Our teen book spotlight this week is focused on books that are stand alone fantasy titles! Let’s get real here for a second--there is something to be said when you find an amazing series that you just cannot put down, but not everyone has time for a series or sometimes you just want a book that has a beginning, middle, and end all within a front and back cover. That’s why we are taking a look at some fantasy titles that are not part of a series; they are stand alones novels for when you want your fantasy but do not have to read 6 books to find out what happens to your favorite main character or the epic battle between good and evil. These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #yafantasy as well as on Libby and Hoopla. Check back next week for a new teen book spotlight and if you have any book suggestions, please let us know!!
Burn by Patrick Ness--When fifteen-year-old Sarah Dewhurst and her father can't afford to hire workers to help them out on their Frome, Washington farm, they resort to what poor farmers in 1957 have to do: they hire a dragon. Sara knows their selection of a Russian blue dragon is controversial given the Cold War, but as a biracial teen, she's used to being given the cold shoulder (and worse). Sarah forms a bond with the dragon Kazimir and he becomes her protector for reasons that become clear when a missionary named Malcolm from a dragon-worshiping cult seeks her out to fulfill a prophecy.
The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge--On the outside, 14-year-old Faith Sunderly seems to fit the mold of a properly obedient young lady. But inside, she possesses a sharp, scientific mind filled with curiosity. When her father abruptly moves the family from England to a small island and then winds up dead, Faith seems to be the only one to suspect he's been murdered. Faith finds the truth she's searching for in a small tree that, when fed, produces truth-bearing fruit.
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black--Along with her gay brother, Ben, Hazel lives in the strange town of Fairfold, a tourist town whose main attraction are the fairies that live in the surrounding forest. The magic seems harmless—it's what attracts tourists—but Hazel knows better. Ever since she was a child, she and Ben have both been in love with a horned fairy prince, encased in a glass coffin in the forest's center. He has never woken up—until now. As the fairies' wrath comes down even on Fairfold, Hazel and Ben try to remember how to be the heroes they once were as children. However, Hazel's secret forgotten debt to the fairies may undo it all.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust--Sixteen-year-old Mina had her heart cut out and replaced with one made of glass. Dreaming of finding love, she marries a king, thus becoming step-mother to fifteen-year-old Lynet, who long ago had been fashioned out of snow. But after the king displaces Mina in favor of Lynet to rule the southern territories, Lynet must decide whether she should win the approval of Mina--the closest thing to a mother she's ever had--or defeat her and take over the kingdom.
The Siren by Kiera Cass--Years ago, Kahlen nearly drowned, but the Ocean itself rescued her, on the condition she serve as a Siren for a period of time to repay her debt. Her voice now lures sailors to their doom, but Kahlen spends time on land, longing for the day when she can speak normally again and live, laugh, and love. Then she meets Akinli, the boy of her dreams, and she decides to risk the wrath of the Ocean in order to follow her heart.
Heartless by Marissa Meyer--Before she became the terrible and infamous Queen of Hearts, the scourge of Wonderland, she was just Catherine, a girl who loved baking, who just wanted to open a bakery with her best friend, and maybe even fall in love. Cath's mother, though, has other plans, as Cath has caught the eye of the King of Hearts. But while Cath is training to be a queen, she meets Jest, the handsome, mysterious court joker. She and Jest embark on a secret courtship, full of magic, madness, monsters, and the inevitability of fate.