The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Told through a collection of interview transcripts, emails, hacked military documents, chat logs, and more, The Illuminae Files is the epic story of a heartless (alleged) attack by a mega-corporation on a secret mining colony at the planet Kerenza and the group of teens who fight back for a life worth living for. Oh, and don’t forget the murderous AI who is only trying to help. While each book in the series clocks in at over 600 pages, the unique storytelling format makes for an accelerated and intense read that will have you reading at every chance you get. (FYI: read the book while listening to the audiobook! You’ll thank me, I promise!)

Jackaby by William Ritter

Abigail Rook has escaped the patriarchal grasp of her English life and found herself in New England, where she becomes the assistant to R.F. Jackaby, an eccentric investigator of the supernatural. Part Sherlock, part Buffy, with a dash of Doctor Who, the Jackaby series is a fantastic and fast read that will have you knocking out four books with ease.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

One of the most popular YA dystopian series around, The Hunger Games focuses on Katniss Everdeen as she battles through battle royale style arenas, horrifically tyrannical governments, and one of the most well-argued love triangles in recent memory. Come for the action and angst, stay for the political warfare! This trilogy has everything you need to keep you turning pages.

The Night World by L.J. Smith

The Night World is a secret society of vampires, werewolves, and witches with two strict rules: do not tell humans about the Night World and do not fall in love with a human. Each book tells the story of a different Night World member breaking these rules with spectacular abandon. Some may find these books a bit cheesy, but they are fast, snarky, addictively dramatic, and will quickly mark 9 books off your reading list.

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Murderbot, a SecUnit who has bypassed its governor module, just wants to spend their time binge-watching TV series and ignoring the emotions of the humans it was hired to keep alive. But with its bloody history lurking and a corporate conspiracy constantly getting in the way, Murderbot finds itself doing the unthinkable: caring. The four novellas of the Murderbot Diaries are not only quick reads with each being under 200 pages, but they are also some of the most intriguing character driven stories of the past decade.

The Tortall Books by Tamora Pierce

Started all the way back in the 80s, The Tortall books span six series set in the fantasy world of Tortall. Though nearly 40 years old, these short novels focus on female empowerment in a male dominated society and each heroine is inspiring in their own way. Featuring wild magic, strong female main characters, and swoony love interests, The Tortall books are completely engrossing and can quickly add 18 books to your goal.

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa

Half kitsune, Yumeko, is tasked with bringing an ancient scroll to a hidden temple without letting it fall into the hands of the Shadow Clan or the rising demon army threatening the world. With characters that pull on your heartstrings and make you laugh out loud in equal measure, this epic road trip story will keep you reading late into the night. While technically not a complete series yet, the third book, Night of the Dragon, releases March 31, 2020.

Charlotte Holmes by Brittany Cavallaro

Descendants of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson meet at a Connecticut prep school and immediately get drawn into solving murders and navigating their family’s sordid history. With twists and turns and plenty of drama, this four novel series is addictive and quick to read with no book over 350 pages in the series.

The Confectioner’s Chronicles by Claire Luana

Wren Confectioner starts her day as a humble bakery assistant and ends it as the prime suspect in the murder of the head of the Confectioner’s Guild. Teamed with a handsome inspector, a host of new friends, and her new-found magical baking powers, Wren fights to prove her innocence and uncover the magical culinary conspiracy threatening her world. This series is an absolute delight to read and will have you smiling with every page you read.

The Folk of the Air by Holly Black

Jude Durate, a mortal girl raised in the capricious land of Faerie with her sisters after her parents are murdered, entangles herself in court politics, deadly battles of wit, and the cruel prince himself, Carden Greenbriar. Holly Black is dubbed Queen of Faerie for good reason. She crafts fast paced and quick-witted Fae stories that will ensnare you faster than faerie wine.

Do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

The post 10 Series That’ll Jumpstart Your 2020 Reading Goals appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Alanna by Tamora Pierce
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Faithful is one of the best familiars in fantasy. He’s wise, snarky, and he has his own seat on Alanna’s warhorse saddle so that he can ride with her into adventure and battle. If you grew up in the 90s wanting a cat, or wishing your cat could talk, this might be the reason why.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A very high percentage of Gaiman’s works feature disdainful and grudgingly helpful cats, but Coraline stands out to me because the cat is one of rather few characters, and he plays such a large role. Obviously Coraline is magnificent for lots of other reasons, but Gaiman absolutely nails both the hauteur and affection that every cat owner will recognise.

Tailchaser’s Song by Tad Williams
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

There was a bit of a rage in the 90’s not just for lots of garrulous animal companions, but also for animal protagonists. This is a great example of the latter, and not just because it’s one of Tad Williams’s few books of reasonable length. Tailchaser’s journey to rescue his love interest turns into a quest to save cats from wicked magic and nefarious science, and is a solid fantasy even if you don’t like cats (though obviously it helps).

The Wild Road by Gabriel King
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Another 90’s installation of Cat Protagonists, this also featured quests, magic, and the larger animal world. Tag has to find and save the King and Queen of cats, even though he’s just a kitten. Further instalments of this series expand the mythology, which is very much in line with high fantasy epics–just with cats.

The Book of Night with Moon by Diane Duane
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Cats and wizards protecting New York City and hopping through portals? Yep, it’s the 90’s!

Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

This utterly charming work from the great LeGuin was a childhood favourite of mine, and merits re-reading now and again on rainy days or lazy afternoons. Cats! With wings! Enough said.

Mort(e) by Robert Repino
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

This is a unique book that didn’t get too much press, but which impressed me with its meditations on animal rights and what humans have to offer. It’s a bit odd–animals gain the ability to stand upright and take up guns and fight, and an enormous anthill holds the key to the war–but it’s smart and sweet. All Morte wants to do is find his beloved friend, but to do so he has to discover the reason for the sudden anthropomorphism of the world’s pets.

Catswold Portal by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

This might be the 90s-est book on the list, and that’s saying something. A woman who can shapeshift into a cat is secretly a lost princess, and will have to undertake a quest in two worlds to find a lost amulet and claim her throne. Lots of romance, lots of journeys to strange places, and lots of cats. It’s a fun ride.

His Dark Materials and The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

There are several talking cats in these books, most notably Will’s Kirjava and Malcolm’s Asta, and of course Pan before he settles. All are daemons, the externalised souls of people who can interact with the world and provide comfort and advice. With the new BBC/HBO show airing, there’s never been a better time to pick them up.

The Ghatti’s Tale by Gayle Greeno
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Psychic cats in space! Well, kind of. There are psychic cat-like beings who bond with human settlers to another world. Together the bonded pairs travel the settlements and serve as mediators and judges. Someone has been attacking these pairs, though, and it’s up to Doyce and Khar’pern to defeat them. Obviously you can’t have a 90s fantasy without random apostrophes in names, or without a quasi-medieval setting, so if that’s your thing, this whole trilogy is here for you. 

Do you have any other suggestions? Tell us in the comments below!

The post 10 Books Featuring Not-So Creepy Cats appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Whenever I tell people I’m an author, their next question is almost immediately “what kind of books do you write?” More often than not, I become pre-emptive in my defensiveness about the fact that I am currently writing a series of fantasy books.

It’s a response that has caused me to do much soul-searching as to why I feel this vague sense of shame about the genre I love. I think the most significant factor for this is the not uncommon perception that fantasy is somehow beneath other genres, that it reserved for childish escapism, or unhealthy adulation, for children, or people who want to remain in some way, children.

When I duly did the rounds of pitching my first manuscript to agents or publishers, for those who were accepting unsolicited manuscripts, one of the few genres which consistently was not accepted was fantasy. Yet a recent study conducted by #loveozya (admittedly with limitations on the sample, but nevertheless an interesting indicator) had fantasy as the second highest element that respondents indicated they wished to see more of in books. We are told by publishers and agents who style themselves as guardians of the literary community, that fantasy doesn’t sell, or that it’s an oversaturated market. Yet fantasy books—certainly in the young adult and new adult categories—are among the biggest movers. Think only of Jay Kristoff’s Nevernight chronicles, Leigh Bardugo’s GrishaVerse, or anything by Sarah J Maas. And that’s without going into the ‘adult’ fantasy genres of George R R Martin, Brandon Sanderson, or Raymond E Feist (just to name the first three who popped into my head).

Please don’t mistake this as a dig at the literary industry. Certainly, there are elements of it which frustrate me, and I ultimately made the decision to become an indie author rather than pursue traditional publication at this time, but that doesn’t mean that the literary industry is some behemoth that cannot see past its own shadow to actually interpret reader trends. For the most part, it is filled with people who are passionate about books, who are champions for authors, and who do a wonderful job day in day out. This article is about the malign which is often aimed at fantasy, and it seeks to explore why that perception is a silly one.

So, why should we laud the fantasy genre?

Because it is fundamentally a place where the human experience is transposed into a different environment (I could go on about the creativity and fastidiousness required to build an internal consistent fantasy world, but perhaps let’s leave that for another article) and then examined. Fundamentally, contemporary human beings are put in situations far removed from the society in which we currently reside, and the experiences they undergo—even the fabric of the world created by the author—speaks to something about human nature, some facet which the author is seeking to explore.

What is particularly startling and wonderful about this is it enables a point to be made without it becoming enmired within contemporaneous politics which can at times, leave readers resistant to actually engaging with the message itself.

Let’s take for instance one of my favourite fantasy series of all time, The Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce.

In essence, Pierce’s protagonist, Alanna, disguises herself as a boy to undergo knight’s training, because she lives in a silly society where it’s deemed only men are fit for such roles. Along the way, not only does Alanna succeed in becoming a knight, but she ends up being better than basically every man around her. In the world that she creates, Pierce masterfully conveys the message that women are just as capable as men, and that success and skill is the consequence of incredibly hard work.

Or, take The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta (author of Looking for Alibrandi—studied by many Australian year 10 English classes). The first book has a consistent thread of how the refugees from Lumatere were treated, thus making it a very meaningful commentary on how the plight of refugees is inherently determined by those upon whose mercy they throw themselves.

Or, to pluck from one of the examples I initially listed, let’s examine Leigh Bardugo’s initial Grisha trilogy.

One of its central concerns is the nature of leadership and power. The books are quietly scathing in the negligence of leaders who simply accept their power, and also cautions against power for the sake of power.

In my own books, The Ruthless Land is set in a society where men are utterly subservient to woman to the point that they are forced to veil, whereas in Queendom of the Seven Lakes and King of the Seven Lakes, one of the central conceits is the horror with which the country reacts to the prospect of a man sitting on the throne.

The above settings are oft-used ones, but more commonly with women placed in those positions of subservience. In making the suggestion that such subjugation and prejudice is fundamentally unideal, I found that making such a point in a world of my own devising, rather than having a setting that even vaguely correlated to our own world, was a far softer way to make such a point.

Obviously, at the crux of any book is the desire to tell an engaging and enjoyable story which sweeps the reader along. But I would argue in fact that what engages readers is the questions of human behaviour and experience, which are at their most interesting when they are looking to explore a particular idea, or make a particular comment about issues that in fact pertain to our everyday lives. When those issues are removed from the context of modern society yet remain engaging, it conveys to the reader the importance of these issues, as well as the way through them but crucially—without being a didactic clubbing.

To me, this is one of the most spectacular capabilities of fantasy, a magic within the genre that often goes unappreciated.

What do you think of the fantasy genre? Tell us in the comments below!

The post The Hidden Power and Importance of Writing Fantasy appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

In this book, we cover a couple of years of Arram’s childhood starting at the age of ten-year old as he begins a new year at the School for Mages where he is very young and feels different from all of his classmates. One day, he gets into trouble for doing a spell far beyond the capabilities of most students who are at his level and loses control. He is sure that he’ll get kicked out, but instead he is moved up to more challenging classes, along with a new room and roommate who happens to be the emperor’s nephew, Prince Orzone of Carthak. The pair develop a close friendship which is also shared alongside another character, Varice.

Arram is a very intriguing character when he was a boy and his enthusiasm for magical and magical instruction certainly made his character even more lovable. Tamora’s writing also explored growing up from a male’s perspective, which is somewhat refreshing as many young adult novels often come from a female’s.

The friendship in this novel was one of my favourite parts and it felt like I was learning about the characters in a whole different way, but then again, I could remember what happened with all of them in the later lives which are explored in the other books.

Tempests and Slaughter may seem a little slow to start with, but it certainly picks up in the second half where we see Arram getting drawn towards a dark secret. It’s overall very interesting to see the pasts of characters fans of the Tortall universe know and love.

Tempests and Slaughter is a young adult book, but you can still see some middle-grade aspects that make this book enjoyable for both young and older fans.

Although this book was a little bit slow and I didn’t remember most of the Tortall world, I still ended up enjoying it. It was almost as if I was going into the world blind and I got to see everything sort of come together—so if you haven’t read any of the Numair Chronicles before, you can right over to your local bookstore or library to pick up Tempests and Slaughter!

Have you read Tempests and Slaughter or are you planning to read it? Tell us in the comments!

SYNOPSIS | GOODREADS

Arram. Varice. Ozorne. In the first book in the Numair Chronicles, three student mages are bound by fate . . . fated for trouble.

Arram Draper is a boy on the path to becoming one of the realm’s most powerful mages. The youngest student in his class at the Imperial University of Carthak, he has a Gift with unlimited potential for greatness–and for attracting danger. At his side are his two best friends: Varice, a clever girl with an often-overlooked talent, and Ozorne, the “leftover prince” with secret ambitions. Together, these three friends forge a bond that will one day shape kingdoms. And as Ozorne gets closer to the throne and Varice gets closer to Arram’s heart, Arram begins to realize that one day soon he will have to decide where his loyalties truly lie.

In the Numair Chronicles, readers will be rewarded with the never-before-told story of how Numair Salmalín came to Tortall. Newcomers will discover an unforgettable fantasy adventure where a kingdom’s future rests on the shoulders of a talented young man with a knack for making vicious enemies.

The post Review: Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

If you’re after a contemporary, try either A Girl Like That or American Panda! And if you’re after a little fantasy or science fiction, pick up The Traitor’s Game or Ink, Iron and Glass!

Read on to discover our YA picks and tell us in the comments below if you will be reading any!

Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce | Goodreads

Arram Draper is a boy on the path to becoming one of the realm’s most powerful mages. The youngest student in his class at the Imperial University of Carthak, he has a Gift with unlimited potential for greatness–and for attracting danger. At his side are his two best friends: Varice, a clever girl with an often-overlooked talent, and Ozorne, the “leftover prince” with secret ambitions. Together, these three friends forge a bond that will one day shape kingdoms. And as Ozorne gets closer to the throne and Varice gets closer to Arram’s heart, Arram begins to realise that one day soon he will have to decide where his loyalties truly lie.

A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena | Goodreads

Sixteen-year-old Zarin Wadia is many things, including a troublemaker whose many romances are the subject of endless gossip at school. So how is it that eighteen-year-old Porus Dumasia has only ever had eyes for her? And how did Zarin and Porus end up dead in a car together, crashed on the side of a highway in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia? When the religious police arrive on the scene, everything everyone thought they knew about Zarin is questioned. And as her story is pieced together, told through multiple perspectives, it becomes clear that she was far more than just a girl like that.

Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston | Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Ana was found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09 and saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09—one of the last remaining illegal Metals—has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him. She embarks on a quest to steal the coordinates to a lost ship, but a spoiled Ironblood boy beats her and he doesn’t care what he’ll sacrifice to keep them. The pair end up as fugitives on the run. Now their entire kingdom is after them—and the coordinates—and not everyone wants them captured alive.

Assassin of Truth by Brenda Drake | Goodreads

The gateways linking the great libraries of the world don’t require a library card, but they do harbor incredible dangers. And it’s not your normal bump-in-the-night kind. The threats Gia Kearns faces are the kind with sharp teeth and knifelike claws. The kind that include an evil wizard hell-bent on taking her down. Gia can end his devious plan, but only if she recovers seven keys hidden throughout the world’s most beautiful libraries. And then figures out exactly what to do with them.

Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine | Goodreads

Petty criminal Zara Cole has a painful past that’s made her stronger than most, which is why she chose life in New Detroit instead moving with her family to Mars. Still, when Zara commits a crime that has her running scared, jail might be exactly where she’s headed. Instead Zara is recruited into the Honors, an elite team of humans selected by the Leviathan—a race of sentient alien ships—to explore the outer reaches of the universe as their passengers.

The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Shaun David Hutchinson | Goodreads

Sixteen-year-old Elena Mendoza is the product of a virgin birth. This can be scientifically explained (it’s called parthenogenesis), but what can’t be explained is how Elena is able to heal Freddie, the girl she’s had a crush on for years, from a gunshot wound in a Starbucks parking lot. Or why the boy who shot Freddie, David Combs, disappeared from the same parking lot minutes later after getting sucked up into the clouds.

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton | Goodreads

Camellia Beauregard is a Belle and they control Beauty, a commodity coveted above all else. Camellia wants to be the favourite—the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orléans to tend to the royal family. But once she arrives, it becomes clear that being the favourite is not everything she always dreamed it would be.

Ink, Iron, and Glass by Gwendolyn Clare | Goodreads

A certain pen, a certain book, and a certain person can craft entirely new worlds through a branch of science called scriptology. Elsa comes from one such world that was written into creation by her mother. But when her home is attacked and her mother abducted, Elsa must cross into the real world and use her own scriptology gifts to find her. In an alternative 19th-century Italy, Elsa finds a secret society of pazzerellones—young people with a gift for mechanics, alchemy or scriptology—and meets Leo, a gorgeous mechanist with a smart mouth and a tragic past. She recruits the help of these fellow geniuses just as an assassin arrives on their doorstep.

The Traitor’s Game by Jennifer A. Nielsen | Goodreads

Kestra Dallisor has spent three years in exile in the Lava Fields, but that won’t stop her from being drawn back into her father’s palace politics. He’s the right hand man of the cruel king, Lord Endrick, which makes Kestra a valuable bargaining chip. A group of rebels knows this and they kidnap her. The kidnappers want her to retrieve the lost Olden Blade, the only object that can destroy the immortal king, but Kestra is not the obedient captive they expected.

American Panda by Gloria Chao | Goodreads

At seventeen, Mei should be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents’ master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies. With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can’t bring herself to tell them the truth–that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese.

The Prince and The Dressmaker by Jen Wang | Goodreads

Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride―or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia―the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion! Sebastian’s secret weapon (and best friend) is the brilliant dressmaker Frances―one of only two people who know the truth: sometimes this boy wears dresses. But Frances dreams of greatness, and being someone’s secret weapon means being a secret. Forever. How long can Frances defer her dreams to protect a friend?

The Last To Let Go by Amber Smith | Goodreads

Junior year for Brooke Winters is supposed to be about change. But all of her dreams are shattered one hot summer afternoon when her mother is arrested for killing Brooke’s abusive father. No one really knows what happened that day, if it was premeditated or self-defense, whether it was right or wrong. And now Brooke and her siblings are on their own. In a year of firsts—the first year without parents, first love, first heartbreak, and her first taste of freedom—Brooke must confront the shadow of her family’s violence and dysfunction, as she struggles to embrace her identity, finds her true place in the world, and learns how to let go.

What February YA release are you most excited for? Tell us in the comments below!

The post February Book Releases: Young Adult appeared first on The Nerd Daily.