Each character is vivid and fully realized. In the Dragon we see someone who is not nice, at all, but who always gets things done. He’s rude and verbally abusive, but he constantly puts his life and wellbeing on the line to do what’s right and goes above and beyond what is expected of him, and never asks for any recognition in return. In contrast, we have everyone at court, like Marek and the Falcon, who are all flashy and politically savvy, and always manage to present themselves as celebrated heroes without actually doing anything useful. Both types are common in the real world, and this representation rang very true.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik | Goodreads

These days, The Hunger Games isn’t celebrated enough for how clever its politics and world-building actually is; big themes and events hit hard, while also being accessible and thought-provoking.

Become a Member

Left to his own devices, he would never have chosen her as his new companion, but Agnieszka has magic, and the King's Law states that any found with the talent must be trained, so choose her he does. Only one of them can have their wish granted, and doing so will also erase all of their memories of one another and the castle. Monstress is the only series on this list that is a comic book, rather than a book series. That said, it is still YA fantasy in every way: its characters, magic, world-building, politics, everything.

UPROOTED by Naomi Novik ★★★ | Kara.Reviews UPROOTED by Naomi Novik ★★★ | Kara.Reviews

I will say that this book isn't evenly compelling throughout. Most of it was riveting, but there were chapters where I had trouble getting through them, mostly when Agnieszka arrives at a new location and starts bumbling around. I like my female characters to be strong and clever, and while Agnieszka does get there, she sure spends a lot of time being confused and dense at the start. But it's a pretty minor complaint since those were only small parts of the book.

Success!

But the gods haven’t forgotten about Circe, and soon she must balance her affection for humanity with her true place among the gods. Oh wait, there's more. The Dragon also insulted her by calling her an idiot every steps of the way. About more than THREE times in the book. Inspired by the folklore of native Australia, Japanese author Nahoko Uehashi has carved out a vivid and engrossing world of beasts and magic. This is also a novel that blends together the genres of fantasy and sci-fi into science fantasy. It has all the swords and sorcery of a fantasy novel but the space travel of a good sci-fi epic.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik | Waterstones

Inspired by Polish folk tales, Uprooted plays with the typical themes you might expect to find in fairytales. Strong Female ProtagonistNot in any discussion of YA fantasy books have I ever heard Joe Abercrombie’s Shattered Sea trilogy mentioned. Kiran Millwood Hargrave is a modern legend of British fiction, writing staggering historical novels and brilliant YA fantasy books alike.