Beauty Reborn by Elizabeth Lowham

As children of a rich merchant, Beauty’s family socializes at the top of their class. Beauty catches the eye of the lord baron’s charming nephew, Stephan. But Beauty rejects Stephan’s marriage proposals. Enraged, Stephan forces himself upon Beauty while she is incapacitated. Meanwhile, Beauty’s father loses their fortune, and the family moves to a cabin by the enchanted forest. While hunting, Beauty’s father finds a beautiful castle owned by a horrific beast. Because he invaded Beast’s property, Beauty’s father must become Beast’s prisoner. To Beauty, who has kept silent about getting raped, this is an opportunity to escape her life. As she goes in her father’s place, she hopes the Beast will kill her, ending her shameful memories. Surprisingly, on her arrival there is no beast to eat or frighten her. Instead, she is warmly welcomed by the castle and its invisible servants. Beast slowly introduces himself to her and they begin to develop a cautious acquaintance. But as their acquaintance moves to friendship, Beauty’s defenses immediately go up. Can Beauty rise above her abusive past to let someone else into her broken heart again?

Lowham’s unique interpretation of the Beauty and Beast fairytale is heart-wrenching, raw, and surprising. As explained in her author’s note, Lowham herself is a victim of sexual abuse and pulls Beauty’s personality and pain from her own experiences. Lowham shows the façade some sexually abused victims put up to hide their shame and suffering. But Lowham also illustrates how the right people can, with love, patience, and understanding, help bring the victim’s trust and true character out again. Even though Lowham has built her retelling on the compelling cornerstone of understanding sexual abuse victims, she has neglected some essentials to a strong and enduring fairytale. This includes consistent world-building. Lowham’s setting is a place where books are incredibly rare, so how did Beauty develop a love to read? Why did magic work the way it did in this story? At times there is a cost to magic while, at other times, no cost is paid. Why is that the case? These inconsistencies, if tightened, would have created a more impactful and engrossing read. Otherwise, a unique spin on a tale as old as time.            

Candy Shop War: Carnival Quest by Brandon Mull

At the close of their arcade adventure, Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pidgeon were warned about Belinda and Jonas White’s remaining magical sister, Camilla. Several months later, the Dreams and Screams International Carnival comes to town and odd things begin to happen. People go missing, carnival patrons obsessively return, and outlandish items pop up around town. However, any outside magic is blocked from the carnival’s premises. Facing a new threat, John Dart enlists the Blue Falcons again to find out if Camilla’s magic is behind the attraction. The friends uncover that the carnival is stealing patrons’ dreams and using that power to expand the attraction at an insane rate. As the carnival’s influence grows, both dreams and reality are at risk. Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pidgeon must use their past magical experiences and some new magic candy to save both the dream world and the real world before the carnival takes over both.       

After eleven years, Mull has delivered on his promise to write a final book to his Candy Shop War series. And the wait is well worth it for both new and old fans of the series. Using his incredible imagination, Mull unlocks another magical dimension where Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pidgeon use their experience, courage, and determination to face off against a new magical threat. But unlike previous adventures, some non-magical problems start to trickle into their closeknit group, like hitting puberty and vying for the friendship of their new famous classmate, YouTuber Zac Foster. They all must decipher between what is real and what is fantasy when it comes to staying friends, facing personal fears, and working together to stop the carnival’s influence. A thrilling, suspenseful, and colorful roller-coaster read sure to mesmerize and excite readers until the sweet finish. Appropriate for ages twelve and up.      

Champion's Quest: The Questmaster's Trap by Frank L. Cole

Lucas, Miles, and Jasmine are finally summoned by Questmaster Hob to prepare for their next Champion’s Quest. With Vanessa declining the invitation, the remaining Wild Crows meet Hob, but his behavior seems off. Once Lucas rolls the Die of Destiny, Hob changes into the warty pig-like Questmaster, Mystery Waddlewort. Mystery has tricked the children by taking control over their game. Under his terms, if they are not successful, the Wild Crows will be banished from Champion’s Quest. However, before their game begins, the real Hob and Bogie address Mystery’s trap and summon Sierra, a fourth player to take Vanessa’s place. The four children are then thrust into the Lower Etchlands again but Mystery’s trickery has sown seeds of doubt and distrust among them. Only when the Wild Crows truly band together do they have a chance to save the Lower Etchlands and thwart Mystery’s hold over them.

Cole has done it again with another thrilling read in his second installment of Champion’s Quest. Cole keeps readers on their toes by throwing away the role-playing-game rule book as Lucas, Miles, and Jasmine are tricked into losing control over their destinies. Of course, this ramps up Lucas’s panic attacks and anxiety levels because his expectations for another rigorous adventure have turned into a living nightmare. Everyone’s emotions are on edge as their powers and circumstances are randomly changing without their consent. Who or what can they trust? This is true with how Lucas, Miles, and Jasmine treat Sierra. Mystery’s influence keeps the three from accepting and trusting her. So Sierra works hard to prove herself in whatever challenge comes their way. But is it enough? The Wild Crows must fight together their inner and outer demons to give themselves any kind of a chance.

A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice by Rebecca Connolly

Kate Connolly is on her way to America aboard the Titanic to start a new life. Her carefree, third-class voyage turns into a catastrophe on the night of April 14, 1912, when Titanic hits an iceberg. Several miles away, Captain Arthur Rostron of the Carpathia receives Titanic’s distress signal. Captain Rostron turns his passenger-laden ship around and goes full-steam into iceberg riddled waters to answer the call. Not knowing if they’ll arrive in time, Captain Rostron issues orders to both crew and passengers to prepare for Titanic’s survivors. Back on the Titanic, Kate escapes the sinking third-class accommodations and miraculously gets into a lifeboat. Once her lifeboat is lowered into the freezing sea, she and many others watch the Titanic disappear underwater. A few hours later, the Carpathia finally arrives at Titanic’s last coordinates. To Captain Rostron’s horror there is no sign of Titanic. All that remains are 705 of almost 2000 passengers Titanic had on board. The loss is absolutely staggering, but Captain Rostron and his crew push through their grief to immediately help those left behind, like Kate.

Connolly’s historical fiction novel brings a fresh and hopeful perspective to this well-documented tragedy. So many works based on this event only focus on the Titanic itself and their stories end at her sinking. But little is mentioned about who came to Titanic’s rescue or what happened to the survivors. Through Connolly’s narratives, readers are given a detailed story of how complete strangers came together to help those in need. Through Captain Rostron’s planning, the efforts of his faithful crew, and even the help of some Titanic survivors, all needs were met with consideration and kindness. This book shows that if it wasn’t for the heroic efforts of all aboard the Carpathia, there wouldn’t be any eyewitnesses to tell about the Titanic. One minor criticism of the book is that more photographs or maps would have been helpful to solidify both Captain Rostron and Kate Connolly’s stories. Well written and faith promoting, Connolly’s novel honors the 110^th anniversary of Titanic’s loss.                

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

As a child, Fatima’s family was murdered outside the city of Noor by Shayateen Djinn, bloodthirsty magical beings. Ghazala, an Ifrit djinni warrior, finds Fatima close to death. Ghazala sacrifices herself by merging her powerful Ifrit magic into Fatima’s failing body. Fourteen years later, Fatima is scraping a living in Noor while struggling to hide her Ifrit powers. Meanwhile, Noor is protected from the Shayateen by the maharajah’s troops and Ifrit warriors, with Zulfikar as the Ifrit Captain. When an Ifrit spiritual leader is murdered, Zulfikar needs to quickly fill the vital vacancy. Surprisingly, he finds his candidate in Fatima. Totally unprepared to be in Noor royal society, Fatima feels lost and unsure of her blossoming Ifrit abilities, but Zulfikar helps to build her confidence. Threats soon come against the maharajah’s family which strain human and Ifrit alliances. Only Fatima can keep the peace between human and Djinn powers by finding the real traitors threatening the city and the people she loves. 

Azad’s novel is an immersive fantasy into worlds few authors have trod. Azad takes readers along the Silk Road to an alternate India where god-like beings either protect or destroy the humans struggling to survive. In the city of Noor, the vibrant and colorful worlds of Muslim culture and Indian folklore cement together to build the foundation of Fatima’s story. With this rich undergirding, readers experience real diversity with cultures and traditions not commonly highlighted in young adult fantasy. But Azad goes further, sweeping away common Muslim stereotypes by making many of her characters strong, independent women that are nurtured by supportive men. Azad freely uses culture-specific vocabulary throughout her story. Readers unfamiliar with her terminology can refer to a glossary at the end, which can require some patience. One criticism is that maps of Noor and the outlying area would have been extremely helpful in knowing where Fatima traveled within the story. It can be confusing to keep track of each character’s movements. With mild violence, gore, and suspense, this book is appropriate for ages 15 and up.

The Thief Knot: A Greenglass House Story by Kate Milford

Ever since her adventures at Greenglass House, Marzana yearns to solve another mystery. Surprisingly, one falls into her lap, or, actually, her parents’ laps. A politician’s daughter, Peony Hyde, has been kidnapped. Because the kidnapping was so near the sanctuary city of the Liberty of Gammerbund, law enforcement are not allowed to go searching there for Peony. While Marzana’s parents start their investigation, Marzana and her best friend, Nialla, put together a group of eager young detectives. Calling themselves the Thief Knot, the tween investigators decipher clues and traverse forgotten paths to Peony’s whereabouts. However, after finding Peony, Marzana does not believe the case is solved. 

The Thief Knot harkens back to Milford’s original genius in Greenglass House. Readers are treated to a story set in the asylum city of the Liberty of Gammerbund, a place Milford addressed in previous books. Marzana hungers for some action in her life even though she is the daughter of a legendary smuggler. But like the Liberty, Marzana has been protected from her mother’s pirating past. Throwing away that protection, Marzana is thrilled to sleuth again on the kidnapping case. However, she soon learns that lives are at risk if she makes any wrong moves. Realizing the dangers, Marzana clears her mind to see the faults in their past investigation and leads her crew safely to the correct resolution. Something that would have engaged readers more with the story would have been maps showing key places above and below ground where the Thief Knot crew go to in the book. Several maps are mentioned in the storyline, so there could have been opportunities for readers to solve clues with Marzana instead of waiting for Marzana to figure things out. With some mild language usage, The Thief Knot is appropriate for ages 12 and up.   

The Lost Wonderland Diaries by J. Scott Savage

Celia has moved to a new town, which means trying to hide her dyslexia from everyone. Just before starting school, Celia is stuck at her mother’s new job in the public library. While there, Celia meets Tyrus, a boy obsessed with books. A voice leads them to her mother’s office where they find a small chest. They open the chest, find four old diaries, and open one of them. Together they are transported into Wonderland. Sylvan, a white rabbit who led them to the chest, tells Celia and Tyrus that a destructive plague is infesting Wonderland. It is prophesied that Wonderland will end unless another “Alice” saves Wonderland from its fate. Tyrus wants to help, but Celia only wants to go home. However, the Red Queen is hunting them down thinking Celia and Tyrus can open portals outside Wonderland. Constantly on the run, they meet several familiar characters who help them find answers to Wonderland’s troubles.

Savage introduces a new generation of readers to Wonderland, a place where behaviors do not make sense, but the world is surprisingly ruled by mathematical principles. Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and whose real name was Charles Dodgson, was also a mathematician. Math is critical to the story because Celia uses her mathematical talent to tackle problems she and Tyrus face. Savage includes this important plot point to prove that someone with dyslexia can still comprehend complex issues when shown in a way other than the written word. Savage makes many references to Carroll’s original story, with several characters readers would not recognize if they have not read Carroll’s book. However, any reader with some familiarity of Wonderland, from seeing film adaptations, would still understand and enjoy Savage’s story. Coming out in September with three other books to follow.

Behind the Canvas by Alexander Vance

While touring her local art museum, tween Claudia Miravista catches a glimpse of a boy in the background of a painting. That same boy reappears inside a painting in Claudia’s bedroom. The boy’s name is Pim and he tells Claudia about the world behind the canvas. Long ago a group of magical artists—known as Artisti—crafted a parallel dimension where their oil paintings could truly come to life. In the 1600s, Pim was cursed by an evil Artisti, Nee Gezicht, who trapped him inside this world using his will to fuel her power. With the help of another Artisti, Claudia is given an ointment to help her enter the oil painting dimension. Claudia’s mission is to stop Nee Gezicht by breaking her magical staff which will finally free Pim. But when Claudia enters the oil painting world, it is not at all how she imagined.

Behind the Canvas is a fun fantasy adventure with some very unique world-building. Vance creates a new dimension where all the oil paintings in the world collide creating an ongoing panorama of color, style, and vibrancy with a cast of some very familiar faces. However, there is a major downside to this story from the start because Vance’s world-building is based on such important visuals. Any reader who isn’t familiar with all the artists or styles mentioned in the story could easily feel lost in Vance’s narrative. What is the Fireside Angel? What does Cubism look like? Vance tries to “fix” this by including footnotes explaining artists or artistic movements. However, this doesn’t help readers to truly visualize the world Vance created, no matter how good his written descriptions are. This problem could have been resolved by including actual images or placing QR codes inside the narrative for readers to follow, like in The Van Gogh Deception by Deron Hicks. This would have solidified Vance’s world building and help teach readers art history in a unique way.