Raiding Bookshelves: magic

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Saturday

Series Review: Harry Potter by J.K Rowling

Website | Goodreads
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?

The Glass Series by Maria V Snyder

#52-54 of 200

The Glass series follows Opal Cowan, a glass magician who can trap magic inside glass. She crafts glass messengers for Sitia and helps with a glass crisis. Until the Stormdance clans orbs shatter, killing Stormdancers and leaving the coastal residents in life-threatening danger. Opal must find the true recipe for the orbs and fix them - fast. But as one crisis ends another begins when Opal is kidnapped trying to rescue Kade, a handsome Stormdancers captured by evil warpers. Trapped on the northern ice sheet of Ixia, with a huge storm close behind them Opal comes to terms with her death. She is prepared to sacrifice herself to save Kade. The second in the Glass series, Sea Glass follows Opal as she defies the council and journeys to free her lover from a warper. With more warpers after her and a warrant for her arrest being made public, Opal has to fear for her life as she sacrifices more than she realises to save one she loves.

Synder strikes again with the reintroduction of Yelena's world, only this time the trilogy stars background character Opal Cowen and her amazing and powerful glass magic. Beginning with Storm Glass Opal learns the price of magic, power and trust are all tied together.

Study Series by Maria V Snyder

#49-51 of 200

From condemned prisoner to food taster for the Commander of Ixia, from apprentice to a charismatic assassin to warrior with ever-evolving magical powers, Yelena is a remarkable heroine like none you've ever experienced. Follow her amazing journey through Maria V. Snyder'sbreathtaking fantasy series. Bundle includes Poison Study, Magic Studyand Fire Study, and also includes as a special bonus, the online read written exclusively for eHarlequin.com, Assassin Study!

In her stunning YA series, beginning with Poison Study, Maria V Snyder has created a magical world to envy. Her trilogy, also containing, Fire Study and Magic Study follows the adventures of Yelena and her friends as they repeatedly save their homes from danger.

Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

#45 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: St Martin's Griffin
Country: USA
Publication Date: May-2010
ISBN: 978-0312575939
Page Count: 304

It’s all she’s ever wanted to be, but it couldn’t be further from her grasp… Dana Hathaway doesn’t know it yet, but she’s in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, again , Dana decides she’s had enough and runs away to find her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the captivating, magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl—she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and the only person who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie. Soon, Dana finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone seems to want something from her, from her newfound friends and family to Ethan, the hot Fae guy Dana figures she’ll never have a chance with… until she does. Caught between two worlds, Dana isn’t sure where she’ll ever fit in and who can be trusted, not to mention if her world will ever be normal again…

Jenna Black brings a new magical adventure series to light with Glimmerglass; the story of Dana, one of the rare children of both a human and a fey parent. Dana is a Faerie Walker, a rare type of magic that allows her to cross the boundary between realms and bring magic, or technology, from one to the other. Her magic is very rare and when it is discovered Dana is in more danger than she can imagine, and no one can be trusted.

Blue Fire by Janice Hardy

#44 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: HarperCollins
Country: GBR
Publication Date: 1/11/10
ISBN: 9780007326822
Page Count: 288

Nya has survived her battles with the Luminary and freed the Takers who were enslaved at the Healer′s League. But all is not well in Geveg and war rages on.
Nya, Tali and friends are in hiding, plotting their escape as the Duke posts a ransom for their capture. But plans are thwarted by treachery and kidnap as trackers, rascals and soldiers overwhelm them.
Soon Nya finds herself alone in alien city Baseer. She must break her comrades out of jail, find her sister and unravel the Duke′s fiendish new plot surrounding the mysterious goings-on at the pynvium Foundry.
And to accomplish any of this she must face the almighty new menace ... the Undying.

Teacher turned writer turned blogger, Janice Hardy has hit home once again with her second Healing Wars novel. Blue Fire follows on a few months after the explosive finale of The Shifter when Nya and her friends defeated the Luminary and rescued the Takers, including her baby sister Tal. In this thrilling and fast paced sequel, Nya and her friends must take on bigger and scary enemies than ever before as Geveg prepares for war.

A Matter of Magic by Patricia C Wrede

#32 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Orb Books; (June 8, 2010)
Country: United States
Publication Date: June 8, 2010
ISBN: 0765326329
Page Count: 448

When a stranger offers her a small fortune to break into a traveling magician’s wagon, Kim doesn’t hesitate. Having grown up a waif in the dirty streets of London, Kim isn’t above a bit of breaking-and-entering. A hard life and lean times have schooled her in one lesson: steal from them before they steal from you. But when the magician catches her in the act, Kim thinks she’s done for. Until he suggests she become his apprentice; then the real trouble begins. Kim soon finds herself entangled with murderers, thieves, and cloak-and-dagger politics, all while trying to learn how to become both a proper lady and a magician in her own right. Magic and intrigue go hand in hand in Mairelon the Magician and The Magician’s Ward , two fast-paced novels filled with mystery and romance, set against the intricate backdrop of Regency England.

Patricia Wrede’s much loved characters Kim and Mairelon have been refurbished for paperback in a Matter of Magic. Originally published as two seperate novels, Mairelon the Magician (1992) and Magician’s Ward (1997), the adventures of Mairelon and Kim were brought together in an omnibus edition in A Matter of Magic (2010). It was published as Magic and Malice in hardcover.

#27 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Bantam Books/Spectra
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2005
ISBN: 0553588184
Page Count: 480

In this thrilling new novel from the author of Industrial Magic , a pregnant werewolf may have unwittingly unleashed Jack the Ripper on twenty-first-century—and become his next target. Ever since she discovered she’s pregnant, Elena Michaels has been on edge. After all, she’s never heard of another living female werewolf, let alone one who’s given birth. But thankfully, her expertise is needed to retrieve a stolen letter allegedly written by Jack the Ripper. As a distraction, the job seems simple enough—only the letter contains a portal to Victorian London’s underworld, which Elena inadvertently triggers—unleashing a vicious killer and a pair of zombie thugs. Now Elena must find a way to seal the portal before the unwelcome visitors get what they’re looking for—which, for some unknown reason, is Elena.

Broken is the sixth Women of the Otherworld novel by Kelley Armstrong. Set approximately 7 years after Bitten, Elena Danver (nee Michaels) is pregnant and terrified. The only female werewolf, Elena fears the unknown; of a child born to two werewolf parents. In the meantime, she is sick of being coddled by Clay and Jeremy, so when the opportunity comes to safely complete a job for a friend, Elena is excited to participate.

#19 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Harper Collins
Country: United States of America
Publication Date: 2009
ISBN: 978-0-06-166276-8
Page Count: 357

Chloe Saunders is a living science experiment—not only can she see ghosts, but she was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. She’s a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control,which means she can raise the dead without even trying. Now Chloe’s running for her life with three of her supernatural friends—a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch—and they have to find someone who can help them before the Edison Group catches them. Or die trying…

Kelley Armstrong continues her mind capturing Darkest Powers trilogy in The Awakening. Chloe Saunders, a fifteen year old new to her powers as anecromancer, was betrayed to the Edison Group at the end of The Awakening. While there Chloe learns she and her friends are genetically altered supernaturals, part of an experiment called Genesis II.

#18 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: HarperCollins (Imprint: HarperTeen)
Country: United States
Publication Date: July 2008
ISBN: 0061662690
Page Count: 400

My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again.
All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary.
I don’t even know what that means anymore.
It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost—and the ghost saw me.
Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won’t leave me alone.
To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a “special home” for troubled teens.
Yet the home isn’t what it seems.
Don’t tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye.
The question is, whose side are they on?
It’s up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House … before its skeletons come back to haunt me…
The thing is how do I know who’s on my side or who’s betraying me?

Kelley Armstrong’s latest supernatural series for young adults is the Darkest Powers trilogy series. The first book, The Summoning, was released in 2008 and follows the adventure of 15 year old Chloe Saunders as puberty hits, brining much more than monthly cramps and a few pimples.

#13 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Point
Country: USA
Publication Date: Jan-2010
ISBN: 978-0545139052
Page Count: 336

If you could have anything, what would you wish for? The impossible…or a real chance at being happy? Olivia Larsen’s twin sister, Violet, is dead. Olivia knows nothing that can change that … until the day she receives a beautiful dress. The dress doesn’t just look magical: it has the power to grant wishes. And all Olivia wants is her sister back. But Violet’s return isn’t what Olivia expected. As love, secrets, betrayal, and a haunted past collide, Olivia begins to wonder what a wish is worth … and if her life will ever look the same.

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.

#3 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Raincoast (Can) / Bloomsbury (UK) / Scholastic (US)
Country: Various
Publication Date: 2001
ISBN: 1551924560
Page Count: 42

Two new books penned by J.K. Rowling will help tide over Harry Potter fans as they await book five, and raise money for a good cause: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander, an A to Z listing of all beings magical (and required reading for all first-year Hogwarts students), and Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp (a "renowned Quidditch expert"), the official handbook of the wizard's sport of choice, both with a foreword by esteemed Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore. Rowling wrote the books to raise funds for Comic Relief in the U.K., a charitable organization helping the poor and disadvantaged in Africa and the U.K. (not affiliated with the U.S. Comic Relief organization). Many printers and paper suppliers are joining in the effort by donating their services. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander (aka J.K Rowling) was written, along withquidditch through the ages by Kennilworthy Whisp, to raise money for the comic relief foundation in 2001. As of July 2008 the books were estimated to have made over $30 million for the Foundation.