Fast Five Fiction: New Books

It's Friday and time for Fast Five Fiction! Each week I share five fiction books: new books, notable books, books around a common theme. This week I've got a round up of series that are new to our shelves. 

Click the title to be directed to the book in our catalog. Book descriptions are from Goodreads.

The Green Ember: Tales of Old Natalia by S.D. Smith

A century before Heather and Picket's adventures in The Green Ember, a displaced community fights for hope on the ragged edge of survival.

My place beside you,
My blood for yours.
Till the Green Ember rises,
Or the end of the world.

Whitson Mariner and Fleck Blackstar face old fears and new enemies, forging a legend that will echo through the ages.

Old wars haunt. New enemies threaten. An oath is born.

A hero rises.

Bravelands by Erin Hunter

Heed the call of the wild with this brand-new, action-packed animal fantasy series.

A lion cast out from his pride.

An elephant who can read the bones of the dead.

A baboon rebelling against his destiny.

For generations, the animals of the African plains have followed a single rule: only kill to survive. But when an unthinkable act of betrayal shatters the peace, the fragile balance between predators and prey will rest in the paws of three unlikely heroes.

Perfect for fans of the Warriors series. 

City of Secrets by Victoria Ying

City of Secrets is the the first in a brand new graphic novel series. 

Ever Barnes is a shy orphan who lives in a puzzle-box building (think an architectural Transformer) that is also a multi level switchboard center, the communications hub of his city. He's the last of a family that's guarded a precious safe--contents unknown--for generations. All Ever knows is that what's in that safe protects the city and that his father was killed because he wouldn't give up the secret of the safe.

Ever is resigned to living on his own in the switchboard building, where he knows every nook and cranny, and all the cranks and levers that operate the complicated complex. Some of the nicer young women who work there give him food on the sly. He's got his job- stay out of sight and protect the safe hidden deep in the maze of the building. Ever is the only one who knows about it. Or is he?

Ever's lonely existence is upended by when Hannah, the daughter of the building's owner, shows up and spots the orphan in hiding. Hannah is determined to befriend Ever. His avoidance and her pursuit set off an unexpected series of events. Two things quickly become very clear- someone else knows Ever's secret and wants in on it. And having a friend is a very good thing when a whole whole evil goon squad is after you!

The Memory Thief by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Twelve-year-old Rosie Singer’s mom is missing whatever it is that makes mothers love their daughters. All her life, Rosie has known this...and turned to stories for comfort. Then, on the night Rosie decides to throw her stories away forever, an invisible ally helps her discover the Witch Hunter’s Guide to the Universe, a book that claims that all of the evil in the world stems from thirteen witches who are unseen...but also unstoppable. One of these witches—the Memory Thief—holds an insidious power to steal our most precious treasures: our memories. And it is this witch who has cursed Rosie’s mother.

In her quest to save her mom—and with her wild, loyal friend “Germ” by her side—Rosie will find the layers hidden under the reality she only thought she knew: where ghosts linger as shades of the past, where clouds witness the world, and a ladder dangles from the moon leading to something bigger and more. Here, words are weapons against the darkness, and witch hunters are those brave enough to wield their imaginations in the face of the unthinkable.

Brightstorm: A Sky-Ship Adventure by Vashti Hardy

Arthur and Maudie Brightstorm are devastated to learn that their famous explorer father has died in a failed attempt to reach South Polaris, the southernmost point in the world. To make matters worse, the Lontown Geographical Society finds Ernest Brightstorm guilty of sabotaging the expedition of his competitor, Eudora Vane, a respected and powerful member of the Society. But then a mysterious clue leads the twins to question the story they’ve been told. Joining the ragtag crew of the Aurora, a homemade sky-ship captained by the intrepid Harriet Culpepper, Arthur and Maudie race to South Polaris to salvage their family’s reputation. As the sky-ship sets sail, the twins must keep their wits about them if they are to uncover the truth about what happened on their father’s doomed expedition, and to prove themselves worthy explorers. Brightstorm is a propulsive, vividly imagined fantasy adventure set among vibrant landscapes and peopled with dynamic and unforgettable characters. 

Happy Friday and happy reading!