Recommendations based on "Five Portraits"

The seventh instalment in the biggest, funniest, most thrilling comedy-horror-adventure series in the universe...Magic is a disease. Across the land, normal people are suddenly developing wild and unstable powers. Infected by a rare strain of magic, they are unwittingly endangering their own lives and the lives of the people around them. Terrified and confused, their only hope lies with the Sanctuary. Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are needed now more than ever. And then there's the small matter of Kitana. A normal teenage girl who, along with her normal teenage friends, becomes infected. Becomes powerful. Becomes corrupted. Wielding the magic of gods, they're set to tear the city apart unless someone stands up against them. Looks like it's going to be another one of those days...

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant,Ace Detective,Snappy Dresser,Razor–tongued Wit,Crackerjack Sorcerer,and Walking, Talking,Fire-throwing Skeleton,—as well as ally, protector, and mentor of Stephanie Edgley, a very unusual and darkly talented twelve-year-old.These two alone must defeat an all-consuming ancient evil.The end of the world?Over his dead body.

An unmissable paraquel to the internationally bestselling Skulduggery Pleasant series, The Skulduggery Pleasant Grimoire is at once a thrilling recap of the books so far, a reference guide to characters, and a treasure-trove of bonus content. As the Skulduggery Pleasant series nears its end (again), relive the adventure in this lavishly illustrated compendium of all things Skulduggery. Featuring a unique run-down of the books so far, it also includes an invaluable reference tool for the dizzying cast of characters, as well as bonuses, surprises, and a dark story all of its own. The Grimoire is an essential book for any Skulduggery fan. The cover of this edition uses special inks and debossing to represent the age and magic of the Grimoire. Pages inside are designed to represent each archivist's actual papers, and are filled with brand-new information and illustrations from a group of carefully selected artists, including illustrator-extraordinaire Tom Percival as well as brand-new names working in multiple styles, to represent the incredible and broad world of Skulduggery Pleasant.

Return to the enchanting world of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London in this sequel by Garth Nix, bestselling master of teen fantasy, where once again a team of booksellers must fight to keep dangerous magic under cover before the stuff of legends destroys our world. New York Times bestseller!There is often trouble of a mythical sort in Bath. The booksellers who police the Old World keep a careful watch there, particularly on the entity that inhabits the ancient hot spring.This time trouble comes from the discovery of a sorcerous map, leading left-handed bookseller Merlin into great danger, requiring a desperate rescue attempt from his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, and art student Susan Arkshaw, who is still struggling to deal with her own recently discovered magical heritage.The map takes the trio to a place separated from this world, maintained by deadly sorcery and guarded by monstrous living statues. But this is only the beginning. To unravel the secrets of a murderous Ancient Sovereign, the booksellers must investigate centuries of disappearances and deaths. If they do not stop her, she will soon kill again. And this time, her target is not an ordinary mortal.

At 9, Tiffany Aching defeated the cruel Queen of Fairyland.At 11, she battled an ancient body-stealing evil.At 13, Tiffany faces a new challenge: a boy. And boys can be a bit of a problem when you're thirteen. . . .But the Wintersmith isn't exactly a boy. He is Winter itself—snow, gales, icicles—all of it. When he has a crush on Tiffany, he may make her roses out of ice, but his nature is blizzards and avalanches. And he wants Tiffany to stay in his gleaming, frozen world. Forever.Tiffany will need all her cunning to make it to Spring. She'll also need her friends, from junior witches to the legendary Granny Weatherwax. They—Crivens! Tiffany will need the Wee Free Men too! She'll have the help of the bravest, toughest, smelliest pictsies ever to be banished from Fairyland—whether she wants it or not.It's going to be a cold, cold season, because if Tiffany doesn't survive until Spring——Spring won't come.

The super-rich control everything-including magic-in this thrilling and brilliant, contemporary fantasy series from the author of the Alex Verus novels.Stephen Oakwood's ambitions used to be simple. Pay his bills, track down his father, and take care of his cat. Maybe study a little magic after work, if he had time.Now it's a year later and he's got everything he wanted. But it's come with a price.The Winged, a mysterious group involved with his father, have noticed Stephen, and they want him to join them or else. His career as a corporate locator has hit a dead end. And his new job as bodyguard to Calhoun Ashford is proving a lot more lethal than expected due to assassination attempts from outside the House, and possibly also from within.To survive, Stephen's going to need allies of his own. And along the way, he's going to have to figure out the secret of his own gift, and what it means. The cults, Houses, and corporations of the magical world are locked in an endless battle for dominance, and Stephen is beginning to realize that he's going to have to pick a side . . . before someone else picks it for him.In this series:AN INHERITANCE OF MAGICAN INSTRUCTION IN SHADOWA JUDGEMENT OF POWERS

The book version of the thrilling and innovative second Skulduggery Pleasant podcast In 1962, three sorcerers converged to do battle in a hidden chamber near a disused platform in the London Underground. Prophecy foretold that the victor would hold the very fate of humanity in their hands. Since then... nothing. Now, the people who are trying to find out exactly what happened all those years ago are being murdered – there is a killer coming after them, a killer with a plan – and their only hope for survival lies with Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain. Because when the end of the world comes knocking, our first line of defence must always be sarcasm. Unstoppable, withering sarcasm.

In the multiple parallel universes of the Twelve Related Worlds, only an enchanter with nine lives is powerful enough to control the rampant misuse of magic—and to hold the title Chrestomanci. . . . Cat and Christopher Chant make the most unusual friends. Christopher befriends a boy with terrible karma in a mansion where everything keeps changing. Cat meets a girl whose family of rogue witches is hiding shocking secrets. Will the Chrestomanci be able to sort out the tangle of mysteries and magic?

"A firework of a fantasy novel: vibrant, explosive, deliciously dangerous, and impossibly fun." ―Tasha Suri Strap in for a thrilling adventure in the sequel to Davinia Evans's wickedly entertaining debut fantasy that follows our favorite irreverent alchemists, high society ladies, and swashbuckling street gangs as they wrestle with the nature of reality itself. Siyon Velo might be acknowledged as the Alchemist. He may even have stabilized the planes and stopped Bezim from ever shaking into the sea again. But that doesn't mean he has any idea what he's doing--and it won't be long before everyone knows it. To make things worse, mythical creatures once confined to operas and myths are spotted around Bezim. A djinn invades Zagiri's garden party, and whispers of a naga slither across Anahid's Flower district card tables. Magic is waking up in the Mundane. It's up to Siyon to figure out a way to stop it, or everything he's worked so hard to save will come crashing down. Praise for The Burnished City: "I loved getting lost in this dazzling debut." ―Shannon Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass "Sheer, glorious fun!" ―Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light The Burnished City Notorious Sorcerer Shadow Baron Shadow Baron

Nine-year-old Lucy is really pleased when Allegra Greenwood moves in next door and the girls quickly become friends. But when Allegra tells her that she is a �stardust spirit�, Lucy discovers a whole world of magic beyond even her imagination� As well as the ability to fly, each stardust spirit has their own set of very special powers dictated by their individual star. Very soon, Lucy finds out that not only is her secret identity exciting but also brings responsibility. She has much to learn about stardust and it's going to be a rollercoaster ride along the way! The first of four books about friendships and family relationships weaving fantasy seamlessly into the every day world.