– fed up with seeing the same books recommended or praised again and again?
–willing to feel the wind of change *insert The Scorpion’s music here, something young people won’t maybe get* ?
-thinking that all bloggers are sold and feature the same big wit authors again and again?
Are you craving to discover new books new series less known but hidden jewels?
Don’t misunderstand me I adore these series and think they are extraordinary books with magic
BUT
Other books and series deserve to be read or re read.
Open your Amazon app because you’ll want to order these beauties!
Let’s take a leap of faith…
If you love magic, magical creatures quest but also want humor I will recommend
War of the Fae by Elle Casey.
Best seal of approval: my daughter of 17 year old and French speaking devored the whole series in English in the span of one week!
Synopsis
NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR, ELLE CASEY brings readers Book 1 in the YA Urban Fantasy WAR OF THE FAE Series.
Jayne Sparks, a potty-mouthed, rebellious seventeen-year-old and her best friend, shy and bookish Tony Green, have a pretty typical high school existence, until several seemingly unrelated incidents converge, causing a cascade of events that change their lives forever. Jayne and Tony, together with a group of runaway teens, are hijacked and sent into a forest, where nothing and no one are as they seem. Who will emerge triumphant? And what will they be when they do?
Favorite quote:
βMaybe you’re not doing it right”
“I wasn’t aware there was a technique to tree hugging.β
β The Changelings
If you love some mysterious and spooky atmosphere with cursed beings like Ravens or Beekepers gathering all the bests YA ingredients I would recommend:
Black bird of the Gallow and Keeper of the Bees by Megan Kassel
If you love humans discovering they possess magical power because they have fae blood and did not know it. If you love threats lurking in the shadow wanting to destroy the main character before she comes into her full power. If you love bad faeries. If you love complicated love stories I would recommend:
Need (Need series) by Carrie Jones
Synopsis
Zara White suspects there’s a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She’s also obsessed with phobias. And it’s true, she hasn’t exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane…but Zara’s pretty sure her mom just can’t deal with her right now.
She couldn’t be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara’s overactive imagination. In fact, he’s still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There’s something not right – not human – in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.
In this creepy, compelling breakout novel, Carrie Jones delivers romance, suspense, and a creature you never thought you’d have to fear.
Favorite quote:
βHe wipes his hand on his shirt.
What? Did I drool on you?”
A little.”
You’re a wolf. You should be used to drool.”
That’s low.β
β Need
Kiss of Fire (Imdalind series) by Rebecca Ethington
Synopsis
“Joclyn Despain has been marred by a brand on her skin. She doesn’t know why the mark appeared on her neck, but she doesn’t want anyone to see it, including her best friend Ryland, who knows everything else about her. The scar is the reason she hides herself behind baggy clothes, and won’t let the idea of kissing Ryland enter her mind, no matter how much she wants to.
The scar is the reason she is being hunted.
If only she knew that she was.
If only she had known that the cursed stone her estranged father sent for her 16th birthday would trigger a change in her. Now, she is being stalked by a tall blonde man, and is miraculously throwing her high school bully ten feet in the air.
Joclyn attempts to find some answers and the courage to follow her heart. When Ryland finds her scar; only he knows what it means, and who will kill her because of it.”
If you love hauntingly beautiful writing, slow burn and deeply moving characters plagued by a curse I would recommend:
The Bird and the Sword by Amy Harmon
Synopsis
Swallow, Daughter, pull them in, those words that sit upon your lips. Lock them deep inside your soul, hide them βtil theyβve time to grow. Close your mouth upon the power, curse not, cure not, βtil the hour. You wonβt speak and you wonβt tell, you wonβt call on heavβn or hell. You will learn and you will thrive. Silence, Daughter. Stay alive.
The day my mother was killed, she told my father I wouldnβt speak again, and she told him if I died, he would die too. Then she predicted the king would trade his soul and lose his son to the sky.
My father has a claim to the throne, and he is waiting in the shadows for all of my motherβs words to come to pass. He wants desperately to be king, and I just want to be free.
But freedom will require escape, and Iβm a prisoner of my motherβs curse and my fatherβs greed. I canβt speak or make a sound, and I canβt wield a sword or beguile a king. In a land purged of enchantment, love might be the only magic left, and who could ever love . . . a bird?
My thoughts:
In no particular order I loved:
– the elaborate world building;
– the appropriate pace neither too fast neither too slow;
– the gorgeous spellbinding writing;
– the compelling main characters be it the frail woman with huge eyes or the powerful king;
– the curse worth of every good fantasy story;
-the plot with the threat of the Volgars and their Liege, the race to find a cure, the betrayals among the courtesans;
– the slow building romance;
-β¦well, everything.
If you like retelling of Beauty and the Beast, courageous characters, selfless impaired heroine I would one click:
A Curse so Dark and Lonely
If you love secret societies, people banded together to save humanity against evil. If you want to learn awaking magic and ancient races. If you love action packed stories then read :
The Scribe (Irin Chronicle) by Elizabeth Hunter
Synopsis
Hidden at the crossroads of the world, an ancient race battles to protect humanity, even as it dies from within.
Ava Matheson came to Istanbul looking for answers, but others came looking for her. A reckless warrior guards her steps, but will Malachiβs own past blind him to the truth of who Ava might be? While ancient forces gather around them, both Ava and Malachi search for answers.
Whispering voices. Deadly touch. Their passion should be impossible… or it could be the only thing that will keep them alive.
THE SCRIBE is the first book in the Irin Chronicles, the new paranormal romance series from Elizabeth Hunter, author of the Elemental Mysteries
Favorite quote
β The Scribe
If you want a selfless heroine sacrificing herself again and again for the good of her village. An indomitable hero determined to exact his revenge. Slow burn love stories then buy: Phoenix Unbound by Grace Draven.
Synopsis
A woman with power over fire and illusion and an enslaved son of a chieftain battle a corrupt empire in this powerful and deeply emotional romantic fantasy from the USA Today bestselling author of Radiance.
Every year, each village is required to send a young woman to the Empire’s capital–her fate to be burned alive for the entertainment of the masses. For the last five years, one small village’s tithe has been the same woman. Gilene’s sacrifice protects all the other young women of her village, and her secret to staying alive lies with the magic only she possesses.
But this year is different.
Azarion, the Empire’s most famous gladiator, has somehow seen through her illusion–and is set on blackmailing Gilene into using her abilities to help him escape his life of slavery. And unknown to Gilene, he also wants to reclaim the birthright of his clan.
To protect her family and village, she will risk everything to return to the Empire–and burn once more.
Now do tell me what are your top 5 magical books!
Sophie
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Great choices! I enjoyed Black Bird, and am looking forward to Keeper. Also, Bird/Sword.
This is a great list, sophie! I loved Keeper Of The Bees, Need, The Bird and The Sword, and Phoenix Unbound! π
Yay! We think alike once more Raven π
The Blackbird of the Gallows series is soooo good!
Oh yes Kayla!!!
You’ve just added so many books to my TBR! I am really intrigued by Keeper of the Bees. Fantastic list. π
Thank you so much and I am glad LOL
Oh wow, I haven’t read any of these books. Thanks for sharing them. i’ll check them out coz they all seem interesting, π
Thank you Lili!!
Kudos for the Scorpions reference! LOL
I’ve loved the two contemporary books I’ve read from Kemmerer so maybe I should give A Curse so Dark and Lonely a try. And I adore Amy Harmon but, again, have only read her contemporaries. Maybe I should give The Bird and the Sword a chance.
Hahaha thank you for your praise Tanya! And yes I second that you should try Kemmerer and Amy’s fantasy. They are both incredibly talented!
I LOVE THESE UNDER DOG LIST! YASS GIVE ME. MORE AHHA
THANK YOU TRANG! LOL
Oh you were right about the hidden gems. I haven’t heard of any of these before. I think i saw the Beekeper one recently, cuz it looks familiar, but that’s about it π
I like the Blackbird one… beautiful cover!
Yes the Beekeeper is a recent one and yes Black Bird has a really gorgeous cover!!!
Phoenix Unbound was so good! I second that recommendation!
Thank you! And I can’t wait for book 2!
The one by Amy Harmon has been on my TBR forever, I didn’t even remember why added it to my TBR! But I trust your opinion, if you say it’s great then I bet it is!! Will pick it up soon. Thanks for sharing these underdogs Sophie!
Oh yes please carolina, pick it! I just know that you’ll love it <3
I’ve not read any of these authors….yet. It’s funny but sometimes I will actually avoid a book that is hyped too much. Maybe I’m afraid it won’t live up to it. I usually do read it later though. I like the books you shared and I was trying to think of some to share and drawing a blank. The pressure. LOL
The pressure Laura? LOL I think you have a lot of pressure this month with your daily posting! I am in awe!!!
I’m so glad you picked some underdogs! I’ve seen a lot of the same books on lists today- and as much as I love those obvious picks, it’s even better to see something different! I’m honestly curious about all of these- but particularly the bird and the sword.
Oh I swear the Bird and the Sword is fantastic! Amy has such a way with words. And yes I noticed many identical books today and that’s all right as they are great books! But I wanted to give other books their “moment of fame” π
I love the idea behind this post. I sort of love, when people tell me they haven’t heard of any of the books I review, because maybe they will discover something new. I have read different books by Elle Casey and Amy Harmon, but not the ones you suggested. I will have to check them out.
Oh please yes check these out sam. They are fantastic I swear! And me too I love when less known books but really little jems get more love π
I can only think of two magical underdogs off the top of my head:
1) The Fire’s Stone – One of my all time fav books and I only know of 1 other person who has read it
2) The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids – An independently published gem!
Tho when I first read Uprooted before I became a blogger I thought it was a super unknown book but once I became a blogger I realized it was actually super well known!
OMG this title “The Thief who pulled ib Trouble’s Braid”!!! I so love it!!!!
MOAAARRRR BOOKKS (to add to my TBR). Great list Sophie!! x
Thank you so much Meeghan!!!
Oh now this is perfect! I haven’t heard of any of these so this is basically an amazing recommendation post telling me a whole bunch of new books that I NEED to read! Thanks for participating – added you to the list π
Thank you Shanah! I hope your tests tomorrow or rather today by now turn great.
Ooo, lots of books and authors I’ve never heard of. Excellent! π
Thank you Alexandra!