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"So...is it nice being a book? 'When I am being held and read by someone nice, it is,' she replied." ~ from Trudi Canavan's Thief's Magic
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New and Recently Released!
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| Thief's Magic by Trudi CanavanEpic Fantasy. While excavating an ancient tomb, archaeologist-scholar Tyen Ironsmelter discovers a sentient book named Vella, created by a sorcerer from the body of a living woman. Although he knows he should turn Vella over to the Academy, lest she -- and the knowledge she holds -- fall into the wrong hands, Tyen is reluctant to give up his new companion. In a parallel storyline, a young woman named Rielle Lazuli defies both her family's wishes and the law of the land to develop her innate, illicit magical powers instead of submitting to an arranged marriage and a comfortable, if dull life. Set in two very different worlds -- one an industrialized society powered by magic, the other a theocracy ruled by priests and angels -- Thief's Magic kicks off a new series by the author of the Black Magician Trilogy. |
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| The Merchant Emperor by Elizabeth HaydonEpic Fantasy. Picking up where The Assassin King left off, this 7th book in of the Symphony of Ages series finds Skysinger Rhapsody and her half-dragon consort Ashe, leaders of the Cymrian Alliance, preparing for war against the demons of F'dor. At the same time, they must go to extreme lengths to protect their son, Meridion -- the prophesied Child of Time -- from enemies who would use him to increase their own power. Due to the series' sizable cast, extensive world-building, and intricate plotting, newcomers will want to start at the very beginning with Rhapsody: Child of Blood. |
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| Shattered: The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin HearneUrban Fantasy. With most of the Tuatha de Danaan out to kill him (but, really, what else is new?), near-immortal Irish druid Atticus O'Sullivan seeks the assistance of his old master, whom he's just released from a 2,000-year-long "slow time" sleep in Tír na nÓg. Alas, it's going to take more than a pair of druids to take on a pantheon of gods -- and, unfortunately for Atticus, his apprentice Granuaile is currently abroad and unable to help. Fast-paced, action-packed, and darkly humorous, Shattered is the 7th installment of the Iron Druid Chronicles, which begins with Hounded. |
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| Hot Lead, Cold Iron: A Mick Oberon Job by Ari MarmellNoir Fantasy. Having walked away from his former role as a fae prince, Mick Oberon now works as a private eye in 1930s Chicago, making him uniquely qualified to track down a mobster's missing daughter -- who's "missing" in the sense that she was replaced by a changeling 16 years ago. Mick's cold case heats up quickly as his search takes him to the Otherworld, where he must confront his past and strike a dangerous bargain with high-ranking members of the Seelie Court. For more hardboiled noir fantasy, check out Chris F. Holm's Collector series (beginning with Dead Harvest) or Ian Tregillis' Something More Than Night. |
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| My Real Children by Jo WaltonFantasy. Ninety-year-old Patricia Cowan has two sets of memories, not to mention two different families who come to visit her in the nursing home (where her room sometimes has navy blue curtains, sometimes pale green blinds). Although her caregivers believe that she suffers from dementia, Patricia suspects that her life decisions may, in fact, have changed history and created two distinct, branching timelines. In one reality, "Trish" becomes an unhappily married mother of four with an abiding interest in local politics; in the other, "Pat" becomes a writer, finding love and happiness with a woman named Bee. Which world, if any, is "real" -- and does it even matter? For another bittersweet, thought-provoking novel that examines the global effects of one woman's personal choices, try Kate Atkinson's Life After Life. |
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Focus on: Strong Female Leads
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| This Case is Gonna Kill Me by Phillipa BornikovaUrban Fantasy. To survive in a world ruled by vampires, werewolves, and elves, a human woman has no choice but to ally herself with the so-called Powers. When recent law-school graduate Linnet Ellery joins a prestigious "white fang" (vampire-run) firm, she's assigned to a quagmire of a probate case that seems destined to remain in arbitration for years -- until she and her partners become the target of brutal attacks. Teaming up with the firm's Alfar (elven) PI, John O'Shea, Linnet must not only survive, but resolve the case that could literally make or break her. If you enjoy reading about strong heroines who must rely on their wits instead of magic, check out This Case is Gonna Kill Me and its sequel, Box Office Poison. |
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| The Glass God by Kate GriffinContemporary Fantasy. London's Midnight Mayor is missing and it's up to journeyman shaman Sharon Li to find him. Aided by druid-turned-dogsbody Rhys, Sharon -- whose rapport with the "magically inclined" is the reason she's been appointed as their community support officer -- discovers that her only real leads are a trail of abandoned shoes and the cryptic clues provided by a dryad living in a lamppost. Witty, offbeat, and pleasantly atmospheric, The Glass God is the 2nd book in the Magicals Anonymous series, after Stray Souls. Fans of the fantastical London described in The Glass God may want to check out author Kate Griffin's related Matthew Swift series, which begins with A Madness of Angels. |
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| Dreamspinner by Lynn KurlandRomantic Fantasy. Tasked with finding a master swordsman to save her homeland, weaver's apprentice Aisling of Bruadair disguises herself as a boy and sets out on a quest. Along the way, she gains an unlikely ally -- and romantic interest -- in Rùnach of Ceangail, a battle-scarred soldier who's much more than he seems. Although they comprise a two-book stand-alone story arc, Dreamspinner and its companion volume, River of Dreams, are also part of Lynn Kurland's Nine Kingdoms series, which begins with Star of the Morning. |
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| My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana RowlandUrban Fantasy. An unemployed high school dropout with a somewhat lengthy rap sheet, boyfriend troubles, and an addiction to prescription painkillers, Angel Crawford sees her life change forever when she wakes up in the emergency room with a craving for brains instead of pills...and an unusual job offer that she can't refuse (or else). If you enjoy this 1st book in the White Trash Zombie series, you'll be pleased to know that there are four more volumes, including the latest, How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back. |
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| A Conspiracy of Alchemists by Liesel SchwarzSteampunk Fantasy. What should have been a routine delivery across the English Channel turns airship pilot Eleanor "Elle" Chance's life upside-down and inside-out. First, she narrowly survives an assassination attempt, thanks to the intervention of an enigmatic, aristocratic warlock. Then her scientist father is kidnapped by malevolent Alchemists (and their shady liege lords, the Nightwalkers). And finally, Elle learns that everything she thought she knew about her family is completely wrong -- and that her destiny is one even an oracle could not have foreseen. A Conspiracy of Alchemists is the 1st novel in the Chronicles of Light and Shadow series, followed by A Clockwork Heart and Sky Pirates. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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