If you're a mood reader like me, you know what you like and don't like– especially when you're in the mood to read. You need to scramble to find a new book to check out at the library, buy online, or get from the bookstore. It can be hard to sift through the choices or even find one that fits your needs for the moment. Here's a short list of popular tropes with book recommendations that I've loved!
Forbidden Romance
Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft is an incredible forbidden romance book. It focuses on Wren, a healer whose kind and sympathetic instincts make trouble follow her. She works in the army but when one of her actions causes her to be discharged, she finds employment at a crumbling mansion where she must quickly find a cure to a mysterious illness. This book has incredible prose and the forbidden romance isn't insta-love and features incredible support and realistic trials and loves between the two main characters instead of relying on cotton-candy, barely there machinations. It's a fantasy novel and perfect for a rainy day.
Want by Cindy Pon (ON ORDER @ UCL) is a sci-fi YA with lots of LGBTQ rep. It takes place in a high tech society where the wealthier you are, the longer you live. It deals with a lot of serious themes,
like class inequality and is definitely very dystopian. The romance, between Jason, our main character, and Daiyu, the daughter of a rich CEO, is a huge conflict, but the way the characters face these trials while also bringing about justice makes it a fantastic read. This novel also has lots of asian rep and is perfect for a thoughtful but interesting read.
The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman is a YA, paranormal and historical fiction mystery. Our main character, Helen Wrexhall, is a curious and headstrong woman in regency era London, but her curiosity leads her into learning things she very much shouldn't know (hint hint, she learns about demons). She is forced to partner with Lord Carlston to stop these insidious forces, but the two are definitely not supposed to fall in love. No way– but I think you might guess where things go. Helen's character is incredible and doesn't put on some of the 'not like other girls' and rude tropes that some historical heroines fall prey to. Tied in with the whirlwind plot and amazing romance, this novel is a must read. It's pretty lengthy, so when you're looking for a good dose of escapism and fantasy, this is perfect for you.
Found Family
The Degenerates by J. Albert Mann is about a group of girls in a mental institution. It's historical fiction and has incredible disability and LGBTQ rep. It focuses on Maxine and Rosie, two sisters trying to keep their heads up in their brutal 'home'. This novel is incredible because of its diverse cast and the way that they showcase each woman; they are all individual and unique and their character development is absolutely incredible to watch. If you need an uplifting novel with a fair share of sweet character friendships, this is for you.
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman is a sci-fi, dystopian novel with a unique premise and storytelling method. We follow Kady and Ezra (a couple who just broke it off) in 2575 after their planet is invaded, and when the two become embroiled in a secret conspiracy, they must work together to simply survive. Illuminae uses dossiers and reports along with first person POV to tell their story and has an incredible cast of characters that join our mains along the way. It's also a thought provoking book and has lots of cool clues and puzzles for anyone who wants to decrypt the mystery along with the characters. It's a hefty book though, and not for light reading.
Heists
Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennet is seriously one of the best books I've ever read. The writing style is so engaging and flows effortlessly; the main characters are black and LGBTQ and their characters are so strongly developed and their relationships are so fun to watch that this could also be counted as found family! Additionally, the world-building and magic systems are so unique but aren't too complicated, making the story just an incredible little piece of magic wrapped up in a hardcover. We follow Sancia, a thief, and Dandalo, a cop with an incredibly rigid moral compass. The two have to carry out an incredibly high risk heist- and fast. This book is great and fast paced and so so fun to read.
The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho is a unique, ancient Chinese and martial arts inspired heist fantasy. The main character is trans too, and the rep and characters in this novel is incredible. Guet Imm joins an 'eclectic group of thieves' after she needs to protect a sacred object. The entire story is whirlwind and incredibly entwined with the gorgeous setting and an underrated must read.
City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson is a thrilling mystery heist novel set in Kenya. The main character, Tina, is a refugee living in Sangui city but when her mother is killed, she goes on a path for revenge, joining a notorious gang and figuring out all the whys and the hows. This book is incredible for the setting and along with the compelling mystery, is also another good read for a dark and windy day where you feel an hunger to read about a soul-wrenching mystery and a tale of survival.
Which, ironically, leads us to the next category:
Survival/Stranded Together
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal is an incredible, slow burn, Arabian style fantasy. It follows Zafira, a hunter who struggles to keep her people alive in a cruel kingdom, and Nasir, a royal prince and assassin. The two must work together when they are called for a mission to find the Jawarat and restore magic to their failing lands. However, we can see the vendettas each character has and the conflicts that make their interactions frosty– but their expedition is in a land that is dangerous and cunning and they're forced to be together to help either survive, like it or not. The world-building is intricate and I loved Zafira's character. The development was also amazing and I loved how their interactions shifted as the book progressed. Another hefty fantasy but an incredible and fulfilling one, especially with the romance.
The Grace Year by Kim Ligget is honestly one of the most unique books I've read in a while. The premise is simple: girls about to turn sixteen are banished to the wilderness for a year in a hope that this hard labor and conditions will burn the willfullness and evil from their bodies. The girls in this novel are complex and originally, very unlikeable. However, as we follow Tierney James and her uncommon childhood and beliefs, we find uncomfortable truths about girls and their society itself. This book makes many conditions to our present world and things like the patriarchy– societal structures (a type of poison) that make girls turn on one another. We watch these girls survive together and overcome these horrors: an absolute five star read for me. This is not light reading but an intensely emotional and thought provoking book.
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