Looking to dive into new worlds? Here are 20 fantasy books similar to V. E. Schwab's writing that let you explore different realms and fascinating characters.
Photo: Sabina Music Rich [via Unsplash]
In my upcoming new YA fantasy,
In the Ravenous Dark (out today!), one of the main characters one of the love interests, in fact is dead. This bit of information always seems to pique people’s interest, because, well, how is he dead and still walking, talking, and falling in love?
In Ivrilos’s case, he’s a guardian spirit bound to our protagonist, Rovan, in order to control her, particularly her powerful blood magic, but then the two of them become reluctant allies and eventually something more through their shared interest in toppling the underworld authority. It’s through the duality of blood and death magic in the book that these two characters, living and dead, are able to interact and even touch. But this got me thinking about the other types of dead characters I’ve read in (mostly) recent (mostly) YA books, what makes them tick, and more importantly, what makes them compelling. Below are a few of my favorite reads. Expect div
by A.M. Strickland May 18, 2021; Imprint
You had me at “pansexual bloodmage.” With her blue hair, Rovan Ballacra is easily recognizable as a bloodmage. After witnessing her father be executed for refusing to serve the king, she’s hidden her abilities. But when she is forced to use her powers to save a friend, she’s dragged off to the palace, bound to a shade who keeps an eye on her on behalf of the king, and is set to be married off regardless of her wishes. Somehow Rovan must figure out how to break free of the king’s shackles and expose his corruption to the world.
Cee has been trapped on an abandoned island for three years without any recollection of how she arrived, or memories from her life prior. All she knows is that somewhere out there, beyond the horizon, she has a sister named Kay, and it’s up to Cee to cross the ocean and find her. In a world apart, 16-year-old STEM prodigy Kasey Mizuhara lives in an eco-city built for people who protected the planet―and now need protecting from it. With natural disasters on the rise due to climate change, eco-cities provide clean air, water, and shelter. Their residents, in exchange, must spend at least a third of their time in stasis pods, conducting business virtually whenever possible to reduce their environmental footprint. While Kasey, an introvert and loner, doesn’t mind the lifestyle, her sister Celia hated it. Popular and lovable, Celia much preferred the outside world. But no one could have predicted that Celia would take a boat out to sea, never to return. Now it’s been three months
Wed Apr 28, 2021 2:00pm
2 Favorites [+]
A bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead…
We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from
In the Ravenous Dark, a dark YA fantasy by A.M. Strickland publishing May 18th with Imprint.
In Thanopolis, those gifted with magic are assigned undead spirits to guard them and control them. Ever since Rovan’s father died trying to keep her from this fate, she’s hidden her magic. But when she accidentally reveals her powers, she’s bound to a spirit and thrust into a world of palace intrigue and deception.