The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 7 by Cassandra Clare and Cassandra Jean

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first six books in the series, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“The graphic novel adaptation of Cassandra Clare's bestselling The Mortal Instruments returns with the seventh installment! The Mortal War may be over, but peace doesn’t last long as tensions begin to rise between Downworlders and Shadowhunters…” - taken from Goodreads.com

This is the seventh volume in this graphic novel series retelling that begins the storyline of City of Fallen Angels. The final page does offer a teaser for an eighth volume that readers can hope will conclude the story. Release date is not yet known.

Visit Cassandra Clare’s website.

Visit Cassandra Jean’s website.

With a Little Luck by Marissa Meyer (Fortuna Beach book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! Readers of the first book in the Fortuna Beach series have already met the Barnett family. Jude is the brother of Pru from Instant Karma and her best friend Ari is the other main character. Failure to read the first book will not hamper your enjoyment of this one.

“Jude is determined to fly under the radar. He just wants to draw his comics, host regular D&D night with his friends, work at his parents’ vinyl record store, and escape high school as unscathed as possible. That is, until the night he comes across a mysterious twenty-sided dice and finds himself inexplicably gifted with a bout of supernatural good luck.

Suddenly, everything Jude has ever wanted is within reach. His first art submission is accepted to his favorite fanzine. He helps his friend’s song become a finalist in a songwriting competition. And he’s the 100th caller to a local radio contest, winning him a pair of coveted concert tickets, which he uses to ask out the popular girl he’s been crushing on since elementary school. For a few blissful weeks, he feels invincible.

But when he loses the magic dice at a local music festival, his luck takes a turn for the worse. He struggles to reclaim his good fortune while fighting off long-buried feelings for his best friend―who is definitely not the girl he’s supposed to be in love with. Can Jude risk stepping into the spotlight long enough to win the true girl of his dreams? Or is he doomed to be unlucky in love forever?” - taken from Goodreads.

Jude is hopelessly in love with a girl, Maya, who is completely out of his league and everyone at school knows it. One night while working at his parents’ record store, Jude finds an expensive D&D die and suddenly his luck changes for the good. With everything going his way, Jude asks Maya to go with him to a popular concert that he won tickets to and she agrees. Jude’s good luck goes horribly wrong when he loses his lucky die. Down on his luck, he soon realizes that maybe his longtime crush isn’t the girl of his dreams. But when Jude finally opens his eyes and listens to his heart, will he be able to change his luck?

Visit Marissa Meyer’s website.

I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang

 

“Sadie Wen is perfect on paper: school captain, valedictorian, and a "pleasure to have in class." It’s not easy, but she has a trick to keep her model-student smile plastered on her face at all times: she channels all her frustrations into her email drafts. She'd never send them of course -- she'd rather die than hurt anyone's feelings -- but it's a relief to let loose on her power-hungry English teacher or a freeloading classmate taking credit for Sadie's work.

All her most vehemently worded emails are directed at her infuriating cocaptain, Julius Gong, whose arrogance and competitive streak have irked Sadie since they were kids. "You're attention starved and self-obsessed and unbearably vain . . . I really hope your comb breaks and you run out of whatever expensive hair products you've been using to make your hair appear deceptively soft..."

Sadie doesn't have to hold back in her emails, because nobody will ever read them... that is, until they're accidentally sent out.

Overnight, Sadie’s carefully crafted, conflict-free life is turned upside down. It's her worst nightmare -- now everyone at school knows what she really thinks of them, and they're not afraid to tell her what they really think of her either. But amidst the chaos, there's one person growing to appreciate the "real" Sadie -- Julius, the only boy she's sworn to hate…” - taken from Goodreads.

Sadie Wen is an overachiever, determined to better her life. She is a good girl who is determined not to rock the boat. Sadie has taken out her frustrations with her classmates by responding to what she truly feels in unsent emails that reside unsent in her draft folder. Unfortunately for her, her drafts are mistakenly sent, the majority of them addressed to Julius Gong. Julius is her school rival in everything. When most of the school turns against her, Julius stays by her side. Can enemies become friends and even go beyond?

Visit Ann Liang’s website.

The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le (The Last Bloodcarver book 1)

“Nhika is a bloodcarver. A cold-hearted, ruthless being who can alter human biology with just a touch. In the industrial city of Theumas, she is seen not as a healer, but a monster that kills for pleasure.

When Nhika is caught using her bloodcarving abilities during a sham medical appointment, she's captured by underground thugs and sold to an aristocratic family to heal the last witness of their father’s murder.

But as Nhika delves deeper into their investigation amidst the glitz of Theumas’ wealthiest district, she begins to notice parallels between this job and her own dark past. And when she meets an alluring yet entitled physician's aide, Ven Kochin, she’s forced to question the true intent behind this murder. In a society that outcasts her, Kochin seems drawn to her...though he takes every chance he gets to push her out of his opulent world.

When Nhika discovers that Kochin is not who he claims to be, and that there is an evil dwelling in Theumas that runs much deeper than the murder of one man, she must decide where her heart, and her allegiance, truly lie. And -- if she's willing to become the dreaded bloodcarver Theumas fears -- to save herself and the ones she's vowed to protect.” - taken from Goodreads.

Nhika is known as a bloodcarver but she prefers the term heartsooth. Basically she is able to alter human anatomy through touch. Purchased by a wealthy family to heal the last living witness to the murder of their patriarch, she soon discovers that she is in more trouble than she ever thought. Finding help from the one person Nhika never suspected or trusted, can she help solve a murder before she becomes the next victim? Readers will be eagerly anticipating the final book after that jaw dropping ending.

Book two, His Mortal Demise, is out March 18. 2024.

Visit Vanessa Le’s website.

The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black (Stolen Heir duology book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, The Stolen Heir, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“An imprisoned prince. A vengeful queen. And a battle that will determine the future of Elfhame.

 

Prince Oak is paying for his betrayal. Imprisoned in the icy north and bound to the will of a monstrous new queen, he must rely on charm and calculation to survive. With High King Cardan and High Queen Jude willing to use any means necessary to retrieve their stolen heir, Oak will have to decide whether to attempt regaining the trust of the girl he’s always loved or to remain loyal to Elfhame and hand over the means to end her reign—even if it means ending Wren, too.



 

With a new war looming on the horizon and treachery lurking in every corner, neither Oak’s guile nor his wit will be enough to keep everyone he loves alive. It’s just a question of whom he will doom.” - taken from Goodreads

As The Stolen Heir was told from Suren’s POV, this book is pure Oak. Continuing the story, the race is on for Oak to discover who is plotting against his sister and the throne. The ending includes action with Jade and Carden.

Visit Holly Black’s website.

All This Twisted Glory by Tahereh Mafi (This Woven Kingdom book 3)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

Please visit the Recaptains blog if you need a refresher of the first book.

“As the long-lost heir to the Jinn throne, Alizeh has finally found her people—and she might’ve found her crown. Cyrus, the mercurial ruler of Tulan, has offered her his kingdom in a twisted exchange: one that would begin with their marriage and end with his murder.

Cyrus’s dark reputation precedes him; all the world knows of his blood-soaked past. Killing him should be easy—and accepting his offer might be the only way to fulfill her destiny and save her people. But the more Alizeh learns of him, the more she questions whether the terrible stories about him are true.

Ensnared by secrets, Cyrus has ached for Alizeh since she first appeared in his dreams many months ago. Now that he knows those visions were planted by the devil, he can hardly bear to look at her—much less endure her company. But despite their best efforts to despise each other, Alizeh and Cyrus are drawn together over and over with an all-consuming thirst that threatens to destroy them both.

Meanwhile, Prince Kamran has arrived in Tulan, ready to exact revenge. . . ..” - taken from Goodreads.

This is the book where all of our characters come together and the real story begins. I didn’t know going into this book that there would be five books total, but that’s a good thing. The action really picks up when everyone arrives in Tulan. Cyrus is having trouble keeping his secrets a secret, Alizeh is trying to do what is best for the Jinn, Kamran is looking for vengeance, and Hazan is being mysterious. Once again, readers are loft with another cliffhanger. This series is perfect for fans of the author’s Shatter Me series.

Book four is due out in 2025.

Visit Tahereh Mafi’s website.

These Infinite Threads by Tahereh Mafi (This Woven Kingdom book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, This Woven Kingdom, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

Please visit the Recaptains blog if you need a refresher of the first book.

“With the heat of a kiss, the walls between Alizeh, the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom, and Kamran, the crown prince of the Ardunian empire, have crumbled. And so have both of their lives.

Alizeh, the heir to the Jinn throne, is destined to free her people from the half-lives they’ve been forced to live under human rule. When Kamran, the heir to the human throne, falls in love with her, he’s forced to question everything he’s been taught about Jinn.

Kamran’s grandfather lays dead at the hand of Cyrus, ruler of the neighboring kingdom of Tulan. Cyrus has stolen Alizeh away to his homeland and plans to marry her there, giving her everything she needs to become the Jinn queen—and when she assumes the throne he will have fulfilled his own bargain with the devil.

Alizeh wants nothing to do with Cyrus’s deal or the devil. But without a way to escape Tulan, and with the fulfillment of her own destiny tantalizingly close, she’ll have to decide whether she can set aside her emotions to become the queen her people need.

Kamran, meanwhile, is picking up the pieces in Ardunia. Facing betrayal at every turn, all he knows is that he must go to Tulan to avenge his grandfather. He can only hope that Alizeh will be waiting for him there—and that she hasn’t yet become the queen of Tulan.” - taken from Goodreads.

This book was more about Alizeh and Cyrus. Now in Tulan with Cyrus, Alizeh is trying to figure out what kind of deal he has made with the devil. Meanwhile, Kamran is trying to find his new normal since the murder of his grandfather while trying to keep his crown. Lots of twists and turns take place as once again, this book ends in another cliffhanger.

Book three, All This Twisted Glory, is out now.

Visit Tahereh Mafi’s website.