-
Kicking Off the New Year with Gods and Heroes
A list of eight recent historical fantasy books for those who enjoy gods, heroes, and the high stakes that come when the two clash.
-
Kaikeyi: the Evil Step-Mother We All Wish We Could Be
In a tale of myths and gods and heroes, Kaikeyi is merely a woman trying to find power over her own life, but when her destiny clashes with the gods, she must decide if her beliefs and hopes for the world are worth destroying her family.
-
The Story of the Tsarinas who Came Before Catherine the Great
In The Tsarina's Daughter, Elizabeth Petrovna Romanova is the daughter of Tsar Peter the Great of Russia. Delighting in the Russian winter and the luxuries of court, Elizabeth lives during a time of great turmoil: her father has killed his son, leaving the Russian throne with no male heir to inherit.
-
This Woven Kingdom: A Persian Cinderella Story
The traditional Cinderella character is portrayed with few personality traits, but those two--hard work and kindness--are the backbone of the character. My main issue with traditional Cinderella stories (as well as Disney) is that the prince falls in love with her without seeing her two defining characteristics--the things that make her worth falling in love with. In Mafi's novel, Alizeh shows the prince her character on many occasions. While she is beautiful, it is these qualities that first catch his eye (in fact, she's wearing a veil the first time he sees her), and these qualities, as well as her brilliance, that hold it.
-
Stray: a Fairytale Every Girl Needs to Read
Elissa Sussman's intricate world building and delicate way of weaving together the story's threads personally made the novel's themes of women, emotion, and power far more poignant. Full of subtle and not-so-subtle allusions to modern patterns, Sussman effectively uses fantasy to explore our real world.
-
A Dream like Magic, A World Like Poetry: the Strange the Dreamer Duology
Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmare are two titles in a brilliant, poetic, and intriguing duology by Laini Taylor featuring a lost city, a librarian with a dream, and the half-human children of gods. This is the kind of book that haunts you...in every perfect way.
-
Invictus: the Best Time Travel Novel I’ve Read in Ages
Invictus by Ryan Graudin is a brilliant non-stop adventure filled with sassy characters, sweet friendships, and high stakes. This is one of the best time-travel novels I have ever read.
-
The Weight of Ink: A Feminist and Jewish Masterpiece
The Weight of Ink whisks you from the present to the past, and guides you on a path (paved by strong, intelligent women) through Jewish history and faith.
-
Piranesi: Enter a World both Mysterious and Known
Susanna Clarke's Piranesi introduces readers to a word both mysterious and familiar as she weaves a spell of urgent discovery wrought with lyrical wonder.
-
The Wolf and the Woodsman: Why Medieval History Lovers Must Read this Book
Inspired by Hungarian history and Jewish mythology, this novel reads like a mythical adventure that bleeds truth. The world itself is richly imagined with detailed settings, a whole cast of peoples, religions, and beliefs, and tangled politics that reflect the complexities of the middle ages--such as the treatment of Jews, the intricacies of cultural identity, the acquiring and claiming of pagan stories/myths by Christianity, and the political power of the Catholic Church.
