Adventures in Mysterious Lands: A Reading List
This installment of the Riot Recommendation is sponsored by Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon.
Fairy tale retellings have become popular in today’s culture, ranging from creative reimaginings of favorite childhood tales to mash-ups with today’s world. And with shows such as Smash and Glee capturing people’s attention, Broadway is making a comeback as well. Authors Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon tap into both trends while also providing an entertaining and spell-binding story with Doon, the first book in a new YA series featuring adventure, humor, and two amazing—and very different—romances.
In this creative spin on the classic Brigadoon, Veronica and her best friend, Mackenna, travel to Scotland for the summer in hopes of finding some peace. But the Scottish countryside holds a host of secrets—including a passageway to a mysterious land that appears to be a real-life fairy tale. In the land of Doon, two handsome princes vie for the girls’ hearts. Veronica and Mackenna could have everything they’ve ever longed for … or end up breaking an enchantment and find themselves trapped in a world that may soon become a nightmare.
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Whether they take us down a rabbit hole, through a curious old wardrobe, or into outer space, adventure stories offer readers a chance to visit new–and often imaginary–lands in service of discovering things we never knew about ourselves. There’s something undeniably thrilling about characters setting out for parts unknown or finding themselves unexpectedly in places they never knew existed.
We asked you to share your favorite stories that take place in mysterious lands, and here’s what you had to offer:
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Earthsea Series by Ursula K. LeGuin
Winnie-the-Pooh and The House on Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne
The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini
The Thursday Next and Nursery Crime series by Jasper Fforde
The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
The Inkheart trilogy by Cornelia Funke
The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett
The Magicians series by Lev Grossman
Neverwhere and Stardust by Neil Gaiman
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville
The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
The Princess series by Jim. C Hines
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
Warped by Maurissa Guibord
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards
The Fablehaven series and Beyonders: A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull
Dragonfriend by Roger Eschbacher
The Dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper
His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
Hollow Bones by CJ Lyons
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
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