Clockwork Lives

In this steampunk adaptation of The Canterbury Tales, Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart create a world rich with character and adventure.
While the primary narration is told in the third person following Merinda Peake’s journey to fill her book with stories, the individual tales are told in the first person.  This is an unusual, but intelligent way to let the stories grow.  The characters become more real.  It’s not a book you can easily put down.
While this is the second book in the Clockwork Angels series, it does stand alone easily supported by the depth of characters whose stories are collected.  Thoroughly enjoyable.  Left me wanting more.

The Accidental War by Walter Jon Williams

In this first Novel of the Praxis, Walter Jon Williams beautifully builds the society, characters, family structure without sinking too far into significant “info dumps” that often lose a reader.  This story falls comfortably into the genre of science fiction epic, stylistically reminiscent of Star Wars.  While it’s a bit more linear than Tolkien, The Accidental War can sit proudly next to the Epics of Middle Earth as well.
While this is not the first book in this world created by Williams, it’s my first reading of his work.  Williams utilizes third person limited POV to weave a tale of political intrigue, action, and privilege.
He establishes his main characters early, building the society and politics around them and their relationships with each other and with the minor characters rather than planting them in an established world.  The growth when done this way, is more organic and centered on characters more than thematic and genre elements.  This is what will make The Accidental War stand out from other sci-fi.

Isle of Blood and Stone by Makiia Lucier

In this third person epic fantasy novel, Isle of Blood and Stone, Lucier speaks to a reader’s sense of wanderlust and curiosity.  It’s unique in that while Elias is an adventurer, geographer, and mapmaker, the actual story takes place in his home, St. John del Mar. 
Elias returns from a months long journey to find himself thrust into a mystery with personal and political repercussions.  The author sticks to Elias in her narration which is perfect for the story told, and until more than half way through the book, leaves romance out of the story entirely.  The way she gets the romance in is entirely organic and works for this story without weakening or altering the original goals of the characters.
I truly enjoyed this fun other-world mystery and look forward to more by Lucier in future.

Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien

This is the third book I’ve read by Caragh O’Brien and the start of a dystopia trilogy.  It’s definitely in a different vein from her Vault of Dreamers books, but still has an addictive story and amazing protagonist.  Written in third person, this character driven story is a steady jog into the future.
What sets this apart from most other dystopias is the ambiguity of the conflicting groups.  The reader can easily side with the protagonist or the institution she’s trying to escape, to a certain degree.  It’s completely addictive and I can’t wait to read more.

The Invisible Library

The Invisible Library is Genevieve Cogman’s debut and the opening of a new series in fantasy.  Told in the third person with a focus on Irene, a Junior Librarian sent to retrieve a specific iteration of Grimm’s fairy tales.
Shuttling between alternate dimensions, Irene and other Librarians are bound to protect individual works of fiction by collecting them to a secret library that rests between all the dimensions available.  This work reeled me in almost immediately, as it would for any bibliophile or fantasy aficionado.  Cogman uses distinct and intelligent language without putting comprehension beyond the reader’s grasp.
Evocative of Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and The Dresden Files stylistically, The Invisible Library is adventurous, magical, and fun.  I sincerely look forward to the next book in the series.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Red Rising is a first person dystopic adventure reminiscent of Ender’s Game, Legend, and The Hunger Games series.  This type of story has been in vogue for about a decade, but still Brown managed to hook me in on page one.
Darrow was a Helldiver.  A Red.  A miner of precious minerals needed for humanity's expansion into the space.  What he finds out after the death of his father, his wife, and himself is that he’s a slave of the lowest rank.
Under the wings of those who helped him die, the Sons of Ares, he becomes Gold and infiltrates their most prestigious academy.  Brown has set up the academy like trials that can end in glory, shame, or death.  This faux war changes Darrow, draws his mind into a dark place.  When he is reminded of his purpose, of his wife and his family, he makes an unprecedented move against the administrators.
This is the making of Darrow.  He’s a Red Rising.

War of the Cards

Dinah wants to be queen.  She NEEDS to be queen, but In order to get her crown from the tyrant she thought was her father, she must fight everyone, including herself. 
In this conclusion to The Queen of Hearts trilogy, I was not disappointed.  Colleen Oakes has further outdone herself with the continuing magic that created Wonderland and the characters that occupy it.  I started this book and could not put it down until I was finished.
Dinah’s internal struggles, her conquest of her puppet masters, and her stepping into her true place are things many young women can identify with.  Though it is a fantasy novel, its ability to connect with readers through Dinah holds it above YA realism with similar themes.