A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

 

A Court of Thorns and Roses is the first of a five-part new adult high fantasy series about Feyre Archeron. In this first installment, Feyre, a 19-year-old huntress is captured and taken to the faerie land of Prythian after killing a faerie wolf in the woods. Feyre quickly learns that her kidnapper, High-Fae Tamlin, is one of the seven High Lords of Prythian. As she lives with Tamlin in the Spring Court, she comes to learn that everything she knew about the faerie world is a lie.  

A Court of Thorns and Roses, not to be mistaken for young adult, is well suited to older fans who enjoy romantic subplots, magic, witty, well-developed characters, and found family. Fans of George R.R. Martin will find themselves especially entertained by the action-packed plot, and fans of Kristin Cashore will enjoy the complex world-building. Though the beginning of the book is a bit slow, everything you are told in the first half is flipped on its head midway through, and from that part on, the book is fast paced with plot twists that will leave you guessing. The characters are memorable, empowering women and condemning toxic masculinity every step of the way. They are nuanced and stray from inherent good or bad, once again reinforcing the maturity of the author's writing. Overall, Maas' first installment is a solid introduction into this new world that I'm sure will be just as wonderful as it continues to be fleshed out in the following books.

Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech

Dallas and Florida have been at the Boxton Creek Home for years—their whole lives, in fact. The few families they’d been placed into had hauled them back within a few days. “‘Trouble twins,’ these exasperated adults would say. ‘Nothing but trouble.’” Under Mr. and Mrs. Trepid’s plethora of rules, quiet, imaginative Dallas and wild, fiery Florida have learned not to trust anyone, especially adults.

When sixty-year-old Tiller and his wife Sairy come looking for assistants on their respective journeys, the trouble twins are yanked from the cruel monotony they had always known into a much kinder, gentler world. As they struggle to adjust to life with Tiller and Sairy, they make mistakes and learn from them. But then trouble of another kind arises in Mr. Trepid himself. Can Dallas and Florida, along with their new family, thwart the orphanage’s cruel owner’s schemes once and for all? 

Ruby Holler is a wonderful, imaginative story carefully crafted in the hands of an expert author. Sharon Creech weaves vibrant characters that seem to leap off the page. She keeps readers turning page after page, immersed in the story. I, for one, found myself disappointed when the story ended, the message lingering with me long after I had turned the last page. It was an altogether captivating read. I would recommend Ruby Holler to anyone who enjoyed The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs by Betty G. Birney.