Review: Ancient Future by Traci Harding

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Publication Date: Omnibus 1st March 2014, originally 1996
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
ISBN: 9780732298784
Age Group: Young Adult (15+)
Genre: Fantasy, Time Travel, Science Fiction, History, Adventure
Source: Bookshelf!
Lootability: ***

Late one evening, an accident near a ring of stones throws Tory Alexander across the vortex of time and space to the Dark Ages. There she meets Prince Maelgwn of Gwynedd and his band of warriors, who initially brand her as a witch and are frightened by her strange appearance. They finally overcome their fears and soon the tales of her adventures, brave deeds and beauty spread across the land. Twenty years later, Tory Alexander, from the 20th century, has ruled as Queen in 6th century Britain. But dark forces are stirring...Tory seeks the advice of the triple Goddess, and the women of the Otherworld send Tory through time to Plato's City of the Golden Gates - Atlantis. Once there Tory has to find her own way home, and a cure for the High King's sickness. In an epic climax, the Shining Ones and the Chosen, who are hiding within the circuits of times, gather to defeat the evil ones and bring about a new age of awareness to the world. Yet again, Tory must draw on all of her courage, strength of character and resourcefulness.

Series Review: Harry Potter by J.K Rowling

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Publication Date: 1997-2007
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Age Group: All
Genre: Fantasy/ Magic/ Adventure/ Children's
Source: My favourites bookshelf
Lootability: *****

Why is Harry Potter such a strong contender for one of the greatest series of all time? Is it the pity and compassion we feel for this poor, undernourished orphan living under the stairs? Do we admire his courage and bravery in conquering his darkest enemy? Or are we jealous of the magical world he lives in?

Review: First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde

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Publication Date: 27th July 2007
Publisher: Hodder
ISBN: 9780340752029
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Literature/Thriller/Adventure
Source: Bookshelf
Lootability: *****

It has been fourteen years since Thursday pegged out at the 1988 SuperHoop, and Friday is now a difficult sixteen year old. However, Thursday's got bigger problems. Sherlock Holmes is killed at the Rheinback Falls and his series is stopped in its tracks. And before this can be corrected, Miss Havisham dies suddenly in a car accident, bringing her series to a close as well. When Thursday receives a death threat clearly intended for her written self, she realizes what's going on - there is a serial killer on the loose in the Bookworld. And that's not all: The Goliath Corporation is trying to deregulate book travel. Naturally, Thursday must travel to the outer limits of acceptable narrative possibilities to triumph against increasing odds.

ARC Review: Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder

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Publication Date: December 18th, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
ISBN: 0778314189
Age Group: Young/New Adult
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Source: Provided by the publisher through NetGalley
Lootability: ****
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Hunted, Killed—Survived?
As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of her friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomanical King Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement. And she must do it alone, as Kerrick, her partner and sole confident, returns to Alga to summon his country into battle.
Though she should be in hiding, Avry will do whatever she can to support Tohon’s opponents. Including infiltrating a holy army, evading magic sniffers, teaching forest skills to soldiers and figuring out how to stop Tohon’s most horrible creations yet; an army of the walking dead—human and animal alike and nearly impossible to defeat.
War is coming and Avry is alone. Unless she figures out how to do the impossible ... again.

About the book – beware, spoilers from Touch of Power

Scent of Magic is the second book in Maria V. Snyder’s  Healer series. Avry, the last healer in the Fifteen Realms, was kidnapped and forced into service in order to save Prince Rynn – except, somewhere along the way Avry and her kidnappers formed a comradery and Avry volunteered her healing powers in an effort to save her world.

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

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Publication Date: 1999
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN:  0330361937
Age Group: Adult/Young Adult (Mature content)
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Source: My bookshelf
Lootability: *****

To reclaim the lives of her brothers, Sorcha leaves the only safe place she has ever known and embarks on a journey filled with pain, loss and terror. When she is kidnapped by enemy forces and taken to a foreign land, it seems that there will be no way for Sorcha to break the spell that condemns all that she loves. But magic knows no boundaries, and Sorcha will have to choose between the life she has always known and a love that comes only once.

The first book of, in my opinion, Australia’s best fantasy author, Daughter of the Forest is a brilliant start. Marillier published her first book, in her later years, and since it broke through has undertaken the time and effort to research another 11 novels. 

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

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Publication Date: 18th October, 2012
Publisher: Scholastic Press
ISBN:  054522490X
Age Group: Young Adult/New Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/Folk Lore
Source: Bookshelf
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Lootability: ****

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.
At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.
Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen

The concept of the waterhorse fascinates me and I was greatly appreciative to learn of the Scoprio Races.  Generally, the waterhorse is just one small facet of a story of the otherworld, and I never expected them to feature so heavily in a novel.
It's a delightful change from the infinitely long line of vampires, werewolves, zombies and pixies featuring in Young Adult literature. Not that Stiefvater didn't tackle werevoles well in The Wolves of Mercy Falls.

The Gathering Darkness by Leigh Bardugo

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Publication Date: 7th June, 2012
Publisher: Indigo
ISBN:  1780621108 
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Source: Bookshelf
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Lootability: ****

The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.
Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?
The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfil her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.
But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?

For the longest time this book felt like it was the book on everyone’s lips, and it was so out of my reach! I recently decided I’m only buying books on sale (my bank account bleeds books) and since I couldn’t find it at any of my local book shops, I was going to have to wait.

Last week however, something interesting happened. I saw The Gathering Darkness on the shelf at Dymocks. Noticing it was by Leigh Bardugo (and under the impression she’d only written one book), I picked it up and…viola!

I’d been looking for Shadow and Bone, while the Australian edition was published under a different title.

A Curse As Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

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Publication Date: March 1st, 2008
Publisher: Scholastic Inc
ISBN: 0439895766
Age Group: Young adult
Genre: Fairy tale/adventure/fantasy
Source: Library
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Lootability: ***

Charlotte Miller has always scoffed at talk of a curse on her family's woolen mill, which holds her beloved small town together. But after her father's death, the bad luck piles up: departing workers, impossible debts, an overbearing uncle. Then a stranger named Jack Spinner offers a tempting proposition: He can turn straw into gold thread, for the small price of her mother's ring. As Charlotte is drawn deeper into her bargains with Spinner-and a romance with the local banker-she must unravel the truth of the curse on the mill and save the community she's always called home

Wards of Faerie by Terry Brooks

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Publication Date: August 21st, 2012
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
ISBN:  0345523474
Age Group: Young Adult/Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Source: ARC provided by Edelweiss
Lootability: ***

When the world was young, and its name was Faerie, the power of magic ruled—and the Elfstones warded the race of Elves and their lands, keeping evil at bay. But when an Elven girl fell hopelessly in love with a Darkling boy of the Void, he carried away more than her heart. Thousands of years later, tumultuous times are upon the world now known as the Four Lands. Users of magic are in conflict with proponents of science. Elves have distanced their society from the other races. The dwindling Druid order and its teachings are threatened with extinction. A sinister politician has used treachery and murder to rise as prime minister of the mighty Federation. Meanwhile, poring through a long-forgotten diary, the young Druid Aphenglow Elessedil has stumbled upon the secret account of an Elven girl’s heartbreak and the shocking truth about the vanished Elfstones. But never has a little knowledge been so very dangerous—as Aphenglow quickly learns when she’s set upon by assassins. Yet there can be no turning back from the road to which fate has steered her. For whoever captures the Elfstones and their untold powers will surely hold the advantage in the devastating clash to come. But Aphenglow and her allies—Druids, Elves, and humans alike—remember the monstrous history of the Demon War, and they know that the Four Lands will never survive another reign of darkness. But whether they themselves can survive the attempt to stem that tide is another question entirely.

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

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Publication Date: October 25 2011
Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN:  1599906449
Age Group: Children
Genre: Adventure/Fantasy
Source: NetGalley
Lootability: ****

Tuesdays at Castle Glower are Princess Celie's favorite days. That's because on Tuesdays the castle adds a new room, a turret, or sometimes even an entire wing. No one ever knows what the castle will do next, and no one-other than Celie, that is-takes the time to map out the new additions. But when King and Queen Glower are ambushed and their fate is unknown, it's up to Celie, with her secret knowledge of the castle's never-ending twists and turns, to protect their home and save their kingdom. This delightful book from a fan- and bookseller-favorite kicks off a brand-new series sure to become a modern classic

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

Win A Signed Copy of Juliet Marillier's Shadowfell

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.
This first novel in a new trilogy from enchanting fantasy author Juliet Marillier is a captivating tale of peril, courage, romance, and survival.

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Pegasus by Robin McKingley

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Publication Date:
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
ISBN: 0399246770
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre:Fantasy
Source: Library
Lootability:***

Because of a thousand-year-old alliance between humans and pegasi, Princess Sylviianel is ceremonially bound to Ebon, her own pegasus, on her twelfth birthday. The two species coexist peacefully, despite the language barriers separating them. Humans and pegasi both rely on specially trained Speaker magicians as the only means of real communication. But it's different for Sylvi and Ebon. They can understand each other. They quickly grow close-so close that their bond becomes a threat to the status quo-and possibly to the future safety of their two nations.

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 Selection by Kiera Cass

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Publication Date: April 25th, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
ISBN: 0062059939
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Romance/Fantasy
Lootability: **

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Rhapsody: Child of Blood by Elizabeth Haydon

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Publication Date: 1999
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associations
ISBN:  0812570812
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Source: My bookshelf
Lootability: ****

Rhapsody is a woman, a Singer of some talent, who is swept up into events of world-shattering import. On the run from an old romantic interest who won't take no for an answer, Rhapsody literally bumps into a couple of shady characters: half-breeds who come to her rescue in the nick of time. Only the rescue turns into an abduction, and Rhapsody soon finds herself dragged along on an epic voyage, one that spans centuries and ranges across a wonder-filled fantasy world-- a world so real you can hear the sweet music of Rhapsody's aubade and smell the smoldering forges deep within the Cauldron.

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.

Howl's Moving Castle by Dianne Wynne Jones

In the land of Ingary, where seven league boots and cloaks of invisibility do exist, Sophie Hatter catches the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste and is put under a spell. Deciding she has nothing more to lose, she makes her way to the moving castle that hovers on the hills above Market Chipping. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the souls of young girls… There she meets Michael, Howl’s apprentice, and Calcifer the Fire Demon, with whom she agrees a pact. But Sophie isn’t the only one under a curse – her entanglements with Calcifer, Howl, and Michael, and her quest to break her curse is both gripping – and howlingly funny!

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Publication Date: April 14th, 1986
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Country: USA
ISBN: 0007299265
Original Language: English
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/Fairytale
Source: My bookshelf!
Buy the Book: Amazon
Lootability: The book that set off a thousand raiders!

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.