Thrilling and fantastical YA
The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le
Science meets fantasy, with steampunk stylings and Vietnamese cultural in this incredible debut.
When Nhika is caught using her bloodcarving abilities during a sham medical appointment, she's captured by underground thugs and sold to an aristocratic family to heal the last witness of their father's murder.
When Nhika meets an alluring yet entitled physician's aide, Ven Kochin, she's forced to question the true intent behind this murder. When Nhika discovers that Kochin is not who he claims to be, and that there is an evil dwelling in Theumas that runs much deeper than the murder of one man, she must decide where her heart, and her allegiance, truly lie. And - if she's willing to become the dreaded bloodcarver Theumas fears to save herself and the ones she's vowed to protect.
So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
A Jamaican-inspired fantasy about sisterhood, chosen ones, dragons, anti-imperialism, anti-colonialism, and the aftermath of war.
Faron Vincent can channel the power of the gods. Five years ago, she used her divine magic to liberate her island from its enemies, the dragon-riding Langley Empire. But now, at seventeen, Faron is all powered up with no wars to fight. She's a legend to her people and a nuisance to her neighbours.
When she's forced to attend an international peace summit, Faron expects that she will perform tricks like a trained pet and then go home. She doesn't expect her older sister, Elara, forming an unprecedented bond with an enemy dragon-or the gods claiming the only way to break that bond is to kill her sister. As Faron's desperation to find another solution takes her down a dark path, and Elara discovers the shocking secrets at the heart of the Langley Empire, both must make difficult choices that will shape each other's lives, as well as the fate of their world.
The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
A captivating story of strong women and their impressive gifts, magical and otherwise.
Zara Jones won't accept her murdered sister is gone forever and will do whatever it takes to claw her sister back from the grave – even trading in the occult. Jude Wolf may be the daughter of a billionaire, but she is also undeniably cursed. Jude's desperate to find someone to undo the damage she's done to herself. Enter Emer Byrne, an orphaned witch with a dark past and a deadly power, a.k.a. the solution to both Zara's and Jude's problems.
Though Emer lives a hardscrabble life, she gives away her most valuable asset – her invocations – to women in desperate situations who are willing to sacrifice a piece of their soul in exchange for a scrap of power. Zara and Jude are willing, but they first have to find Emer.
The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha
A sapphic fantasy adventure graphic novel inspired by the Korean folklore of Gumiho, the nine-tailed fox.
Kai has trained all her life in her father’s martial arts school. Though she is looked down upon for being a girl, she proves her courage when assassins launch a ruthless attack on her family. Yet Kai is the inheritor of a dark secret: each month she is transformed into a fox demon, and must hunt and kill a man so she can return to her life as a young woman. As the deaths mount and the townspeople start to voice their suspicions, Kai desperately searches for a way out.
Meanwhile, there is a mysterious girl who shares a secret bond with Kai, and whose love may be the key to breaking her curse . . .