Mark of the Raven by Morgan Busse

Our Score
Mark of the Raven is the first book in a new YA fantasy. 

Synopsis

Lady Selene is the heir to the Great House of Ravenwood and the secret family gift of dreamwalking. As a dreamwalker, she can enter a person’s dreams and manipulate their greatest fears or desires.

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Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Our Score
Shiver is the first in a YA urban fantasy trilogy. 

Synopsis

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl.

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Court of Fives by Kate Elliot

Our Score
The Court of Fives is the first in a YA fantasy trilogy. The worldbuilding is reminiscent of Ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire.
 

Synopsis

On the Fives court, everyone is equal.

And everyone is dangerous.

Jessamy’s life is a balance between acting like an upper-class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners.

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Hunter by Mercedes Lackey

Our Score
Hunter is the first in a YA fantasy trilogy set in post-apocalyptic America.
 

Synopsis

They came after the Diseray. Some were terrors ripped from our collective imaginations, remnants of every mythology across the world. And some were like nothing anyone had ever dreamed up, even in their worst nightmares.

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Secondborn by Amy A. Bartol

Our Score
Secondborn is the first in a YA dystopian series that was offered as a Kindle First Read for July 2017. Fans and readers of Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen series will enjoy this bookMay not be appropriate for younger YA due to sexual content (see Cons).
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King’s Cage by Victoria Aveyard

Our Score
 
King’s Cage is the third installment of the bestselling Red Queen series. Fans and readers of Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy or Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes will enjoy this book. Recommended with reservations. May not be appropriate for younger YA due to sexual content (see Cons).
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The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex

Our Score

 

The True Meaning of Smekday and its sequel Smek for President are comedic science fiction romps for middle school students. These are the books that inspired the animated movie Home, which is a family favorite. If you haven’t seen it, you should.… Read the rest