Good Reads & Views

Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama
YA Fiction

What it’s about: Coco dreams of using magic, and by drawing a picture out of a mysterious forbidden book, she accidentally unleashes a spell that hurts her mother. She is taken under the wing of Qifrey, the leader of the Witch Hat Atelier, who hopes to protect her from a masked witch with unknown intentions.

Why you should read it: This is one of the most lusciously illustrated manga series I have ever seen, and Shirahama has created a gorgeous fantasy kingdom with an unusual magic system. Coco and the three other apprentices, each of whom has their own strengths, must use their talents to solve problems, save each other, and (sometimes) work together.

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Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
Fiction

What it’s about: S.T., a domesticated crow, realizes something is wrong with his owner Big Jim when Big Jim’s eyeball falls out and then the guy tries to eat him. S.T., along with his good buddy Dennis, a sweet but dim-witted bloodhound, abandon the only life they’ve ever known to discover that the malady affecting Big Jim has struck all the humans of Seattle--they've become the raging undead, seeking only flesh and the bright glow of digital objects. S.T. and Dennis are in the fight of their lives as they struggle to survive and find purpose among the ruins of humanity. Fortunately, S.T. has acquired plenty of smarts from watching documentaries on the Discovery Channel.

Why you might like it: This quirky fantasy blends dark humor and horror, and features a sassy, plucky hero resulting in an exuberant read that’s full of heart.

Want a taste? Despite the snark, there are some surprisingly poignant and moving passages, like this: “Trust it turned out, was a very beautiful and fragile thing with a taste like wild raspberries and experienced only by the very brave.” And this: “Watching the sunrise.... what an act of beauty, of unwavering faith, something to look forward to each and every day.”

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Burn For Me: A Hidden Legacy Novel by Ilona Andrews
Fiction

What it’s about: Nevada Baylor, a private investigator and truthseeker mage, has to track down a powerful fire mage. Connor “Mad Dog” Rogan, a powerful telekinetic mage, wants to find the same guy. After bumping into each other and sparring a few times, they join forces and uncover more than they bargained for, including a conspiracy and romance.

Why you should read it: Ilona Andrews is a husband and wife writing team who have some really cool fantasy series. This series features a sizzling romance and an alternate history Houston in which powerful mages called Primes clash outside the law. I just finished book four and can’t wait for the next installment!

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Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
Fiction

What it’s about: Gifted with an extraordinary sense of smell, lone wolf Tracker is hired to join a motley band of magically gifted mercenaries in a far-ranging search for a mysterious kidnapped boy. The book opens with the story of Tracker’s youth, when he learns to use his gift and begins his complex relationship with the shape-shifting Leopard. This is a hallucinatory, nightmarish trek across a richly-detailed landscape peopled with witches, magical children, mermaids, vampires, and trolls, and it also is funny, violent, heartbreaking, and romantic. The first of a trilogy.

Is it for you? If you miss Game of Thrones, and are looking for a sweeping, brutal, yet lush and compelling Afrofantasy that blends genres and tells stories within stories within stories, this book is for you. It’s about the power of storytelling, political pawns, chosen families, and love and hate in all forms.

Reviewers say: “Reading Black Leopard, Red Wolf was like being slowly eaten by a bear, one inviting me to feel every pressure of tooth and claw tearing into me…. But I can't deny that having finished it, I went back to the beginning to find things I now better understood, felt better able to withstand — as if in hollowing me out the book had made space for itself, had given me something in exchange for everything it put me through.” Amal El-Mohtar for NPR

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Strange Practice by Vivan Shaw
Fiction

Introducing: Dr. Greta Helsing, whose specialization in treating supernatural creatures runs in the family. Vampires, werewolves, mummies, and so on may not be strictly human, but they still need medical care on occasion, especially when the torches & pitchforks come into play. Right now a coven of mad monks is infesting London. They are determined to eliminate anyone who doesn’t live up to their somewhat peculiar code of behavior, and every supernatural is automatically guilty by default, including Greta and all her friends, human or not.

Why you might like it: It’s funny, irreverent, and fast-paced, with an intelligent and competent protagonist, and a group of unusual close friends determined to protect one another.

For fans of: Ben Aaronovich and Gail Carriger

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Fiction

What it’s about: In a land divided by religions that either worship dragons or fear and condemn them, the two sides must come together to defeat the ultimate source of evil, putting aside their differences and coming to terms with the truth about their long-held beliefs in the process. 

Why you might like it: If you like action-packed high fantasy but have been searching for more representation of people of color and LGBTQA+ characters, this is the book for you. 

For fans of: High fantasy series’ such as A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones), or readers who enjoyed Eragon (the Inheritance series) and are looking for dragon-centered books for adults.  

 

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo 
YA Fiction

What it’s About: As a vicious retelling of Hans Christian Anderson’s Little Mermaid, To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo is a swashbuckling adventure through the eyes of a Siren and the Prince she wants to kill. What makes a devilishly handsome prince even more swoonworthy? Make him a pirate prince--A romantic love/hate tale between a snarky young man and a young woman that wants to rip his heart out. Definitely the most fun I’ve had with a book so far this year, I loved the dark fantasy notes that weren’t afraid to go there. A little bit of grit, a little bit of blood, this story is The Little Mermaid with bite.

You Might Also Like: The Alice in Wonderland retelling, Splintered by A.G. Howard, or the Beauty and the Beast retelling, The Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah H. Maas: both dark retellings of famous fairy-tales.

 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Fiction

What it's about: Feyre will do anything to keep her family from starving in the depth of winter, even kill a wolf that just might be a terrifyingly dangerous faerie. Now, to pay for her crimes, Feyra has been forced to reside in the Spring Court by a handsome king in a kingdom of masked creatures. A Court of Thorns and Roses is a Beauty and the Beast retelling which straddles the line between Young Adult and Adult Fiction, containing rip-roaring action and sensually descriptive scenes. 

Series Alert: Other titles in the series are A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight.

You might also like: The Black Jewels trilogy by Anne Bishop.

 

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Fiction

What it’s about: Frustrated with her kind but incompetent father’s unsuccessful running of the family’s moneylending business, young Miryem takes over, starts collecting outstanding debts, and puts the business back on sound footing. When she is overheard boasting of her ability to turn silver into gold, she draws the attention of the Staryk, creatures who haunt the woods, ruled by a king of winter who loves gold.

Reviewers say: “A medieval fable of obscure moral import blossoms into a thoughtful, emotionally complex, absorbing drama that stands confidently on its own merits” (Kirkus). “This masterly, immersive high fantasy tale is grounded in real-world challenges and opportunities for growth” (Library Journal). “This book is about the determination and quiet competence of women doing remarkable things without knowing first that they can do them” (NYT Book Review).

You might also like: Novik's Uprooted, an award winning fantasy that Publishers Weekly called "a tale that is both elegantly grand and earthily humble, familiar as a Grimm fairy tale yet fresh, original, and totally irresistible." 

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The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin
Fiction

What it’s about: Not long after the death of her mother, Yeine Darre is summoned to the city of Sky to become a third heir for her grandfather, the ruler of the city of Sky and therefore the world. Yeine hopes to solve her mother’s murder but becomes embroiled in a plot by the captive gods to win their freedom. She does not plan to fall in love with the Nightlord himself.

Why you should read it: N. K. Jemisin just won her third Hugo Award and is one of the leading writers in the Afrofuturism movement. This book is a good starting point to experience her rich worldbuilding and an unusual cast of characters.

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