(3) 4-6 Girl Mayka and her animal friends are living stone figures, but with their creator long dead, they're beginning to lose the magic that keeps them alive. In search of help, Mayka ventures down from their mountaintop home to the world of men. Durst has created a compelling fantasy world; this quiet novel's emphasis on storytelling, bravery, challenging assumptions, and friendship should have middle-grade appeal.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(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) 4-6 Rosewood Chronicles series. Lottie Pumpkin gets into Rosewood Hall, the boarding school of her dreams. Princess Ellie convinces her parents to let her attend incognito. The two girls become roommates, and when rumors start that Lottie is the princess, they run with it, even when the real princess's life is threatened. Readers will delight in this endearing tale of friendship, mistaken identities, and living the princess fantasy.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(3) YA In this third book, half-magic Demdji Amani and the rebels fight to end the Sultan's brutal rule. But first they must save the banished Rebel Prince Ahmed from a mythical city. While there's a huge cast of characters and a multilayered story to follow, the gratifying conclusion to this magical fantasy, with its Middle Eastern lore and steampunk machines, should appeal to series fans.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(3) 4-6 Magic Misfits series. Illustrated by Lissy Marlin & Kyle Hilton. Escape-artist Leila, who has two adoptive dads and was first introduced in The Magic Misfits, is this second entry's protagonist. The six Misfits use magic tricks, codes, and logic to confront another scheme, here involving clowns, ghosts, and a psychic with surprising secrets; meanwhile, the series' overall mystery, involving a disbanded adult magic club, deepens further. Once again, spot and full-page grayscale illustrations and beginner magic tricks appear throughout.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(4) 4-6 Witching Hours series. Illustrated by Ryan Andrews. Siblings Anna and Max join their father on his research trip to Transylvania, Romania. When a vampire kidnaps Max, Anna and her new friend Isabella take the mysterious knife Anna's found and venture into the remains of a castle to save her younger brother. The straightforward plot is only mildly scary, but this new series may appeal to young readers drawn to the supernatural.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(3) YA Still reeling from the recent war and the wall between the mortal and faerie realms falling (A Court of Wings and Ruin), Feyre, Rhysand, and their fellow Fae work tirelessly to restore order and celebrate the cheery Winter Solstice. After the massive battles and intense action sequences of the previous books, fans will welcome this more intimate visit with the familiar characters.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(3) 4-6 New knights Eleanor and Odo (Have Sword, Will Travel) and their sassy talking-sword sidekicks join forces with a blind former king and his bodyguard to save the heir to the crown, whose grandmother is trying to usurp the throne. This second adventure's plot--wolves are fought, new lands visited, and a dragon awakened--is simple yet still diverting and should appeal to fantasy fans.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(4) 4-6 Story Thieves series. In the fourth and fifth books, Owen and Bethany story-jump and time travel to rescue friends, learn how to defeat Nobody, and reconnect the nonfictional and fictional worlds. Plot's choose-your-own-adventure-style puts the reader in charge of Owen's journey, while Apart returns to the traditional storytelling format. Though both books are unnecessarily drawn out, humor and likable characters carry this series to a satisfying conclusion. Review covers these Story Thieves titles: Pick the Plot and Worlds Apart.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(4) YA Anouk desires more than serving the witch who transformed her from animal to human. When the witch is murdered, Anouk and her fellow beasties have three days to find the killer and the spell to keep them human. Fans of Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse should enjoy this complex if somewhat confusing world where goblins rule the underbelly of Paris and magic comes at a cost.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(3) YA Valory, a Calgoran royal family member, seemingly has no elicromancer abilities until a tragic accident on her seventeenth birthday unlocks them. She becomes entangled in the fight against a dangerous resurrected eliocromancer to save herself, her friends, and the realm. Fans of Kingdom of Ash and Briars--about Valory's elicromancer ancestor Bristal a century earlier--should enjoy following Valory's journey and her discovery of magic.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(3) YA Allegra, niece of hunted assassin Lea Saldana (Assassin's Heart), has constantly felt out of place in her family. An unexpected romance blooms with Traveler boy Nev after Allegra learns the truth about her identity--which leads to her kidnapping and more revelations. Set eighteen years after its companion novel, Ahiers's latest YA fantasy contains strong world-building, plenty of plot twists, and a sympathetic heroine.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(4) YA The attempted assassination of Crown Princess Rhiannon Ta'an forces her to flee into space rather than avenge her family's death. Rhee's perspective alternates with Alyosha's, a black male refugee, soldier, and reality-show star framed for Rhee's supposed murder. Inter-planet manhunts and romance ensue. While this debut novel's characters are oversimplified, the premise and outer-space settings will engage fans of Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(4) 4-6 Land of Stories series. Illustrated by Brandon Dorman. When witches and the villainous Literary Army attack New York City, Conner leads characters from fairy tales and his own short stories to save both the city and his cursed twin sister's life. While the twins' quest ends in this sixth entry, Colfer's epilogue hints at a possible continuation. Lengthy series recaps and conveniently solved problems diminish an otherwise satisfying finale fans should enjoy.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Laurel Molk. Worry-filled little dog Sukie visits the beach with her child owner, Eleanor. Sukie is afraid of the sand, a beach ball, and the water--and "besides, there might be lobsters." But when Sukie's stuffed monkey, Chunka Monka, needs rescuing, the pup bravely conquers her fears. Playful watercolor, acrylic, and pen-and-ink illustrations add humor to the recognizable plot and will endear timid little Sukie to readers.

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

(4) 4-6 Monster High/Ever After High series. In this fairy-tale/monster mash-up, Ever After High's Apple, Raven, and Maddie team up with Monster High's Draculaura and Frankie Stein and narrator Brooke. Their mission: protect the World of Stories by stopping the Evil Queen from unlocking the power inside Shadow High. The climax includes a clunky Choose-Your-Own-Adventure element, but fans of both series will nevertheless gobble up this light and pun-filled read.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(3) YA As a half-magic Demdji, "Blue-Eyed Bandit" Amani (Rebel of the Sands) must conceal her powers while being held prisoner at the palace. But she's also there spying for Prince Ahmed's rebellion to overthrow his tyrannical father, the Sultan. The Middle Eastern lore, relationships, and political machinations continue to be well developed in the captivating--and heartbreaking--second installment of this epic fantasy.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(3) 4-6 Magic Misfits series. Illustrated by Lissy Marlin & Kyle Hilton. Runaway orphan Carter's sleight-of-hand ability comes in handy when he works with five other magically minded kids to expose a criminal group of circus performers in the town of Mineral Wells. Containing spot and full-page black-and-white illustrations, this new series introduces a diverse cast of characters and a satirical Lemony Snicket–like narrator. Beginner magic tricks included throughout make this ideal for young magic enthusiasts.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sarah Warburton. Looking to make a friend, "brainy and bright" Princess Eliza leaves her snowy northern palace and stumbles upon Santa's distressed elves at his workshop. Eliza secretly builds contraptions to help her new friends save Christmas while Santa recovers from the flu. Channeling Andrea Beaty's Rosie Revere, Engineer, this read-aloud-ready holiday story, with lilting rhymes and whimsical mixed-media illustrations, celebrates helping others and girls in STEAM.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels