Something Wicked This Way Comes

"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." - quote by Elie Wiesel (Nobel Laureate, Holocaust survivor and political activist.) When injustice knocks on your door, will you be brave and stand up for what is right? Will you protect others who cannot defend themselves? Will you rise up? Be inspired by this collection of fantasy novels aimed at young adults. They focus on justice, doing what is fair and having a voice for the voiceless.

Author : Katherine Arden Publisher : London : Del Rey, 2017. Set in medieval Russia, Vasya is a young heroine who has inherited the ability to see spirits. Her stepmother also has this ability but is adamant that they are evil and forbids Vasya from contacting them. Instead of feeling fear, she feels compassion for the spirits and as danger creeps in to her life she must defy the people she loves and call on her gifts to protect her family.   Links to additional information : Novelist Goodreads Author website

Author : Rosalyn Eves. Publisher : New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2017. A fast-paced novel by Rosalyn Eves starts out in Victorian London. It combines a wonderful mix of historical fiction and magic. Sixteen-year-old Anna is of noble birth, part of the Luminate ruling class. They are powerful users of magic. Anna accidentally ruins an important family event and is banished to Hungary to keep out of trouble. There she meets rebels who wish to bring equality to all people and this opens her eyes to the real world. Anna must choose to stand and fight for what is right and fair or stay silent in hopes of gaining acceptance from her family and the world she was raised in. This is book one in the ‘Blood Rose Rebellion’ series. Links to additional information : Novelist Goodreads Author website

Author : Tomi Adeyemi. Publisher : New York : Henry Holt & Co, 2018 An exciting West African inspired fantasy novel with vibrant characters written by Nigerian American Toni Adeyemi. Children of Blood and Bone is the first in a series and is already being adapted in to a film. It is a fast-paced and richly imagined world set in an Afrofuturist fantasy epic. In a world where a ruthless king targets and slaughter anyone with magic, young Zelie loses her mother and her people. Those few remaining that have magic must remain hidden if they want to live. With the help of a rogue princess she has a chance to bring magic back to her people and oppose the monarch who wish to eradicate magic for good. But will she have the courage and strength to be a champion for her people?   Links to additional information : Novelist Goodreads Author website 

Author : Holly Black. Publisher : London : Hot Key Books, 2018. The first novel in ‘The Folk of the Air’ trilogy begins with Jude and her two sisters being kidnapped and brought to live in the dark world of Faerie. They learn to hide their fear and ignore the cruel bullying and deceitfulness of the faeries. The main character Jude desires to belong and to be like them. She would do anything to have their powers so she may one day overcome the faeries and best them. Author Holly Black delivers a thrilling page turner filled with battles, romance and magic. Links to additional information : Novelist Goodreads Author website

Author : Danielle Paige Publisher : New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2014] “It’s not magic that makes you who you are. It’s the choices you make”. A dark re-imagining of the classic Wizard of Oz story where the once good Dorothy and the Glinda the Good Witch have gone power mad and are inflicting strict rules. Another tornado brings young Amy in to this world and she is recruited to help assassinate Dorothy in the hopes of restoring peace and goodness. Author Danielle Paige effortlessly mixes humour and gruesomeness to create a dangerous world with fascinating characters on a mission to take down the tyrannical Dorothy. Links to additional information : Novelist Goodreads Author Website 

Author : Sara Holland Publisher : New York, NY : HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2018] This action-packed, intricately plotted novel by Sara Holland is fast-paced with an intriguing world where time and blood is the currency. Jules is desperate to do whatever it takes to help her dying father out of his debts and finds herself back at the wealthy estate of the noble Gerling family. Here she discovers dark secrets of the rich and powerful. “Her decisions have the power to change her fate – and the fate of time itself” –Goodreads. Links to additional information : Novelist Goodreads Author website

Author : Elly Blake. Publisher : New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2017. Seventeen-year-old Ruby has hidden her powers from the ruling class but when her mother is killed she joins a group of rebels in her eagerness for revenge. A page turning fantasy filled with romance, magic and racial discrimination. Elly Blake weaves an intriguing story depicting the classic battle of good versus evil with endearing characters who are fighting for a better world. Links to additional information : Novelist Goodreads Author website

Author : Breeana Shields Publisher : New York : Random House, 2017 Inspired by Indian mythology, Breeana Shields propels readers through twists and turns in this engrossing fantasy novel about Marinda, a teenage assassin who kills her victims through a kiss. When Marinda is ordered to kill a boy she believes is innocent she begins to question who she is working for. Her love for her brother and a burgeoning romance compel her to fight for what is right and not use her gifts to benefit those in power. This is book one in the 'Poison's Kiss' series.  Links to additional information : Novelist Goodreads Author website

Author : Nicky Drayden Publisher : New York, NY : Harper Voyager, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2017] Set in South Africa in 2064 there is a new hallucinogenic drug sweeping the country, an emerging AI uprising and an ancient demigoddess hell-bent on regaining her former status by preying on the blood and sweat of every human she encounters. An interesting blend of science fiction and fantasy with well fleshed out characters. Links to additional information : Novelist Goodreads Author website

Author: Marie Lu Publisher : London : Penguin Books Ltd., 2014 Author Marie Lu’s novel is a dark fantasy with intriguing characters who may not be as they first appear. After a savage blood fever leaves only a few survivors it is discovered that some of the survivors are left with powerful abilities. They are called the Young Elites and Adelina is one of them. She is finally able to stand up to her cruel father but is now an enemy of society. As she struggles to find out where she belongs she must learn how to know who is good and who is wicked. Adelina is a strong heroine and the novel flows with an easy writing style. It is book one in “The Young Elites” series. Links to additional information : Novelist Goodreads Author website