Throughout the rise of TikTok, especially during the pandemic, most of society spent their time navigating the app. Readers used this opportunity to share their current reads, TBR lists, or what they have read with others. Yet, from 2020 to 2023 Booktok has marketed the same authors over and over again. Readers grow tired of the repetition, especially when it comes to fantasy, and feel lost on how to discover new voices and worlds that will enchant them forever.
Here are five fantasy books filled with mesmerizing prose, characters, and plots that will leave you desiring for more to devour.
1. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
This enthralling series follows three sisters, Katherine, Arsinoe, and Mirabella, triplets, all of them queens of their respective gifts. The sisters are separated by age six, their gift born, and therefore, each family of their gift must begin training them for what ultimately becomes their destiny. To become queen of the land of Fennbirn. But it’s not a simple task, not when they must kill one another to ascend the throne, or when Katherine and Arsinoe realize they must raise the support of their people if they wish to obtain a chance in winning against Mirabella–that has become more beautiful with the passing of the years.
I first read this series in 2019, desperate to be consumed by another fantastical universe, and escape from a reading slump that would detach itself from me. Three Dark Crowns was the series that granted me all of my desires. A story filled with betrayals, love, friendships, and family that will ensure you never grow tired of turning to the next page.
2. Sorcerer to the crown by zen cho
Our protagonist, Zacharias Wythe, has obtained the position of Sorcerer Royal, but others are loudly spouting their accusations against him. They believe Zacharias has murdered his predecessor and mentioned, thus, causing the magic of this regency England to diminish due to peculiar reasons. Zacharias must investigate this strange endeavor, especially when its answer could clear his name, but throughout the journey, he encounters a woman, Prunella Gentleman, a prolific woman with a mysterious past lingering over her shoulders. United, they will transform the magic in England.
Zen Cho casts a spell on readers as they become invested in this marvelous story. For those seeking to read stories with POC characters as protagonists, this is
the novel for you. I particularly enjoyed how well-done Cho was able to write the subtleties of being the only POC in a white-dominated environment, or how Prunella as a WOC is perceived through the lens of prejudice. Stories that contain such reality of our society are the ones that stand out to me the most and leave me in a daze for days.
3. Lucha of the night forest by tehlor kay mejia
In the unforgiving forest, in a world of gods, monsters, and despicable society. sixteen-year-old Lucha Moya comes of age and resides in Robado, a city divided by those who have and those who do not. After the disappearance of her drug-addicted mother, Lucha does everything in her power to keep her sister and her together. Therefore, when she is given the option to help the eradication of a dug, she fiercely takes it. Regardless of the cost. Her desire to stop others from becoming her mother blinds her senses of how dangerous this situation is.
What Lucha doesn’t expect is the appearance of this strange girl, especially when she tags along in this adventure of hers. But this isn’t the only thing Lucha hasn’t perceived coming. This fight she had willingly strolled in has been in the making for longer than she could have thought. The one between the scorned gods and higher powers that exist. and thus, the question lingers. Will Lucha succeed against the odds?
This story can draw readers in with its beautiful, celestial, writing. Mejia doesn’t treat the reader like a novice, she throws them into battle without fear, and there’s nothing else but to become invested in what’s taking place. The relationship between Lucha and her sister is one so vivid of older sisters in the Latino community–that one can’t help but see themselves in our brave protagonist. Filled with a unique magic system, Latino Culture, and more, Lucha of the Night Forest will easily become your favorite book of the year.
4. Lobizona by Romina Garber
Our dear protagonist, Manuela Azul, feels trapped inside an existence that suffocates her. She’s an undocumented immigrant who’s hiding from her father’s crime family in Argentina. Therefore, Manuela is secluded inside a cramped apartment in Miami, Florida.
But when her surrogate grandmother is suddenly attacked; a life of lies is exposed without mercy, and her mother is arrested by ICE. Manuela is now without a home, without answers to these conflictive questions, but even with what has taken place, Manuela is no longer bound by shackles. She investigates for any scrum of a clue about her past, and the mysterious “Z” emblem—that leads her to a secret buried so deeply within its existence.
As she unfolds her own story and her heritage back in Argentina; Manuela realizes that perhaps it wasn’t only her U.S. Residency that’s illegal, but rather, her entire existence on this earth.
What particularly drew me into this story was how relevant the author’s journey to get it published reflects our current society, and how, regardless of the progress that’s made, POC voices continue to be silenced. Romina was told by multiple agents that Lobizona would not sell. That no one would read about an Argentinian girl and her journey. This made Romina feel that it was just her manuscript they thought to be unmarkable, but that her existence was of no importance. That she didn’t matter. This continues to be an issue with aspiring POC authors, and it just takes one “yes” for the world to be given such a magnificent tale as Lobizona. This tale shares the many hardships and realities of Latino immigrants, and It’s important to support authors from minority groups; because much talent and literature is lost when they get overshadowed by white authors in their same genre.
5. The Wolf Queen: The Hope of Aeferi by cerece Rennie Murphy
After the vicious murder of her family, Ameenah Yemini worked to make a life for herself as a farmer and master tanner, only seeking to adventure into the outside world to earn a living, but ultimately, returning to the comfort and protection of her secluded home. But after an unexpected meeting, her work caught the attention of the one, powerful Hir. Ameenah had invested her life to become a quiet life; a life that is shattered entirely, and a whirlwind unfolds threatening it all. The Hir is persistent in having Ameenah to himself entirely, forcing everyone around her to shorten the distance between the two. It isn’t until Ameenah realizes that her greatest enemy might hold the key to the secret she had once lost—that she’s determined to regain her stolen past.
This novel will have you losing track of time. Murphy is a master when it comes to characterization, worldbuilding, and the sweet taste of heritage and culture. It’s one world everyone must dive into at least once. The African traditions and influences are present throughout the entire length of the novel, and it grants the reader an opportunity to learn about a culture that’s different from theirs.
I hope this inspires you to dive back into reading; who knows… maybe you’ll find your new favorite author!