- by Namina Forna
A girl condemned by her society discovers extraordinary power and joins other outcasts in a struggle against its brutal rules.
- by Jordan Ifueko
Its heroine must navigate magical bonds, imperial politics, and questions of loyalty in a richly imagined world.
- by Roseanne A. Brown
Two young people with opposing aims become entangled in a kingdom shaped by magic, grief, and political unrest.
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Its heroine’s fight against an authoritarian state offers a non-magical but compelling counterpart to Adeyemi’s resistance themes.
- by Nnedi Okorafor
A Nigerian-American girl discovers hidden magical abilities and finds a community that helps her understand them.
- An ember in the ashes by Sabaa Tahir
A scholar and a soldier confront an empire’s violence from different sides in this fast-paced rebellion story.
- by Tracy Deonn
A grieving teenager uncovers a hidden magical society and challenges the exclusions embedded in its traditions.
- by Nancy Farmer
A boy raised inside a drug lord’s domain questions the system that defines his worth and limits his freedom.
- Wings of Ebony by J. Elle
After a family tragedy, a young woman discovers a magical heritage and fights for the people she loves.
- by Dhonielle Clayton
A young woman with a rare magical gift confronts the cruelty and inequality beneath a kingdom’s polished surface.
- by Marie Lu
A feared young woman discovers dangerous abilities in a society that persecutes people like her.
- The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
This expansive fantasy follows rebels and rulers through a struggle to reshape an empire and its political order.
- by Renée Ahdieh
A young woman enters a perilous royal court determined to confront a ruler and uncover the truth behind his actions.
- by Roshani Chokshi
A princess marked by prophecy enters a mythic world of secrets, spirits, and complicated power.
- by Roshani Chokshi
A resourceful girl and her newly discovered sister race through a mythic world to repair a crisis they helped unleash.
- The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Three estranged sisters use the recovery of forbidden magic to challenge the powers restricting women’s lives.
- by L.L. McKinney, L. L. McKinney
A modern Black teenager balances everyday responsibilities with dangerous adventures in a reimagined Wonderland.
- by Justina Ireland
In an alternate post-Civil War America, a young Black woman resists both social oppression and a supernatural threat.
- by Cherie Dimaline
A young Indigenous protagonist travels with a hunted community in a dystopian story about survival and cultural endurance.
- by Nnedi Okorafor
A teenage girl with an unusual gift journeys through a transformed Africa amid political danger and strange magic.
- by Rae Carson
A reluctant princess grows into her own strength while navigating a dangerous court and a destiny she questions.
- by Swati Teerdhala
A rebel assassin and the soldier pursuing her become caught in the tensions of a changing kingdom.
- The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
A mortal girl facing prejudice in the faerie court uses strategy and ambition to claim a place in its power struggles.
- by Kylie Lee Baker
A mixed-race reaper caught between worlds pursues a dangerous path through Japanese folklore and questions of belonging.