ACPL's Books for Teens

 

Adult Fantasy

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Adult: Fantasy

Entries marked with a ♥ are staff favorites

Britain, Kristen Green Rider

Karigan, having been expelled from school, encounters a dying King's Rider on her journey home and accepts the dangerous task of getting his message to the king. (A/YA)

Clarke, Susanna Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

English magicians were once the wonder of the known world, although by the early 1800s they have long since lost the ability to perform magic. But at Hurtfew Abbey in Yorkshire, the rich, reclusive Mr Norrell has assembled a library of forgotten books from England's magical past and regained some of the powers of England's magicians. Soon he is lending his help to the government in the war against Napoleon Bonaparte. But his young apprentice, Jonathan Strange, is reckless and wild, with very different ideas of what English magic ought to be. Eventually Strange's heedless pursuit of long-forgotten magic threatens to destroy not only his partnership with Norrell, but everything that he holds dear.  (A/YA)

de Lint, Charles Memory and Dream

As a student of the brilliant Vincent Rushkin, Isabelle discovered she could paint images so real they brought her dreams to life. But when the forces she unleashed brought tragedy to those she loved, she turned her back on it all. Now, 20 years later, Isabelle must come to terms with the memories and unlock the power of her brush.  (A/YA)

Fallon, Jennifer The Lion of Senet

A volcanic eruption rocks the seas separating the Kingdoms of Dhevyn and Senet, and a mysterious sailor is shipwrecked on the island of Elcast. Badly wounded, his arrival stirs up old hatreds and unravels old secrets. His presence is enough to even bring Antonov, the powerful Lion of Senet, to the island and fear to the Keep of the Duke of Elcast. A strong friendship develops between Dirk, second son of the Duke, and Kirshov Latanya, second son of the Lion of Senet. But will they, and their friendship, survive the chain of events set in motion by the ambitions of the ruthless High Priestess of the Shadowdancers and the domineering Lion of Senet?  (A/YA)

♥ Gaiman, Neil Anansi Boys

When Fat Charlie’s dad dies, he receives some unusual news: Charlie’s dad was really a god, and Charlie has a brother he didn’t know about. Turns out his brother is a god, too – a partying goofball kind of god - and he wreaks havoc in Fat Charlie’s orderly life.  (A/YA)

♥ Hobb, Robin Assassin's Apprentice

Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court. He is treated like an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz's blood runs the magic Skill - and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family. As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the kingdom.  (A/YA)

Jordan, Robert The Eye of the World

The peaceful villagers of Emond's Field pay little heed to rumors of war in the western lands until a savage attack by troll-like minions of the Dark One forces three young men to confront a destiny which has its origins in the time known as The Breaking of the World.  (A/YA)

Kurtz, Katherine Deryni Rising

In the kingdom of Gwynedd, the mysterious forces of magic and the superior power of the Church combine to challenge the rule of young Kelson. Now the fate of the Deryni - a quasi-mortal race of sorcerers - and, indeed, the fate of all the Eleven Kingdoms, rests on Kelson's ability to quash the rebellion by any means necessary...including the proscribed use of magic.  (A/YA)

Kushner, Ellen The Privilege of the Sword

Welcome to Riverside, where the aristocratic and the ambitious battle for power in the city's ballrooms, brothels and boudoirs. Into this alluring world walks well-bred country girl Katherine. Katherine knows all of society's rules, but her host and uncle, Alec Campion, aka the Mad Duke Tremontaine, is in charge here - and to him, rules are made to be broken. When Alec decides it would be more amusing for his niece to learn swordplay than to follow the usual path to marriage, her world changes forever.  (A/YA)

Marillier, Juliet Daughter of the Forest

As the only daughter and youngest child of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters, Sorcha grows up protected and pampered by her six older brothers. When a sorceress's evil magic ensorcels Colum's sons, transforming them into swans, only Sorcha's efforts can break the curse.  (A/YA)

McKillip, Patricia A. Alphabet of Thorn

As an infant, Nepenthe was abandoned by her mother on the edge of a cliff so high no one can hear the sea below. Nepenthe was raised by the librarians of the Royal Library of Raine, and knows little of the outside world beyond what she reads. She has a gift for translation, and she alone has a chance of translating a newly arrived book, a mysterious tome written in an alien alphabet that resembles thorns. But Nepenthe has fallen in love with the high-born student-mage who brings her the book. And the thorns are exerting a strange power over her - a magic that may destroy not only Nepenthe, but the kingdom of Raine and the entire world.  (A/YA)

♥ Novik, Naomi His Majesty's Dragon

It's 1805, and England is immersed in the Napoleonic Wars. When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes its precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Capt. Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future – and an unexpected kinship with an extraordinary creature.  (A/YA)

Pratchett, Terry Going Postal

After he is caught, petty swindler Moist von Lipwig (formerly known as Alfred Spangler) is given a choice between a hanging and the job of reviving the long-defunct Ankh-Morpork post office. The choice seems obvious, but the job is a lot harder than he'd expected: he's got a golem parole officer watching his every move, his employees are as far from competent as you can get, and the mail hasn't been delivered in over twenty years. Oh, and there's the minor issue of someone trying to kill him.  (A/YA)

Salvatore, R.A. The Crystal Shard

Akar Kessel, a weak-willed apprentice mage, sets in motion events leading to the rediscovery of the magical device, the crystal shard. But is it merely an inanimate device...or is it capable of directing the defeat of Ten-Towns? Having been left for dead, Wulfgar is rescued by the dwarf, Bruenor, in exchange for five years of service and friendship. With the help of the dark elf, Drizzt, Bruenor reshapes Wulfgar into a warrior with both brawn and brains.  (A/YA)

Shinn, Sharon Summers at Castle Auburn

Coriel Halsing spent many of her childhood summers at Castle Auburn with her half-sister, and longed for a handsome prince who could not be hers. Now a young woman, Coriel has lost her hope and joy, and is beginning to see the dark side of this magical place.  (A/YA)

♥ Stewart, Mary The Crystal Cave

Born the bastard son of a Welsh princess, Myridden Emrys - or as he would later be known, Merlin - leads a perilous childhood, haunted by portents and visions. But destiny has great plans for this no-man's-son, taking him from prophesying before the High King Vortigern to the crowning of Uther Pendragon...and the conception of Arthur - king for once and always.  (A/YA)

Weis, Margaret and Hickman, Tracy Dragons of Autumn Twilight

Lifelong friends, they went their separate ways. Now they are together again, though each holds secrets from the others in his heart. They speak of a world shadowed with rumors of war. They speak of tales of strange monsters, creatures of myth, creatures of legend. They do not speak of their secrets. Not then. Not until a chance encounter with a beautiful, sorrowful woman, who bears a magical crystal staff, draws the companions deeper into the shadows, forever changing their lives and shaping the fate of the world.  (A/YA)

Williams, Tad Shadowmarch

Shadowmarch has lately fallen on hard times. Its king has been captured by a rival kingdom, the regent has been mysteriously slain, and the new regents are callow fifteen-year-olds. Moody, crippled Prince Barrick is uninterested in their responsibilities and haunted by eerie dreams. His twin, Princess Briony, takes their new duties seriously, but is hot-tempered and headstrong. How can they defeat the greatest threats in Shadowmarch history.  (A/YA)

 

 

  Grade Level Interest
M Middle School (defined as grades 6-8).
J Junior High (defined as grades 7-9).
S Senior High (defined as grades 10-12).
A/YA Adult-marketed book recommended for teens.

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