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. 

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. 

The Friday Society

The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress, 2012 Dial Books

     In London, 1900 three young women are assistants to three powerful men.
     Cora is lab assistant to Lord White who invents in secret. Not only does she help him with his work and explore inventing on her own, but she manages the social and political life of her mentor. Lord White is in government and may one day be Prime Minister and Cora Bell was a clever urchin he rescued off the street and gave purpose.
     Nellie is a magician's assistant to the Great Raheem. She was discovered in a burlesque house where the modest young woman was known as a tease. When the Great Raheem offered her a position she took the chance and Nellie Harrison has become a star in her own right.
     Michiko is assistant to a fighting instructor. Michiko Takeda became a samurai's assistant in her homeland, Japan, and when she realized she would never be granted her sword left Japan with Sir Callum Feilding-Shaw and became his assistant showing off her combat skill.
     The three young women meet when a prominent scientist is murdered and they individually stumble across his beheaded body in the middle of the street. The scientist isn't the only body piling up and the young women are concerned: the murders of flower-selling girls and high-ranking men appear to be linked, but what is the connection?
     The three young women explore and investigate the strange goings-on and discover not everything is as it seems in the elevated halls of government and science. The girls become friends, using their talents to stand up for themselves and solve the mystery they've uncovered. They face unwanted male attention, opposition from potential love interests, and the loss of people close to them.
     Readers who enjoyed Y.S. Lee's Agency novels will find a new, more mature take on turn-of-the-century London. Kress's debut novel brings sass and steampunk to teen readers.

Long May She Reign

Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas, 2017 HarperTeen

     Freya has never felt like she fit at court: she says the wrong thing and cannot master the subterfuge the gaudy court requires. Instead, she would rather be in her laboratory completing experiments and discovering answers to her never-ending questions. Freya's father is the king's advisor and treasurer. He insists she attend the king's birthday party, but the stress of the court triggers a panic attack. Freya and her best friend, Naomi, escape back to her lab.
     After a night of experiments, Freya is stunned at the news the entire court has been murdered. Freya, twenty-fourth in line, is now Queen. She is rushed from her childhood home to the Fort where the remainder of the court is taking refuge. In a country which has not been engaged in warfare for centuries, the Fort is the only truly defensible location in the city.
    Freya and her new advisors investigate the murder of the old court from the old castle. She fights to become what the court is used to a queen being, but it is a real challenge for the young woman used to lurking in the background. Naomi continues to support the new queen as she meets the court and tries to develop her own style of leadership, and their friendship sustains through the challenges. The old king's bastard son, William Fitzroy, attaches himself to their small group. When Freya's heir, Madeline Wolfe, returns to court the young woman becomes part of Freya's new entourage.
    The group makes slow progress but when the old king's closest advisor and best friend, Torsten Wolfe, accuses Freya of murdering the old court to gain power the remainder of the court is split. Some follow Torsten in his bid to remove Freya from the throne, others flee from the brewing conflict, and still others remain and support the anxious young queen in her bid to change her country for the better.
    Despite her advisors' misgivings and apparent attempts to stifle her investigation, Freya is intent on solving the problem of mass-murder to clear her name and build a cohesive country which can flourish. At the final conflict, Torsten is up against Freya and her scientific mind - the strategist and the scientist vie for the superstitious nation's support.
    Freya's story tells of a young woman trying to find her place in a world she has never felt a part of. She discovers her own ability is more than she once believed, and that there are many different ways to win the support of her people. Long May She Reign is an underdog story and a story of facing challenges despite the fear of failure.

Maze Runner

Maze Runner by James Dashner, 2009 Delacorte Press

     Thomas wakes in a box moving up an elevator shaft, he has no specific memories to provide his history, only his name and general knowledge about how his world should work. The elevator opens on the Glade. When the doors open Thomas is lifted from the box and becomes the newest member of the group of teen boys.
     As Greenie, Thomas learns the Glade is at the center of a maze filled with Grievers: deadly half-monster, half-machine hybrids with a pre-programmed desire to kill the boys. The next day another newbie arrives and throws the Glade's two-year schedule out of wack. Not only is the newcomer the first arrival to break the once-a-month pattern, but Teresa is the first girl to join the group.
    When Teresa triggers something called the Ending, their world changes even more. Supplies fail to come, the protective walls to close out the monsters, and the sunny blue sky turns to a grey ceiling. The boys struggle to find some semblance of normalcy only to conclude they cannot. Their only hope to survive is to escape.
     Dashner's dystopia presents the question of survival and change in a world with no personal history, and illustrates how personal memories play a role in social constructs. Thomas knows he was sent to the Maze for a reason; his only problem is remembering why.
     Violence and death abound, with suspended mystery driving the teens toward their inevitable future. Teens and young adult readers who enjoyed the Hunger Games and Divergent series will see a continuing trend in Maze Runner.

Young Unicorns

The Young Unicorns by Madeleine L'Engle, 1968 Farrar, Straus & Giroux

     After their cross-country vacation the Austin family settles into New York for a year in the big city. Dr. Austin has been asked to assist in the creation and perfection of a micro-beam laser. While he is working on the project his children meet a variety of people: Emily is a blind musical prodigy, her companion is Josiah "Dave" Davidson who helps Emily get around; Emily's music teacher Mr. Theo, Cannon Tallis working at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, and several unsavory characters from Dave's past with a gang, the Alphabats.
     The friendship with Emily and Dave leads to a mystery involving a Genie, the local bishop, and Dave's former gang. Cannon Tallis works to protect the Austin children from the grimy underworld they discover, and the connection to their father.
     While Dr. Austin's laser has several medical and technical benefits, the mystery which enthralls John, Vicky, Suzy, and Rob Austin reveals forces willing to use it for unknown nefarious purposes. Along with the Austins and their friends, Cannon Tallis works to unearth the forces roiling around the small-town family in the big city.
     The Young Unicorns is a change of scene for the Austin family and links to other stories in L'Engle's universe, while focusing on the story from Dave's point of view. Cannon Tallis is recently returned from the events of The Arm of the Starfish and the Austins are returning from their adventures in The Moon by Night. Written for middle school readers, The Young Unicorns holds interest for readers of all ages.

A Golden Web

A Golden Web by Barbara Quick, 2010 HarperTeen

     Alessandra is gifted--while her older brother avoids his studies as many young boys do, Alessandra soaks up every moment of learning she can. From her earliest moments she glowed with intelligence and curiosity.
     As a young woman, Alessandra's intelligence becomes the greatest hurdle to her happiness. She longs for the freedom to learn at the great university in Bologna where medicine is developing daily. Alessandra's stepmother has another idea and plans to marry her off to a man who will keep Alessandra out of her stepmother's home. In preparation for such a day the young woman is sent to a cloister from which she escapes to the University and the freedom of disguise as a man.
     But in fourteenth-century Italy, a woman disguised as a man is an abomination--a witch to be burned at the stake. Alessandra must be careful of how the world sees her, but her mind is quick and she becomes what she's always dreamed of: a student, a desired young woman, and an expert medico.
     A Golden Web is based on the life of Alessandra Giliani the world's first female anatomist. Her story is embellished and brought to life through Quick's characters breathing fresh life into the young woman who defied the world.

Catching Fire

Catching Fire by Susanne Collins, 2009 Schoolastic Press

     After she and Peeta rewrote history and won the Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen returned home to the Seam in District 12. Her supposed relationship with Peeta broke into her friendship with Gale, but they soon fell into an uneasy facsimile of their association before the Games. Now it's time for the Victory Tour throughout Panem when President Snow personally visits Katniss reminding her of the power he has over the people she loves.
     With the threat of her family's life hanging over her head Katniss is charged with pacifying the rebellion throughout the districts. When expressing her heartfelt gratitude leads to the death of denizens throughout the districts and open rebellion, Katniss must deal with consequences she had no claim to. The Quarter Quell, a special form of the Games that happens every twenty-five years, is announced President Snow reveals the tributes for the seventy-fifth Hunger Games will be chosen from the previous winners.
     Katniss goes back into the Arena.
     But will she survive the other survivors' attacks? Her only hope is to keep Peeta alive, willing to die so he can continue the rebellion she has begun. After she makes an agreement with Haymitch to fight for Peeta's survival Katniss is stunned when things in the Arena go wrong. Katniss and Peeta, along with the rest of the districts don't know everything that's happening in Panem, but they know enough to want to fight what has put them in such a difficult spot.

City of Masks

City of Masks by Mary Hoffman, 2002 Bloomsbury

     Lucien Mulholland is a young man living in Islington, North London in modern time. When he falls asleep clutching a marbled notebook from his father, he wakes in Renaissance Italy. Only it isn't our Italy. In Talia Lucien wakes in a Venice-like Bellezza and meets Rodolfo Rossi. Rodolfo is a Stravagante--a traveler between worlds.
     In Bellezza Lucien is simply a student, he learns the magic of Stravigation by apprenticing himself to the Duchessa's counselor Rodolfo. On his first stravigation he meets Arianna Gasparini, who saves him from execution on the Forbidden Day--a day non-citizens are forbidden from the city. The Duchessa, Sylvia, is battling the powerful di Chimci family to keep Bellezza independent from their Talian Republic. She is worried at the portents surrounding Arianna, Lucien and their adventures through the city.
     Lucien finds himself surrounded by intrigue and adventure in Talia while his life in London revolves around his treatment for cancer. The more time he spends in Talia the more of his body that follows his mind to the new world and with every trip he risks leaving London forever.
     Lucien's friendship with Arianna and his apprenticeship with Rodolfo lure him away from the pain and frustration of his life at home. The friendships he creates and the role he plays in Talia's politics are in bright contrast to the normal life Lucien leads in London, but are they worth leaving the only life he's ever known and his family? Readers as young as middle school will enjoy the action and adventure of Lucien's straviagtion to and from Talia.

A Princess of Mars

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burrroughs, A. C. McClurg 1917

     After the American Civil War, John Carter leaves Virginia for the deserts of Arizona and the silver lodes found throughout the region. When Carter and his partner find a deep silver vein they try to make it to town for supplies to mine their claim, but carter and his partner are set upon by Indians. Carter ends his partner's misery and they pursue him, but before the Indians can kill him, Carter hides in a cave where deadly fumes end his life. 

     Carter finds his specter fascinated by the glowing star Mars and is suddenly upon the Red Planet. Upon mars, Carter has superhuman strength and ability. When he encounters a green warrior race, Carter uses those abilities to rise through the ranks. He becomes a chief, despite being a prisoner. 

     He blends into their culture until the green men capture the red-skinned martian princess Dejah Thoris. She is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen and Carter falls in love with her. When they escape the green men it appears they can live and love together, but that is only the beginning of their adventures. 

     John Carter becomes a great hero upon Mars, but returns to Earth where he lives for another 10 years. During his final time on Earth, Carter writes his story as we read it, and twenty years after his first journey to the Red Planet he vanishes. 

     Burroughs's story is imaginative and shows how a race of people so like ourselves could be so different. The Martians of Carter's visit are living breathing characters in a growing and evolving landscape. The early twentieth century language of A Princess of Mars makes reading the story difficult for readers still beginning to understand the intricacies of English, making it a suitable read for advanced readers and adults.