Three Fantasy Suggestions

Here are some fantasy suggestions for your reading enjoyment!  They are all very different, but will probably appeal more to female readers.  Already read these?  All of them have sequels available now or later this year.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
(Click here to find a library copy.)

This moving story takes place in the space of one day, as Mia is laying in a coma after a tragic accident.  What does Mia have to live for?  Is it worth the struggle of recovery?  It sounds like the set-up for a melodrama, but you'll be surprised at how realistically Forman portrays the situation.  Mia is a full-realized character, even though the reader is not experiencing her life directly, but rather through her memories.  One thing I enjoyed about this book was the centrality of very different kinds of music in the lives of Mia and her boyfriend.  And of course, this book made me cry.  A new sequel to this book, called Where She Went, was just released earlier this month.  Find out more at Gayle Forman's website.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
(Click here to find a library copy.)

If you are a fan of big, fat fantasy novels, this one's for you!  Beautiful Creatures takes its cue from the supernatural romance genre that has been popular recently, but definitely has its own personality.  There are no vampires, werewolves, or zombies here!  Instead, this gothic-inspired fantasy creates its own mythology, with some characters using Southern folk magic and other belonging to a whole new supernatural category, the Casters.  There is also some interesting integration of Southern Civil War history and events that sets Beautiful Creatures apart from the crowd.  This book already has one sequel, Beautiful Darkness.  There is also a third book, Beautiful Chaos, coming out in October, and a fourth scheduled for 2012.  Want to know more?  Check out the website for the Caster Chronicles series.

Matched by Ally Condie
(Click here to find a library copy.) 

Lots of dystopian teen novels have been cominng out recently, but this one has a romantic twist that makes it more of a fun read than some.  In a future society in which everything is managed by probability and statistics, older teens are matched for marriage because of their genes and compatibility.  Cassia is excited to find that she has been matched with someone from her own town, until she finds out that there has been an unusual mistake.  Cassia's carefully-controlled life seems to be unravelling in many places, even as the government is interfering more than usual in her family and community.  It is not the most original dystopian novel I have ever read, but I found it convincing enough that I cared about the characters.  I read it in one sitting, and definitely plan to read the sequel.  The next book in the trilogy, Crossed, will be released November 1, 2011.  Take a look at Ally Condie's website for details.