The mist will eradicate all life unless she finds a way to stop it. Despite her best efforts, Agathe didn’t kill the King, but she did escape with something even more valuable. Stealing back her magic was a good start. Now, she must find a way to save the Kingdom from the rising mist and the threats within. The spells that used to protect are fading fast with deadly consequences. After more than a century of peace, the monsters have returned to attack the towns and villages, but they’re not the only danger. A sickness in the mist mutates everything it touches—except for Agathe. She’s special. If only she knew how to use that to her advantage. Who can she ask for help? Who should she believe? Maric, the King’s most valued soldier—and her lover—wants her to return to the Citadel and join forces with the monarch who stole her magic once before. Then there’s Zanir, a smooth-tongued liar who taunts her via a mirror. He promises her answers. Demands that she come to him so he can show her the truth. The fact is, both men want to use her, and the wrong choice might mean the end of Agathe—and the Kingdom. genre: epic fantasy, romantic fantasy, magic and sorcery, prophecy, older heroine, quest, sword and sorcery, friendship, king, action and adventure
Erick Setiawan's richly atmospheric debut is a beautiful, engrossing fable of three generations of women in two families; their destructive jealousies, their loves and losses, their sacrifices and deeply rooted deceptions, and their triumphs. Of Bees and Mist is a fable of one woman's determination to overcome the haunting magic that is created by the people she loves and the oppressive secrets behind their broken lives. Raised in a sepulchral house where ghosts dwell in mirrors, Meridia spends her childhood feeling neglected and invisible. Every evening her father vanishes inside a blue mist without so much as an explanation, and her mother spends her days beheading cauliflowers in the kitchen. At sixteen, desperate to escape, Meridia marries a tenderhearted young man. Little does she suspect that his family is harboring secrets of their own. There is a grave hidden in the garden. There are two sisters groomed from birth to despise each other. And there is Eva, the formidable matriarch whose grievances swarm the air like an army of bees—the wickedest mother-in-law imaginable. Erick Setiawan takes Meridia on a tumultuous ride of hope and heartbreak as she struggles to keep her young family together and discovers long-kept secrets about her own past as well as the shocking truths about her husband's family.
In the tradition of Edward Eager and E.L. Konigsburg, a novel about the excitement—and the dangers—of wishing. Tess and her brother, Max, are sent for the summer to their aunt’s sleepy village in the English countryside, where excitement is as rare as a good wifi signal. So when Tess stumbles upon an old brass key that unlocks an ornately carved gate, attached to a strangely invisible wall, she jumps at the chance for adventure. And the world beyond the gate doesn’t disappoint. She finds rose gardens, a maze made of hedges, and a boy named William who is just as lonely as she is. But at William’s castle, strange things begin to happen. Carnival games are paid for in wishes, dreams seem to come alive, and then there's William's eerie warning: Beware of the hawthorn trees. A warning that chills Tess to the bone. In a magical, fantasy world that blurs the line between reality and imagination, readers are left to wonder exactly what they’d wish for if wishes could come true. Perfect for fans of Half Magic and The Secret Garden—and for anyone who's ever wondered if magic is real. For the further adventures of Tess and Max, be sure to check out Amy Ephron's Carnival Magic! Praise for The Castle in the Mist: “Bursting with imagination and warmth, Amy Ephron’s first novel for young people is a magical book in all ways.”—Holly Goldberg Sloan, New York Times bestselling author of Counting by 7s "This beautiful story’s quiet, peaceful tone nicely evokes both the serenity of country life and the haunting magic of the castle, and the emotional heft of Tess and Max’s separation from their parents, as well as their strong bond, keeps the tale firmly grounded in reality. Perfect for middle-graders who love classic fantasy."—Booklist "Rich description of the castle along with an elaborate map at the book's beginning and an illustration at the end enhance the fantasy world....A sequel is suggested; beguiled readers will hope it happens."—Kirkus Reviews "There are scenes...that are transcendent in their beautiful, ethereal descriptions [in this] uplifting novel about family and connection."—BCCB "A slightly darker, updated take on magical realism classics such as Edward Eager’s Half Magic and E. Nesbit’s The Enchanted Castle."—School Library Journal "A near-perfect 9....This book defies gravity because it’s hard to put down!"—Time for Kids, kid reporter "Ephron renders this magical world with such assertive beauty that readers of all ages, who are fortunate enough to believe in the power of magic, will enjoy immersing themselves in the roller-coaster fun of these stories, and come to trust, even if for a short time, that in this 'alternate universe' it is possible for us to come together and 'touch the sky.'"—Jewish Journal
Mischief is as mischief does... Clara Harlow is perfectly content with her life as a teacher of art and French at the Miss Masters Finishing School, so nothing startles her more than to discover that the school is far more than it seems, and its purposes more complicated than anything she could have imagined. She finds herself accepting an assignment from the highest powers in England to use her talents for a particular mission: to impersonate the ward of the late Duke of Kirklin, gain access to the estate, and to discern how a strip of the Kent coastline there is being used against the security of England. The present Duke of Kirklin, George Russell, better known as Hawk, does not know what to make of the appearance of the former ward of his late uncle, but he is captivated by her. Her skills in art are unlike anything he has ever seen, and her company grows more agreeable with every passing day. His boring, bachelor life grows less and less appealing, and the company within his walls more perfectly suited for the place than he ever dreamed. What could possibly go wrong?
For the last twenty years Sir James Monmouth has been a gentleman adventurer, journeying all over the globe in the footsteps of his hero, the great pioneering traveller Conrad Vane. One rainy winter night, Sir James returns to London. Orphaned at five, it is now time to find out more about his family and origins, and also to learn about the early years of Conrad Vane. But at every turn James is warned off his investigation into Conrad Vane. Do these warnings explain his flashes of intense fear and feelings of being watched? And what of the boy who has started haunting his every step and the mysterious mirror with its inexplicable reflections? Eventually, Sir James's quest leads him to the old lady of Kittiscar Hall, and deep into a past that binds him to his hero in ways he never could have imagined.
To see or not to see... Emmeline Bartlett has a secret. By day, she is the polite, proper, sometimes teacher of writing and rhetoric at the prestigious Miss Masters's Finishing School. But by night, she disguises herself as the mysterious Ears, exploring and investigating the darker sides of London, writing articles about her discoveries under a pseudonym and exposing scandals. When a handsome Spaniard crosses her path, Emmeline discovers new adventures in London by night, as well as new dangers. Teodoro de Vickers y Mendoza isn't sure what he is going to do with the title he inherited from his estranged English grandfather, but he's come to England to find out. Meeting Ears on a nighttime walk isn't part of the plan, nor is finding her intriguing, exciting, and beautiful. The further he gets into her world, the more he wonders about his own, and the less certain he is about everything. Except for her.
"Young sorcery fans . . . set aside Harry Potter and pick up Merlin! ["The Mirror of Merlin" is] ingeniousIfilled with rich images [and] surprising touches of humor.U--"Cincinnati Enquirer. TRich with magic."--"The New York Times Book Review."
The final installment in the chilling Fogg Lake trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz. Olivia LeClair's experiment with speed dating is not going well. First there was the nasty encounter with the date from hell who tried to murder her and now the mysterious Harlan Rancourt—long believed dead—sits down at her table and tells her she's the only one who can help him locate the Bluestone Project’s legendary Vortex lab. This is not what Olivia had in mind when she signed up for the Four Event Success Guaranteed package offered by the dating agency. She doesn't have much choice, though, because her psychic investigation firm works for the mysterious Foundation and Victor Arganbright, the director, is adamant that she assist Harlan. There's just one problem—no one knows Harlan's real agenda. His father once ran the Foundation like a mob organization, and Harlan was destined to be his heir. There's a real possibility Harlan has returned to claim his inheritance. For now, however, it's a case of the enemy of my enemy is my friend because others are after the secrets of the long-lost lab. Unfortunately for Olivia, the one thing friend and foe have in common is that everyone is convinced she is the key. Her unique psychic talent is required to defuse the ticking time bomb that is Vortex. Neither trusts the other but Olivia and Harlan soon realize they must work together to survive and unlock the Bluestone Project's most dangerous secrets before more innocent people die.
A collection of the adult fantasy and humorous works of John Bellairs. This collection includes The Face in the Frost, The Dolphin Cross (a previously unpublished fragment sequel to The Face in the Frost), The Pedant and the Shuffly, and Saint Fidgita and Other Parodies. The collection introduction is by Bruce Coville. There is also a special introduction to the Dolphin Cross by Ellen Kushner.
“Another great series.” — San Jose Mercury News “A dazzlingly tricky mystery.” — Kirkus Reviews “A tremendous skein of red herrings, sharp and thorough police work, [and] mysterious connections.” — Bookgasm It’s Christmastime in Brighton, and the city is abuzz about magician Max Mephisto’s star turn in Aladdin. But the holiday cheer is lost on DI Edgar Stephens. He’s investigating the murder of two children, Annie and Mark, who were found in the woods alongside a trail of candy—a horrifying scene eerily reminiscent of “Hansel and Gretel.” Edgar has plenty of leads. Annie, a dark child, wrote gruesome plays based on the Grimms’ fairy tales. Does the key to the case lie in her final script? Or does the macabre staging of the bodies point to the theater and the capricious cast of Aladdin? Edgar enlists Max’s help in penetrating the shadowy world of the theater. But is this all just classic misdirection? “Excellent . . . Evoking both the St. Mary Mead of Agatha Christie and the theater world of Ngaio Marsh.” — Booklist
