Wayfarer

Title : Wayfarer

Author : R. J. Anderson

Citation : Anderson, R. J. (Rebecca J.). Wayfarer. New York : HarperTeen, 2010.

The only hope for surviving the faeries of the Oak who are in danger of extinction rests in fifteen-year-old Linden. Geared with the last of her people's magic, she sets on bravely into the modern human world. Then she makes a reluctant ally with a human boy named Timothy. The danger discovered by Linden and Tim is much worse than the Oakenfolk's loss of magic which is a threat of a potential evil. Therefore, they both must risk their lives to look for an ancient power before it's too late to save everyone they love. As the situation becomes darker, the danger is more pronounced and the risks are greater than ever. Linden and Tim tell the stories in alternating narratives and their individual issues give substance and suspense to occasionally predictable story lines. The author has managed to craft an artfully stunning magic world with thrilling adventure and delicate beauty which makes the book is addicted to read. The dark plot and fast-paced will straightaway draw readers to keep reading until the end. Although this compelling story has some religious elements, most readers will appreciate the growing understanding of personal responsibility and the importance of compassion reflected from the characters.

Other book in the Faery Rebels : Spell hunter (2009), Arrow (2011), and Swift (2011).

Graceling

Title : Graceling

Author : Kristin Cashore

Citation : Cashore, Kristin. Graceling. Orlando, Fla. : Harcourt, 2008.

Grace, that is a term for people born with an extreme skill, are feared and exploited. One of them is Katsa who carries the burden of the skill, the Grace of killing. Living under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, she is expected to punish and torture anyone who displeases the king. Then, meeting Prince Po who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no idea of how her life is about to change: to learn the truth about her own Grace and the secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms. Those who are Tamora Pierce fans must love this thrilling, action-packed fantasy adventure with a slight hint of steamy romance. Every character is depicted with the same meticulous devotion to human understanding, making this novel is compelling with its strong heroine, political intrigue and action. The author juggles her complicated plot with effortlessness rivalling Katsa's. Although there are some undeveloped plots, the exquisitely drawn romance will satisfy the thirst of Twilight fans, but one measure of this compelling novel's achievements lies in its broad appeal

Secret Speakers and the Search for Selador's Gate

Title : Secret speakers and the search for Selador's Gate

Author : K. S. R. Kingsworth

Citation : Kingsworth, K. S. R. Secret speakers and the search for Selador's Gate. Canada : Rawle & Windsor, 2010.

Hidden in the depth of Cloven Grace, the harsh trickster Harrold King hides a secret the parents know absolutely nothing. A thirteen year-old Fair O'Nelli eventually assumes it's safe to be seen after spending nine years hidden in a cellar. Knowing that her father and brother are missing or possibly dead, she sets off in the company of three guardians to search for Selador's Gate and to seek for Harrold King's secret. Along the way she discovers that they key to survival is learning to see things as they are. This metaphorical tales is similar to the Narnia, Lord of the Rings and Wizard of Oz due to the likable heroine as Fair discovers courage, conviction and friendship along her quest to Selador. Also, the author has created a rich and detailed fantasy that is unique, charming and with whimsical touches, such as some religious symbolism that can be found on this novel. The world-building storyline and plot-driven make readers enjoy the adventure and the sudden twists in some events.

The Blue Sword

Title : The blue sword

Author : Robin McKinley

Citation : McKinley, Robin. The blue sword. New York : Greenwillow Books, c1982.

An orphan girl, Harry Crewe, leaves her Homeland to live in a desert country called Damar, after the dead of her father. Damar is a bleak landscape where Homelanders and the secretive magical Hillfolk share the area that once part of the great kingdom. She then gets kidnapped by Corlath, the Hillfolk King, who takes her deep into the desert. Without knowing the Hillfolk language, she is wondering why she has been chosen by Corlath who does know that she is to be trained in the arts of war. Will she be ready to accept her true destiny's that of the heir to the Blue Sword, Gonturan?  There had no woman who can handle and use weapons as skillful as the Lady Aerin that gone into battle with the North in the Hill-King's army. The Blue Sword is the first installment of the Damar series. A world-building storyline, fast-paced and strong sense of place mix together with a descriptive and engaging style have made this book of New York Times bestseller.  

Other book in the Damar Series : The hero and the crown (1984)

Sabriel

Title : Sabriel

Author : Garth Nix

Citation : Nix, Garth. Sabriel. New York : HarperCollins, c1995.

This is an Australian fiction about Sabriel, a young girl sent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre to be a necromancer, a person who fight the dead who seek to return to life.   She has little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But then when her father, Abhorsen, goes missing, she must enter the kingdom to save him. Accompanied by Mogget, a raging natural force contained in the form of a cat, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage long imprisoned by magic, every step of the way bring them closer to the battle of life and death. This first instalment of the Abhorsen trilogy incorporates the virility and compassionate love of a young girl making her a sympathetic heroine. With a rich, complex, world-building and fast-paced, the novel makes it hard to put down. Although it is bleak, readers who enjoy the intricate tales of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, will find this trilogy is also appealing.

Other book in the Abhorsen Trilogy: Lirael, daughter of the Clayr (2001); Abhorsen (2003)

Zahrah the Windseeker

Title : Zahrah the windseeker

Author : Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu

Citation : Okorafor-Mbachu, Nnedi. Zahrah the windseeker. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 2005.

Born with dadalocks-dreadlocks containing living vines, Zahrah does not know that she is believed to have special powers. She lives like a normal girl in the northern Ooni Kingdom as she enjoys everything that nature provides. Even she grows her own flora computer and has mirrors sewn onto her cloths. Being different to other people makes her only have one best friend, Dari, who wants to explore the Forbidden Greeny Jungle and discover its dark and prohibited mysteries. Together, they enter the jungle that is located on the boundary of the kingdom to explore her powers. Then Zahrah has to undertake a dangerous quest alone to seek the remedy for Dari after he is bitten by a war snake and falls into a deep sleep.  In the nature of exotic creatures, a magical forest, and children with superhuman abilities, she must find the courage to defeat her fear using her dada wisdom. The world building storyline that is interesting and the evocative setting will draw experienced fantasy readers to enjoy this amazingly written story with full ideas of friendship, self-discovery and following own heart.

The Shadow Speaker

Title : The shadow speaker

Author : Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu

Citation : Okorafor-Mbachu, Nnedi. The shadow speaker. New York : Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, 2007.

A futuristic fantastical adventure fiction that happens in West Africa in 2070 is about a Muslim teenager, Ejii. After witnessing her father's beheading, a fifteen-year-old "shadow speaker" Ejii sets on a dangerous journey across the Sahara desert to look for Jaa, her father's murderer. Then soon she discovers that there is a greater purpose to her life after knowing her possession of mystical powers. Accompanied by her newfound friend, she realises the need to protect her people from a force seeking to destroy them completely. With a plot of the era of mind-blowing technology and tantalising magic, the book is leisurely paced and has a fascinating lyrical writing style. Readers will be engrossed by the novel's complicated characters, especially its women and the unusual appearance of African with a taste of Muslim tradition. This book by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu is the second fiction of her first debut, Zahrah the windseeker.

Trickster's Choice

Title : Trickster's choice

Author : Tamora Pierce

Citation : Pierce, Tamora. Trickster's choice. New York : Random House, 2003. 

As a daughter of the famed Alanna, the Lioness of Tortall, Alianne Cooper or Aly is expected to be a knight. But her parents do not support her dangerous wish to be a spy like her father. Aly begins a furious argument and then runs away. On her escape, things go horribly wrong. Aly is captured by pirates and sold as a slave to the noble Balitang family of the Copper Isles, where she is straightaway entangled in royal family intrigues. Aly has to create a secret spy network and fighting force to defend her charges from royal assassins. She then discovers that she is about to enter a life and death wager with the Trickster God, Kyprioth. This book is the first installment of the Daughter of the Lioness series. The world-building and action packed storyline seems to go hand in hand with angst-filled and upbeat tone. The author is smart to deliver not only the continuation of the Alanna series but also creates a sassy heroine that is struggling to escape her parent's expectation. This aspect will resonate mostly with teens. The readers will never forget Aly's interesting interest such as transforming from a crow. With some elements of political intrigue, interfering gods and humorous undertones, the readers who have engrossed in the tales of Alanna the Lioness will be equally fascinated by this rich and complex tale of Alanna's teenage daughter.

Other book in the Daughter of the lioness or also known as Trickster Series : Trickster's queen (2004).

Melting Stones

Title : Melting stones

Author : Tamora Pierce

Citation : Pierce, Tamora. Melting stones. New York : Scholastic, 2008.

A call for help to Winding Circle temple has been sent by people on one of the islands south of Emelan. Their concern is their plants, trees and animals that live around are mysteriously dying. A prickly green mage Rosethorn and young stone mage trainee Evvy respond to the call and strive to find the problem that has something to do with a long-dormant volcano. With the help of Luvo, the living stone heart of a mountain, Evvy, then attempts to do whatever it takes to avoid the catastrophic destruction. Will they be able to evacuate the island in time or will they try to shift a volcano? From the author of the Trickster series, Pierce engage the intricate conversational and dialogue-rich writing style and the taste of suspenseful and fast-paced. The world-building storyline seems to be her uniqueness that makes this book hard to put down.

The Golden Compass

Title : The golden compass

Author : Philip Pullman

Citation : Pullman, Philip. The golden compass. New York : A. A. Knopf, 1995.

A terrible experiment separating humans from their daemons, creatures that reflect each person's sinner being, is being conducted and children are disappearing—victims of so-called "Gobblers". Therefore, an orphan named Lyra Belacqua leaves her carefree life among the scholars at Oxford's Jordan College and embarks on a journey to look for her kidnapped bestfriend, Roger. Accompanied by her shape-shifting daemon and a truth-telling instrument, a compass called Alethiometer, she keens of finding out a mystery in the far North including photographs of a mysterious celestial phenomenon called Dust and the dim outline of a city suspended in the Aurora Borealis that is believed to be part of a parallel universe. The Golden Compass is the first book of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. With a world-building storyline, fast-paced, tones of atmospheric and suspenseful, Pullman is a master at combining impeccable characterisations and seamless plotting. The story line moves along at a fast clip, but flags when it comes into philosophical matter. The intricate plot makes the book is really compelling and richly detailed.

Other book in the His Dark Materials Trilogy: The subtle knife (1997), The amber spyglass (2000), Lyra's Oxford (2003).

The Last of the High Kings

Title : The last of the high kings

Author : Kate Thompson

Citation : Thompson, Kate. The last of the high kings. New York : Greenwillow Books, 2008

JJ Liddy, from The New Policeman, has grown up and married to Aisling. He has four children in which the second one, Jenny never felt like she belonged in the family. She wanders barefoot around the Irish countryside instead of going to school. No one in her family believes her when she told that she has a ghost friend and a puka. Being a changeling makes her confused and hurt. Everything has to change when the puka wants Jenny to persuade the ghost that he doesn’t need to guard the beacon any more. And Jenny has to make a choice of where to live. Unlike the first sequel, The New Policeman, whose the  main character is JJ Liddy, this sequel is presented in mysterious, riveting and steeped in Irish legend and music. The author's world-building storyline of Irish folklore playfully weaves modern life with ancient magic. Although much of the story is told from the point of view of adults, this stylistically complex writing style will captive readers by the depiction of the suspenseful battle between unseen and ageless forces. Readers will also be fascinated by the character Jenny, who has the power to rescue or annihilate worlds that grown-ups have ruined.

Other book in the New Policeman Trilogy: The new policeman (2007), The white horse trick (2010)