The Gilded Cage

The Gilded Cage by Lucinda Gray, 2016 Henry Holt & Company

     Katherine Randolph and her older brother George are swept from their family farm in Virginia to a new home in Regency England. As newly rich members of society, the two are guarded and guided by their cousins. But after their introductory ball, George Randolph is found dead.
     The locals insist her brother is a victim of the Beast of Walthingham, while her cousins assert it was a terrible accident; Katherine believes George was the victim of foul play. George is not the first or the last victim of Walthinghams's mysteries and the local magistrate encourages the young woman to drop her concerns in exchange for accepting the simplest answer.
     Katherine tries to further investigate but is held back by resistance from her cousins and the household staff. One footman does seem to want to help his young mistress, but Katherine's cousins don't approve of the friendship or any dealings between the two. When the footman, John, is shot during the annual hunt a note amid his belongings seems to wrap up the mystery of George's death, but Katherine is skeptical.
     With the trauma of her stay in England has wrought Katherine is ready to return to her foster family in Virginia. On the eve of her planned departure, Katherine's cousin proposes marriage and Katherine is stunned. She had hoped for a love-match and cannot fathom a marriage to the man her new friend obviously fancies. Katherine goes to her friend who refuses to believe Katherine has not plotted against her or that her plans for the future are thwarted by the man himself.
     Her entire life is upended when Katherine discovers there is more to the proposal, the history of Walthingham, and her cousin than meets the eye. Will Katherine survive the mysteries of Walthingham or will her insistence that something is wrong spell her own ending? In this modern take on the Gothic Romance readers are transported to 1820's England and the social strictures which dictated life at the time. The Gilded Cage is better suited to teen readers with elements of mature romance and flagrant violence (Spoilers: the dog dies).

The Forbidden Library

The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler, 2014 Kathy Dawson Books

     Young Alice Creighton has always had a passion for books and reading, she is a hard worker and a rule-follower. But Alice's familiar life is thrown on its end when a real-live fairy appears in the kitchen one night. The day after her father argues with the creature he sets out on a ship to South America, a trip from which he will never return. Alice is taken to the estate of a distant Uncle Geryon: The Library.
     Upon her first exploration, the large house has nearly everything but a library, though that makes it no less strange. Meals are prepared by invisible and silent hands, the laundry appears cleaned and pressed without disappearing, and the house remains spotless despite not a soul wandering its halls. Uncle Geryon's only visible servants are Emma (a competent but simple-minded girl) and Mr. Black (a gruff man of questionable character).
     Bored with her new life Alice is fascinated when she finally encounters the Library for which the estate is named. The building is separate from the main house and Alice discovers the cats guarding the place are more than they seem: one even leads her to overhear a conversation between the mysterious fairy and the frightening Mr. Black. Ashes becomes her companion in trying to solve the mystery of her father's disappearance.
     In investigating Mr. Creighton's death Alice stumbles across a previously unknown ability to enter some of the books she reads and use their magic to affect the outside world. As she learns how to use her Reader power Alice discovers a battle raging beyond her corner of the universe that threatens to use her as a pawn.
     Though Alice is warned over and over again she continues to believe in the inherent good of people. Her hopes are met with betrayal, but through the conflict, she finds answers she's been seeking, and more questions driving her quest forward.
     The Forbidden Library is the beginning of Alice's journey through literature. The magic of the LIbrary and Alice's ability to Read into books only trigger the start of her adventures. Her story is appropriate for middle-school readers with frightening characters, liberties taken, and children pitted against monsters to gain power.

Beheld

Beheld by Alex Flinn, 2015 Harper Teen

     Kendra is a witch - ever since her family died of the plague she wandered immortal from town to town and country to country. When general opinion becomes fear of other the witch trials spread from culture to culture.
     The young woman appears as a teen, even after her entire world has aged and become history. Kendra finds herself in Salem, Massachusetts in the late 1600s. There she works as a servant for a prosperous family and meets James. Kendra and James share a worldliness which comes from age greater than their appearances -- and Kendra finds herself falling for this warlock.
     Before they can follow where their friendship and attraction might go, the young daughter of the family Kendra works for accuses her of witchcraft. Thus the Salem Witch Trials begin. Kendra is arrested and only freed through James's efforts in a Red-Riding Hood retelling.
     Though her young man is to meet her in Boston their plans fall through. Kendra worries James was a victim of the trials until she runs across him again. The witch is in Europe when she hears of James's survival. A magic mirror allows Kendra to find her young man and check in on him through the ages.
     Kendra discovers the mirror while helping a young woman ina Rumplestiltskin-like series of events. The miller's daughter uses the magic mirror to seek Kendra's aid as she chases her happy ending in feudal Germany. But Kendra loses sight of James.
     During the great wars, Kendra finds her way to England and is caught in the Blitz of London. She meets a young woman who lives out the fairytale: East of the Sun, West of the Moon. Kendra's new friend and her husband lead a lonely Kendra back to James as she helps them recover from their encounter with trolls.
     In modern time, Kendra has returned to the new world. After a stint in New York City where she helps a boy discover there's more to life than appearances, she moves to Florida where Kendra continues to pose as a teen.
     Another new high school leads Kendra to meet two friends who have always been together and have been best friends for years. In high school, Amanda begins to blossom but Christopher remains less than impressive. Kendra watches their friendship and gives a magical nudge as the Ugly Duckling plays out between the longtime friends.
     Throughout her long journey Kendra pines for her missing love, but maintains her own path and allows the mortals she's helping to carry the spotlight. Beheld is about 'otherness' and finding inner strength rather than beauty. Later middle and high school readers will enjoy Flinn's modern retells.

Warrior Princess of Pennyroyal Academy

Warrior Princess of Pennyroyal Academy by M. A. Larson, 2017 G.P. Putnam

   Evie and her friends have undergone many trials and tribulations. Their number has dwindled as they face the challenges required to become Princesses capable of fighting witches,  though Maggie returns for this final adventure.

     Prophecy has dictated the great Warrior Princess will graduate from Evie's class--and many believe it will be Evie. The mystery of her mother's identity and why she was removed from the records drives the young girl even as she questions the assumption that she is the Warrior Princess. 

     Maggie and Evie are among the cadets trying to return home for their break when an army of witches attack the transport carriages. Trapped at the academy with dwindling supplies the princess cadets must find a way out--and to let help back in. 

     A magical harp once owned by Rumplestiltskin seems to be the solution: it will put the giants attacking the magical boundary to sleep. The quartet sneaks out and ventures across the lands overcoming the obstacles in their path only to go their separate ways at the peak of their adventures. Maggie, Basil, Demetra, and Evie meet back at the Academy just in time for the fight for their future. 

     The battle for Pennyroyal is the beginning of the great battle for their world. The aftermath finds the mystery surrounding the identity of the Warrior Princess resolved, but a more immediate question must be answered: how did the academy's security become compromised so easily? The answer solves questions Evie had carried since she came to Pennyroyal. 

     Larson creates a vivid story of young teens learning to believe in themselves and find purpose in the world beyond the familiar. The Warrior Princess of Pennyroyal Academy is intended for eleven- to thirteen-year-olds. Readers who enjoyed Princess Academy and Dragonslippers will find similar elements in this conclusion to the Pennyroyal trilogy.