100 books like The Girl in the Sequined Dress

I love Chosen One books. But I love them even more when, like Forsythia, they know why they’re chosen and what their destiny is. 

What Forsythia didn’t see coming was her fated mates. Between the three of them… can they bring all the factions of supernaturals together to defeat the Creatori? 

Yes, yes they can!

Loreweaver’s characters are hilariously real. They have deep emotions, wit, and sarcasm. What more could you ask for in main characters? Great sex? Check. Defeating the bad guy… check (though not in this book). 

This series has everything you crave from a great PNR.

MFM: Witch, Fae, Demon

Jameson decided to make this series a slow-build harem. Each book shows just one of the lives of Alana as she does her best to fulfill an ancient prophecy that will determine the fate of the world.

I’m not sure what I love more: Jameson’s structure for the series, Alana’s sweet but sassy personality, or each of Alana’s guys as we get an in-depth look at each of their lives. (And why they’re all perfect for Alana.)

While the first four books can be read as standalone MF books, I don’t recommend it. Because the fifth book is when they’ll all come together in the same timeline and finally fulfill the prophecy. We hope.

I love absolutely everything about this series. Don’t skip it.

MF (for now): Witch, Vampire

Nothing is ever truly what it seems. That’s certainly true for Delilah and the bar where she works with her uncle. But when her uncle sells to a new business partner, Delilah finds herself in much more trouble than she’d originally thought.

Because vampires are real… and one of them is now her boss.

I love the depth of background on these characters. All three of them have so much at stake. They’ve all lived very hard lives where nothing has gone their way. But maybe, the three of them together can find the peace that they’ve all been searching for.

My favorite thing about this series is just how much each of them grow. There’s nothing like a great character arc. And three is better than one.

MFM: Human, Vampires

Another ultimate post-apocalyptic quest novel is The Stand, one of King’s most read (and longest) books, but I was more heavily influenced by (and love more) The Waste Lands (book 3 of The Dark Tower series). This is because the latter focuses less on the how of the collapse than the aftermath. King’s casual prose and quick, realistic dialogue have always been an inspiration in my writing. The found family connection between Roland, Eddie, Susanna, and Jake is at the heart of The Waste Lands. It is palpable and endearing, and something I strove to emulate with Delia, Gennero, Perth, and Mort in my own novel. There is an allusion to The Waste Lands in my book that big fans of The Dark Tower will catch.  

This book by real-life ghost hunter Peter Underwood is an amazing attempt to demystify some of the most famous haunted sites across the globe, seeking out evidence, personal and witness experiences in an attempt to explain the inexplicable. In many cases he comes up with possible answers, often using the excuse of mental instability in those witnesses to prove his argument. For me, many of his conclusions were not convincing enough, this paucity of believable truth inspiring my own research and desire to debunk the whole concept of ghosts and hauntings. From it, I have learned that though most occurrences can be explained away, there is still much in this world that defies rational logic.   

When I first started reading I stumbled into this story about loss, love, and longing. I was amazed how the characters were able to survive through their ordeals and yet come out stronger with love and happiness on the other side. The emotion is real, and the imagery of a broken, yet strong heroin is phenomenal. I read this story more than five years ago but it’s one of the first I recommend to anyone looking for an exceptional storyline. Lola and Jack met under the most unfortunate circumstances, but together they manage to get through everything thrown against them.

In the 70’s, two journalists from a prominent Berlin newspaper went to Zoo Station, a section of the city where hookers and junkies hung out where they met Christiane F. Over months they documented her story and helped her get it into book form. It’s a typical tale, abusive and/or indifferent parents, marijuana at 12, heroin addict and prostitute by 13. Her story is compellingly told and more tragic than most as we get to know the other 13-year-old boys and girls she hangs out with who also sell themselves for their next fix. The original mass market paperback came out in 1982 and was never reissued. Used copies are over $100. Fortunately, a new translation came out a few years ago under the title Zoo Station a memoir by Christane F that is readily available. 

Another underrated and underread book, this memoir traces one woman’s descent into heroin hell and, ultimately, her recovery and redemption. I’ve known many heroin addicts in my day, and I hate to say it, especially publicly, but very few have been able to turn their lives around. Mitchell is one of the exceptions, and she sets a wonderful example for others to follow and not lose hope. Many memoirists simply make a record of their lives, or, worse, glorify their drug addiction, but not Hanson. Her book is one of insight and soul-searching into the madness of addiction. She pulls no punches about the ugliness of the addict’s life, yet at the same time, she offers hope to the most seemingly hopeless among us. At the heart of this book is a powerful message of recovery by someone, who by all accounts, should be dead.

Bourgois’ and Schonberg’s accounts opened up the ‘parallel world’ of homelessness for me and inspired me to do my own research on homelessness.

They spent years trying to understand people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco, following them on their daily journeys through institutions and city landscapes; they intimately understood their struggles, from mental health and addiction to systematic exclusion.

Their long, in-depth, and grassroots accounts of people on the street made me grasp their varied experiences for the first time.