Ever since Lynet’s mother, the last queen, hanged herself, the kingdom of Whitespring has been covered year-round in snow. Teenage Lynet, next in line for the throne, has never been cold; her Southern stepmother, Mina, has never felt warm. Lynet and Mina have always cared for each other, but when Lynet befriends Whitespring’s new surgeon, Nadia, secrets are revealed and relationships begin to unravel. Why does Lynet look exactly like her dead mother? Why does Mina believe no one can truly love her? What is this connection that Lynet and Nadia seem to share? At first, King Nicholas and Mina’s magician father make all the decisions. But the female characters triumph, not by playing by the male characters’ rules but by rewriting them.

This is “Snow White” as it’s never been told before. Fans of “Game of Thrones” will relish the loyalties and betrayals, but author Melissa Bashardoust sidesteps most of the violence that characterizes George R.R. Martin’s work. With elements of the medieval legend of the golem, echoes of the movie Frozen and plenty of magic, Girls Made of Snow and Glass is a feminist fantasy not to be missed.

This article was originally published in the September 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Dee Moreno’s way out from the confines of her miserable home life is a full academic scholarship to a prestigious Portland boarding school. When the scholarship funds are cut, Dee gets desperate enough to cut a deal with a demon. Or, daemon, as he prefers to be called. The general terms are one wish fulfilled in exchange for one body part, which, in Dee’s case, turns out to be her heart.

Actually, the agreement is a lease on her heart, to be returned after two years of service to the daemon. Thus Dee becomes the fourth member of the Deamon’s Portland Troop of Heartless, already comprised of no-nonsense Cora, physics genius Cal and James, a scruffily cute artist. Dee is quickly introduced to the drill: The deamon summons the heartless to enter “voids,” where their mission is to set off explosives and then race for the exit before the void implodes. Ironically, now that Dee is officially heartless, she begins having romantic feelings for James, who is patient and sweet with her reticence.

Emily Lloyd-Jones conjures a just-right balance of creepiness and pathos in her imaginative construct of demons and their interactions with human beings. The depiction of Dee’s family life could use more substance so that readers are able to empathize with her drastic decision. The characters, while diverse in terms of ethnicity and sexual orientation, are functional rather than fully developed. But readers looking for an interesting paranormal twist will enjoy this inventive story.

Diane Colson is the Library Director at City College in Gainesville, Florida.

Twins Iris and Malina have a special gift, or “gleam,” but it must be hidden from the world. In their small town on the coast of Montenegro, this means the sisters had to stop using their witchy gifts when they became too strong. Iris is naturally aware of people’s scents and shapes—gleaning important information from her observations. Malina’s gift for hearing emotions as music allows the sisters to evaluate who is to be trusted, and who to fear. Over the years, Iris’ skills have deteriorated with lack of practice, and unfortunately, so has her relationship with the twins’ secretive mother, Jasmina. But when a vicious attack leaves their mother technically dead—yet mysteriously alive—the sisters must unearth the wild truth of their heritage.

Though the revelations about the twins’ background are somewhat murky, the power of their love—for themselves, their mother and their respective love interests—is movingly portrayed. A cliffhanger ending and layered, likable characters will leave readers eager for what’s next in this unique new series from debut author Lana Popović.

This article was originally published in the August 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

When ruthless Emperor Sikander announces his impending visit to Shalingar, Princess Amrita knows she’ll be required to marry him. Though her heart breaks to give up her family, her home and her first love, she knows it is a worthy sacrifice to protect her people. However, when the visit takes a tragic turn and Amrita finds herself losing much more than she’d bargained for, she sets out on a desperate journey to save what is left—and maybe undo the past.

Aditi Khorana’s second novel, The Library of Fates, is a lovely coming-of-age story rooted in Indian folklore and infused with romance. The primary strength of the novel is the deep, lush world Khorana has built, vividly painting the beauty of Shalingar and juxtaposing it against the political turmoil of the empire.

Princess Amrita is admirable in her utter selflessness, yet still relatable in her teenage ideologies and naiveté, as she seeks out her destiny and shoulders the safety of her entire empire in the face of devastating loss. Though not quite fully developed, the mystical characters who guide Amrita—an oracle, a vetala and members of the cave-dwelling Sybillines—are colorful additions to the rich tapestry of the novel.

The Library of Fates is a perfect read for the lazy days of late summer. Khorana will take readers on a page-turning journey with a surprising yet wholly satisfying resolution.

This article was originally published in the August 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Readers who devoured Ink and Bone and Paper and Fire, the first two titles in bestselling author Rachel Caine’s Great Library series, have a summer reading treat in store. Ash and Quill continues this ingenious saga of an alternate world in which the Great Library of Alexandria has not only survived but also become immensely powerful, controlling all knowledge and even the ownership of books.

Jess Brightwell is a likable, compelling hero. He has been raised to love books, despite the fact that his family has “smuggled them, sold them, and profited from them.” As the story opens, Jess and his friends have been transported from London by the Translation Chamber, which can destroy a person and then recreate him or her far away. Jess has landed in the rebellious colonies of America (Philadelphia, to be exact) where “Burners” refuse to submit to the Library’s rule.

There, in a half-ruined sports stadium, Jess is forced to witness books being burned before he is jailed. But, as he reflects, “Prisons—like locks—were made to be broken.”

Ash and Quill is a page-turning adventure, full of danger and intrigue. There’s romance, too, as Jess and the courageous Morgan take on the challenge of trying to save the true core of the Library from evil plotters within.

While Ash and Quill is perfect for teen readers, parents intrigued by the alternate future depicted in Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle might want to borrow this one to stick in a beach bag.

Deborah Hopkinson lives near Portland, Oregon. Her most recent book for young readers is Independence Cake.

This article was originally published in the July 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.