Lara Mieduniecki and Isla Macfarlane from Blackwell’s Bookshop in Edinburgh recommend a great selection of YA titles from 2015.

Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch

It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell.

Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. Theron is hopeful and excited—with this much magic, the world can finally stand against threats like Angra. But Meira knows that the last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders the two on a mission across the kingdoms of Primoria to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans to use the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves?

Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Jannuari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, he decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken kingdom and protect them from new threats?

As the web of power and deception is woven tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom—and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter but for the world.

Lara’s Recommendation

“This is the sequel to the stunning Snow Like Ashes one of the best young adult fantasies I’ve read in a long time. Meira has saved her people from extinction at the hands of the evil Angra & The Decay. She must now out maneuver her peoples’ saviours who are now trying to seize power. She journeys to neighbouring lands seeking allies & the hidden keys which will allow her to control the powerful magic caged under Winter’s mountains. A thrilling tale of magic, power, murder & betrayal.”
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Demon Road by Derek Landy

The creator of the number one bestselling Skulduggery Pleasant series returns with the story of a girl on the run from everything she loves… and the monsters that await her. For anyone who ever thought their parents were monsters… Amber Lamont is a normal sixteen-year-old. Smart but insecure, she spends most of her time online, where she can avoid her beautiful, aloof parents and their weird friends.

But when a shocking encounter reveals a horrifying secret, Amber is forced to go on the run. Killer cars, vampires, undead serial killers and red-skinned, horned demons – Amber hurtles from one threat to the next, revealing the terror woven into the very fabric of her life. As her parents close in behind her, Amber’s only chance rests with her fellow travellers, who are not at all what they appear to be…

Witty, action-packed and heart-stoppingly thrilling, Demon Road will take you on an epic road-trip across the supernatural landscape of America.

Lara’s Recommendation

“Brand new series from the author of Skulduggery Pleasant. Amber is a normal teenager with normal problems until she turns 16 & her usually cold & distant parents begin to take a sinister & disturbing interest in her. When she witnesses a murder in her own home she goes on the run from her parents & their friends who just happen to be demons intent on making her their next victim. Wisecracking nail biting fantasy which will have you turning pages into the wee hours.”

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Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine

Iris’s father, Ernest, is at the end of his life and she hasn’t even met him. Her best friend, Thurston, is somewhere on the other side of the world. Everything she thought she knew is up in flames.

Now her mother has declared war and means to get her hands on Ernest’s priceless art collection. But Ernest has other ideas. There are things he wants Iris to know after he’s gone. And the truth has more than one way of coming to light.

Isla’s Recommendation: “I loved this book.”

Iris has some issues with fire. In that she likes to set them and watch them burn. Her mother and step-dad are wannabes who care more about their social standing than their daughter. When Iris’ estranged father turns out to be fantastically wealthy and conveniently dying, the family makes a trip to see how many of Ernest’s expensive paintings they can get in the will. But Ernest isn’t anything like the stories that Iris has heard, and it turns out fire and paintings don’t mix.

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