Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Young Adult/ Older Reader Book Picks - February 2015

Ari Marmell - Covenant's End: A Widdershins Adventure - Published by Pyr (3 Feb. 2015)

The thief Widdershins and her own "personal god," Olgun, return to their home city of Davillon after almost a year away. While Shins expects only to face the difficulty of making up with her friends, what she actually finds is far, far worse. Her nemesis, Lisette, has returned, and she is not alone. Lisette has made a dark pact with supernatural powers that have granted her abilities far greater than anything Widdershins and Olgun can match.

Together, Widdershins and Olgun will face enemies on both sides of the law, for Lisette's schemes have given her power in both Davillon's government and its underworld. For even a slim chance, Shins must call on both old friends--some of whom haven't yet forgiven her--and new allies. 

Even with their help, Widdershins may be required to make the hardest sacrifice of her life, if she is to rid Davillon--and herself--of Lisette once and for all.

Mark Stay - Robot Overlords - Published by Gollancz (12 Feb. 2015)

To find his father, one boy must defy an empire...

Three years ago, Earth was conquered by a force of robots from a distant world. They have one rule:

STAY IN YOUR HOMES

Step outside and you get one warning before you're vaporised by a massive robot Sentry, or a crawling Sniper, or a flying Drone. That's if the vast Cube doesn't incinerate you first.

But Sean Flynn is convinced that his father - an RAF pilot who fought in the war - is still alive. And when he and his gang figure out a way to break the robots' curfew, they begin an adventure that will pit them against the might of the ROBOT OVERLORDS.

This fast-paced, thrilling novelisation is based on the hit British film starring Sir Ben Kingsley (IRON MAN THREE), Gillian Anderson (THE X-FILES) and Callan McAuliffe (THE GREAT GATSBY). A perfect companion to the movie, it expands on the story with additional action, characters, and a special peek behind the scenes.

Melinda Salisbury - The Sin Eater's Daughter - Published by Scholastic (5 Feb. 2015)

Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she's engaged to the prince, Twylla isn't exactly a member of the court. She's the executioner. As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each month she's taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to Twylla's fatal touch, avoids her company. But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he's able to look past Twylla's executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet Twylla's been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to people who cross the queen. However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla's problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?

V. E. Schwab - A Darker Shade of Magic - Published by Titan Books (27 Feb. 2015)

Most people only know one London; but what if there were several? Kell is one of the last Travelers magicians with a rare ability to travel between parallel Londons. There is Grey London, dirty and crowded and without magic, home to the mad king George III. There is Red London, where life and magic are revered. Then, White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. But once upon a time, there was Black London...

Holly Black - The Darkest Part of the Forest - Published by  Indigo (5 Feb. 2015)

 Near the little town of Fairfold, in the darkest part of the forest, lies a glass casket. Inside the casket lies a sleeping faerie prince that none can rouse. He's the most fascinating thing Hazel and her brother Ben have ever seen. They dream of waking him - but what happens when dreams come true? In the darkest part of the forest, you must be careful what you wish for...

Holly Black Announced as New Doctor Who Writer - Lights Out ( 12 Doctors 12 Stories) - Puffin

A Twelfth Doctor needs a twelfth adventure written by a twelfth author. That author is: Holly Black 

To celebrate the arrival of Peter Capaldi on to our screens as the newly regenerated Doctor, Puffin is reissuing its sensational series of Doctor Who short stories, each written by a different author but with an extra brand new twelfth adventure, available in eBook and as part of the 12 Doctors 12 Stories paperback anthology, publishing on 23^rd October. Offering the perfect addition to the top-selling series, the twelfth story, Lights Out, has been penned by self-confessed Doctor Who fan and best-selling female sci-fi writer Holly Black. 

Following short stories by Eoin Colfer, Michael Scott, Marcus Sedgwick, Philip Reeve, Patrick Ness, Richelle Mead, Malorie Blackman, Alex Scarrow, Charlie Higson, Derek Landy and Neil Gaiman, Holly has written the twelfth adventure in this series, based on the Twelfth Doctor played by Peter Capaldi. Holly Black commented: "It's a huge honour to get to write a story in such an amazing science fiction universe, one which makes for an ultimate writer's playground with its flexibility across time and space. I am a big fan of the series and of the Doctor himself, our alien hero who reminds us over and over of our humanity and carries a screwdriver instead of a gun."

Doctor Who is the longest running sci-fi TV show in the world and celebrated its 50^th anniversary last year. The anniversary TV episode saw an average of 12.8 million viewers tune in to BBC One to watch the Doctor regenerate. To celebrate the anniversary, Puffin – in partnership with BBC Worldwide – published a series of eleven eShorts each based on one of the eleven Doctors, priced at £1.99 and released monthly from January to November 2013. The series has brought together some of the most exciting names in children’s fiction, from commercial blockbusters to literary award-winners. These authors have brought their own interpretation and reimagining of their chosen Doctor, creating a unique Doctor Who adventure in their own inimitable style. 

Holly Black is the bestselling author of contemporary fantasy novels for teens and children. She is co-creator of the hugely successful series, The Spiderwick Chronicles, which secured her several top spots in the New York Times Bestsellers List and was adapted into a film in 2008. More recently, Holly has collaborated with fellow writer Cassandra Clare, on a brand new series titled Magisterium which is due to publish this autumn. Holly lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Theo, in a house with a secret library.

The story will be available in eBook for £1.99 and will be included in a paperback anthology (£12.99) of the twelve stories, Doctor Who: 12 Doctors, 12 stories. Holly’s new story will also be included in a stylish gift slipcase, the perfect Christmas present for Doctor Who fans, containing all 12 adventures for £18. 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books Preview: Holly Black & Cassandra Clare Announce (The Iron Trial) Magisterium Series - First Look

Book One of the Magisterium Series: The Iron Trial. 
Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial.
Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail.
All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him.
So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing.
Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future.
The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come . . .

CAN YOU SAY A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE MAGISTERIUM SERIES?

Twelve-year-old Callum Hunt has grown up knowing three rules by heart.

Never trust a magician. Never pass a test a magician gives you. And never let a magician take you to the Magisterium.

Call is about to break all the rules. And when he does, his life will change in ways he can’t possibly imagine.

The Iron Trial is the first book in an epic fantasy series that I’m cowriting with Holly Black.  The Iron Trial, will be released in September 2014 by Scholastic/Doubleday Children's  Books. Four books will follow, one for year of Call’s life from twelve to seventeen, as he comes of age in a world where child apprentices train to be warriors and dark magicians seek to defeat even death. There’s not much else I can say about the books yet, as I’m sworn to secrecy, but I’ve always wanted to write with Holly, and I can definitely say the collaboration has produced characters I love and a story I hope you’ll find as funny, dark, adventurous and unexpected as I do.

PROLOGUE....

From a distance, the man struggling up the white face of the glacier might have looked like an ant crawl- ing slowly up the side of a dinner plate. The shantytown of La Rinconada was a collection of scattered specks far below him, the wind increasing as his elevation did, blowing powdery gusts of snow into his face and freezing the damp tendrils of his black hair. Despite his amber goggles, he winced at the brightness of the reflected sunset.

Still, the man was not afraid of falling, although he was using no ropes or belay lines, only crampons and a single ice axe. His name was Alastair Hunt and he was a mage. He shaped and molded the frozen substance of the glacier under his hands as he climbed. Handholds and footholds appeared as he inched his way upward. By the time he reached the cave, midway up the glacier, he was half frozen and fully exhausted from bending his will to tame the worst of the elements. It sapped his energy to exert his magic so continuously, but he hadn’t dared slow down.

The cave itself opened like a mouth in the side of the moun- tain, impossible to see from above or below. He pulled himself over its edge and took a deep, jagged breath, cursing himself for not getting there sooner, for allowing himself to be tricked. In La Rinconada, the people had seen the explosion and whispered under their breaths about what it meant, the fire inside the ice.

Fire inside the ice. It had to be a distress signal . . . or an attack. The cave was full of mages too old to fight or too young, the injured and the sick, mothers of very young children who could not be left — like Alastair’s own wife and son. They had been hidden away here, in one of the most remote places on the earth.

Master Rufus had insisted that otherwise they would be vulnerable, hostages to fortune, and Alastair had trusted him. Then, when the Enemy of Death hadn’t shown up on the field to face the mages’ champion, the Makar girl upon whom they’d pinned all their hopes, Alastair had realized his mistake. He’d gotten to La Rinconada as fast as he could, flying most of his way on the back of an air elemental. From there, he’d made his way on foot, since the Enemy’s control of elementals was unpredictable and strong. The higher he’d climbed, the more frightened he’d become. Let them be all right, he thought to himself as he stepped inside the cave. Please let them be all right.

There should have been the sound of children wailing. There should have been the low buzz of nervous conversation and the hum of subdued magic. Instead, there was only the howl of the wind as it swept over the desolate peak of the mountain. The cave walls were white ice, pocked with red and brown where blood had splattered and melted in patches. Alastair pulled off his goggles and dropped them on the ground, pushing farther into the pas- sage, drawing on the dregs of his power to steady himself.

The walls of the cave gave off an eerie phosphorescent glow. Away from the entrance, it was the only light he had to see by, which probably explained why he stumbled over the first body and nearly fell to his knees. Alastair jerked away with a yell, then winced as he heard his own shout echo back to him. The fallen mage was burned beyond recognition, but she wore the leather wristband with the large hammered piece of copper that marked her as a second-year Magisterium student. She couldn’t have been older than thirteen.