YA fantasy for captivating a picky brain
June 28, 2017 6:13 AM
I'm reading Garth Nix's Old Kingdom books again, and realised in doing so that it's been a long time since I read something that completely captivated me, and made me want to keep reading to the exclusion of other activities.
I'm looking for more examples in a similar vein - YA fantasy series, with some specific likes/dislikes inside.
I was a voracious reader as a kid, but a combo of chronic hard-to-treat depression, some attention issues, a fairly tedious literature degree, a job that is all reading and writing (but not fiction), and having a bunch of adult responsibilities to attend to has meant that I've barely read two or three books a year for the last few years, and a lot of them have been non-fiction self-help type stuff.
Reading these books again (including two new ones since I last read them; what a treat!) has reminded me that I really like the feeling of being lost in a book/series, it's just a lot harder to trigger than it was when I was a kid, and my ability to read for pleasure significantly waxes and wanes due to aforementioned issues.
I've also been completely avoiding news, politics, social media and basically the entire outside world since before the UK election (early June), for the sake of my mental health, so I have some extra time that I'd usually have spent flicking through my phone learning about all the sickening things happening in the world that I have zero control over. I'd like to fill some of that time with more light, escapist YA fantasy.
Apart from Garth Nix's Old Kingdom books, the only other books I've had a similar feeling from in the last few years were Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Cycle, Octavia Butler's Earthseed books, and the first book in LS Baird's Songbirds of Valnon series.
Things I really like in fantasy:
I have tried Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett in the past and didn't manage to get this same feeling from either of their works, to head off a couple of popular suggestions. I've also read the Dark is Rising books and also didn't get this from them - they were a little too dry/not compelling enough. I've watched some of the Game of Thrones TV series, enough to know that I'm probably not going to get on with the books. I like the Lord of the Rings books, but they didn't captivate me in the way I'm trying to describe. The Harry Potter series was a big hit when I was younger, but I rate JKR more as a storyteller/worldbuiler than as a writer, to the point where the writing sometimes grates.
Please shower me with your finest world-avoiding, teen-oriented fantasy that takes into account the caveats above. What was the last thing in this rough vein that made you want to sneak into the toilet at work and read for as long as you could get away with? That set your brain on fire (in a good way) while you read it? Above all, I want to want to keep reading.
I was a voracious reader as a kid, but a combo of chronic hard-to-treat depression, some attention issues, a fairly tedious literature degree, a job that is all reading and writing (but not fiction), and having a bunch of adult responsibilities to attend to has meant that I've barely read two or three books a year for the last few years, and a lot of them have been non-fiction self-help type stuff.
Reading these books again (including two new ones since I last read them; what a treat!) has reminded me that I really like the feeling of being lost in a book/series, it's just a lot harder to trigger than it was when I was a kid, and my ability to read for pleasure significantly waxes and wanes due to aforementioned issues.
I've also been completely avoiding news, politics, social media and basically the entire outside world since before the UK election (early June), for the sake of my mental health, so I have some extra time that I'd usually have spent flicking through my phone learning about all the sickening things happening in the world that I have zero control over. I'd like to fill some of that time with more light, escapist YA fantasy.
Apart from Garth Nix's Old Kingdom books, the only other books I've had a similar feeling from in the last few years were Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Cycle, Octavia Butler's Earthseed books, and the first book in LS Baird's Songbirds of Valnon series.
Things I really like in fantasy:
- Really good, compelling writing - so good and compelling that I don't notice I'm reading. Stuff that is clumsier or less-well-written tends to stick out and reduce my ability to suspend disbelief, and I often find I end up bouncing off it. Part of the experience of being captivated by a book for me is when it's like there's a direct link between brain and story, and I'm barely noticing that I'm actually reading words off a page as a middleman between the two.
- Rich worldbuilding, with a lot of time spent on the world/history/why stuff is, and comparatively less time spent on long action sequences (I have some processing issues when it comes to translating action text into mind-visuals, so I tend to find long prose descriptions of action [and still-frame visual action sequences, like in comics] extremely hard to parse and figure out what's meant to be going on). My favourite bits in the Old Kingdom books are the bits where you find out something tantalising about lore and history, rather than the bits where some horrifying monster is being battled/defeated.
- Strong, central female characters with rich inner lives; I broadly prefer female authors - Nix is a noted exception, though his main characters tend to be powerful, well-realised girls and women. Any recs should be respectful towards women throughout.
- General preference for YA over adult fantasy, though I'm not averse to adult recs if they're in keeping with the other stuff I've mentioned liking; I tend to prefer stuff that grapples with the problems of being an older child or teen who doesn't quite fit in.
- Relationship content which is relatively minor and plot-driven rather than central to the point of the book. I'm not particularly interested in romance-intrigue or boy-crazy subplots, though I can tolerate that stuff in doses if the rest is good; I'm definitely not interested in extended sex/erotic scenes.
- Magic as a theme, particularly with a well-developed system within the books. I like magic-with-constraints a lot more than magic-as-deus-ex-machina.
- No idea how to describe this, but I like books/series that feel grounded in something fundamentally safe/cosy; books with a safe base/safe adults (even if that gets threatened as part of the plot), a fundamental sense that there is the power within the grasp of the main characters to right whatever terrifying wrongs the plot demands of them.
- I like schools, academies, palaces, courts, etc. - collections of humans with hierarchy, order and a lot of strange, arcane history.
- I'm fundamentally more interested in stuff focused on people than stuff that's primarily about nature/animals.
- LGBT/broadly socially liberal themes are extremely welcome.
- A series of roughly 3-5 books that feature the same characters would be ideal; I'm less interested in one-off stories or very long series (I've read a few long series and find they tend to run out of ideas/struggle to keep the magic alive the longer they go on).
- In spite of not really being interested in sex/relationship content and lots of violence (see below), I have no problem at all with fantasy that explores some really dark stuff, particularly when there's a well-developed teenage protagonist to be tested by it/learn hard-but-worthwhile lessons from it.
- Vaguely medieval/historical setting preferred - I'm more interested in old-fashioned worlds built around magic than I am in stuff about the interaction between magic and the modern world/magic and technology.
- Must be available on the UK Kindle store (if you're posting Amazon links, .co.uk is super helpful, though I can google if I need to); even better if it's less than £5/book.
I have tried Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett in the past and didn't manage to get this same feeling from either of their works, to head off a couple of popular suggestions. I've also read the Dark is Rising books and also didn't get this from them - they were a little too dry/not compelling enough. I've watched some of the Game of Thrones TV series, enough to know that I'm probably not going to get on with the books. I like the Lord of the Rings books, but they didn't captivate me in the way I'm trying to describe. The Harry Potter series was a big hit when I was younger, but I rate JKR more as a storyteller/worldbuiler than as a writer, to the point where the writing sometimes grates.
Please shower me with your finest world-avoiding, teen-oriented fantasy that takes into account the caveats above. What was the last thing in this rough vein that made you want to sneak into the toilet at work and read for as long as you could get away with? That set your brain on fire (in a good way) while you read it? Above all, I want to want to keep reading.
The Chrestomanci by Diane Wynne Jones. 6 books, 4 short stories set in a common universe/magic system, with some characters rappearing. Also by her: Howl's Moving Castle, Castle in the Air, House of Many Ways, similarly sharing some common locations and characters. I read both of these groups for the first time as an adult, and loved them. Lots of humor threaded throughout.
Stand-alone: The Blue Sword, by Robin McKinley. Outstanding book witha strong female protagonist back when these were much harder ro come by. Follow by its prequel, The Hero and The Crown.
posted by Nancy_LockIsLit_Palmer at 6:24 AM on June 28, 2017
Stand-alone: The Blue Sword, by Robin McKinley. Outstanding book witha strong female protagonist back when these were much harder ro come by. Follow by its prequel, The Hero and The Crown.
posted by Nancy_LockIsLit_Palmer at 6:24 AM on June 28, 2017
Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo- Set in the same universe as her previous trilogy (Shadow and Bone) but in a new city, this is a classic heist movie that fell in love with a dungeons and dragons campaign. I loved it, but it took a bit to get into. It's the first of a trilogy, and only the first two are out right now, but if you love the universe you can visit Shadow and Bone and the novellas.
posted by Torosaurus at 6:26 AM on June 28, 2017
posted by Torosaurus at 6:26 AM on June 28, 2017
Stormlight archive by Sanderson checks all the boxes but YA- lots of world building and history, little romance, central female characters (including a princess professor mage), courts and libraries, detailed and novel and interesting magic system, solid prose, etc.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:31 AM on June 28, 2017
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:31 AM on June 28, 2017
Doesn't check half your boxes, but Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain series is a pretty high standard of the genre.
posted by General Malaise at 6:34 AM on June 28, 2017
posted by General Malaise at 6:34 AM on June 28, 2017
Tamora Pierce! The Song of the Lioness quartet was one of the formative sets of books in my life. I also love her Immortals series though it deals a lot with animals. I haven't read all of her newer stuff yet but there's a lot to dig in to and I think she hits a lot of your points.
posted by brilliantine at 6:35 AM on June 28, 2017
posted by brilliantine at 6:35 AM on June 28, 2017
Megan Whalen Turner's Queen's thief series is one of my favourite things ever and would meet most of your criteria.
Max Gladstone's Craft sequence is currently available at a discount and is absolutely unputdownable- it's not exactly YA, nor a medieval setting but otherwise would meet your needs I think. (It's on the Hugo ballot for this year in the new series category which is how I came across it.) Wonderfully interesting magic system, world building and characters.
posted by Coaticass at 6:38 AM on June 28, 2017
Max Gladstone's Craft sequence is currently available at a discount and is absolutely unputdownable- it's not exactly YA, nor a medieval setting but otherwise would meet your needs I think. (It's on the Hugo ballot for this year in the new series category which is how I came across it.) Wonderfully interesting magic system, world building and characters.
posted by Coaticass at 6:38 AM on June 28, 2017
Duh, apparently Megan Whalen Turner is not available on UK kindle! (Sorry) What an outrage, you should start a campaign.
posted by Coaticass at 6:42 AM on June 28, 2017
posted by Coaticass at 6:42 AM on June 28, 2017
Finnikin of the Rock and Graceling are always my go-tos here. I also really liked this year's Newbery winner (The Girl Who Drank the Moon) though it might be a little young. idk your feelings on dragons but Seraphina is pretty great. I was obsessed with Chime, though it's set like ~early 1900s; similarly A Great and Terrible Beauty is like Victorian-era but also great.
nthing Six of Crows (though it's real violent; the first series – Shadow and Bone – is also good), Queen's Thief, and Tamora Pierce, too.
(p.s. how are your kindle books so cheap!! jealous)
posted by goodbyewaffles at 6:47 AM on June 28, 2017
nthing Six of Crows (though it's real violent; the first series – Shadow and Bone – is also good), Queen's Thief, and Tamora Pierce, too.
(p.s. how are your kindle books so cheap!! jealous)
posted by goodbyewaffles at 6:47 AM on June 28, 2017
Seconding Whalen Turner's Queen's thief series. The first book is mostly dude-oriented, but deceptively well-written, and the queen that dominates the second book of the series is eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepic.
I'll also put in a vote for Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy. Male author, but otherwise checks almost all of your boxes -- Victorian/turn of the century setting, really well-written, 3-5 books, rich worldbuilding with beautifully-incorporated arcana and social maneuvering, and a really interesting, well-thought out magical system, plot-driven with romance a vague sort of thought. The main character of the first book is a dude, but starting in the second and third books, shares the spotlight/the story is taken over by one of my favorite lady characters in all of fiction, let alone YA fiction.
Also: if you enjoyed Moggett/the Dispreutable Dog, I suspect you'll enjoy Bartimaeus, who narrates part of the books, and at times strikes me as close to being like Moggett in a particularly murderous mood. . .
posted by joyceanmachine at 6:57 AM on June 28, 2017
I'll also put in a vote for Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy. Male author, but otherwise checks almost all of your boxes -- Victorian/turn of the century setting, really well-written, 3-5 books, rich worldbuilding with beautifully-incorporated arcana and social maneuvering, and a really interesting, well-thought out magical system, plot-driven with romance a vague sort of thought. The main character of the first book is a dude, but starting in the second and third books, shares the spotlight/the story is taken over by one of my favorite lady characters in all of fiction, let alone YA fiction.
Also: if you enjoyed Moggett/the Dispreutable Dog, I suspect you'll enjoy Bartimaeus, who narrates part of the books, and at times strikes me as close to being like Moggett in a particularly murderous mood. . .
posted by joyceanmachine at 6:57 AM on June 28, 2017
(And for the record, I have DEFINITELY snuck away to read the Bartimaeus trilogy in the bathroom at work.)
posted by joyceanmachine at 6:58 AM on June 28, 2017
posted by joyceanmachine at 6:58 AM on June 28, 2017
Sean Williams' Books of the Change - I read these ages ago and don't remember a huge amount except the prose is really lovely. YMMV
Jacquline Carey- Santa Olivia is sort of science-fictional but quite the page turner. Also LGBT friendly.
posted by Coaticass at 7:02 AM on June 28, 2017
Jacquline Carey- Santa Olivia is sort of science-fictional but quite the page turner. Also LGBT friendly.
posted by Coaticass at 7:02 AM on June 28, 2017
Not sure if it's on Amazon UK but I think Daughter of Smoke and Bone meets your criteria perfectly. I always recommend it here, because it's great! (I also like Garth Nix a ton so our tastes may be similar.)
posted by ferret branca at 7:16 AM on June 28, 2017
posted by ferret branca at 7:16 AM on June 28, 2017
I think you will really like Seraphina and Shadow Scale. I think they hit every one of your criteria except that there are only 2 of them (though there is maybe a prequel novella as well?)
Also second the Graceling series and Finnikin of the Rock and its follow-ups.
posted by wsquared at 7:19 AM on June 28, 2017
Also second the Graceling series and Finnikin of the Rock and its follow-ups.
posted by wsquared at 7:19 AM on June 28, 2017
Not YA, but try Robin Hobb (my fave!). Technically it's 4 connected trilogies starting with Assassin's Apprentice, but I think you should start with the Liveship Traders trilogy, which begins with Ship of Magic. If you love the trilogy (I think you will!) you can go back and read the others and not miss anything.
posted by AmandaA at 7:25 AM on June 28, 2017
posted by AmandaA at 7:25 AM on June 28, 2017
Jonathan Stroud also has the Lockwood & Co. series, which is very enjoyable as well.
posted by mogget at 7:28 AM on June 28, 2017
posted by mogget at 7:28 AM on June 28, 2017
N.K. Jemisin writes for adults, but a lot of her central characters are young adults and they meet all your other criteria. I think you should start with the Inheritance trilogy, as that seems most up your alley, but The Fifth Season is my favorite. I've definitely read 1,000+ pages of her novels in a weekend, so I'd say they're pretty captivating.
posted by snaw at 7:39 AM on June 28, 2017
posted by snaw at 7:39 AM on June 28, 2017
Adding my vote for these two, since I thought about them as I read your question:
Megan Whalen Turner's Queen's thief series
Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy
posted by soelo at 7:46 AM on June 28, 2017
Megan Whalen Turner's Queen's thief series
Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy
posted by soelo at 7:46 AM on June 28, 2017
Robin Hobb writes beautifully, but sometimes is heavy on the tear-jerking elements. If you don't want to be sad, maybe wait awhile to read her stuff.
I love The Blue Sword and Hero and the Crown as fantasy candy. I like to read them in that order in that a legendary character in The Blue Sword gets her story told in Hero and the Crown, and the previous references make that terrific. Hero and the Crown has the trope of the one misfit in the royal family whose magical powers aren't developing.
I also thought you might like Graceling, although I don't remember many of the details of the book. Definitely a misfit story, but she's an assassin, so maybe it doesn't have the safe quality you are looking for.
When you said "rich, inner life" I started thinking about Catherine Called Birdy. It's historical YA, not fantasy, but in the time period you like. The book has a very distinctive first person voice. It's not a series, but if you decide you like the author she has other books that might appeal.
posted by puddledork at 7:48 AM on June 28, 2017
I love The Blue Sword and Hero and the Crown as fantasy candy. I like to read them in that order in that a legendary character in The Blue Sword gets her story told in Hero and the Crown, and the previous references make that terrific. Hero and the Crown has the trope of the one misfit in the royal family whose magical powers aren't developing.
I also thought you might like Graceling, although I don't remember many of the details of the book. Definitely a misfit story, but she's an assassin, so maybe it doesn't have the safe quality you are looking for.
When you said "rich, inner life" I started thinking about Catherine Called Birdy. It's historical YA, not fantasy, but in the time period you like. The book has a very distinctive first person voice. It's not a series, but if you decide you like the author she has other books that might appeal.
posted by puddledork at 7:48 AM on June 28, 2017
YA:
The Skinjacker Trilogy / Neal Shusterman (all 3 very good)
Not YA (but mercilessly engrossing and fun):
Checquy Files / Daniel O'Malley (the first, The Rook, incredibly entertaining)
The Magicians / Lev Grossman (the first quite better than the other two)
posted by subajestad at 8:27 AM on June 28, 2017
The Skinjacker Trilogy / Neal Shusterman (all 3 very good)
Not YA (but mercilessly engrossing and fun):
Checquy Files / Daniel O'Malley (the first, The Rook, incredibly entertaining)
The Magicians / Lev Grossman (the first quite better than the other two)
posted by subajestad at 8:27 AM on June 28, 2017
I'm almost doubting myself suggesting it, because no one else has, but have you tried the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman, starting with The Golden Compass? There's a strong female main character who is super tough and independent, other female characters who are interesting and intelligent, a whole world (and a few others) that is similar to but different from our own, some magic, some history about these worlds, some intersections with our own world, and some (emphasis on "some") supportive and loving adult characters. It's very much about the main girl and her quest to protect others and do the right thing, without her worrying about which boy to date.
posted by violetish at 8:33 AM on June 28, 2017
posted by violetish at 8:33 AM on June 28, 2017
Nthing Megan Whalen Turner, Robin McKinley, Diana Wynne Jones. I'd also recommend A College of Magics and A Scholar of Magics by Caroline Stevermer. With Patricia Wrede, Stevermer wrote Sorcery and Cecilia or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot which has sequels. Patricia Wrede has good stuff on her own too.
posted by azalea_chant at 8:38 AM on June 28, 2017
posted by azalea_chant at 8:38 AM on June 28, 2017
Ooh and Frances Hardinge's Fly by Night is awesome and has a sequel and the Flora books by Ysabeau Wilce are great too.
posted by azalea_chant at 8:39 AM on June 28, 2017
posted by azalea_chant at 8:39 AM on June 28, 2017
Have you tried Gail Carriger? This is the 1st book in the YA series that I read. She also writes more adultish fiction in the same universe but all are very light and fun romps. Agree you may like The Magicians.
posted by BoscosMom at 8:55 AM on June 28, 2017
posted by BoscosMom at 8:55 AM on June 28, 2017
Though neither of these are explicitly YA, based on your criteria I think they check off a lot of your boxes:
- Uprooted - very strong female lead (and written by a female author); interesting magic system and world.
- His Majesty's Dragon - by the same author. I can only vouch for the first book in this series (haven't read the rest yet); while the lead character is male, I found this book incredibly cozy and absorbing. I kept having to stop to exclaim to my wife how much I loved the characters and how they related to one another.
I'd also second the suggestion to give Robin Hobb a try - I am just finishing up the final book in the Liveship Traders trilogy now and have LOVED it. Some really novel ideas in this one, and the female characters are all well-developed and interesting. Can't vouch for how tear-jerking the ending of this trilogy is yet, but thus far there hasn't been anything that's really devastated me with sorrow. I liked the Assassin's Apprentice series pretty well, but have been utterly absorbed in the Liveship Traders.
posted by DingoMutt at 8:56 AM on June 28, 2017
- Uprooted - very strong female lead (and written by a female author); interesting magic system and world.
- His Majesty's Dragon - by the same author. I can only vouch for the first book in this series (haven't read the rest yet); while the lead character is male, I found this book incredibly cozy and absorbing. I kept having to stop to exclaim to my wife how much I loved the characters and how they related to one another.
I'd also second the suggestion to give Robin Hobb a try - I am just finishing up the final book in the Liveship Traders trilogy now and have LOVED it. Some really novel ideas in this one, and the female characters are all well-developed and interesting. Can't vouch for how tear-jerking the ending of this trilogy is yet, but thus far there hasn't been anything that's really devastated me with sorrow. I liked the Assassin's Apprentice series pretty well, but have been utterly absorbed in the Liveship Traders.
posted by DingoMutt at 8:56 AM on June 28, 2017
ah, I adored the original Old Kingdom trilogy too (but was so disappointed in Clariel!)
Maybe Catheryne Valente - The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making - just one book but I devoured it.
I'm sort of hesitant to recommend this because you don't want sex and violence and the main character is a courtesan specialising in masochism but I did really enjoy Kushiel's Dart. There isn't actually anything really explicit in it and it does hit a lot of your other requirements.
posted by corvine at 9:02 AM on June 28, 2017
Maybe Catheryne Valente - The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making - just one book but I devoured it.
I'm sort of hesitant to recommend this because you don't want sex and violence and the main character is a courtesan specialising in masochism but I did really enjoy Kushiel's Dart. There isn't actually anything really explicit in it and it does hit a lot of your other requirements.
posted by corvine at 9:02 AM on June 28, 2017
Came here to suggest "The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making" and see it's been said, BUT, there are sequels now! Five books in the series, and well worth a look if you like imaginative, immersive writing and strong female characters!
posted by The otter lady at 9:13 AM on June 28, 2017
posted by The otter lady at 9:13 AM on June 28, 2017
I think you'd like Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Cycle; book 1 is "The Raven Boys"; psychic powers, portents of doom, sexual tension (but no sex), dead Welsh kings, etc. etc.
If you like Garth Nix, you should also read some of his recent standalones: Frogkisser! and Newt's Emerald. Frogkisser! is about a princess on a quest to defeat her evil stepstepfather, and Newt's Emerald is a fantasy in the style of Georgette Heyer.
Speaking of Georgette Heyer, she has a definite influence in Sorceror to the Crown by Zen Cho, and also The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman, but they're very different books. There's a sequel out to Dark Days Club and I hope Zen Cho will write another book in her world.
Mary Robinette Kowal has written The Glamourist Histories (link is to the first book, "Shades of Milk and Honey"); it's a quintet that starts with a Jane Austen-style romance.
posted by mogget at 9:32 AM on June 28, 2017
If you like Garth Nix, you should also read some of his recent standalones: Frogkisser! and Newt's Emerald. Frogkisser! is about a princess on a quest to defeat her evil stepstepfather, and Newt's Emerald is a fantasy in the style of Georgette Heyer.
Speaking of Georgette Heyer, she has a definite influence in Sorceror to the Crown by Zen Cho, and also The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman, but they're very different books. There's a sequel out to Dark Days Club and I hope Zen Cho will write another book in her world.
Mary Robinette Kowal has written The Glamourist Histories (link is to the first book, "Shades of Milk and Honey"); it's a quintet that starts with a Jane Austen-style romance.
posted by mogget at 9:32 AM on June 28, 2017
We have very similar tastes! Everything I'm about to recommend includes books I haven't been able to put down or have snuck off to read during work.
I'll nth the recommendations of Tamora Pierce (YES YES YES all of her books), Graceling, Naomi Novick (Uprooted, Temeraire series), Seraphina/Shadowscale, some McKinley.
Not sure I agree with the Kushiel recommendation - I actually liked those, but they are very violent later in the series, especially sexually violent (and it's a bad thing, not a gratuitous thing like Game of Thrones).
I love Sharon Shinn. I feel like she's not as well-known as she could be, but she has three excellent series, really good worldbuilding, every book has strong female lead characters. Her series are set in very different worlds. I might start with Elemental Blessings series which has a really interesting magic system, but Twelve Houses is great too, as is the Archangels/Samaria series. All medieval-ish.
Susannah Kearsley has quite a few one-off books, I suppose technically they are romance, but that's a small part. She's a great writer and they are very inner-focused, and feel safe or cozy to me. Most of her books have a time travel/time slip element but aren't too fantasy focused otherwise; my favorite is The Shadowy Horses.
Cassandra Clare? I know a lot of people don't like her, but I find the Shadowhunters series very engaging and it's a fun take on the heroes battling evil quests, and they're very socially liberal/LGBTQ friendly. City of Bones is the one to start with. Some romance, but it's not the biggest plot point.
Lois McMastor Bujold's World of the Five Gods series is SO GOOD.
I rarely read men, but one male author I love is Guy Gavriel Kay. He has a number of duologies, really strong female characters, medieval or historical settings, great worldbuilding, lots of interior focus....he calls it historical fiction with a quarter-turn to the fantastic, and I think that's a good descriptor. Not YA, but otherwise meets your needs, I think. I just looked at his booklist and I cannot possibly pick one to start with, other than to say the Finnovar books aren't his best (they were his first). They are so hard to put down. I might start with Sarantine. Or Lions of Al-Rassan. Most of them are loosely set in the same world at different places and times, so there are common themes. His books are really elegiac and dreamlike. I come out as though I'd been living somewhere else for hours. I envy anyone coming to Kay's books for the first time!
posted by john_snow at 10:13 AM on June 28, 2017
I'll nth the recommendations of Tamora Pierce (YES YES YES all of her books), Graceling, Naomi Novick (Uprooted, Temeraire series), Seraphina/Shadowscale, some McKinley.
Not sure I agree with the Kushiel recommendation - I actually liked those, but they are very violent later in the series, especially sexually violent (and it's a bad thing, not a gratuitous thing like Game of Thrones).
I love Sharon Shinn. I feel like she's not as well-known as she could be, but she has three excellent series, really good worldbuilding, every book has strong female lead characters. Her series are set in very different worlds. I might start with Elemental Blessings series which has a really interesting magic system, but Twelve Houses is great too, as is the Archangels/Samaria series. All medieval-ish.
Susannah Kearsley has quite a few one-off books, I suppose technically they are romance, but that's a small part. She's a great writer and they are very inner-focused, and feel safe or cozy to me. Most of her books have a time travel/time slip element but aren't too fantasy focused otherwise; my favorite is The Shadowy Horses.
Cassandra Clare? I know a lot of people don't like her, but I find the Shadowhunters series very engaging and it's a fun take on the heroes battling evil quests, and they're very socially liberal/LGBTQ friendly. City of Bones is the one to start with. Some romance, but it's not the biggest plot point.
Lois McMastor Bujold's World of the Five Gods series is SO GOOD.
I rarely read men, but one male author I love is Guy Gavriel Kay. He has a number of duologies, really strong female characters, medieval or historical settings, great worldbuilding, lots of interior focus....he calls it historical fiction with a quarter-turn to the fantastic, and I think that's a good descriptor. Not YA, but otherwise meets your needs, I think. I just looked at his booklist and I cannot possibly pick one to start with, other than to say the Finnovar books aren't his best (they were his first). They are so hard to put down. I might start with Sarantine. Or Lions of Al-Rassan. Most of them are loosely set in the same world at different places and times, so there are common themes. His books are really elegiac and dreamlike. I come out as though I'd been living somewhere else for hours. I envy anyone coming to Kay's books for the first time!
posted by john_snow at 10:13 AM on June 28, 2017
YES I am so happy to recommend So You Want to Be a Wizard, the first in the Young Wizards series. It checks almost all of your boxes - amazingly rich magic system (that functions around the use of language as a tool), strong female leads, available on Kindle Unlimited. It does get a little dark but is optimistic about changing the world through dedicated, intentional action. They definitely have that cozy feel for me.
The series is apparently 9 books long now; I only read the first 4 in my youth because there was a long lag before the fifth was published.
posted by quadrilaterals at 11:51 AM on June 28, 2017
The series is apparently 9 books long now; I only read the first 4 in my youth because there was a long lag before the fifth was published.
posted by quadrilaterals at 11:51 AM on June 28, 2017
I nth Diana Wynne Jones for sure -- not only the Chrestomanci books, but also the Dalemark Quartet. I also nth Robin McKinley and Philip Pullman -- they seem like they'd be a good fit for you. So You Want to Be a Wizard is WONDERFUL (though more modern-feeling), and N.K. Jemisin's Inheritance Trilogy is also WONDERFUL (though it feels more adult to me than the others).
Have you read Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea books? They're classics of the genre -- fabulous and excellently written.
I just read Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor, and loved it. I've heard it called "the Nigerian Harry Potter," and I think that does give you some sense of it, though I think you might like the writing better than you liked Harry Potter. It meets all of your criteria but one (it's set in the modern world -- though it's not really about modern vs. magic, but rather a coming-of-age story). It's the first book of a series that is still being written -- more are coming soon.
I think you might enjoy the works of Ursula Vernon (she also writes under the name T. Kingfisher). She has some great stuff posted free online, which was how I got to know her. Try Summer in Orcus (a warm and wonderful YA novel), as well as Jackalope Wives and The Tomato Thief, two novellas centered around the same character in the same fascinating world.
posted by ourobouros at 12:43 PM on June 28, 2017
Have you read Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea books? They're classics of the genre -- fabulous and excellently written.
I just read Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor, and loved it. I've heard it called "the Nigerian Harry Potter," and I think that does give you some sense of it, though I think you might like the writing better than you liked Harry Potter. It meets all of your criteria but one (it's set in the modern world -- though it's not really about modern vs. magic, but rather a coming-of-age story). It's the first book of a series that is still being written -- more are coming soon.
I think you might enjoy the works of Ursula Vernon (she also writes under the name T. Kingfisher). She has some great stuff posted free online, which was how I got to know her. Try Summer in Orcus (a warm and wonderful YA novel), as well as Jackalope Wives and The Tomato Thief, two novellas centered around the same character in the same fascinating world.
posted by ourobouros at 12:43 PM on June 28, 2017
It kind of doesn't check of many of your boxes, but I want to suggest the Goblin Emperor. I find it amazingly cozy. The main character is a (young) man, but the women in the book seem to be treated as real humans. The main character is just so thoughtful and considerate and nice that he makes me happy. Not much action, more thinking and pondering.
For a YA series that I liked, Shannon Hale's "The Books of Bayern" and "Princess Academy" series are both good choices. The Bayern series has a new main character for each book, although the previous mains show up as characters. Princess Academy has a kind of cliched premise but goes in a nice direction.
posted by that girl at 2:39 PM on June 28, 2017
For a YA series that I liked, Shannon Hale's "The Books of Bayern" and "Princess Academy" series are both good choices. The Bayern series has a new main character for each book, although the previous mains show up as characters. Princess Academy has a kind of cliched premise but goes in a nice direction.
posted by that girl at 2:39 PM on June 28, 2017
For great world-building and excellent female characters, I would recommend Kate Elliott's Spiritwalker trilogy, starting with Cold Magic. They are set in a universe with elemental magic, where Rome never fell and a ghoul infestation resulted in the British Isles being colonized by West Africans. Oh, and there are sapient dinosaurs in North America. The heroine(s) are two female cousins who end up in dire straits because one of them was promised in marriage without her consent in order to settle a family debt. They're epic and fun, and the relationship between the sisters is so great.
Elliott also has a YA series, based loosely on Little Women mashed up with American Ninja Warrior -- it starts with Court of Fives and has great characters making brave and foolish mistakes, and some great action sequences.
Sherwood Smith has really absorbing secondary-world series that involves a military school, interdimensional pirates, swords and horses, interesting gender roles, varying sexualities, and lots of battles. They start with Inda, which is mostly the story of young boys at a military academy, but the rest get increasingly complicated and epic.
I cannot second the recommendations of Diane Duane, early Robin McKinley (stop at Spindle's End), and The Goblin Emperor enough. They are the sort of story I read when I'm unhappy and need comfort.
Also not fantasy but still lovely: A Short History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper, and its sequels. Kind of Cold Comfort Farm with alternative sexualities and Nazi treasure-hunters. Really wonderful characters, written wittily and warmly.
If you want smart women solving puzzles and maybe even saving the world, Rosemary Kirstein's Steerswoman novels are for you. They're sort of fantasy, sort-of not, with vivid characters and an utterly fascinating universe. They're also the best sort of fiction-about-science that you might ever read. Great stuff, not nearly well-known enough, because Kirstein writes at a snail's pace.
posted by suelac at 3:08 PM on June 28, 2017
Elliott also has a YA series, based loosely on Little Women mashed up with American Ninja Warrior -- it starts with Court of Fives and has great characters making brave and foolish mistakes, and some great action sequences.
Sherwood Smith has really absorbing secondary-world series that involves a military school, interdimensional pirates, swords and horses, interesting gender roles, varying sexualities, and lots of battles. They start with Inda, which is mostly the story of young boys at a military academy, but the rest get increasingly complicated and epic.
I cannot second the recommendations of Diane Duane, early Robin McKinley (stop at Spindle's End), and The Goblin Emperor enough. They are the sort of story I read when I'm unhappy and need comfort.
Also not fantasy but still lovely: A Short History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper, and its sequels. Kind of Cold Comfort Farm with alternative sexualities and Nazi treasure-hunters. Really wonderful characters, written wittily and warmly.
If you want smart women solving puzzles and maybe even saving the world, Rosemary Kirstein's Steerswoman novels are for you. They're sort of fantasy, sort-of not, with vivid characters and an utterly fascinating universe. They're also the best sort of fiction-about-science that you might ever read. Great stuff, not nearly well-known enough, because Kirstein writes at a snail's pace.
posted by suelac at 3:08 PM on June 28, 2017
Wow, you are going to enjoy Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner. It doesn't match every one of your criteria, but it hits a whole lot of the more specialized ones.
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 4:33 PM on June 28, 2017
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 4:33 PM on June 28, 2017
The Abhorsen books are some of my absolute favourites! I think you would really like The Books of the Raksura by Martha Wells. The worldbuilding is rich, full of lore and history—many of the plots hinge on the characters exploring their world's lore, in fact. The writing, just like in the Abhorsen books, is excellent, and humbly tucks itself away so that you can get on with reading. The main character comes into the world as an "outsider," so there's that sense of not-quite-fitting-in: lots of exploration of the hierarchies and habits of his new society. Very queer/poly friendly, 5-book series that focuses on the same group of characters. There's a lot of adventure/danger, but an overall feeling of safety and goodness.
I definitely second the recommendations for:
The Chrestomanci books: zany but ultimately cosy English children's fantasy series. Yes, it is children's fantasy, but it's actually very complexly plotted and full of realistic depictions of all sorts of human beings. It's full of strange worlds and arcane magic, and and rather than getting bogged down in long action/description sequences, the writing moves at a good clip.
The Song of the Lioness quartet by Tamora Pierce
I think you'd also like Ursula Vernon (who writes for adults as T. Kingfisher). Perhaps start with her short story collection Jackalope Wives and Other Stories, to see if you like her style. You can read two short stories about her Grandma Harken character online: Jackalope Wives and The Tomato Thief.
posted by stellarc at 7:54 PM on June 29, 2017
I definitely second the recommendations for:
The Chrestomanci books: zany but ultimately cosy English children's fantasy series. Yes, it is children's fantasy, but it's actually very complexly plotted and full of realistic depictions of all sorts of human beings. It's full of strange worlds and arcane magic, and and rather than getting bogged down in long action/description sequences, the writing moves at a good clip.
The Song of the Lioness quartet by Tamora Pierce
I think you'd also like Ursula Vernon (who writes for adults as T. Kingfisher). Perhaps start with her short story collection Jackalope Wives and Other Stories, to see if you like her style. You can read two short stories about her Grandma Harken character online: Jackalope Wives and The Tomato Thief.
posted by stellarc at 7:54 PM on June 29, 2017
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posted by BibiRose at 6:23 AM on June 28, 2017