Crown of Midnight

The Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas, 2013 Bloomsbury

      After several months acting as King's Assassin and running the king's errands Celaena Sardothien finds it necessary to step up her game. With murder after murder Celaena becomes more detached and her friends become concerned as the Celaena they've known disappears and the heartless creature which is Ardalan's Assassin.
     Celaena cannot stand her friends discovering the dangerous path she treads. She offers each assigned target the option to flee and become another person, never use their real name again, or die at the hands of Ardalan's Assassin. She hasn't killed a single target; while the king believes she does his bidding he maintains her secrets and discovers a few belonging to her captor.
   The ancient Queen Elena's ghost appears to Celaena, but she hasn't appeared since the creature attacked Celaena in Throne of Glass. When a cloaked creature appears in the castle near the library Celaena seeks the queen's wisdom, but discovers - from the talking doorknocker, Mort - Elena is weakened from her prior appearances. Between assignments Celaena is surrounded by the Wyrd and finally asks Nehemia to teach her to read Wyrdmarks.
     The two begin, but the king assigns Celaena to kill a prominent courtesan and childhood companion: Archer Finn. Archer is highly recognizable and in the capital surrounding the Glass Castle - Celaena's prior tactics will not work to convince the king of his death. Celaena cancels her lessons to work the problem. Believing her friend will murder the young man against her own will, an argument between the two creates a rift in their friendship. When Nehemia is brutally murdered in her rooms Celaena retreats into Ardalan's Assassin and seeks vengeance.
     Choal and Prince Dorian are worried for their friend. Dorian still hopes to tie Celaena to him romantically, but she cannot allow the king to believe his heir may betray him. Chaol does form a romantic connection with elaena, one she allows until the betrayal of Nehemia's death. The two men have concerns in other arenas when Dorian's cousin appears and suddenly is thick as thieves with the king and his chief advisor Duke Perrington.
     The rebel threat becomes more prominent throughout the novel, Celaena does not want to associate with it, but her actions aid the group. Archer becomes a figurehead from the King's perspective and becomes the target of his paranoia. Celaena must muddle through any clues she can gather and the information hidden from her to escape the all-powerful Wyrd.
     Celaena must choose to lose the self which keeps her from sinking into the Assassin and embrace the role, or to grasp the self which keeps her from becoming the monster she believes herself to be and continue to fight the forces at war within Ardalan. With Choal and Dorian to stand behind her Celaena must discover what gives the king his inhuman control over all around him. She must figure out how to make a stand. Celaena's story is still one of survival, one mature readers will enjoy.

Silver on the Tree

Silver on the Tree by Susan Cooper, 1977 Atheneum Books

     Will Stanton is still waiting for the days the Dark and Light will clash in their final battle. He accepts the invitation of his aunt and uncle to return to Wales and the Old Magic found there. His companions from previous adventures reappear and meet, a good thing too, because Will is going to need all the help he can find.
     Simon, Jane, and Barnabas Drew are on holiday with their parents when they follow the sound of a hunting horn to the top of a hillside to find Will. Will has brought Bran along. When they first meet Bran puts the Drew Children on edge - something about the young man is eerily different.
     Bran doesn't appear to understand why the three Drews should come along on their adventure. His quest is all-consuming and only Will's temperance keeps Bran from thriving the three allies from their place in the quest.
     With the Dark steadily gaining strength--Will, Bran, Simon, Jane, and Barney search to solve the ancient riddle found in Over Sea, Under Stone. At the completion of their search will be the last great battle between Light and Dark. Between the Welsh hills mortals and Old Ones alike muddle through the most ancient myths and stories of the British Isles.
     In the conclusion to Cooper's saga the parts of the tale become whole. Arthurian legends meld with ancient Rome in a clash of histories where men decide the end of the day. Readers who enjoyed Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydian and Madeleine L'Engle's young adult fiction will find similarities in Cooper's work.

The Course of True Love

The Course of True Love by Betty Neels, 1988 Harlequin

     Claribel Brown was waiting for the bus when she was knocked off the sidewalk and injured her ankle. Fortunately Dr. Marc van Borsele was driving past and helps the young woman home and checks her ankle. When she meets him again at the hospital where she works as a physiologist Claribel is annoyed by the arrogant doctor.
     Marc helps Claribel get home to her family's country home, but on the way the two encounter a terrible car accident. A young girl who simply must return to her parents before they discover she was out with a boy-friend latches on to the doctor. Young Irma flirts and makes a nuisance of herself as Claribel and Marc give her a ride home.
     Though Marc and Claribel continue to see each other, the girl returns repetitively, first visiting Marc at hospital. Later following him about town, and she even appears at his home. When Marc asks her for to participate in a false engagement to hold off the other girl Claribel is at first vehemently opposed. Eventually she gives in and the visits for a snack after work become elaborate visits to popular nightspots. Claribel wears his great-grandmother's ring and flashes it about as Irma follows the couple around town.
     When Irma is relentless. In a last ditch effort to convince her Marc is beyond her reach he invites Claribel to his home in Holland. When Irma follows them it appears to Claribel Irma's attempts to draw Marc from their engagement are succeeding and she wishes the fake engagement was real.
     Like any good romance The Course of True Love includes a dashing hero, clueless heroine, the evil stalker, and an international vacation to bring the two lead characters together. Claribel Brown and Marc van Borsele find a grudging friendship and a little something more. Appropriate for romance readers of all ages, this story is a quick and quirky read.

Seaward

Seaward by Susan Cooper, 1983 Margaret K McElderry Books

     West and Cally are swept into a strange world where the beauty is mesmerizing and dangerous. Lady Taranis tempts the youths to stay in her kingdom forever while Lugan, her male counterpart, urges the two forward and to the end of their journey.
     West is an enigma to Cally, from a different part of the world with a different outlook and native language. The seeming magic surrounding West gets them through various different terrain and confrontations with creatures of all shapes and sizes.
     Cally appears to be a naive child to West's jaded eyes. She adores the beauty around her and trusts most of the characters they meet, but as they head Westward to the sea West finds the girl more and more enchanting. His mother's warning before he arrived in the lost world: To trust the man with an owl's eyes, the girl with selkie hands, and the creature at the top of the world; allow West to bend to Cally's simple joy and uncomplicated trust. The two balance each other as they progress and become something more than friends.
     West and Cally discover that some things in life are worth the pain of loss, especially to feel love. They persevere and are rewarded for their efforts. While their adventures are appropriate for a broad audience, some scenes and moments are aimed at more mature readers.

Doon

Doon by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon, 2013 Zondervan

     The Legend of Brigadoon tells of an enchanted land beyond the reach of the mortal world. Veronica Welling and Mackenna Reid are interested in the story but the best friends disagree to its veracity. Vee has been seeing visions of a brawn Scotsman from as far away as her high school parking lot in Indiana: she believes Doon is as real as Kenna standing next to her. Kenna believes the story if just a fairy tale her aunt used to share.
     When Kenna must visit the cottage her aunt left her in Scotland, the girls encounter the truth of Doon. In the middle of the night Vee drags Kenna to the edge of the legend and right onto the page. THey discover an evil witch is bent on destroying Doon and the ties it has to her magic. The people of the mythical land are hesitant to believe these girls bode well, but they are placed in the keeping of Jamie and Duncan MacCrae--the royal heirs.
     Jamie is the young man Veronica has been seeing and her instant attraction to the real thing does not appear to be reciprocated. Duncan, however, is immediately smitten by Kenna. On the other hand, Kenna is more focused on her Broadway career and an upcoming internship in Chicago.
     The friends are to be held until the Bridge of Doon opens to return them to the mortal world. With two weeks Vee and Kenna search for an answer to their passage over the bridge. The Doonian's worries appear to be worthwhile when black flowers appear around the ancient witch's cottage where the land has been barren for centuries. Veronica and Mackenna must show they aren't just visiting this beautiful land, but mean to help solve any trouble which may have followed them over the border.
     Romance and the troubles of teen love abound in Doon and the friendship between Mackenna and Veronica is an anchor for the girls as they deal with angry mobs, curses, and reluctant suitors. Based on the musical Brigadoon by Lerner and Loewe this reimagining of Doon is a fantastical adventure more appropriate for mature teen readers.

Liar's Moon

Liar's Moon by Elizabeth C. Bunce, 2011 Arthur A Levine

     Digger has returned to the capital and, though it is not exactly the same, slipped back into her old life. Staying above a bakery in Seventh Circle allows the young woman access to gossip from all areas of town and strata of society. She has left espionage behind after a quick look into Sarist activity shows any news has been successfully hushed or evacuated from Gerse.
     Durrel Decath, the nob who saved Digger as Celyn from Greenmen and brought her to his family in Starcrossed, is imprisoned for his wife's murder. At first the thief-girl swears to find who has put her friend under the spotlight of blame, and when all evidence points to Durrel she refuses to take the case. When Raffin - a mutual friend, nob, and Greenman - gives her no choice, Digger reluctantly searches for the answer.
     But the truth is more difficult than it may appear - with a magical rebellion and civil war marching on Gerse, the king tightening his fist on any who gainsay him, and the Celystra with her Greenmen burning innocents in the streets Digger has a hard time keeping her nose clean. When the High Inquisitor repeatedly appears to beg Digger return and use her magic for the Celystra, she rejects her brother and the world she was once suffocated by to find the real young woman at the heart of the thief.
     Digger's story is intricate and complicated. She cares for the people of her country, though they may belittle her and attempt to use her and her skills. Emotions between Durrel and Digger become heated the more she learns about herself and the world Durrel comes from. Older teens will enjoy Bunce's descriptive prose, and the unconventional heroine who just might save the nob from the gallows.