Here are 31 books that An Ember in the Ashes fans have personally recommended once you finish the An Ember in the Ashes series.
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With my degree in journalism, you’d think I would be firmly rooted in real-world dramas, but all my time in news did was push me deeper toward my love of fantasy and romance stories. A natural optimist and a bit of a dreamer, I have always been a voracious reader of the fantasy romance genre. I love a story that can take you away from the real world for a time with amazing heroes, end-of-world stakes, and of course, thick romantic tension. I have a special fondness for series’ where I can watch the characters grow in depth or where each story covers a different character's perspective or experience.
Probably one of my favorite reads of all time; I have read it more than once, if that tells you anything about my love for it.
The fantasy elements in this story are subtle and have a mythical legend vibe more than outright powers. But the world and story is so richly built it’s perfect. Told from various POVs with layers of secrets, deception, and assassination attempts, I love how you don’t quite figure out who is who until the end.
All this combined with the thick romantic tension happening in this story and it was over far too soon for me.
In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia's life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight - but she doesn't - and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighbouring kingdom - to a prince she has never met. On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive - and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an…
I’ve always been drawn to stories where characters discover the magic within and channel it to confront overwhelming odds. Dystopian fantasies meld the intricate worldbuilding of an oppressive world with a character’s unique abilities to fight back. When I was a young adult, these types of books made the most challenging moments in life manageable, not only for the escapism but for their message of hope. They reminded me I wasn’t alone and that my voice mattered. At their core, they’re made for the dreamer in all of us. They inspired me to become an author and write about the transformative power of self-discovery.
The descriptions blew me away; it was like I was really in Orléans, eating buckets of rainbow macaroons. Dhonielle Clayton’s prose envelopes your senses in this glittering world and works as a plot device to make the characters’ dark acts even more jarring.
Camellia is a Belle with the coveted power to manipulate skin and bone to transform others. Her greatest ambition is to be chosen to serve the Queen and her court, but Camellia learns the court’s splendor masks a rotten core. We follow her journey to save her fellow Belles and the kingdom.
The narrative explores the dark underbelly of a society obsessed with external beauty and the wicked lengths characters will go to possess it. In true dystopian form, this book prompted me to think deeply.
I have always had a love for the YA Fantasy genre. Something about the fast pacing and the themes that are explored have a way of resonating with me more than any other. I think it’s because they’re centered around that weird but pivotal time in your life when you’re no longer a child but not quite an adult. It’s what keeps bringing me back, and I love immersing myself in that mindset.
I love a good mystery, and this book provided me with that small-town creepy vibe with just a dash of fantasy. No matter how many other things I needed to be doing, I couldn’t put this book down.
It follows a girl named Ellerie as her world slowly falls apart. They’re trying to find the people who went missing from an attack on a supply wagon and are afraid the monsters that once lived in the woods have returned.
Every moment had me guessing, had me suspecting one person or another, and as it neared the end, I wondered how the author was going to resolve and explain everything. I loved it because it was a book that sucked me in but left me unable to figure it out until the very end.
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the critically-acclaimed author of House of Salt and Sorrows comes a mesmerizing and chilling fairy-talesque novel about Ellerie Downing, a young woman in a small town with monsters lurking in the trees and dark desires hidden in the shadows—in Amity Falls, nothing is more dangerous than a wish come true.
"Unique, enchanting, and haunting."—Brigid Kemmerer, New York Times bestselling author of the Cursebreaker series
“Sweet, dark, and complex as wildflower honey.”—Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf
“Small Favors is an eerie fairytale that I couldn’t put down.”—Alexis…
I have always had a love for the YA Fantasy genre. Something about the fast pacing and the themes that are explored have a way of resonating with me more than any other. I think it’s because they’re centered around that weird but pivotal time in your life when you’re no longer a child but not quite an adult. It’s what keeps bringing me back, and I love immersing myself in that mindset.
This was the book that I brought on vacation with me, and then it forced me to ignore my entire family.
It’s a dark and gothic medieval murder mystery with Criminal Minds vibes but in a YA Fantasy setting. A rare moon magic gives our protagonist Catrin, the ability to see through the eyes of victims as they’re claimed by a serial killer, and the suspect may be closer to her than she thinks.
This book kept me up late into the night, trying to figure out who the culprit was and leaving me to suspect almost the entire cast. It’s incredibly unique, and I’m not sure I’ve come across another book like it. It was just as riveting the second time through.
Rising above the city of Collis is the holy Sanctum. And watching over its spires is Catrin, an orphan with unique skills-for she alone can spot the building's flaws in construction before they turn deadly.
But when Catrin witnesses a murderer escaping the scene of his crime, she's pulled into the web of a dangerous man who will definitely strike again. Assigned to capture the culprit is the mysterious, brilliant, and enigmatic Simon, whose insights into the mind of a killer are frighteningly accurate.
As the grisly crimes continue, Catrin finds herself caught between murderer and detective while hiding her…
I fell in love the first time I ever picked up a fantasy novel. Suddenly a whole world of imagination and magic opened up in my head and I’ve been an avid reader and writer ever since. Competitions show up time and again in YA novels (from The Hunger Games to Red Rising), and I think it’s because they provide a good frame for stories about growing up, progress, or ambition. There are high stakes baked in and that makes for an exciting read. I hope you enjoy these books!
Kallia wants to be the most famous magician in the world, but she’s been kept hostage all of her life. She escapes her prison to join the competition to become the headliner for the Conquering Circus. She’s got talent, but there is magic woven into the city streets, and it’s hard to know who to trust, because her long-time mentor and captor, isn’t what he seems. He may not even be human.
Kalia is ruthlessly ambitious and I love that about her. This story is dark, decadent, and took me places I didn’t expect.
In a city covered in ice and ruin, a group of magicians face off in a daring game of magical feats to find the next headliner of the Conquering Circus, only to find themselves under the threat of an unseen danger striking behind the scenes.
As each act becomes more and more risky and the number of missing magicians piles up, three are forced to reckon with their secrets before the darkness comes for them next.
The Star: Kallia, a powerful showgirl out to prove she's the best no matter the cost.
I’ve always been drawn to stories where characters discover the magic within and channel it to confront overwhelming odds. Dystopian fantasies meld the intricate worldbuilding of an oppressive world with a character’s unique abilities to fight back. When I was a young adult, these types of books made the most challenging moments in life manageable, not only for the escapism but for their message of hope. They reminded me I wasn’t alone and that my voice mattered. At their core, they’re made for the dreamer in all of us. They inspired me to become an author and write about the transformative power of self-discovery.
This book had my palms sweating with how real it felt. Alexandra Bracken’s ability to pull you in and make you believe this hauntingly dark plot is uncanny.
The story takes place in America, where a deadly illness claims children’s lives. The few who survive it are left with supernatural abilities. A cruel government fueled by hate and fear of its young citizens forces them into internment camps. Ruby, our telepathic protagonist, manages to escape and must learn to navigate a world steeped in mistrust while seeking sanctuary with kids like herself.
I couldn’t recommend this heartbreakingly beautiful book enough.
Book one in the hit series that's soon to be a major motion picture starring Amandla Stenberg and Mandy Moore--now with a stunning new look and an exclusive bonus short story featuring Liam and his brother, Cole. When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government "rehabilitation camp." She might have survived the mysterious disease that killed most of America's children, but she and the others emerged with something far…
Escapism is my drug of choice. As a child, I was angry that my existence was confined to this reality, and I did everything I could to find a way out. Stories made it bearable. Whether it was Thor’s Bifrost, the wardrobe of Narnia, or the mirror in Stephen R. Donaldson’s Mordant’s Need duology, I was hooked. Now, I tell my own stories of escape. I create and invite others to find solace, adventure, love, and passion in fantasy realms, outer space, and reinvented parallel realities. This door is always open.
I didn’t know I wanted a story about a girl and her talking animal friends, but when it turns out that all of them have been enslaved by an evil witch and are shackled by her torturous magic, I couldn’t put it down.
Seemingly insignificant creatures decide to try and take their fate back, all while their frailty remains. I found myself invested in the whimsy of the fairy tale juxtaposed with the horrors of enslavement. Watching the girl called “Thing” navigate the human condition was beautiful and painful, and several times, I held my breath, unsure what the outcome would be.
This story is an unusual tale of hopelessness transformed into determination and a beautiful bond formed through shared trauma and circumstance.
A band of outcasts begins an arduous journey through a world of evil witches, walking trees, and miraculous gems along a path that will reunite them with their true destinies
I'm a deeply introverted person who has always loved epic stories. The hero’s journey is one of my favorite kinds of books, because it gives the reader a chance to put themselves into someone else’s shoes and experience the full spectrum of life, a complete transformation that can only be found in a journey away from home. I’ve wanted to take on the Hero’s Journey in my own writing for a long time, and got to do this in my most recent book,This One’s for You. The protagonist of this book is an introvert like me. He's one of the many characters that have inspired me to try some adventures of my own.
When I became a parent, I was excited to read many of the epic adventure stories of my childhood with my son.
Unfortunately, many of them did not age well, and I find myself longing for something that captures the spirit of the books I used to love with healthier, more contemporary messages about life. Marikit fulfilled this desire for me on every level.
The story is full of magical adventures, with a lovable, brave protagonist and lots of important things to say about friendship, family, and staying true to one’s true self. My son and I were captivated.
Marikit is used to wearing recycled clothes. Her mother, the best seamstress in the barrio, has become an expert at making due ever since Marikit's father and brother were lost at sea. But for her tenth birthday, all Marikit wants is something new. So when her mother gifts her a patchwork dress stitched together with leftover scraps from her workshop, Marikit vows to never wear it. That is, until the eve of her birthday, when shadow creatures creep into their home and upend the very life she knew.
Marikit discovers that her dress is a map, one lovingly crafted to…
I'm a deeply introverted person who has always loved epic stories. The hero’s journey is one of my favorite kinds of books, because it gives the reader a chance to put themselves into someone else’s shoes and experience the full spectrum of life, a complete transformation that can only be found in a journey away from home. I’ve wanted to take on the Hero’s Journey in my own writing for a long time, and got to do this in my most recent book,This One’s for You. The protagonist of this book is an introvert like me. He's one of the many characters that have inspired me to try some adventures of my own.
It’s the true story of author Katherine May’s journey to hike a 680-mile path in England, while simultaneously processing an adult diagnosis of Autism. My therapist recommended this book while I was dealing with my own adult diagnosis, of OCD and ADD.
So many moments in this book sparked tiny insights for me that made my own journey more bearable. And I’m currently dreaming up my own real-life epic adventure, inspired by May’s bravery.
The New York Times bestselling author of Wintering writes a life-affirming exploration of wild landscapes, what it means to be different and, above all, how we can all learn to make peace with our own unquiet minds . . .
In anticipation of her 38th birthday, Katherine May set out to walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path. She wanted time alone, in nature, to understand why she had stopped coping with everyday life; why motherhood had been so overwhelming and isolating; and why the world felt full of expectations she couldn't meet. She was also reeling from a chance…
I fell in love the first time I ever picked up a fantasy novel. Suddenly a whole world of imagination and magic opened up in my head and I’ve been an avid reader and writer ever since. Competitions show up time and again in YA novels (from The Hunger Games to Red Rising), and I think it’s because they provide a good frame for stories about growing up, progress, or ambition. There are high stakes baked in and that makes for an exciting read. I hope you enjoy these books!
A steaming hot cup of tea is one of my favourite things in the world, and Judy’s book features a magical tea master’s competition. The tea magic was utterly captivating and inventive.
This isn’t a cosy fantasy though. Ning runs away from home to enter the competition, to save her sister from a mysterious illness, but she quickly encounters sabotage, jealousy, and a mysterious stranger who may or may not be on her side. I also have a soft spot for stories about sisters, so this one really had me invested.
A #1 New York Times Bestseller! A 2022 PEOPLE Magazine Best Book of Summer!
Judy I. Lin's sweeping debut A Magic Steeped in Poison, first in a duology, is sure to enchant fans of Adrienne Young and Leigh Bardugo.
I used to look at my hands with pride. Now all I can think is, "These are the hands that buried my mother."
For Ning, the only thing worse than losing her mother is knowing that it's her own fault. She was the one who unknowingly brewed the poison tea that killed her—the poison tea that now threatens to also take…
