Recommendations based on "The Darkest Magic"

Ordinary kids: extraordinary powers: amazing adventures. The fantastic Shapeshifter series continues with Dax and his friends settling into their new secret hideaway in the Lake District. The whole place has been fortified so that the Children of Limitless Ability won't ever be under threat again. After dodging death once too often for his liking, Dax is looking forward to a quieter time - building a tree house in the grounds and shifting to a fox or a falcon and exploring the countryside. But all is not well in the spirit world - strange messages are coming through and Dax, Gideon, Lisa and Mia must once again join forces. Could the messages be coming from Luke and Catherine, Gideon's dead brother and sister? Perhaps they're even still alive? In which case, they have to rescue Luke from Catherine's evil clutches - but is Dax really a match for her? With appeal for both boys and girls, this is a fast-paced action adventure about contemporary children with super powers, told with award-winning Ali Sparkes's humour and lightness of touch. Perfect for fans of Alex Rider, Robert Muchamore's CHERUB series, and Young Bond.

Sequel to the New York Times bestseller Amari and the Night Brothers!Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black in this magical second book in the New York Times and Indie bestselling Supernatural Investigations trilogy—perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, the Percy Jackson series, and Nevermoor.After finding her brother and saving the entire supernatural world, Amari Peters is convinced her first full summer as a Junior Agent will be a breeze.But between the fearsome new Head Minister’s strict anti-magician agenda, fierce Junior Agent rivalries, and her brother Quinton’s curse steadily worsening, Amari’s plate is full. So when the secretive League of Magicians offers her a chance to stand up for magiciankind as its new leader, she declines. She’s got enough to worry about!But her refusal allows someone else to step forward, a magician with dangerous plans for the League. This challenge sparks the start of the Great Game, a competition to decide who will become the Night Brothers’ successor and determine the future of magiciankind.The Great Game is both mysterious and deadly, but among the winner’s magical rewards is Quinton’s last hope—so how can Amari refuse?

Desperate to undo the curse binding them together, an impulsive sorcerer and his curmudgeonly rival venture deep into a magical forest in search of a counterspell - only to discover that magic might not be the only thing pulling them together. An irresistible cosy fantasy for fans of A Marvellous Light and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Leovander Loveage is a master of small magics, content to spend his days thinking up charms that can summon butterflies or turn hair pink. That is, until a mishap with forbidden magic compels Leo to obey his longtime rival, Sebastian Grimm. Grimm is Leo's complete opposite - respected, talented and an absolutely insufferable curmudgeon. They need a counterspell, and fast. Chasing rumours of a powerful sorcerer, Leo and Grimm enter the Unquiet Wood, a forest teeming with murderous monsters and dangerous outlaws. To break the curse, they'll have to uncover the true depths of Leo's magic, set aside their animosity and - much to their horror - work together. Even as an odd spark of attraction flares between them. 'Maiga Doocy's voice is nothing short of masterful . . . I would gladly take an arrow for either Leo or Grimm' Megan Bannen, author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy 'I loved this book! . . . One of the best slow-burn relationships I've seen in a long time. Prepare to get deeply invested in Leovander Lovage and Sebastian Grimm.' Melissa Caruso, author of The Last Hour Between Worlds

Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain's whole world is turning upside down. With Valkyrie struggling to protect her dark secret, Skulduggery and the gang are more vulnerable than ever, just as a plague of bodysnatching Remnants are released upon the world.

The sixth book in the internationally bestselling Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage, featuring the funny and fantastic adventures of a wizard apprentice and his quest to become an ExtraOrdinary Wizard.New York Times Bestselling Series“A memorable, edge-of-the-seat escapade that will enthrall confirmed fans and newbies alike.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“Sage proves again that she has an inventive feel for fantasy adventure.” —ALA Booklist“The most suspenseful installment yet.” —VOYA (starred review)In this sixth Magycal installment, Alther Mella has been Banished, a Darke Domaine engulfs the Castle, and a Darke dragon is on the loose. Septimus Heap must use all of his skills to save the Castle and the Wizard Tower from destruction: He must enter the Darke. But he cannot do this alone. With the help of Jenna, Alther Mella, Marcellus Pye, and Septimus's estranged brother, Simon Heap, Septimus and Marcia Overstrand battle the spreading Darkenesse. Will Septimus succeed in protecting his Magykal world?Written with Angie Sage's characteristic flair, Septimus Heap, Book Six: Darke is a compelling fantasy adventure filled with surprises, thrills, and laugh-out-loud moments. Readers will revel in the action-packed story as they realize the wisdom of Magyk—that all things are meant to be part of a living whole.

A #1 New York Times bestseller An IndieBound bestseller A USA Today bestseller A Wall Street Journal bestseller  The #1 New York Times bestselling series set in Chris Colfer's Land of Stories universe, perfect for both new and longtime fans, featuring A Tale of Magic..., A Tale of Witchcraft..., and A Tale of Sorcery... When Brystal Evergreen stumbles across a secret section of the library, she discovers a book that introduces her to a world beyond her imagination and learns the impossible: She is a fairy capable of magic! But in the oppressive Southern Kingdom, women are forbidden from reading and magic is outlawed, so Brystal is swiftly convicted of her crimes and sent to the miserable Bootstrap Correctional Facility. But with the help of the mysterious Madame Weatherberry, Brystal is whisked away and enrolled in an academy of magic! Adventure comes with a price, however, and when Madame Weatherberry is called away to attend to an important problem she doesn't return. Do Brystal and her classmates have what it takes to stop a sinister plot that risks the fate of the world, and magic, forever? Fall in love with an all-new series from Chris Colfer, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Land of Stories, filled with adventure, imagination, and wonderfully memorable characters both familiar and new.  

Adventure, action, and magic collide in the latest installment of the series that School Library Journal called "fast paced and exciting." In the third book of the series that VOYA recommends "for fans of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter," the war over the Eighth Day continues—and there's more at stake than ever before. The battle between Kin and Transitioners that's been brewing for centuries has finally come to a head. The sinister Kin have captured Evangeline's younger sister, Addie, a descendant of Merlin whose presence will allow them to reverse the Eighth Day Spell and free themselves. Addie doesn't realize the full consequences of her cooperation. She's been helping the Kin because they value the strength of her magic—something Evangeline never did. The feeling of power coursing through her veins is impossible to resist. Meanwhile, Riley, Evangeline, and Jax craft a plan to rescue Addie from her captors. But the Kin's unstoppable magic, and a rebellious Addie, force Riley to reconsider whether saving Addie is worth sacrificing everyone who lives in the seven-day week. Jax won't let Evangeline's sister be used as a pawn, so he risks it all in a secret mission of his own. With the Morrigan pushing both sides of the war toward annihilation, Addie must decide where her loyalties lie, while Jax, Riley, and Evangeline confront the possibility of losing Addie to save the world.

The familiars Aldwyn the cat, Skyler the blue jay, and Gilbert the tree frog are off on an all-new adventure in the series that Michael Buckley, bestselling author of The Sisters Grimm and NERDS series, says "combines the magic of Harry Potter and the adventure of Warriors." With inventive magic, laugh-out-loud humor, and a mysterious conspiracy that will take all the familiars' wits to unravel, Palace of Dreams is the familiars' most extraordinary adventure yet.Peace has returned to the queendom of Vastia. Paksahara has been defeated, and the three familiars Aldwyn, Skyler, and Gilbert are the heroes to thank. But when a birthday celebration at the palace goes dreadfully wrong, and Queen Loranella falls victim to a curse, it seems the familiars are the prime suspects. After narrowly escaping the palace dungeons, they'll have to embark on a quest to clear their names—a quest that will lead them across Vastia and even into the magical land of dreams.

Enter an extraordinary magical adventure about family, fate, and finding the courage to be yourself. A remarkable debut! "One of my favorite middle grade books from recent years." --Jordan Lees, author of The Whisperwicks "An adventure overflowing with magic, brought to life with wit and charm." --Beth Lincoln, author of The Swifts On her tenth birthday, Meticulous Jones--known to her friends as Metty--receives her fate, as all children do, in the form of a magical tattoo on her hand. She hopes that her ink will reveal something exciting: a tattoo that will symbolize travel, or discovery, or adventure. What appears is a skull, balanced in the palm of a violet glove. Metty's fate is to become a murderer. Metty is swiftly hidden away by her father, Moral Jones, in a remote Welsh farmhouse, with only a miserable housekeeper (who's terrified she'll become Metty's first victim) for company. But when Moral goes missing, his sister, Aunt Magnificent, arrives to sweep Metty off to the glittering city of New London. Metty is mesmerized by the magic and enchantment she discovers there. But when she starts to hear rumors of a mysterious and dangerous organization known as the Black Moths, she wonders if they might be connected to her father's disappearance--and to her own fate. . . . Fizzing with atmosphere, danger, magic, and mystery, this fantasy will keep kids hooked from the start. A bold heroine and a darkly comic voice make this debut perfect for fans of Nevermoor and the Swifts. Inkbound's world of magical ink and fate tattoos is utterly unique, yet the writing feels classic.

The second book in the magical Tidemagic series, perfect for readers aged 9-12.Ista Flit and her friends Nat and Ruby have foiled a dastardly plot by the Hettle family to take control of the town of Shelwich, but Ista still needs to find her missing father. A magical key transports her to the mysterious Glass Island, where a sinister monster haunts the reed-beds, and the local inhabitants are falling under the seductive spell of the marsh spinners.Boldly venturing into the marsh spinner court, Ista and her friends will need all their wits and Tidemagic to resist its magical pull. Can they find Ista’s father, or will they be lost forever to the power of the spinners’ sinister music . . . ?Sequel to Tidemagic: The Many Faces of Ista Flit.