Others: Overwhelmingly positive Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to an allying pirate clan. But that only prompts the scorned clan to send an assassin after her. And when Ananna faces him down one night, armed with magic she doesn’t really know how to use, she accidentally activates a curse binding them together. To break the curse, Ananna and the assassin must complete three impossible tasks—all while grappling with evil wizards, floating islands, haughty manticores, runaway nobility, strange magic, and the growing romantic tension between them.
Genres: young adult
Lists: …
Cassandra Rose Clarke
2013 · 2 reviews
Others: Overwhelmingly positiveAfter setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword and their wits. But Naji has unseen enemies, and Ananna must face the wrath of the Pirate Confederation. Together, they must travel afar, defeat their foes and break the mother of all curses. With all this going on, falling in love would be such a bad idea...
What made the match, strongest first
Benjamin Alire Sáenz
2012 · 368 pages · 20 reviews
Others: Overwhelmingly positiveFifteen-year-old Ari Mendoza is an angry loner with a brother in prison, but when he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself, his parents, and his family that he has never asked before.
What made the match, strongest first
Angie Thomas
2017 · 451 pages · 30 reviews
Others: Overwhelmingly positiveThe Hate U Give is a 2017 young adult novel by Angie Thomas. It is Thomas's debut novel, expanded from a short story she wrote in college in reaction to the police shooting of Oscar Grant. The book is narrated by Starr Carter, a 16-year-old black girl from a poor neighborhood who attends an elite private school in a predominantly white, affluent part of the city. Starr becomes entangled in a national news story after she witnesses a white police officer shoot and kill her childhood friend, Khalil. She speaks up about the shooting in increasingly public ways, and social tensions culminate in a riot after a grand jury decides not to indict the police officer for the shooting. The Hate U Give was published on February 28, 2017, by HarperCollins imprint Balzer + Bray, which had won a bidding war for the rights to the novel. The book was a commercial success, debuting at number one on The New York Times young adult best-seller list, where it remained for 50 weeks. It won several awards and received critical praise for Thomas's writing and timely subject matter. In writing the novel, Thomas attempted to expand readers' understanding of the Black Lives Matter movement as well as difficulties faced by black Americans who employ code switching. These themes, as well as the vulgar language, attracted some controversy and caused the book to be one of the most challenged books of 2017 and 2018 according to the American Library Association.
What made the match, strongest first
Laini Taylor
2013 · 96 pages · 1 review
Others: PositiveLIFE DOESN'T NEED MAGIC TO BE magical. (BUT A LITTLE BIT SURE DOESN'T HURT. Petite though she may be, Zuzana is not known for her timidity. Her best friend, Karou, calls her "rabid fairy," her "voodoo eyes" are said to freeze blood, and even her older brother fears her wrath. But when it comes to the simple matter of talking to her crush, Mik, also known as Violin Boy, her courage deserts her. Now enough is enough! Zuzana is determined to seize the night, and she has a fistful of magic and a plan. It's a wonderfully elaborate treasure hunt of a plan that will take Mik all over Prague on a cold winter's night before finally leading him to the treasure: herself! Violin Boy is not going to know what hit him. New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor brings to life the funny, romantic, and magical first date of fan favorites Zuzana and Mik. Now in print for the first time, featuring breathtaking illustrations by Jim Di Bartolo, this companion tells the story of a night only hinted at in the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy. A perfect love story for new and old fans alike! This description comes from the publisher. Night of Cake & Puppets is a novella that takes place during Daughter of Smoke & Bone, the first book in the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy.
What made the match, strongest first
Elizabeth Acevedo
2019 · 400 pages · 5 reviews
Others: Overwhelmingly positiveWith her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has to make the tough decisions, and do what must be done. The one place she can let her responsibilities go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Still, she knows she doesn’t have enough time for her school’s new culinary arts class, doesn’t have the money for the class’s trip to Spain — and shouldn’t still be dreaming of someday working in a real kitchen. But even with all the rules she has for her life — and all the rules everyone expects her to play by — once Emoni starts cooking, her only real choice is to let her talent break free
What made the match, strongest first
Kendare Blake
2016 · 375 pages · 17 reviews
Others: Mostly positiveIn every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born--three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to control storms or flames with the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, able to ingest the deadliest poisons without harm. And Arsinoe, a naturalist, can control nature. But becoming the Queen Crowned isn't solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it's not just a game of win or lose ... it's life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins. The last queen standing gets the crown. --
What made the match, strongest first
Loved itthe Assassin's curse and the Pirates Wish duy by Cassandra Rose Clark this is one of my favorite duologies of all time it's so good Pirates and assassins in a MAG IAL land basically going on like a magical road trip via sea and sky and whatever they can really manage it's awesome
Loved itI was really intrigued by this series from the get-go because assassins and Pirates and I expected to go into this and really enjoy it but I ended up loving these Series so much
