What to read after... The Novice (Summoner Series)

First things first, 3 out of 4 of these books have magical pet sidekicks so you should read them just because of that but if you need more reasons why keep reading below...

Spellslinger 
Spellslinger is not like your average Magic bets all kind of book which is why i think its a great book to read after The Novice because The Novice is full with non magical characters who are still cunning and strong just like the main characters in Spellslinger. 
Spellslinger is set in a world full of strong magical characters but the main characters magic abilities but those magical abilities seem to have skipped Kellen, he relies on cheap imitations and sleight of hand magic to get by , but when Kellen makes an enemy of the wrong people he will need to learn more then just flashy tricks and with his magic abilities looking like they will never activate he will need to assemble some strong allies too  

Brotherhood of Thieves
The brotherhood of Thieves follow a group of street thieves recruited by a secret organisation to be trained tomb raiders, where they rob them of ancient artifacts and magical weapons to supply the kings army that is protecting the board against the  hideous and gruesome civilization on Roon (kinda like a troll). Each recruit is gifted a magic creator to help them achieve there mission which reminds me of the Demons that are summoned in The Novice. So if you loved the sidekicks in The Novice you will definitely need to read Brotherhood of Thieves (and as an added bonus all three books are about as long as one Novice book so we will be finished in no time!)  

Darren Shan Cirque Du Freak
Now why read this series after The Novice? I added it in because Darren and Fletcher are very similar characters, the similarity's between the two books are very little but if you like the take charge attitude of Fletcher you will like Darren, and Darren's story also leads him into different worlds and fights to death just as regularly as Fletcher's does and he makes just as many great friends along the way as Fletcher does. Its definitely worth a look ..

The Demon King
If you loved The Novice you will fly through The Demon King! The Novice is the baby brother to The Demon King, The Novice wants to be like The Demon King when it grows up. Everything is this book is bigger and better! More intrigue, more crazy plot lines and bigger bad guys. The book follows Han a boy who used to be a notorious gang leader in the slums but has reformed his ways to care for his sick younger sister but street thugs wont let you leave that easily so Han spends most of his time with his other clan family in the mountains where he hunts and gathers for money for his sister. One day Hans catches some of the rich wizards from town burning a sacred hunting ground, Hans and his clan brother, Fire Dancer, surround them and force them to give up the magical amulet which will stop them being able to burn down anymore of the sacred forest. This action sparks a series of events for Hans changes his life forever, because he is now in possession of an ancient amulet that belong to The Demon King, a man that nearly destroyed the world 100's of years before. Now Hans knows that he cant let this amulet fall back into the hands of the family he took it from or that could mean the end of the world as he knows it, but making this stand will have it consciousnesses and they might be more then Hans is able to handle. 

Review from a book club kid: The Book Thief

The Book Thief is a moving, compelling story set in Germany during World War II. It tells the story of Liesel Memeinger, a young girl sent to live with a foster family in Munich. During her time there, she learns to read and in doing so, her passion for books and literature grows. Word's become Liesel's escape and soon her downfall as she begins to read whatever she can get her hands on; illegal or not. Recounted and narrated by Death himself, The Book Thief teaches us to pursue what we love, as it will help us during dark times.

Due to the popularity and wide-spread love this novel received, it was turned into a movie starring Geoffry Rush, Emily Watson and Sophie Nélisse and released in 2013.

This review was created by one of our Read and Recommend Book Clubs . 

Visit our website to see how you can join our book club

Review from a book club kid: You're Welcome Universe

 You're Welcome Universe, centres around the life of Deaf Indian teenager, Julia and the struggles she encounters around her identity. Art is Julia's life—street art to be accurate, which isn't always legal—and is her way of leaving a mark on the world. When graffiti appears in their school gym, calling out her best friend, Julia steps in to help with a plan of her own. However, she finds herself brutally backstabbed and expelled. Sent off to a mainstream school, Julia must now navigate high school relying on an interpreter. Upon befriending a new classmate, Julia learns some influential life lessons and that a disability isn't a restriction, but part of her identity.

This review was created by one of our Read and Recommend Book Clubs .
Visit our website to see how you can join our book club

Book Review: Brotherhood of Thieves

Brotherhood of thieves is set back when horses were how you got home on time, you didn’t leave home without your sword and life on the streets leaves you cold, miserable and hungry… so when main character —orphan and street thief— Caspan gets given the chance to compete to join the brotherhood of thieves (a secret order sanctioned by the king) how could he pass it up.

The secret order specialise in treasure hunting, exploring ancient temples long left by an ancient race that lived on earth many moons ago, leaving behind their magical artifacts that are much needed by the kings army in a war against the Roon, the invading ork army .

After completing the first part of their training the five young apprentices – Caspan, Roland, Lachlan, Sara and Kilt - receive a very special gift reserved only for those in the Order… their own Wardens, a magical beast that they will train with to help them with their task, but when the group are sent on their first mission things don’t go to plan and the trainees must rely on each other and work together to survive.

This book would suit any reader that enjoys dragons, sword fighting, magical pets and funny banter. Also great for younger teens stepping up into teen books.

Book Review: The Secret Deep

The Secret Deep. – Lindsay Galvin

You would think losing your mum to cancer would be enough to deal with let alone having to move to a completely different country and then your aunty taking you to live out in the bush with a bunch of kids each of them teaching and learning different ‘off the grid’ type of survival skills.

Aster and her little sister Poppy find it a little weird when nothing their aunty is saying or doing adds up. Who are these kids happy to live in the middle of nowhere?

Things get stranger when a so called boat trip to see bioluminescent algae turns into a trap. Locked inside the cabin gas starts to fill the room and the only one wearing a mask is aunty Iona. Waking up alone on a desert island Aster’s only hope to find any answers is the ocean.

But something else is out there. You can’t help but think, what exactly happened to the other kids? 

Intrigue. Thrills and out of nowhere twists makes this book a gripping read. This book had me sitting on the edge of my seat because I couldn’t quite figure it out.

Give it a read and if you could describe it in three words what would those words be?

Book Review: Cheerleaders

In a small town five cheerleaders are found dead.

Two of them are killed in a car crash so bad first responders' can't tell which girl is which. A few weeks later two more are found dead in their home. One strangled and the other one so badly cut she bleeds to death.

Police put the murders down to a creepy neighbor and the car accident to just that, an accident.

The fifth cheerleader Jen....well everyone thinks she killed herself because she couldn’t handle her friends dying.

Five years later Jen's little sister Monica finds Jen's old cell phone in her stepdads drawer. Along with photos with handwritten notes saying ‘the neighbor didn’t do it. Connect the dots’. Monica gets in contact with a stranger that was texting her sister on the morning she killed herself. And she gets a text back....(Suspenseful music).

Pretty much Monica looks into what really happened five years ago to her sister and her friends. Everyone that she comes into contact with has some part to play. I thought I had it all figured out by chapter three but I was so wrong.

Its such a easy read and in the end I was left feeling intrigued but a little sad because sometimes the tragedies in life don’t always have a reason for happening.    

Read this book and comment below how it made you feel.

This was book 1 for the 'Reading out of my comfort zone' challenge I set myself for this year. Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/napierlibraries/ to see what I'll be reading next. Join me on my challenge and see what new books you can find! (Remember to send us a photo of what you’re reading too).

Book Review: Gone

Gone.

One moment your teacher is standing at the blackboard explaining the history of the Civil War and then he’s just not. No puff, no flash of light, no explosion… hes just gone.

In small town Perdido Beach everyone over the age of 15 has disappeared, so no police, no teachers, no PARENTS a dream come true for most kids right!?
but then things start to change...

Kids around you are able to do strange things they couldn’t do before
You start to notice the animals aren’t really the same either
Bullies are taking over the town
The day care is fill of young kids but no-one to watch them 
The food supply is getting smaller and smaller 
Kids are getting hurt 
The strong are picking on the weak

You begin to realize that the adults they were all so happy to be without, are the ones they now need. 

With panic slowly starting to move through town everyone is starting to look at you, Sam Temple, to fix it…. But you have no idea where to start and you’re not 100% sure you want to be the one to 'fix it' . You’re not an adult you’re just a kid who wants to surf, and you’re dealing with your own issues your own strange gift that you don’t want to tell anyone about, and your birthdays coming in a few months. You’ll be 15.

Book Review: Lifel1k3 (Lifelike)

Lifelike is a dystopian story about Eve.    Eve is a robot gladiator building whiz, but when her priced junkyard gladiator is smashed beyond repair leaving her undefended and seconds from being ‘smashed beyond repair’ herself, she reveals a dormant secret ability that saves her life but in saving herself she has also doomed herself. What she just did is seen as an abomination by a dangerous group called the brotherhood who's swore oath is to eliminate people like Eve.
Eve quickly hides herself in the fleeing crowd with her best friend Lemon, they then disappear in the twisted metal slums they call home. While trying to make it home unnoticed the two girls witness and fighter plane crash, with their only source of incoming lying in an unusable pile of torn metal Eves plan is to scavenge the wreckage for parts to sell and start again... but the girls find more then they were expecting, a unresponsive lifelike, lifelike's are highly weaponized and expensive robot that look like humans and thought to have been all destroyed years ago, Eve has hit the scavenger jack-pot! But the girls are not the only ones to have seen the crash and quickly discover that a smart mouth and an electrified baseball might not be able to save them this time... but the now awake lifelike might be able too....

Lifelike was in my top 10 most anticipated books this year and it didn't disappoint a definite must read!

Book Review: Legend

Once the western United States is now the Republic. A nation with rich military families that have it all, good military universities, easy access to health care, good housing and plenty of food and the poor families working for them, living in the slums fighting and scavenging for everything. The only way out is to score high on your trials…a test to decide what part of society you belong.

June- born into the one of the Republic wealthiest districts and a military prodigy with a perfect trial score and amazing military skills, is tasked with a mission well beyond her peers…to hunt down Day the republics most wanted criminal, the same boy accused of killing her brother.

Day- an unknown boy for the slums who turns into modern-day Robin Hood stealing much need medication and food from highly secure military facilities for the despite families in the slums, quickly becoming the states most wanted criminal but also a shining light for the suffering underdogs.

I soooo can’t give too much away about this story. It’s one of those books you just need to grab and get stuck in. With chapters from each characters point of view, it's a little different from other books I have read. I flew through all three books so fast because I had to know what was happening next. There is a loooootttt happening lying, action, romance, this is another one of my favourite books series and actually just writing this review just makes me want to re-read them

My only negative really was the end (of the third book), don’t get me wrong the books are worth reading right till the end I just think the end was rushed and could of easily been a few hundred pages longer just to finish the story better. But hey people might love the ending so you’ll just have to read them and see. 

What to read after... The 100

Here's why...

Countdown

Countdown sees two teens linked together in a game of life and death not just theoretically but literally (sound familiar) the two teens must work together to get through the deadly tasks given to them by a hidden society and stay alive long enough to figure out a way to get free .... and away for those that are always watching... DUM DUM DUM!

Maze Runner

This is just a different twist on the core theme of The 100 . Maze Runner features a group of teen's stuck together trying to survive in their new surroundings, and just like the 100 there is more to the Maze Runner world then we initially think and just like the 100 series each book just opens up more and more of the world and also the problems.

The Prey

Similar to The 100 in that there are two groups of kids, one that believes they are being trained to be soldiers but soon discover that they are in fact being trained too be hunted for sport to the highest bidder and in their attempt to escape the group encounters the second group of kids that are being experimented on for "The greater good". (Talk about 'Mount Weather' flash backs!) Now the two groups must work together to escape and survive.

Revenge and the Wild

"Revenge and the Wild's Cannibals vs The 100's Grounds? who would win!!!"

Revenge and the Wild is based around Westie a girl determined to find the cannibals that killed her family and took her arm. This book has lots of the same ideas as The 100 but also has massive differences, like werewolves, vampires, orks, and other magical creatures. So if you liked the 100 AND fantasy books this could be the perfect mass-up to read next??

Book Review: Ivory and Bone

First step when reading this book: forget everything! Think I’m insane? Well I’ll explain… if you haven’t read a prehistoric fiction book before (like me) then the first thing you need to do is take a minute… picture a world with nothing, really imagine yourself 3.7 million years ago when everything you know now didn’t exist.

As soon as I did that I enjoyed the book a lot more. Learning small things from the hidden details about how they lived was awesome, of course the hunting mammoths and escaping from saber tooth tigers holds its own level of excitement I really enjoyed the little things, like Kol walking into the clans kitchen and explaining the room with his mother’s carving stones that his father carried back to the camp after a hunting trip and handmade knifes made from all different materials or when Kol and his brothers create a new sleeping hut out of mammoth bones for you and your family the visiting guests and filling it with pelts collected from many different generations of hunters.

The story is told by Kol talking to you Mya a girl from a visiting clan who many believe will soon become your wife … but romance is never easy especially when you clans have a dark history together. Figuring you (Mya) out is the hardest thing Kol has done, your stand-offish domineer and unforgiving untrusting personality is just too much for Kol but when your younger sister and Kol’s younger brother develop strong feels for each other it seems that you will be around each other for longer than he was intending…

The story itself was a different pace then I’m used to with the accurate world building that needed to go into this book the author does really well holding your interest while still staying true to the facts of that time period. I have seen that this book will be a trilogy but you could read this one as a standalone and still be happy.

Book Review: Revenge and the Wild

Westie, our rough around the edges main character, is on the hunt for her families killers, a group of cannibals that left her an orphan and only one arm. As a child Westie was saved and nursed back to health by the Wintu tribe then was adopted by Nigel Butler a local inventor who is also responsible for the new piece of clockwork hardware she calls an arm. Westie and Nigel live in the sanctuary of Rouge City, a western town protected by Wintu magic where humans and creatures can live side by side without killing each other. But now seventeen, Westie wants revenge, and will search high and low if she has too. But fate has other plans for Westie and her crew and with a new troubling discovery about magic and an even more troubling set of visitors Westie is going to need a lot more help and smarts to get the revenge she craves.

This story is full of amazing characters including a vampire with an agenda of his own, werewolves, a boy with a clockwork mask, Orks and other mythical creatures that all still manage to fit the western theme of the story. I loved the relationships Westie has with the different characters and found myself loving them all in the same ways she does. I haven't read a stand alone book in a while and it was nice to have the 'situation' resolved all in the one book, it also made the story flow quickly

This is a good book to read between series or while your waiting for the next book in a series to be  published! (like i was HURRY UP WAR STORM haha), or if your just wanting a 'bookpallet' cleanser because this books is definitely 'interestingly different' .

Book Review: The Last Namsara

Who would have thought telling a bedtime story could be a dragons weakness.

We dive into this amazing story with Asha (that’s our kick ass heroine of the story) luring a dragon out so she can kill it. She succeeds but not before she is burnt by the dragon as he takes its last breath, being burnt by dragon fire is deadly.

When she tries to treat her burn in secret is when she meets a slave. (You’ll like him). He isn’t afraid of her, everyone is afraid of her. He bandages her burn without flinching or shying away. Why isn’t he scared? It’s against the law to look at her let alone touch her, so why is he risking his life helping her?

To not have to marry her jerk of a fiancé she must complete a dangerous mission, a mission that completely turns on its head. Showing our heroine that love ones don’t always tell you the truth, sometimes that can burn deeper than a dragon’s burn.

This story is fast pace, page turning and has a grip on you that you absolutely NEED to know what happens next. There are short stories within the story so you are never lost about what’s happened or how something started.

LOVED IT! Give it a go!

Review by Ema

New Arrivals

Book Review: Brotherhood of Thieves

Brotherhood of thieves is set back when horses were how you got home on time, you didn’t leave home without your sword and life on the streets leaves you cold, miserable and hungry… so when main character —orphan and street thief— Caspan gets given the chance to compete to join the brotherhood of thieves (a secret order sanctioned by the king) how could he pass it up.

The secret order specialise in treasure hunting, exploring ancient temples long left by an ancient race that lived on earth many moons ago, leaving behind their magical artifacts that are much needed by the kings army in a war against the Roon, the invading ork army .

After completing the first part of their training the five young apprentices – Caspan, Roland, Lachlan, Sara and Kilt - receive a very special gift reserved only for those in the Order… their own Wardens, a magical beast that they will train with to help them with their task, but when the group are sent on their first mission things don’t go to plan and the trainees must rely on each other and work together to survive.

This book would suit any reader that enjoys dragons, sword fighting, magical pets and funny banter. Also great for younger teens stepping up into teen books.

Book Review: Red Queen

I was very late to the party on this one and I don’t know why I left it for so long but now I can see why people said I was crazy for not reading it sooner

Red Queen is about a kingdom divided by blood type. The silver bloods born with abilities like control fire (like the royal family), water, iron or even the mind and Red bloods who have been controlled by silvers for hundreds of years, but when Mare Barrow falls to her death from a balcony while working and survives the story begins. Mare Barrow knows that when she is cut she bleeds red, so when a lightning bolt shots from her hand no-one is more surprised than her… and doing it in front of a stadium full of elite silver families wasn't what she thought would happen when she woke up this morning, but it’s also probably the thing that saves her life.

With too many people seeing the spectacle the royal family knows that getting rid of her will raise to many questions, so what better way to hide a secret then to hide it in plain sight so Mare Barrow is transformed into Mareena Titanos, a dead silver lords lost child, now found and brought home again…. Mare has no choose but to play along it’s that or an “accident” that leaves her dead. But the more time she spends with these pretentious, spoiled elites the more her ability hums for rebellion and with the help of an unlikely companion the struggling red rebellion might finally have their chance…

The red queen series has so many hidden scandals and back stabbings (sometimes literally) that it hurt to read it, just when you think yes yes yes! the storyline turns to a nooo no why nooo ;)  With the addition of handsome princes, steampunk’esk machinery and a ragtag rebellion this book ticks a lot of boxes.

And might I just add the characters ’abilities’ are really well done.  There isn't to many of them so you don’t lose track of who can do what and the creativity of them is unlike other books I have read  (okay fire and water control are your norm but being able to manipulate iron into a dress that can also kill someone that needs a high five) 

Book Review: Defy

“How do I look?” My voice wobbled but I refused to let myself cry again. The army would be here any minute.

“Like me,” Marcel said

Together, we hurried to pick up all the hair and throw it into the flames that were consuming what was left of our cottage. The long strands, years’ worth of growth, curled up and burned away in moments. Gone. Like my parents. Like my home. All taken, burned, hewn down, and turned to ash.

It always irritated Alexa how similar she looked to her twin brother Marcel. Her jaw was to square for a girl and she was too tall, her hair was the one feature that made her look like a girl apart from that she could easily pass as her brother’s twin brother not twin sister, but that’s exactly what saves her after the Blevon army attacks her village killing her parents and making Alexa and her brother orphans and in their king’s care… where all orphaned boys are forced to join the king’s army and all orphaned girls are sent to the breeding house… to one day make more boys for his growing army.

So Alexa has no choose but to live out the remainder of her life as Alex, Marcel’s twin brother and become a solider in the king’s army but after displaying her talents with a sword in training the twins are quickly transferred to the elite prince’s guard. Were they must now guard the young prince day and night… yea that will be easy for a girl hiding out as a boy...

With that main set up happening in the first 20 or so pages it leaves a lot of story left and there is a lot of amazing story left.

This series has enough to please everyone, a love triangle, witty writing, sword fighting, a girl hiding in a boy’s world, battling for what’s right from within, characters that aren’t all that they seem and my personal favorite kick ass main characters!!!

The series is nice a quick to with each book only being a few hundred pages long so if your looking for a quick series to read or just wanting something to read while on break I recommend giving it a go.

The breeding house isn’t graphically explained but is differently part of the story and will need a slightly older readers to understand what’s going on. 

Ready for Reserve

Book Review: Cirque du Freak

I have read this whole series and I loved it! Easily one of my favorite series.

In my opinion the first book is just there as the 'set up' book for the rest of the series, it’s where we meet our main character (Darren) and his best friend (Steve).  

They attended a freak show that’s in town for the night and there they see Larten Crepsley (the 204 year old vampire but only Steve realizes this).  Larten Crepsley is preforming with his rare poisonous spider, Madam Octa, Darren has always been amazed by spiders and has never seen anything like Madam Octa, after the show he decides to sneak into Larten’s room after the show for a closer look. When Darren can hear people coming he decides to steal Madam Octa!

While in Darren's care Madam Octa bites Steve which leaves him in a very dangerous coma. Darren’s only choice is to return to the freak show before it leaves town and ask for the antidote from Larten Crepsley.

Larten Crepsley agrees to give Darren the antidote but only if he becomes his assistant... Darren reluctantly agrees, he has no chose its either become a vampires assistant or watch his friend die. (something he already blames himself for)

Basically once we get passed all that (in the first half of the book) it transforms! 

We are introduced to our new home at the travelling show and there we meet all kinds of interesting characters - including a lizard boy and a tremendous show conductor.   The series itself revolves around a bigger vampire story but there is no sparkles or teen drama in this vampire story.. the strongest will only survive in this story. 

Suitable for Pre-Teens and great for reluctant reads

What to read after... Throne of Glass

Why you may ask ??

Carve the mark
Carve the Mark shares some of the great elements of Throne of Glass - Strong characters, characters with more than human abilities and hidden plans that keep you turning the pages way past bedtime - but its set in a totally different genre so there is a whole new amazing 'planet' to discover . With strong protagonists, an evil prince and an underground rebellion I don't know what more you need but just encase there is also inter-planet fighting, amazing airships and its set in space .... come on! 

The Lost Prince
Now full honesty this book just reminds me of Aedion :) So it's more of a 'what to read after you finish book 5' .   Following unavoidable events Ethan the Main character is forced to hide out in the magical world that he has spent years trying to avoid and hes not alone.. Mackenzie St.James, the cute reporter from the school paper, is now court up in the dangerous world not meant for mortals and with a destiny that wont leave him alone and a cute girl that refuses to return to safety Ethan's got his work cut out for him if their every going to get home. The Lost Prince is a great book for everyone

The Demon king
Okay take a minute with me and imagine two medieval schools side by side and at one you study how to control high magic and at the other you learn how to fight for the best armies ... Now if you haven't gone there already imagine the Throne of Glass characters a few years younger (or in some cases a few hundred years younger) attending those schools !!  The Demon king trilogy is sooo good and I'm not doing it justice with this explanation but seriously this book goes toe to toe with Throne of Glass, its full of magic and action , with two very solid main characters and two intricate stories . You'll find this hard to put down and with each book having no less then 500 pages they look daunting but they are super easier to read and the language is not overly intricate so you'll find yourself finishing and grabbing for the next one faster then you think .

Frostblood
So with my 'no spoilers' rule this one is hard to explain why is a 'read next' but basically for fans of the "Throne of Glass queen" and her "warrior prince" (if you get my drift 'cough cough') then read this! I loved it , the focus on just the two blood types was interesting and meant the author could really build the world and characters . It would be a great book to read if you enjoyed Carve the Mark too. Basically a bit of the throne of glass world but the character building of Carve the Mark and hey I'm not upset with that :P .