The Looking Glass Wars, Frank Beddor; Dial

“When she is cast out of Wonderland by her evil aunt Redd, young Alyss Heart finds herself living in Victorian Oxford as Alice Liddell and struggles to keep memories of her kingdom intact until she can return and claim her rightful throne.”
Robin’s Note: If you like richly imagined fantasy, Frank Beddor’s new series featuring a very different Hatter.  Although the series draws inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, Beddor’s version of the players are skewed: Hatter M is a lethal, loyal bodyguard of the lost heir to the throne, Alyss, and his desperate search to find her in our world is plagued by enemies from all side.  There are currently two books in the series, with a third to come.

Beguilement (The Sharing Knife #1), Lois McMaster Bujold; Eos

“Troubled young Fawn Bluefield seeks a life beyond her family’s farm. But en route to the city, she encounters a patrol of Lakewalkers, nomadic soldier–sorcerers from the northern woodlands. Feared necromancers armed with mysterious knives made of human bone, they wage a secret, ongoing war against the scourge of the “malices,” immortal entities that draw the life out of their victims, enslaving human and animal alike.

It is Dag—a Lakewalker patroller weighed down by past sorrows and onerous present responsibilities—who must come to Fawn’s aid when she is taken captive by a malice. They prevail at a devastating cost—unexpectedly binding their fates as they embark upon a remarkable journey into danger and delight, prejudice and partnership . . . and perhaps even love.”

Robin’s Note: Lois McMaster Bujold is renowned for her complex, engaging fantasy series, including the adventuresome Vorkosigan saga, but this series is a new tale for her combining romance and fantasy in equal parts.  She’s a smart, practiced writer, and her deep world-building creates a rich world.  If you want to try a definite romance/fantasy combination, this is one of the many hybrids that were published in testing out the combinations of the fantasy and romance markets, and of all the writers making the attempt, Bujold is the most likely to succeed.

Into The Wild, Sarah Beth Durst; Razorbill

“Having escaped from the Wild and the preordained fairy tale plots it imposes, Rapunzel, along with her daughter Julie Marchen, tries to live a fairly normal life, but when the Wild breaks free and takes over their town, it is Julie who has to prevent everyone from being trapped in the events of a story.”

Robin’s Note: This fast-paced, wild ride spins off of traditional fairy tales by giving them a whole new spin.  Julie, Rapunzel’s courageous daughter, is a great new heroine, unwilling to give up and determined to use her knowledge of the Wild to win back her world.  She’s a reluctant heroine, to begin with, but as she moves forward, she becomes a force to reckon with.  Humor and snappy dialog make the whole adventure fun, and Julie’s “brother”, once Puss-in-Boots, brings in hilarious comic relief.  The sequel, Out of the Wild, is a worthy sequel.  This title is both funny and fast-paced, and the fun of reworking fairy tale characters.

A Curse Dark As Gold, Elizabeth C. Bunce; Arthur A. Levine Books

“Upon the death of her father, seventeen-year-old Charlotte struggles to keep the family’s woolen mill running in the face of an overwhelming mortgage and what the local villagers believe is a curse, but when a man capable of spinning straw into gold appears on the scene she must decide if his help is worth the price.”

Robin’s Note: Appealing for a strong sense of a historical setting and a clever reworking of the Rumplestiltskin tale, this book includes a steadily building romance, a strong heroine, and a well-built world.  Great for fans of fairy tale retellings as well as historical fantasy.