The best fantasy novel with unique worlds

Kayti Nika Raet Author Of Niko
By Kayti Nika Raet

Who am I?

Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Kayti Nika Raet moved down South when she was 11, where she was bitten by the writing bug, as well as other, less friendly insects. She is the author of the Outsider Chronicles, a five book series starting with NIKO and set in a world where the rain burns like acid and flesh-eating monsters roam. When she is not hard at work dreaming up new worlds she has fun reading, listening to K-pop, and photography. Kayti lives in Milledgeville, Georgia.

I wrote...

Niko

By Kayti Nika Raet,

Book cover of Niko

What is my book about?

Niko is a Young Adult Dystopian novel set in a world of acid rain and flesh-eating monsters, where water is scarce and a single mistake can lead to ruin.

After her brother goes missing in a terrible accident Niko teams up with a group of monster hunters to find him but they seem to have their own sinister agenda.

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The books I picked & why

The Sound of Stars

By Alechia Dow,

Book cover of The Sound of Stars

Why did I love this book?

I loved The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow. It takes place in a world after an alien invasion where any kind of artistic expression, like music and books, are banned, Janelle “Ellie” runs a secret library. The world building was masterful and really highlights Dow's gorgeous writing as she uses the world she has created to subtly handle themes of colonialism, systematic oppression as well as the power of art. The Sound of Stars is less of a gritty dystopian and instead manages to be a book of heartfelt emotion, pop-culture references, and whimsy.

The Sound of Stars

By Alechia Dow,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Sound of Stars as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“This debut has it all: music, books, aliens, adventure, resistance, queerness, and a bold heroine tying it all together. ”—Ms. Magazine

Can a girl who risks her life for books and an Ilori who loves pop music work together to save humanity?

When a rebel librarian meets an Ilori commander…

Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the death of one-third of the world’s population. Today, seventeen-year-old Ellie Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. All art, books and creative expression are illegal, but Ellie breaks the rules…

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War Girls

By Tochi Onyebuchi,

Book cover of War Girls

Why did I love this book?

War Girls is a sci-fi novel set almost 200 years in a futuristic Nigeria and is inspired by the Biafran War, a civil war that nearly tore apart the country in late 1960. The world around sisters Onyii and Ify has been ravaged by climate change and nuclear disaster forces the humanity that's left to fight over what is left. I hadn't read many science fiction or fantasy novels set in Africa, and War Girls drew me in with its found family premise as well as being a coming-of-age story filled with Wakanda-style tech. Despite the heavy subject manner Onyebuchi manages to showcase the sisters's hope and vulnerability despite how they were used as pawns by forces out of their control.

War Girls

By Tochi Onyebuchi,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked War Girls as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Two sisters are torn apart by war and must fight their way back to each other in a futuristic, Black Panther-inspired Nigeria. The year is 2172. Climate change and nuclear disasters have rendered much of earth unlivable. Only the lucky ones have escaped to space colonies in the sky.

In a war-torn Nigeria, battles are fought using flying, deadly mechs and soldiers are outfitted with bionic limbs and artificial organs meant to protect them from the harsh, radiation-heavy climate. Across the nation, as the years-long civil war wages on, survival becomes the only way of life.

Two sisters, Onyii and…

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This Woven Kingdom

By Tahereh Mafi,

Book cover of This Woven Kingdom

Why did I love this book?

I've always been a huge fan of Tahereh Mafi, her writing style is so amazing and each book gets better and better. Alizeh lives as a low-class servant, but is secretly the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom that is prophecied to topple the kingdom of the crown prince Kamran. This Woven Kingdom is based on Persian mythology and is so beautifully lush and detailed that it feels like I've been transported to a magical paradise.

This Woven Kingdom

By Tahereh Mafi,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked This Woven Kingdom as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

AN INSTANT #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

Instant New York Times bestseller
Instant #1 Sunday Times bestseller
Instant Indie bestseller
Instant USA Today bestseller

Clashing empires, forbidden romance, and a long-forgotten queen destined to save her people-New York Times bestselling author Tahereh Mafi's first novel in this epic, romantic fantasy series inspired by Persian mythology.

To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.

The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant…

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Iron Widow

By Xiran Jay Zhao,

Book cover of Iron Widow

Why did I love this book?

As part of her plot for revenge, Zetian becomes a concubine pilot of a giant robot, a role that often leads to the death of the female pilot. Instead she survives and through her powerful and ruthless personality begins her ascension to the throne. I love that we get a purely focused and driven main character. There's an almost ruthless energy to her that fits perfectly with the world but with a morally grey cast that we don't often see in female characters. The world of Huaxia is a society that has the fashion, social customs, and beliefs of Ancient China but is paired with futuristic tech as the characters attempt to fight back invaders.

Iron Widow

By Xiran Jay Zhao,

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked Iron Widow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An instant #1 New York Times bestseller!

Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale in this blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction for YA readers.

The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn't matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.
 
When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through…

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Strange the Dreamer

By Laini Taylor,

Book cover of Strange the Dreamer

Why did I love this book?

Lazlo Strange is a war orphan and junior librarian obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, a land of blue-skinned gods that was cut off from the rest of the world by the heroic Godslayer. But there seems to be more to the city of Weep as well as the people that remain. Utterly unique Laini Taylor crafts a world in glorious prose filled with subtleties and foreshadowing as she explores the aftermath of colonisation and freedom, magi, gods, and monsters, and what happens to those that fall through the cracks.

Strange the Dreamer

By Laini Taylor,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Strange the Dreamer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Prepare to be enchanted' Sun

The magical Sunday Times bestseller by Laini Taylor, author of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy

*********

The dream chooses the dreamer.

Since he was five years old, Lazlo Strange has been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to go in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself - in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep to cut…

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One Giant Leap

By Ben Gartner,

Book cover of One Giant Leap

Ben Gartner Author Of The Eye of Ra

New book alert!

Sponsored by Ben Gartner Author

Who am I?

I love to read a good action-adventure story. I’ve also written a few. And I know that no matter how high the stakes, if there’s no heart in the characters then there’s very little engagement to make it any more memorable than a temporary thrill. I love thrills, but the stories that stick with you after the excitement of the moment is over, those are the true gems. Besides the fun of reading that type of book, maybe you even learn something about yourself or the world and come out a wee bit wiser than when you went in. And isn’t that a fantastic use of our imaginative powers?!

Ben's book list on new action-packed middle grade with heart

Book cover of Frances and the Monster Book cover of Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls Book cover of The Unforgettable Logan Foster Book cover of Journey Beyond the Burrow Book cover of The Last Shadow Warrior

What is my book about?

I’m pretty sure I’m about to die in space. And I just turned twelve and a half.

Blast off with the four winners of the StellarKid Project on a trip to the International Space Station and then to the Gateway outpost orbiting the Moon! It’s a dream come true until space junk collides with the ISS, turning their epic trip into a nightmare of survival. Alone aboard the Aether starship, the kids have to work as a team to save the adults before the ISS is destroyed. Suit up, cadet, and launch into adventure with One Giant Leap!

One Giant Leap

By Ben Gartner,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked One Giant Leap as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

I’m pretty sure I’m about to die in space. And I just turned twelve and a half.

Blast off with the four winners of the StellarKid Project on a trip to the International Space Station and then to the Gateway outpost orbiting the Moon! It’s a dream come true until space junk collides with the ISS, turning their epic trip into a nightmare of survival. Alone aboard the Aether starship, the kids have to work as a team to save the adults before the ISS is destroyed. Suit up, cadet, and launch into adventure with One Giant Leap!

Praise for…

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