In a land ruled and shaped by violent magical storms, power lies with those who control them.
Aurora Pavan comes from one of the oldest Stormling families in existence. Long ago, the ungifted pledged fealty and service to her family in exchange for safe haven, and a kingdom was carved out from the wildlands and sustained by magic capable of repelling the world’s deadliest foes. As the sole heir of Pavan, Aurora’s been groomed to be the perfect queen. She’s intelligent and brave and honorable. But she’s yet to show any trace of the magic she’ll need to protect her people.
To keep her secret and save her crown, Aurora’s mother arranges for her to marry a dark and brooding Stormling prince from another kingdom. At first, the prince seems like the perfect solution to all her problems. He’ll guarantee her spot as the next queen and be the champion her people need to remain safe. But the more secrets Aurora uncovers about him, the more a future with him frightens her. When she dons a disguise and sneaks out of the palace one night to spy on him, she stumbles upon a black market dealing in the very thing she lacks—storm magic. And the people selling it? They’re not Stormlings. They’re storm hunters.
Legend says that her ancestors first gained their magic by facing a storm and stealing part of its essence. And when a handsome young storm hunter reveals he was born without magic, but possesses it now, Aurora realizes there’s a third option for her future besides ruin or marriage.
She might not have magic now, but she can steal it if she’s brave enough.
Archives
This Is Really Happening
BuzzFeed senior writer Erin Chack hits you in the guts, the feels, and the funny bone all at once with this collection of personal essays that reads like Sloane Crosley for the Snapchat generation. In turns hysterically funny and heartbreakingly poignant, Erin recounts everything from meeting her soulmate at age 14 to her first chemotherapy session at age 19 to what really goes on behind the scenes at a major Internet media company. She authentically captures the agony and the ecstasy of the millennial experience, whether it’s her first kiss (“Sean’s tongue! In my mouth! Slippery and wet like a slug in the rain.”) or her struggles with anxiety (“When people throw caution to the wind, I am stuck imagining the poor soul who has to break his back sweeping caution into a dustpan”). Yet Erin also offers a fresh perspective on universal themes of resilience and love as she writes about surviving cancer—including learning of her mother’s own cancer diagnosis within the same year and her attempts to hide the diagnosis from friends to avoid “un-normaling” everything. Perfect for fans of Jenny Lawson, Amy Poehler, and Kelly Williams Brown, this sharply observed memoir introduces Erin Chack as a strikingly original new voice.
Dividing Eden
Twins Carys and Andreus were never destined to rule Eden. With their older brother next in line to inherit the crown, the future of the kingdom was secure. But appearances—and rivals for the throne—can be deceiving. When Eden’s king and crown prince are killed by assassins, Eden desperately needs a monarch and the line of succession is no longer clear. With a ruling council scheming to gain power, Carys and Andreus are faced with only one option—to take part in a Trial of Succession that will test which one of them is worthy of the crown.
The Black Witch
Elloren Gardner is the granddaughter and absolute spitting image of the late Black Witch, the most powerful mage her people, the Gardnerians, have ever known. Yet while everyone she meets expects her to live up to Carnissa Gardner’s formidable legacy, Elloren is utterly devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above nearly all else.
The Gardnerian seers are foretelling a coming battle between a dangerous, fire-wielding Icaral demon and a new, incredibly powerful Black Witch, the outcome of which will determine the future of Gardneria. At a time when assassins and trackers of every race are scouring the lands, eager to protect one and kill the other, Elloren is faced with a greater reality; one that shatters her beliefs about her own people and reveals a legacy of privilege, cruelty and intolerance. As a result, she finds herself befriending those she once considered to be enemies, and manages to bring together an extraordinary army of rebellious misfits united in their determination to change their world.
The End of Our Story
Even though they drifted apart years ago, Bridge has never been able to fully forget the romance she once shared with Wil. And she never would have thought that the shocking murder of Wil’s father would have been what brought them back together. Bridge always idealized Wil’s dad, but it turns out he had a temper—and Wil does, too. As she navigates the stormy waters of her new relationship, Bridge struggles to reconcile the sweet boy she knew with the grieving, angry boy Wil has become. Even as she falls deeper in love with her old best friend, Bridge starts to suspect that he’s keeping something from her—something about the night Wilson died.
Laugh Out Loud
Jimmy loves reading so much that he’s inspired to start his own book company—as marvelous and fun as Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. It’s a big dream for a twelve-year-old boy—some would even say it’s laugh-out-loud ridiculous! But Jimmy’s doubters soon learn that he’s not the kind of kid who gives up easily.
In this hilariously self-aware story filled with self-referential jokes about his own books, James Patterson shows young readers that anything can be achieved if you believe in yourself no matter what
Rebels Like Us
When Agnes “Nes” Murphy-Pujols is forced to move from diverse Brooklyn to middle of nowhere Georgia halfway through her senior year, she plans to keep her head down. But Nes is soon singled out at her new school as a smart ass, which earns her the ire of the administration and school queen bee… and the interest of resident golden boy Doyle Rahn. Charming his way past her resistance, Doyle takes Nes under his wing. On the surface, they have nothing in common, but Nes and Doyle share a deep sense of self-reliance, an aggravation with ignorance, and the need to stand up when they see things they can’t make peace with. Sparks fly, and with Doyle as her guide, Nes’ new home starts to grow on her. Then he tells her about Ebenezer High’s long-standing prom tradition.
For decades Ebenezer’s prom has been privately organized and segregated—two proms, black and white. Half-Dominican Nes never saw herself as “other” in Brooklyn. But suddenly she’s forced to deal with the fact that in Georgia, everyone just sees her as black—and not everyone in town is okay with her dating a white guy. Doyle and Nes band together with a ragtag team of classmates to plan an alternate prom. But when a lighted cross is left burning in Nes’s yard, the alterna-prommers realize that bucking tradition comes at a price. Maybe, though, that makes taking a stand even more important.
Frostblood
The first in a page-turning young adult series about a world where flame and ice are mortal enemies—but together create a power that could change everything.
Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a fireblood who must hide her powers of heat and flame from the cruel frostblood ruling class that wants to destroy all that are left of her kind. So when rebel frostbloods demand her help to kill their rampaging king, she agrees. But Ruby’s powers are unpredictable, and she’s not sure she’s willing to let the rebels and an infuriating (yet irresistible) young man called Arcus use her as their weapon. Before they can take action, Ruby is captured and forced to fight for her life in tournaments that pit fireblood prisoners against frostblood champions. Now she has only one chance to destroy the maniacal ruler who has taken everything from her and from the icy young man she has come to love.
Three Dark Crowns
Fans of acclaimed author Kendare Blake’s Anna Dressed in Blood will devour her latest novel, a dark and inventive fantasy about three sisters who must fight to the death to become queen.
In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.
But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.
The last queen standing gets the crown.