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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
