100 books like Girls of Paper and Fire

I loved Iron Widow because reading it is like a train wreck you can’t possibly look away from.

The main character, Zetian, is angry, unhinged, and bent on vengeance, and not once does the narrative punish her for it, which I loved. Zetian is willing to kill, torture, girl boss, and reverse-harem her way to ruling an empire whether anyone cooperates with her or not.

And I was merrily along for the ride from the moment she psychically murdered her chrysalis copilot as vengeance for the death of her sister.

I was initially drawn to this book by its stunning cover and back cover description, and then immediately fell for the story inside. The fast-paced narrative, filled with female friendships, tragedy, and fights against the patriarchy (by an army of gifted, powerful women. Yes, please!), kept me hooked.

This is a book about the power of women, and that spilled through on every page. Plus, the main character, Deka’s strength, leadership, and compassion make her one of my favorite fierce heroines.

I enjoy books where relationships go beyond romance and delve into themes of friendship and family. I also love a story that takes historical figures and plays with reality, blending fantasy and historical fiction. This book covers both.

What I adored most about this book was the portrayal of Nannerl’s (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s sister) struggle for recognition against the patriarchal constraints of her time. This story beautifully blends themes of familial love, gendered expectations, and the power of imagination.

What I loved most about this book was how strongly it made me feel—sad, angry, powerful. I am in awe of Tehlor Kay Mejia’s writing. They crafted a richly developed world and forged nuanced characters like Dani and Carmen, whose romance was perfect and heart-wrenching.

The book has a lot to say, addressing issues like immigration and misogyny with depth and authenticity, making it a feminist, Latinx, and sapphic masterpiece that I can’t help but adore and recommend. 

It’s been a long time since I read an original magic system in a novel, and Stewart’s Locus Award-nominated The Bone Shard Daughter caught me completely off guard!

It was so easy to get lost in the dark, fascinating world, interesting yet flawed characters, and a tale that just won’t let go. 

I found this comparative study of England, France and Russia an elegant and theoretically sophisticated analysis of three of what are considered to be the “great revolutions”.

It is a 2014 reworking of the 1938 classic by Crane Brinton and, like its predecessor, its great strength is in its comparative historical analysis. I loved the depth of historical analysis of each of the case studies, with sufficient detail to enable me at times to reach different conclusions from the author.

It was also able to go beyond Brinton’s original, in terms both of its historical detail and theoretical sweep. Its ambition, grounded in the case studies, was exhilarating.

Nazaré is a charming fable, showcasing the pursuit of justice in an authoritarian world. Kin, a young homeless boy, originally accused of sorcery and forced to flee, eventually leads a band of revolutionaries pitted against their oppressive dictator. His army is made up of delightful misfits, along with a variety of wild animals.

I love the rebels in this parable for the modern world. How could any writer or reader not appreciate revolutionaries who, while living rough in the countryside, impose a reading hour on their members. There is such beauty in the author’s language, unexpected humor throughout, and the most appealing charm.

If you believe in magic, as well as the the power of right to prevail against tyranny, despite impossible odds, this is the novel for you.

I was fascinated by this gripping story about a twelve-year-old girl living in the Dominican Republic in 1960 because, while it is fiction, it is based on a very real and scary time in the history of the DR. My parents grew up in the DR under the dictatorship that was still in place in 1960, and Julia Alvarez does a beautiful job showing readers how young people and their families were impacted by that regime, as well as the bravery and hopefulness of those who fought for their country’s freedom.

McNeill, William McNeill’s son, examines the intersection of disease, ecology, race, and international politics to show how infectious disease shaped the fortunes of colonial empires in the Caribbean. In the wake of the encounter between Europeans and the New World which destroyed up to 90 percent of the Amerindian population, European empires restructured the region into a colonial economy of sugar and slavery. Mosquitos bearing malaria and yellow fever flourished in this environment and McNeill shows how anyone seeking power in the region had to reckon with both them and disease.

Sharon Nepstad analyzes the success and failure of nonviolent resistance movements across a set of global case studies. Her findings highlight two dimensions that probably don’t get as much attention as they deserve.

First, she reveals the importance of civil-military relations in protest movements: the behavior of the military and other state security forces is often decisive to the fate of unarmed uprisings. And this behavior, in turn, is shaped by the recruitment patterns, training, and organizational structure of those forces. The Tianamen Square massacre, for example, only happened after the Chinese government replaced the local patrolling units with military forces from the country's periphery.

Second, Nepstad shows how international support to nonviolent movements can often be counterproductive, as it allows dictators to wave the flag of nationalism against foreign interference. This is an important caution for policymakers and activists thinking about how they can help nonviolent movements around the… show more.