I’ve been addicted to books since I was young, and as a person with a disability that keeps me largely housebound, most of my time is filled with reading and writing. I love stories where I can’t predict the ending—because the plot takes an unexpected twist, or because the mystery unravels in an unanticipated way, and since I’m a fantasy fan, I’m thrilled when those stories include unique monsters and magic. As an author who combines fantasy and mystery, it’s uncommon for me to be truly surprised by a book, but the ones on this list left me delighted, surprised, or unravelling the mystery until the very end.
The Rook is one of the most original books I’ve ever read. In this world, magic and monsters are kept in line by a supernatural organization: the Chequy. Our main character, Myfanwy, keeps this organization running. It doesn’t sound unique—except Myfanwy can’t remember who she is. Someone in the Chequy has betrayed her, erasing her memory, and that person is still trying to kill her. Myfanwy is a fantastic protagonist, uncovering a conspiracy while following the instructions left by her past self, and though aspects of this book have certainly been done before, Daniel O’Malley makes the story unpredictable, immersive, and wildly entertaining. I loved it so much that it influenced my first novel, and The Rook has never left my list of favorite books.
The body you are wearing used to be mine.' So begins the letter Myfanwy Thomas is holding when she awakes in a London park surrounded by bodies all wearing latex gloves. With no recollection of who she is, Myfanwy must follow the instructions her former self left behind to discover her identity and track down the agents who want to destroy her. She soon learns that she is a Rook, a high-ranking member of a secret organization called the Chequy that battles the many supernatural forces at work in Britain. She also discovers that she possesses a rare, potentially deadly…
If you prefer your mysteries with a side of sci-fi, you can’t go wrong with Gideon the Ninth. There’s a lot going on here— deadly trials, spooky settings, competing necromancers, and secrets upon secrets—but in this dark, imaginative world, the characters are what make this book amazing. Gideon Nav (sarcastic swordswoman and reader of dirty magazines) is cool, funny, and somehow very relatable, and her relationship with her nemesis, Harrowhark (horrible little bone witch) is the heart of the story. This isn’t an easy read, and the book is one people either love or hate, but it’s unique, original, and the mystery kept me guessing until the very end. There are few books I’ve become totally obsessed with, but this is one of them.
15+ pages of new, original content, including a glossary of terms, in-universe writings, and more!
A USA Today Best-Selling Novel!
"Unlike anything I've ever read. " --V.E. Schwab
"Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space!" --Charles Stross
"Brilliantly original, messy and weird straight through." --NPR
The Emperor needs necromancers.
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.
Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense.
Tamsyn Muir's Gideon the Ninth, first in The Locked Tomb Trilogy, unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as…
It’s not often that a book keeps me awake until 3 am, but this one did. The mystery in House of Hollow is straightforward: Iris Hollow’s sister, Grey, has gone missing under strange circumstances, echoing the way Iris and her sisters disappeared when they were children. Although this book is for young adults, there’s nothing childish about it. House of Hollow is beautifully written and totally unpredictable, the magic sinister and unnerving. As the mystery unfolds, it creates more questions for the reader, and by the end I was no longer sure I wanted to know the answers. This book was a 10/10 for me, and I’m sure the stunning prose influenced my own work.
'A gorgeous, grisly modern fairy tale.' - THE GUARDIAN
'Dark and delicious. House of Hollow hums with malice and mystery. I devoured it whole.' - KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE
** SHORTLISTED FOR THE YA BOOK PRIZE 2022 **
The Hollow sisters - Vivi, Grey and Iris - are as seductively glamorous as they are mysterious. They have black eyes and hair as white as milk. The Hollow sisters don't have friends - they don't need them. They move through the corridors like sharks, the other little fish parting around them, whispering behind their backs.
I love zombies. They’ve always captured my imagination, but they’re rarely portrayed as originally and thoughtfully as they are here. In this book, the walking dead are known as bone houses, and the mystery is why they’ve suddenly started leaving the woods and attacking the village of Colbren. The Bone Houses is heavily influenced by Welsh mythology, and I’m an enormous fan of mythology in general, so that drew me in. But while I expected to enjoy this book, the unexpected emotional moments made me fall in love with it. And as someone who suffers from chronic pain, I really appreciated the way Lloyd-Jones handled the subject, as it’s rarely represented so well.
Seventeen-year-old Aderyn ("Ryn") only cares about two things: her family, and her family's graveyard. And right now, both are in dire straits. Since the death of their parents, Ryn and her siblings have been scraping together a meager existence as gravediggers in the remote Welsh village of Colbren, which sits at the foot of a harsh and deadly mountain range that was once home to fae creatures known as the Otherfolk. The problem with being a gravedigger in Colbren, though, is that the dead don't always stay dead.
The risen corpses are known as "bone houses," and legend says that…
The Bear and the Nightingale takes place in a fantasy version of medieval Russia, and it’s one of the most atmospheric, well-written fantasy novels I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Magic is deeply embedded in this book, and creatures veer between monstrous and mundane depending on the views of the character who sees them. Religion and mythology are combined and wrapped in a riveting, emotional story, filled with characters I fell in love with, or loved to hate. While it might contain less mystery than the other books on this list, I couldn’t guess the way it would end, and I wasn’t disappointed when I reached the final page.
_____________________________ Beware the evil in the woods...
In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, an elderly servant tells stories of sorcery, folklore and the Winter King to the children of the family, tales of old magic frowned upon by the church.
But for the young, wild Vasya these are far more than just stories. She alone can see the house spirits that guard her home, and sense the growing forces of dark magic in the woods. . .
It’s a beautiful day in autumn, and a little girl has gone missing… she’s not the first. Hannah Hendricks is the fourth child to disappear from the town of Fallow Creek. Search parties comb the woods, but there’s no trace of the missing children, as if they’ve vanished off the face of the earth.
Cassandra Reilly is certain magic is involved, but few people trust the word of a witch, and fewer still want her help. It seems there’s little she can do—until Hannah’s parents arrive on her doorstep, begging for magical aid. But agreeing to help is more dangerous than Cass knows. Something evil is at work in Fallow Creek, and if she’s not careful, she’ll lead it back to her own door.
From the time I was a girl, I’ve loved stories that put a lump in my throat even as I’m laughing. As a fiction writer, that funny-sad tone is the one I go for in my own work. I gravitate toward female protagonists of all ages who break the mold—women who are intelligent and strong but who also have unconventional, quirky personalities. Women who can be hilarious, infuriating, and heartbreaking—sometimes all at once. Because they are complex and unique, these women tend to struggle with life’s challenges more than their contemporaries. That’s what makes their stories so interesting, and why I have chosen the books on this list.
When Mar’s husband divorces her, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy starting over, she’s ready for new adventures—as long as she can keep things casual. Each month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical consultant. . . and a handsome novelist who wants more than she can give. Mar learns from each encounter. But can she open herself up to true connection?
Surrounded by quirky, endearing characters, Mar navigates her…
"A fun, entertaining novel! I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't enjoy this book as much as I did." -Leslie A. Rasmussen, award-winning author
When Mar Meyer's husband divorces her for another woman, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy to start over, Mar is young-looking, fit, and ready for new adventures-as long as she can keep things casual.
With each passing month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next. Among them: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical…
