A couple years ago, I had so much delight in reading Tania del Rio and Will Staehle's Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye, a fantasy meets steampunk MG novel with gorgeous illustrations and a sweet, endearing protagonist named Warren. Twelve-year old Warren was the lone bellhop, valet and all-around errand boy of his family's Warren Hotel, but his Aunt Annaconda and a slew of peculiar guests kept upending everything in their search for the All-Seeing Eye, a mysterious treasure. Luckily, Warren was able to save his hotel and stop Aunt Annaconda, but his misadventures are not over yet!

In a few months, the long-awaited sequel to Warren the 13th and All-Seeing Eye will be released in bookstores! What will happen next to Warren, his friends, and his beloved hotel in Warren the 13th and the Whispering Woods? I can't wait to find out!

Release Date: March 21, 2017
Publisher: Quirk Books
Add to Goodreads | Amazon.ca | Indigo
 

Warren the 13th is back in another lushly illustrated middle grade adventure.

This sequel to Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye begins soon after the first book’s conclusion. Twelve-year-old Warren has learned that his beloved hotel can walk, and now it’s ferrying guests around the countryside, transporting tourists to strange and foreign destinations. But when an unexpected detour brings everyone into the dark and sinister Malwoods, Warren finds himself separated from his hotel and his friends—and racing after them on foot through a forest teeming with witches, snakes, talking trees, and mind-boggling riddles. Once again, you can expect stunning illustrations and gorgeous design from Will Staehle on every page—along with plenty of nonstop action and adventure!

In the meantime, as we wait for Warren the 13th and the Whispering Woods, author Tania del Rio has created a special short story celebrating Warren's very unlucky day on Friday the 13th! The short story is included in a fun activity book filled with crosswords and puzzles which I've embedded below.
 




While poor Warren has an unlucky day on Friday the 13th, he's not the only character to experience a very bad day. I thought I'd share 13 YA and MG books with memorable villains that my fave protagonists had to defeat and save the day!

1) Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses - Amarantha Anyone who can control the High Lords of Prythian to do her bidding and threaten the human realm is to be feared indeed. I'll never forget Amarantha's cruelty and delight in torturing Feyre as our heroine fought hard to free the faeries from captivity and the man she loved. But even scarier? In the sequel, A Court of Mist and Fury, a more powerful villain emerges.  
2) Jessica Cluess's A Shadow Bright and Burning - Seven Ancients  Set in an alternate Victorian England, Seven Ancients have terrorized the country for over a decade ever since they were summoned from another world. R'hlem, Skinless Man; On-Tez, the Vulture Lady; Callax, the Child Eater; and Nemneris, the Water Spider are just some of their names. And only Henrietta Howel, the key to a prophecy with her ability to burst into flame, can truly defeat them.  
3) Zoraida Córdova's Labyrinth Lost - The Devourer When Alex tries to get rid of powers as a bruja during her Deathday celebration, the canto backfires and her entire family is sent to Los Lagos, a land in-between where souls linger. But the Devourer has transformed a once wondrous realm into nightmare and ash, and she's been waiting to steal the magic of a powerful bruja...  
4) Elly Blake's Frostblood - Frost King   In a kingdom where firebloods have been hunted to extinction by the frostblood ruling class, Ruby is one of the last of her kind. The cruel, tyrannical Frost King collects firebloods and forces them to fight his frostblood champions in deadly tournaments... and Ruby has just been captured. Now she'll have to fight with fire to end the reign of ice.  
5) Jennifer Estep's Cold Burn of Magic - Victor Draconi Victor Draconi. Now that's a villainous name. In the magical town of Cloudburst Falls, ruled by feuding crime families, Victor Draconi is the cruelest and most ruthless leader of them all. And Lila Merriweather knows this personally. After all, he brutally killed her mother. Now Lila must use her transference abilities and all her skills as a thief to avenge her mom and save her home.  
6) Lauren DeStefano's A Curious Tale of the In-Between - Lady Savant Pram has always felt she's both living and dead, which isn't exactly a normal thought for a twelve-year-old girl. But then again, she's never been a normal girl. You see, Pram can interact with ghosts... but she's never seen the spirit of her dead mother. Trouble comes in the form of Lady Savant, a mysterious traveling spiritualist who has sinister plans to use Pram's gifts—and steal her soul.  
7) Kevin Sands's The Blackthorn Key - Cult of the Archangel Set during the Restoration period in the 17th century, a mysterious cult is preying on the city's apothecaries and leaving a trail of mutilated bodies across London in their wake. I won't spoil who's part of the Cult of the Archangel, but you'll love unscrambling the cryptic clues alongside apprentice Christopher Rowe and his loyal sidekick Tom as they race to save their city.
  8) Karen Lynch's Relentless - Eli and his mysterious Master In a world where supernaturals like werewolves and faeries live among us, it's the Mohiri who defend humans against bloodthirsty vampires. Eli is a powerful vampire in his own right, but it's his Master who remains elusive throughout this addictive trilogy. Sara Grey's world is about to turned upside down when she learns she's a Mohiri and catches Eli and his Master's attention.  
9) Sarah Raughley's Fate of Flames - Saul and the Phantoms Sailor Moon meets Pacific Rim in Sarah Raughley's thrilling Fate of Flames. Around the world, terrifying monsters called Phantoms attack cities and reduce everything to rubble. Only four female Effigies, each gifted with an elemental power, can defeat a Phantom. But a mysterious fifth Effigy named Saul has appeared and he can control the Phantoms...     
10) Lynette Noni's Akarnae  - Aven Dalmarta Alexandra Jennings attends the prestigious Akarnae Academy, a school not only for gifted students in the magical kingdom of Medora, but also the home of a powerful, sentient Library that only she can safely traverse. But Aven Dalmarta, a powerful banished prince from the lost city of Meya, needs to open a doorway through the Library to return to his homeland. Now danger stalks Alex from the shadows. As if trying to survive combat class wasn't enough.  
11) Marie Lu's The Young Elites  - Adelina Amouteru Okay, so I haven't completely finished the Young Elites trilogy yet (still need to read The Midnight Star), but Adelina Amouteru is an unforgettable character. Abused and hunted because of her dangerous powers, an ability to cast illusions, Adelina slowly transforms into a feared leader. If you're looking for a villain origin story to read, this series is definitely for you.  
12) Delia Sherman's The Evil Wizard Smallbone - Evil Wizard Fidelou   In this charming and heartfelt MG fantasy, twelve-year-old Nick becomes the Evil Wizard Smallbone's newest apprentice and learns magic from a sentient bookstore. But danger lurks near as Smallbone's nemesis, the Evil Wizard Fidelou, and his pack of shape-shifting coyotes/bikers try to attack their picturesque hometown.  
13) Sarah Porter's Vassa in the Night - Babs Yagg  Inspired by Russian folktale "Vassillissa the Beautiful", this strange and dreamy novel wouldn't be the same without Babs Yagg, the owner of a convenience store with a penchant for beheading customers. Babs Yagg is a wicked witch who loves to trick her victims and accuse them of stealing, forcing our heroine Vassa to be constantly on her guard as she works to pay off her debt in three nights.    I hope your Friday the 13th isn't too unlucky today! What are some of your favourite books with memorable villains?