The Fantasy subgenre of YA is dominated by amazing female authors who never fail in writing incredibly dynamic and complex characters that, if you are anything like me, will be your inspiration for who you want to grow up to become. Here are
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Not only are the majority of the characters POC and powerful women, which is the whole reason I picked this book back in 2015,
Disclaimer: Tahir often refers to herself as “The Evil Author” for what she puts her characters through— and she lives up to the name.
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
Our main character Zafira is the sole provider of her entire village on Arawiya, as nobody else can return from the town’s cursed forest except for her. However, each time she risks her life to hunt, she is forced to disguise herself as a man because we can’t have men knowing that a woman is infinitely stronger than them, can we? While embarking on a quest to rid Arawiya, Zafira meets Nasir, the molly dark prince sent to kill her after she completed her quest. Nasir tells himself he knows what he would choose if it came down to Zafira or completing the task his father, the Sultan, has sent him to do; but does he? One thing is clear— the top priority of the two are safety and acceptance, and they will go to nearly any length to get it.
The book has an amazing amount of Middle Eastern representation with an enemies-to-lovers trope and all the tension you could ever want. Following We Hunt the Flame is We Free the Stars, which you’ll want to pick up as soon as you finish the first in the
Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
Annie, family to low-borns—Lee, family to wealthy aristocrats; two kids who have been collateral damage of the revolution that changed everything. Growing up in the same orphanage, they became rivaling Dragonriders. However, with war fast approaching, they have to make life-altering decisions that they must live
Any more would be a spoiler. Pick up the book.
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
Set in a West-African-inspired world, our main character, Tarisai, has the opportunity to become one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. Being chosen meant a possibility of finding a family for Tarisai, for the bond between the 11 runs thicker than blood. After spending the majority of her life emotionally alone, that meant everything. Little does Tarsai know The Lady, aka her absent mother, has other plans for her. With The Lady’s ability to control Tarsai, she is ordered to kill the prince. It’s up to Tarsai to find the will to forge a path for herself or give it to her mother’s demands.
The dedication alone fueled my desire to read this, so I will leave it here: “For the kid scanning fairytales for a hero with a face like theirs. And for the girls whose stories we compressed into pities and wonders, triumphs and cautions, without asking, even once, for their names.”
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
This Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai follows the heirs of rivaling gangs, Juliette Tsai of the Scarlet Gang—Shanghai native is known for her glittery American dresses, finger curls, and utterly terrifying ruthlessness—and Roma Montogov of the White flowers. With a monster coming through the city infecting everyone in its path with a throat-wrenching (literally) disease, the two heirs may be brought together by a common cause to find and destroy the monster, but that doesn’t mean they like it. The two were once childhood-friends-turned-lovers, but in a major act of betrayal, the two are now sworn to destroy one another.
| Read our full review on These Violent Delights: A More Than Delightful Read. |
These books will make you a lifelong fan of YA fantasy just as they have for
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