(no subject)
[info]ruffwriter
2011-03-10 12:14 am UTC (link)
Half World by Hiromi Goto!
Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey!
The Replacement by Brenda Yovanoff!
... yeah, there's a lot.
[info]rijsg
2011-03-10 12:15 am UTC (link)
Ever read the Looking Glass Wars series by Frank Beddor? It's my favorite set of YA books. It's loosely based on Alice in Wonderland (though in-story, it claims that Alice in Wonderland is loosely based on it. There's a cool explanation in all that). Also, the villain is awesome. She's like a cross between every Disney witch ever and Big Brother.
[info]twistedsheets10
2011-03-10 12:19 am UTC (link)
I've always liked Howl's Moving Castle and other books by the same author. (Diana Wynne Jones)
(not YA, but ADWD's coming in July. XD)
[info]pellucere
2011-03-10 12:32 am UTC (link)
Oh no asking for book recs around me is NEVER SAFE apologies for the imminent wall of text
There's also Clive Barker's Abarat series -- only two out so far, but I think the third is finally due out this year. They're sort-of-fantasy, lots of women being excellent, and with a setting that I think you might like.
I am of course morally required to tell you to get into Diana Wynne Jones if you haven't yet. Eva Ibbotson is along the same vein, but usually for younger readers. Still very good, though! Charming and funny.
Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series if you like contemporary turns on ancient Greek myth. The series is a lot of fun to read through, but there is also a lot of HIGH-STAKES ADVENTURIN' to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Garth Nix's Abhorsen series if you haven't yet. It's just... so good. Patricia C Wrede is usually great..
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The Monster Blood Tattoo series by DM Cornish has some astounding worldbuilding. I like most of the characters, but I know the main character did annoy my sister. (He does stupid things a lot.) Anyway, it's all about monsters and the people who hunt them and the ways the monsters are not always so bad, and the MC has a ~mysterious connection~ to monsters.
Terry Pratchett has been doing tons of YA lately. I'm unsure if you're familiar with his Discworld books or not? If you aren't, read Nation. Standalone alternate history! MADE ME CRY.
I can go into more detail about any of these authors/books if you want. fkdjhgkdjhfk.
[info]zalia
2011-03-10 12:32 am UTC (link)
The Obernewtyn Chronicles - Isobelle Carmody
Okay, this has been my favourite YA book series since I was about 12 and I am still in love with it. It's got more mature as a series as it's gone along. The bad news is that it's unfinished. The good news is that uh... some of the books are pretty damn long and it's good.
It's a future dystopia set after a nuclear holocaust. Much of the land is tainted and poisonous and strange mutations of people and animals are not uncommon. They're usually ruthlessly killed by the ruling Council or the religious order of Herders.
The main character, a girl called Elspeth (everything is told from her POV), is such a mutant. A misfit with strange mental abilities, she's sent to the terrifying house of Obernewtyn where she finds others like herself, as well as discovers the secrets behind the experiments being done on the people sent there.
And that's the first book. After that, the books really get going and we have Elspeth's quest, a whole tonne of awesome characters (I'm very fond of a guy called Domick who's story is just... ouch. I am mean to my favourite characters, the books are meaner). But yes, quests and symbolism and revolutions and psychics, and it isn't easy for them, any of them. They're mistrusted, even among their allies, and they make enemies and have to make horrific choices, but damn I love this series. And there is romance in it, but it's kind of a side-issue and damn, Elspeth has to work for it.
Hex - Rhiannon Lassiter
This is one of those series I picked up randomly in the library and well, I have it all on my shelf. they're pretty quick reads, but I enjoyed it.
Another future dystopia. A technological future, where the cities have been built into the sky and only the very richest ever see the sun. The lower down you are, the worse off. Into this we have a young man called Wraith and his sister, Raven who are in England to find their sister who was adopted and taken away from them.
Raven is a Hex, a person capable of interfacing with computers with her mind. She's very cold, much closer to computers than people. And over time, they pick up more Hexes, including a guitarist from a popular band and her manager. The ending is perhaps a little too quick from what I remember, but I really enjoyed the series. Again, revolution, riots on the street, horrific experiments being performed to subdue the population, are big themes.
Edited at 2011-03-10 12:39 am UTC
[info]yuuago
2011-03-10 12:32 am UTC (link)
I had a similar problem with regard to leisure-reading when I was in grad school, too. But I turned to comics rather than YA, when I was able to read at all. At least you've found something you can get through!
I don't read a lot of YA lit. I do have two favourites, though - I'll just give amazon links because I'm awful at summarizing:
Kevin Major's Hold Fast
and Tim Wynne Jones' The Maestro
Neither are fantasy, nor are they recently-written either. Most of the YA lit I've read is Canadian stuff, and these two are very Canadian -- and actually Hold Fast is written in Newfoundland English, so if you can't stand phonetic accents, might want to steer clear of that one.
Both of them really touched me in ways I can't really articulate. And The Maestro was a huge inspiration for me with regards to writing, at least it was when I was younger.
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[info]liberty_witch
2011-03-10 12:39 am UTC (link)
I'm about to start on The Demon's Lexicon
Ooooh! Tell me how that goes over for you. ^^ (Mae, imo, doesn't get to shine truely, until the second book, so I'd recommend TDC, after the first. ^///^')
Recs! Ok! So... lately for some weird reason I've been on a "chick lit" kick. (As in all my library books are by Meg Cabot.) I like the Percy Jackson series and it's sequel The Lost Hero, is pretty good too. (Shh, it's totes YA!) Last like, November I read Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride. Matched is the latest dystopia novel I've seen out there, but I haven't read it. (Cover is pretty though) Burned by Ellen Hopkins is one I really like, but it has no fantasy element. I have this fondness for The Boyfriend List, because even if it's a bit, girly, for me I love Ruby Oliver, and I can really relate to her so that series is A+. I've been meaning to read Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, but I'm a bit iffy about it, but I do hear good things about Tessa, the heroine. Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves looks REALLY interesting because two crazy killing sisters are the protagonists, and apparently that REALLY hits my buttons. 13 Little Blue Envelopes & The Bremundez Triangle by Maureen Johnson are pretty good, but I haven't read them in years.
I'll probably think of more later. Who knows. GOOD LUCK TO YOU!
[info]missatralissa
2011-03-10 01:19 am UTC (link)
I always have so much trouble reading when I'm taking classes. Especially if I'm in a Lit class. :/ I am in Children's Lit right now, but reading a bunch of YA feels like I'm just trying to get a better grade. lol.
I think all the books I'm about toe rec have already been mentioned... but that just means they're awesome right? :D
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (I really need to reread this one and then finish the damn series)
and as of last night I started reading Matched by Ally Condie. Really liking it so far.
(Reply to this) (Thread)
[info]barrelgoddess
2011-03-10 01:57 am UTC (link)
I've been beaten to the Diana Wynne Jones recs! But I second them anyway. She is utterly amazing, one of my favorite authors of all time.
Also have to rec the general works of Robin McKinley, in particular Beauty, which is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, her Damar books The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown (the heroine, Aerin, is so great, she SLAYS DRAGONS, enough said), Spindle's End, which is a Sleeping Beauty retelling, and although it's not shelved in YA, Sunshine. Which is a vampire novel, BUT IS AWESOME. It makes me so sad that Twilight is so popular but practically nobody knows about Sunshine. :(
Tamsin, by Peter S. Beagle. Yes, THAT Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn. It's about a teenage girl from NYC, whose single mother gets remarried to a British man and uproots them to Dorset, England, where they move into a haunted old farmhouse. Tamsin is the ghost she befriends, and there are other interesting things living around the place as well. I can't recommend this enough, it's so wonderful a novel. But then, it's Peter S. Beagle, what do you expect?
[info]aimmyarrowshigh
2011-03-10 02:27 am UTC (link)
Delirium by Lauren Oliver blew my MIND yesterday. It's dystopian, it's horrifying, it's utterly believable, and it's one of the only YA books that I've read in recent years that made me go, "Wow, this writing is stunning." More often, I love YA hard for its characters, themes, and motifs, and less for its writing -- Delirium finally felt like A Well-Written Book.
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White, I will always stan for HARD. It's a hilarious paranormal romance -- and yes, INTENTIONAL hilarity! It's sublime and I read it three times the first day I bought it. Seriously.
The Caster Chronicles (Beautiful Creatures, Beautiful Darkness, and the forthcoming Beautiful Chaos) is my favorite current YA PNR/UF series. It's really wonderful, and I love the twist that for ONCE, the boy is the pining human and the girl is the frighteningly powerful paranormal.
[info]acielskadi
2011-03-10 02:43 am UTC (link)
The Darkangel Trilogy (Darkangel, A Gathering of Gargoyles & The Pearl of the Soul of the World by Meredith Ann Pierce.
I cannot recommend these books highly enough.
[info]hulamoth
2011-03-10 02:44 am UTC (link)
honestly I stopped reading for fun (unless it was the newspaper, or a history book) in college, and The Hunger Games was one of the only things I've picked up since then.
My sister's having me read the Tomorrow, When the War Began series by James Marsden, in which AUSTRALIA IS INVADED and a group of kids become guerilla fighters overnight by total accident. The movie adaptation is pretty good, actually, and the lead actress, Caitlin Stasey, is adorable (but also good at being cold blooded and terrifying). I first heard of it when people were tossing her name around in fancasts for Katniss.
Annnd, my good friend [info]bookishy wrote Vampire Crush, (which I got to proof read!) which is a more romantic comedy take on the vampire paranormal genre; more sarcastic than sappy, with a female protagonist. It's a quick read, and has lots of little funny lines.
and besides that, yeah, I don't have any YA books at the moment. Some adult sci-fi novels ones, maybe (Ursula K. Le Guin's Ekumen series, for instance, I really adore) and I've promised myself to get into Icelandic sagas. I'm intrigued by the Gregor, the Overlander series that SC wrote, wondering if it's any good.
[info]french_noodles
2011-03-10 06:54 am UTC (link)
Someone mention Archer Goon, you should probably read that. I wouldn't know how good it is though since i... gave the book away without reading it due to childhood phobia from the book cover. Any of Diana Wynne Jones books are GREAT though. i love love love Howl's Moving Castle (the movie is good but the book is !!!!!!) and Charmed Lives.
Have you read His Dark Materials? It's older series and I think mark gonna cover it though.
The Seventh Tower by Patricia C. Wrede is a stand alone. A feel good fantasy book.
The Replacement by Brenda Yovanoff: I don't think it's that fantastic but worth a read.
Garth Nix writes great stuff. His Old Kingdom series is still some of the best of YA series around. The Keys to the Kingdom series is pretty good although the last book makes me :| His Shade's Children book is rather average.
Have you read Robin McKinley? Her stuff is great. Hero and the Crown is gdshfghdsbgfbgkd! And sunshine! hsdfjhdjfbdjgvbdb!!!
Chaos walking by Patrick Ness series is a dystopian YA. It's not my favorite series but I can't deny that it's well-written with good plot. Most people do like the series so you might like it as well.
I realised you are looking for YA but i can't resist recommending The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin. It's one of the unexpected good book that I accidentally read last year. erm. Not quite sure how to explain but erm it's just good. yeah.
I HOPE THIS HELPS, SOMETHING, SOMEWHAT :( picking up new books is always a task
[info]gisho
2011-03-10 07:35 am UTC (link)
Nthing the Bsrtimaeus Trilogy; well-built, and the main character is excellently snarky. They're fast-paced and easy to finish.
Amoung Diana Wynne Jones's work, I'd recommend the Chrestomanci books - be warned, do not read them out of order; they look disconnected but you'll miss a lot of detail - and "The Homeward Bounders", which has a fine deep mystery at the core and lots of fast-paced plot around the edges.
Not really YA, but Marc Acito's "How I Paid For College" and "Attack Of The Theater People" might be worth a look. 1980s setting, queer protagonist, and frequently hilarious.
"Here Lies Arthur" by Philip Reeve is not necessarily a book I would have picked up, but it was on the list of some books I was evaluating for a middle-school competition, and I'm glad to have read it. Historical fiction, with a lot about the power of stories. Fun for a mythology geek to keep spotting things in. Reeve also did the Mortal Engines series - the first one was good; I haven't gotton around to the others.
[info]teacup_carousel
2011-03-10 07:37 am UTC (link)
I've been pushing Lane Robin's Maledicte like crazy. We got this in awhile ago at my work to keep in the OT (YA for 15 and above) section and I got one of the promo copies. At first I avoided it like crazy since the blurb on the back was so goddam asinine but once I got into it!!!!!
Let's see we have a main character who becomes trans (f2m) after being possessed by an angry god who is after her soul, her magnificent bastard of a boyfriend who's on a complete power trip, a kinky old bastard in a wheelchair with enough fetish hints to satisfy inquiring minds. The whole thing from beginning to end was one nonstop power house of awesome. If you miss it you'll be disappointed like no other.
Other than that I've noticed a lot of teens who loved The Hunger Games tend to love Allie Condie's Matched.
Vivian Van Velde writes awesome books for just about everyone but her best is probably Companions of the Night since its one of the few vampire books for teens that has the balls to say straight out to young girls that one must not jump lightly into a relationship with an old man who happens to be a serial killed.
I know you said you don't really like contemporary but anything by John Green is also awesome, but Looking for Alaska is my favorite. Who can say no to a book about a teen who spends his spare time learning the last words of famous people (although I will go on record as saying Will Grayson Will Grayson is just as fine too).
Also, Ursula LeGuin has a new YA series out called voiced that is magnifique.
And because you can't have one too many broken records in your comments - if you haven't read anything by Peter S Beagle, Diana W Jones you must do so NOW.
[info]talkjive
2011-03-10 07:49 am UTC (link)
Eon! I think I recced it to you before, but here goes. EON HAS:
-A crippled main character.
[--Who is not in love with anybody
--Who is pretending to be a eunuch to disguise the fact she is female
--Who does the crossdressing thing without making you want to claw out your own eyes going WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU NEVER MET SOMEONE OF THE OPPOSITE GENDER, REALLY]
-a transgender woman as a secondary character, and not a joke character, either
-REVOLUTIONS
How I Live Now is my other favorite YA of the moment. It's about a girl who doesn't get along with her stepmother so she gets sent to live with her relatives blah blah--wait hold up, someone invaded England? Society is collapsing? You're distracting yourself from the collapse of society by committing incest with your mildly psychic cousin? ...Alright then.
[info]carcharias1130
2011-03-10 04:50 pm UTC (link)
So I know someone has already said Robin McKinley, But I've been in love with her since like forever, (seventh grade, when I read Spindle's End, to be more precise) so seconded! Read Sunshine, it makes the vampire genre worth it after the ickiness of Twilight. Like, waaaay worth it. Also, Chalice, which involves honey and bees and magicks and earthyness and awesome. Also a little bit of politics.
Someone said Abarat. If there's any reason to read it, the illustrations should be enough. Oh my god the illustrations. <3
I'm actually going to say Eva Ibbotson again as well, but not just her fantasy stuff (which I ate like candy as a kid). She also writes for older audiences, and it's usually not fantasy but her awesome storytelling is still there. For example, The Morning Gift is historical fiction, and a romance story, but it's wonderful. It takes place in WWII Austria and Britain and involves a female college/grad student and a professor and...well, you see where I'm going with this. It's such a great WWII story, though, and I love it.
Also, East. Anything by Edith Pattou. But especially East. It's written from at least three different perspectives and one of them writes entirely in poems. And, it's based on the myth of Cupid and Psyche, but set in medieval Norway/France, so cue AWESOME. Also, GIANT POLAR BEAR.
That's what I got. :D
http://woodburner.livejournal.com/566440.html
Seeing as I could list approximately ELEVENTY BAJILLION titles that I think EVERYONE SHOULD READ NO REALLY GDI READ IT NOW, and that would be counterproductive since everyone would be all, tl;dr, I'm going to make a list of the very first 15 that pop into my head to avoid the crushing guilt of leaving out some eminently worthy book.
...Needless to say, my list will pretty much be SFF only. B/c I uh. Rarely read anything else?
In no particular order:
The Orphan's Tales, Catherynne Valente
Midnight Robber, Nalo Hopkinson
The Etched City, KJ Bishop
Steam Powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories, by various authors, ed. by JoSelle Vanderhooft
Leviathan series, Scott Westerfeld
Half World, Hiromi Goto
Redemption in Indigo, Karen Lord
Bayou (graphic novel series), Jeremy Love
Skip Beat (manga series), Yoshiki Nakamura
Ooku (manga series), Fumi Yoshinaga
The Shadow Speaker, Nnedi Okorafor
White is for Witching, Helen Oyeyemi
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
The Intuitionist, Colson Whitehead
The Alchemy of Stone, Ekaterina Sedia
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, NK Jemisin
...wait that was 17. And gdi I am already thinking of others. I didn't even include anything more than 15 years old! TOO MUCH AWESOME EVERYWHERE, CAN'T KEEP UP.
(Oh, and uh, it goes w/o saying some of the above has triggery content. Anyone wants warnings for something, feel free to ask, but be forewarned that I'm horrible at remembering specific instances of such things.)
MORE LADY RECS IN THE COMMENTS, GO!
-=-=-=
http://tanuki-green.livejournal.com/329393.html
Note: This list is intended as a resource. It is not intended to express opinions on the quality, authenticity, or positivity of the portrayals of the characters in the books. The compilers of the list have not read all the books on it. Commentary is by Rachel Manija Brown and reflects her opinions on the books as literature. Please use your own judgment in deciding which books you wish to support. Title links go to Amazon.
These were the criteria used to compile the list: 1) The book must be science fiction or fantasy or otherwise not realism, and must have been published, either originally in reprint, as YA, 2) It must contain at least one major LGBTQ character who is clearly identified as such within the book itself. (Dumbledore doesn’t count), 3) Major is defined as having a POV and/or a storyline of their own and/or lots of page-time.
Wolfcry (The Kiesha'ra), by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. Epic fantasy, the fourth in a series. This book follows a princess pressured to choose a suitable husband in order to save her kingdom from war. Her decision is spoilery, but, well, there's a reason this book is on the list. ;)
Vintage: A Ghost Story, by Steve Berman. A moving, atmospheric atmospheric ghost story with a gay hero. 1/5 of the royalties from Vintage will be donated to charities helping gay teens.
Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale; Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie (Modern Faerie Tale); Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale (Modern Faerie Tale), by Holly Black. These gritty, engrossing urban fantasies are connected, but can be read independently. All feature major gay, lesbian, and bisexual characters.
Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books, by Francesca Lia Block. A compilation of several connected novels, all extremely quirky magic realism set in a magical Los Angeles. All the books have major gay characters, and they are the protagonists of Baby Be-Bop.
The Rose and The Beast: Fairy Tales Retold, by Francesca Lia Block. An anthology of re-told fairytales, many with lesbian protagonists.
Above, by Leah Bobet. An upcoming fantasy with an intersexed character who identifies as genderqueer.
The Demon's Lexicon series, by Sarah Rees Brennan. Fast-paced, witty contemporary fantasy. One of the five main characters is gay.
Marked: A House of Night Novel series, by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast. A contemporary fantasy about a boarding school for teenage vampires. Several important supporting characters are gay.
City of Bones (Mortal Instruments), by Cassandra Clare. Urban fantasy series with major gay characters.
A Strong and Sudden Thaw, by R. W. Day. Ice age apocalypse with gay heroes fighting prejudice and dragons.
The Dark Wife, by Sarah Diemer. A gorgeous re-telling of the myth of Hades and Persephone as a consensual lesbian romance with a gender-switched Hades.
Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins, by Emma Donoghue. An anthology of re-told fairytales, many with lesbian protagonists.
A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy), by Libba Bray. A fantasy Victorian boarding school series with major lesbian characters.
Eon, by Alison Goodman. In a China-esque world, a girl disguises herself as a boy to learn dragon magic. Her mentor is transgendered.
Gone, by Michael Grant. Everyone over the age of 13 vanishes, and the remaining kids begin to acquire strange powers. A major character is a lesbian.
Unnatural (Archangel Academy) series, by Michael Griffo. Boarding school, vampires, and gay romance.
Shadow Walkers, by Brent Hartinger. Teenage Zach discovers that he can astral project - an ability which comes in handy when his brother is kidnapped. Zach is gay, and has a romance with a boy he meets on the astral plane.
Hex Hall Book One, by Rachel Hawkins. A supernatural boarding school comedy. A major character is a lesbian vampire.
The Shattering, by Karen Healey. An intense fantasy thriller set in New Zealand. Great characterization of a racially diverse cast. One of the main characters qualifies the book for the list, but it’s spoilery to say who and how.
Guardian of the Dead, by Karen Healey. An ambitious urban fantasy making thoughtful use of Maori folklore. A major supporting character is asexual.
Magic's Pawn (The Last Herald-Mage Series, Book 1), by Mercedes Lackey. A highly influential and widely beloved fantasy series about Vanyel, a young gay man, who becomes a Herald Mage. Note: These books have never been published as YA, though many readers feel that they are, and guidelines for writing in the shared universe also indicate that they are YA. But the books themselves have only ever been published as adult fantasy. It is my belief that this is due to Vanyel's sexual orientation.
Liar, by Justine Larbalestier. The heroine of this intense, twisty novel is a compulsive liar, so its presence on the list is debatable in more ways than one, depending on which of Micah’s stories you believe.
The Silver Metal Lover, by Tanith Lee. Lush romantic science fiction about a shy, awkward girl and what it says on the tin. A major supporting character is gay.
Boy Meets Boy, by David Levithan. A romantic comedy set in a town in which homophobia does not exist, and the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl. I’m counting it as a fantasy on the grounds that it’s set in an alternate universe.
Ash, by Malinda Lo. A well-written re-telling of Cinderella in which she falls for the King’s Huntress rather than the prince.
Huntress, by Malinda Lo. A quest fantasy set in a China-inspired fantasy world, with a sweet romance and some quite beautiful passages. The heroines are lesbians.
Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely (Quality)) series, by Melissa Marr. Urban fantasy with major bisexual characters.
Hero, by Perry Moore. A sweet, funny, exuberant superhero parody/homage with a gay hero.
Libyrinth series, by Pearl North. Haly is a Libyrarian, one of a group of people dedicated to preserving and protecting the knowledge passed down from the Ancients and stored in the endless maze of books known as the Libyrinth. But Haly has a secret: The books speak to her. One of the two POV characters is a lesbian.
The End, by Nora Olsen. When World War Three breaks out, seventeen-year-old Julia is on a school trip to Amsterdam, while fourteen-year-old Marly is trapped in a prison for delinquent girls. All the main characters are LGBTQ.
The Will Of The Empress (Circle Continues), by Tamora Pierce. An excellent, well-characterized imaginary-world fantasy with an ensemble cast, one of whom is a lesbian. It’s the latest book in the “Circle of Magic” series. Daja hasn’t figured out her sexual orientation yet in the earlier books, which begin when the young mages are ten, but they should be read in order. Early books feature a sympathetic adult lesbian couple.
Tripping to Somewhere, by Kristopher Reisz. It's everyone's glittery fantasy turned real: to follow the Carnival's mystic band of beautiful people as they defy every limit and dance through history -- all in search of a good time. The heroine is a lesbian. This has gotten stellar reviews.
Heart Sense series, by K. L. Richardsson. An imaginary world fantasy with a gay hero.
Water Seekers, by Michelle Rode. Post-apocalyptic sf with an LGBTQ protagonist.
The Tenth Man, by Tamara Sheehan. Saul Hornsby is the last magician living in Verusa. Fantasy with a gay hero.
Cursebusters!, by Julie Smith. Budding-psychic Reeno is the most accomplished teenage burglar in California, but one tiny screw-up and poof!-she's sentenced to Bad Girl School. A lesbian paranormal adventure.
Banshee, by Hayden Thorne. A Victorian ghost story with a gay hero.
Masks Rise of Heroes series, by Hayden Thorne. Superhero adventure series with a gay hero.
Frozen (Cold Awakening), by Robin Wasserman. (Formerly Skinned.) Lia is reborn into an artificial body after her real one was destroyed in an accident. Major lesbian and bisexual characters.
Witch Eyes, by Scott Tracey. Compelled to learn about his shadowed past and the family he never knew, Braden is drawn to the city of Belle Dam, where he is soon caught between two feuding witch dynasties. A paranormal romance with a gay hero.
Frozen (Cold Awakening), by Robin Wasserman. (Formerly Skinned.) Lia is reborn into an artificial body after her real one was destroyed in an accident. Major lesbian and bisexual characters.
Generation Dead, by Daniel Waters. Phoebe Kendall is just your typical Goth girl with a crush. He’s strong and silent…and dead. A major character is a lesbian (and a zombie). She becomes a POV protagonist in the third book, Passing Strange, which goes into her life pre- and post-death.
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http://tanuki-green.livejournal.com/329705.html
Science Fiction and Fantasy YA novels with Protagonists of Color, A - L
Sep. 9th, 2011 at 2:43 PM
This list covers authors whose surnames begin with A - L.
Note: This list is intended as a resource. It is not intended to express opinions on the quality, authenticity, or positivity of the portrayals of the characters in the books. The compilers of the list have not read all the books on it. Commentary is by Rachel Manija Brown and reflects her opinions on the books as literature. Please use your own judgment in deciding which books you wish to support.
Title links go to Amazon. Some descriptions are quotes from cover copy, reviews, and comments from Brown’s blog.
These were the criteria used to compile the list: 1) The book must be science fiction or fantasy or otherwise not realism, and must have been published, either originally or in reprint, as YA in the USA, 2) The character of color/non-white character must either be the protagonist, if it’s a book with a solo protagonist, or one of an ensemble, if it’s a book with multiple protagonists.
This is not an exhaustive list! It is still being added to, and will continue to be as new books come out. Also see Stacey Whitman’s list, which includes more middle-grade books (for younger children) than I did. (I’ve included a few MG books I thought were edging into YA territory - subjective, I know!)
Flight, by Sherman Alexie. Teenage half-Indian, half-Irish "Zits" time-travels through American history, confronting various iterations of violence, betrayal, and loss. A compelling, thought-provoking, page-turning novel.
Manifest (Kimani Tru) series, by Artist Arthur. Krystal's ghost-whispering talents soon lead other "freaks" to her door-Sasha, a rich girl who can literally disappear, Jake, who moves objects with his mind, and telepathic Lindsey. Three of the four heroes are people of color.
Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi. A post-apocalyptic adventure. The hero and other major characters are people of color.
Fox and Phoenix, by Beth Bernobich. Upcoming fantasy set in an alternate China.
Above, by Leah Bobet. An upcoming fantasy, set in an underground city for mutants and magical beings, whose protagonist is half-Indian.
The Demon's Surrender (Demon's Lexicon), by Sarah Rees Brennan. The final volume of the urban fantasy trilogy is narrated by Sin, a biracial dancer.
Wolf Mark, by Joseph Bruchac. Lucas King, an Abenaki teenager, is a bad-ass literature geek whose black ops father taught him the tricks of the trade. When his father is kidnapped, Lucas can only save him by connecting with his heritage… as a werewolf! This energetic, playful, everything-and-the-kitchen-sink novel is great fun, riffing on everything from Indian legends to Twilight. It would probably appeal to Percy Jackson fans.
Bruchac is a very prolific author, and has written many books with Native American protagonists which are not on this list as they’re intended for younger children, or are not fantasy. I also enjoyed his middle-grade Skeleton Man, a very spooky story of a brave young girl and a Skeleton Man.
Devil's Kiss series, by Sarwat Chadda. Billi SanGreal, daughter of a white Christian father and a Pakistani Muslim mother, is now the only girl in the modern version of the Knights Templar, who protect the world from supernatural evil. An energetic horror-fantasy.
Little Sister, by Kara Dalkey. Evocative fantasy set in Heian Japan. There’s a sequel, but the first book stands on its own.
The Painted Boy, by Charles deLint. Part-dragon Chinese-American teenager Jay Li goes on a coming-of-age quest, and falls in love with the lead guitarist of a barrio rock band.
The Conch Bearer (Brotherhood of the Conch) trilogy, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Atmospheric middle-grade quest fantasy set in India, with an all-Indian cast.
The Storyteller's Daughter: A Retelling of "The Arabian Nights", by Cameron Dokey. Shahrazad retelling.
Magic Under Glass series, by Jaclyn Dolamore. When a wealthy sorcerer hires Nimira to sing with a mysterious piano-playing automaton, she learns that the soul of a fairy prince is trapped within the automaton. Nimira is a person of color; the rest of the cast is white.
So You Want to Be a Wizard series, by Diane Duane. Inventive and charming series about two kid wizards, one of whom is Hispanic. The first two books are especially good, and stand on their own.
A Wish After Midnight, by Zetta Elliott. Genna wants out of her tough Brooklyn neighborhood. But she gets more than she bargained for when a wish gone awry transports her back in time. Facing the perilous realities of Civil War-era Brooklyn, Genna must use all her wits to survive. Heroine is African-American.
Black Hole Sun, by David Macinnis Gill. Dystopian action-adventure sf set on Mars.
Soul Enchilada, by David Macinnis Gill. Teenage Bug Smoot’s grandfather sold his soul for a classic Cadillac and he used her soul as collateral, too. Which the devil has come to collect, along with the car. Now she has to fight for both. Good thing she knows how to fight dirty. Bug is black and Latina.
The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer. Science fiction set in a brutally dystopian future Mexico.
The Ear, the Eye and the Arm, by Nancy Farmer. Playful science fiction set in a future Africa, featuring a team of mutant detectives and an all-African cast.
Eon, by Alison Goodman. In a China-esque world, a girl disguises herself as a boy to learn dragon magic.
Half World, by Hiromi Goto. Melanie Tamaki is human - but her parents aren't. They are from Half World, a Limbo between our world and the afterlife. When her mother disappears, Melanie must follow her to Half World.
Book of a Thousand Days, by Shannon Hale. A re-told fairytale set in a fantasy Mongolia.
Justice and Her Brothers trilogy, by Virginia Hamilton. All the children in an African-American family have psychic powers.
Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush, by Virginia Hamilton. Intense, sophisticated novel about the metaphoric and literal ghosts haunting an African-American family. Note: Hamilton has written other fantasies for younger children, not to mention lots of realistic novels.
The Shattering, by Karen Healey. An intense fantasy thriller set in New Zealand. Great characterization. Of three POV characters, one is Samoan and one is half Maori.
Racing the Dark (Spirit Binders) series by Alaya Dawn Johnson. Fantasy set in a Polynesian-esque world.
Blood Ninja series by Nick Lake. Two words: vampire ninja. Or should I say, ninpires? Set in Tokugawa Japan, with an all-Japanese cast.
How to Ditch Your Fairy, by Justine Larbalestier. Everyone in this alternate Australia has a fairy, which endows them with some kind of magic gift… like always being able to find a parking space. The heroine is a person of color.
Liar, by Justine Larbalestier. One of the few things which is certainly true of the compulsively lying heroine of this intense, twisty novel is that she’s biracial (white and African-American.)
Magic or Madness series, by Justine Larbalestier. Teenage Reason Cansino learns that the magic-users in her family face a terrifying choice: use it and die young, or turn away from magic and go mad. A well-characterized fantasy with a great sense of place. Three POV characters, only one white.
A Wizard of Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 1) series, by Ursula K. LeGuin. One of the most beautifully written, vivid, and memorable fantasies I’ve ever read; a classic for a reason. Most of the major characters of the series are people of color.
Voices (Annals of the Western Shore) and Powers (Annals of the Western Shore), by Ursula K. LeGuin. Thoughtful imaginary world fantasy series; these two books and Gifts are set in the same world, but are independent of each other. The protagonists are people of color.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin. A Newbery Honor book, gorgeously designed. A quest fantasy based on Chinese folklore.
Huntress, by Malinda Lo. A quest fantasy set in a China-inspired fantasy world, with a sweet romance and some quite beautiful passages.
-=-=-=-=-
http://tanuki-green.livejournal.com/329981.html
cience Fiction and Fantasy YA novels with Protagonists of Color, M - Z
Sep. 9th, 2011 at 2:46 PM
This list covers authors whose surnames begin with M - Z.
Note: This list is intended as a resource. It is not intended to express opinions on the quality, authenticity, or positivity of the portrayals of the characters in the books. The compilers of the list have not read all the books on it. Commentary is by Rachel Manija Brown and reflects her opinions on the books as literature. Please use your own judgment in deciding which books you wish to support.
Title links go to Amazon. Some descriptions are quotes from cover copy, reviews, and comments from Brown’s blog.
These were the criteria used to compile the list: 1) The book must be science fiction or fantasy or otherwise not realism, and must have been published, either originally or in reprint, as YA in the USA, 2) The character of color/non-white character must either be the protagonist, if it’s a book with a solo protagonist, or one of an ensemble, if it’s a book with multiple protagonists.
This is not an exhaustive list! It is still being added to, and will continue to be as new books come out. Also see Stacey Whitman’s list, which includes more middle-grade books (for younger children) than I did. (I’ve included a few MG books I thought were edging into YA territory - subjective, I know!)
Changeover, by Margaret Mahy. To save her little brother, part-Maori heroine Laura Chant must embrace her magical powers. This Carnegie medal-winning supernatural romance is notable for excellent writing and characterization, and a romance with actual chemistry.
Shadows on the Moon, by Zoe Marriott. Upcoming fantasy set in Japan. Winner of the Sasakawa prize, an award gifted by the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation for outstanding contributions to the promotion of understanding and cooperation between people of Japan and the UK.
Luminous, by Dawn Metcalf. Consuela has the power to step out of her earthly skin and cloak herself in new ones - skins made from the world around her, crafted from water, fire, air.
Moon-Flash, by Patricia McKillip. Dreamy, poetic science fiction. The heroine and hero are described as people of color, though current racial categories don’t apply.
Possess, by Gretchen McNeil. Bridget Liu possesses the rare ability to banish demons back to whatever hell they came from. Literally.
Un Lun Dun, by China Mieville. Quirky, playful fantasy subverting the “destined hero” trope. The heroine is a person of color.
Brave Story; ICO: Castle in the Mist; The Book of Heroes, by Miyuki Miyabe. Not a series, these unrelated novels by acclaimed adult mystery author Miyabe all feature Japanese heroes and heroines having epic adventures in fantasy worlds. Translated from Japanese.
47, by Walter Mosley. Number 47, a fourteen-year-old slave boy growing up under the watchful eye of a brutal master in 1832, meets the mysterious TallJohn.
The Legend of Tarik, by Walter Dean Myers. Excellent, sadly neglected historical fantasy about an African boy taken as a slave to medieval Spain; adventure ensues.
Rocket Girls series, by Housuke Nojiri. Yukari Morita is a high school girl on a quest to find her missing father. She receives the offer of a lifetime-she'll get the help she needs to find her father, and all she need do in return is become the world's youngest astronaut. Translated from Japanese.
Dragon Magic, by Andre Norton. Four boys are individually drawn into an adventure - each involving a dragon - from the past or legends of their own ethnic heritage. One boy is Chinese and one is African-American. The contemporary sections are dated, but the dragon adventures are strong and the story as a whole is moving.
Lavender-Green Magic by Andre Norton. African-American siblings are transported into the past for a magical adventure.
Dragon Sword and Wind Child (Tales of the Magatama) series, by Noriko Ogiwara. Saya, a 15-year-old whose adoptive parents have raised her to worship the Light, discovers that she is the reincarnation of the Water Maiden and therefore a leader of the Children of Darkness. An award-winning fantasy adventure series set in a magical Japan. Translated from Japanese.
Zahrah the Windseeker, by Nnedi Okorafor. A charming, inventive adventure set in a fantasy Africa in which biotech has advanced until you can grow a computer from a seed.
The Shadow Speaker, by Nnedi Okorafor. Magic, mysticism, and mind-blowing technology now rule the world. In West Africa, fourteen-year old Ejii struggles to master her own magical powers.
Akata Witch, by Nnedi Okorafor. Nigerian-American, albino Sunny becomes one of a quartet of magic students, studying the visible and invisible, learning to change reality. But will it be enough to help them when they are asked to catch a career criminal who knows magic too?
The Twelve Kingdoms, Volume 2: Sea of Wind series, by Fuyumi Ono. Epic fantasy set in a China-esque fantasy world, with incredibly intricate and fascinating worldbuilding. The first three volumes can all be read independently of each other. All characters are Asian. Translated from the Japanese.
Invisible Touch, by Kelly Parra. The Mexican-American heroine has visions in this supernatural fantasy.
The Dead and the Gone, by Susan Beth Pfeffer. An asteroid knocks the moon closer to Earth, and every conceivable natural disaster occurs. Seventeen-year-old Alex Morales's parents are missing and presumed drowned by tsunamis. Left alone, he struggles to care for his sisters. A well-written and disturbing apocalypse novel which stands on its own. The sequel focuses more on Miranda, a white girl from another book in the series.
Sandry's Book (Circle of Magic, Book 1) series, by Tamora Pierce. An excellent, well-characterized imaginary-world fantasy series with four main characters, two of whom are people of color. The series starts out when they’re kids, and matures as they do.
Melting Stones, by Tamora Pierce. A fantasy novel set in the same world as “Circle of Magic,” starring an Asian-analogue girl.
Silver Phoenix series, by Cindy Pon. An exuberantly inventive YA fantasy novel set in a China more mythic than historical, full of cool Chinese mythology and delectably described Chinese cooking.. Advisory: contains attempted rape.
Nation, by Terry Pratchett. When a giant wave destroys his village, Mau is the only one left. Daphne-a traveler from the other side of the globe-is the sole survivor of a shipwreck. Separated by language and customs, the two are united by catastrophe. A Printz Honor Book by the internationally acclaimed Pratchett. Mau is a person of color.
Bleeding Violet, by Dia Reeves. Biracial (African-American and Finnish), mentally ill teenager Hanna moves to a little Texas town overrun by disgusting monsters and their psychopathic slayers. Inventive, surreal, and extremely violent.
Slice of Cherry, by Dia Reeves. Set in the same town as Bleeding Violet, and starring African-American teenage sisters… who are serial killers!
Larklight series, by Philip Reeves. Steampunk fantasy adventure. One of the three main characters is a biracial (white and black) space pirate.
The True Meaning of Smekday , by Adam Rex. A wonderful science fiction comedy, complete with hilarious comic strip inserts, in which biracial eleven-year-old Gratuity "Tip" Tucci tells the story of how Earth was colonized by aliens, and she ended up traveling cross-country in search of her mother in a flying car called Slushious, in the company of a conflicted alien named J. Lo.
Fat Vampire: A Never Coming of Age Story, by Adam Rex. A satire about a nerdy white vampire and an internet-addicted Indian exchange student.
Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Magic realism about an African-American girl who can talk to ghosts, set during Hurricane Katrina.
The Heroes of Olympus, Book One: The Lost Hero series, by Rick Riordan. Sequel to the bestselling Percy Jackson series, about a summer camp for the children of Greek Gods, but can be read independently. Two of the POV-protagonists are of color: Leo has a Hispanic mother and Piper has a Cherokee father, although both also have a parent who is a Greek God.
The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles, Book 1) series, about a biracial (white and black) brother and sister who get entangled with the Gods of ancient Egypt. Action-packed and fun.
Haroun and the Sea of Stories, by Salman Rushdie. A complex children’s fantasy with crossover appeal to adults. The hero is Indian, and the story involves Indian folklore.
Tankborn, by Karen Sandler. Dystopian science fiction set on another planet. The heroine and majority of the characters are people of color.
Gateway, by Sharon Shinn. Chinese adoptee Daiyu magically travels to a version of St. Louis much like 19th century China, where she is trained as a spy.
Eternal, by Cynthia Leitich Smith. Vampires, angels, and a Chinese-Scottish heroine.
A Posse of Princesses, by Sherwood Smith. Rhis, princess of a small kingdom, is invited along with all the other princesses in her part of the world to the coming of age party of the Crown Prince of Vesarja. When Iardith, the prettiest and most perfect of all the princesses, is abducted, Rhis and her friends go to the rescue. A charming and funny fantasy adventure. The protagonist and the majority of the characters are people of color.
So This is How it Ends (Avatars, Book 1) series, by Tui T. Sutherland. Five teenagers from across the world emerge into a changed landscape, one filled with cultists, mutant animals, and crystal robot monsters. Several POV characters are people of color.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya series, by Nagaru Tanigawa. Haruhi is a cute, determined girl, starting high school in a city where nothing exciting happens. But though she doesn't know it, Haruhi has the power to destroy the universe. Seriously. Translated from Japanese.
The Night Wanderer: A Native Gothic Novel, by Drew Hayden Taylor. ”A Native vampire! That is so cool!” An enjoyably quirky novel in which the teenage heroine and the ancient vampire renting the basement in her home are both First Nations.
The Comet's Curse: A Galahad Book series, by Dom Testa. Science fiction series set on a spaceship. Ensemble cast including characters of color.
Toads and Diamonds, by Heather Tomlinson. A retold fairytale set in a fantasy Mughal India.
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit series, by Nahoko Uehashi. A fantasy adventure starring a badass swordswoman, set in a fantastical Japan. Translated from Japanese.
The Shadow Thieves (Cronus Chronicles) series, by Anne Ursu. Greek mythology in modern America. Zed, a black British boy, is one of two POV protagonists
The Lion Hunter (Mark of Solomon) duology, by Elizabeth Wein. Fantastic, very intense and angsty quasi-historical novels set in an alternate sixth century Aksum (Ethiopia), about Telemakos, the son of Mordred (yes, that Mordred) and an Aksumite princess. The relationship of these books to others in the series is sufficiently complicated that I’ll link to my review of themseries.
Midnighters #1: The Secret Hour trilogy, by Scott Westerfeld. A tremendously entertaining series about the secret hour when time stops, monsters emerge, and only five teenagers can battle them with their individual powers. One of the five is Mexican-American.
Extras (Uglies), by Scott Westerfeld. The last book in his Uglies series, but stands on its own. An action-packed adventure set in a future Japan, starring a girl who will do anything to become famous.
Rogelia's House of Magic, by Jamie Martinez Wood. Three teenage girls find friendship and special powers as they are trained in the ways of the curandera by a wise old woman.
Dragon of the Lost Sea (Dragon Series), by Laurence Yep. The outlawed princess of the Dragon Clan and her young human companion undergo fearsome trials in their quest for an evil enchantress in this classic fantasy series based on Chinese legend. Note: Yep is very prolific, and has written other fantasies for younger children.
2011-03-10 12:14 am UTC (link)
Half World by Hiromi Goto!
Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey!
The Replacement by Brenda Yovanoff!
... yeah, there's a lot.
[info]rijsg
2011-03-10 12:15 am UTC (link)
Ever read the Looking Glass Wars series by Frank Beddor? It's my favorite set of YA books. It's loosely based on Alice in Wonderland (though in-story, it claims that Alice in Wonderland is loosely based on it. There's a cool explanation in all that). Also, the villain is awesome. She's like a cross between every Disney witch ever and Big Brother.
[info]twistedsheets10
2011-03-10 12:19 am UTC (link)
I've always liked Howl's Moving Castle and other books by the same author. (Diana Wynne Jones)
(not YA, but ADWD's coming in July. XD)
[info]pellucere
2011-03-10 12:32 am UTC (link)
Oh no asking for book recs around me is NEVER SAFE apologies for the imminent wall of text
There's also Clive Barker's Abarat series -- only two out so far, but I think the third is finally due out this year. They're sort-of-fantasy, lots of women being excellent, and with a setting that I think you might like.
I am of course morally required to tell you to get into Diana Wynne Jones if you haven't yet. Eva Ibbotson is along the same vein, but usually for younger readers. Still very good, though! Charming and funny.
Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series if you like contemporary turns on ancient Greek myth. The series is a lot of fun to read through, but there is also a lot of HIGH-STAKES ADVENTURIN' to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Garth Nix's Abhorsen series if you haven't yet. It's just... so good. Patricia C Wrede is usually great..
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The Monster Blood Tattoo series by DM Cornish has some astounding worldbuilding. I like most of the characters, but I know the main character did annoy my sister. (He does stupid things a lot.) Anyway, it's all about monsters and the people who hunt them and the ways the monsters are not always so bad, and the MC has a ~mysterious connection~ to monsters.
Terry Pratchett has been doing tons of YA lately. I'm unsure if you're familiar with his Discworld books or not? If you aren't, read Nation. Standalone alternate history! MADE ME CRY.
I can go into more detail about any of these authors/books if you want. fkdjhgkdjhfk.
[info]zalia
2011-03-10 12:32 am UTC (link)
The Obernewtyn Chronicles - Isobelle Carmody
Okay, this has been my favourite YA book series since I was about 12 and I am still in love with it. It's got more mature as a series as it's gone along. The bad news is that it's unfinished. The good news is that uh... some of the books are pretty damn long and it's good.
It's a future dystopia set after a nuclear holocaust. Much of the land is tainted and poisonous and strange mutations of people and animals are not uncommon. They're usually ruthlessly killed by the ruling Council or the religious order of Herders.
The main character, a girl called Elspeth (everything is told from her POV), is such a mutant. A misfit with strange mental abilities, she's sent to the terrifying house of Obernewtyn where she finds others like herself, as well as discovers the secrets behind the experiments being done on the people sent there.
And that's the first book. After that, the books really get going and we have Elspeth's quest, a whole tonne of awesome characters (I'm very fond of a guy called Domick who's story is just... ouch. I am mean to my favourite characters, the books are meaner). But yes, quests and symbolism and revolutions and psychics, and it isn't easy for them, any of them. They're mistrusted, even among their allies, and they make enemies and have to make horrific choices, but damn I love this series. And there is romance in it, but it's kind of a side-issue and damn, Elspeth has to work for it.
Hex - Rhiannon Lassiter
This is one of those series I picked up randomly in the library and well, I have it all on my shelf. they're pretty quick reads, but I enjoyed it.
Another future dystopia. A technological future, where the cities have been built into the sky and only the very richest ever see the sun. The lower down you are, the worse off. Into this we have a young man called Wraith and his sister, Raven who are in England to find their sister who was adopted and taken away from them.
Raven is a Hex, a person capable of interfacing with computers with her mind. She's very cold, much closer to computers than people. And over time, they pick up more Hexes, including a guitarist from a popular band and her manager. The ending is perhaps a little too quick from what I remember, but I really enjoyed the series. Again, revolution, riots on the street, horrific experiments being performed to subdue the population, are big themes.
Edited at 2011-03-10 12:39 am UTC
[info]yuuago
2011-03-10 12:32 am UTC (link)
I had a similar problem with regard to leisure-reading when I was in grad school, too. But I turned to comics rather than YA, when I was able to read at all. At least you've found something you can get through!
I don't read a lot of YA lit. I do have two favourites, though - I'll just give amazon links because I'm awful at summarizing:
Kevin Major's Hold Fast
and Tim Wynne Jones' The Maestro
Neither are fantasy, nor are they recently-written either. Most of the YA lit I've read is Canadian stuff, and these two are very Canadian -- and actually Hold Fast is written in Newfoundland English, so if you can't stand phonetic accents, might want to steer clear of that one.
Both of them really touched me in ways I can't really articulate. And The Maestro was a huge inspiration for me with regards to writing, at least it was when I was younger.
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[info]liberty_witch
2011-03-10 12:39 am UTC (link)
I'm about to start on The Demon's Lexicon
Ooooh! Tell me how that goes over for you. ^^ (Mae, imo, doesn't get to shine truely, until the second book, so I'd recommend TDC, after the first. ^///^')
Recs! Ok! So... lately for some weird reason I've been on a "chick lit" kick. (As in all my library books are by Meg Cabot.) I like the Percy Jackson series and it's sequel The Lost Hero, is pretty good too. (Shh, it's totes YA!) Last like, November I read Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride. Matched is the latest dystopia novel I've seen out there, but I haven't read it. (Cover is pretty though) Burned by Ellen Hopkins is one I really like, but it has no fantasy element. I have this fondness for The Boyfriend List, because even if it's a bit, girly, for me I love Ruby Oliver, and I can really relate to her so that series is A+. I've been meaning to read Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, but I'm a bit iffy about it, but I do hear good things about Tessa, the heroine. Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves looks REALLY interesting because two crazy killing sisters are the protagonists, and apparently that REALLY hits my buttons. 13 Little Blue Envelopes & The Bremundez Triangle by Maureen Johnson are pretty good, but I haven't read them in years.
I'll probably think of more later. Who knows. GOOD LUCK TO YOU!
[info]missatralissa
2011-03-10 01:19 am UTC (link)
I always have so much trouble reading when I'm taking classes. Especially if I'm in a Lit class. :/ I am in Children's Lit right now, but reading a bunch of YA feels like I'm just trying to get a better grade. lol.
I think all the books I'm about toe rec have already been mentioned... but that just means they're awesome right? :D
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (I really need to reread this one and then finish the damn series)
and as of last night I started reading Matched by Ally Condie. Really liking it so far.
(Reply to this) (Thread)
[info]barrelgoddess
2011-03-10 01:57 am UTC (link)
I've been beaten to the Diana Wynne Jones recs! But I second them anyway. She is utterly amazing, one of my favorite authors of all time.
Also have to rec the general works of Robin McKinley, in particular Beauty, which is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, her Damar books The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown (the heroine, Aerin, is so great, she SLAYS DRAGONS, enough said), Spindle's End, which is a Sleeping Beauty retelling, and although it's not shelved in YA, Sunshine. Which is a vampire novel, BUT IS AWESOME. It makes me so sad that Twilight is so popular but practically nobody knows about Sunshine. :(
Tamsin, by Peter S. Beagle. Yes, THAT Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn. It's about a teenage girl from NYC, whose single mother gets remarried to a British man and uproots them to Dorset, England, where they move into a haunted old farmhouse. Tamsin is the ghost she befriends, and there are other interesting things living around the place as well. I can't recommend this enough, it's so wonderful a novel. But then, it's Peter S. Beagle, what do you expect?
[info]aimmyarrowshigh
2011-03-10 02:27 am UTC (link)
Delirium by Lauren Oliver blew my MIND yesterday. It's dystopian, it's horrifying, it's utterly believable, and it's one of the only YA books that I've read in recent years that made me go, "Wow, this writing is stunning." More often, I love YA hard for its characters, themes, and motifs, and less for its writing -- Delirium finally felt like A Well-Written Book.
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White, I will always stan for HARD. It's a hilarious paranormal romance -- and yes, INTENTIONAL hilarity! It's sublime and I read it three times the first day I bought it. Seriously.
The Caster Chronicles (Beautiful Creatures, Beautiful Darkness, and the forthcoming Beautiful Chaos) is my favorite current YA PNR/UF series. It's really wonderful, and I love the twist that for ONCE, the boy is the pining human and the girl is the frighteningly powerful paranormal.
[info]acielskadi
2011-03-10 02:43 am UTC (link)
The Darkangel Trilogy (Darkangel, A Gathering of Gargoyles & The Pearl of the Soul of the World by Meredith Ann Pierce.
I cannot recommend these books highly enough.
[info]hulamoth
2011-03-10 02:44 am UTC (link)
honestly I stopped reading for fun (unless it was the newspaper, or a history book) in college, and The Hunger Games was one of the only things I've picked up since then.
My sister's having me read the Tomorrow, When the War Began series by James Marsden, in which AUSTRALIA IS INVADED and a group of kids become guerilla fighters overnight by total accident. The movie adaptation is pretty good, actually, and the lead actress, Caitlin Stasey, is adorable (but also good at being cold blooded and terrifying). I first heard of it when people were tossing her name around in fancasts for Katniss.
Annnd, my good friend [info]bookishy wrote Vampire Crush, (which I got to proof read!) which is a more romantic comedy take on the vampire paranormal genre; more sarcastic than sappy, with a female protagonist. It's a quick read, and has lots of little funny lines.
and besides that, yeah, I don't have any YA books at the moment. Some adult sci-fi novels ones, maybe (Ursula K. Le Guin's Ekumen series, for instance, I really adore) and I've promised myself to get into Icelandic sagas. I'm intrigued by the Gregor, the Overlander series that SC wrote, wondering if it's any good.
[info]french_noodles
2011-03-10 06:54 am UTC (link)
Someone mention Archer Goon, you should probably read that. I wouldn't know how good it is though since i... gave the book away without reading it due to childhood phobia from the book cover. Any of Diana Wynne Jones books are GREAT though. i love love love Howl's Moving Castle (the movie is good but the book is !!!!!!) and Charmed Lives.
Have you read His Dark Materials? It's older series and I think mark gonna cover it though.
The Seventh Tower by Patricia C. Wrede is a stand alone. A feel good fantasy book.
The Replacement by Brenda Yovanoff: I don't think it's that fantastic but worth a read.
Garth Nix writes great stuff. His Old Kingdom series is still some of the best of YA series around. The Keys to the Kingdom series is pretty good although the last book makes me :| His Shade's Children book is rather average.
Have you read Robin McKinley? Her stuff is great. Hero and the Crown is gdshfghdsbgfbgkd! And sunshine! hsdfjhdjfbdjgvbdb!!!
Chaos walking by Patrick Ness series is a dystopian YA. It's not my favorite series but I can't deny that it's well-written with good plot. Most people do like the series so you might like it as well.
I realised you are looking for YA but i can't resist recommending The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin. It's one of the unexpected good book that I accidentally read last year. erm. Not quite sure how to explain but erm it's just good. yeah.
I HOPE THIS HELPS, SOMETHING, SOMEWHAT :( picking up new books is always a task
[info]gisho
2011-03-10 07:35 am UTC (link)
Nthing the Bsrtimaeus Trilogy; well-built, and the main character is excellently snarky. They're fast-paced and easy to finish.
Amoung Diana Wynne Jones's work, I'd recommend the Chrestomanci books - be warned, do not read them out of order; they look disconnected but you'll miss a lot of detail - and "The Homeward Bounders", which has a fine deep mystery at the core and lots of fast-paced plot around the edges.
Not really YA, but Marc Acito's "How I Paid For College" and "Attack Of The Theater People" might be worth a look. 1980s setting, queer protagonist, and frequently hilarious.
"Here Lies Arthur" by Philip Reeve is not necessarily a book I would have picked up, but it was on the list of some books I was evaluating for a middle-school competition, and I'm glad to have read it. Historical fiction, with a lot about the power of stories. Fun for a mythology geek to keep spotting things in. Reeve also did the Mortal Engines series - the first one was good; I haven't gotton around to the others.
[info]teacup_carousel
2011-03-10 07:37 am UTC (link)
I've been pushing Lane Robin's Maledicte like crazy. We got this in awhile ago at my work to keep in the OT (YA for 15 and above) section and I got one of the promo copies. At first I avoided it like crazy since the blurb on the back was so goddam asinine but once I got into it!!!!!
Let's see we have a main character who becomes trans (f2m) after being possessed by an angry god who is after her soul, her magnificent bastard of a boyfriend who's on a complete power trip, a kinky old bastard in a wheelchair with enough fetish hints to satisfy inquiring minds. The whole thing from beginning to end was one nonstop power house of awesome. If you miss it you'll be disappointed like no other.
Other than that I've noticed a lot of teens who loved The Hunger Games tend to love Allie Condie's Matched.
Vivian Van Velde writes awesome books for just about everyone but her best is probably Companions of the Night since its one of the few vampire books for teens that has the balls to say straight out to young girls that one must not jump lightly into a relationship with an old man who happens to be a serial killed.
I know you said you don't really like contemporary but anything by John Green is also awesome, but Looking for Alaska is my favorite. Who can say no to a book about a teen who spends his spare time learning the last words of famous people (although I will go on record as saying Will Grayson Will Grayson is just as fine too).
Also, Ursula LeGuin has a new YA series out called voiced that is magnifique.
And because you can't have one too many broken records in your comments - if you haven't read anything by Peter S Beagle, Diana W Jones you must do so NOW.
[info]talkjive
2011-03-10 07:49 am UTC (link)
Eon! I think I recced it to you before, but here goes. EON HAS:
-A crippled main character.
[--Who is not in love with anybody
--Who is pretending to be a eunuch to disguise the fact she is female
--Who does the crossdressing thing without making you want to claw out your own eyes going WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU NEVER MET SOMEONE OF THE OPPOSITE GENDER, REALLY]
-a transgender woman as a secondary character, and not a joke character, either
-REVOLUTIONS
How I Live Now is my other favorite YA of the moment. It's about a girl who doesn't get along with her stepmother so she gets sent to live with her relatives blah blah--wait hold up, someone invaded England? Society is collapsing? You're distracting yourself from the collapse of society by committing incest with your mildly psychic cousin? ...Alright then.
[info]carcharias1130
2011-03-10 04:50 pm UTC (link)
So I know someone has already said Robin McKinley, But I've been in love with her since like forever, (seventh grade, when I read Spindle's End, to be more precise) so seconded! Read Sunshine, it makes the vampire genre worth it after the ickiness of Twilight. Like, waaaay worth it. Also, Chalice, which involves honey and bees and magicks and earthyness and awesome. Also a little bit of politics.
Someone said Abarat. If there's any reason to read it, the illustrations should be enough. Oh my god the illustrations. <3
I'm actually going to say Eva Ibbotson again as well, but not just her fantasy stuff (which I ate like candy as a kid). She also writes for older audiences, and it's usually not fantasy but her awesome storytelling is still there. For example, The Morning Gift is historical fiction, and a romance story, but it's wonderful. It takes place in WWII Austria and Britain and involves a female college/grad student and a professor and...well, you see where I'm going with this. It's such a great WWII story, though, and I love it.
Also, East. Anything by Edith Pattou. But especially East. It's written from at least three different perspectives and one of them writes entirely in poems. And, it's based on the myth of Cupid and Psyche, but set in medieval Norway/France, so cue AWESOME. Also, GIANT POLAR BEAR.
That's what I got. :D
http://woodburner.livejournal.com/566440.html
Seeing as I could list approximately ELEVENTY BAJILLION titles that I think EVERYONE SHOULD READ NO REALLY GDI READ IT NOW, and that would be counterproductive since everyone would be all, tl;dr, I'm going to make a list of the very first 15 that pop into my head to avoid the crushing guilt of leaving out some eminently worthy book.
...Needless to say, my list will pretty much be SFF only. B/c I uh. Rarely read anything else?
In no particular order:
The Orphan's Tales, Catherynne Valente
Midnight Robber, Nalo Hopkinson
The Etched City, KJ Bishop
Steam Powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories, by various authors, ed. by JoSelle Vanderhooft
Leviathan series, Scott Westerfeld
Half World, Hiromi Goto
Redemption in Indigo, Karen Lord
Bayou (graphic novel series), Jeremy Love
Skip Beat (manga series), Yoshiki Nakamura
Ooku (manga series), Fumi Yoshinaga
The Shadow Speaker, Nnedi Okorafor
White is for Witching, Helen Oyeyemi
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
The Intuitionist, Colson Whitehead
The Alchemy of Stone, Ekaterina Sedia
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, NK Jemisin
...wait that was 17. And gdi I am already thinking of others. I didn't even include anything more than 15 years old! TOO MUCH AWESOME EVERYWHERE, CAN'T KEEP UP.
(Oh, and uh, it goes w/o saying some of the above has triggery content. Anyone wants warnings for something, feel free to ask, but be forewarned that I'm horrible at remembering specific instances of such things.)
MORE LADY RECS IN THE COMMENTS, GO!
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http://tanuki-green.livejournal.com/329393.html
Note: This list is intended as a resource. It is not intended to express opinions on the quality, authenticity, or positivity of the portrayals of the characters in the books. The compilers of the list have not read all the books on it. Commentary is by Rachel Manija Brown and reflects her opinions on the books as literature. Please use your own judgment in deciding which books you wish to support. Title links go to Amazon.
These were the criteria used to compile the list: 1) The book must be science fiction or fantasy or otherwise not realism, and must have been published, either originally in reprint, as YA, 2) It must contain at least one major LGBTQ character who is clearly identified as such within the book itself. (Dumbledore doesn’t count), 3) Major is defined as having a POV and/or a storyline of their own and/or lots of page-time.
Wolfcry (The Kiesha'ra), by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. Epic fantasy, the fourth in a series. This book follows a princess pressured to choose a suitable husband in order to save her kingdom from war. Her decision is spoilery, but, well, there's a reason this book is on the list. ;)
Vintage: A Ghost Story, by Steve Berman. A moving, atmospheric atmospheric ghost story with a gay hero. 1/5 of the royalties from Vintage will be donated to charities helping gay teens.
Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale; Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie (Modern Faerie Tale); Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale (Modern Faerie Tale), by Holly Black. These gritty, engrossing urban fantasies are connected, but can be read independently. All feature major gay, lesbian, and bisexual characters.
Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books, by Francesca Lia Block. A compilation of several connected novels, all extremely quirky magic realism set in a magical Los Angeles. All the books have major gay characters, and they are the protagonists of Baby Be-Bop.
The Rose and The Beast: Fairy Tales Retold, by Francesca Lia Block. An anthology of re-told fairytales, many with lesbian protagonists.
Above, by Leah Bobet. An upcoming fantasy with an intersexed character who identifies as genderqueer.
The Demon's Lexicon series, by Sarah Rees Brennan. Fast-paced, witty contemporary fantasy. One of the five main characters is gay.
Marked: A House of Night Novel series, by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast. A contemporary fantasy about a boarding school for teenage vampires. Several important supporting characters are gay.
City of Bones (Mortal Instruments), by Cassandra Clare. Urban fantasy series with major gay characters.
A Strong and Sudden Thaw, by R. W. Day. Ice age apocalypse with gay heroes fighting prejudice and dragons.
The Dark Wife, by Sarah Diemer. A gorgeous re-telling of the myth of Hades and Persephone as a consensual lesbian romance with a gender-switched Hades.
Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins, by Emma Donoghue. An anthology of re-told fairytales, many with lesbian protagonists.
A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy), by Libba Bray. A fantasy Victorian boarding school series with major lesbian characters.
Eon, by Alison Goodman. In a China-esque world, a girl disguises herself as a boy to learn dragon magic. Her mentor is transgendered.
Gone, by Michael Grant. Everyone over the age of 13 vanishes, and the remaining kids begin to acquire strange powers. A major character is a lesbian.
Unnatural (Archangel Academy) series, by Michael Griffo. Boarding school, vampires, and gay romance.
Shadow Walkers, by Brent Hartinger. Teenage Zach discovers that he can astral project - an ability which comes in handy when his brother is kidnapped. Zach is gay, and has a romance with a boy he meets on the astral plane.
Hex Hall Book One, by Rachel Hawkins. A supernatural boarding school comedy. A major character is a lesbian vampire.
The Shattering, by Karen Healey. An intense fantasy thriller set in New Zealand. Great characterization of a racially diverse cast. One of the main characters qualifies the book for the list, but it’s spoilery to say who and how.
Guardian of the Dead, by Karen Healey. An ambitious urban fantasy making thoughtful use of Maori folklore. A major supporting character is asexual.
Magic's Pawn (The Last Herald-Mage Series, Book 1), by Mercedes Lackey. A highly influential and widely beloved fantasy series about Vanyel, a young gay man, who becomes a Herald Mage. Note: These books have never been published as YA, though many readers feel that they are, and guidelines for writing in the shared universe also indicate that they are YA. But the books themselves have only ever been published as adult fantasy. It is my belief that this is due to Vanyel's sexual orientation.
Liar, by Justine Larbalestier. The heroine of this intense, twisty novel is a compulsive liar, so its presence on the list is debatable in more ways than one, depending on which of Micah’s stories you believe.
The Silver Metal Lover, by Tanith Lee. Lush romantic science fiction about a shy, awkward girl and what it says on the tin. A major supporting character is gay.
Boy Meets Boy, by David Levithan. A romantic comedy set in a town in which homophobia does not exist, and the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl. I’m counting it as a fantasy on the grounds that it’s set in an alternate universe.
Ash, by Malinda Lo. A well-written re-telling of Cinderella in which she falls for the King’s Huntress rather than the prince.
Huntress, by Malinda Lo. A quest fantasy set in a China-inspired fantasy world, with a sweet romance and some quite beautiful passages. The heroines are lesbians.
Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely (Quality)) series, by Melissa Marr. Urban fantasy with major bisexual characters.
Hero, by Perry Moore. A sweet, funny, exuberant superhero parody/homage with a gay hero.
Libyrinth series, by Pearl North. Haly is a Libyrarian, one of a group of people dedicated to preserving and protecting the knowledge passed down from the Ancients and stored in the endless maze of books known as the Libyrinth. But Haly has a secret: The books speak to her. One of the two POV characters is a lesbian.
The End, by Nora Olsen. When World War Three breaks out, seventeen-year-old Julia is on a school trip to Amsterdam, while fourteen-year-old Marly is trapped in a prison for delinquent girls. All the main characters are LGBTQ.
The Will Of The Empress (Circle Continues), by Tamora Pierce. An excellent, well-characterized imaginary-world fantasy with an ensemble cast, one of whom is a lesbian. It’s the latest book in the “Circle of Magic” series. Daja hasn’t figured out her sexual orientation yet in the earlier books, which begin when the young mages are ten, but they should be read in order. Early books feature a sympathetic adult lesbian couple.
Tripping to Somewhere, by Kristopher Reisz. It's everyone's glittery fantasy turned real: to follow the Carnival's mystic band of beautiful people as they defy every limit and dance through history -- all in search of a good time. The heroine is a lesbian. This has gotten stellar reviews.
Heart Sense series, by K. L. Richardsson. An imaginary world fantasy with a gay hero.
Water Seekers, by Michelle Rode. Post-apocalyptic sf with an LGBTQ protagonist.
The Tenth Man, by Tamara Sheehan. Saul Hornsby is the last magician living in Verusa. Fantasy with a gay hero.
Cursebusters!, by Julie Smith. Budding-psychic Reeno is the most accomplished teenage burglar in California, but one tiny screw-up and poof!-she's sentenced to Bad Girl School. A lesbian paranormal adventure.
Banshee, by Hayden Thorne. A Victorian ghost story with a gay hero.
Masks Rise of Heroes series, by Hayden Thorne. Superhero adventure series with a gay hero.
Frozen (Cold Awakening), by Robin Wasserman. (Formerly Skinned.) Lia is reborn into an artificial body after her real one was destroyed in an accident. Major lesbian and bisexual characters.
Witch Eyes, by Scott Tracey. Compelled to learn about his shadowed past and the family he never knew, Braden is drawn to the city of Belle Dam, where he is soon caught between two feuding witch dynasties. A paranormal romance with a gay hero.
Frozen (Cold Awakening), by Robin Wasserman. (Formerly Skinned.) Lia is reborn into an artificial body after her real one was destroyed in an accident. Major lesbian and bisexual characters.
Generation Dead, by Daniel Waters. Phoebe Kendall is just your typical Goth girl with a crush. He’s strong and silent…and dead. A major character is a lesbian (and a zombie). She becomes a POV protagonist in the third book, Passing Strange, which goes into her life pre- and post-death.
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http://tanuki-green.livejournal.com/329705.html
Science Fiction and Fantasy YA novels with Protagonists of Color, A - L
Sep. 9th, 2011 at 2:43 PM
This list covers authors whose surnames begin with A - L.
Note: This list is intended as a resource. It is not intended to express opinions on the quality, authenticity, or positivity of the portrayals of the characters in the books. The compilers of the list have not read all the books on it. Commentary is by Rachel Manija Brown and reflects her opinions on the books as literature. Please use your own judgment in deciding which books you wish to support.
Title links go to Amazon. Some descriptions are quotes from cover copy, reviews, and comments from Brown’s blog.
These were the criteria used to compile the list: 1) The book must be science fiction or fantasy or otherwise not realism, and must have been published, either originally or in reprint, as YA in the USA, 2) The character of color/non-white character must either be the protagonist, if it’s a book with a solo protagonist, or one of an ensemble, if it’s a book with multiple protagonists.
This is not an exhaustive list! It is still being added to, and will continue to be as new books come out. Also see Stacey Whitman’s list, which includes more middle-grade books (for younger children) than I did. (I’ve included a few MG books I thought were edging into YA territory - subjective, I know!)
Flight, by Sherman Alexie. Teenage half-Indian, half-Irish "Zits" time-travels through American history, confronting various iterations of violence, betrayal, and loss. A compelling, thought-provoking, page-turning novel.
Manifest (Kimani Tru) series, by Artist Arthur. Krystal's ghost-whispering talents soon lead other "freaks" to her door-Sasha, a rich girl who can literally disappear, Jake, who moves objects with his mind, and telepathic Lindsey. Three of the four heroes are people of color.
Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi. A post-apocalyptic adventure. The hero and other major characters are people of color.
Fox and Phoenix, by Beth Bernobich. Upcoming fantasy set in an alternate China.
Above, by Leah Bobet. An upcoming fantasy, set in an underground city for mutants and magical beings, whose protagonist is half-Indian.
The Demon's Surrender (Demon's Lexicon), by Sarah Rees Brennan. The final volume of the urban fantasy trilogy is narrated by Sin, a biracial dancer.
Wolf Mark, by Joseph Bruchac. Lucas King, an Abenaki teenager, is a bad-ass literature geek whose black ops father taught him the tricks of the trade. When his father is kidnapped, Lucas can only save him by connecting with his heritage… as a werewolf! This energetic, playful, everything-and-the-kitchen-sink novel is great fun, riffing on everything from Indian legends to Twilight. It would probably appeal to Percy Jackson fans.
Bruchac is a very prolific author, and has written many books with Native American protagonists which are not on this list as they’re intended for younger children, or are not fantasy. I also enjoyed his middle-grade Skeleton Man, a very spooky story of a brave young girl and a Skeleton Man.
Devil's Kiss series, by Sarwat Chadda. Billi SanGreal, daughter of a white Christian father and a Pakistani Muslim mother, is now the only girl in the modern version of the Knights Templar, who protect the world from supernatural evil. An energetic horror-fantasy.
Little Sister, by Kara Dalkey. Evocative fantasy set in Heian Japan. There’s a sequel, but the first book stands on its own.
The Painted Boy, by Charles deLint. Part-dragon Chinese-American teenager Jay Li goes on a coming-of-age quest, and falls in love with the lead guitarist of a barrio rock band.
The Conch Bearer (Brotherhood of the Conch) trilogy, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Atmospheric middle-grade quest fantasy set in India, with an all-Indian cast.
The Storyteller's Daughter: A Retelling of "The Arabian Nights", by Cameron Dokey. Shahrazad retelling.
Magic Under Glass series, by Jaclyn Dolamore. When a wealthy sorcerer hires Nimira to sing with a mysterious piano-playing automaton, she learns that the soul of a fairy prince is trapped within the automaton. Nimira is a person of color; the rest of the cast is white.
So You Want to Be a Wizard series, by Diane Duane. Inventive and charming series about two kid wizards, one of whom is Hispanic. The first two books are especially good, and stand on their own.
A Wish After Midnight, by Zetta Elliott. Genna wants out of her tough Brooklyn neighborhood. But she gets more than she bargained for when a wish gone awry transports her back in time. Facing the perilous realities of Civil War-era Brooklyn, Genna must use all her wits to survive. Heroine is African-American.
Black Hole Sun, by David Macinnis Gill. Dystopian action-adventure sf set on Mars.
Soul Enchilada, by David Macinnis Gill. Teenage Bug Smoot’s grandfather sold his soul for a classic Cadillac and he used her soul as collateral, too. Which the devil has come to collect, along with the car. Now she has to fight for both. Good thing she knows how to fight dirty. Bug is black and Latina.
The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer. Science fiction set in a brutally dystopian future Mexico.
The Ear, the Eye and the Arm, by Nancy Farmer. Playful science fiction set in a future Africa, featuring a team of mutant detectives and an all-African cast.
Eon, by Alison Goodman. In a China-esque world, a girl disguises herself as a boy to learn dragon magic.
Half World, by Hiromi Goto. Melanie Tamaki is human - but her parents aren't. They are from Half World, a Limbo between our world and the afterlife. When her mother disappears, Melanie must follow her to Half World.
Book of a Thousand Days, by Shannon Hale. A re-told fairytale set in a fantasy Mongolia.
Justice and Her Brothers trilogy, by Virginia Hamilton. All the children in an African-American family have psychic powers.
Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush, by Virginia Hamilton. Intense, sophisticated novel about the metaphoric and literal ghosts haunting an African-American family. Note: Hamilton has written other fantasies for younger children, not to mention lots of realistic novels.
The Shattering, by Karen Healey. An intense fantasy thriller set in New Zealand. Great characterization. Of three POV characters, one is Samoan and one is half Maori.
Racing the Dark (Spirit Binders) series by Alaya Dawn Johnson. Fantasy set in a Polynesian-esque world.
Blood Ninja series by Nick Lake. Two words: vampire ninja. Or should I say, ninpires? Set in Tokugawa Japan, with an all-Japanese cast.
How to Ditch Your Fairy, by Justine Larbalestier. Everyone in this alternate Australia has a fairy, which endows them with some kind of magic gift… like always being able to find a parking space. The heroine is a person of color.
Liar, by Justine Larbalestier. One of the few things which is certainly true of the compulsively lying heroine of this intense, twisty novel is that she’s biracial (white and African-American.)
Magic or Madness series, by Justine Larbalestier. Teenage Reason Cansino learns that the magic-users in her family face a terrifying choice: use it and die young, or turn away from magic and go mad. A well-characterized fantasy with a great sense of place. Three POV characters, only one white.
A Wizard of Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 1) series, by Ursula K. LeGuin. One of the most beautifully written, vivid, and memorable fantasies I’ve ever read; a classic for a reason. Most of the major characters of the series are people of color.
Voices (Annals of the Western Shore) and Powers (Annals of the Western Shore), by Ursula K. LeGuin. Thoughtful imaginary world fantasy series; these two books and Gifts are set in the same world, but are independent of each other. The protagonists are people of color.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin. A Newbery Honor book, gorgeously designed. A quest fantasy based on Chinese folklore.
Huntress, by Malinda Lo. A quest fantasy set in a China-inspired fantasy world, with a sweet romance and some quite beautiful passages.
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http://tanuki-green.livejournal.com/329981.html
cience Fiction and Fantasy YA novels with Protagonists of Color, M - Z
Sep. 9th, 2011 at 2:46 PM
This list covers authors whose surnames begin with M - Z.
Note: This list is intended as a resource. It is not intended to express opinions on the quality, authenticity, or positivity of the portrayals of the characters in the books. The compilers of the list have not read all the books on it. Commentary is by Rachel Manija Brown and reflects her opinions on the books as literature. Please use your own judgment in deciding which books you wish to support.
Title links go to Amazon. Some descriptions are quotes from cover copy, reviews, and comments from Brown’s blog.
These were the criteria used to compile the list: 1) The book must be science fiction or fantasy or otherwise not realism, and must have been published, either originally or in reprint, as YA in the USA, 2) The character of color/non-white character must either be the protagonist, if it’s a book with a solo protagonist, or one of an ensemble, if it’s a book with multiple protagonists.
This is not an exhaustive list! It is still being added to, and will continue to be as new books come out. Also see Stacey Whitman’s list, which includes more middle-grade books (for younger children) than I did. (I’ve included a few MG books I thought were edging into YA territory - subjective, I know!)
Changeover, by Margaret Mahy. To save her little brother, part-Maori heroine Laura Chant must embrace her magical powers. This Carnegie medal-winning supernatural romance is notable for excellent writing and characterization, and a romance with actual chemistry.
Shadows on the Moon, by Zoe Marriott. Upcoming fantasy set in Japan. Winner of the Sasakawa prize, an award gifted by the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation for outstanding contributions to the promotion of understanding and cooperation between people of Japan and the UK.
Luminous, by Dawn Metcalf. Consuela has the power to step out of her earthly skin and cloak herself in new ones - skins made from the world around her, crafted from water, fire, air.
Moon-Flash, by Patricia McKillip. Dreamy, poetic science fiction. The heroine and hero are described as people of color, though current racial categories don’t apply.
Possess, by Gretchen McNeil. Bridget Liu possesses the rare ability to banish demons back to whatever hell they came from. Literally.
Un Lun Dun, by China Mieville. Quirky, playful fantasy subverting the “destined hero” trope. The heroine is a person of color.
Brave Story; ICO: Castle in the Mist; The Book of Heroes, by Miyuki Miyabe. Not a series, these unrelated novels by acclaimed adult mystery author Miyabe all feature Japanese heroes and heroines having epic adventures in fantasy worlds. Translated from Japanese.
47, by Walter Mosley. Number 47, a fourteen-year-old slave boy growing up under the watchful eye of a brutal master in 1832, meets the mysterious TallJohn.
The Legend of Tarik, by Walter Dean Myers. Excellent, sadly neglected historical fantasy about an African boy taken as a slave to medieval Spain; adventure ensues.
Rocket Girls series, by Housuke Nojiri. Yukari Morita is a high school girl on a quest to find her missing father. She receives the offer of a lifetime-she'll get the help she needs to find her father, and all she need do in return is become the world's youngest astronaut. Translated from Japanese.
Dragon Magic, by Andre Norton. Four boys are individually drawn into an adventure - each involving a dragon - from the past or legends of their own ethnic heritage. One boy is Chinese and one is African-American. The contemporary sections are dated, but the dragon adventures are strong and the story as a whole is moving.
Lavender-Green Magic by Andre Norton. African-American siblings are transported into the past for a magical adventure.
Dragon Sword and Wind Child (Tales of the Magatama) series, by Noriko Ogiwara. Saya, a 15-year-old whose adoptive parents have raised her to worship the Light, discovers that she is the reincarnation of the Water Maiden and therefore a leader of the Children of Darkness. An award-winning fantasy adventure series set in a magical Japan. Translated from Japanese.
Zahrah the Windseeker, by Nnedi Okorafor. A charming, inventive adventure set in a fantasy Africa in which biotech has advanced until you can grow a computer from a seed.
The Shadow Speaker, by Nnedi Okorafor. Magic, mysticism, and mind-blowing technology now rule the world. In West Africa, fourteen-year old Ejii struggles to master her own magical powers.
Akata Witch, by Nnedi Okorafor. Nigerian-American, albino Sunny becomes one of a quartet of magic students, studying the visible and invisible, learning to change reality. But will it be enough to help them when they are asked to catch a career criminal who knows magic too?
The Twelve Kingdoms, Volume 2: Sea of Wind series, by Fuyumi Ono. Epic fantasy set in a China-esque fantasy world, with incredibly intricate and fascinating worldbuilding. The first three volumes can all be read independently of each other. All characters are Asian. Translated from the Japanese.
Invisible Touch, by Kelly Parra. The Mexican-American heroine has visions in this supernatural fantasy.
The Dead and the Gone, by Susan Beth Pfeffer. An asteroid knocks the moon closer to Earth, and every conceivable natural disaster occurs. Seventeen-year-old Alex Morales's parents are missing and presumed drowned by tsunamis. Left alone, he struggles to care for his sisters. A well-written and disturbing apocalypse novel which stands on its own. The sequel focuses more on Miranda, a white girl from another book in the series.
Sandry's Book (Circle of Magic, Book 1) series, by Tamora Pierce. An excellent, well-characterized imaginary-world fantasy series with four main characters, two of whom are people of color. The series starts out when they’re kids, and matures as they do.
Melting Stones, by Tamora Pierce. A fantasy novel set in the same world as “Circle of Magic,” starring an Asian-analogue girl.
Silver Phoenix series, by Cindy Pon. An exuberantly inventive YA fantasy novel set in a China more mythic than historical, full of cool Chinese mythology and delectably described Chinese cooking.. Advisory: contains attempted rape.
Nation, by Terry Pratchett. When a giant wave destroys his village, Mau is the only one left. Daphne-a traveler from the other side of the globe-is the sole survivor of a shipwreck. Separated by language and customs, the two are united by catastrophe. A Printz Honor Book by the internationally acclaimed Pratchett. Mau is a person of color.
Bleeding Violet, by Dia Reeves. Biracial (African-American and Finnish), mentally ill teenager Hanna moves to a little Texas town overrun by disgusting monsters and their psychopathic slayers. Inventive, surreal, and extremely violent.
Slice of Cherry, by Dia Reeves. Set in the same town as Bleeding Violet, and starring African-American teenage sisters… who are serial killers!
Larklight series, by Philip Reeves. Steampunk fantasy adventure. One of the three main characters is a biracial (white and black) space pirate.
The True Meaning of Smekday , by Adam Rex. A wonderful science fiction comedy, complete with hilarious comic strip inserts, in which biracial eleven-year-old Gratuity "Tip" Tucci tells the story of how Earth was colonized by aliens, and she ended up traveling cross-country in search of her mother in a flying car called Slushious, in the company of a conflicted alien named J. Lo.
Fat Vampire: A Never Coming of Age Story, by Adam Rex. A satire about a nerdy white vampire and an internet-addicted Indian exchange student.
Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Magic realism about an African-American girl who can talk to ghosts, set during Hurricane Katrina.
The Heroes of Olympus, Book One: The Lost Hero series, by Rick Riordan. Sequel to the bestselling Percy Jackson series, about a summer camp for the children of Greek Gods, but can be read independently. Two of the POV-protagonists are of color: Leo has a Hispanic mother and Piper has a Cherokee father, although both also have a parent who is a Greek God.
The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles, Book 1) series, about a biracial (white and black) brother and sister who get entangled with the Gods of ancient Egypt. Action-packed and fun.
Haroun and the Sea of Stories, by Salman Rushdie. A complex children’s fantasy with crossover appeal to adults. The hero is Indian, and the story involves Indian folklore.
Tankborn, by Karen Sandler. Dystopian science fiction set on another planet. The heroine and majority of the characters are people of color.
Gateway, by Sharon Shinn. Chinese adoptee Daiyu magically travels to a version of St. Louis much like 19th century China, where she is trained as a spy.
Eternal, by Cynthia Leitich Smith. Vampires, angels, and a Chinese-Scottish heroine.
A Posse of Princesses, by Sherwood Smith. Rhis, princess of a small kingdom, is invited along with all the other princesses in her part of the world to the coming of age party of the Crown Prince of Vesarja. When Iardith, the prettiest and most perfect of all the princesses, is abducted, Rhis and her friends go to the rescue. A charming and funny fantasy adventure. The protagonist and the majority of the characters are people of color.
So This is How it Ends (Avatars, Book 1) series, by Tui T. Sutherland. Five teenagers from across the world emerge into a changed landscape, one filled with cultists, mutant animals, and crystal robot monsters. Several POV characters are people of color.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya series, by Nagaru Tanigawa. Haruhi is a cute, determined girl, starting high school in a city where nothing exciting happens. But though she doesn't know it, Haruhi has the power to destroy the universe. Seriously. Translated from Japanese.
The Night Wanderer: A Native Gothic Novel, by Drew Hayden Taylor. ”A Native vampire! That is so cool!” An enjoyably quirky novel in which the teenage heroine and the ancient vampire renting the basement in her home are both First Nations.
The Comet's Curse: A Galahad Book series, by Dom Testa. Science fiction series set on a spaceship. Ensemble cast including characters of color.
Toads and Diamonds, by Heather Tomlinson. A retold fairytale set in a fantasy Mughal India.
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit series, by Nahoko Uehashi. A fantasy adventure starring a badass swordswoman, set in a fantastical Japan. Translated from Japanese.
The Shadow Thieves (Cronus Chronicles) series, by Anne Ursu. Greek mythology in modern America. Zed, a black British boy, is one of two POV protagonists
The Lion Hunter (Mark of Solomon) duology, by Elizabeth Wein. Fantastic, very intense and angsty quasi-historical novels set in an alternate sixth century Aksum (Ethiopia), about Telemakos, the son of Mordred (yes, that Mordred) and an Aksumite princess. The relationship of these books to others in the series is sufficiently complicated that I’ll link to my review of themseries.
Midnighters #1: The Secret Hour trilogy, by Scott Westerfeld. A tremendously entertaining series about the secret hour when time stops, monsters emerge, and only five teenagers can battle them with their individual powers. One of the five is Mexican-American.
Extras (Uglies), by Scott Westerfeld. The last book in his Uglies series, but stands on its own. An action-packed adventure set in a future Japan, starring a girl who will do anything to become famous.
Rogelia's House of Magic, by Jamie Martinez Wood. Three teenage girls find friendship and special powers as they are trained in the ways of the curandera by a wise old woman.
Dragon of the Lost Sea (Dragon Series), by Laurence Yep. The outlawed princess of the Dragon Clan and her young human companion undergo fearsome trials in their quest for an evil enchantress in this classic fantasy series based on Chinese legend. Note: Yep is very prolific, and has written other fantasies for younger children.