I’m back with another list of book recommendations! Is anyone surprised? You shouldn’t be. I know I am personally looking forward to reading outside as the days get longer and the weather gets warmer. COVID-19 may have restricted travel, but that leaves you more time to delve into a fictional world and read! Yeah, sorry, that doesn’t make it less painful for me either. Enough pandemonium talk, allow me to recommend you 10 amazing books for this spring. From historical fiction to high fantasy, I hope there is something on here for you to love!
1. Skyhunter by Marie Lu
This book hooked me right from the start. Marie Lu’s latest book Skyhunter is the beginning of a fantasy/dystopian/sci-fi story about an elite group of fighters and a rogue enemy soldier with strange abilities. With a fast pace and engaging writing, Skyhunter is the perfect quick read.
2. Steel Crow Saga by Paul Krueger
I know a long high fantasy series can seem daunting. For those of you looking for a shorter commitment, I recommend the criminally underrated Steel Crow Saga. This stand-alone fantasy book follows four different perspectives through a post-war power struggle. The fantasy world is incredibly unique and includes a diverse range of cultures and viewpoints. Oh and there are adorable pokemon-like animal companions!
3. The Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse
If you’re looking for something less fantastical, The Girl in the Blue Coat is one of my favorite historical fiction books. Protagonist Henneke works as a delivery girl, for both legal and black market goods, in Nazi occupied Amsterdam. One of her clients tasks her with finding a Jewish teenager that she had been hiding. The Girl in the Blue Coat is a whirlwind mystery that will keep you guessing until the last page.
4. The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart
Yet another underrated fantasy, The Bone Shard Daughter is one of the most unique stories I have read in a long time. The emperor has kept control for decades using his strange bone magic, but his control is slipping and his daughter doesn’t remember anything from before five years ago. Revolution is sweeping across the islands of the empire and strange magic is waking. The characters are incredibly unique, and the political maneuverings will keep you on the edge of your seat. If that wasn’t enough, there is an adorable, magical otter! (He is not an otter but I choose to picture him as an otter)
5. This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Do you enjoy knowing exactly what is happening in a book at all times? If so then move along this novella is not for you. This is How You Lose the Time War promises to confuse you in the best way. Two rival agents bend the rules of time and space to spread the influence of their organization. This novella is short and trippy making it the perfect thing to read in one sitting.
6. Roomies by Christina Lauren
If you are looking for something lighthearted, Roomies by Christina Lauren is a romantic comedy in book form. Main character Holland has been in love with street musician Calvin for months. When she tries to recruit him for her uncle’s performance, she learns that Calvin is in the country illegally because of a lapsed student visa. What follows is a marriage of convenience, lots of romantic tension, and maybe even real feelings.
7. This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab
Read as “anything written by V.E. Schwab.” Seriously, everything that this woman writes is amazing. This Savage Song is the first book in a dystopian duology about a world where monsters are born from violent acts. This book follows August, a monster who just wants to be human, and Kate, the daughter of the mobster who runs half of the city. A duology is sometimes the perfect series length, and these books promise to capture your attention—and your heart—from page one.
8. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
This semester has been hard for everyone, and I know most of you just want to relax and do things that make you happy. Allow me to present The House in the Cerulean Sea, also known as serotonin in book form. For fans of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children this book follows Linus Baker, a case worker, who is sent to an orphanage for magical children to determine if their current caretaker is fit for the job. Prepare yourself for six lovable children, an adorably awkward romance, and a story of personal growth.
9. Gideon the Ninth by Tamsym Muir
Lesbian necromancers in space. Oh you need more convincing? Gideon the Ninth follows Gideon (duh) who is forced to work as a cavalier (fancy bodyguard) for her childhood nemesis. Each of the nine governing houses has been asked to send a representative to learn how to become a god. But when they arrive at the mysterious house, things start going very, very wrong. I warn you, the third and final book doesn’t come out until 2022. I am currently dying from anticipation—so join me!
10. If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
Ha! You thought you could get through a book recommendation list from me without If We Were Villains? Incorrect! For further convincing I direct you here and here. This dark academia book follows seven seniors at a college for performing arts. If We Were Villains promises enchanting Shakespeare, haunting secrets, a devious mystery, and devastating heartbreak. This book is seriously one of my all time favorites!
