The Invisible Library, Continued

via B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog

Recently I gushed about The Invisible Library and, though I wanted to space these reads out more, I couldn't resist immediately picking up the next two books in the series, The Masked City and The Burning Page (the fourth, The Lost Plot, will be out next January). My verdict on it all? Every book in this series honestly gets better and better. There is more depth to each successive plot even though they are all connected and the characters become more complex. Strangely, my favorite thing has ending up being Irene's internal dialogue as she learns how to be a leader, questions her motivations on decisions, and thinks through her friendships and alliances. She isn't a perfect heroine but she's a strong, intelligent, capable one and that's better than perfect. This is definitely going to be one of my regular-reread series. I can't recommend it enough, even for people who don't necessarily like fantasy. Seriously. Read these books.

Recommending strongly,

K

Sometimes Mere Scales Can Be Beautiful Music

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. I LOVED this book. I loved this book so much that I want to tell you all to read it right now. You don't have to take my word alone for it either. Ask anyone else who has read it. They'll also sing its praises because it's just that good.

Now you probably want to know what it's about. Well, I'll be honest. It's a little different. It's about humans ... and dragons. But don't let that scare you if dragons aren't your thing. They happen to be dragons that have the ability to change their appearances to look like humans. So most of the time this story is just about people of different races because, really, that's all they are underneath. Some of those people want peace between the races and others can't accept anyone who is different and they actively cause trouble. And then there's Seraphina. She is a new musical apprentice in court and she has a secret that keeps her distant from everyone else, a secret that could change the relations between the two groups. So this is a story about music and identity and it's got a bit of romance and politics and it's just really, really smart. And yes, it has dragons.

I hope that I've convinced a few of you to give this book a try. There is a sequel coming out a year from now so the only complaint I (and others) have is that that date is too damn far away!

Waiting impatiently to hear the music again,
K

Note: This was my first read for the Once Upon a Time Challenge.