12/05/2016
Freya may be a member of the court of the kingdom of Epria, but she has little interest in social niceties; “much happier with equations and research,” she greatly prefers conducting chemical experiments in her laboratory. Having taken the opportunity to slip away from King Jorgen’s ostentatious birthday banquet, she later discovers that she is one of only a few survivors of a mass poisoning. With the majority of the court dead, Freya, formerly 23rd in line for the throne, is suddenly queen. While her advisors scheme, and an army gathers to oust her, Freya uses her wits, intuition, and scientific reasoning to attempt to find the killer. The suspects are many, ranging from the King’s illegitimate son to a group of underground revolutionaries—this is as much a murder mystery as it is a fantasy, and Thomas (A Wicked Thing) includes just enough background detail to give shape to Freya’s world. Freya is an intelligent and resilient heroine who, when thrust into a position she never wanted, stays true to herself and champions the disenfranchised. Ages 13–up. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary. (Feb.)
If you’re anything like me, the new royal wedding is pretty much the only news you care about these days. But we have until May 2018 to wait until Prince Harry and Princess Meghan (sorry, I don’t care what the official rules say, she’s a princess!) tie the knot…so here are fifty royal reads to […]
CW’s Reign, following the life of Mary, Queen of Scots, lasted four emotional, dramatic seasons, concluding earlier this year. While the show had its faults *side-eyes the season 1 wardrobe*, the characters never failed to win over hearts (and occasionally rip them to shreds with certain character deaths). Reign‘s portrayals of Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth […]
This month’s most exciting new YA books include a magical-realistic immigrant’s tale, a Black Lives Matter–inspired debut that’s already being made into a movie, and a Sherlock and Holmes update that’s the sequel to one of our favorite releases of 2016. Here are 25 books to add to your shelves and your TBR’s right now.
YA Open Mic is a monthly series in which YA authors share personal stories on topics of their choice. The aim of the series is to peel away the formality of bios and offer authors a platform to talk about something readers won’t necessarily find on their websites. This month, 15 authors discuss everything from self-love to […]