The best stories are the ones to which the readers relate, so it is no surprise that Cornelia Funke's Inkheart, with its portrayal of the power of words, remains a beloved favorite of bibliophiles across the globe. Fairly long for a young adult novel, Inkheart paints an irresistible picture of the world of possibilities that come from reading stories, particularly when one controls the narrative. From the quotes from other stories at the beginnings of chapters to the poignant sections in the narrative where characters read aloud, Inkheart rests on the basis of the power of fiction stories. 12-year-old Meggie loves nothing more than books besides her bookbinding father, but then she is introduced to a world in which characters move between stories and don't stay between the pages. Nine years previous, Meggie's father Mo -called Silvertongue -inadvertently read his wife into the book called Inkheart and brings out that book's villain Capricorn with his henchmen. Now, since Capricorn is no longer content to allow the talents of Silvertongue and his daughter to stay in hiding, Meggie must find a way to save her family and her world using her powerful voice. With discoveries, adventures, journeys, betrayals, and surprises along the way, Meggie's journey brings her to the ultimate conclusion that "words would be her trade" as she recognizes the power of stories, especially in bringing people together (534).

Scott Westerfield has done it again with a fulfilling start to his new series, packed with action and threaded with romance. Although a satisfying independent YA novel, Westerfield makes fairly regular references to his previous series, as this novel features the power dynamics of city rulers in that same engaging dystopian world. Frey's father is a tyrannical leader who kept her, the younger twin, a secret from the world, trained from the age of seven as a killer so she can protect her sister Rafia, who is the heir by twenty-six minutes. Frey frequently refers to herself as a "body double," pretending to be Rafia in public settings where their father does not want to risk the heir. Now Frey is sent into her most dangerous role yet: taking her sister's place as a collateral offering from her father to the rulers of a neighboring city. Skillfully navigating the intricacies of her position, Frey dwells on the relative normalcy of her roles in various situations and decides who she can trust with her most powerful secret: her individuality. As a trained fighter who experiences more than her fair share of action, Frey tries to protect what is important to her as she begins to shed her sister's image and discover who she is as an individual.