The Star Shepherd by Dan Haring, MarcyKate Connolly

His father is a Star Shepherd.  He uses special goggles to watch for falling stars.  On this world, the stars came from the ancient elders hearts and it held the dark monsters back.  There were stories of giant mechanical men who hung them in the sky but Kyro and his father never saw one.  What they do is retrieve the fallen stars, put them in a new casing and then catapulting them back to their spot in the sky.  But now someone or something is stealing them before they can get there.  What's worse is whole constellations are falling.  They are being cut out of the sky.  Who could be doing that?

Sourcebooks Young Readers and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published September 10th.

His father goes to the Council for help.  They think he's seeings things again and refuse to respond.  So his father heads out by himself leaving Kyro to watch the stars.   He was only supposed to be gone a few days but he doesn't return.  Then he gets a summon from the council for his father.  He goes in his place and finds no one believes him and they call his father a traitor and terminate him.  He has no money for passage on the way home so he and his dog hide in a shipping container.  When his dog makes a noise, he's discovered and is taken to the captain as a stowaway.

There's a lot of excitement in this story.  What will the captain do to him?  Will he find his father?  Can he survive attacks by the dark things?  Can he stop the stars from falling?  Keep reading and you will find out.

I enjoyed this young adult fantasy read and think you will too.  Give it a try.

Comet Rising by MarcyKate Connolly

The wicked Lady that steals magic wants more.  All the talented children are hidden away but she has plans.  She'll make the comet come early and she'll question the historians of the group who knows where they are hid.  The worst part is that she makes the parents forget what's happened and pretends the children have won a scholarship to a marvelous school.  No, she just takes them home, changes them into flowers and uses their magic when she needs it...

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 1st.

Emmaline and Lucas think they're safe at the moment but when Emmaline's shadow warns her of danger she doesn't believe her.  She's been trying to get out of the cage they imprisoned her in and she'll lie to do it.  Unfortunately, this time she was telling the truth.

When the soldiers come again, they run.  They also take the paperwork that will show them where other talented children are located.  But the Lady is ahead of them, stealing the children away.  Part of her garden is dying and she needs more magic.  However, the free children are banding together to save siblings and parents from the damage she's done.

This series is filled with magic and desperation and keeps you riveted to the pages until you see how it ends.  It's thrilling, exciting, and fun to read.  Share it with someone who likes fantasy.  They'll enjoy it! 

Shadow Weaver by MarcyKate Connolly

She has an usual power.  She can hide in shadows, weave them into something solid and even has a relationship with her own shadow.  It's her best friend.  After all, her parents are afraid of her...

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published January 1st.

Emmeline has been hidden in the house away from the eyes of the neighbors.  She's not taken to any functions and they limit their visitors.  But she gets bored, so she sneaks out to play with shadows and then she gets in trouble.  When more visitors are announced, she's told she must be on her best behavior.  It's hard to be good when you're favorite thing to do is eavesdrop.  What she doesn't expect is that they will bring a young ghost girl with them.  She finds her...

The worst thing ever happens, she's being sent away by her parents to another kingdom where they will "cure" her.  She doesn't want to be cured, so she runs.

Nothing is as it seems in this story.  There's a Queen who seeks the magic the children have and she "eats" it, leaving them with nothing.  She then plants them in her garden.  The family she runs into after leaving home is kind and willing to share what they have.  But the guard comes after her and soon everyone is on the run.

This read is full of fright.  Anyone with a magical power is sought for the Queen.  Hiding is very hard to do even if you hide your magic.  Here's a suspenseful look at the world of magic and the greed of a magic eater.  Not even her shadow can be trusted...

Monstrous by MarcyKate Connolly, Skottie Young (Illustrated by)

Kymera dearly loves her father.  He's made her what she is today.  When she died, he brought her back from death and gave her special features and abilities.  He trusts her instincts to keep her safe.  And he doesn't let her go the city or wander far.  But when he asks Kymera to save the girls of Byrne, she's ready to answer his bidding.  After all, saving the girls is a good thing, isn't it?

HarperCollins and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published February 10th, so grab a copy then.

Kymera has different colored arms and legs, wings, and a tale to sting when she needs it.  The sting puts people to sleep and erases their memories of the event.  She's proud of her skills. Since she's alone so much, she sits down by the river.  One day, the rock she's sitting on moves.  She frightened to see that it's not a rock, it's a dragon: the last dragon.  He makes her his blood sister and they spend time together talking.  She doesn't tell her father about him.  She wants to, but the dragon blood she shared during the bonding won't let her.

As she sneaks in the city at night and removes the children from their prison, she sees a young man out also.  There's a curfew; he shouldn't be out.  She becomes curious about him and befriends him and that's how she finds out the things her father tells her are lies.

Her father is very angry when he finds she's been visiting with a boy.  That's just the beginning of his anger.

This is a full bodied story that emphasizes being different is hard and you have to choose your friends carefully.  It's also a grand tale that will stick in your mind.  The final battle is huge and my favorite characters don't survive.  But it's a fitting and just ending with a touch of magic living on.