Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Chapter 3 of Daniel José Older’s Ballad & Dagger, which is out now!

Almost sixteen years ago, Mateo Matisse’s island homeland disappeared into the sea. Weary and hopeless, the survivors of San Madrigal’s sinking escaped to New York.

While the rest of his tight-knit Brooklyn diaspora community dreams of someday finding a way back home, Mateo–now a high school junior and piano prodigy living with his two aunts (one who’s alive, the other not so much)–is focused on one thing: getting the attention of locally-grown musical legend Gerval. Mateo finally gets his chance on the night of the Grand Fete, an annual party celebrating the blended culture of pirates, Cuban Santeros, and Sephardic Jews that created San Madrigal all those centuries ago.

But the evil that sank their island has finally caught up with them, and on the night of the celebration, Mateo’s life is forever changed when he witnesses a brutal murder by a person he thought he knew.

Suddenly Mateo is thrust into an ancient battle that spans years and oceans. Deadly secrets are unraveled and Mateo awakens a power within himself–a power that not only links him to the killer but could also hold the key to unlocking the dark mystery behind his lost homeland.

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The post Read An Excerpt From Daniel José Older’s ‘Ballad & Dagger’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The best summary of this book is that it is a collection of amazing stories: princesses warring in space, the devastation of climate-change, haunting ghost stories in Argentina, and mermaids off of the coast of the Caribbean. When you break down the borders and barriers of these fantastical and science filled realms, you’ll find that stories are truly universal.

I don’t know how it’s possible, but each and every story in this anthology had a warmth to it that I can’t possibly put into proper words. Maybe it’s because I identified with each character, or something resonated within me to the point that I loved every story…but there’s no doubt that people will fall in love with these stories as I did. For this review, I will focus on the stories that I loved the most. The first of these stories was The First Day of Us by David Bowles. It’s undoubtedly romantic, with a novio, novia, and novie. I was hooked by the confidence of the narrator, and the space world they were in. It genuinely felt like it could have been expanded into a full story. Many of these tales felt the same way to me.

This is Our Manifesto is a story full of grit and of teenage rebels who refuse to back down in the face of people who would put them down. This story is poetic and full of righteous anger that will fill readers with the fury of the children who refused to let their voices die. Who plotted their freedom after they were imprisoned. It’s incredible, and such an elaborate world is built in only a few pages. I LOVED the ending.

Immediately following this story I fell right into Circe Moskowitz’s Creatures of Kings. It’s a story of a mother and daughter that death won’t take, and about what it takes to become a king. It’s powerful and if death is triggering for you, approach this with caution. It’s a story that’s very honest and blew me away.

Moonglow by Sara Faring is fraught with growing and needling tension. It builds into a phenomenal ending that will leave readers shivering. This could be the beginning to a historical horror film, and it would be one that I’d watch with the lights on. At the same time, the love of a mother shines through and through.

Tame the Wicked Night by Zoraida Cordova is the longest of the tales in this anthology, and is a gorgeous finale to the whole anthology. It’s a story full of tension and romance, where a young man seeking the love of his life is challenged to bring back something that is sure to cause his death, but in the darkness finds so much more. It’s so imaginative and lovely, and the ending is perfect for the way the story unfolds.

With the tales in this anthology being so short, I am deliberately vague to avoid spoilers. However, I urge everyone to pick up a copy of this book. For the sake of brevity I picked the tales that I loved the most, but I could spend pages upon pages telling you the delights of each and every story in this book. Each author brings in a unique perspective on life, whether it’s reimagining what the world looks like in the not so distant future, or the fantasy lands that tantalise, delight, and beguile readers to return time and again.

This anthology is a 10/10 for me. Add it to your reading list, and if you find a favourite story, make sure to pick up the author’s other book(s). You never know when you’ll find a new favourite story.

Reclaim The Stars is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up Reclaim The Stars? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

Seventeen fantasy and science fiction short stories from leading voices in the Latin American diaspora!

Reclaim the Stars is a collection of bestselling and acclaimed YA authors that take the Latin American diaspora to places fantastical and out of this world. From princesses warring in space, to the all too-near devastation of climate change, to haunting ghost stories in Argentina, and mermaids off the coast of the Caribbean. This is science fiction and fantasy that breaks borders and realms, and proves that stories are truly universal.

Authors include Daniel José Older, Yamile Saied Méndez, Anna-Marie McLemore, Mark Oshiro, Romina Garber, David Bowles, Lilliam Rivera, Claribel Ortega, Isabel Ibañez, Sara Faring, Maya Motayne, Nina Moreno, Vita Ayala, J.C. Cervantes, Circe Moskowitz, Linda Nieves Pérez, and Zoraida Córdova.

The post Review: Reclaim the Stars: 17 Tales Across Realms & Space appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

After the last two years, readers are thoroughly enjoying jumping into a fantasy or sci-fi novel to escape the world, so 2022 holds many exciting books to look forward to! From new releases from the likes of Seanan McGuire, Tara Sim, John Scalzi, Jennifer Saint, Jonathan Maberry, and more, to those releasing their debut novel, there’s really something for everyone within this round up!

Read on to discover fantasy and sci-fi books releasing between the months of January and June and tell us in the comments below if you’re looking forward to any of them!

JANUARY

Engines of Empire by R. S. Ford
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This epic fantasy tells the tales of clashing Guilds, magic-fueled machines, intrigue and revolution—and the one family that stands between an empire’s salvation or destruction.

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
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For fans of Cloud Atlas and Station Eleven––Follow a cast of intricately linked characters over hundreds of years as humanity struggles to rebuild itself in the aftermath of a climate plague

Seven Mercies by Laura Lam and Elizabeth May
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The second book in a feminist space opera duology that follows the team of seven rebels who will free the galaxy from the ruthless Tholosian Empire–or die trying.

The Amber Crown by Jacey Bedford
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In this new epic fantasy, three societal outcasts must work together to fulfill the orders of a dead king’s ghost or risk their nation falling to a tyrant

Where The Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire
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Welcome to the Whitethorn Institute. The first step is always admitting you need help, and you’ve already taken that step by requesting a transfer into our company.

Servant Mage by Kate Elliott
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In Kate Elliott’s Servant Mage, a lowly fire mage finds herself entangled in an empire-spanning conspiracy on her way to discovering her true power.

Obsidian by Sarah J. Daley
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Defying those who think her an abomination, Shade wears her tattoos openly and carries obsidian blades at her hips. For years, she has protected the outcast clans who wander the blighted Wastes, but the land is growing more unstable and her blades are no longer enough.

The Starless Crown by James Rollins
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An alliance embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover the secrets of the distant past and save their world in this captivating, deeply visionary adventure from #1 New York Times bestselling thriller-master James Rollins.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
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A captivating debut fantasy inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess, Chang’e , in which a young woman’s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm and sets her on a dangerous path—where choices come with deadly consequences, and she risks losing more than her heart.

Battle of the Linguist Mages by Scotto Moore
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In modern day Los Angeles, a shadowy faction led by the Governor of California develops the arcane art of combat linguistics, planting the seeds of a future totalitarian empire in Scotto Moore’s Battle of the Linguist Mages.

Light Years From Home by Mike Chen
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The perfect combination of action, imagination and heart, Light Years from Home is a touching drama about a challenge as difficult as saving the galaxy: making peace with your family…and yourself.

The Unfamiliar Garden by Benjamin Percy
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FEBRUARY

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
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House of Earth and Blood meets The Witch’s Heart in Rebecca Ross’s brilliant first adult fantasy, set on the magical isle of Cadence where two childhood enemies must team up to discover why girls are going missing from their clan.

Last Exit by Max Gladstone
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Fresh from winning the Hugo and Nebula Awards, Max Gladstone weaves elements of American myth—the muscle car, the open road, the white-hatted cowboy—into Last Exit, a deeply emotional tale where his characters must find their own truths if they are to survive.

Clean Air by Sarah Blake
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Suspenseful and startling, but also written with a wry, observant humor, Clean Air is the second novel from poet Sarah Blake, author of the award-winning literary debut Naamah. It will appeal to readers of The Need, The Leftovers, and Fever Dream as it probes motherhood, grief, control, and choice.

Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman
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A whirlwind romance between an eccentric archivist and a grieving widow explores what it means to be at home in your own body in this clever, humorous, and heartfelt novel.

Scorpica: The Five Queendoms by G.R. Macallister
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A centuries-long peace is shattered in a matriarchal society when a decade passes without a single girl being born in this sweeping epic fantasy that’s perfect for fans of Robin Hobb and Circe.

The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart
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At once a dazzlingly time-twisting murder mystery and a story about grief, memory, and what it means to—literally—come face-to-face with our ghosts, The Paradox Hotel is another unforgettable speculative thrill ride from acclaimed author Rob Hart.

The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan
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From a major new debut author in epic fantasy comes the first book in a trilogy where action, intrigue, and magic collide. The Justice of Kings introduces an unforgettable protagonist destined to become a fantasy icon: Sir Konrad Vonvalt, an Emperor’s Justice, who is a detective, judge, and executioner all in one. But these are dangerous times to be a Justice…. 

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes
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Titanic meets The Shining in S.A. Barnes’ Dead Silence, a SF horror novel in which a woman and her crew board a decades-lost luxury cruiser and find the wreckage of a nightmare that hasn’t yet ended.

Redwood and Wildfire by Andrea Hairston
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Andrea Hairston’s alternate history adventure, Redwood and Wildfire, is the winner of the Otherwise Award and the Carl Brandon Kindred Award.

Reclaim the Stars: 17 Tales Across Realms & Space
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Reclaim the Stars is a collection of bestselling and acclaimed YA authors that take the Latin American diaspora to places fantastical and out of this world. Authors include Daniel José Older, Yamile Saied Méndez, Anna-Marie McLemore, Mark Oshiro, Romina Garber, David Bowles, Lilliam Rivera, Claribel Ortega, Isabel Ibañez, Sara Faring, Maya Motayne, Nina Moreno, Vita Ayala, J.C. Cervantes, Circe Moskowitz, Linda Nieves Pérez, and Zoraida Córdova. 

Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik
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The critically acclaimed author of Polaris Rising takes readers on an exciting journey with the start of her brand-new series about a female bounty hunter and the man who is her sworn enemy.

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton
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The Martian meets Dark Matter in Edward Ashton’s high concept science fiction thriller, in which Mickey7, an “expendable,” refuses to let his replacement clone Mickey8 take his place.

MARCH

The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller
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Sara A. Mueller’s The Bone Orchard is a fascinating whodunit set in a lush, gothic world of secrets and magic–where a dying emperor charges his favorite concubine with solving his own murder, and preventing the culprit, which undoubtedly is one of his three terrible sons, from taking control of an empire.

The City of Dusk by Tara Sim
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Set in a gorgeous world of bone and shadow magic, of vengeful gods and defiant chosen ones, The City of Dusk is the first in a dark epic fantasy trilogy that follows the four heirs of four noble houses—each gifted with a divine power—as they form a tenuous alliance to keep their kingdom from descending into a realm-shattering war.

The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories: A Collection of Chinese Science Fiction and Fantasy in Translation
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From an award-winning team of authors, editors, and translators comes a groundbreaking short story collection that explores the expanse of Chinese science fiction and fantasy.

Comeuppance Served Cold by Marion Deeds
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A respected magus and city leader intent on criminalizing Seattle’s most vulnerable magickers hires a young woman as a lady’s companion to curb his rebellious daughter’s outrageous behavior.

A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin
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Judy I. Lin’s sweeping debut A Magic Steeped in Poison, first in a duology, is sure to enchant fans of Adrienne Young and Leigh Bardugo.

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
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From the critically acclaimed author of The Book of M, a highly imaginative thriller about a young woman who discovers that a strange map in her deceased father’s belongings holds an incredible, deadly secret—one that will lead her on an extraordinary adventure and to the truth about her family’s dark history. 

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
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The Kaiju Preservation Society is John Scalzi’s first standalone adventure since the conclusion of his New York Times bestselling Interdependency trilogy.

Kundo Wakes Up by Saad Hossain
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In this standalone follow-up to the fan favorite The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday Saad Z. Hossain continues to mix futurism with fable, and shows how strange our lives might become.

Until the Last of Me by Sylvain Neuvel
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A darkly satirical thriller, as seen through the eyes of the women who sacrifice all to make progress possible and the men who are determined to stop them.

Edgewood by Kristen Ciccarelli
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Haunting and romantic, Kristen Ciccarelli’s Edgewood is an exciting novel from a bold, unforgettable voice in fantasy.

Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May
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In the aftermath of World War I, a naive woman is swept into a glittering world filled with dark magic, romance, and murder in this lush and decadent debut.

The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout
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From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes book four in her Blood and Ash series.

APRIL

God of Neverland by Gama Ray Martinez
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In this magical re-imagining of J. M. Barrie’s classic tale, Michael Darling—the youngest of the Darling siblings and former Lost Boy, now all grown up—must return to the life he left behind to save Neverland from the brink of collapse and keep humanity safe from magical and mythological threats, as well as answer the ultimate question: Where is Peter Pan?

In a Garden Burning Gold by Rory Power
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Twins imbued with incredible magic and near-immortality will do anything to keep their family safe—even if it tears the siblings apart—in the first book of a mythic epic fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls.

The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport
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Blending fantasy and science fiction, N. E. Davenport’s fast-paced, action-packed debut kicks off a duology of loyalty and rebellion, in which a young Black woman must survive deadly trials in a racist and misogynistic society to become an elite warrior.

Aspects by John M. Ford
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In the years before his unexpected death, John M. Ford wrote a novel of fantasy and magic unlike any other. Politics and abdicated kings, swords and sorcerous machine guns, divination and ancient empires―finally, Aspects is here.

Spear by Nicola Griffith
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The legendary author of Hild returns with an unforgettable hero and a queer Arthurian masterpiece for the modern era. Nicola Griffith’s Spear is a spellbinding vision of the Camelot we’ve longed for, a Camelot that belongs to us all.

Flint and Mirror by John Crowley
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From award-winning author John Crowley comes a novel that masterfully blends history and magic in Flint and Mirror.

Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse
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Return to The Meridian with New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse’s sequel to the most critically hailed epic fantasy of 2020 Black Sun—finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Lambda, and Locus awards.

The Discord of Gods by Jenn Lyons
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The Discord of Gods marks the epic conclusion to Jenn Lyons’s Chorus of Dragons series, closing out the saga that began with The Ruin of Kings, for fans of Brandon Sanderson and Patrick Rothfuss.

The Memory Librarian by Janelle Monáe
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In The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer, singer-songwriter, actor, fashion icon, activist, and worldwide superstar Janelle Monáe brings to the written page the Afrofuturistic world of one of her critically acclaimed albums, exploring how different threads of liberation—queerness, race, gender plurality, and love—become tangled with future possibilities of memory and time in such a totalitarian landscape…and what the costs might be when trying to unravel and weave them into freedoms.

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
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With her signature mix of the grim and the delightful, award-winning author T. Kingfisher takes the old bones of fantasy and fairytale and makes them into something entirely new in this enchanting adventure.

Saint Death’s Daughter by C.S.E. Cooney
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Perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth and The Ten Thousand Doors of January, Saint Death’s Daughter is the first novel in a new trilogy about love, coming-of-age and strangeness.

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
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A stunning debut from a powerful new voice, Kaikeyi reimagines the life of the infamous queen from the Indian epic the Ramayana, weaving a tale of fate, family, courage, and heartbreak—of an extraordinary woman determined to leave her mark in a world where gods and men dictate the shape of things to come.

MAY

Elektra by Jennifer Saint
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A spellbinding reimagining of the story of Elektra, one of Greek mythology’s most infamous heroines, from Jennifer Saint, the author of the beloved international bestseller, Ariadne.

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
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Two warriors shepherd an ancient god across a broken land to end the tyrannical reign of a royal family in this new epic fantasy from the author of The Vanished Birds.

Kagen the Damned by Jonathan Maberry
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The Witcher meets Game of Thrones in New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry’s brilliant new fantasy series, Kagen the Damned.

Seasonal Fears by Seanan McGuire
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From New York Times bestselling author Seanan McGuire, Seasonal Fears is the extraordinary companion novel to Middlegame.

Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings
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Under Fortunate Stars is a modern, progressive homage to classic space opera stories, with flawed heroes and time travel.

All the Seas of the World by Guy Gavriel Kay
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Returning triumphantly to the brilliantly evoked near-Renaissance world of A Brightness Long Ago and Children of Earth and Sky, international bestselling author Guy Gavriel Kay deploys his signature ‘quarter turn to the fantastic’ to tell a story of vengeance, power, and love.  

The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R.M. Romero
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With spellbinding verse prose, R.M. Romero channels the spirit of myth into a brilliantly original tale, inspired by her experiences restoring Jewish cemeteries in Eastern Europe.

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
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Heroic Hearts edited by Jim Butcher & Kerrie Hughes
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An all-star urban fantasy collection featuring short stories from #1 New York Times bestselling authors Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Charlaine Harris, Kelley Armstrong, and more . . .

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah
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Inspired by stories from One Thousand and One Nights, The Stardust Thief weaves the gripping tale of a legendary smuggler, a cowardly prince, and a dangerous quest across the desert to find a legendary, magical lamp.

Second Spear by Kerstin Hall
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Kerstin Hall’s Second Spear is the thrilling follow-up to the Nommo Award finalist, The Border Keeper.

A Game of Retribution by Scarlett St. Clair
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Become enchanted by the fantasy world of gods and mortals in bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair’s reimagined New Greece. Readers are “hopelessly addicted” to the story of Hades and Persephone told from Hades’s point of view.

JUNE

Rise of the Snake Goddess by Jenny Elder Moke
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Samantha Knox is back for another adventure in this 1920s female-driven mystery-adventure series!

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid
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From highly acclaimed bestselling author Ava Reid comes a gothic horror retelling of The Juniper Tree, set in another time and place within the world of The Wolf and the Woodsman, where a young witch seeks to discover her identity and escape the domination of her wizard father, perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson and Catherynne M. Valente.

For the Throne by Hannah F. Whitten
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Red’s sister Neve is trapped in a mysterious land of twisted roots, lost gods, and mountains made of bone, and the only clues to her rescue are a magic mirror and a dark prince who wants to bring the whole thing crumbling down. 

In the Shadow of Lightning by Brian McClellan
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From Brian McClellan, author of The Powder Mage, comes In the Shadow of Lightning, a brand-new epic fantasy where magic is a finite resource—and it’s running out.

The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings
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In a fantastical version of New Orleans where music is magic, a battle for the city’s soul brews between two young mages, a vengeful wraith, and one powerful song in this vibrant and imaginative debut. 

A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow
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A Mirror Mended is the next installment in USA Today bestselling author Alix E. Harrow’s Fractured Fables series.

Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro
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A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
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The Goblin Emperor meets “Magnificent Century” in Alexandra Rowland’s A Taste of Gold and Iron, where a queer central romance unfolds in a fantasy world reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire.

Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane
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Drawing on ancient texts and modern archeology to reveal the trans woman’s story hidden underneath the well-known myths of The Iliad, Maya Deane’s Wrath Goddess Sing weaves a compelling, pitilessly beautiful vision of Achilles’ vanished world, perfect for fans of Song of Achilles and the Inheritance trilogy.

Soul Taken by Patricia Briggs
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Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shapeshifter, must face her greatest fears in this chilling entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

The City Inside by Samit Basu
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The City Inside, a near-future epic by the internationally celebrated Samit Basu, pulls no punches as it comes for your anxieties about society, government, the environment, and our world at large—yet never loses sight of the hopeful potential of the future.

Locklands by Robert Jackson Bennett
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A god wages war—using all of humanity as its pawns—in the unforgettable conclusion to the Founders trilogy.

What 2022 fantasy and sci-fi book releases are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Fantasy & Sci-Fi Book Releases To Devour In 2022 appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

One of the best things that has happened in the bookish world over the past couple of years is the boom in diverse fantasy and I am so here for it! As a huge supporter of #weneeddiversebooks, I’m here to shake you hard, call upon you gently, and shove these books in your face in an attempt to make you read these wonderfully diverse YA fantasy novels!

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
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Set in an alternate 1800s Paris, The Gilded Wolves features a complex magic system and an incredible history! The writing is delectable and readers will be a nervous trainwreck throughout the whirlwind of robberies, heists, and constant danger. Doesn’t that sound fun?

Still unconvinced? Well the book also features a group of disaster children who come together to be an adorable but found family. Bonus point is there is diversity here, there, and everywhere. There is an Indian dancer with a hidden ability, an autistic Jewish prodigy with ambitions of her own, a chaotic bisexual Slytherin, and a Filipino/Spanish bisexual history geek. Can you hear my heart explode with happiness?

Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo
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There are badass females, wonderfully written female friendships, dialogues with 300% sass, and action scenes that will make the reader jump around!

Leigh Bardugo being an absolute queen can write so much diversity into a single book and not have it feel like diversity for the sake of ticking the boxes. The Amazonians themselves are so wonderfully diverse. Then there’s Alia who has a Greek father and an African-American mother, Nim has Indian roots and is bi, and Theo is a nerdy Mediterranean guy who is just so endearing.

As the rule is with any Bardugo book, this book will make you laugh, cry, and all the while root for the lovely band of misfits.

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker
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Mooncakes is a perfect mix of magic, witchcraft, casual diversity, warm fuzzy feels, and adorable art. Books with modern witches are the aesthetic the whole of Tumblr is screaming for. The lovely graphic novel delivers all that and more; the cherry on the top being the beautiful art.

The main character Nova is Chinese-American, queer, and lives with her badass and super sweet grandmothers who are a couple. And they’re a family of witches! They run a bookshop that also sells witchcraft books. There are books that bite, archdemons, spell inventing, cute spirits in the forest, and more!

Tam is Nova’s non-binary Chinese-American crush from her childhood and they’re just super adorable and cute. Also Nova has a hearing disability and wears hearing aids and I loved how the book acknowledges the trouble she has with them.

Witches of Ash and Ruin by E. Latimer
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Here is another book with modern witches, but one that is a lot darker than Mooncakes. An urban fantasy with Celtic mythology, it mainly follows Dayna who suffers from somatic OCD as a result of being outed as bisexual in her conservative Irish town where her father is the Reverend.

Buying potion ingredients after school, discussing schoolwork while brewing potions, wearing good luck charms to school; the modern witch aesthetic speaks to my soul.

The story deals with a lot of different friendships and relationships; both good and bad and it has multiple morally grey characters making the character dynamics all the more interesting. It is a super diverse and witchy book replete with badass females, found families, and a fair share of mythology.

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
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Once again we have another witchy novel, this time with brujas, Deadthday celebrations, and magical lands between the dead and the living. Most, if not all, characters are PoC plus we have a bisexual protagonist and a lesbian main character.

There are so many characters in the story and each had their own voice, you could never mistake one for another. The imagery is beautiful and the world building is on point. The world of Labyrinth Lost is so interesting and complex that you’d get sucked in at page one, right off the bat.

It’s a well written wonderfully diverse story with memorable characters who’ll stay with you long after you’ve closed the book. If you love adventures across new realms and enjoy reading about sassy and interesting characters, this book is for you.

Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis
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Fun fact – the author, Corinne Duyvis, is the one who first came up with the term and the hashtag #OwnVoices on Twitter!

This book deserves applause for the beautifully diverse characters the author has created. There is so much racial, sexual, and ethnic diversity in this book, but this is not an “issue” book. This is a book with well-written characters who just happen to be wonderfully diverse.

Amara, the female protagonist is mute (due to having her tongue removed as a child). Nolan, the male protagonist, has a prosthetic leg and suffers from ‘seizures’ when he is sucked into Amara’s world. They are uniquely bound to each other despite living in two different worlds. The plot is about how they deal with this connection while also handling their respective problems in their own worlds.

Unique, diverse, and engaging, it’s a standalone that’s not to be missed.

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older
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This is an urban fantasy about an artist finding out about her family’s magical history and trying to understand her powers. The best part of the book is undoubtedly the magic using which art can be brought to life.

Sierra Santiago finds the street art around her locality fading and moving, making her dig a little deeper into what happened to her grandfather all those years ago before he became almost comatose. There is Caribbean magic, Spanish customs, and all the diversity that comes with being in a cosmopolitan Brooklyn.

The book is fast-paced; like breakneck fast and the plot jumpstarts from literally the first line. It’s a solid first book introducing us to a diverse cast of characters, a wonderful magic system, and leaves readers asking for more.

Elysium Girls by Kate Pentecost
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A walled city surrounded by the desert of sand and steel, watched by Life and Death. That would be an underrated and simplistic way of describing it. Elysium is the city the two sisters, Life and Death are betting over. They are betting over it’s survival in the harshest conditions trying to tip the scales in their favour by using their wildcard.

Author Kate Pentecost plays with tropes, teases us with the idea of cliche tropes but before we can groan about it, she reinvents the whole trope and gives us something unique. There is Sal, the orphaned main character who is something of an outsider within Elysium. There is Asa, the demon in human form, something of a chosen one, a wildcard who appears pretty much out of nowhere at the Elysium. There is so much chance this could have been “orphan girl meets mysterious stranger boy and goes lovey eyed”. Readers almost expect that to happen but the brilliant story teller that is Pentecost turns it all around and if you want to know exactly what she does; READ. THE. BOOK.

Scavenge The Stars by Tara Sim
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Scavenge The Stars is a genderbent retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo! The protagonist Amaya is Indian and has been sold into servitude on a debtor ship but, when she accidentally rescues a stranger, she becomes entangled in a dark mystery; one that might just help her exact revenge for the way her family was wronged. The other protagonist, our hot mess Cayo is East Asian and as the author mentions in her mood board on Twitter; a chaotic bisexual.

Tara Sim takes a classic story and turns it into something altogether new. Scavenge the Stars may be a story of revenge, but it deals with so much more. If you love diverse characters, flawed protagonists, endearing secondary characters, and a dash of political intrigue, this is the book for you.

Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore
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A retelling of both the age old fairytale Red Shoes and the very real historical epidemic of 1518’s dancing plague, this is a super unique and utterly enchanting story of prejudice, knowing your roots, and friendships.

The story switches between Strasbourg in 1518 and the current day, exactly five centuries later. In 1518, Lavinia and her little family fall under the suspicion of having caused the dancing plague and in the current day Rosella Oliva is stuck with red shoes that make her dance and won’t come off her feet.

As with all of Anna-Marie McLemore’s books, this too is beautifully diverse in every which way. Rosella and Emil in current day are dealing with their family histories and Romani culture in their own way while Lavinia and Alifair and dealing with being Romani and queer in 1518. The story deals with a lot – racism, oppression, and seclusion of those whom the society deems as “other”, but it also deals with staying true to who you are and standing up against a society that tries to erase you.

Have you read any of these books? Any diverse fantasy reads you would recommend? Tell us in the comments below!

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