The Scourge (Scholastic Press, 2016) by Jennifer A. Nielsen is a compelling read with a likable main character, Ani Mells. (Despite the fact she can’t sing!)
“Few things were worth the risk to my life, but the juicy vinefruit was one of them,” is the first line of the book. What an introduction to this gutsy girl, one of the River People. Shortly after enjoying the vinefruit, Ani gets caught by the governor’s wardens and will be tested to see if she has the dreaded plague. When it is determined that Ani does have The Scourge, and is being sent to the Colony on Attic Island, her loyal best friend, Weevil, joins her. There they discover a secret that will change everything in Kelden–if only they can escape and share what they’ve found.
I’d like to see this story on the big screen. Although we’re all still waiting to see if the author’s book The False Prince will be made into a movie… There has been some progress, but the movie business moves slowly. On her blog, Jennifer explains she might hear more in February.
Learn more about the bestselling author here.
Tag: YA fantasy
Bottled
BOTTLED (Clean Reads, 2016) by Carol Riggs is a YA Fantasy that’s a modern take on a genie story.
Adeelah Naji was seventeen a thousand years ago when she was turned in to a genie. She’s still seventeen. And still imprisoned in a bottle and having to serve masters who don’t care about her. Adeelah wants to find Karim, the boy she fell in love with, but has to have her master’s permission to search for him. She’s also on the run from Faruq, although masters have a tendency not to believe he is a threat.
This book snagged my attention from the start and pulled me through it quickly. I sympathized with Adeelah and love the humor: “I must say, this guy isn’t the swiftest camel in the caravan.” The story really ramps up when Adeelah ends up with a seventeen-year-old master named Nathan.
I got to interview Carol about this story for some background info and what she’s working on next.
1. Where/how did you come up with the idea for Bottled?
From watching “I Dream of Jeannie” when I was young. I loved the magic in the show, even though the chaos of Jeannie messing everything up before she fixed it drove me nuts. At the time I wrote BOTTLED, there also weren’t any genie novels around that I knew of, so I thought it was unique. Now, there are a number of genie novels, but I still feel BOTTLED is different enough to bring a fresh slant to the subgenre.
2. What kind of research did you do into genies and the Arabian culture?
I didn’t do a TON of research since most of the novel is set in the U.S. (and a chapter or so in Kenya), but I did research the history and geography of the Arabian area, coins, insects, and foods like sage tea and al kabsa. I checked out Arabian names. I delved a little into djinns/jinns, and decided I wanted there to be a difference in Adeelah (main character) versus a “real” genie/djinn that I described as evil spirits like demons, beings that aren’t wise to be associated with.
3. How long did it take you to write the book?
I started BOTTLED in early 2011, got interrupted by life and line-edits for my debut, and finally finished the rough draft in 2013. So it was pretty stretched out due to other commitments and projects. I revised it off and on since 2013, and tightened and polished it up again just before submitting it to Clean Reads in January 2016.
4. I know you have another book coming out this fall. What’s that one about and who is publishing it?
My next book is a YA light sci-fi by my debut publisher, Entangled Teen. I wrote it in 2010-11 (right before BOTTLED), and I’m delighted it’s finally going to be released in October. Originally the title was SAFE ZONE, but my editor wanted something zippier and less “stiff” so now it has now been retitled as THE LYING PLANET. It’s the story of a teen named Jay Lawton who lives on the terraformed (made to be like Earth) planet of Liberty, and finds out everything he thought he knew about his world isn’t true. Which of course throws his life into chaos and causes lots of hopefully interesting conflict. It’s on Goodreads already but it doesn’t have a cover yet.
Keep up with Carol on her website and twitter.
In the time of the Dragon Moon
In the time of the Dragon Moon (Kathy Dawson Books, 2015) by Janet Lee Carey is full of dragons and kings and fey folk, and a young healer’s helper.
Uma Quarteney is half Euit and half English. She’s been following in her Euit father’s healer footsteps, but since she is a girl, she can’t be the future Adan. Life changes abruptly when Uma and her father are kidnapped and taken to the Pendragon King’s castle to heal the barren queen so she can have a second child. Their Euit village is held hostage. When Uma’s father dies unexpectedly, she alone has to heal the mad queen to save the people of her village and her own life.
There’s mystery and romance in this story as well as danger and intrigue.
Janet is an award winning author of fantasy and fiction and she’s created another believable world with this book. Check her website for a complete list of her books.
The Rithmatist
The Rithmatist (Dragonsteel Entertainment/Tor, 2013) by Brandon Sanderson was one of those lucky finds off the library shelf. It has an interesting premise and surprising plot twists. Aimed at the YA market, as the main character is 16, it’s definitely appropriate for upper middle grade readers who like Harry Potter.
Rithmatists–those who can make chalk drawings come to life to fight the wild chalklings in far off Nebrask–are set apart in school society. Poor scholarship student Joel desperately wishes he could become a Rithmatist even though he wasn’t chosen. When Rithmatist students start disappearing from Armedius Academy, Joel manages to get himself assigned as an assistant to the professor who is investigating the disappearances, but doesn’t realize how dangerous that will be.
Fascinating Illustrations of chalklings and the rithmatists defenses are done by Ben McSweeney.
This is the first book in a series. Go here to read an interview of Brandon about this book.
The author has written both children and adults series. Of those, I’ve read and enjoyed Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians (Scholastic, 2007)–the first of his middle grade series. Doesn’t the title just make you want to read it? See more on his website.
Of interest, too, is Sanderson’s 3 laws of magic and links to 14 University Lectures by Brandon Sanderson on Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy on this page of writing advice.
The False Prince
The False Prince (Scholastic Press, 2012) by Jennifer A. Nielsen has it all: orphans, plots, a lost prince, danger and adventure. Sage, one of the orphans forced to learn how to impersonate the lost prince, begins his story with, “If I had to do it all over again, I would not have chosen this life. Then again, I’m not sure I ever had a choice.”
I found the book hard to put down and am thrilled to find out it is the first in a trilogy. 
The next book is The Runaway King and the third is The Shadow Throne. In February 2015, there’s supposed to be news on whether or not Paramount will make a movie of The False Prince. I hope it is a yes!
In addition, Author Jennifer A. Nielsen has two series already out and another one where the first book, The Mark of the Thief, is coming in February 2015. Read about her and her books on her website.