Owlflight by Mercedes Lackey

Owlflight by Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon - 342 pages

Darian isn't happy to be apprenticed to the mage after his parents disappear.  While his master Justyn is kind, Darian isn't interested in magic.  He wants to be a trapper like his parents were.  He loves the forest and would spend all his time there.  Which is what saves him when bandits from the north invade his village.  He was in the forest and manages to escape to the Hawkbrothers.

This is the first book of a trilogy in one of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series.  I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the rest of them.

The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill

The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill - 372 pages

Ned was the wrong boy . . . the wrong boy that was saved when both he and his twin brother went into the river.  He's been ostracized by the villagers ever since he was saved.  But when bandits come to his town to steal the magic his mother safeguards, it is Ned who saves the magic.  Together with Aine, the Bandit King's daughter, they travel through the Woods trying to keep the magic and his kingdom safe.

I really enjoyed this book.  I liked the fact that even though it was a children's book, I didn't exactly know where it was going.  It kept you guessing throughout the story.  The characters were interesting.  And I loved the bits of humor that were injected into the final part of the book.