10 books like The Thief

Founding text of the modern fantasy genre, expander of Homer's beautiful or horrific fantastic gallery; but unlike Odysseus or Christian, Tolkien's characters change, either to grow or become "better," or to spectacularly regress. This novel-type flux matches his unique gift, the modulation of style. Most good writers can find one "voice" and maintain it. But unlike the films, the books will show you Tolkien starting in a cozy-children's-story mode in the Shire, rising to the King James Bible or mythic level of Gandalf's resurrection story, or the Fields of Cormallen – and then drawing the whole vast arc of quest and war down into Sam's circle to the Grey Havens, and the six concluding so-simple monosyllables: "'Well, I'm back," he said."

Elizabeth Acevedo is both an acclaimed spoken word artist and Young Adult novelist. The Poet X is her most well-known work, a super-popular book about coming-of-age Black and Latino in Harlem, New York City. It’s not hard to understand why Xiomara, a.k.a. “X,” is such a relatable and indeed enthralling character for teenagers to encounter, but I was impressed by Acevedo’s ability to draw my cold, old soul into X’s story and keep me on a box cutter’s edge of anticipation from the first page until the last. Acevedo’s work will be as important to new generations of young readers as the great Walter Dean Myers was to my youth.

The second of LeGuin’s Earthsea books is a story made of fantasy, adventure, horror, mystery, and myth. 

Tenar, the high priestess must choose between her lifelong training and her unexpected compassion for a thief named Ged, who she must execute in the Tombs of Atuan. Tenar leads Ged through darkness and terror to a place where she decides who she will become.

LeGuin’s prose is direct, evocative, and compelling. Read out loud, the story is spellbinding. It stays with me even though it’s years since my first reading. Each time I return to the fantastic yet entirely believable world she created, the characters I meet reveal some fresh insight into what it is to be human.

This book was such a fun escapist read for me. I laughed out loud while reading on multiple occasions, in public! I especially loved the characters and relationship dynamics in this book. From Yadriel to Maritza, to Julian, each character felt fully fleshed out and real. If you like paranormal romance, mystery, or lovable himbos, this book is definitely for you!

Puck is doing all she can to keep her and her brothers together after their parents die from an attack by bloodthirsty waterhorses surrounding their island home of Thisby. I admire how this one fantastical element changes a ‘normal’ life to an ‘otherworldly’ one, and makes the island a strong character in the story. Raising and racing waterhorses is Thisby’s livelihood, and dire circumstances lead to Puck competing for the annual Scorpio Race prize money as the first girl to race, against great odds by riding her beloved island pony. 

I love the feel of the small Thisby and its quaint community of characters. Some are mercenary, some tough, but, like Puck and love-interest Sean, most love the wild nature of the ocean and waterhorses, which is magic to me.

Huaxia is protected by the military celebrity pilots of Chrysalises, gigantic mech suits powered by xi. The pilot program is strictly male, but each pilot requires a xi battery to accompany them–also known as a concubine. The girls who enter the Chrysalis cockpits never come out alive. Zetian knows this when she volunteers, but she doesn’t care. The point isn’t to come out alive. It’s to kill the pilot who killed her sister. Anything else is a bonus. 

While normally Kaiju/Gundam Y.A. stories aren’t my jam, you are missing out if you don’t pick up Iron Widow. Huaxia is a beautifully built world inspired by Chinese culture, tackles many societal issues (such as foot binding and patriarchal abuses), and does so with a sardonic tone that just keeps giving. It’s a rare example of a female, not male, power fantasy within an anti-hero’s story. 

My family is Welsh, so imagine my delight when, after years of being an avid fan of the exquisite Studio Ghibli film adaptation, I picked up the book and learned that the dazzling (and dazzlingly vain) wizard Howl was a confirmed Welshman, thick accent and all! 

But the greatest delight of this whimsical story is in its writing. Only Diana Wynne Jones could imagine a world in which turning a young woman into the ninety-year-old version of herself would be a liberating, romantic act. It’s a story told with such wit, heart, and imagination that it’s become one of my staple comfort reads. 

A misfit loner is chosen to save the world. I know, it’s been done before. But this story is special. Firstly, it is set against the backdrop of Nigerian culture and lore. And secondly, Sunny. The main character is memorable for more than just her “differences.” She is determined and fierce, making her a hero you want to see bring home a “w” over and over again.

This book is for slightly younger readers, but I think it has genuine multi-generational appeal. I read it aloud to my eight-year-old, who laughed aloud and loved it – in fact, it was the first read-aloud chapter book that he stuck with. And his grandmother is also reading and loving it! Astrid has the feel of a classic, with its humor and its gentle wisdom. Though it’s a story about a feisty girl who loves sledding, it’s also a story about how someone you love can keep a hurtful secret. How does one forgive such a thing? Astrid figures it out. 

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.