 Supporting COMMUNITY. Inspiring DISCOVERY. Promoting LITERACY. |
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Fantasy and Science Fiction August 2025 |
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| Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie BurgisQueen Saskia, though a feared sorceress, is only concerned with keeping her people safe from the nearby empires. When she hires a new librarian, an archduke in disguise, their growing forbidden love will unravel both their secrets and threaten the uneasy peace between their lands. For fans of: atmospheric enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance such as The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig and The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley. |
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| Once Was Willem by M.R. CareyIn 12th century England, recently deceased 12-year-old Willem returns from the grave in the village of Cosham, only to be ostracized and outcast to the forest. As Once-Was-Willem befriends other supernatural creatures, the sorcerer who brought him back claws for more magic and more power...even if it means the lives of all the children of Cosham. M.R. Carey's latest is "a dark and hopeful fable with obvious contemporary resonance" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Idolfire by Grace CurtisIn this post-apocalyptic science-fantasy mashup, two women on opposite sides of the world set out towards Nivela, a once-powerful city teeming with ancient magic waiting to be reawakened. When Aleya and Kirby's paths converge, their alliance may be the key to saving the world. For fans of: LGBTQIA+ fiction with in-depth worldbuilding and bittersweet romance such as Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune. |
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The capital of dreams : a novel
by Heather O'Neill
"Sofia Bottom lives in Elysia, a small country forgotten by Europe. But inside its borders, the old myths of trees that come alive and faeries who live among their roots have given way to an explosion of the arts and the consolations of philosophy...no artist is as revered as Sofia's brilliant mother, the writer Clara Bottom. How can fourteen-year-old Sofia, with her tin ear and enduring love of ancient myths, ever hope to win her mother's love? When the country's greatest enemy invades, and the Capital is under threat, Clara turns to her daughter to smuggle her new manuscript to safety on the last train evacuating children from the city. But when the train draws to a suspicious halt in the middle of a forest, Sofia is forced to run for her life and loses her mother's most prized possession"
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Circular motion : a novel
by Alex Foster
A brilliantly imagined literary debut of love, despair, and two people's search for belonging in a world literally spinning out of control. The acceleration of Earth's spin begins gradually. At first, days are just a few seconds shorter than normal. Awareness of the mysterious phenomenon hasn't reached Tanner, a young man preoccupied with dreams of escaping his tiny Alaskan hometown. One night, desperate to make his mark on the world, he runs away. He lands an unlikely job at CWC, the global operator of a network of massive aircraft that orbit the Earth at 30,000 feet, revolutionizing global transportation. Now goods and people can travel anywhere in little more than an hour-you can visit Paris for an evening or order sushi from Japan. But a wave of social unrest presents challenges for CWC just as Tanner settles into his new lifestyle and develops surprising feelings for one of his colleagues. That unrest sweeps up Winnie. A high school outcast, Winnie falls in with a group of teen activists who blame CWC for the planet's acceleration. As days on Earth quicken to twenty-three hours, then twenty, the sun rising and setting ever faster, causing violent storms and political meltdowns, Tanner and Winnie's stories spiral closer together. They meet cynical executives toiling to forestall the crises they created, lobbyists and lovers all coping in their own ways, and religious zealots for whom the apocalypse can't come soon enough. Three-hour days. Two-hour days . . . A propulsive exploration of capitalism, technology, and our place within a system that dwarfs us.
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| Greenteeth by Molly O'NeillWhen Temperance, falsely accused of witchcraft, is thrown into a lake, she is unexpectedly rescued by a sharp-toothed monster lurking within its depths. This monster, Jenny Greenteeth, forms an unlikely alliance with Temperance to save the town and Britain from an encroaching evil. For fans of: richly detailed fantasy laden with monsters who are more than their fangs, such as Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher. |
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Unworld : a novel
by Jayson Greene
In a near-future where digital and human consciousness blur, a grieving mother, a traumatized witness, an AI professor, and a rogue digital entity confront the mystery of a young man's death, unraveling questions of memory, identity, and what it means to be alive.
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Birth of a dynasty : a novel
by Chinaza Bado
After witnessing the massacre of everyone he's ever known and loved, M'Kuru Mukundi, the sole surviving member of the High Noble House Mukundi of Madada, vows revenge. M'kuru flees to a small village where he hides under the guise of farm boy Khalil Rausi... unaware that the real Khalil's father is the bloodthirsty General of Zenzele army, and under the direction of the King's scheming son, Prince Effiom, was responsible for the murder of M'kuru's people. When an imposter claiming to be M'kuru shows up in the village, the real M'kuru-now Khalil-must bide his time amongst his enemies, pretending to be everything that he hates in order to get vengeance. In another part of the country where giants roam free, young Zikora Nnamani, the only daughter of Lord Nnamani, knows nothing of political intrigue-she wants little more than to be a fierce Seh Llinga warrior. But a well-known prophecy places too much potential power on her small shoulders, and-as far as Prince Effiom and the King know-she is the only living threat to their dynasty ruling forever. However, when a messenger arrives to "invite" Zikora to stay at the palace, her family is not in a position to refuse. Before she is taken away, she begins The Rite of Blessing, a magical inheritance that she will need to learn how to use, but that may also bring the world one step closer to the completion of the prophecy that Prince Effiom so fears. Between scheming ladies at court, backstabbing princes on the prowl, and paranoid kings, M'kuru and Zikora must dowhat they can, no matter how terrible, to save their people and claim vengeance for their families. But they are just two young people against an entire kingdom-and a prophecy destined to thwart their dreams-and the last thing they can do is trust anyone...even each other.
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| Shroud by Adrian TchaikovskyWithin the vast reaches of the galaxy lies the Shroud, a pitch black moon that is hostile to human life but ripe for exploitation. A catastrophic accident leaves Juna and Mai stranded there, forced to make a grueling trek across the planet and contend with the true dominant species of the Shroud. This engrossing science fiction teems with tension and danger, and will be a hit with fans of Semiosis by Sue Burke or The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz. |
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| The Incandescent by Emily TeshDoctor Walden is the Director of Magic at Chetwood School, and one of the most powerful magicians in all of England. Demonic forces converge on the school, and Doctor Walden must balance her considerable power, uphold her responsibility to keep the students safe, and even confront a potential evil from within. Fans of sapphic fantasy and dark academia "won’t want to miss this thoughtful exploration of privilege, power, and private school education" (Publishers Weekly). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Mary Riley Styles Public Library
120 N. Virginia Ave, Falls Church, Virginia 22046 703-248-5030 (TTY 711) www.mrspl.org
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