Storm Breaker by Nisha J. Tuli (Storm Breaker book 1)

“For nineteen-year-old Poet Graves, New Manhattan has always promised safety―if she obeys. Raised within the ruling Houses and betrothed to a powerful heir, she enters Amery Academy knowing her future has already been decided.

But Amery is nothing like she imagined. Its trials are brutal, its loyalties conditional, and its rules designed to expose weakness. As Poet struggles to survive, she must hide the truth that could get her executed: the storms don’t fear her―they answer back.

When a dangerous outsider from beyond the city walls enters the academy, Poet is drawn to him despite everything she’s been taught to believe. He threatens the life she’s been promised. And choosing him could cost her not just her future, but her freedom.” - taken from Goodreads.

This book has all of the things that I am looking for in a great story and is the perfect mashup of The Hunger Games and Divergent. Poet is hiding a secret that will get her killed if it is discovered. Determined to get out from under her father’s control, she soon discovers that her choices have far reaching consequences that she never imagined. When the mysterious outsider Rook becomes the one person she thinks she can trust, turns out to be hiding secrets of his own, Poet makes the decision that she hopes will save her life. With plenty of romance, mystery, and intrigue, readers will be left waiting on the next book after a true cliffhanger ending.  Definitely one of my favorite reads so far this year!

Book two is expected to be out on Sept. 1, 2026.

Visit Nisha J. Tuli’s website.

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black (The Stolen Heir book 1)

 

SPOILER ALERT! The Stolen Heir duology continues the story originally told in The Air of Folk trilogy.

“A runaway queen. A reluctant prince. And a quest that may destroy them both.

Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. But in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel. There, she is using an ancient relic to create monsters of stick and snow who will do her bidding and exact her revenge.

Suren, child queen of the Court of Teeth, and the one person with power over her mother, fled to the human world. There, she lives feral in the woods. Lonely, and still haunted by the merciless torments she endured in the Court of Teeth, she bides her time by releasing mortals from foolish bargains. She believes herself forgotten until the storm hag, Bogdana chases her through the night streets. Suren is saved by none other than Prince Oak, heir to Elfhame, to whom she was once promised in marriage and who she has resented for years.

Now seventeen, Oak is charming, beautiful, and manipulative. He’s on a mission that will lead him into the north, and he wants Suren’s help. But if she agrees, it will mean guarding her heart against the boy she once knew and a prince she cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she left behind.” - taken from Goodreads.

Suren’s life didn’t get any easier when she left the Court of Teeth for the mortal world. When she catches the attention of Bogdana, Prince Oak is the one to come to her rescue. Dragged back into the politics of Elfhame, Suren is not sure who to trust. Once childhood friends, Suren tries not to let herself fall under the allure of Oak. On a mission to her former home, can Suren finally find it in herself to trust or will she always need to watch her back? Fans will be eagerly awaiting the conclusion to this story.

The story will be concluded with book two, The Prisoner’s Throne, on February 27, 2024.

Visit Holly Black’s website.

Cast in Firelight by Dana Swift (Wickery book 1)

 

“Adraa is the royal heir of Belwar, a talented witch on the cusp of taking her royal ceremony test, and a girl who just wants to prove her worth to her people.

Jatin is the royal heir to Naupure, a competitive wizard who's mastered all nine colors of magic, and a boy anxious to return home for the first time since he was a child.

Together, their arranged marriage will unite two of Wickery's most powerful kingdoms. But after years of rivalry from afar, Adraa and Jatin only agree on one thing: their reunion will be anything but sweet.

Only, destiny has other plans and with the criminal underbelly of Belwar suddenly making a move for control, their paths cross...and neither realizes who the other is, adopting separate secret identities instead.

Between dodging deathly spells and keeping their true selves hidden, the pair must learn to put their trust in the other if either is to uncover the real threat. Now Wickery's fate is in the hands of rivals..? Fiancées..? Partners..? Whatever they are, it's complicated and bound for greatness or destruction.” - taken from Goodreads.com

This was a great start to an incredible fantasy story. Two young royal heirs are arranged to be married and their first meeting isn't a smooth one. Nine years have passed with the occasional letter written between them. Neither is looking forward to the day when they will once again meet. When Jatin switches places with his guard and unknowingly meets his fiance Adraa, the two become intrigued by each other not knowing their true identities.

Working together to uncover the criminal underworld, the two begin to fall for one another as a threat to their kingdoms and their futures, looms large on the horizon. Eager fans will be left waiting for the final installment in this Indian-inspired fantasy. 

The story will conclude on January 18, 2022, with Bound by Firelight.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (Dimple and Rishi book 1)

“Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I got to meet Sandhya Menon at a conference this fall but hadn’t read any of her books. With break coming up, I dove right in. The author does an incredible job of relating Indian culture to the reader. Told in dual POVs between Dimple, who wants to be a computer coder, and Rishi, who follows his parents’ wishes above his own dreams.

This cute romance starts with Dimple heading off to her dream coding camp only to meet Rishi, who excitedly informs her of their arranged marriage by their parents. Of course, it is a complete shock to Dimple. As the story progresses, these two learn to support one another’s dreams and of course, to find a happily ever after.

Visit Sandhya Menon’s website.

Whisper of the Tide by Sarah Tolcser (Song of the Current book 2)

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

“Caro has settled into a routine: Wake, eat breakfast, try to figure out who is going attempt to assassinate Markos today. The currents aren't exactly calm. Markos is in constant danger, and his claim to the Akhaian throne is largely unsupported. Without military strength he doesn't have a chance. Relief appears on the horizon when a powerful Archon wants to side with Markos in his fight for the throne. But in exchange for an army, Markos must marry the Archon’s daughter. They must decide which is more important: their love for each other or the fate of Akhaia. And Caro will have to decide if her destiny is to sail with the tide, or chart her own course.” - taken from Goodreads.com

I had put off reading this book for a while especially since I couldn’t find a recap of the first book. Fortunately, I surprised myself by not needing it at all. A few characters from the first book didn’t return but I feel like the author dropped a major hint involving a minor character. I hope that there is a third book or spinoff to flesh out this new storyline.

Visit Sarah Tolcser’s website.

The Star Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi (Star Touched Queen book 1)

“Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you’re only seventeen?

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire…

But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself.” - taken from Goodreads.com

Princess Mayavati of Bharata was born under a cursed horoscope. Death is attached to it and no one wants to be around her. She is blamed for death around the palace, including her mother’s. With Bharata on the verge of war, her father, the Raja, has the idea to hold a  . He plans to invite the rulers of the  kingdoms to come and Maya will choose her husband. It is a trick to lure the enemy to the Raja. She is disappointed because, with her horrid horoscope, she hoped to be left alone to do as she pleased. Now she will be married off. At the  , Maya’s father tells her that the only way his plan will work is if she kills herself with the poison he gives her. She is crushed by his request but knows that it will probably be for the best. After the introductions, Maya goes to contemplate her decision. Just as she is about the drink her father’s poison, the bottle is knocked from her lips. A young man stands in front of her and says that he is the Raja of Akaran. He keeps the top half of his face covered. Maya has never heard of the kingdom. He points outside that the visiting dignitaries have laid their own plans for an invasion. Having nothing left in Bharata, Maya throws her lei over Amar’s head. This signifies that the two of them are married and leave. She soon begins to suspect that she doesn’t really know what she has gotten herself into.

This book is elegantly written, pulling from Indian mythology and folklore. Readers will be left scrambling to find out what happens to Maya when she begins to unravel what she believes to be the truth.

The story continues with book two, A Crown of Wishes in 2017.

Visit Roshani Chokshi’s website.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

"Her mission was to kill him. Her destiny was to love him."

Nyx Triskelion was raised to marry a monster. She had known her destiny since the age of nine. Her father, the Master Magnum of the Resurgandi, made a bargain with the Gentle Lord, who is the prince of demons, seventeen years earlier. Now that bargain is due. Nyx is to become his wife. The Resurgandi is an "organization of scholars that was officially founded to further Hermetic research". Nyx has longed to attend Lyceum, the great university where the Resurgandi was founded. But she and her twin sister, Astraia, learned the secret truth of the Resurgandi when they were nine. "The first Magister Magnum and his nine followers swore a secret oath to destroy the Gentle Lord and undo the Sundering. For the past two hundred years, all the Resurgandi had labored toward that end." (The Sundering occurred when the Gentle Lord killed the prince of Arcadia before he could be crowned king and took over rule. He only asked for tribute to keep his demons in check. He only offered his wish-granting abilities to those foolish enough to ask for them. He separated Acradia from the rest of the world.) Nyx only wanted to learn Hermatic principles at Lyceum. Through her father's bargain with the Gentle Lord, her fate was given to her. She is to kill the Gentle Lord and undo the Sundering.

After her proxy wedding before all of the villagers, her father rides with Nyx to the Gentle Lord's home, the tower that's the only part left of the crumbling castle of Arcadia. Nyx gives her father one last dig about his bargain with the Gentle Lord and not caring for her. She walks the rest of the way to the tower and finds that the door opens for her. She enters a space that surprises her. The house turns out to be deceptive much larger on the inside than out. In the circular room with all of the doors locked, Nyx announces to her new husband that she has arrived and falls against the wall and floor. She eventually falls asleep.

Nyx wakes up to find the Gentle Lord sleeping against her with his head on her shoulder. She is surprised by his handsome, youthful looks but his catlike eyes truly horrify her. She is surprised that he doesn't immediately want to be her husband in every way. He tells her that it is time to show her to her room. He raises his hand in a gesture and Nyx is startled to see his shadow become separate from his body. The Gentle Lord tells her that Shade will show her to her room. Shade drags her away and is unable to speak. He shows Nyx to her new room and leaves. She is unhappy and furious over her new life and ashamed that she destroyed her sister's perceptions of that new life.

Dinner goes as well as expected when Nyx tries to stab the Gentle Lord with her fork. He stops her and lets her know that maybe she deserves to be his wife. He tells her that she may call him Ignifex but it isn't his real name. Every night he will give her the opportunity to guess his real name. If she guesses right, Nyx will gain her freedom. If she guesses wrong, she dies. He also gives her a key that will unlock only the rooms that she will have access to. If she tries to enter any of the rooms she doesn’t have access to, she will regret it, but not for long. Not really wanting very much to eat, Nyx announces that she is going to bed. Ignifex asks if she wants to guess his name. Nyx declines. He kisses her knuckles and says that he will see her in the morning. She is surprised that he doesn't want to consummate their marriage. He tells her that he is her husband. "I can wait as long as I please and still have all of you."

Back in her room, Nyx is surprised when Shade comes to her. Not there because of Ignifex, Shade begins to take a corporeal form. He looks exactly like Ignifex but he has beautiful, blue human eyes. Still unable to talk, Nyx is able to deduce that Shade is a part of Ignifex. Shade is a prisoner of Ignifex, just as she is. Unable to fully trust him, she allows Shade take her down the hall and back into the ballroom. The floor has changed from earlier. It is now a pool of water that holds their weight. She realizes that he has shown her one of the hearts of Hermetic working. If she can find the other three, Nyx will be able to stop the Gentle Lord. Hopeful for the first time in her life, Nyx kisses Shade. He tells her to be careful. He is able to speak because she kissed him. Nyx realizes that Shade isn't a part of Ignifex, but someone else he has cursed. He warns her that he has betrayed Ignifex once and that she shouldn't trust him. Shade is unable to reveal any of Ignifex's secrets or to help her find the other three hearts. It will be safest for her to search at night. She is their only hope. Nyx promises to save him but asks him who he is. "Just a shadow" and he disappears.

Will Nyx be able to defeat the Gentle Lord and save Arcadia? What is his true name? Who is Shade? Why does Shade look like Ignifex? What happens when Nyx finds herself falling in love with Ignifex? Can Nyx ignore the duty she was raised to follow and kill the Gentle Lord?

.

In this twisted retelling of Beauty and the Beast, readers will be left hanging until the end to see how Nyx’s story ends.

Visit Rosamund Hodge’s website.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano (Chemical Garden Trilogy book one)

"What if you knew exactly when you would die?"

Science perfected the human body seventy years ago. All illnesses such as cancer and even allergies were eradicated. Soon natural selection was pushed aside for the new technology of healthy children. This first generation is approaching old age gracefully and is practically immortal. Their own children are an entirely different matter. Something has gone terribly wrong. The life span for males stops at age twenty-five and at twenty for females. For the past fifty years, the first generation has watched its children die and the wealthy households will not concede defeat. Young girls are collected/kidnapped by the Gatherers for a profit to breed new children for the wealthy. People are frantically searching for a cure for the virus.

Sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery has been chosen by the Gatherers. Distinctive with her two different colored eyes, she and a van load of other girls are transported to Florida where three are chosen. The rest are killed. When Rhine awakes, she finds out that she is to become one of the new wives to twenty-one year old Linden Ashby, the house governor. Rhine and her fellow sister wives, Jenna and Cecily, reside on a floor to themselves along with Linden’s first wife, Rose. Rose has just turned twenty and is sick with the virus and dying. Rhine soon strikes up a friendship with Rose. Rose fills her in about their husband and makes Rose promise to look after Linden after her death. It’s a promise Rhine doesn’t intend to keep.


Soon Rhine and her sister wives each find their separate niches in the household. Young Cecily is enjoying her new role and aims to please their new husband. Jenna keeps to herself and observes all that is going on. Rhine continues to dream and look for a way to escape back to Manhattan and her brother Rowan. She begins to confide in her attendant Gabriel and soon sparks begin to fly. But life in the mansion isn’t free. Linden’s father, housemaster Vaughn, keeps the girls on tight leashes, especially Rhine. As time goes on, Rhine begins to learn all of the intricacies and intimacies of her new family, the good and the bad.


Will Rhine accept her new role as one of Linden’s wives or does she find a way to escape from underneath Housemaster Vaughn’s control? What secrets does she uncover along the way? Who among the wives has the first baby? Is Linden really as clueless about his father as he seems? Join Rhine’s journey as she struggles to make the most of the hand she has been dealt?

Book two in the trilogy, Fever is due out February 2011.

Visit Lauren DeStefano’s website.


Visit the Chemical Garden Trilogy website.

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

"The experiment will be a bold one and there may well be risks we have not foreseen. But Incarceron will be a system of great complexity and intelligence. There could be no kinder or more compassionate guardian for its inmates." - Chapter 3

Incarceron is prison, but unlike any prison you have ever heard of. It is a living complex of cells, cities and wilderness that is continually shifting. Only the Warden of Incarceron knows where the prison is located. Having been permanently sealed shut for over 160 years, legend has it that only one man has ever escaped. And Finn hopes to be number two.

Seventeen-year-old Finn the Starseer is a prisoner of Incarceron but doesn't remember his childhood. Everyone says he is a "cellborn" but Finn has flashs of a birthday cake and believes he is from Outside of Incarceron. Most of Incarceron's inmates don't believe there is an Outside. It is during an ambush on the Civicry that Finn plays captive to get them to stop. As they are trying to help Finn, a woman notices the mark of an eagle on Finn's wrist and says she has seen that mark before. Finn's interst is peaked and he takes the woman hostage to find out what more she knows. She has seen the same mark on a crystal. Finn takes possession of the crystal when it is offered as part of her ransom. He soon realizes it is a key. Finn, his oathbrother Keiro, Gildas a Sapient and a slave girl escape from their winglord in attempt to locate a door that Gildas has seen before that he thinks the key will unlock.

Claudia Arlexa is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron and the bride in an arranged marriage with the heir to the throne. The Earl of Steen is a young man who thinks he is beyond control but Claudia has been raised to reel him in somewhat even though she is disgusted by him. Caspar, the Earl, became heir to the throne after the death of his half brother Giles, whom Claudia was originally engaged to. With the help of her tutor, Jared, a Sapient, Claudia is determined to learn the mysteries of Incarceron and not marry Caspar. Upon breaking into her father's study, Claudia also discovers a matching crystal key. Soon Claudia and Finn realize that they can communicate with each other through the keys and Finn implores on Claudia to help him escape into the outside world.

This novel was suspenseful and keeps you on edge trying to figure out if Claudia's suspisions are right, if Finn gets out of Incarceron, does Claudia marry Caspar and what is going what the prison itself. Incarceron lives up to a quote from The Times, London on it's cover that states "One of the best fantasy novels written for a long time."

The sequel, Sapphique, is due out December 2010.

Check out Catherine Fisher's website.