Eight fantasy & sci-fi books I love
Teen reader Tracy Hwang shares eight of her favourite fantasy and sci-fi reads.
Fantasy has been my favourite genre to read for as long as I can remember. My childhood mainly consisted of rereading Enid Blyton’s Magic Faraway Tree, pretending I was a witch at Hogwarts with Harry, growing up alongside Percy Jackson, and imagining myself in Narnia. As I grew into reading young adult novels I was exposed to science-fiction and its fascinating to read books that have nuances of both genres.
Here are my top fantasy and sci-fi picks.
FANTASY PICKS
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Set in the Amsterdam inspired Ketterdam, Kaz Brekker has been offered a chance at riches beyond his wildest dreams, but in order to claim them he must pull off the most dangerous heist imaginable. Kaz puts together a crew of thugs and thieves that at first glance seem to have their own priorities at heart and no love for each other.
Six of Crows is a triumph. The world building is immersive and exhilarating, transporting you to a world of dark magic, high stakes and close calls. Where Bardugo really delivers though, is with her diverse cast of credibly flawed and relatable outcasts that you can’t help but fall in love with. Underneath all the heists and the magic, I believe this story is really a celebration of what it means to be human.
As you can probably tell, I love this book with every fibre of my being and highly recommend it for anyone looking for a refreshing take on fantasy.
Continue the story… Six of Crows is the first book in a duology. Find the full series here.
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
When Laia infiltrates the Martial Empires greatest military academy as a rebel spy, she meets the school’s prized prodigy Elias. Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free. They soon realise their destinies are intertwined and that their choices will affect the fate of the Empire.
This was such a refreshing read, the mythology was extremely unique and impressive in its imagination. I felt fully transported when I read it, thanks to Tahir’s mersmerising writing and colourful characters. The romance is written perfectly – it isn’t over-the-top but still manages to pull at your heartstrings.The high stakes and plot twists will mean that you can’t turn the pages fast enough.
Continue the story… An Ember in the Ashes is the first book in a quartet. Find the first two books in the series here.
The Young Elites by Marie Lu
Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of a blood fever that ravaged the nation. While most of the infected perished, the survivors were left with strange markings that identified them as abominations and in rumoured cases, Young Elites – the ones who possessed godlike gifts.
Lavish and dark, this high-fantasy is a jewel of a trilogy. Adelina is the darkest anti-hero I have encountered and I couldn’t enjoy reading her character arc more – she, and all the other morally ambiguous characters, add depth to this story. Lu’s writing is breathtaking and the mythology, other-worldly.
Continue the story… The Young Elites is the first book in a trilogy. Find the full series here.
Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
Amani is a gifted gunslinger with perfect aim, living in the unforgiving Dustwalk, where females are destined to end up wed or dead. Desperate to escape the town, she escapes with the mysterious Jin and ends up on a journey of rebellion, discovery and dreams.
Hamilton’s debut novel is a compelling adventure, gripping from the start and thrilling by the end. Amani is everything I could ever want in a protagonist, she’s witty, fierce and spirited. She isn’t confined by stereotypes and is already a badass role model when introduced. That isn’t to say her growth wasn’t significant – at its heart, this novel is a story of growth and discovering self identity, and I loved that. The fact that the coming of age theme was incorporated into this lush, mysterious fantasy was fascinating.
Continue the story… Rebel of the Sands is the first book in a trilogy. Find the full series here.
SCI-FI PICKS
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
When a mysterious disease kills off most of America’s children, the survivors emerge from the disease with fearful abilities they can’t control and are conformed to ‘rehabilitation camps’. Ruby’s ability is one of the most dangerous, so what starts out as an attempt at escaping, becomes a journey where she wrestles with her powers and tries to find a safe haven for people like her.
This trilogy was extremely fast-paced and exciting, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing through the eyes of someone who was both feared in society, and fearful of what she could do to other people. The great cast of quirky, lovable outsiders formed a sort of family, which I loved to read. Read the book before you watch the film, due for release later this year!
Continue the story… The Darkest Minds is the first book in a trilogy. Find the full series here.
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
The first in a captivating sci-fi trilogy of love and survival, These Broken Stars is a richly imagined adventure, setting the tone for the rest of the series. When the Icarus falls out of hyperspace and crash-lands on a remote planet, out of the thousands of upper class aristocrats and war veterans aboard the ship, Tarver Merendsen and Lilac LaRoux seem to be the only survivors on the eerie planet.
This trilogy is one of my favourite sci-fi reads and Kaufman and Spooner really hit the ball out of the park with what they attempted when writing it. The scope of this series gets larger as it progresses – the characters are authentic, the adventure thrilling and the climax executed perfectly. Reading these books made me so genuinely happy and its even better that Amie Kaufman is an Aussie author. #LoveOzYA
Continue the story… These Broken Stars is the first book in the Starbound trilogy. Find the full series here.
Warcross by Marie Lu
When Emika Chen hacks her way into the depths of the virtual reality game Warcross, she gets dragged into the world of the game’s mysterious creator, Hideo Tanaka. Her new life comes with fame and fortune she only ever dreamed of before, as well as danger.
Warcross is an exhilarating story that keeps you on your toes and the edge of your seat. Emika is a protagonist that you can’t help rooting for and she’s a fantastic female role model. Highly recommend if you need an exciting pick-me-up. You can read more on why I loved this novel here.
Continue the story… Warcross is the first book in a series. Keep your eyes peeled for book two.
Invictus by Ryan Graudin
Farway McCarthy is offered a chance to captain his own crew and travel through time – a dream he’s had for as long as he could remember. When all memory of past events begin to disappear, Farway and his crew must travel through periods of time to save the future.
As a lover of history, but doubtful of time travel stories, this book was unexpected and brilliant. I loved the way Graudin executed the time travel and told the story. A fast, captivating story filled with surprises and nods to past events.
Continue the story… While Invictus is a standalone novel, you might like to check out Graudin’s award-winning Wolf by Wolf duology.
