Practical Magic

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, 1995 Penguin

     Two strange little girls live in a strange house in Massachusetts where strange women have always lived. Sally and Gillian Owens are orphans who grow up as outsiders whose family is known for strange magic. Their guardians, the Aunts, help the people of their small town when asked. But only in the darkness where the townsfolk have deniability. 

     The two girls cannot be more different: Sally is dark-haired, does her schoolwork, and is skeptical of the aunts unusual work. Gillian is red-headed, beautiful and chased by men from the time she realizes what the attention could get her. Sally is self-less, Gillian selfish. Sally chooses to live a normal life - fall in love, have children, experience heartbreak. Gillian runs as soon as she can and doesn't turn back, she's the one causing the heartbreak. 

     For fifteen years. 

     Gillian shows up on her sister's doorstep one late night in June with a dead body and the man's stolen car. Sally helps bury the problem and the sisters re-connect as the summer wears on. But some problems don't stay buried. Sally's girls are old enough to experience some of the gifts their family has harbored for centuries.

     The girls call in backup. The Aunts show the young women their gifts are based in the bond with each other and their family legacy. Magic isn't always flash and bang, but a practical way of moving through the world. 

     Practical Magic is a cozy story of sisters. Jet and Franny, Sally and Gillian, Antonia and Kylie are all heir to a legacy of magic as they move through the world seeking love. Murder, paranormal activity, and a dose of reality make for a low-stakes journey back to family. Readers who enjoyed A Discovery of Witches, In the Company of Witches, and Spells for Forgetting will also enjoy Hoffman's tale. 

Shadow of Night

 

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness, 2012 Viking Adult

     As an alchemical historian, Elizabethan England is a dream destination for Diana Bishop. When the present is too dangerous for a witch with no control over her power and who has fallen in love with a vampire Diana and her husband, Matthew de Clairmont escape into his past. Fitting into history when Matthew and his family are powerful forces both politically and martially is difficult for modern woman Diana. 

     Matthew is Matthew Roydon in 1590. Advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, spy, and member of the Creatures' Congregation, he is responsible for ensuring the creatures of Europe refrain from meddling in human affairs. Diana discovers her husband is a powerful man in his own right, but the weight behind his family name is an additional level of protection over their forbidden relationship. Their travel in time displaces the original Matthew Roydon and requires that the pair scramble to reassure his family when Philippe de Clairmont receives word of his missing son. Matthew is hesitant to meet his relatively recently deceased father and concerned the vampire lord will take issue with his choice of wife and Diana's witchy magic. 

     Philippe knows something is changed in his son, and the pair are forced to reveal some of the future to the vampire. Matthew's family accepts Diana and, with Philippe's support, the two have a second, public wedding. More characters come into play as Diana meets more of the de Clairmont clan, including Matthew's sister Louisa, son Benjamin, and nephews. Not every member of the ancient and powerful clan is happy with the new witchy member, but Matthew and Philippe stand behind Diana to set events in motion which will ripple down the timeline. 

     While her personal life revolves around how the vampires of the de Clairmont clan handle Matthew's marriage, her magic and the focus of their journey depends on Diana making strong relationships with a nearby coven. With their help she discovers the key to her unmanageable magic is to try not to manage it - Diana is a spell-weaver and writes her own laws of magic. 

      Circumstances require that Diana and Matthew cut short their journey into 1590. Their travel home is just as fraught with concern as the trip backwards in time. They return home months after leaving and to surprises they couldn't have imagined. 

     The second All Souls installment sees a new, more transparent side of the categorically secretive Matthew de Clairmont. Diana learns how to use her power and the power of community. Readers who enjoyed Nora Roberts' Chronicles of the One will find similar themes in Harkness's story. 

Shadow & Flame

Shadow & Flame by Mindee Arentt - 2019 Balzer & Bray

     Kate lost her brother and love during a failed rescue attempt in Rime's neighboring country, Seva. She fears her hesitation in using her Sway was what caused her losses, but she had to return to Rime and the fight to survive the inquisition of Wilders. 

     A year after her return to Rime, Kate and her wilder supporters have carved out a place on the edges of their homeland. Edwin has declared himself king in Corwin's absence and the shaky armistice protects them in the wilder city. Kate is swamped in self-doubt but holds up for her followers. 

     In the prison mines of Seva a young man called Clash has a secret even he doesn't remember. High Prince Corwin has retreated into his own mind to survive the brutal reality of the mine. A personal rebellion on behalf of his only friend leads to a traitor from Rime who shares Kate's power of Sway discovering his identity. 

     Lord Gavril introduces Corwin to Seva's Godking and his children. Using the man's power the Godking forces Corwin's marriage to his only daughter. The ploy is a bid for Rime and the riches--the magic--it harbors. Corwin refuses to allow a relationship to grow with his farcical wife, Eravis. And she schemes with the captive prince to hide from her father and his lackey. 

     The announcement of Corwin's marriage stuns Kate--not only is he alive but married to their greatest enemy's only daughter. This doesn't sound like the Corwin Kate has known for most of her life. 

     Lord Gavril has kept Corwin under his thumb through a mixture of his power and a drug made from magical deposits found in Seva's mines. The prince is unable to prevent himself from becoming complicit in the Godking's plans to destroy Rime. 

     Captured wilders and Sevan forces attack a war-torn Rime. Still reeling from a civil war between wilder and mages the invading army has little difficulty subduing the country. Their attempts to escape leads Corwin and the captured wilders to Kate and the wilder leaders captured by Edwin. 

     The invasion reveals more to the story than Kate or Corwin imagined when their old enemy Rendborne appears on the scene. Kate questions everything she believed of the Rimish conflict and magic in Rime. Corwin questions his own ability to lead and his right to the throne amid problems his people face. 

     Kate and Corwin repeatedly face tragic losses as the war for Rime rages between various forces. They hope to find each other in the end, but it appears the Goddess Noralah has her own requirements of the two aim to lead her chosen country. 

     Shadow & Flame is intended for older teen and young adult readers with graphic violence and complex manipulation. The classic struggle of good versus evil is mirrored in the question of control against free will. Kate is a flawed character who readers can identify with while Corwin is a respectable character fighting for something larger than himself. 

A Discovery of Witches

 A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, 2011 Viking Penguin

     Hiding from her family history by becoming a leading scholar of Elizabethan science has served Diana Bishop well. She is on track to become one of the youngest scholars to obtain tenure at a top United States University. She is working on a research project in Oxford's Bodleian library when she meets Matthew de Clairmont. 

     The suave Monsieur de Clairmont is a vampire, older than the institution Diana has tied her future to. He immediately recognizes her as a witch - one who rarely uses her magic - and it is by her rarely used magic that she draws the attention of Witches, Vampires, and Daemons. The Ashmole Manuscript she calls for her research has been missing for decades when Diana recalls it from the stacks. 

     Rumor has it the missing manuscript tells the origin of Creatures. Diana's interest is only in the alchemical message of the text. But the fact that she can find Ashmole draws even more attention and ire when she refuses to hand over the document despite pressure from every creature of significant political power. 

     Matthew's interest starts with the manuscript but he finds Diana more and more compelling. When her own kind turns against Diana for refusing to provide the much-coveted Ashmole Manuscript, Matthew de Clairmont is her rescuer. The two remove from Oxford for her safety despite the Covenant of Creatures. 

     As they become more enraptured with one another Matthew and Diana seek to understand why the manuscript comes to Diana despite stronger magic's failure to call it forth. At the de Clairmont fortress in France Diana also discovers more about her magic and her personal history. 

     When the Congregation kidnaps Diana from the property - violating the de Clairmont sovereignty in their own lands - Matthew realizes how his life and that of the witch mirror her observations of the missing manuscript. He will violate his own laws to find and protect her and their growing relationship. 

     The more she learns about the Creatures' world the more Diana wishes she could return to the safety of her American ignorance. Her aunts--powerful witches in their magic-- do not have the political strength to protect her and her parents' magic - both rare and powerful - has been absent most of Diana's life. 

     Diana and Matthew risk more than just censure from the Congregation for an interspecies relationship. Something in the Ashmole manuscript has drawn the attention of the most powerful elements of their world and their ire. At heart, this is a romance with elements of The DaVinci Code and Charlaine Harris' Snookie Stackhouse series meant for mature readers with vivid violence. 

Emerald Green

Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier, 2010 Square Fish

     The final installment of Gwen's story follows directly on the heels of Sapphire Blue. Gwenyth and Gideon have spoken with Lucy and Paul leading the pair even further from trusting the Saint-Germain Society. 

     Gwenyth and Gideon discover the answer ot their riddle of teh chronograph--Gwen is immortal and the Count Saint-Germain craves her immortality enough to forcer to take her own life. 

     The two time-travelers are on the outs after Gwen misunderstands (with her cousin's vehement insinuation) the relationship between Gideon and Charlotte. With Gideon as her only quasi-reliable ally at the society Gwen grudginly allows him to help. Raphael (Gideon's brother), Leslie, and Xemerius try to piece everything together before Gwen has her meeting with the count. 

     The Saint-Germain Society insists that Gwen adn Gideon complete the circle of the chronograph at the count' behest. But their conversations with Lucy and Paul have set Gwen on a parallel path: they direct her to the stolen chronograph in present time. 

     Gweneth and Gideon close the original Chronograph's circle with Gideon's blood and find the Philosopher's Stone. The society force the meeting with the Count while Gwen's cousin Charlotte believes she is hiding something--which she is--and tries to bring the full weight of the society down. Her repeated attempts to discredit Gwen backfire when Charlotte spills secrets of the society and Gwenyth appears to follow all of the society's dictates. 

     It all comes to a head when secrets are revealed and the count isn't just some figure in history. Gwen and ideon have choices that will affect not just their futures and teh society, but all of humanity. 

     This conclusion to the Gemstone Trilogy ties up the loose ends and allows for the future. Emerald Green is aimed at teen readers with elements of romance and time travel. 

The Dollhouse Murders

The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright, 1983 Scholastic

     Amy Treloar, her sister Louann, and Amy's best friend Ellen discover a beautiful replica dollhouse of the family home. But playing with the house causes the dolls to reenact the murder of Amy and Louann's great-grandparents thirty years before.
     The girls believe the repeated reenactment of the grisly murder is trying to tell them something. They struggle to solve the murder. Aunt Clare, who owns the house and dollhouse, believes it was her fiancee, but there is evidence it could have been the gardener.
     In investigating the family secret Amy discovers her mentally challenged sister is much more capable than she originally thought. Amy learns that family endures even after trauma and works through the issues which have plagued her family for decades.
     Amy's story is suspenseful and deals with tough issues including trauma, crime, and mental illness. The crimes against the family are more than many children are ready for but handled in an age-sensitive manner. Wright's story is a powerful ghost story aimed at middle school readers.

The Ghosts Beneath Our Feet

The Ghosts Beneath Our Feet by Betty Ren Wright, 1984 Scholastic

     Uncle Frank isn't really Katie's uncle - only an elderly family friend living in a dying mining town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Katie, her mother, and her step-brother move in with Uncle Frank when her step-father dies. The trio experience typical family drama upon their relocation: Katie and her mother struggle with each other, and Jay rebels with a motorcycle fascination and a bad attitude.
     Katie hopes the summer in a small town will be fun with new adventures and new kids to meet. She is sorely disappointed when the kids are distant and the mining accident thirty years ago left the town reeling. Uncle Frank's son died in the accident but it isn't his ghost Katie runs into.
     The townsfolk warn of "knockers" - the ghosts of the miners who are trying to return to the surface. Katie meets a beautiful young lady who seems to be warning her about something. The apparition shows up outside the old mine, then in a mirror in Uncle Frank's house. Can Katie decipher the ghosts warnings before it's too late, or will she fall prey to the town's next great disaster?
     The Ghosts Beneath Our Feet delves into the aftermath of a community tragedy, be it a large or small group of people affected. Wright's story is aimed at middle-grade readers with a gentle scare and more accessible language.

The Ghost in the Third Row

The Ghost in the Third Row by Bruce Coville, 1987 Yearling Books

     Sixth-grader Nina Tanleven is trying out for the play and is scared. But she sees a beautiful woman in white in the audience encouraging her and knows there is nothing to fear.
     Nina and her best friend, Chris, do some research and discover a beautiful young actress was murdered in their very theater fifty years before. The girls continue to see the ghost of the woman in white throughout the production. With each encounter, they feel the lady is there to help, not to hurt the troupe.
     Someone is haunting the theater, though. Costumes are destroyed, scripts are shredded, and sets are knocked over when no one is there. Nina and Chris are the only ones who don't believe the real ghost is the one trying to stop the show. The cast and crew take precautions to avoid the superstitions that surround the destruction.
     The two sixth-grade girls refuse to believe the kind-looking pretty ghost could be causing such damage and danger. Nina and Chris decide to do some more sleuthing and discover - with the Lady's help - the ghostly damage is caused by a much less supernatural source.
     The Ghost in the Third Row is a quick and vibrant read in the Grand Theater. Nina and Chris are typical twelve-year-old girls with inquisitive minds and caring hearts. Middle-grade readers will enjoy this friendly ghost story.

Here, There Be Dragons

Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owens, 2006 Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

     three young men are drawn on a dark and stormy night to meet a scholar of remarkable renown. When they arrive their host has been murdered and the trio is chased by creatures unknown. These wendigoes are creatures of myth and chase the young men across a rainy London night to be rescued by Bert. 

     Bert and his daughter, Aven, help John, Charles, and Jack flee the wendigo abord Aven's ship: the Indigo Dragon. They adventure into Avalon then Paralon in the "Archipelago of Dreams". The young Oxford scholars learn they've inherited a magical book that allows them to sail the archipelago. 

     The group grows with each step in their adventure. Bug (also known as Artus) chooses to board the Indigo Dragon in Avalon. In Paralon they befriend Tummeler the badger who is writing a cookbook. Magwitch is picked up accidentally; abused and threatened by the Indigo Dragon's crew until he escapes back to his own crew in service to the Winter King. 

     The Indigo Dragon's crew and the caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica discover their magical book is the one thing the Winter King will tear the archipelago apart to obtain. His shadow-born are wraithlike and have no independent thought: they do the Winter King's bidding through the enslavement of their souls. 

     John, Charles, and Jack aren't always in agreement with what should happen next, but they do agree keeping the Imaginarium Geographica from the Winter King and finding a stable ruler for the archipelago are the best they can hope for the new world they've discovered. All seems lost as their allies are slowly knocked to the wayside. Their last hope is to find the Cartographer of Lost Places--the author of the Imaginarium. 

     As the two forces drive toward a resounding clash, secrets are revealed. Friends are lost, and allies become enemies. In the end the map's declaration "Here, there be Dragons" becomes a rallying cry. Readers who enjoy the classic fantasies of Middle Earth, Narnia, and the Nautilus will find this sea-faring adventure in line with the magic of the great stories. Classic authors and their stories are peppered throughout Owens's story of strangers who must rely on each other to survive. 

Sapphire Blue

Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier, 2010 Square Fish

     Beginning moments after Ruby Red's conclusion is the second installment of Gwen's adventure with time travel. After they return from a failed trip back to obtain a blood sample from Lady Tilney Gwyneth Shephard and Gideon de Villiers find themselves with more questions than the secret Saint-Germain Society is willing to answer. 

     Gideon still insists the society is acting in their best interests and the interests of society at large, but Gwen questions his blind loyalty. Her conversation with Lucy pointed her toward the Society's secrecy as a method of manipulation. Lesley continues to support Gwen and help her seek information. The two girls discover more about the prophecies which drive the society forward, though interpreting those prophecies is like deciphering poetry. 

     Gwen seems to be crumbling under the pressure of an etiquette coach who has no compassion and her cousin, Charlotte's smug, repeated criticisms. Leslie reminds Gwen of her ability to speak with ghosts and the gargoyle ghost who has been following her becomes the girls' best spy and ally. Xemerius is able to provide information the society keeps from Gwen and, when Gideon's brother unexpectedly appears, keeps her grounded amid emotional turmoil. 

     The two time travelers are learning more and more about the time they've been assigned to travel to. Gwen asks the forbidden questions and breaks the rules, but Gideon tries to protect her from the Society and its punishments for disobedience. Slowly Gwen gains hold of her ability to speak with ghosts and gains enough confidence to succeed in the missions set by the Saint-Germain Society. 

     The further down the rabbit hole they go, the less Gwen trusts the Society. Xemerius shadows her distrust, and it becomes harder and harder for her to follow the directions of the creepy count Saint-Germain through the Society. 

     Another meeting with Lucy and Paul's associates points even further suspicion on the Society. Like its predecessor, Sapphire Blue ends abruptly. Gwen's journey is not yet over as she searches for her own way in a role she never even wanted. 

     The second installment of Gwen's story sees her gain confidence in her own abilities. Readers will enjoy her doubt in the secrets she's expected to keep without understanding and her somewhat rebellious response to that doubt. Sapphire Blue is intended for teens with some mature violence and romantic entanglements. 

Bruja Born

Bruja Born by Zoraida Cordova, 2018 Sourcebooks Fire

     After the drama with her sister's powers, Bruja Lula Mortiz is not feeling he powers. In fact, Lula isn't feeling like herself at all. She holds back from her normal life, and even her magic-less boyfriend Maks notices.
     On the way to their last soccer game of the season, Maksim ends their relationship. Lula is devastated and wishes her magic could heal their relationship and bring back his love - not something bruja magic can or should do. The two busses of teen soccer players and cheerleaders are involved in a horrific accident which very few of Lula's classmates survive.
     Lula uses her powers to save Maks despite Death's protests. She convinces her sisters to help. The Mortiz daughters manage to bind Maks to Lula and to heal his wounds, but the spell is unsuccessful and turns Maks into a casimuerto - quasi-dead. Lula and her sisters, Alex and Rose, delve into Bruja lore but the casimuerto isn't well known. The mythology describes a creature like a zombie and when Maks begins to rampage across the city that's what it looks like: the zombie apocalypse.
     Now Lula, Alex, Rose and the rest of their coven are held responsible for the imbalance caused by the girls' spell. Lula must reset the balance because La Muerta is bound from completing her work and the casimuerto infection is spreading across New York City.
     How does one free Death to complete her work? Lula must figure it out or the witch-hunters will solve the problem in a much more permanent way. After the dramatic ordeal involving Alex's magic Lula is afraid to deal with the physical and emotional results of her sister's actions but learns she's the same bruja as before, just with an all-powerful sister at her side.
     This second story of the Brooklyn Brujas follows the eldest Mortiz sister as the girls learn to manage their magic and their lives in the aftermath of tragedy. Lula learns that just because they have the power doesn't mean they should and the consequences nearly destroy her entire world. Bruja Born is aimed at older teen and young adult readers who enjoy their magic with a touch of gruesome reality.

Crimson Bound

Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge, 2015 Balzer + Bray

     Rachelle trained with her aunt to become the village's woodwife--to protect people from the Forest and the evil Forestborn. But Rachelle also dreamed of adventure and when a chance encounter with a Forestborn leads to her being marked as blood-bound--fated to kill or die within three days--she cannot help but murder to survive.
     Her will to live is stronger than her willingness to give up all she knows and Rachelle discovers the Foresborn will not allow her to fight that survival instinct. He brutally mutilates her aunt causing Rachelle to end her suffering. The mercy killing sets Rachelle on the path to become Forestborn herself. The fifteen-year-old escapes to the king's city and becomes one of his guards to survive.
     Rachelle becomes one of the king's best fighters. Her sworn duty is to protect the citizens from the Forestborn. But along the journey, a single crimson thread ties her to the Foresborn who marked her. The young woman doesn't know what it means or how to escape it, but no one else seems to be able to perceive this ever-present leash.
     In the course of her duties, Rachelle catches the notice of the king and is assigned to protect his son Armand. A revolution seems to be building around the young man though he doesn't seem to want to be a part of it. Armand enjoys poking fun at Rachelle and her hesitance to do anything which may offend the upright sensibilities of those who raised her. 

     The Forestborn returns to bring about the end of the world. The king and his overzealous court are mired in their debauchery, the king's mistress leading their parties into eternal damnation. Rachelle depends on her aunt's woodwife teachings to find a way to prevent the Endless Night. 

     Both the tools to defeat the Forestborn, the Forest, and the conspiracies ruling their nation and portal into danger--the Forest--are in the sun palace. Rachelle and Armand are unlikely and untrusting allies against the end of the world. 

    Rachelle is a relatable teen character: as a young teen she has a dream, but when she is tempted, like Little Red Riding Hood, to leave the path she makes a choice which changes the rest of her life. She must live with the consequences. Hodge creates a dark story filled with shades of gray as Rachelle learns how and who to fight to achieve her dream. 

Daughter of the Siren Queen

Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller, 2018 Feiwel and Friends

   Alosa escaped the capture of a rogue pirate, Vordan, with Riden's help. After pretending to be Riden's captive aboard his ship, being locked in a cage at the mercy of her father's enemies is a humbling experience for the part-siren princess. As she continues to search for the magical island of the sirens Alosa's enemies prey on her father's teaching techniques to plant a seed of doubt.
     To keep her father from killing the man she is coming to love, Alosa brings Riden along as a member of her crew. Following her doubts brings the pirate princess to a secret her father has kept her entire life. Alosa frees her mother from a decade and a half of imprisonment. She expects her mother to stay and be a mother, but the Siren Queen has responsibilities of her own, and her daughter is nearly grown.
     Alosa is broken by first her father's betrayal and lies, then her mother's abandonment. She knows the Kalligan will come after his wayward daughter and escaped wife and, to save her crew, Alosa and her ship must put as much room between them as they can.
     To keep the Ava-lee and her crew alive and safe Alosa knows the king must be replaced. If she is to usurp her father Alosa needs gold. All the gold she could ever want is on the island her mother rules and her father seeks. The escaping pirates set course for the sirens' island.
     Alosa's crew encounters obstacles ranging from glass-calm seas without a scrap of wind and raging storms to cannibals and dehydration. It's a race against time and the Pirate King to find a solution to the corruption which has taken over the seas.
     Readers will enjoy the spunk of the half-siren pirate princess as she comes into her own. Pirates of the Caribbean meets the original Little Mermaid with a heroine who won't quit. Alosa appeals to readers of all ages, though her story has elements better suited to older teen and young adults.

Labyrinth Lost

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova, 2017 Sourcebooks Fire

     The three Mortiz girls are brujas--witches. Alex is the middle and hasn't developed her powers yet. And she's okay with that. Alex hates magic, has hated it since an incident resulted in their father's disappearance. Alex's older sister Lula is a healer, like their mother, and her younger sister Rose has spirit magic. 

     When Alex begins to show signs of her magic she fights it. Her Deathday celebration is the event of the decade designed to help Alex gain better control of her magic. She still fights the magic and it results in the expulsion of her extended family into another dimension. 

     Sending her family away tears a hole in reality allowing monsters from the other side into the human realm. Those monsters are hunting the most powerful witch in decades: Alex Mortiz. Alex cannot handle the consequences and follows with her best friend and the neighborhood outcast. 

     On the other side, Alex learns that her magic isn't the curse she's made it out to be in her mind since her father vanished. The anger she has harbored toward Mr. Ortiz's disappearance has been redirected to her uncontrolled power and the journey through the other side reminds Alex that her unharnessed power is a dangerous and unpredictable part of her. 

     When her traveling companions are endangered by the monsters in the realm Alex learns to harness her gift and her emotions as the only way to get them all out and save her family. Alex and her friends meet fae, escape from hellbeasts, and outwit minor deities. 

     Steeped in Latinx mythology, Labyrinth Lost explores family and community through a lens of self-acceptance. Alex learns to accept herself and tap into her magic--learning there is always a cost for magic. The cost to bring her family home may be more than her magic is able to handle. Teen readers who enjoy supernatural stories and the usual self-discovery arc will enjoy this cultural take on the self-realization and -acceptance. 

Princess of the Silver Woods

Princess of the Silver Woods by Jessica Day George, 2012 Bloomsbury

   The youngest princess of Westfalin, Petunia, has been kidnapped... sort of... on accident. Oliver and his band of Wolves of the Westfalin Wood decide to raid Petunia's carriage on her trip to visit a distance Grand Duchess and come up with more than just the gold and jewels they hope for. The young man didn't mean to kidnap a princess and he plans to confess to his accidental crime and escort Petunia to her destination.
     Petunia is not a wilting lady--when she was a small child she and her eleven sisters were taken to a kingdom under the earth to dance with the sons of the King Under Stone. After several princes and adventurers tried to rescue them, the girls were able to escape the curse and resume normal princess lives. Several princes were killed in the quest for an answer and the king decides his daughters should travel as emissaries to assuage the wounds.
     The youngest daughter spends significant time in a Russia-esque country to the north. Petunia's hostess visits Westfalin and requests a visit from her long-time ward. It is on the trip to visit the Grand Duchess that Petunia meets the Wolves and Oliver, their leader. Oliver is true to his word and transports Petunia to the new residence of the duchess - his familial home.
     With the Grand Duchess, Petunia is plagued by long-gone nightmares of a kingdom underground. She writes to her sisters hoping for a solution, but no news comes from the princesses or their husbands. Petunia enjoys her days with the Grand Duchess and her charming nephew, but the nights begin to wear and answers are still elusive.
     Petunia remembers Oliver and his promise to help. When her suspicions begin to get the best of her, the princess asks for help from the handsome young man. Oliver's assistance finally produces answers, but they aren't the answers Petunia hopes for. She is given the chance to finally end the family's curse permanently when a new King Under Stone takes control and accepts Oliver's help in saving herself.
     The third and final story of the Westfalin Twelve Dancing Princesses blends with Little Red Riding Hood for a story to end the princesses' nightmare. Princess of the Silver Woods concludes the tales of the Westfalin princesses for middle school readers.

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.

Real Mermaids Don't Need High Heels

Real Mermaids Don't Need High Heels by Helene Boudreau, 2013 Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

     Jade Baxter and her best friend have managed to save the tide pool where mers can transition into human form. Cori is officially dating Luke's brother, Trey, and Jade is officially dating Luke. The friends are enjoying typical high school exploits and looking forward to the Fall Formal.
     Except, Jade is terrified of the dance: she's got two left fins. The formal becomes the smaller of her problems when the Mer Council orders all Webbed Ones back into the ocean. Jade finally got her mom back and she certainly isn't willing to let her boyfriend go back into the ocean.
     The friends are busy with their school work: Cori has an internship, Luke and Trey have work and water polo, and Jade has joined the underwater hockey team. To top it all off, Selena has been enrolled as a foreign exchange student at her school - and Jade is not keen on playing tour guide to the mer-girl.
     Jade tries to prepare for Mer-mageddon all while trying to prevent the building underwater war and trying to find the perfect dress for the dance. When they can't keep the Webbed Ones out of the water Cori, Trey, Jade, and their human adult supervision take to the water. Following the "call" back to the Mer Council leads Jade to new secrets and challenges. If the fourteen-year-old can prevent civil war in the mer-world, finding a good dress and learning to dance should be a cake walk.
     The Real Mermaid series is aimed at middle grade and younger teen readers. The girls experience budding romantic relationships with all the emotional ups and downs in a clean romance. This is the third of four novels featuring Jade and her friends.

Cruel Beauty

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge, 2014 Balzer + Bray

     Nyx was raised to avenge her mother's death and end the demonic reign of the Gentle Lord. Legend has it that when Arcadia's ruling family displeased the Gentle Lord he came with the demons of Tartarus and ripped their island country from the world.
     As the daughter of the manor, Nyx has a privileged place in society. She has grown knowing in order for Arcadia to escape the demon lord's cruel rule she must destroy him. And Nyx is in a unique position to end the curs on her homeland.
     Nyx's father made a bargain with the Gentle Lord when his wife, the love of his life, cannot have children and falls into a depression which will cause her death if they cannot find a solution. The Gentle Lord gives Thisbe twin daughters, but in exchange one of the girls must marry him when she turns seventeen.
     The chosen daughter, Nyx has known since she was a  child that she would marry the Gentle Lord and her sister would remain to live out her life as she chose. She resents her younger sister and the family which has never appeared to love her. Nyx absorbed magic and love with the hope she will avenge her mother's death and her country's isolation at the hands of the demon lord.
     But when Nyx meets her new husband he and his magical prison are not what they seem. The demon lord lists several rules for their interactions, and Nyx learns while she has been taught much about the Gentle Lord the people of Arcadia don't know everything and don't have half of his history correct. As she searches for ways to end the hold over their island Nyx grows to appreciate the demon lord's honesty and appreciation of her, and even grows to love him.
     When the chance comes to save all of Acadia by betraying the cultivated relationship with the demon lord or to realize her dream of finding someone to love Nyx finds the choice on of the most difficult of her life.
     This is a tale of magic and deception, of appearances reflecting expectation rather than the reality, and of learning to look past expectations to find the truth. Nyx discovers that sometimes doing the wrong thing can be the right thing to do. Older teens and young adult readers will enjoy the moral shades of this tale. 

Princess of Glass

Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George, 2010 Bloomsbury

      After their curse is broken the princesses of Westfalin are sent as diplomatic emissaries around the known world. The king hopes his daughters will learn from the nations surrounding their small country and possibly they will help provide political restitution for the loss of so many high-ranking young men.

     Princess Poppy is sent to her mother's homeland Breton. Life with the Seadown family, cousins of her late mother, is comfortable despite their attempts to find her a suitable husband. The daughter of the house, Marianne, introduces Poppy to several of her friends including Roger and Dickon Thwaite and the visiting Prince Christian. Marianne and Dickon seem to be all but engaged. Poppy finds Roger to be an agreeable companion if distracted by a childhood love, but it is Christian with whom she develops an affinity. 

     The friendships carry Poppy through missing her sisters, but when the men of her acquaintance become enamored of a mysterious "Lady Ella" Poppy smells a rat, or rather the magic of the dark. The women become unnaturally enraged at Ella's appearance--also uncharacteristic of both Marianne and her mother. Poppy finds her experience with dark and dangerous magic makes her the most qualified to discover what happened to all common sense in Breton.

     Roger Thwaite had experience with dark magic in the East and is a quick ally when Poppy requires a level head. He notices a familiar face among the Seadowns' servants. Poppy ties links between Eleanor's strange comings and goings and her fascination with Prince Christian. The friends dig deeper trying to discover the source of the problems. 

     Poppy and Roger discover Eleanor is Lady Ella and the mysterious benefactor who made it all possible is an ancient and dangerous supernatural being. The main cast strips up to challenge the witch when her magic tries to take Eleanor's life and Christian's freedom. Poppy fights to survive another monster's captivity. 

     Middle school and younger teen readers will find this sequel to The Midnight Ball an enjoyable blend of Cinderella with modern trappings. Princess of Glass is followed by Princess of the Silver Wood concluding the Princesses of Westfalin trilogy. 

The Great Pursuit

The Great Pursuit by Wendy Higgins, 2017 HarperTeen

     Mere days after the Hunt and the contest for princess Aerity's hand is won by the Northlander and Paxton has left Lochlanach a new monster appears. The King is without resources to manage this new threat as the previous hunt has depleted not only his army but his coffers and the people's faith in their monarchy. Aerity refuses to allow her sister to offer the reward she so recently offered her kingdom.
     Vixie is furious that her family will not let her sacrifice herself to the kingdom's needs, but when news comes the Lachlanach isn't the only kingdom facing the beast Vixie and Paxton's younger brother, Tiern Seabolt, band together to help find a solution.
     Aerity goes searching for Paxton Seabolt hoping to find closure with the young man before her wedding to the Northland's Lord Alvi. With Harrison's help, they find Paxton has joined Rosaria Rocato's army and is secretly planning to sabotage her plan - Rasaria is at the center of all the chaos plaguing Eurona.
     With Paxton's information, Aerity and Harrison return to Lochlanach to discover Tiern and Vixie following them after the King and Queen are kidnapped. Aerity returns home to find Leif has maintained stability in her absence, but her country is beginning to flounder. Those who Lochlanach believed were allies wage war openly on the side of Rozaria Rocato and Aerity must make the decisions which will save or doom her kingdom.
     Paxton returns and on his heels is active warfare across Lochlanach and even more beasts ravaging the continent. The heir apparent fights enemies on all sides and her own misgivings to become the leader her people need. In the conclusion to her story, Aerity finds her strength, her place in life, and her place in her kingdom.
     The Great Pursuit concludes Eurona's tale and Aerity's quest for purpose, following closely behind The Great Hunt. The series has its own mature content and significant violence as Rocato's rebellion breaks across the continent.