Books that you’ve never heard of but are THE BEST
The Veronica Speedwell Mysteries
Victorian mystery series, wickedly smart and intrepid female lead, broody but funny and progressive male lead, both leads are scientists and explorers, great social commentary that doesn’t feel forced, hilarious witty banter, intense but comfortable chemistry between leads, family and political drama, fun and clever mysteries, feels cozy but also daring, audiobooks are excellent, series ongoing.
The Vampire Empire Series
Steampunk/fantasy/alternate history, cool original vampire lore (no sparkles here!), war and politics, female lead is a biracial woc, confident and powerful but sometimes out of her depth, male lead badass but caring and isn’t threatened by his partner’s awesomeness, really interesting magic system, not as Eurocentric as vampire stuff usually is.
You’ve heard of the movie but READ THE BOOK. Such incredible world building, weird and complicated story that still feels warm and familiar, quirky humor and unexpected romance. Sophie and Howl in the movie are Very Soft, but Sophie and Howl in the book are Violent and Petty, and it’s hilarious. Howl is so much more self-aggrandizing and has serious Gay Melodrama vibes, and Sophie is unapologetically vicious and stubborn. They are nightmare people stomping around a charming fantasy world and it’s wonderful.
The Tales of Goldstone Wood
Ok this is the only series from my Christian Fiction days that even remotely holds up (I’m still Christian but I’m a super liberal one who is disgusted with most other religious folks so I’m having fun ya’ll). It’s allegorical, and the first book is more heavy handed than any of the others; it gets so much better after the first. These books helped a lot with my early religious deconstruction. A huge portion of the characters (there’s a lot and they’re all great) are poc, disabled, etc. and the world building is SO GOOD. Lots of mythology, fairytale references, and diverse fantasy cultures. The writing is gorgeous and I just love all the characters so much. If you’re not a person of faith in some capacity it may not be your thing but I love it.
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