10 books like East

Nyx will do anything to save her people, including marrying the terrible Ignifex, the evil ruler of her kingdom. But there is more to Ignifex than she initially imagined, and as Nyx falls in love with him, she fights to find a way to save both her people and her love. This book portrays such fun banter between Nyx and Ignifex and poses a truly difficult riddle that is bound to break your heart.

This fascinating, gender-swapped Pinnochio retelling has a few hints of Frankenstein, and is gorgeously written. The main character, Pirouette, begins life as a tree and is carved into a puppet by her father, then brought to life by the magic of the blue moon. When the powerful Margrave of Tavia commissions Pirouette and her father to make one hundred wooden soldiers or risk imprisonment, they have no choice to comply. And then the Margrave makes an additional demand: he wants Pirouette to carve him a life-sized assassin—and then bring it to life. But is she making a monster or a masterpiece? And can she keep her own origins a secret?

This is my favorite The Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling! Heather Dixon includes all twelve princesses, named after various plants, and gives them distinct enough personalities that not only can you keep them straight, you care about each one. This story follows Azalea, the eldest of the twelve sisters, and the mysterious Keeper, who invites the princesses to dance every night in his silver forest. But the Keeper likes to keep things, and can Azalea bear to pay the cost? Eerie and gorgeous, romantic and masterful!

A poignant, passionate retelling of The Seven Wild Swans set in an alternate Scotland, this gorgeous book stars a prickly, fierce girl who will do anything to save her brothers from a wicked enchantment. Rowenna’s mother Mairead dies before she can teach Rowenna the magical craft she is so desperate to learn. But when Mairead seemingly comes back from the dead, Rowenna is powerless to defeat the evil creature wearing her face, who proceeds to curse Rowenna, her brothers, and the boy named Gawen Rowenna rescued from the sea. The boys are turned into swans by day, only shifting back to their human forms at night. Rowenna herself is robbed of her voice by day. There is only one thing that can save her brothers and herself—shirts woven out of stinging nettles. But can she weave the shirts before time runs out?

I have been a reader all my life, but Inkheart is the story that made me want to be a writer. Every page is both an invitation for book lovers to step inside the dream of beloved characters coming to life and a call to confront the villains who emerge from the very same pages. If ever there was a book that celebrates the simple wonder of being a reader and crafting stories of your own, it’s this one.

This is another already popular series that has been around for ages. I guess I’m partial to older books as they are mostly clean reading due to the era. The Hobbit is a wonderful tale of unexpected adventure, bravery, overcoming, and acceptance in the world of middle earth where strange and wonderful creatures abound. Fairies, elves, dwarves, hobbits, and goblins abound in a masterfully described world. These books were also a catalyst to my own writing. As a fairly new author since 2017, I couldn’t write contrary to my beliefs, and these wonderful stories show that it can be done in a way that is not only engaging and clean but that can captivate the mind as the stories I read play out like a movie in my head.

This second book in the popular Narnia series, is one of my favorite. It is easy to read, and wonderfully descriptive, following the tales of the Pevensie children. Behind the wardrobe, the Pevensie children discover the world of Narnia, and so begins their adventures in aiding Aslan, the mighty lion and ruler of Narnia, to defeat the evil white witch who has invaded the land. Aslan is a depiction of Christ in this story. 

Sword-wielding adventures in ancient lost lands tend to awaken the adventurer in me and lend to my very overactive imagination. I so enjoy fiction, fantasy, and adventure but when stories are told in a clean and wholesome way without making me wince at certain language or inappropriate descriptions, I can’t seem to get enough. Such wonderful examples of writing have lent me instruction in my own writing, which I hope engage readers with the storytelling instead… show more.

This is the book that taught me not to dismiss wonder as something that’s only for children. This warmest of winter tales helped me see that wonder is a light to illuminate times of grief and loss; a fiery hope that combats fears; and a faith that defies the circumstances that seek to steal our joy. I have never encountered a fictional world that felt more like home.

Ice is an unexpected journey in the Arctic filled with promises, broken hearts, trolls, ice, and a Polar Bear King. It’s a brilliantly written adventure that will have you wanting more with each sentence. Have you ever thought of falling in love with prince charming? How about with a polar bear? You’ll think twice after reading this!

This book is a picture book for a younger audience. Can you imagine being born deaf but no one around you knows it? That's what this book shows through a Bear who isn't responding to his friends when they speak to him. Fortunately, his Dad figures it out and takes him to a doctor where he is fitted with hearing aids. This book will help children that are deaf and their friends who may not always understand what it's like to be deaf.