The Iron Trial is the first book in Holly Black and Cassandra Clare's Magisterium series. It follows young Callum as he is recruited unwilling into the Magisterium, a school of magical teaching, where he will learn much more than how to control his magic and the elements. The Iron Trials is filled with positive themes such as teamwork, uniqueness, and building friendships that are important to younger readers.

"A rutting beast you were, a beast you will become. Not all at once, my selfish one. Day by day, the change will come upon you, until you have suffered for every tear my daughter wept, for every drop of blood she shed this day."

Erik Trevayne is called the Demon Lord of Hawksbridge Castle for good reason. He is cursed by a witch to slowly turn into a "rutting beast." As he slowly loses himself to the curse and his humanity is slowly replaced by the very animal he is cursed to become, Erik decides that the curse may destroy him, but it can't take away his once secret longing, a family, a son to leave his legacy to. Donning mask and gloves to hide his changing appearance he seeks a bride from the only place left that a woman might agree to marry him-the gallows. Erik takes to bride Kristine in hopes of fathering a heir before madness and the curse takes him over completely. Once a loved husband, he lost his wife and son as childbirth took them both away and left him only with the dreaded curse placed on him by his wife's mother, the Witch of Cummerian Crag.

One of the first things that grabs your attention while reading Lark Rising is the beautiful writing and world-building, both of which draw you into the story easily. From the simple and peaceful daily life Lark experiences gathering herbs and helping her grandmother in their village Merith to the rolling Hills of Tarnec where the wild horses roam free to the Dark Woods where deadly creatures and dark magic have taken over, each setting is brought vividly to life with words that capture your imagination.

The Jewel is the first book in Amy Ewing's new series The Lone City that sucks readers into a dystopian world where magic is both a curse and a blessing. The story follows young Violet as she is taken from her family to be trained as a surrogate to one of the royal houses that make up the heart of The Lone City, known as the Jewel. Here, she will be showered in wealth and riches, but the price she will pay is high as Violet must learn how to outmaneuver deadly intrigue and cruelty among the Jewel's ladies of nobility. Can Violet escape the Gilded Cadge she has been thrust into? Or will she hall victim to the Jewel's deadly machinations. Magic, forbidden romance and murder surround Violet in this page-turner.