Written by Shelley Parker-Chan, She Who Became the Sun is an exhilarating and emotional
read, especially if you like queer historical fiction and fantasy. It follows the growth of a young
woman who takes her brother’s name, a name destined for greatness. In Mongol China, peasants are
starving, famine is commonplace, and bandit attacks are frequent. When a bandit attack leaves both
children without a father and eventually takes the life of the brother, Zhu--the name the young
Celine Rosseau has just left her past behind in France to start a new life in America, boarding a
boat to the city of New Orleans. There’s a dark secret she’s keeping under wraps, and in an
attempt to start a new life, she joins the Ursuline covent. As she continues to adjust to life there,
she’s also introduced the the city’s mystical underworld (also known as the Court of Lions).
There, Celine meets Sébastien Saint Germain. However, Celine quickly becomes involved in the
The Diviners is a historical fiction fantasy novel by Libba Bray. It is the first novel in The Diviners
series. It follows Evie O’Neill, who has recently been sent to New York to live with her uncle.
After her uncle is called to a murder scene, she decides to use a secret ability she possess in
order to solve the case. However, the novel also features Memphis, a young man caught in the
occult world, Theta, a girl fleeing her dark past and Jericho, a man hiding a dark secret.
Splinters of Scarlet is by Emily Bain Murphy, the genre is YA historical fantasy. It’s about a girl
named Marit whose father died in a mining accident, and was moved to an orphanage where
she eventually grew out of the age limit for being adopted. Even when she has every reason to
be bitter, she's not and tries her best to get her friend Eve adopted. On the day of Eve's last
chance to be adopted by someone, Marit uses her magic to sew an amazing costume for Eve.
Rating: 4 My rating for this book is a 4 because the book has a great plotline. The only reason his is not a 5 is because it can get confusing at times.
The Bird and The Blade is set in the ancient Mongolian empire. Jinghua, our protagonist, is a slave in the Khipkhak Khanate, that is, until the kingdom is taken over by enemy forces and the only people able to escape are the Khan (King), the prince, and Jinghua. Together they journey across the kingdom, fleeing pursuing forces. With no other options, Khalaf plans to marry Turandokht, the cunning and beautiful daughter of the Great Khan. Easier said than done.
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi is the story of a unique and talented group of teenagers and the eclectic leader who holds them together. The characters are already a seasoned group of treasure hunters by the time the story begins, but the mission that the book sends them on is an important one. The acquisition of this ancient artifact has the power to alter each of their individual lives for the better.
Beatrice Clayborn is a young, powerful sorceress secretly practicing magic in a patriarchal world that doesn’t allow women the freedom of sorcery. Beatrice’s greatest dream is to become a Mage, but her family is relying on her to secure an advantageous marriage in order to avoid financial ruin. There’s only one problem with this — once married, she will be locked into a collar that will cut off her magical powers to protect the children she will inevitably bear.
Not unlike Disney's "Mulan", Rain, daughter of a Neshu grandmaster and a Neshu fighter herself, is unwilling to let her twin brother and father leave to fight in the war. Especially because when she'd been little, she and her brother had fallen sick, and Rain was accidentally given the medicine reserved for the family's only son- leaving her brother with slight cognitive scars. Certain that her brother won't return from the battlefield, Rain disguises herself as a man and goes in his place, making every move to remain undiscovered including taking a powder to hide her monthly bleed.
When Kit is mistaken for an infamous highwayman who happens to be his master, he is catapulted into a world of magic and wonders. Bound by magical law, he must complete his former master’s quest to rescue a fairy princess from an arranged marriage. His task is not easy, he must contend with the feisty princess, attacks by goblings, and a map that shows his destiny as a man hanged on the gallows.
