The best books where different cultures mix in a fantastical world

I was surprised what a good read this was. I don't often read zombie stories, but I enjoyed this one. This book joins a growing list of different takes on a zombie tale. I found the story fascinating from the first pages to the end. The shocking reveal had me gasping, but it was consistent with the rest of the book. I appreciated how well it was laid out. This book goes into the connection and competition between two species of humans. It takes a hard twist at the end that is shocking and heart-wrenching. You will enjoy it.

Rie is a kickass heroine who must survive in a world where humans like her don’t fit in and are not respected. The story mixes creatures of different types, high elves, dark elves, pixies, goblins, imps, and more. Handles the problem of an inferior trying to deal with more powerful friends and enemies. Great story.

Jade is a being of mysterious power who has traits of shifter, witch, fae, and others. She serves the police force in Winston, in a world in which supernatural beings are everywhere, but are discriminated against. She must solve a mystery and fight to protect herself and her friends. I enjoyed this story. I think you will enjoy it if you like fantasy.

Bresq, the main character, is a very unusual creature. She is powerful, intelligent, and driven by compassion. It is interesting to read about a galaxy-spanning empire built on the bodies of human troops, sentience warships, and AI/human hybrids. The story explores themes of oppression, gender, identity, colonization, survival, and revolution. The way this book handles gender is to make it impossible to think about gender, in the ways we are used to. Good book and series.

Miri, our protagonist explores her strengths and weaknesses. She has lost her dearest friends, and journeys to Israel, in part to follow the trail of her lost love.

The story has several intriguing side plots. We learn the origin of werecats. We follow Miri's family members as they get caught up in the Nazi persecution of Jews in World War II. We see inside a conservative community in Israel. And, the world of Umbrae is shown to be a wondrous and scary place. I enjoyed seeing the characters, good and evil. Finny, the cat, is fun, devoted, and willing to travel around the world and into Umbrae to help her friends. 

This is another strong entry into the story arc of the P.A.W.S. series.