On My TBR: Female Fantasy

It’s time for my second “On My TBR” post! Today’s post will cover a category that’s far from uncommon on my shelves – fantasy books written by women! It’s always a fab thing to read more female fantasy books when the genre has been dominated by white men for so long, but honestly it’s just a force of habit at the point. Without thinking about it, the majority of my read books are written by women, and I’ve no intention of stopping anytime soon.

Now, I will say this post doesn’t include any greek myth retellings – I have a separate post for that. But since I’m planning on joining the FemmeFanTale readathon in August, I’ve been casting my eyes over my bookshelves and scouting out which books to choose for my TBR.

So which ones do I have that are at the top on my TBR? Well, let’s see…

Vengeful

by V.E. Schwab

Honestly, it’s kind of disgraceful that I’ve not read this one yet. I literally reread Vicious towards the end of last year in preparation for this release. And yet here we are. Still on my TBR. Whoops. Needless to say, I really need to read this one. Especially before I forget what happened in Vicious and have to reread it all over again. Fingers crossed, this one will be knocked off my TBR soon. And maybe I’ll catch up with Schwab’s adult fantasy books before she manages to release another one? Seriously, she is a writing machine. Gimme chance to catch up, please.

Goodreads | Book Depository

Son of the Shadows

by Juliet Marillier

Ahhhh, another sequel. Seeing a pattern here? I’m not too fab at continuing series. Although to my credit, I’m doing better with them this year than I have any other year…

But that’s besides the point, because this sequel still happens to be on my TBR. I read the first book, Daughter of the Forest, back in May for Myth-Take and adored it. Daughter of the Forest is a retelling of The Twelve Brothers (and any alternative titles) and also inspired by the Irish folktale The Children of Lir. Set in a medieval Ireland, it follows Sorcha as she struggles against a seemingly impossible task. When her brothers are all turned to swans, she alone must weaves together thorns to break the curse – and not make a single sound in the process. I need to continue this series! Granted, I am giving myself a bit of time off and have actively chosen to make my slow way through it, since there’s a whole lot of books and if they’re anything like the first, they will each be pretty hefty, slower reads. Which is fab, but my impatient ass can’t be doing too many slower paced reads at once. So this one has been put on hold for now, but I definitely need to at least read this one before the end of the year so that I can remember what happens in the first book before continuing on.

Goodreads | Book Depository

The Sisters of the Winter Wood

by Rena Rossner

I have a feeling this one won’t be on my list for long because oh dear god do I want it. So this one is a fantasy book inspired by Slavic and Jewish folklore. It follows two sisters, Liba and Laya, who live a comfortable life in their little village on the edge of the woods…until a troop of mysterious men come barging in, and Laya is cast under a spell. From that moment on, they disocver their family actually has a secret magical heritage, and all the fairytales are true – and might just save them. I just think this sounds wonderful. And I can’t deny, it was the cover that grabbed my attention. Deepen that interest further when flicking through the book, and realising all of Laya’s chapters are written in what looks like poetry. I’M TOO INTRIGUED. If the cover reflects the story inside, I’m going to be SO ready for a stunningly magical story.

Goodreads | Book Depository

Wicked Fox

by Kat Cho

Another one that won’t be on my TBR for long! This is one that seemed to pop up out of nowhere, but wow am I happy for it. This one follows an eighteen year old girl, who also happens to be a Gumiho – a nine tailed fox who feeds off the energy of men. Or at least she did, until she lost her fox bead, the thing she needs to feed. She has to find her fox bead again or risk starving – and I’m guessing comes across a lil bit of romance in the process. This is unlike anything I’ve read before, and I just cannot wait to consume this story. Though it’s a bit of a chunk, I’ve heard it’s quite a quick read, and I fully intend to read it in August so fingers crossed!

Goodreads | Book depository

Spin the Dawn

by Elizabeth Lim

I’ve been eagerly waiting for this one to come out for what feels like the longest time. And it’s finally out! Dubbed as Project Runway meets Mulan, this follows a girl who is desperate to become a professional tailor, only she can’t, because she’s female. However, when the king’s tailor is unable to work anymore and her father is pulled in to take his place, she poses as a boy and goes in his place. But the position of imperial tailor is a competitive one, one that entails challenges and backstabbing in the process. Things only become more difficult when she catches the eye of the court magician, and the final challenge is one that is seemingly impossible…

Yep, I ordered it. There’s just so much going on in this synopsis that I HAVE to see how it works. I also love the sound of the twist on Mulan – it’s not the typical retelling of a girl going to war, but holds the same kind of story progression that we can recognise. Once again, this might be one that I can cross of this list in a month or so. We’ll see!

Goodreads | Book depository

And so those are the female fantasy books on the top of my TBR!

Are there any here that you’ve read? What female fantasy books are high priority on YOUR TBR? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,