Here are 21 books that Brooklyn Brujas fans have personally recommended once you finish the Brooklyn Brujas series.
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I am a half-Mexican author who grew up in a tiny Alabama town, where I spent my summers playing with sticks in the woods and exploring such distinguished careers as Forest Bandit, Wayward Orphan, and Woodland Fairy Princess. After college, I ran away to New Zealand for seven months and only pretended to be a character from Lord of the Rings on special occasions. Nowadays, I live and work in South Carolina with my clingy (and, unfortunately, non-magical) cat.
This book is the international dragon-riding tournament book that I always knew I needed.
This contemporary YA fantasy, set in an alternate world where dragons and their riders compete in a World Cup for fame and glory, is action-packed with an incredible amount of heart. The perfect balance of magic, adventure, and friendship made this an addictive read from start to finish. (And there’s a sequel!)
Lana Torres has always preferred dragons to people. In a few weeks, sixteen countries will compete in the Blazewrath World Cup, a tournament where dragons and their riders fight for glory in a dangerous relay. Lana longs to represent her native Puerto Rico in their first ever World Cup appearance, and when Puerto Rico's Runner - the only player without a dragon steed - is kicked off the team, she's given the chance.
But when she discovers that a former Blazewrath superstar has teamed up with the Sire - a legendary dragon who's cursed into human form - the safety…
I am a queer Latinx author and avid reader. Long before I became an author, I was devouring books and losing myself in fantasy worlds. When I got older, I realized how few books in the market looked like me. I didn’t feel represented in the literary world. Now, I create queer fantasy novels that feature strong women of color in sweeping Latin American-inspired settings for future generations.
Have you ever felt like you wished the books you read in middle school were more, well, brown? I know I did!
Well, Witchlings takes place in a world full of witches! No, seriously, the entire town - and surrounding towns - are all made up of covens of witches. For Seven Salazar, her whole life has been leading up to the moment where she gets sorted into her forever coven.
However, when the time comes, the worst thing possible happens - she becomes a “spare,” a witch not sorted into a coven! This leads her, along with the other two spares, on a path of redemption and discovery. Don’t let the fact that this is a middle grade novel fool you - this book is a delight for all ages!
A middle grade Latine witch story with action-packed adventure, a coven of quirky Witchlings, humour and girl-power vibes.
Every year, in the magical town of Ravenskill, Witchlings who participate in the Black Moon Ceremony are placed into covens and come into their powers as full-fledged witches.
And twelve-year-old Seven Salazar can't wait to be placed in the most powerful coven with her best friend! But on the night of the ceremony, in front of the entire town, Seven isn't placed in one of the five covens. She's a Spare!
Spare covens have fewer witches, are less powerful, and are looked…
I am a queer Latinx author and avid reader. Long before I became an author, I was devouring books and losing myself in fantasy worlds. When I got older, I realized how few books in the market looked like me. I didn’t feel represented in the literary world. Now, I create queer fantasy novels that feature strong women of color in sweeping Latin American-inspired settings for future generations.
Set in a Mesoamerican-inspired world, The Lost Dreamer is seeped in Latin culture and tradition.
Everything about this novel reaches deep into my soul and makes me feel more connected to my land and my ancestors. The magic system feels more organic and earth-bound, closer to shamanism than depictions of magic in more modern fantasy novels and I loved it.
The novel follows two courageous and strong Latin women with gifts - a Dream Walker and a Seer. Individually we see them learn to fight for themselves, and for the land and lives they love. The queerness in this novel is intrinsic to the world and story, characters able to be themselves without question or oppression. (At least, not oppression due to their sexuality - which I appreciated!)
A lush, immersive debut fantasy about a group of women whose way of life is threatened by a new king; a fierce celebration of community, sisterhood, and finding our power.
Indir is a Dreamer, descended from a long line of seers; able to see beyond reality, she carries the rare gift of Dreaming truth. But when the beloved king dies, his son has no respect for this time-honored tradition. King Alcan wants an opportunity to bring the Dreamers to a permanent end―an opportunity Indir will give him if he discovers the two secrets she is struggling to keep. As violent…
I am a queer Latinx author and avid reader. Long before I became an author, I was devouring books and losing myself in fantasy worlds. When I got older, I realized how few books in the market looked like me. I didn’t feel represented in the literary world. Now, I create queer fantasy novels that feature strong women of color in sweeping Latin American-inspired settings for future generations.
Lyrical prose. Nonbinary Latinx teens. A magical world underneath a lake. Neurodivergent rep. What doesn’t this book have?
I was captivated from start to finish, watching Bastian and Lore navigate their ADHD, dyslexia, sexuality, and identity, and all while the magic world underneath their lake threatens to come up and drown their surface. Can these two teens - who haven’t seen or spoken to one another in years - learn to trust one another and work together to stop it, before it destroys everything?
I really don’t have the words for how captivating this book is, but the colors, descriptions, and magic are so vibrant they pull you right into the heart of the world and the story, and threaten not to let you go.
In this young adult novel by award-winning author Anna-Marie McLemore, two non-binary teens are pulled into a magical world under a lake - but can they keep their worlds above water intact?
Everyone who lives near the lake knows the stories about the world underneath it, an ethereal landscape rumored to be half-air, half-water. But Bastián Silvano and Lore Garcia are the only ones who’ve been there. Bastián grew up both above the lake and in the otherworldly space beneath it. Lore’s only seen the world under the lake once, but that one encounter changed their life and their fate.…
I love books that whisk me away and keep me reading long into the night. There’s something so exciting about realizing you’ve been reading for so long that you have no idea what the time is or if it’s even the same day. I’m also incredibly passionate about horror and what it can teach us about ourselves and our society. Being diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 12 made me feel isolated and alone, but horror granted me a form of escapism and taught me to embrace what made me feel different, something each of these books does. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did!
I found this a captivating read. It was morbid, dark, and grim, but it was also exciting. I was quickly drawn into the world of Immanuelle Moore, whose mother was called a witch and died giving birth to her. I loved the author’s attention to detail.
The villages of Bethel and the Darkwood are so vivid that I could believe the protagonists’ lives in the puritanical, secluded world full of zealots, idolatry, sexism, and racism. The book is also beautifully atmospheric—the village, the trees, and the large cathedrals are so well described.
One of the book's main themes was self-discovery, which is why I think it’s more aimed toward YA, but I recommend it to anyone interested in witches, small towns, religion, and feminist themes.
A young woman living in a rigid, puritanical society discovers dark powers within herself in this stunning, feminist fantasy debut.
In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet's word is law, Immanuelle Moore's very existence is blasphemy. Her mother’s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement.
But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the first prophet once chased…
I’m a Canadian fantasy and horror writer living on Vancouver Island. In my spare time I collect far too many candles and dabble in tea leaf reading, so stories of witchcraft and witches are naturally right up my alley.
A gorgeous story set in New York’s “gilded age” about magical women forming strong bonds. Also, it’s set in a tea shop called “Tea and Sympathy” and I just wanted to live in that world as I was reading. Not only is Ami McKay a terrific writer, her attention to detail and her research shines through in this book, as even the witchcraft the women practice is based on old folklore and tradition.
Witches Adelaide Thom and Eleanor St Clair have opened a tea shop in Manhattan specialising in cures, palmistry and potions.
When an enchanting woman called Beatrice joins the witches as an apprentice, she soon proves indispensable, but her new life is marred by strange occurrences.
She sees things no one else can see. She hears voices no one else can hear. Has she been touched by magic or is she simply losing her mind?
Amidst the witches' tug-of-war over how best to nurture her gifts, Beatrice disappears.…
I’m a Canadian fantasy and horror writer living on Vancouver Island. In my spare time I collect far too many candles and dabble in tea leaf reading, so stories of witchcraft and witches are naturally right up my alley.
It doesn’t take much beyond the term “sapphic witches” to get me really excited about a book. Additionally, we’ve got elemental magic, blood rituals, and the store in Salem where the main character works is called the “Fly by Night Cauldron” and I was completely sold. This is a light, fun read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was drawn in by the conflict, not only with the main villain, but a tense history with an ex, and a potential new romance. I really enjoy finding fantasy books where the queerness of the character is not an “issue” or questioned at all. It was something I badly needed as a teen, and it's a relief to be finally getting this kind of thing in literature. I wish I could send it to my younger self!
I found the magic system to be delightful as well, with the elemental powers reminding me…
"Infused with page-turning suspense, bittersweet romance, shocking twists, and tragic turns, Sterling has written a standout debut." --Dana Mele, author of People Like Us
Hannah's a witch, but not the kind you're thinking of. She's the real deal, an Elemental with the power to control fire, earth, water, and air. But even though she lives in Salem, Massachusetts, her magic is a secret she has to keep to herself. If she's ever caught using it in front of a Reg (read: non-witch), she could lose it. For good. So, Hannah spends most of her time avoiding her ex-girlfriend (and fellow…
I’ve been a fanatic of horror, especially Gothic horror since I was about eight years old when I read all of Poe’s short stories. It’s the genre I read most often and the one I’m dedicated to writing about. For me, the most effective horror novels have a setting that is as rich and fully developed as any of the characters. You can battle vampires, zombies, and all of the other delightful monsters out there, but how do you battle what’s trapped in the walls around you? How do you fight a home that hates you? Or one that loves you too much to let you go? It’s endlessly fascinating.
The vivid, lush descriptions in this book bring the titular hacienda to roaring life.
Although initially I was drawn in by the comparisons with Rebecca, this novel is its own thing. It brings in folk beliefs as well as thoughts on colonialism, all within the hacienda’s oppressive yet intoxicating atmosphere. It’s what you look for in a Gothic horror novel.
Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this debut supernatural suspense novel, set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, a sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches...
During the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father was executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security that his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost.
But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.
As a gay Cuban-American kid, I always wanted more books with queer protagonists and I wanted more protagonists to be kids of color. I rarely found either (and never both in one book). Happily, a few decades later, we live in a moment where these stories are finally getting their due; you can now find all facets of the LGBTQ+ experience in print with characters from an array of cultures. As a writer, I’m excited to be part of that with my book Spin Me Right Round, featuring a gay Cuban-American protagonist. Seeing his face looking back at me from the bookstore shelves is a dream come true.
I remember well how starved I was as a teen for books about kids like me—queer, Cuban, or both—so I love books that fill a void. Sara Farizan does that with Iranian girls Sahar and Nasrin, including a swoony kiss you won’t want to miss. For anyone who’s ever had sparks with a friend, this is an extra special read.
Seventeen-year-old Sahar has been in love with her best friend, Nasrin, since they were six. They've shared stolen kisses and romantic promises. But Iran is a dangerous place for two girls in love--Sahar and Nasrin could be beaten, imprisoned, even executed if their relationship came to light. So they carry on in secret--until Nasrin's parents announce that they've arranged for her marriage. Nasrin tries to persuade Sahar that they can go on as they had before, only now with new comforts provided by the decent, well-to-do doctor Nasrin will marry. But Sahar dreams of loving Nasrin exclusively--and openly. Then Sahar…
I have been writing formally since I started my first book in high school. Even then, I was writing with dual POVs. Having multiple perspectives throughout my stories has been essential to all my books. I believe it adds so much more than a single POV can, and I love the process of it. You must decide what each of the characters’ motivations, and defining characteristics are and relate them back to the story. My most recent novel, below, has four POVs, each of which is as important as the others.
Serpent and Dove is a story about a witch, Lou Le Blanc, who is forced to marry a witch hunter, Reid Diggory. I loved this book because it does a good job of showing the relationship between these two polar opposite characters. But it also shows how even people I thought could never have anything in common can find things that tie them together.
The use of dual POVs in this story is a great way to see both sides of the war between witches and witch hunters so that I could understand why things are the way they are and the methods used to keep things that way.
New York Times Bestseller * Indiebound Bestseller * An Amazon Best Book of 2019 * B&N's YA Book Club Pick
"A brilliant debut, full of everything I love: a sparkling and fully realized heroine, an intricate and deadly system of magic, and a searing romance that kept me reading long into the night. Serpent & Dove is an absolute gem of a book." -Sarah J. Maas, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Court of Thorns and Roses series
Bound as one, to love, honor, or burn. Book one of a stunning fantasy trilogy, this tale of witchcraft and…
