My nephew’s girlfriend asked for some book recommendations to read while quarantined during this COVID-19 pandemic. I think others might also want some suggestions so I decided to resurrect my blog and publish a few different lists. I am starting with my one of my favorites, YA fantasy series. These also appeal to adults but are marketed to teens. So if you are looking for adult titles, this isn’t your list. And since there are so many great authors out there, I will split up the post and cover a few authors a day with a final pdf on the last post.
These are the first books in their series. Some are duologies, others much longer.
Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh
While traveling to marry the emperor, Mariko’s entourage is attacked and all are left for dead. Mariko manages to get away and joins the band of bandits she believes is responsible for the attack. Sequel is Smoke in the Sun.
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
Every night a girl is married to the young king and every morning, she is killed. When Sharhrzad’s best friend is one of the girls, she volunteers to be the next bride in order to get close enough to kill him. Sequel is The Rose and the Dagger.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
The color of your blood determines your class: those with silver are the rulers over those with red. When the red-blooded Mare is discovered to have some of the powers of silver-bloods, she is drawn into the palace, the princes, and all of its intrigue. Series includes Red Queen, Glass Sword, King’s Cage, and War Storm. To be upfront, I’ve only read the first of this series but I’ve included it because my students really like it.
The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad
Fatima lives in a city of immigrants living cooperatively under the safety of the Ifrit, a race of djinn committed to order and reason. When her friend and mentor dies, Fatima is filled with a unfamiliar power that may threaten the peace she has known. This is actually a one-off! Great to read a story that actually ends.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
When common soldier Alina demonstrates unusual powers, she is whisked away from her best friend, Mal, to the city to be trained by the Grisha, the magical elite who serve the king. This series has a Slavic/Russian setting and folktale background. Pretty unique when it was written (2012). Series includes Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Kaz Brekker selects a team of criminals, each with special skills, to break into a fortress within the ice palace of an enemy kingdom. Set in the same world as Shadow and Bone, this duology features others with Grisha skills. Sequel is Crooked Kingdom.
