Fantasy and adventure for all.
Books that are guaranteed to get you out of your head and a world away.
All of these are amazing stories of tough young women, the many obstacles they overcome, and how every path creates new possibilities. These authors have created doorways that take us out of our heads and transport us into the footsteps(and lives) of their characters .
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Warning: While considered YA, these books may have disturbing content that could trigger.
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
Sometimes your path is already decided.
Yelena is on her way to the noose when the court spy offers her a chance to be the new food taster. Easy choice, right? Sure she murdered a noble.. she had her reasons. The threat of being poisoned seems less daunting when the secret she’s hiding might have deadlier consequences than anyone could have imagined. As she foils dark and mysterious plots in the castle, disaster lurks around every corner, because there is a plan in motion.. and being wrong could cost Yelena her life. Failing could cost her her soul.
Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
They won’t know what hit them!
Alanna wants to be a knight and she’s going to do whatever it takes to make that happen. Girls are supposed to be taught the art of magic, not cut off their hair and switch places with her twin brother.. but they don’t plan on getting caught. She just need to keep her head down, survive training, and show these boys how it’s done. Facing many obstacles and making few friends, this fierce girl will make the first steps onto the path of a remarkable destiny.
It may already be too late.
Sabriel has grown up in a boarding school on this side of the wall, where the dead don’t walk, and magic almost never blows this far in on the wind. Her ordinary life, however, is interrupted by her father’s sudden disappearance. Now it’s imperative she find him, for upon his death, the mantle of Abhorsen would fall to her. Will she be all that’s left to hold the line between the living and the dead? With a deeply rich and compelling story, this author sends you on a quest into the dark, that will determine the fate of a kingdom.
Maerad has very powerful magic, will she live long enough to master it?
She’s been a slave for as long as she can remember, her family torn apart by terrible men, she grew up in a settlement high in the mountains. For years after her mother passed Maerad kept her head down and accepted her fate. With a strange man suddenly appears, offering her a chance at freedom, she quickly agrees and follows him towards an unknown future. Now the race is on to stop opposing forces from destroying the world she’s only just began to know and love.
She hasn’t had it easy.
Claidi serves under a spoiled princess, surrounded by the apathy and disregard of her peers. When a young man crash lands at court, offering Claidi her chance to escape, she doesn’t bother looking back. Unprepared for the obstacles on their journey, she begins to fall for the handsome prince, unaware of the secrets he keeps and that they may involve her. Her budding friendship with other travelers along the way gives her a temporary sense of belonging. What she doesn’t know is what waits in Wolf Tower will require all of her new found strength and skills to survive.
Happy reading, fantasy friends, and I hope you enjoy following these characters in your next reading adventure!
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