Amanda Guerassio's Blog: Dragonflight Dreams

by Sally Green.

The Smoke Thieves is the first book in a new young adult fantasy series, featuring an ensemble cast of (you guessed it) young adults from different countries and walks of life, whose paths and fates converge in unexpected ways. You’ve got a princess, a thief, a demon hunter, a servant, and a soldier who all play important parts in events as kingdoms come to a clash in a new war. Their choices will affect not just their own lives (and hearts) but the c...

Well, hi there! I know, I know… it got quiet on here for a little while. But I’m back! And never fear, books have still been devoured and enjoyed in the mean time. Here’s a few noteworthies I’ve read lately:

The Space Between the Stars by Anne Corlett.
Humanity has spread through the stars, but that doesn’t stop a virus from wiping out most of humanity. What happens when you’re maybe the only person left on your planet? The premise of this was promising, right at that crossroads for big ideas...

Hey! Yes, it’s been awhile. Life kind of got hectic there for a bit. I’ve still been reading, though, never fear. Here’s what I’ve gotten into lately:

Within the Sanctuary of Wings (The Memoirs of Lady Trent #5) by Marie Brennan.
This is the final book in the wonderful Lady Trent series, and it did not disappoint. She visits another remote locale chasing after a legend, and makes another discovery regarding dragons – the biggest one yet by far. It had just the right blend of adventure, honest...

by Blake Crouch.

After being attacked and abducted, physics professor Jason Dessen wakes up in a life that is not his. Or at least, not his life as he remembers it. It’s a version of what his life could’ve been if, say, 15 years ago different decisions had been made. Trying to navigate this new life while figuring our how he got there, if the life he remembers is real, and whether he can get back to it and the family he loves soon lands him in worlds of trouble. Literally and f...

by Octavia Butler.

This could be your typical girl-wakes-up-hurt-with amnesia story, except for one significant difference: this girl is a vampire. Imagine waking up alone, injured, with strange cravings, and not only having no recollection of who you are or how you got there, but no idea what you are either. To have to have the concept of a vampire explained to you by a human. This is how Fledgling starts off.

Shori, the girl, looks like a kid of about 12, but is actually a 53-y...

by Jay Kristoff.

Girl’s family is killed. Girl narrowly escapes with her life. Girl ends up on the streets. Girl wants revenge, and is taken in by an old assassin and trained as his new protege in preparation for going to assassin school. Naturally. Then she has to find the school/temple of assassins, be admitted, learn all the things, and compete with her fellow trainees for a limited number of spots in the ranks of assassin proper. What could go w...

The Star-Touched Queen (#1)
A Crown of Wishes (#2)
By Roshani Chokshi.

 

Book 1 follows the story of Maya, who has been cursed since birth with a horoscope that predicts a marriage of death and destruction. Shunned by the entire kingdom, she lives only for her books and her little sister Gauri. Then, against all expectations, her father announces she will be wed- a political arrangement to quell unrest. One particular suitor catches her eye, and she finds herself q...

by Katherine Arden.

Vasilisa, the youngest of 5 siblings, grows up in the Russian hinterlands with a special connection to the wild. She loves her nurse’s stories of the different spirits of house and forest, but most of all she loves tales of Morozko, the fearful king of winter. When her father remarries to a devout citywoman, who comes with a new priest, it triggers a change in Vasilisa’s comfortable existence. And, as she so...

by Elan Mastai.

Tom lives a aimless, drifting life in 2016. Except it’s not our 2016, it’s the 2016 that would exist if humans had discovered unlimited clean energy decades ago. In other words: the sci-fi future we’ve dreamed of since the 1950’s, complete with flying cars and moon bases. This power source has even led to a breakthrough in a new field: time travel. Tom’s father heads up that project, and got Tom a nominal job on the team in an attempt to give his life s...

I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately (who, me?) and wanted to catch you up on some of the highlights. Here’s what I’ve enjoyed recently:

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye.
A Gothic retelling of Jane Eyre, this novel follows the protagonist through similar life events: an uncaring aunt, abusive schoolmaster, refuge in a country house as a governess with a brooding master. There is one big difference, though – this Jane has escaped each horrid circumstance by killing her tormentor, leaving a trail...