Breanna, Business and Education Sales Coordinator
Favorite Genres: Middle grade, anything fantasy (especially epic, the larger the better), YA (but mostly fantasy), stories based in mythology or fairy tales, witchy books
Favorite Authors: Robert Jordan, Samantha Shannon, Brandon Sanderson, Rick Riordan, Margaret Owen, Natalie Goldberg
What an amazing matriarchal fantasy! Scorpica has it all—warrior women, mysterious sorcerers, an ancient power rising, and a devastating Drought of Girls. The writing is rich and complex, building the layered world and epic conflict as each woman contemplates the ends she will go to in order to leave her legacy in the Five Queendoms. If you want epic fantasy written by and about women, this is absolutely the one.
After Luz’s brother is run out of Denver by a white mob, she receives visions of her ancestors’ origins. As she struggles to navigate life in 1930s Denver, she understands how her Indigenous Chicano family flourished and how they were threatened. Fajardo-Anstine crafts an incredible generational saga—poignant in its realism, tragic in its circumstance, and absolutely beautiful in its resiliency.
In an ancient Britain threatened by Saxons, where pagan beliefs clash with Christianity, old magic calls to three siblings poised to inherit the weight and responsibility of a kingdom. Inspired by a British folklore ballad, I loved the mix of history, myth, and fantasy as each sibling fights for their destiny. The lyrical writing tugs you from love to betrayal and back again in this novel for fans of The Lost Queen and The Witch’s Heart.
Whether or not you’re familiar with Kaikeyi from the Indian epic the Ramayana, this is a powerful and captivating story of a woman forging her destiny in a world where the gods have forsaken her. Not only does Patel’s reimagining shine nuance and compassion on the oft-vilified queen, it brings forth a lovely emphasis on bonds of sisterhood and empowering women everywhere. Fans of Circe need to read this one.
The Stardust Thief is simultaneously a thrilling and dangerous quest for a magic relic and a beautiful, lyrical story about found family and inner demons. While reading, I was transported to the desert land filled with jinn magic and could not read fast enough. Inspired by One Thousand and One Nights, this is the kind of storytelling you’ll want to luxuriate in.
This book will not only answer every question you ever had about Neanderthals, it will answer every question you didn’t know you had. All the current knowledge about Neanderthals is organized into a comprehensive read that does a great job of balancing archeological fact and cultural speculation. If you want an unusual nonfiction read, or you loved the Clan of the Cave Bear series, pick this one up!
Inspired by Chinese myth, Xingyin is the secret daughter of the imprisoned moon goddess, Chang'e. Determined to free her mother, our bold and driven heroine sets off on epic quests through a full and beautiful fantasy world, finding a gentle prince and a badass, magic bow along the way. If you're like me and want more epic fantasy written by women, you must absolutely be swept up in this dazzling, gorgeous adventure.
Would you go back in time, even if you knew the present wouldn’t change? In this novelization of a Japanese play, a particular seat in this cafe lets you do just that. But you can’t change the present, you can’t leave the cafe seat, and above all—you must return before the coffee gets cold. I was captivated by this beautiful story, a simple yet touching look at how we choose to live the life we are given.
Helen Lambert doesn’t believe that she is cursed, but that’s before the demon arrives and she dreams of past lives that eerily echo her own doomed love affair. In this life, finally, Helen may be able to break the curse—if she kill the one she loves. My heart broke repeatedly as I read this book, unable to put it down. This is an incredible blend of fantasy and historical fiction perfect for fans of A Secret History of Witches.
This book utterly consumed me. When I wasn't reading it, I couldn't stop thinking about it. In Norse myth, Angrboda is only mentioned briefly as the giantess who births Loki’s three monstrous children. In The Witch’s Heart, she becomes a powerful tragic figure: a witch who has altered the course of the world, a mother devoted to her children, a woman betrayed by her lover. I can’t put this in your hands fast enough.
Red’s only purpose in life is to be sacrificed to the Wolf of the Wilderwood, but from the moment she steps into the woods, everything she knows is completely wrong. Fraught with sharp words, dripping in shadows and blood, driven by the love of sisters, this book will consume you. Familiar fairy tale elements are twisted into a dark, brilliantly original tale reminiscent of The Hazel Wood and Uprooted. I’m dying for the sequel!
Part futuristic sci-fi, part fantasy, part dystopian, and part underground crime ring, I promise that you haven’t read anything quite like The Bone Season. The first in an epic series, it’s a truly incredible book with a complex world, an intricate plot, and characters I would go to battle for. If you liked Priory of the Orange Tree, you absolutely must pick this one up.
This is my favorite series of all time (pun fully intended). Rand and his friends think that they're just humble farm folk, but when their village is attacked by monstrous servants of the Shadow, they're thrust into a race across the land to stop the Dark One from gaining power. This book is as epic as Name of the Wind, less dark and murder-y than Game of Thrones, and it's actually a finished series that's now a TV show!
A dead crow god rising, a sun priest clinging to power, and a mythical sea captain dominate this vivid world that Roanhorse has created, using a magic system steeped in myth and legend. Based on pre-Columbian American civilizations, this book is a shining beacon among numerous European-derived fantasies. After just one read, I am already certain this will remain among my favorite epic fantasies for a long time.
On the surface, this novella is a quick romp with the martial arts heroes of wuxia fantasy through war-torn world. Despite the short length, it's also a deeply touching, thought-provoking story about the families we make, the identities we adopt during crisis, and the choices we make to survive. I loved the sharp banter, the influence of Cho’s Malaysian roots, the LGBT+ themes, and quick pace—I only wish it was longer!
Claire Hadley is a librarian—the librarian of the Unwritten Wing of Hell’s Library, where unfinished stories reside and books come alive as literal characters. When the Devil’s Bible resurfaces, Claire is caught in the middle of angels and demons vying for the powerful artifact. Action-packed, exciting, and dark with a glimmer of hope on the horizon, this is a fantastic read for people who love stories and books that crawl inside your skin.
Hall of Smoke is a long and wild ride through a Viking fantasy world, filled with harsh gods, magic-wielding priestesses, and a blood-soaked quest for redemption. As Hessa fights to win back her goddess’s favor, she uncovers impossible truths about the war and their gods. If you liked The Priory of the Orange Tree or The Poppy War, you need to lose yourself in this heart pounding adventure.
