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Fine, Sarah
8 Reviews
(3)
YA
Impostor Queen series.
Elli and Ansa's stories (from The Impostor Queen and The Cursed Queen, respectively) collide. Chieftain Thyra's army marches to reclaim lover Ansa's lost throne, which Elli currently controls; as the land reels from magical unbalance, the opposing factions fight for their lives and peace. Many characters with complex backstories, multiple plot lines, and changing allegiances will challenge attentive readers throughout this satisfying series conclusion.
Reviewer: Janet Daniels
(3)
YA
This companion novel to The Impostor Queen introduces Ansa, who fights to belong in her warrior clan, the Krigere, alongside her love Thyra, the chieftain's daughter. But Ansa is an outsider who becomes cursed with dangerous magical abilities. This non-heteronormative Viking fantasy contains immersive dialogue and evolving characters in an exciting world perfect for fans of Tamora Pierce and Megan Whalen Turner.
Reviewer: Janet Daniels
(3)
YA
Prophesied to become the most powerful queen in Kupari history, Elli is cast out after she fails to inherit the magic of the Valtia. When a handsome outlaw rescues her from an animal trap, she discovers that she has a different--yet still crucial--destiny to fulfill. This thrilling new high-fantasy series both embraces and subverts genre tropes in very satisfying ways.
Reviewer: Barratt Miller
(3)
YA
In this sequel (Of Metal and Wishes), Wen, a member of the Itanyai--mortal enemies of the Noor--attempts to work and thrive in her war-torn home. But concerns about the well-being of Melik, her Noor-soldier love interest, drive her away from relative safety and directly into the conflict. Fine uses strong imagery to examine race and class conflicts in this dystopian novel.
Reviewer: Sian Gaetano
(3)
YA
In this sequel to Scan, the H2 aliens have the scanner and most of Tate's allies are dead. To protect the human race, Tate has to decode the obscure clues his father left him. Tate's romance with Christina serves as his support and adds a layer of emotion to the fast-paced, high-tech action fans of the first book will expect.
Reviewer: Lauren Chambers
(4)
YA
Sixteen-year-old Wen moves to the factories of Gochan and assists her father in the medical clinic he runs there. A combination of her entanglement with Melik, one of the imported Noor workers; her strange encounters with the Ghost of the slaughterhouse; and somewhat heavy-handed race and class conflicts all boil over in this mostly intriguing, quasi-futuristic take on The Phantom of the Opera.
Reviewer: Ariel Baker-Gibbs
(4)
YA
Guards of the Shadowlands series.
Having overrun the afterlife, the vampire-like Mazikin invade the human world, and Lela returns to her human life with a new role: Captain of the Guards, charged with eliminating the Mazikin. Despite Lela's unbelievability as Captain, the clash between human and supernatural worlds charges the plot of this second book, and questions about the Mazikin's true endgame opens new ground for future volumes.
Reviewer: Claire E. Gross
(4)
YA
Guards of the Shadowlands series.
After her best friend Nadia commits suicide, tough-as-nails abuse survivor Lela receives visions of her suffering in a limbo-like world that has been invaded by the evil Mazikin. Stoic, sexy afterlife guard Malachi aids Lela in her rescue mission. The fantasy setup is muddled, but the romantic chemistry sizzles and the religiously inflected landscape of sacrifice and acceptance adds grit.
Reviewer: Claire E. Gross
8 reviews
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