National Network for Equitable Library Service

It should have been an easy task, for a skilled mercenary like Rybet Waise. Simply break into the royal palace, and rescue her friend from the executioner's block. But when Rybet accidentally qualifies for the Trials, she finds herself with little choice but to see them through. Thrust into the limelight and forced to compete with the Kingdom's elite sweethearts, unlikely allies emerge and bonds are formed. But someone will stop at nothing to see her fail. After all, she's nothing but a dirty pond-dweller.

Holly Black reveals a deeper look into the dramatic life of Elfhame's enigmatic high king, Cardan, including familiar moments from the Folk of the Air trilogy, told wholly from Cardan's perspective.

What if Wonderland was in peril and Alice was very, very late? Alice is on a mission to stop the Queen of Hearts' tyranny and to find her place in both worlds. But will she able to do so before the End of Time?

Liz Phoenix arrives in Los Angeles to find a nest of varcolacs--half-human, half-dragon creatures who want to destroy the sun and moon--and works to stop yet another Doomsday with the help of her former lover and her mentor.

Liz Phoenix is one of the sacred few on earth who has the psychic powers to fight the malevolent forces that have tried to wipe out the human race since the beginning of time. As the new leader of the federation, Liz is marked for death by a Navajo witch with a link to her past. To survive, she must rely on her few remaining allies--her mentor, a shaman with too many secrets, as well as ex-lover, Jimmy Sanducci.

The emperor's reign has lasted for decades, his mastery of bone shard magic powering the animal-like constructs that maintain law and order. But now his rule is failing, and revolution is sweeping across the Empire's many islands. And when the emperor refuses to recognize his daughter, Lin, as heir to the throne, she vows to prove her worth by mastering bone shard magic, but such power carries a great cost, for herself and her people.

Cerys is safe in the Kingdom of Aloriya. Here there are no droughts, disease, or famine, and peace is everlasting. It has been this way for hundreds of years, since the first king made a bargain with the Lady who ruled the forest that borders the kingdom. But as Aloriya prospered, the woods grew dark, cursed, and forbidden. As a new queen is crowned, however, things long hidden in the woods descend on the kingdom itself.

As princess of the kingdom Visidia, Amora has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer, the master of souls. But with a destructive new magic on the rise, it is up to Amora to conquer it.

Ever since Kalagan's recent appearance in Mineral Wells, the Magic Misfits know that a showdown with the vicious magician is imminent. But first, can Ridley Larsen finally master her temper and put her magic to good use?

A powerful band of women warriors must face off against an oppressive enemy in one final showdown that will determine their survival and the fate of their world.