I’ve already got lists up for favourite Self Published books, and  favourite Women in SFF.

Another question I get frequently is about books by authors of colour. This list isn’t nearly as long as it should be, and I have plenty more already waiting on my shelf.

So please understand that this is in no way meant to be a list of all, or even most POC SFF authors out there. Nor is it meant to be a list of the best that exist. It is simply a list of those I have read so far, and really loved!

I’ll attach my reviews for book one in each series, so you get an idea if they might be for you as well.

So here we go, a list full of highly recommended titles!

At the end I put some of those titles I have already bought, but haven’t yet gotten around to!

Evan Winter

I loved this one so much. Firstly I am a big fan of the “magic school” trope but they often are targeted at a young audience and so rather on the easy side.
While this one wasn’t actually a military academy as such, it has a group of young men around our main character learning to fight. So it did scratch that “learning” itch while being way more complex and especially on the realistic side of things where it comes to blood, gore and the harsh truths of fighting.

There’s not only two classes in this society which already is cause for much friction, but there are also “savages” who are constantly raiding and need repelling. The awesome part about this is that there is not really one clearly right or wrong side. Over the course of the book the reader always has to readjust their own views and loyalties. And it did this *really* well.

The characters are flawed and sometimes you want to just slap them (not that you’d live to tell the tale…) but they felt so three dimensional and real to me, and I loved seeing them grow and strain against their constraints and changing all the way through.

I loved the magic, the world building and the culture in this one just as much as the prose and tone.

So it was an all around amazing book that I can’t recommend highly enough!

Roseanne A. Brown

I loved this one so much!

Especially the representation of anxiety in the book was a very nice surprise that I didn’t expect. It’s all around diversity in cast and representation though, which is what made it such a great read.

Two POVs, from two different nations. One a refugee who just wants to save his sisters, the other the reluctant heir to the throne. Unfortunately fate pits them against each other.

One suffers from frequent migraines, which actually stays consistent throughout the book and actually hampers her, not like many other books where such illnesses often seem to be added without consequences.

The other suffers from anxiety, which I (having social anxiety myself) felt was also handled very well. It didn’t become the plot, it didn’t feel overwhelming or like being added to tick a box. It was simply part of the character and felt smooth and natural.

There is a slight love story in here, but not more or “worse” than in hunger games or Red Rising for example.

There’s quite some death and gore, as well as good character development and political manoeuvring, and a whole new world and society to explore! The fascinating new setting made a good balance to the easy to follow story, so the book didn’t feel shallow or too easy.

There’s also some really unexpected twists, which is always a major plus for me. I’ve read too many fantasy books to be easily surprised, so I love it when it happens.

Plenty of action, fluent prose and a good voice that captured my attention right away and kept me breezing through the story until the very last page.

Aliette de Bodard

This was a weird one – the good kind of weird!

* It’s set in a world that is heavily inspired by Aztec culture, which was a nice new setting to explore.
* It’s on the grim side, with plenty of sacrifices to all sorts of gods.
* It’s a murder mystery, as our main protagonist is supposed to find out who kidnapped and most likely murdered a priestess. Lovely twisted tale with different suspects that I enjoyed.
* It has family struggles at the heart of the story, as one of the main suspects is his own brother, who he doesn’t have a good relationship with.
* The tone and voice is quick and snarky, and reminded me a bit of characters like Harry Dresden, only in a very different setting.

All of these somehow worked really well together and I was eagerly breezing through the story! It was unique and fast paced and had me engaged with the characters and story.

At a few moments I would have wished for a little more depth, that’s why I go with 4*. Still a really good book and I am I’ll happily pick up more!

Namina Forna

For an adult book it did lack a bit of depth to characters and plot here and there. However if I judge it as a YA book, I don’t mind as it made for a much quicker and more immediately gripping read. So if you wonder about this title, and you don’t like some typical YA tropes and a fast pace that might leave out some details for the benefit of being more accessible, then it might not be for you. If you like YA and adult books, and don’t mind quite some violence and gore, then yes, this might be for you!

While it had, as I said, some of the typical tropes of YA, it also avoided some of those and even turned some around. I especially enjoyed that while there *is* a love story, most of it happens off page. This book is about finding your place in the world, your identity, and reliable friends and loyalties. The focus is never on the love story, but on the society and the struggles within it.

Feminism, racism, xenophobia, misogyny and quite some other problematic themes are included here – and I thought they were well handled. I liked the “moral” of the story being something that just comes along with the plot, and didn’t just feel like being pointed at what you should think.

The character development part fell a bit flat at times. As in the characters learning something, and just going “ok” and changing their whole worldview within what seems like minutes. That’s not always the case, some other bits slowly evolve, like the friendships and bonds between them. So it’s a bit of a flaw, but not too much of one.

The end was a bit disappointing to me, as it just all seemed… Too easy? Too quick? Not so much the “how it ended”, but more like it being rushed a bit. The same as mentioned before, it just is a bit too fast paced for its own good and lacks a little bit of depth again.

What I did like however is that this story is closed enough that you could read it as a stand alone, but has enough new open questions to also allow a sequel telling what happens next.

All in all it was a quick, gripping and thought provoking read I definitely enjoyed, despite some flaws!

Zen Cho

Sorcerer to the Crown

I must confess I bought this purely by the wonderful cover, once I saw it on fantasy faction.
I didn’t really know what to expect from this book – but it turned out wonderful!

It felt like a mix of Jane Austen, Gail Carriger and Katherine Addison.
I loved the writing style, the witty and snarky comments and the magic in the book.

Sorcerer to the Crown manages something almost impossible:  It manages to be both a comfort book that is fun to read and leaves you with a smile, and at the same time handle topics like prejudice, racism, misogyny.

I loved both main characters:
Zacharias – a sorcerer royal whose skin colour just doesn’t fit the court’s expectations, so he has to fight for his position as well as his standing daily.
Prunella –  a powerful witch. When women as the weaker sex are supposed to suppress any such talents.

I admired how the two of them didn’t give up, but rather kept moving forward, no matter what sticks are thrown between their feet by society.

Black Water Sister

I think the author’s twitter pitch is a perfect description:

A stressed zillennial lesbian fights gods, ghosts, gangsters & grandmas in 21st century Penang.

It’s Urban Fantasy, but it’s so very different from the typical wizards throwing fireballs! (I like those too, but a fresh breath of air is always especially welcome…)

We have a young woman who grew up in America, move back to Malaysia when her immigrant parents lose their livelihood.

Obviously Jessamyn is very used to some of the customs, as her parents still stayed rather true to their old customs, but her having grown up in the US has her sitting between two worlds every so often. This allows Zen Cho to sprinkle in enough information to easily keep a reader new to the culture firmly in the setting, without over explaining or info dumps. She’s as curious about some of the things she learns as I was, and I loved exploring more and more of her new surroundings.

Now she doesn’t just have to get used to her new home, she also has to keep hiding her, now long distance, girlfriend, or risk estranging her parents and family.

Oh and did I mention she is haunted by her dead grandma, who kinda moved into her head?

Sounds like a lot of chaos and challenges, and it made for a great main frame to put the story in.

And the plot itself was as addictive as the setting and characters! Ghostly grandma needs to solve a spiritual problem, and is not shy about the tricks she uses…

There’s gods, spirits, ghosts, murder, gangsters and a lot of gossiping as well as the struggle to balance this new spiritual side of things with the normal day to day life. How are you supposed to settle in, find a job and be a good daughter and niece, if all these things are happening? You better find a way…

I loved how interwoven the plot and the setting was, and just how well Cho transported me to a part of the world I’ve never been to. The characters and world just felt so real I completely forgot I was reading!

Suyi Davies Okungbowa

David Mogo:

“I understand.” He chews a bit. “That thing wey you do with Sango, your body suppose don scatter.”
“I feel like say pessin carry my body knack am for ground, arrange am back,” I say, glad to be back to the old us. “The thing dey pain, I no lie.”

C.L. Polk

I clicked right away with the main character. The time period was interesting – around 1900 I’d guess. Modern enough for bicycles to be popular, but no telephones or such. It’s an alternate world that is close enough to England to feel comfortable right away. The magic parts fitted in nicely and made it a great story to sink into.

There is a bit of queer  romance in the second half, that I feared might take over the plot. It stayed just as a part of the characters and therefore felt like a natural part of the story to the very end, not replacing the plot. If you follow my reviews you know I don’t usually like romance in my fantasy, so this working well for me is a big compliment!

The mystery was interesting and kept me hooked all the way and I will definitely pick up more by the same author!

Rebecca Roanhorse

Trail of Lightning:

This is dystopian, but felt almost like an Urban Fantasy to me.

I loved the main character, a female Navajo monster hunter, who isn’t really the most social of creatures… I love the mysteries about her past that I got to piece together little by little over the course of the story. It gave her more and more depth and never felt like an infodump to me.

Not all side characters were as well fleshed out, but they all became real enough for me to care about what would happen to them!

The different culture and inspiration in Trail of Lightning were a fresh breath for me, being used to characters like Alex Verus, Harry Dresden or Nate Garrett! I loved to dive into this whole new world, and very much hope to see even more of it later books.

The plot was interesting and had nice twists to always keep me hooked.

Black Sun

I am currently reading this one, so I can’t give you a full review yet, but the half I read so far I adored!

A big new world to explore, new cultures, multiple POVs, fascinating lore, plus a diverse and inclusive cast had me hooked right from the start.

It’s feels a lot more nuanced and detailed and just all around richer than Trail of Lightning, which was already a fantastic read! I do love me some sprawling new cultures, twists and mysteries to puzzle out, so I am already sure I’ll breeze through the second half as well.

Fonda Lee

After a slightly disturbing and rather graphic sex scene very early on, I was a bit wary diving into Jade City. Turns out it was the only one of that kind, and one of very few sex scenes over all throughout the book. I’m glad I read on and didn’t DNF it, expecting the book to have plenty more of them.

Aside from that it is a dark and bloody Urban Fantasy, that is set in a Asian inspired town ruled by mafia like clans. Being at the top of such a clan is bloody business, and if you have Jade to give you extra fighting abilities, it doesn’t make turf wars any friendlier…

I am not the biggest fan of godfather like setting usually (the only exception I can think of right now is Peter McLean) but this one mostly worked well for me. I liked the main characters well enough to care about them and their plans, even if I couldn’t always identify with their goals and actions. (Like I could with War of the Rose Throne or Glokta from First Law for example, so it’s not just them being grey characters, but more simply who they are.)
They are well written and three dimensional, they just aren’t people I would click with.

I loved the setting and the world building though, and that made up for where the characters felt lacking for me personally. The way the clan worked internally, and the whole backdrop was amazing to explore, and I enjoyed the fight scenes and the way it was was all perfectly interconnected and just thought through to the finest details. It felt incredibly rich and real, and I loved exploring this new society and city!

All in all it was a good read I devoured within just a couple of days.

Charlotte Nicole Davis

I really enjoyed the different tone and setting in this one.

5 girls who managed to flee from a welcome house – a brothel in other words – on the quest to get their favours removed. Favours are like a magical brand that shows the girl has been sold and now belongs to a welcoming house, and they can’t be hidden.

Even though we have 5 young women as main characters, this is definitely targeted at adult readers. With the main cast I think it’s obvious that this one comes with trigger warnings for prostitution, rape and exploitation. None of it happening on the page, but it’s implied and a major trait in the characters and plot. While those aren’t the easiest topics, this still was far from a grimdark or especially horrible to read book. There’s definitely hope and friendship and loyalty enough in it to balance out the dark tones.

I did like the characters, and cared for them early on. I enjoyed there not being the typical bickering we’re used to from a group of girls. Probably because growing up the way they did, they just needed to grow up a bit faster.

I liked the world and fantasy elements in here. Men who can use special abilities to influence others’ minds, and use it to keep the girls in check, different sorts of ghosts, from good to benign to murderous, the favours and some drug use.

A few bits felt a bit too easy, and once or twice it seems that something that was very important just gets dropped with more or less a shrug, and it jarred a bit. Not overly much, and I still really enjoyed this one start to finish. With a little bit more depth in these bits, it would have been a full 5 star read for me!

Brittney Morris

I bought this one as it was marked as fantasy and compared to Ready Player one.
I wouldn’t put it in the fantasy section, but in the fiction and / or YA section myself – but I am incredibly happy that I picked it up, even if it wasn’t what I expected from the blurb.

I really loved this one. It has a strong black female main character who is finding her own way and doing her own thing. I loved learning more about her experiences and views.
The whole cast of characters felt three dimensional and real to me and I loved following them and seeing what would happen next! I also really enjoyed the tone and voice of the story.

It touches so many incredibly important and relevant topics. The balance between serious themes like racism, and black people being killed, with an easy to follow prose and entertaining game world combined with great friends and family made it fascinating read that was neither shallow nor too intense and harrowing.

The “LitRPG” I was expecting was a tiny fraction of the story, and not especially gripping to me. That is A) because I never liked online digital collectible card games, and B) the whole in game part felt a bit like a side dish and not the main course, as I expected from the blurb.
This wasn’t a real problem for me, as the rest of the book had me absolutely hooked and glued to the pages!

It has a nice twist that I did see coming, but that also didn’t detract from my enjoyment, and as a bookseller who has read so many books I’m often prone to guess twists early on.

Definitely a full on recommendation from me!

Antoine Bandele

I had a bit of a problem with the first chapter, but was hooked from the second chapter on!

I enjoyed the characters, and especially the different POV to all the usual medieval Europe type of fantasy books.  The dialogue was mostly well done, and only rarely sounded a bit stilted to me. I enjoyed spending time with the characters, and most of the time I understood their motivations and they felt quite real to me.

The different setting and background made for a fresh read. I also really liked following the tribes and their traditions. A few times things seemed to happen the way they did just for the plot, or felt a bit unrealistic even for fantasy, but all in all I was happy to suspend my disbelief for the time it took me to read the whole story.

All in all a quick and entertaining and intriguing read!

Tomi Adeyemi

I liked the main character who just wasn’t giving up, no matter what life threw at her. And yet she was no overly talented teen who could just do anything without rhyme or reason. I also like the side characters who had different sides and grew as the story went on. I had a quibble or two when they changed their views a bit too fast at times, but overall I really liked spending time with them.

There’s different POVs in this one, and it was handled well. I liked the different ways the characters would influence how you take in a scene. The changes where fluent and smooth and never threw me out of the story.

The world was pretty cool, and I loved the different influences from the typical medieval Europe stuff! It was very interesting to explore this world and the cultures within it.
Some things where a bit off here too (like a bridge breaking when two girls go across, when it was able to withstand a cat big enough to carry four people and a big man…), but overall it was very well done.

The plot ends with a big cliff hanger, so it’s definitely only the first in a series. The whole book is about one journey, and fetching some things on the way – so not very much actual plot progression, but that was no problem to me, as I was happy to just dive into the book and spend time with the characters.

There were quite some typical YA tropes in it, but not so much it really took away from the story. The differences due to other influences were enough to balance them out for me.

The afterword was good and important, and really made me appreciate the book even more!

All in all I can definitely recommend it – I’d say for ages 14+

R.F. Kuang

This felt a bit like two books. The first half felt easy to read and almost YA in tone. A girl, being an outcast, going to military school. I have always liked those type of stories, so I didn’t mind it at all. Also it does have quite a bit of political background and an interesting world to learn about – for once Asian inspired and not like so many other western Europe inspired books.

But it doesn’t stay that way! About halfway through it takes a turn for the dark. War returns and there is fighting and some scenes that have plenty of gory details. While I liked the turn to a darker story (and never minded gore and violence) the second half was a bit weaker to me than the first half. While I liked to get to explore outside the school, I would have expected a bit more from the characters. Some of their decisions didn’t feel realistic to me. More like they were told from the side lines how to think.

Overall I did really like the story, the world and the characters though and was very well entertained all the way through!

Nicole Glover

The Conductors starts of as quite a slow burn. I didn’t mind, and was interested enough in the characters and world to happily read on, even if there was little actual plot progression for a good long while.

I loved having a married couple as main characters, which I would love to see more often, instead of all the love drama relationship in fantasy often are.

The mix of magic, murder mystery, and a very interesting historical backdrop made for addictive reading for me, and I finished the whole book in just two days.

I can’t say I read fantasy mixed with the Underground Railroad before! There’s quite a few little bits and pieces about the main characters’ role as conductors, but it’s only a small bit of the book – most of the time is after slavery was officially over. I would have loved to read a bit more about their time helping slaves to escape, but the nuances of what a law being passed, and things actually changing in people’s real life’s also was interesting to reflect on.

The magic system is mysterious, and I loved the way Glover described it – especially as there’s two main types of magic being used. The way the main characters’ crafts were such a big part of the story, and mixed with the magic had me fascinated, and was very well done.

The murder mystery meandered along a bit l, and didn’t read as smoothly as the character development and historical setting. It was definitely the weakest part of the book, but this didn’t bother me overly much, as I was thoroughly hooked by the other aspects of the book, and was sad when my time with Hetty and Benjy was over!

Reni K Amayo

Daughters of NRI was quite a promising debut, that kept me hooked all the way through, despite being a bit predictable at times.

I loved the heavily Nigerian inspired setting and world building here.

It was easy to click with the characters, and I loved seeing two female leads, who have their own agency and also didn’t have to be rescued all the time.

I especially enjoyed the different tone and style of the story, which balanced out some pacing issues throughout the book. With this much promise showing, I can hardly wait for the sequel, which will be out later in 2021!

TBR

And here are some of the titles I haven’t read yet, but already have waiting on my shelf, ereader, or audible library:

Binti

Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.

Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has long warred with the Meduse, an alien race that has become the stuff of nightmares. Oomza University has wronged the Meduse, and Binti’s stellar travel will bring her within their deadly reach.

If Binti hopes to survive the legacy of a war not of her making, she will need both the gifts of her people and the wisdom enshrined within the University, itself—but first she has to make it there, alive.

The City We Became

Every city has a soul. Some are as ancient as myths, and others are as new and destructive as children. New York City? She’s got five.

But every city also has a dark side. A roiling, ancient evil stirs beneath the earth, threatening to destroy the city and her five protectors unless they can come together and stop it once and for all.

Kingdom of Souls

Born into a family of powerful witchdoctors, Arrah yearns for magic of her own. But each year she fails to call forth her ancestral powers, while her ambitious mother watches with growing disapproval.

There’s only one thing Arrah hasn’t tried, a deadly last resort: trading years of her own life for scraps of magic. Until the Kingdom’s children begin to disappear, and Arrah is desperate to find the culprit.

She uncovers something worse. The long-imprisoned Demon King is stirring. And if he rises, his hunger for souls will bring the world to its knees…unless Arrah pays the price for the magic to stop him.

A River of Royal Blood

Sixteen-year-old Eva is a princess, born with the magick of marrow and blood—a dark and terrible magick that hasn’t been seen for generations in the vibrant but fractured country of Myre. Its last known practitioner was Queen Raina, who toppled the native khimaer royalty and massacred thousands, including her own sister, eight generations ago, thus beginning the Rival Heir tradition.

Living in Raina’s long and dark shadow, Eva must now face her older sister, Isa, in a battle to the death if she hopes to ascend to the Ivory Throne—because in the Queendom of Myre only the strongest, most ruthless rulers survive.

When Eva is attacked by an assassin just weeks before the battle with her sister, she discovers there is more to the attempt on her life than meets the eye—and it isn’t just her sister who wants to see her dead. As tensions escalate, Eva is forced to turn to a fey instructor of mythic proportions and a mysterious and handsome khimaer prince for help in growing her magick into something to fear. Because despite the love she still has for her sister, Eva will have to choose: Isa’s death or her own.

Queen of the Conquered

An ambitious young woman with the power to control minds seeks vengeance against the royals who murdered her family, in a Caribbean-inspired fantasy world embattled by colonial oppression.

Sigourney Rose is the only surviving daughter of a noble lineage on the islands of Hans Lollik. When she was a child, her family was murdered by the islands’ colonizers, who have massacred and enslaved generations of her people—and now, Sigourney is ready to exact her revenge.

When the childless king of the islands declares he will choose his successor from amongst eligible noble families, Sigourney uses her ability to read and control minds to manipulate her way onto the royal island and into the ranks of the ruling colonizers. But when she arrives, prepared to fight for control of all the islands, Sigourney finds herself the target of a dangerous, unknown magic.

Someone is killing off the ruling families to clear a path to the throne. As the bodies pile up and all eyes regard her with suspicion, Sigourney must find allies among her prey and the murderer among her peers…lest she become the next victim.

War Girls

The year is 2172. Climate change and nuclear disasters have rendered much of earth unliveable. Only the lucky ones have escaped to space colonies in the sky.

In a war-torn Nigeria, battles are fought using flying, deadly mechs and soldiers are outfitted with bionic limbs and artificial organs meant to protect them from the harsh, radiation-heavy climate. Across the nation, as the years-long civil war wages on, survival becomes the only way of life.

Two sisters, Onyii and Ify, dream of more. Their lives have been marked by violence and political unrest. Still, they dream of peace, of hope, of a future together.

And they’re willing to fight an entire war to get there.

Lost Gods

In this extraordinary fantasy debut, a young assassin finds himself hunted by the brothers and sisters he has trained alongside since birth.

Neythan is one of five young warriors trained and raised together by a mysterious brotherhood of assassins known as the Shedaím. When Neythan is framed for the murder of his closest friend, he pursues his betrayer—and in so doing learns there’s far more to the Brotherhood, and the machinations of the rulers of the warring kingdoms, than he’d ever thought possible.

His journey will lead him across the five realms, from the Forest of Silences to the Ash Plains of Calapaar, and reveal the breaches that lie beneath the world, and the hidden truths of his oath.

Dread Nation

Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Re-education Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead.

But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations.

But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose.

But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.

Song of Blood and Stone

The kingdoms of Elsira and Lagrimar have been separated for centuries by the Mantle, a magical veil that has enforced a tremulous peace between the two lands. But now, the Mantle is cracking and the True Father, ruler of Lagrimar and the most powerful Earthsinger in the world, finally sees a way into Elsira to seize power.

All Jasminda ever wanted was to live quietly on her farm, away from the prying eyes of those in the nearby town. Branded an outcast by the color of her skin and her gift of Earthsong, she’s been shunned all her life and has learned to steer clear from the townsfolk…until a group of Lagrimari soldiers wander into her valley with an Elsiran spy, believing they are still in Lagrimar.

Through Jack, the spy, Jasminda learns the Mantle is weakening, allowing people to slip through without notice. And even more troubling: Lagrimar is mobilizing, and if no one finds a way to restore the Mantle, it might be too late for Elsira. Their only hope lies in uncovering the secrets of the Queen Who Sleeps and Jasminda’s Earthsong is the key to unravel them.

Thrust into a hostile society and a world she doesn’t know, Jasminda and Jack race to unveil an ancient mystery that might offer salvation.