fantasy

‘Once There Was’ by Kiyash Monsef is a beautiful and compelling young adult fantasy

/ Pamela Kramer / 1 Comment

Instead of “Once upon a time…” the fairy tales that we read in Kiyash Monsef’s wonderful fantasy novel “Once There Was” begin with different words. When the main character Marjan’s father, who was from Iran, told her the childhood tales about mythical creatures, he started the stories with “Once was, once wasn’t…” The first story is about a trapped unicorn saved by a young girl; that encounter changes the young girl and the lives of some of her descendants. We learn that Marjan is one of those who descended from that girl.

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‘Inheritance’ by Nora Roberts is the first in her new ‘The Lost Bride’ trilogy

/ Pamela Kramer

There’s a reason Nora Roberts is one of the most beloved authors of women’s fiction, and her newest release is “Inheritance,” the first in The Lost Bride trilogy. The story begins about 200 years ago with the prologue, where a newly married Poole bride is brutally murdered shortly after her wedding. The narrative then moves. to the present and we meet main character Sonya MacTavish. She is about to find out that her fiancé is cheating on her. She provides clues that the guy she’s marrying is definitely no Prince Charming, so it’s actually a relief when she finds proof that he’s not the guy she wants to spend the rest of her life with.

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‘Beaky Barnes and the Devious Duck’ by David Ezra Stein is clever, funny, and filled with life lessons

/ Pamela Kramer

Usually I prefer to review picture books as a group, but my grandson loved “Beaky Barnes and the Devious Duck” by Caldecott Honor winner David Ezra Stein so much that he insisted on taking it home with him after reading it. When I asked him specifically what he loved about it, he said that it’s just really excellent. But he (and his grandfather) loved the humor. They loved the sneaky acts and the deviousness. They loved the characters. And they loved the plot.

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‘Mixed Up’ by Gordon Korman is another brilliant middle grade novel: how important are our memories? (Discussion questions included)

/ Pamela Kramer

“Mixed Up” is a typical Gordon Korman novel; typical because it’s both very accessible and very brilliant. Korman’s books are legendary (among teachers and students) because they are almost unique in their ability to provide a plot that moves rapidly with plenty of action, yet at the same time offer us thoughtful issues to consider — in every story. His newest release accomplishes all that.

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‘The Enchanted Hacienda’ by J. C. Cervantes is a charming and beautiful fantasy

/ Pamela Kramer

Summer flowers are magical, and in “The Enchanted Hacienda,” J. C. Cervantes makes that idea a reality. The Estrada women have magic running through their veins, and that magic is most apparent at their flower farm in Mexico, where they grow flowers that are “just” beautiful and flowers that perform beautiful magic. Their gift originated with an Aztec goddess named Mayahuel, who promised that if they would carry out her legacy, each of their female descendants would be blessed with the power to “grow mystical flowers, create enchantments, and to forever protect love, passion, and beauty.”

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‘The Poisoner’s Ring’ by Kelley Armstrong is the second in her time-travel mystery series

/ Pamela Kramer / 1 Comment

In Kelley Armstrong’s second book of the “Rip Through Time” series, we see that Mallory Atkinson is still adjusting to being thrust back in time to 1869. In the current time, she had been a homicide detective in Canada, but somehow went back in time while visiting her ailing grandmother in Edinburgh. Luckily, she ended up in the body of a maid who worked for an unusual family, the head of which is interested in crimes and who runs a funeral business. His sister is a chemist with whom Mallory has become friends.

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‘Heir of Uncertain Magic’ by Charlie N. Holmberg is the second book in the delightfully fantasy-filled ‘Whimbrel House’ series

/ Pamela Kramer

Author Charlie N. Holmberg writes a lot of fantasy, and her latest novel, “Heir of Uncertain Magic” is the sequel to “Keeper of Enchanted Rooms,” the first book in the “Whimbrel House” series. Unfortunately, neither title gives even a hint of the delightful character of this magic-filled series about two fairly tortured souls in search of some stability and in desperate need of some love in their lives. We meet those two, Merritt Fernsby and Hulda Larkin, in the first book as Merritt inherits a magical house, and Hulda is sent to help him figure out how to control the magic of the house. It’s filled with action, danger, and some truly heart-wrenching moments.

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‘The Unforgettable Logan Foster and the Shadow of Doubt’ by Shawn Peters is a thoughtful fantasy middle grade novel

/ Pamela Kramer

In his second book in the Logan Foster series, “The Unforgettable Logan Foster and the Shadow of Doubt,” author Shawn Peters asks readers to consider the power of actual strength, as in super strength, versus the power of the mind. The main character, Logan Foster, starts his narrative by explaining that while he is “a twelve-year-old orphan living on the Westside of Lost Angeles,” he’s halfway through high school because he has an eidetic memory. He tells us, “I’ve retained every word, sound, and image that I’ve seen or heard since I was three.” He also makes it clear that he is writing this narrative for his younger brother, whom he is hoping to find and with whom he hopes to be reunited.

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‘Sleep No More’ is the first in a new paranormal trilogy by Jayne Ann Krentz

/ Pamela Kramer

We know what we are going to get when we read a romance/mystery by Jayne Ann Krentz, and her newest novel in a new trilogy, “Sleep No More,” doesn’t disappoint. Krentz is the master at writing suspenseful mysteries that, at their core, are also very much about attraction and romance. We keep reading her novels because of the way she brings new characters, new situations, and new mystery into each new piece.

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‘The Midnighters’ by Hana Tooke is a delightful middle grade historical fiction romp with a soupçon of the supernatural

/ Pamela Kramer

Many children know the feeling of not fitting in and in “The Midnighters,” author Hana Tooke explores that feeling through her main character, Ema, whose fantastic, incredibly dangerous journey in this novel finally leads to her finding acceptance and respect. Ema was born into a family of scientists, and while she absorbed much of their knowledge, she didn’t feel their passion. What she felt instead was dread, and that feeling made her feel different than the rest of her siblings and her parents. She seemed to know when bad things were going to happen, and the number twelve was an especially dangerous number in her eyes.

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