Ilana Huggins is an avid reader, writer, bass player, and ice hockey goalie. She is the daughter of Barbara and Tim Huggins (former Lemuria employee and founder of Newtonville Books, where Ilana discovered her passion for literature). She is an incoming freshman at Newton North High School and lives in Newton, Massachusetts, and she is here to tell us about a few of her favorite recent books.
His Fair Assassin: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers seems to show the perspective of a woman who was once
poor and abused thrust into the limelight of court and acting as a man’s mistress. But of course, there’s always more to a story than that. The book follows Ismae, who carries out the will of Saint Mortain, the god of death, through instructions from her convent. In other words, she is a trained assassin. During one of her assignments she is taken deep into the difficult task of keeping her country’s young duchess safe from the French. Ismae finds herself tangled in several webs of deception, many of which are her own. The book is thrilling, mysterious, and also manages to work in elements of romance and desire.
A circus can be the most interesting place in the world, but nothing onstage can compare to what happens backstage, as shown in Erin Morgenstern’s novel The Night Circus. It follows two magicians who have been pitted against each other since they were young, knowing that they were in a game against someone but never knowing whom, never knowing how to play, only learning and trying to play their pieces right. It is a woman, Celia, and a man, Marco, and when they discover that they are opponents, the unreasonable happens: love. Celia and Marco must then juggle keeping the circus, the challenge between them, and their love going strong. The story is heart-touching as well as exciting and keeps your fingers turning every page.
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