The Westing Game by Ellin Raskin

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

This ended up in my hands courtesy of the 14 year old, who pressed it to me and said “you have to read it.” And of course I read it. It’s pretty nice, as modern fantasy goes, actually. The first in the Folk of the Air series.

The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang

2018

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

2019

Travel Light by Naomi Mitchison

Peapod Classics, 1952.

Another fairy tale for grown ups, this features the journey of a young woman as she encounters mythological creatures, is given a directive by none other than Odin himself, and makes her way in her life through uncertainty and into herself.

Mitchison’s prose is witty, scantly subversive, and delightful. Engaging as the tale is, the way its told is the real gem of this work, and I loved everything about it.

The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar

Published in 2025 by Tor.

The River Has Roots is immersive, lyrical, and mystical. It’s a fairy tale for grown-ups, and I loved everything about it. The interior illustrations by Kathleen Neeley only make the experience richer. 

I fell in love with El-Motar’s collaboration with Max Gladstone, This is How You Lose the Time War, and couldn’t put my hands on this standalone debut fast enough. It didn’t disappoint. 

Warning: Reading this raised the bar for all the books that I would read after it.

Reading this was like getting a gift. 

What-the-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy by Gregory Maguire

Brsingr: Christopher Paolini

The third in The Inheritance Cycle, this really delivers. Paolini continues to grow as a writer and has not difficulty in taking his readers along for the ride. Aside from a nice tale filled with dragons and armies, elves and dwarves, this delivers some serious introspective philosophy on everything from politics to ethics. Nicely woven.

The Looking Glass Wars: Frank Beddor

I thoroughly enjoyed this reinvention of the wonderland classic. Breathes new life into the tale, brings to the fore a compelling first piece of the coming of age and all the attendant themes of responsibility, honor and self, and does it so well that I simply can't wait to read the next one. The world is lush, inventive despite relying upon and tying in quite nicely to the original work, and the characters are believable, with foibles and inner-doubts enough to make them real and relevant.