her sisters were taken to a strange land, different from their earth. The High Courts of Faerie where different types of fey live. Though, her and her sisters were the only humans in this kingdom. The fey are not fond of humans and think of them as inferior. Jude wants to prove herself worthy and become a knight in the court. As she tries to make her way up, betrayal happens within the court, making it crumble. Jude uses deception and other tricks to work her way in which then leads to her having to create bonds with feys to keep her sisters, and herself.
Yadriel is a Blacksheep. His whole family brujos and brujas fit into their roles as spirit savers and healers respectfully. But Yadriel, a transgender boy, is stuck in the middle identifying as a brujo but being acknowledged as a bruja by most of his family. To prove he is a brujo, Yadriel appoints his cousin (the other Blacksheep of the family) in saving the day through the powers of the brujos. Yadriel succeeds in using the brujo powers but summons the wrong spirit. Instead of helping his family, he summoned the spirit of bad boy Julian...
When Alina Starkov is sought to have a special power, she is sent to a school for the magic to learn and train with the best of the best. During the process she encounters new acquaintances, romance, and plenty of secrets. This book was amazing! Bardugo does a fantastic job of world building; from the moment the book starts, you immediately feel like you are in the Grishaverse with Alina. The imagery the novel provided was spectacular, and I was hooked off the bat. The concept was very unique, and it made me that much more engaged.
Meet two rival magician assistants, Jack and Wilhelm. Jack works for the Enchantress, and Wilhelm works for Laszlo. During the Exposition, they both cross paths and form a secret romance. Does the romance between Jack and Wilhelm keep them together? Or does it fall apart? Read more to find out!
Shadow and Bone is a fantasy YA novel by Leigh Bardugo. The book centers around the main protagonist, Alina, as she discovers who she is and who she can trust. During her childhood, she lived in an orphanage with her best friend, Mal. As she’s tasked to cross the Fold with her group, she discovers something about herself that could potentially change the entire fate of the kingdom, for better or worse.
Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander is an example of a textbook someone would find at Hogwarts. It gives a history of magical creatures in the Harry Potter universe, as well as notes from Harry and his friends. Along with the history, it also gives specific information about the creatures within the magical world. Along with the information, it tells the reader how dangerous the creature is. Not to mention, information about Newt Scamander himself.
The sixth and final book in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, Last Sacrifice, was a great finale. Queen Tatianna is murdered, and Rose is framed by an unknown source; Rose, Lissa, and friends must figure out who framed Rose and find Lissa’s hidden half-sibling to make things right. This installment was much better than Spirit Bound; it took on more of an exciting and mysterious thriller quality than its predecessors, and Rose seemed more like her old self.
