What YA' Reading: Magic

Check out my reviews of young adult (YA) novels. Some of my favorite novels use magic as a key component, which just makes books more, well, magical. Here we go!

The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire, #1) by C.J. Redwine

The Shadow Queen is one of the most creative retellings of the Snow White fairy tale I have ever read. Lorelai is the crown-princess of Ravenspire who has been deposed by Irina, a powerful sorceress and Lorelai’s step-mother, who murdered Lorelai’s father and wants to kill Lorelai. Lorelai is also a sorceress, but she lacks Irina's training and does not believe she is strong enough to overthrow Irina. Lorelai also fears she will fail her father's last request to protect her little brother.

At the same time, Kol, prince of neighboring Eldr, is thrust onto the throne following the death of his parents and older brother. His country is under attack by ogres and they are losing the fight. Kol travels to Ravenspire to bargain with Irina to use her magic to save his country. Irina agrees on the condition that he finds and kills Lorelai.

I fell in love with this book, which is the first in a series of fairy tale retellings. The characters are immensely believable. Lorelai is a flawed character on the run for her life. She is frightened, but she trains and prepares for the inevitable confrontation with Irina, which ultimately has devastating consequences. Kol is a good counterbalance to Lorelai’s character. He is more playful while Lorelai is serious. Lorelai has a clear goal she must accomplish to save her kingdom. Kol is far more conflicted. Oh, did I mention that he’s also a dragon? He is able to shift back and forth between a dragon form and a human form, which makes him the perfect person to hunt Lorelai. He is torn between needing to save his kingdom and not wanting to commit murder. Even Irina is believable in how she became the queen and her need to maintain her control. Her struggles with her jealousy, anger, fear and ambition drive so many of her actions and make her a relatable and amazing villain.

I give The Shadow Queen 5 stars out of five.

The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn, #1) by Renee Ahdieh

The Wrath and the Dawn is a retelling of the story of Scheherazade in A Thousand and One Nights. Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan, marries a new bride every night, only to kill her in the morning. Shahrzad swears to take revenge on him after her cousin and best friend falls victim to him. She volunteers to be his next bride, but is determined to succeed where his other victims have failed and to live. She tells him a story, but the sun comes up before she is finished and Khalid spares her life for the day so that she will finish the story the next night. As this happens over more and more nights, Shahrzad learns that Khalid is not what she thought, warring with herself over her vow to kill him, the love she starts to feel for him, and how to break the curse that binds him.

Shahrzad is an amazing character who is one of my favorites in any book I have ever read. She is feisty, fierce and strong, but she also struggles with learning not everything is what she thought it was. Shahrzad says exactly what is on her mind, which led to many laugh out loud moments. Khalid is her match in so many ways. Shahrzad is outgoing. Khalid is reserved. Shahrzad has a fierce temper that has a tendency to get the best of her, while Khalid is calm.

I loved how the author told the story, giving just the right amount of information to keep me intrigued, but withholding enough information to keep me wondering what will happen next. The cliffhanger at the end of the book left me desperately wanting to read the sequel.

I gave this book 5 stars out of 5.

Death Sworn (Death Sworn, #1) by Leah Cypess

Death Sworn is a fantasy novel with an interesting premise and an intriguing main character. Ileni is a sorceress who is losing her powers in a society that values magic. She is sent to tutor a group of assassins. Ileni is trying to figure out how the previous two tutors died and avoid getting killed herself. She is just starting to realize that the life she has known, her hopes and her dreams are coming crashing down around her. Ileni excelled in society until she discovers that a test to determine if her powers are temporary or permanent was wrong.

Ileni is broken inside and longs for the life she once had. She knows there is a good chance she will die in her mission to the assassins, but is not sure she cares. Her dilemma is fascinating to follow as she tries to figure out how to move forward with her life when she doesn’t know what she is good for anymore. Ileni also struggles with living amongst assassins who value killing, while her people value life.

The story starts off very promising with Ileni arriving at the assassins’ home in the mountains. It takes so long to develop the story that I struggled to keep going. I almost decided to not finish the book on more than one occasion because it felt like it was moving at a glacial pace. I’m glad I stuck with the book. The story really was interesting. The writing was slow and dragged a bit, but as a whole the book is good if you can push through the slow moments.

I gave this book 4 stars out of 5.

What are some of your favorite magical books?