Red Queen is a fantasy novel by Victoria Aveyard. It is the first novel in the Red Queen series. The book follows Mare, a girl who lives in a world which is divided by the color of blood. Mare is a Red, meaning she is a commoner and lacks the superpowers of the noble Silvers. However, Mare discovers that she has powers of her own while working at the castle and is declared a princess, putting her into a dangerous game between Reds and Silvers.
Inkheart is a fantasy novel by Cornelia Funke. It is the first novel in the Inkworld series. It follows a young girl named Meggie, whose father has the ability to bring characters from books into the real world just by reading aloud. However, this ability takes a turn when a villainous ruler is read out of the book. Together, they must use their magic to defeat evil. This novel is perfect for book lovers. The main character, Meggie, is an avid reader and the entire novel centers around reading and imagination.
Summary: Rin was a war orphan living in a poor town in Nikan (based on China) when she aced the Keju, the test to find the most talented children across the country to study at the academies. She goes to Sinegard, the most elite school in all of Nikan. There, she is hated by her classmates for her poverty and dark skin. But then she discovers that she has powers that may be able to stop Nikan’s enemy, the Federation of Mugen (based on Japan). Her powers may be the only thing that can save her people, but she fears that she might lose herself in the process.
Summary: Celaena Sardothien, the world’s most famous assassin, was betrayed and forced to work as a slave in the salt mines of Endovier. Now, the King of Adarlan has offered her a chance at freedom: fight in his competition against twenty-three other assassins, mercenaries, and soldiers, and be the last one left. But in the middle of the competition, when her competitors start dropping one-by-one with mysterious symbols written across their bodies, she learns there is something dark happening behind the scenes.
A Discovery of Witches tells the story of Diana, the last of the powerful Bishop witches, who wants nothing to do with magic. Instead she chooses to study alchemy at Oxford. When she finds an enchanted manuscript during her research, daemons, witches, and vampires are drawn to Diana and the power the manuscript could bring. Among those looking for Diana and the manuscript is Matthew Clairmont, a vampire interested both in the manuscript and Diana herself.
Crooked Kingdom is a fantasy novel written by Leigh Bardugo. It is the second novel in the Six of Crows duology. After being double crossed, Kaz Brekker and his crew are faced with new enemies as more powerful forces search for the dangerous drug, jurda parem.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a novel with elements of historical fiction and magical realism. Addie is a young woman, born in sixteenth-century France. She hates the life set out for her: never leaving the village, never seeing anything new. She refuses to resign herself to a life of marriage and children; on her wedding night, she takes a risk. By praying to the old gods who answer after dark, she falls under a curse to be forgotten forever unless she agrees to give up her soul.
Splinters of Scarlet is a loving and action-filled fictional novel by Emily Bain Murphy. This book is about an orphaned girl named Marit who can sew with magic. Eve, Marit’s friend, gets adopted by her idol, Helene Vestergaard. Marit befriends Liljan and her brother Jacob. Marit finds out that Philip Vestergaard is killing people for their magical blood and making the jewels instead of mining for them.
The Polar Express is a wonderful Christmas movie for children. It is about finding Christmas spirit. The main characters are taken on a magical train to the North Pole where they are put up against difficult challenges on the way to get there. When they finally make it to the North Pole they are able to discover real Christmas spirit within themselves and the ones around them. I think that this movie is great for young children around Christmas time, or even as a Christmas Eve family movie.
