Mistwood by Leah Cypess

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Publication Date: April 27th, 2010
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN:  0061956996
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Adevnture
Source: Library
Lootability: ***

The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwod.
But when she is needed she always comes.
Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.
Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.
Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.
Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

The Kings of Samora have always had one great weapon to protect the royal line. The Shifter is an ancient creature of unknown power that resides in the Mistwood. An ancient spell keeps the Shifter loyal to the royal family after it has been summoned to protect them.
When Prince Royan summons Isabella to be his Shifter he unleashes a series of evens that may do more harm to his Kingdom than good.

What I Liked: Isabella's exploration of herself through her discovery of her abilities as a shapeshifter and the recovery of her unwanted history. As she discovers new things about herself and her powers, Isabella finds her loyalties are being twisted in a way the Shifter has never been before.
The characters are complicated, determined to hide 'unnecessary truths' and manipulative to the point of forcefulness and more resourceful than I could have imagined.
Isabella's memories and history remained an intriguing mystery until the moment of revelation. I wholeheartedly enjoyed the surprise and was able to understand the clues retrospectively. I appreciated Cypess' imaginative writing.

What I Didn't Like: Sometimes, to keep secrets hidden and mysterious, it felt like Cypess just made the narrative confusing. Particularly when sorting through Isabella's thoughts. It was almost as though she was trying to stop anyone guessing the twist.

Raiding Bookshelves Rating

Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier

Its name is spoken only in whispers, if the people of Alban dare to speak it at all: Shadowfell. The training ground for rebels seeking to free their land from the grip of the tyrannical king is so shrouded in mystery that most believe it to be a myth.

But for Neryn, Shadowfell's existence is her only hope. She is penniless, orphaned, and utterly alone - and concealing a treacherous magical power that will warrant her immediate enslavement should it be revealed. She finds hope of allies in the Good Folk, fey beings whom she must pretend she cannot see and who taunt her with chatter of prophecies and tests, and in a striking, mysterious stranger, who saves her from certain death but whose motives remain unclear. She knows she should not trust anyone with her plans, but something within her longs to confide in him.
Will Neryn be forced to make the dangerous journey alone? She must reach Shadowfell, not only to avenge her family and salvage her own life, but to rescue Alban itself.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

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Publication Date: October 1st, 2008
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN:  015206396X
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Source: Library
Lootability: ****

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.     When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone. Kristin Cashore has taken an old idea and made it young again in her new fantasy trilogy for young adults. 

The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

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Publication Date: February 27th, 2007
Publisher: Hyperion
ISBN:  0786839171
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Epic Fantasy/Adventure/Supernatural
Source: Library
Lootability: ****

Before he knew about the Roses, 16-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high-schoolers. Then one day Jack skips his medicine. Suddenly, he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before. And it feels great until he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts. Soon, Jack learns the startling truth about himself: He is Weirlind; part of an underground society of magical people who live among us. At the head of this magical society sit the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing The Game. A magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death, The winning house ruling the Weir. As if his bizarre magical heritage isn't enough, Jack finds out that he s not just another member of Weirlind, he's one of the last of the warriors at a time when both houses are scouting for a player. Jack's performance on the soccer field has alerted the entire magical community to the fact that he's in Trinity. And until one of the houses is declared Jack's official sponsor, they'll stop at nothing to get Jack to fight for them.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

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Publication Date: February 7th, 2012
Publisher: Atom
ISBN:  1907411054 
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Romance/Dystopian/Adventure
Lootability: ***

WORLDS KEPT THEM APART.
DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.
Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.
Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.
If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.

Meridian by Amber Kizer

Half-human, half-angel, Meridian Sozu has a dark responsibility.
Sixteen-year-old Meridian has been surrounded by death ever since she can remember. As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders would burrow into her bedclothes and die. At her elementary school, she was blamed for a classmate’s tragic accident. And on her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her family home—and Meridian’s body explodes in pain. 
Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she’s a danger to her family and hustled off to her great-aunt’s house in Revelation, Colorado. It’s there that she learns that she is a Fenestra—the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead. But Meridian and her sworn protector and love, Tens, face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos.

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Publication Date: August 11, 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books 
ISBN:  0385736681
Original Language: English
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Adventure/Supernatural/Romance
Source: Library
Buy the Book: Amazon
Lootability: There's room but keep looking.

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathon Stroud

Nathaniel is a boy magician-in-training, sold to the government by his birth parents at the age of five and sent to live as an apprentice to a master. Powerful magicians rule Britain, and its empire, and Nathaniel is told his is the "ultimate sacrifice" for a "noble destiny." 
If leaving his parents and erasing his past life isn't tough enough, Nathaniel's master, Arthur Underwood, is a cold, condescending, and cruel middle-ranking magician in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The boy's only saving grace is the master's wife, Martha Underwood, who shows him genuine affection that he rewards with fierce devotion. Nathaniel gets along tolerably well over the years in the Underwood household until the summer before his eleventh birthday. Everything changes when he is publicly humiliated by the ruthless magician Simon Lovelace and betrayed by his cowardly master who does not defend him. 
Nathaniel vows revenge. In a Faustian fever, he devours magical texts and hones his magic skills, all the while trying to appear subservient to his master. When he musters the strength to summon the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus to avenge Lovelace by stealing the powerful Amulet of Samarkand, the boy magician plunges into a situation more dangerous and deadly than anything he could ever imagine. 

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Publication Date: 30th September, 2003
Publisher: Miramax
Country: UK
ISBN: 078681859X
Original Language: English
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Adventure/Fantasy
Source: NetGalley
Buy the Book: Amazon
Lootability: There's room but look for more.

Legend by Marie Lu

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias' death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.
Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

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Publication Date: 19th November, 2011
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Country: United States
ISBN: 039925675X
Original Language: English
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Dystopian/Romance/Adventure
Source: Library
Buy the Book: Amazon
Lootability: Grab it and go!

Touch of Power by Maria V Snyder

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan absorbs their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Fifteen Realms, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life... 

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Publication Date: 20th December, 2012
Publisher: Mira Ink Books
ISBN: 0778313077
Original Language: English
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Adventure
Source: Library
Buy the Book: Amazon 
Lootability: Grab it and go.

Caught in Crystal by Patricia C. Wrede

There stands a twisted tower... hidden in the Windhome Mountains. Something is imprisoned there - the Sisterhood of Stars does not know precisely what, but something is bound tight with a wizard's spell so that it can never escape again. Kayl is one of the few to have looked upon the Twisted Tower. She has no desire to see it again - she left the Sisterhood long ago, settling down to a quiet life. Her sword lies unused in a secret place beneath the stones of her hearth. But something evil is leaking from the Tower. And now a sorceress and a wizard have appeared on Kayl's doorstep, demanding she take up the sword again.

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Publication Date: 1st March, 1987
Publisher: Ace Books
Country: United States
ISBN: 0441760066
Original Language: English
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Adventure/Romance/Fantasy
Source: Amazon
Buy the Book: Amazon
Lootability: Needs more booty.

Ice Station by Matthew Reilly

#48 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Country: Australia
Publication Date: August 1, 1998
ISBN: 0330360892
Page Count: 611

Anarctica is the last unconquered continent, a murderous expanse of howling winds, blinding whiteouts and deadly crevasses. On one edge of Antarctica is Wilkes Station. Beneath Wilkes Station is the gate to hell itself... A team of U.S. divers, exploring three thousand feet beneath the ice shelf has vanished. Sending out an SOS, Wilkes draws a rapid deployment team of Marines-and someone else... First comes a horrific firefight. Then comes a plunge into a drowning pool filled with killer whales. Next comes the hard part, as a handful of survivors begin an electrifying, red-hot, non-stop battle of survival across the continent and against wave after wave of elite military assassins-who've all come for one thing: a secret buried deep beneath the ice...

Matthew Reilly brings exhilaration, endurance and science together in the adventure riddled novel. Ice Station  is the first in Reilly's adrenaline pumping Scarecrow series and definitely kicks off with a splash.

Iron King by Julie Kagawa

#29 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Harlequin
Country: United States
Publication Date: February 1, 2010
ISBN: 0373210086
Page Count: 368

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six.
She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she’s known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war.
Now Meghan will learn just how far she’ll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Julie Kagawa recreates one of the most famous stories of all time, with some of the most recognisable characters, in her first novel Iron King. The first book of her new Iron Fey series features the court of Oberon and Titania, and Robin Goodfellow, Puck, as a body guard in disguise.

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

#21 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Viking Adult (United States), Little, Brown & co. (U.K.), Random House (Canada)
Country: Canada
Publication Date: 1 October 2001
ISBN: 978-0670894710
Page Count: 400

Elena Michaels is the world’s only female werewolf. And she’s tired of it. Tired of a life spent hiding and protecting, a life where her most important job is hunting down rogue werewolves. Tired of a world that not only expects the worst in her— her temper, her violence—but requires it. Worst of all, she realizes she’s growing content with that life, with being that person. 
So she left the Pack and returned to Toronto where she’s trying to live as a human. When the Pack leader calls asking for her help fighting a sudden uprising, she only agrees because she owes him. Once this is over, she’ll be squared with the Pack and free to live life as a human. Which is what she wants. Really.

Bitten is the first novel by Kelley Armstrong, and the first in her Women of the Other World series. Elena is a turned werewolf with a dark past. Abused and neglected as a child in the foster system, Elena is uncomfortable with the violent tendencies of her werewolf nature.  She flees life with the Pack and tries to make her own way as a journalist in Toronto.

The Nostradamus Prophecies by Theresa Breslin

#9 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Doubleday
Country: Add the country of publication.
Publication Date: March 6, 2008
ISBN: 0552557218
Page Count: 480

When Nostradamus, wild-eyed and trembling, proclaims to the French court his prophecy of a great massacre to take place on the streets of Paris, the young King Charles only laughs. His mother, Catherine de' Medici, pays more heed - she believes Nostradamus can truly see the future. But Nostradamus's prophecies are not only for those who rule; he also has a message for Mélisande, the minstrel's daughter. For he is certain that Fate links him and Mélisande together. And as the Angel of Death approaches, the soothsayer gives into her safekeeping some very special parchments - parchments that the titled heads of France would do anything to see... A rich, dramatic adventure set in the tumultuous years of the late sixteenth century in France - a time of assassination, poisons, seers and the sword. A time when a king must be saved...

Theresa Breslin’s ‘The Nostradamus Prophecies’ follows the turmoil of Melisande, Minstrel’s daughter, after the death of her sister and the imprisonment of her sister. Thirteen year old Mesliande must escape the court of King Charles IX and his widowed Mother, the Regent Catherine de’ Medici. In her terror, confusion and determination to see her sister avenged, Melisande knows only one man who can help her. Michel de Nostradamus. Unfortunately for Melisande, Nostradamus has seen more than just her Father’s rescue in her future.

The Shifter by Janice Hardy

#4 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Balzer+Bray
Country: England
Publication Date: October 6, 2009
ISBN: 0061747041
Page Count: 384

Nya is an orphan struggling for survival in a city crippled by war. She is also a Taker—with her touch, she can heal injuries, pulling pain from another person into her own body. But unlike her sister, Tali, and the other Takers who become Healers' League apprentices, Nya's skill is flawed: She can't push that pain into pynvium, the enchanted metal used to store it. All she can do is shift it into another person, a dangerous skill that she must keep hidden from forces occupying her city. If discovered, she'd be used as a human weapon against her own people. Rumors of another war make Nya's life harder, forcing her to take desperate risks just to find work and food. She pushes her luck too far and exposes her secret to a pain merchant eager to use her shifting ability for his own sinister purposes. At first Nya refuses, but when Tali and other League Healers mysteriously disappear, she's faced with some difficult choices. As her father used to say, principles are a bargain at any price; but how many will Nya have to sell to get Tali back alive?

Janice Hardy’s The Shifter is the first of a thrilling new young adult trilogy. Geveg is on the verge of another devastating war and Nya feels powerless to defend herself and her younger sister Tila.