5 Must-Read Fantasy Books by Women
The most epic high fantasy recommendations by female authors
The most epic high fantasy recommendations by female authors
Fantasy fiction is my favourite genre. However, being a woman, I have a soft corner for books written by female authors and having women protagonists. I curated this list for you to quench your thirst for fantasy written by women. While including the books, I kept two things in mind:
- These books explore diverse worlds and the characters are not white-skinned per se. One is set in the fantasy equivalent of Africa, another in Egypt, and a third in India.
- There is enough queer representation in these books to make you love the characters.
I hope you enjoy these recommendations. Representation or not, all of these are brilliant novels that will set your heart racing.
(Note: The links mentioned in this article are affiliate links. If you choose to purchase these books through these links, it will help me earn a small amount of money — at no extra cost to you. Thanks!)
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.
Children of Blood and Bone is a Young Adult fantasy set in a complex world inspired by West African mythology and Yoruba culture. I absolutely loved all the characters and the way folktales are weaved in with the plot to enrich Adeyemi’s imaginative narrative.
Why you should read it
The writing is fantastic and the pacing is well-done, making the reading experience fast and exciting, in spite of the book’s size. Adeyemi has a gift for coming up with beautiful prose that compliments the vibrant world she created. You would love this book for the mystical magic system, the history, and the internal conflicts among the maji/diviners vs. nobles.
The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
Nahri is a con woman of unsurpassed talent, hustling for a living on the streets of 18th century Cairo. Ali is the second son of King Ghassan of Daevabad — a djinn who doesn’t hesitate to give up all he has to bring equality between the djinn and shafit (half-bloods, or children of djinn with humans). Their paths cross when Nahri unknowingly summons Dara, a daeva who saves her from ghouls in Cairo and takes her to Daevabad.
This book has a little of everything — palace politics, ancient djinn and their blood rivalry, a chosen-one character arc, badass female warriors/magicians, and a love triangle that is delightful and heart-breaking at the same time.
Why you should read it
The City of Brass is both very smart and very entertaining. The richness of the world Chakraborty has created gives added heft to a wonderful story. The writing is so vivid and descriptive, you can almost smell the incense and would want to keep a damp cloth at hand to wipe the desert sand from your brow. This is a wonderful, engaging, and fun read I recommend to all lovers of adult fantasy.
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
After a millennium of peace, rumours of the ‘Nameless One’ return to a world divided and a queendom without an heir. The Priory of the Orange Tree is a colourful story of witchcraft and romance, of dragons and political intrigue, of treachery and love.
The plot is amazing and continued to surprise me until the very end. The characters are superbly-written — with their internal conflicts and self-doubt — almost feeling like real people. The world is richly-detailed with a huge past. To be honest, I read this book solely because of the hype surrounding it. However, in spite of its length — at 800+ pages — I didn’t expect to go away from it wanting more.
Why you should read it
The scope of The Priory of The Orange Tree is majestic — brimming with details about the various languages and perspectives. Although a single novel, this one feels like several books stitched together, with the characters undergoing immense development throughout the story. This book is magnificent in every regard, more so because of the girl power and the LGBTQ representation.
Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri
A nobleman’s daughter with magic in her blood. An empire built on the dreams of enslaved gods. Empire of Sand, Tasha Suri’s captivating, Mughal India-inspired book is the Indian epic fantasy I always wanted. We follow the journey of Mehr, the illegitimate daughter of a highborn governor and an exiled outcaste mother. Her quiet world is taken by storm when anancient spirit — a Daiva — invades the castle and infiltrates Mehr’s younger sister’s room. Mehr knows that the “magic in her blood” will save them, and makes an offer of blood to the Daiva to reach an unsettling truce. What Mehr doesn’t know is that the Emperor’s feared mystics are searching for anyone across the kingdom who can wield magic. The reasons are unknown, but these shamans are taken away never to be seen again. Will Mehr suffer a similar fate for the blood magic she just performed?
Why you should read it
The author brings to life an original world with mythology, gods and dream magic. Themes of love, patriarchy, caste, arranged marriage and religious extremism are explored with finesse. You will fall in love with Mehr, the young woman protagonist out to save the world from destruction — a fierce powerhouse character who is both fragile and strong.
Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
This tale starts with six-year-old Fitz being brought to the Farseer’s army outpost by his maternal grandfather. He is given to a soldier, who is told that he is King-in-Waiting Chivalry’s bastard son.
This book has all the popular fantasy tropes: the unwanted orphan, a sprawling seaside fortress, clandestine politics, generous dollops of magic and adventure. But Hobb’s genius is such that it makes you feel as if you are reading all this for the first time. The storytelling is enchanting, immersive and has a dream-like feel to it. The prose lingers and stays with you.
This is the only book in the list with a male protagonist, but I decided to include it because The Farseer Trilogy is one of my favourite fantasy series of all time, and it’s written by a woman! This is a beautiful coming-of-age tale which captivated my mind and made me realize why is it deemed a true classic and a pure fantasy gem.
Why you should read it
The prose feels simple yet beautiful, reminiscent of Patrick Rothfuss’s Name of the Wind. As a reader, you would be mesmerized with the magic of this book. The interactions between characters are written fantastically. On the whole, the writing is poetic, smooth and flawless, making this book the work of a literary genius in action.
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