Amy Alward's Madly (in the US and Canada) or The Potion Diaries (in the UK) is a breath of fresh air no matter which title it is read under, mainly with the world's seamless blend of magic and technology. In the sea of fantasy novels that pair magic only with archaic weaponry or medieval feudal systems, Alward's stands out for maintaining a monarchy and magic but combining it with social media and Wi-Fi. Of course, cliches occur, but they are acknowledged, such as the witty narrator Sam saying of her seemingly-perfect romantic interest Zain: "not only is he handsome and smart but he has a great voice too. I could really hate this guy" (120). Sam is a Kemi, an ordinary and a traditional alchemist and apprentice apothecary, while Zain is a Talented and the son of the CEO to the most powerful synthetic potions corporation, but they are thrown together in a Wilde Hunt, a potion-making competition aimed to save the life of Princess Evelyn who is in mortal danger because she is poisoned from a love potion she made for Zain. But the stakes are even higher since Evelyn's exiled aunt is also participating in the Hunt, and she doesn't want Evelyn's life saved -she wants the throne for herself. Sam juggles her heritage and her feelings, her instincts and her experiences, and manages to get through the increasingly perilous stages of the Hunt. With a clear narrative voice, inventive magical world, and enthralling high-stakes chase, this page-turner is a great first in a series that also provides a satisfying stand-alone story.

Garretson's All Is Fair follows Lady Thomasina Tretheway, nicknamed Mina, the determined young Englishwoman who uses her connections and code-breaking abilities to secure herself a place in the war effort during the Great War. This book had such a promising concept but ultimately it failed to live up to my expectations, mainly because the characters were too flat and predictable. Mina's family friend Lord Andrew Graham feels like a caricatured strong and silent type, and Mina's love interest Lucas Miller is the stereotypical fun-loving American boy, with the attempts at giving him depth feeling contrived and unconvincing. The twists throughout the narrative, such as the revelation of Lucas' parentage or the existence of Mina's nephew, are not enough to counteract the fact that each of the people in the book make little progression in their characters. Even Mina's character is somewhat underdeveloped; for example, though she insisted and dwelled on the fact that she was not a good actress and so would not be a good choice for the lead role in a play at her family's manor, later Mina expertly pretends to be pregnant to deter the suspicion of the German soldier, causing Lucas to say with admiration, "I might have believed you if I hadn't known better. You're a good actress" (220). Though a surface-level success at an entertaining glimpse into an experience of World War I, All is Fair did not fully live up to its potential, at least in my reading.

The Girl King is an exciting action tale featuring court life with intricate traditions and brutal violence. Eldest daughter of the Emperor, Lu always expected to ascend the throne, but instead her father names her cousin -and enemy -Set as the new heir. Lu's aggressive nature leads her to reject a destiny as Set's wife, so she fights back and is soon ostracized by the court. As she gets close to Nokhai, a boy with extraordinary abilities who has experienced the brutal consequences of royalty asserting their control, Lu recognizes the responsibilities of true power as she learns to fight for herself even more than for her crown. Meanwhile, Lu's younger sister Min realizes that she does not have to stay in her fixed position as the weak, subservient girl in her sister's (and the throne's) shadow. Lu, Min, and Nokhai all discover who they really are and what they can do with all the violence and factions that exist in their Empire. All three of these characters find it difficult to stick to their stereotypical roles, and they break out as they discover their true power. This book has all the main elements of popular successful YA fantasy series: a cast of strong and diverse characters, a unique magic system, royal and court intrigue, and transcendent themes such as securing individual identity through outer turmoil. Yu's novel combines expert world-building with engaging characters, with a decent balance between action and dialogue. I wanted to give it five stars, but I felt as though the ending was holding back a little bit from the denouement I wanted to read. Instead the end felt more like a set-up for an upcoming book in the series rather than completing a stand-alone novel. Still, The Girl King lives up to its book jacket and provides an engaging reading experience.

Every Brandon Sanderson book is thoroughly enjoyable, but this opener to his newest series is surprisingly mainly because it manages to completely entrance readers without the use of one of the signature Sanderson world-building techniques: a complicated, layered magic system, in a fully fantasy universe. Instead, Sanderson successfully provides all his engaging reveals and twists here in a science fiction, dystopian future version of our own world. Skyward follows another of Sanderson's realistically spunky and flawed young female protagonists through her quest for self-discovery and self-fulfillment. Spensa yearns to clear her father's name and become one of the heroic pilots. With unorthodox methods and facing bleak odds, she manages to get into Flight School, only to discover that flying, while enjoyable, doesn't solve all her problems. It takes her grit and ingenuity, along with the help of her friends, for Spensa to fly her way through the novel without losing sight of her biggest dreams. The action scenes were gripping, and Spensa's witty banter along with her intense emotions easily keeps readers turning the pages. The open-ended conclusion nicely sets up the next book while still providing a satisfying character arc for Spensa in this installment of the series. Skyward will be a favorite with fans of everything from Star Trek and Ender's Game to Steelheart and Mistborn.

I was surprised that this is Cochran's debut novel because The Sword and the Dagger read smoothly, with good pacing for an exciting adventure story. The novel focuses on three main characters: Princess Elaine and Prince Conrad, who are about to enter their arranged marriage against their will, when the Assassin Rashid attempts to kill Elaine. Elaine, desperate to take control of her life, breaks Rashid out of prison and demands that he take her to the person who ordered her death. Meanwhile, Conrad goes to bring Elaine back. With exciting fights and twists, the trio of teens undergoes an insane journey rooted in the history of the Crusades, ultimately coming face-to-face with Genghis Khan himself. Along the way, Elaine, Conrad, and Rashid learn about themselves, about friendship, and about intercultural relationships, discovering that Muslims and Christians may not be so different after all. The characters are fully developed and well-balanced, with each of them, as well as other characters, occasionally taking the spotlight in a limited third-person perspective. The Sword and the Dagger would be a good choice for young adult readers who like adventure tales. Even readers who normally shy away from historical fiction will enjoy this book because the history is integrated naturally and effectively. Although some sections were less engaging, overall it was a good adventure for characters and readers alike, with important thematic elements running through even the most intense of the fights.

After her mother, Hadley, dies from cancer, Lina gets to Italy, less than thrilled about living with Howard, the caretaker of an American WWII memorial in Tuscany. Hadley had always described Howard as "a good friend," but Lina assumes that Howard is her father, at least until she reads Hadley's journal she kept during photography school in Italy, where Hadley made the inscription "I made the wrong choice." Alongside the charming Italian-American boy named Ren who befriends Lina her first day in Italy, Lina retraces her mother's steps to discover what the choice was and why it was wrong, while ultimately coming to know herself and make her own choices about love (and, yes, gelato).
I really enjoyed Welch's style, because her book gives many different looks at Italy -primarily from Lina and Hadley's perspectives -with alluring descriptions of a land peopled with distinctive characters. Even the relatively minor characters, such as Ren's friends, are reasonably fleshed out and dynamic. Lina's character arc was predictable but enjoyable. Somewhat cheesy but also grappling with some complicated ideas, this was the kind of YA novel that was well-paced and well-executed, thought-provoking while still providing the pleasant sense of being a romantic easy read.