Fyre by Angie Sage

Illustrated by Mark Zug
Target audience: Ages 8 to 12
Rating: Dragon

Sage wraps up the “Septimus Heap” series with the mastery of a true storyteller. She weaves all the threads of the six previous volumes together into a magnificent tapestry. Nearly all the characters are reunited in the final attempt to vanish the Darke forever. Marcellus Pye is busy deep beneath the castle intent on Awakening the Fyre which can be unpredictable and difficult to control. It is the only known substance powerful enough  to DeNature the Two-Faced Ring which holds the essence of the two most dangerous and powerful Darke Wizards. Over five hundred years ago the first Extraordinary Wizard, Hotep-Ra, trapped them in the ring and it is now Sealed inside the Wizard Tower.  Marcia suspects Marcellus is up to more than rebuilding the Alchemie Tower and Alchemie Way, so she assigns Septimus to him for one month. Septimus is torn between his desire to learn more about Alchemie and his love for his work at the Wizard Tower. Jenna is crowned queen and is determined to save the Dragon Boat, whose heartbeat she can no longer hear. Will the past come back to haunt them and pull them back into the Darke Domaine or will our Magykal troupe save the kingdom once again? Fans of this series will not be disappointed and get exactly what they expect from this gifted writer – swamp snakes, magical bowls, flying dragons, secret chambers, ghostly encounters, Fyre creatures, Djinn transformations, royal coronations, maps, humor, fabulous illustrations and much much more. We can only hope that Sage will continue to entertain us with more fantasy. It would be advisable to read this series in order. (This book provided for review by HarperCollins).

 

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
539 pgs.
Target audience: Young Adult
Rating: Dragon

Synopsis from inside front cover
"In a world where a small percentage of people have an extreme skill called a Grace, King Leck's Grace allowed him to tell lies that everyone believed.
     When Bitterblue became queen at ten years old, she thought her father's murder meant the end of his violent, sociopathic influence.
     She was wrong.
     The intensely anticipated companion to the New York Times bestsellers Graceling and Fire is even more 'rageful, exhilarating, wistful,' and romantic. Now eighteen and believing her advisers are overprotecting her, Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle at night to walk the streets of her own city, disguised and alone -- risking her life as well as her heart."

Review

Epic and high fantasy fans will love this book, they will curl up and sink into this spellbinding and delectably thick fantasy like a big comfy armchair. Even though Bitterblue is a sequel, it can be enjoyed as a standalone. But rest assured, once readers are pulled into this world, they won't want to leave until they've consumed them all. Bitterblue is a strong entry in this magnificent saga with inspiring characters and a powerful plotline. The inner battles the young Queen faces in order to heal her kingdom from the horrifying abuses of her father, King Leck, will have readers completely transfixed and wanting to help. Fans of Graceling will be happy to find that Katsa and Po and other familiar characters play an integral role and will be enchanted by the host of new characters including a sexy and charmingly reckless love interest for Bitterblue. There's plenty going on within the castle walls, on the streets of Bitterblue City and the neighboring kingdoms to keep readers captivated and to leave them wanting more from this gifted fantasy writer.  The who's who guide and beautifully rendered maps are just icing on the cake. Recommended for fans of other epic sagas such as the Pellinor quartet by Alison Croggon and the Seven Realms books by Cinda Williams Chima.