Reviews by Tag: historical fantasy

Teen Review
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

By R.F. Kuang
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Dec 12, 2022

Rin grew up in the village of Tikany, in the south of Nikara. At the age of 14, her foster parents
threaten to marry her off, and she knows she must escape her future. When she attempts and aces
the Keju (the national college entrance exam), being a poor girl from a relatively unknown
province, it shocks everyone. Now, attending Sinegard, the nation's top military school, she
attempts to prove herself amidst discrimination and mistreatment. But, Rin later learns that she

Teen Review
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

She Who Became the Sun

By Shelley Parker-Chan
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Aug 22, 2022

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

Teen Review
The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

The Beautiful

By Renee Ahdieh
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Aug 12, 2022

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

Teen Review

The Diviners

By Libba Bray
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
A_Gascich
Aug 10, 2022

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.

Teen Review
Splinters of Scarlet by Emily Bain Murphy

Splinters of Scarlet

By Emily Bain Murphy
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Kritika S.
Jul 14, 2022

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.

Teen Review
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

The Gilded Ones

By Namina Forna
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Aadit G.
Jun 1, 2022

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.

Teen Review
The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen

The Bird and the Blade

By Megan Bannen
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Brooke G.
Feb 22, 2021

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.

Teen Review
Cover photo of the book The Gilded Wolves

The Gilded Wolves

By Roshani Chokshi
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Delaney M.
Jan 18, 2021

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.

Teen Review
Cover photo of the book The Midnight Bargain

The Midnight Bargain

By C.L. Polk
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Lisa J.
Dec 18, 2020

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.

Teen Review
Stormrise

Stormrise

By Jillian Boehme

Rated by
Nithya K. from BV YA Lit Council
Dec 9, 2019

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.

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