#Callipolis

[bookwyrminspiration]

YOU'VE REACHED THE BUNKERS. when i read that part the first time i had to put the book down and like. go do something else bc it was so horrifying

Everyone's just discovered Magara's publication alongside Lee and Cor's and. like I get where she's coming from but my god. with the perspective we have being in both annie and lee's heads, it makes her nearly insufferable

and the bunkers. like all the guardians, I was also not surprised. I said in that post about annie that with the right examples, she could realize. and I was right. it's just...the extremes it took. it just makes it so painfully clear how Atreus is no different. he saw a system that could not provide for everyone and decided then they should find the most worthy to survive, instead of thinking they should change the system. he is, at the end of the day, not immune to the rush of power. but he's convinced himself he's worthy to wield it

I meant to ask this earlier, but now's as good a time as any. did atreus take the metals test? because that. I think. it a very important detail

[aurelianmusings]

The series has so many great foils and parallels, but Julia and Freyda have been on my mind lately. They are good contrasts to Antigone as well, but while she’s a dragonrider in a society that at least nominally recognizes gender equality, Julia and Freyda live and ride in a society that’s patriarchal to the core. And the different ways they react to it are so interesting.

Julia survives by fitting in. Dragonlords abuse their authority by forcing peasants to their beds? She will as well. Why not? If men do it, why shouldn’t she, who’s just as worthy? Those same men then slut-shame their victims for laughs and giggles? She does the same. Revenge aside, her main preoccupation is winning glory for herself. She rages against prejudice, but only because she thinks she should be exempt from it, and she has no qualms about upholding it when it benefits her.

Freyda doesn’t, despite her standing and her stakes being much higher. The worst that can happen to Julia is that she doesn’t regain her country, but still keeps living in luxury in the place that has been her home for more than half her life. Freyda? Her dragon will be killed and she will be forced to wed her brother and lose all freedom. And yet she always puts herself at risk to help others. The unfairness of her situation just makes it easier for her to see the injustice in others’ plights. She repays Griff’s honesty in warning her about Ixion with honesty of her own and informs him about his arrest, even if it may have jeopardized her plan had things happened differently. She antagonizes Ixion to protect Annie when she thinks she’s only a maid and demands a fair trial even after discovering that she misled and spied on her, tells Lee that she’ll give rights back to Callipolis and even silently approves of his commitment to Annie, instead of being disgusted by it like Julia was. She uses what little authority she has to support the powerless, while Julia walks all over them to get on the same ground as the men that look down on her.

They never met in person, but I don't think Freyda would've liked Julia as much as she thought she would.

(Though rereading the carriage scene with Lee, I wonder if I’m imagining a romantic subtext? She says that Julia was the reason she defied her fate and then she tells Lee that once married they can have their own affairs to the side, which makes me think she may not be straight.)

[leannbolesch]

I made a thing.

Couldn't find an existing page, so now there is one. If someone else who's better at tvtropes editing knows how to add images, please do.

Thought it would be funny if I went to Fourth Wing to see what tropes it had that applied as a starting point for building this list but… that’s a short page. Ended up having to start from combing political and dragon related indexes instead.

Imma feel silly if it turns out this series already had a page under another name.

[daintilyultimateslayer]

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[wondereads]

Review of Fireborne by Rosaria Munda

Genre: Fantasy

Age Range: Young Adult

My Rating: ★★★☆☆.5

This book was directly recommended to me, and it's often lauded as a great dragon-riding fantasy book that properly builds its world out with great characters and an interesting plot. For me, it really only delivers on some of those things. Fireborne follows two main characters, Lee and Annie (Antigone). Even though they are both orphans and childhood friends, they couldn't come from more different worlds. Lee is the son of a dragonlord, the previous rulers of Callipolis that were unseated in a violent revolution. Annie is a former serf who was among the worst affected by the dragonlords' tyrannical rule. Now they fly alongside each other as the new era of dragon riders after the revolution, and they are facing each other in a battle for the prestigious position of Firstrider. However, as war begins to encroach on Callipolis, they will have to face the brutal reality of what it means to rule.

On a surface level, Fireborne is everything I love in a book. There's basic tropes I love, such as dragon riding, cutthroat magical academies, and a light friends to lovers subplot. The plot of this book is interesting, and I like that it takes place after the big revolution. It tackles a lot of interesting dilemmas concerning the decisions rulers have to make, and no one has easy answers. A lot of YA books with class differences, especially when the relationship occurs between a class difference, tends to kind of gloss over it, but Fireborne takes a lot of time to consider how Lee and Annie's backgrounds impact their lives and decisions. This is doubly important since they are public figures of a new government.

However, a lot of this book is not executed in the best way, and most of it comes down to the writing. This book is over 400 pages long, but it skips through a lot of important things. Basically, it has a big issue with telling instead of showing. Instead of getting Annie's big speech she's been working on, we essentially get the gist of it described to us. There are a lot of moments like that where characters will be talking for a while and conveying important information but we as the readers just get a description in the narration rather than the actual dialogue, and it irked me. This kind of quick-paced, sparse writing works well for the action, which were often the scenes that went by the fastest, but it makes a lot of big plot and character moments fall flat. It also made it very difficult for me to get properly invested. It definitely picks up in the latter half when war is hanging over everyone's heads and those ethical dilemmas I mentioned start cropping up, but the first half is kind of a slog.

Because of the writing, I don't feel as attached to the characters as I'd like, but I do find them interesting and generally like them. Lee and Annie are both great main characters with well-established personalities, motivations, and weaknesses. Most of the side characters didn't really catch my eye except for Power, who is a character you love to hate. Lee and Annie have pretty amazing arcs throughout the course of the novel, and I was very invested in both of them. However, and the writing contributed to this, the romance didn't do it for me. For most of the book it doesn't even feel like they're that into each other; them trying to move past each other and possibly getting involved with other characters had a ton of potential for big emotional moments, but they were often dry and lacking feeling. Overall, this book was very good in terms of base character, the worldbuilding, and the plot once it picked up, but the writing fell short and any emotion the story held suffered as a result.

[vikas1234fan]

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[jedothek]

What has Athens to do with Callipolis?

Athenian democracy gave us Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. What do we imagine that Plato's ideal city would have given us? – Surely no tragedy worth hearing, and, what is more, no Socrates – and not even a Plato.

[bookwyrminspiration]

Hi quil what are the books you like about dragons I want to find them I feel like I’ve asked this before oops

Someone's asked, but I have no problem revisiting it!

The Aurelian Cycle by Rosaria Munda; with one of my favorite depictions of dragon/rider bonds I've ever seen, we follow Annie, Lee, and the other young dragonriders of Callipolis as it tries to establish itself in the aftermath of a violent revolution. Annie, former serf, and Lee, former royal, grew up in an orphanage together in the aftermath, and together have risen to the top of the new regime as dragonriders. But the regime is untested and flagging under the stress, and did the revolution even fix anything? With beautiful character relationships, arcs, plot, and politics, Aurelian Cycle is a delight to read

The Memoirs of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan; Lady Isabella Trent, now an old woman, tells the story of how she became the world's most renowned dragon naturalist, literally changing the world, via her memoirs. Dragon's are little understood beasts, but they've enchanted her since childhood. Overcoming sexism and the infinite political hoops of science, we follow her rise to the top--involving her personal life, her professional life and its politics, uncovering the biology and past cultures of dragons/dragon-centric societies, I adore this series.

To Shape A Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose; Anequs discovers an egg indigenous to her island and bonds with its hatchling, the species thought to have disappeared years ago. But there's all sorts of rules by the colonizing Anglish society when it comes to dragons, and to prevent them from taking out their wrath on her people, she must attend their school to learn how to handle the hatchling as they see fit--but her customs and theirs consistently clash as one of the only girls and one of only two Indigenous people at the school. The thorough worldbuilding, character relationships, and real-world complex topics of culture and colonization make this book absolutely gripping--I eagerly await the sequel

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill; In the 1950s, thousands of women across America spontaneously turned into dragons and left society behind. No one talks of it directly, dragoning a distinctly feminine and therefore shameful thing. Alex loses her aunt to dragoning, and her mother to illness--and finds herself responsible for her young niece at only 16, who keeps looking to the skies. She struggles to find herself as the world struggles against the continued dragoning of women who are tired of being made to feel small. It's a lovely story of femininity and empowerment and self, though it does focus near exclusively on white womanhood.

Those are the first that come to mind--I've also enjoyed The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin, which is a quick read. And A Chorus of Dragons, but despite the title that's not really about dragons.

I've recently acquired some new dragon books though, so perhaps soon I can add them to this list!

[aurelianmusings]

(Spoilers from Furysong below)

I was rereading Power's speech yesterday and I have sooo many thoughts about healing and being oneself and how important role models are for that, so I thought I'd share some of the ones about our three tragic dragonborn figures:

For most of the series, Lee struggles to reconcile the trauma of his family’s death with the acceptance of the regime that caused it. He has to hide his identity and grief, because in the new Callipolis that’s tantamount to approving of the old regime. Atreus shows this in Fireborne: he tries to kill him because he can’t see the loyal Firstrider and the dragonborn’s son in the same person; as soon as he finds out that Lee is Leo, the latter cancels the former. Lee sur Pallor is Leo Stormscourge is the Revolution’s Son, yet society only sees him as three separate figures. Even when the Passi leverage his legacy for their own propaganda they do so as if Leo Stormscourge were a closed chapter of his life. Only Annie understands how his identities intersect, because she knows him so well. She was able to recognize that the wrongness that had been done to her family didn’t justify the wrongness that had been done to his, long before he allowed himself to (thinking of that scene in Fireborne during Atreus’ lesson when Annie argues against Palace Day and Lee excuses it). She lets him talk about his family, sees the boy who shared his food in the man who argues for rations to be fairly distributed, and even gives him his father’s knife.

Sty is the Lee of the new generation: same origin story but with a slight deviation that’s enough to change everything. While Lee only had Atreus as a role model, Sty will grow up with two: Griff, quite literally Sty’s Atreus, who rebelled in the name of a better future and caused the death of his family, except Griff was able to see beyond what Sty was to who he was and spared him, and later became family (to contrast with the scene in Flamefall where Lee ironically calls Atreus a father figure, when he was anything but); and Delo, a dragonborn who rejected the imperatives of blood to follow his heart, proving that birth doesn’t determine who we are.

Which is significant because Delo himself struggled with the lack of that kind of example in his life, and his arc culminates once he finds it. At the beginning of Furysong, he is still contending with his family’s worldview: when he drops Griff he talks about “the wrong type of courage”, when he’s moved by his pain he’s “crying for the wrong reasons”, when the Norcians treat him badly, despite recognizing his role in their oppression, he “might have thought to regret” saving their children from the fire. What pushes him to switch sides once and for all is witnessing Power’s loyalty to Annie. Another dragonborn, a relative even, who’s not ashamed to act against his lineage or to declare his love for a peasant, and in front of Ixion of all people, something Delo never had the courage to do.

It’s the kind of solidarity of thought that Delo had been needing all of his life, that had to come from another dragonborn to truly matter, that Lee also craved from Atreus and never got and would have made all the difference if he had. But Sty will have it from the start. He won’t have to reject his past or repress his trauma to be accepted into the new world. I imagine him as becoming a well-adjusted version of Lee, someone who embraces his roots even while helping Norcia heal from the damages caused by his family.

[yorkcalling]

New Music: Callipolis - Heatless Love

New Music: Callipolis – Heatless Love

Callipolis is a London-based pop rock artist who I first discovered for the blog back in February this year through his atmospheric track Twilight Snow. Now he’s back with a new one which leans into the goth rock side of his sound. It’s called Heatless Love. (more…)

[daintilyultimateslayer]

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[albelen]

Book Talk: Furysong

Warning: SPOILER AHEAD!

I’m devastated. I’m angry. I’m sad - I’m feeling all these emotions because of one book. 

Furysong was one- if not my most anticipated release of 2022. Flamefall’s ending left me feeling bitter and uneasy, but it was worth the wait.

Furysong was fast-paced much like the sequel. So many exciting and intense things happening from the start until the end.

I have to say it took me a while to get into it because I was scared of what’s going to happen from one page to another - it is not for the faint of heart, but I promise all the stress is worth it. 

In the first book I thought the main story would only be about Lee and his inner struggle to pick which side he’s on, but we already know which one he picked at the end of Fireborne. In the second book and in this last one, I love how it shifted more to Annie’s story as she rose up against all odds, time and time again. 

I love Annie’s purpose, I love how she didn’t simply settle down and still picked to be the Firstrider and help rebuild Callipolis. We got to see a new side of Annie throughout Furysong - she was, afterall, just a teenage girl who dreamt of having a big house, she dreamt of building a life with the boy she loved. I have to admit, I’m not really invested in her and Lee’s love story, but they both deserve the love they can each other give after what they’ve been through since they were kids.

I couldn’t think of a better ending for Lee - wanting to foster orphaned kids and give them a second chance. It’s a new beginning for everyone, especially for a Dragonborn whose destiny had always been to ride a dragon and rule. The only thing I’m not satisfied is he lost his dragon - my tears couldn’t stop when Pallor died. Damn it, I was crying because of the death of a dragon at 3 a.m. 

If you think I’ve moved on from Pallor and Power’s deaths a week after I finished the book... Jokes on you, I still haven’t. 

I do have a small complaint, however - the subplot involving Bassilea felt a little rushed in the end. I would have loved to read more about the Norcians and the exiled Guardians preparing and fighting the gigantic dragon, but it got overshadowed by Annie’s trial and the ultimate battle between Annie and Ixion.

Delo and Griff’s happy ending was cute. I can just imagine the little family they built for themselves with Styx and Becca.

I rated this book 5/5 - how can you not? It’s a perfect conclusion to such a wonderful series. I’m a little mad not many people talk about it more. I’m looking forward to Rosaria Munda’s next book. 

[mydarlinginej]

read my full review of furysong by rosaria munda here.

In this explosive conclusion to the epic trilogy that began with Fireborne, Annie and Lee are fighting for their lives—and for each other—as invading dragonfire threatens to burn their home to the ground.

A new revolution is underway, and nobody will emerge unscathed.

In New Pythos, Griff is facing an execution by the dragonborn, who are furious at his betrayal. He has allies on both sides seeking to defy his fate, but the price of his freedom might come at a dear cost. And Delo will have to make a choice: follow his family, or finally surrender to his conscience.

Meanwhile, Annie must race home to hatch a plan to save her Guardians and their dragons. With Callipolis on the brink of collapse and the triarchy set to be reinstated, she may be the one person who can save the city—if she can overcome her own doubts about her future.

Lee is a revolutionary at heart, but now he’ll have to find a way to fight with diplomacy. Going up against the dragonborn court and a foreign princess, he faces a test of loyalty that sets his head against his heart.

As the fate of Callipolis darkens, Annie and Lee must determine what they are willing to sacrifice in order to save each other, defeat their enemies, and reclaim their home.

my review:

If you’ve followed me on anywhere within the past 2.5 years, you probably know how much I adore this series. So of course, when I received an ARC of the last book, I dropped everything to read it and somehow finished it in one day amidst a reading slump. And just, wow, what a book! I hope I can capture what I loved about it without going into too much detail. A bold and explosive finale, Furysong handles the outcomes of two revolutions.

This review contains spoilers for books one and two.

This book picks up where Flamefall left off: Lee must put aside thoughts of rebellion in favor of diplomacy when Ixion arrives on his shores with Freyda, a Bassilean princess with a dragon that is impossible to fight against. Meanwhile, Annie has no knowledge of what’s going on at home because she’s in New Pythos, trying to incite a rebellion there. Griff is about to be dropped for his crimes but has always had a penchant for getting out of sticky places. Amidst this, Delo must decide what’s more important: his family or his conscience. All of them must work together to overcome Ixion and Freyda in order to reclaim their respective homes.

I want to start this review with something that wasn’t necessarily bad but is really the main thing that I didn’t entirely love about this book: the fact that it’s more plot- than character-based. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that! I just found it interesting after the first two books managed to balance both, although there had to have been more plot to get through here. Obviously, this didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book while reading. After finishing, I started thinking about how there was less of the yearning intertwined within this book as in the previous two.

read my full review here.

[vikas1234fan]

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[publishedtoday]

Furysong - Rosaria Munda (The Aurelian Cycle #3)

A new revolution is underway, and nobody will emerge unscathed. In New Pythos, Griff is facing an execution by the dragonborn, who are furious at his betrayal. He has allies on both sides seeking to defy his fate, but the price of his freedom might come at a dear cost. And Delo will have to make a choice: follow his family, or finally surrender to his conscience. Meanwhile, Annie must race home to hatch a plan to save her Guardians and their dragons. With Callipolis on the brink of collapse and the triarchy set to be reinstated, she may be the one person who can save the city—if she can overcome her own doubts about her future. Lee is a revolutionary at heart, but now he’ll have to find a way to fight with diplomacy. Going up against the dragonborn court and a foreign princess, he faces a test of loyalty that sets his head against his heart. As the fate of Callipolis darkens, Annie and Lee must determine what they are willing to sacrifice in order to save each other, defeat their enemies, and reclaim their home.

tw: animal cruelty, battle, blood, brandings, death/near-death, mentions of past sexual assault, threats of rape, torture,

[aion-rsa]

Top New Young Adult Books in March 2021

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The young adult genre is still booming, providing romance, adventure, and more for teens and adults alike. Here are some of the YA books from March 2021 we’re most looking forward to or are currently consuming…

Top New Young Adult Books March 2021

Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson

Type: Novel Publisher: Inkyard Press Release date: March 9

Den of Geek says: It’s a double twist on The Phantom of the Opera: the heroine is the lurker in the opera house, and music includes magic that can distort memory. Whether or not this fanfic-like premise works for you may depend on mileage, but we have a weakness for the nostalgia and Gothic romance of the Phantom.

Publisher’s summary: Isda does not exist. At least not beyond the opulent walls of the opera house. Cast into a well at birth for being one of the magical few who can manipulate memories when people sing, she was saved by Cyril, the opera house’s owner. Since that day, he has given her sanctuary from the murderous world outside. All he asks in return is that she use her power to keep ticket sales high—and that she stay out of sight. For if anyone discovers she survived, Isda and Cyril would pay with their lives.

But Isda breaks Cyril’s cardinal rule when she meets Emeric Rodin, a charming boy who throws her quiet, solitary life out of balance. His voice is unlike any she’s ever heard, but the real shock comes when she finds in his memories hints of a way to finally break free of her gilded prison.

Haunted by this possibility, Isda spends more and more time with Emeric, searching for answers in his music and his past. But the price of freedom is steeper than Isda could ever know. For even as she struggles with her growing feelings for Emeric, she learns that in order to take charge of her own destiny, she must become the monster the world tried to drown in the first place. Buy Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson.

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Type: Novel Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.  Release date: March 16 Den of Geek says: A YA mystery from an author from the Ojibwe community of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Firekeeper’s Daughter promises a diverse, unique tale. And you know what they say, but we do really love that cover.

Publisher’s summary: Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team.

Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug. 

Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But the search for truth is more complicated than Daunis imagined, exposing secrets and old scars. At the same time, she grows concerned with an investigation that seems more focused on punishing the offenders than protecting the victims.

Now, as the deceptions―and deaths―keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

Buy Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley.

Flamefall by Rosaria Munda

Type: Novel Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers Release date: March 23

Den of Geek says: Of all the YA fantasy releases this month, this one seems like one of the most jam-packed with magic. Dragonriders add high-flying adventure to dense high fantasy politics in this sequel.

Publisher’s summary: After fleeing the revolution and settling into the craggy cliffs of New Pythos, the dragonlords are eager to punish their usurpers and reclaim their city. Their first order of business was destroying the Callipolan food supply. Now they’re coming for the dragonriders.

Annie is Callipolis’s new Firstrider, charged with leading the war against New Pythos. But with unrest at home, enforcing the government’s rationing program risks turning her into public enemy number one.

Lee struggles to find his place after killing kin for a leader who betrayed him. He can support Annie and the other Guardians . . . or join the rebels who look to topple the new regime.

Griff, a lowborn dragonrider who serves New Pythos, knows he has no future. And now that Julia Stormscourge is no longer there to protect him, he is called on to sacrifice everything for the lords that oppress his people–or to forge a new path with the Callipolan Firstrider seeking his help.

With famine tearing Callipolis apart and the Pythians determined to take back what they lost, it will be up to Annie, Lee, and Griff to decide who–and what–to fight for.

Buy Flamefall by Rosaria Munda.

Top New Young Adult Books February 2021

The Project by Courtney Summers

Type: Novel Publisher: Wednesday Books Release date: Feb. 2 Den of Geek says: This critically-acclaimed thriller has won praise for lush writing and thrills. An exploration of power and sisterhood in the shadow of a cult no one believes is a cult, it sounds chilling and thorny in the best way. Publisher’s summary: Lo Denham is used to being on her own. After her parents died, Lo’s sister, Bea, joined The Unity Project, leaving Lo in the care of their great aunt. Thanks to its extensive charitable work and community outreach, The Unity Project has won the hearts and minds of most in the Upstate New York region, but Lo knows there’s more to the group than meets the eye. She’s spent the last six years of her life trying―and failing―to prove it.

“The Unity Project murdered my son.”

When a man shows up at the magazine Lo works for claiming The Unity Project killed his son, Lo sees the perfect opportunity to expose the group and reunite with Bea once and for all. When her investigation puts her in the direct path of its charismatic and mysterious leader, Lev Warren, he proposes a deal: if she can prove the worst of her suspicions about The Unity Project, she may expose them. If she can’t, she must finally leave them alone.

But as Lo delves deeper into The Project, the lives of its members, and spends more time with Lev, it upends everything she thought she knew about her sister, herself, cults, and the world around her―to the point she can no longer tell what’s real or true. Lo never thought she could afford to believe in Lev Warren . . . but now she doesn’t know if she can afford not to. Buy The Project by Courtney Summers.

This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria

Type: Novel Publisher: Inkyard Press Release date: Feb. 2

Den of Geek says: Asexual protagonists in fiction are becoming more common (and have existed for decades at least), but it’s always refreshing to see another one. And the steampunk-esque world building in this fantasy adventure promises robots and a mystery that combines science fiction and fantasy politics. Publisher’s summary: Orphaned and forced to serve her country’s ruling group of scribes, Karis wants nothing more than to find her brother, long ago shipped away. But family bonds don’t matter to the Scriptorium, whose sole focus is unlocking the magic of an ancient automaton army.

In her search for her brother, Karis does the seemingly impossible―she awakens a hidden automaton. Intelligent, with a conscience of his own, Alix has no idea why he was made. Or why his father―their nation’s greatest traitor―once tried to destroy the automatons.

Suddenly, the Scriptorium isn’t just trying to control Karis; it’s hunting her. Together with Alix, Karis must find her brother…and the secret that’s held her country in its power for centuries.

This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria.

The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold

Type: Novel Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers Release date: Feb. 9 Den of Geek says: A Station Eleven reference goes a long way. The plague or zombie element might be rote, but the mention of a magical portal and some weirder things make this an intriguing mash-up of ideas. Publisher’s summary: When a deadly Fly Flu sweeps the globe, it leaves a shell of the world that once was. Among the survivors are eighteen-year-old Nico and her dog, on a voyage devised by Nico’s father to find a mythical portal; a young artist named Kit, raised in an old abandoned cinema; and the enigmatic Deliverer, who lives Life after Life in an attempt to put the world back together. As swarms of infected Flies roam the earth, these few survivors navigate the woods of post-apocalyptic New England, meeting others along the way, each on their own quest to find life and love in a world gone dark. The Electric Kingdom is a sweeping exploration of art, storytelling, eternal life, and above all, a testament to the notion that even in an exterminated world, one person might find beauty in another.

The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold.

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

Type: Novel Publisher: Delacorte Press Release date: Feb. 9 Den of Geek says: It’s hard to resist a good call to adventure or chosen warrior, and Deka’s story will bring that particular fantasy for Black girls and everyone else. High praise and that gorgeous cover suggest this one might be good for fans of dystopian YA who are also ready to go on an adventure like Marvel’s Black Panther. Publisher’s summary: Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.

But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.

Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire’s greatest threat.

Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she’s ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be–not even Deka herself. Buy The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna.

Top New Young Adult Books January 2021

You Have a Match: A Novel by Emma Lord

Type: Novel Publisher: Wednesday Books Release date: Jan. 12

Den of Geek says: Theres something quintessentially charming about summer camp stories, where kids trade their day-to-day for the wilderness. But this protagonist can’t escape everything at camp, and she’ll need the help of her sister to figure out the story of more than one family.

Publisher’s Summary: When Abby signs up for a DNA service, it’s mainly to give her friend and secret love interest, Leo, a nudge. After all, she knows who she is already: Avid photographer. Injury-prone tree climber. Best friend to Leo and Connie…although ever since the B.E.I. (Big Embarrassing Incident) with Leo, things have been awkward on that front.

But she didn’t know she’s a younger sister.

When the DNA service reveals Abby has a secret sister, shimmery-haired Instagram star Savannah Tully, it’s hard to believe they’re from the same planet, never mind the same parents — especially considering Savannah, queen of green smoothies, is only a year and a half older than Abby herself.

The logical course of action? Meet up at summer camp (obviously) and figure out why Abby’s parents gave Savvy up for adoption. But there are complications: Savvy is a rigid rule-follower and total narc. Leo is the camp’s co-chef, putting Abby’s growing feelings for him on blast. And her parents have a secret that threatens to unravel everything.

But part of life is showing up, leaning in, and learning to fit all your awkward pieces together. Because sometimes, the hardest things can also be the best ones. 

Buy You Have a Match: A Novel by Emma Lord.

Lore by Alexandra Bracken

Type: Novel Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Release date: Jan. 5, 2021 Den of Geek says: A twist on Greek mythology from an accomplished author promises creative world-building and fantasy adventure. Publisher’s summary: Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality. 

Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family’s sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt’s promises of eternal glory. For years she’s pushed away any thought of revenge against the man–now a god–responsible for their deaths.

Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods.

The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore’s decision to bind her fate to Athena’s and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost–and still may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.

Buy Lore by Alexandra Bracken.

Siege of Rage and Ruin by Django Wexler

Type: Novel Publisher: Tor Teen Release date: Jan. 5, 2021 Den of Geek says: This month’s high fantasy installment is the finale in a popular series, and one that makes us want to see how the characters arrived and where they go from here. Ghost ships! Mind control!  Publisher’s Summary: Isoka has done the impossible―she’s captured the ghost ship Soliton.

With her crew of mage-bloods, including the love of her life Princess Meroe, Isoka returns to the empire that sent her on her deadly mission. She’s ready to hand over the ghost ship as ransom for her sister Tori’s life, but arrives to find her home city under siege. And Tori at the helm of a rebellion.

Neither Isoka’s mastery of combat magic, nor Tori’s proficiency with mind control, could have prepared them for the feelings their reunion surfaces. But they’re soon drawn back into the rebels’ fight to free the city that almost killed them.

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Buy Siege of Rage and Ruin by Django Wexler.

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