Favorite Fantasy Series

Now is the time to start stocking your to-read pile with heavy tomes of magic, mystery, and far off places! September, October, and November are by far my favorite months of the year. Fall can feel so fleeting compared to the long winters, so I absolutely relish the chance to match my reading picks to the mood outside. I love reading books with darker settings, gruff and moody protagonists, and bits of magic sprinkled throughout. You'll probably be hearing a lot about my fall picks this year, but I thought I'd get started with a list of my favorite fantasy series.

The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling // I mean, I can't start this list without my favorite of favorites. Harry Potter is suitable reading for any time of year, but I especially love snuggling up with any one of the books in this series during our cozier months.

The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness // Fun fact: the author of this series is an alumna of the very place that I am now attending for my Master's program. I raved about this trilogy last year and am hoping to re-read it sometime soon. It has witches, vampires, time travel, romance, suspense -- basically anything you could hope for in an Autumn read.

The Paper Magician Trilogy by Charlie N. Holmberg // This is another one that I'd be happy to re-read. I own the series on my Kindle but the covers are some of my favorites. The premise is super inventive and I find the story to be comforting. Ceony Twill is one of my all-time favorite female characters, too. You can read my review of the first in the series here.

The Mapmakers Trilogy by S.E. Grove // I just finished the second installment in this trilogy over the weekend and absolutely loved it. I sound like a broken record when it comes to this one but I'll say it again: this is some of the best world building I've come across in my many years of reading fantasy. You can read my review of the first one here. This is one of those series that I just happened to stumble upon and then fall totally in love with (don't you love when that happens?) I cannot wait for the final installment!

The City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte // This is another (unfinished) series that I've really enjoyed so far. It's not terribly complicated but the cast of characters is really quirky and I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R. R. Martin // Also a no-brainer for this list. This is an epic series that I watched on TV before I started the books, and although I'm not usually a proponent of TV-before-book, in this case it helped me to visualize the enormous cast of characters that span these books.

Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children Series by Ransom Riggs // I've only read the first in this series (the third just came out recently) but it's one that's stuck with me since. I recently bought the second and have been saving it for those cooler, darker days.

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I made this list with older audiences in mind, though I believe a few of these are classified as young adult series. I've stumbled upon a few more series that I want to dive into before the year is over, so keep an eye out for those as my favorite reading season commences!

If you're a lover of children's lit, you might also want to check back here on Thursday for a little surprise!

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Happy Reading!

-Madeleine-

Children's Review: The Fires of Invention

{on Goodreads}

Note: This title will be released from the publisher on September 29, 2015.

Fires of Invention is the first in a new middle grade series that is sure to be a hit with both girl and boy readers. In this first installment, we are introduced to the world of Cove, a sheltered and strict community buried deep in the center of a mountain. Inside the walls of Cove, the community is separated into levels, each one filling a need for the population. Readers see Cove through the eyes of Trenton Coleman, a 13 year-old boy who has a penchant for creativity and a dangerous impulse to improve upon the mechanical objects that surround him. Unfortunately for Trenton, creativity is forbidden in Cove, and inventions are so feared that being an inventor is equivalent to being the worst kind of criminal. I thought that this was the most unique thing about this book -- I talk a lot about world building on here, and this series has a dystopian premise (which has been overplayed in recent years) but also some really interesting touches that makes it stand out from the ever-growing crowd of dystopian novels. The idea that creativity is so forbidden that the mere speaking of the word "invention" could cause shivers is one that I think could prompt some great discussions for young readers about the power of words and why freedom of expression is so important.

Trenton first runs into trouble when he builds a new machine to impress a girl in his class (typical pre-teen antics), only to wind up threatened by the highest authorities in Cove. To make up for his crimes, Trenton offers to perform a dangerous stunt. In trying to recompense, Trenton discovers something unique -- a tool otherwise unknown to the mechanics of Cove. Which means that someone (other than Trenton) has been inventing. Though Trenton tries to resist the pull of new discoveries, he finds himself involved with a girl named Kallista, whose own quest for answers aligns with Trenton's mystery. The two of them band together and soon discover that there are great and dangerous secrets buried inside the walls of Cove, and that without their help, the people that they love will never discover the truth about the world in which they live.

Though I liked Trenton's character and really enjoyed seeing all of these discoveries made from his perspective, which was torn between those he loved (who feared authority) and Kallista (who did not), my favorite character was Kallista and I would love to see the story from her perspective as well. Female readers who find themselves drawn towards more traditionally masculine roles and hobbies (in this book, mechanics) will appreciate how Savage took that gender role and completely obliterated it. I think it's rare to find books that have strong male and female characters that work together so nicely and still have authentic conflicts and I have to applaud Savage for that. The story is engaging the entire way through-- with mysterious clues and lots of secrecy that are mirrored in the mechanics as Trenton and Kallista fit together a mysterious invention left behind by Kallista's father. When the truth was unveiled, I was shocked and wanting to pick up the next book immediately, though no word yet on when it will be out. I will certainly be purchasing this for my classroom library and would recommend it for middle grade readers who enjoy fantasy worlds and dystopian themes.

Bottom Line Rating: 5/5

Title: Fires of Invention (The Mysteries of Cove #1)

Author: J. Scott Savage

Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing

Expected Publication Date: September 29, 2015

Price: $17.99

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ISBN: 1629720925

Format: E-book

Source: Advanced Reader Copy provided by Net Galley

Note: Top Shelf Text was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!