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"It would have been too hard on prospective students to sit there and listen as the people they loved most in all the world -- all this world, at least -- dismissed their memories as delusions, their experiences as fantasies, their lives as some intractable illness." ~ from Seanan McGuire's Every Heart a Doorway
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| Borderline by Mishell BakerUrban Fantasy. Los Angeles-based filmmaker Millie, paraplegic and institutionalized following a suicide attempt, receives an unusual job offer from Caryl, a representative of the Arcadia Project, a nonprofit organization that arranges gainful employment for individuals with mental health issues. What this actually means, Millie learns when she accepts the job, is that she's to serve as a liaison between Hollywood and Fairyland. Her first assignment? Track down a missing actor who also happens to be a Seelie Court noble. With its tough-yet-vulnerable heroine, gritty supernatural-inflected setting, and intricate fae politics, this debut may appeal to fans of Seanan McGuire's October Daye series. |
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| The Return of the Witch: A Novel by Paula BrackstonHistorical Fantasy. Striking the latest blow in their centuries-old feud, predatory warlock Gideon Masters abducts English witch Elizabeth Hawksmith's apprentice and surrogate daughter, Tegan. In response, Elizabeth summons a Time Stepper named Erasmus Balmoral and together they travel through time to defeat Gideon and save Tegan from a fate far worse than death. This sequel to The Witch's Daughter expands the world-building of its predecessor while keeping the strong bond between Elizabeth and Tegan at the center of the story. |
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| The Everything Box: A Novel by Richard KadreyUrban Fantasy. The Heavenly Host's loss is humanity's gain when the angel Qaphsiel misplaces a very special box. It remains hidden until 2015, when Charlie "Coop" Cooper, a thief who specializes in stealing magical artifacts, purloins what he believes to be the score of a lifetime. Soon, he's pursued by the Department of Peculiar Science, which believes the box to be a doomsday device, as well as by an assortment of angels, demons, and power-hungry beings that defy description. Fans of darkly humorous cosmic capers such as John Connolly's Samuel Johnson Tales or Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens should enjoy The Everything Box. |
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| Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuireDark Fantasy. Recently returned from the Underworld, where she was the Lord of the Dead's beloved, teenage Nancy has no desire to stay at Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children. Established to help young people who have journeyed to other realms and returned home to find that their former lives no longer fit, this highly unorthodox boarding school is supposed to be a sanctuary for girls like Nancy. However, when a killer starts stalking its hallowed halls, stealing pieces of the students' souls, Nancy must put aside her dreams of death and keep her peers alive. |
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Focus on: Power Struggles
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| Tracing the Shadow by Sarah AshHigh Fantasy. Years ago, the Kingdom of Francia purged its mages and eradicated magic from the land -- thanks in large part to the efforts of Head Inquisitor Alois Visant. But when Guerriere (holy warrior) Captain Ruaud de Lanvaux rescues Klervie, a street urchin and orphaned daughter of a mage whose sole possession is a book that contains a sentient, ethereal being, neither one may survive the events that follow. Set in the same world as the author's Tears of Artamon trilogy (beginning with Lord of Snow and Shadows), Tracing the Shadow is the opening volume in the Alchymist's Legacy series, followed by Flight Into Darkness. |
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| Holder of Lightning by S.L. FarrellCeltic Fantasy. While tending her family's flock, 17-year-old shepherd's daughter Jenna Aoire finds a small stone on Knobtop Hill and pockets it. She then discovers that this ordinary-looking pebble is the Lámh Shábhála, a powerful magical object belonging to the Cloudmages. The stone has chosen Jenna, which makes her the First Holder. While Jenna does not particularly want the stone -- or the responsibility that comes with being its keeper -- there are plenty of others who do and who will stop at nothing to get it. If you enjoy Holder of Lightning, you'll want to read its sequels, Mage of Clouds and Heir of Stone. |
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| Feast of Souls by C.S. FriedmanFantasy. Everything has a price, and in C.S. Friedman's 1st book in the Magister Trilogy, the cost of magic is life itself -- each and every spell drains somebody's life force. In King Danton Aurelius's realm, female witches eat away at their own lives with each spell-casting, while the all-male Magisters gain near-immortality by drawing power from others' demises. When a powerfully talented young woman, Kamala, flouts ancient law and secretly trains as a Magister, her fate becomes intertwined with that of the king's son, the mysteriously ailing Prince Andovan. Booklist praises the novel's "powerful, intricate plotting and gripping characters." |
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| The Shattered Court by M.J. ScottFantasy. Lady Sophia Kendall is 32nd in line for the throne of Anglion and only days away from her Ais-Seann, the coming-of-age ritual that will decide her fate. If her family's magical powers manifest in her, she'll be hastily married off to a nobleman, her magic bound to his estate. But before the ritual can take place, Anglion is invaded and Sophia must flee the royal court, accompanied by Lieutenant Cameron Mackenzie, a member of the royal guard. However, that doesn't necessarily stop her magic from emerging -- and trying to consume her. The Shattered Court is the 1st installment of Australian fantasy author M.J. Scott's Four Arts series. |
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| Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa ShearinFantasy. Sorceress Raine Benares' magical abilities are modest at best until she acquires an amulet stolen from the home of necromancer Nachtmagus Nigelius Nicabar. But even the amulet's power isn't enough to keep Raine safe from the goblins that pursue her. Honestly, she'd give it back if she could, but amulets choose -- and bond to -- their wearers, not the other way around. Narrated by its streetwise heroine, this fast-paced series starter, which continues with Armed and Magical, may appeal to fans of Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels books. |
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| Storm Glass by Maria V. SnyderRomantic Fantasy. Glassmaker and apprentice magician Opal Cowan possesses a rare talent for channeling magic into glass, although the magicians of the Stormdancer clan (including the attractive, brooding Kade) tend to think of her as a one-trick pony. However, when someone sabotages the Stormdancers' glass orbs that control the weather, it's up to Opal to use her unique magic to help them. If you enjoy this blend of magic, mystery, and romance, you'll be glad to know that Opal's adventures continue in Sea Glass and Spy Glass. All three novels are a spin-off of Maria V. Snyder's Study trilogy, which starts with Poison Study. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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