Top Ten Tuesday (36)

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books for People Who Loved Graceling

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It’s awesome. Every Tuesday, the lovely folks over at The Broke and the Bookish post a top ten list topic so that book lovers like you and me can pour over our shelves and make our own lists. You can check out all the other Top Ten Tuesday‘s on their site!

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Ahh, GRACELING. Kristin Cashore‘s book is mentioned frequently around these parts, only because it’s AWESOME. It’s hands down one of my favorite YA fantasies, and probably one of my favorite YA books in general. And basically, by using it in this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, it gives me the opportunity to recommend other YA fantasies that have strong heroines, solid world-building, emotional depth, and all kinds of other goodies. I’m keeping this list to books that I’ve read. I KNOW that there are some kickass fantasies that would be great recs for someone who loved GRACELING that I just haven’t read yet (like SERAPHINA, SABRIEL, THRONE OF GLASS, THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS, etc. I know. That list is bursting with awesome. I’ll get to them, I promise.)

Terrier: Beka Cooper #1 by Tamora Pierce. Seriously, if you like fantasies with butt-kicking, stereotype-defying heroines, you really must start with some Tamora. ANY Tamora will do, really. I chose the Beka Cooper series simply because Beka is more of an age with Katsa and Po, but honestly, Tamora. Just do it, ok?

Fire: The Graceling Realm #2 by Kristin Cashore. So, this one’s a little bit of a gimme. But I can’t leave it out. If someone came up to me and said, “OH MY GOD GRACELING IS THE BEST EVER! I want MOAR!”, I would have to tell them about FIRE.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. This one is a little different. It’s a different kind of fantasy, but a fantasy all the same, and Puck Connolly? She’s ACE, one of the better YA heroines in my opinion because she’s got this great quiet strength. Katsa is an ass-kicker. Puck is just resilient and determined. Same idea, different execution. BOTH outstanding.

Wildwood Dancing: Wildwood #1 by Juliet Marillier. THIS book. SO legit. It’s a retelling/mash-up of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairy tale, along with a little bit of The Frog Prince, and some vampires. It’s fantastic. Intense, with a strong-willed, smart, complex main character in Jena. I’ve not read enough Marillier, but this one was excellent.

Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby. Because middle grade heroines can be the bomb, too! Solveig is as tough, smart, courageous, and selfless as they come. Also, VIKINGS. I will say no more.

The Demon King: Seven Realms #1 by Cinda Williams Chima. There are technically two main characters in this series: Han Allister and Raisa. They are both wonderfully well-rounded and complicated characters, with lots of difficult choices to make. They are both often called on to get themselves and others through a tight spot or a thorny issue with high stakes. This is a great series, guys.

East by Edith Pattou. This book is kind of magical. It’s a retelling of a folk tale, “East of the Sun, West of the Moon,” and it’s fabulous. Kind of dark and gorgeous and emotional. But Rose, the main character, is stellar and strong, with lots of personality.

The Goose Girl: The Books of Bayern #1 by Shannon Hale. Another book that is often on my mind. Shannon Hale is FAB. Her books are FAB. THE GOOSE GIRL is the MOST fab, in my opinion, because it’s just so wonderful. It has one of the best opening lines: “She was born Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, and she did not open her eyes for three days.” I don’t know. Something about it just grabs me every time.

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman. YO. Girl pretending to be a boy in an Asian-inspired fantasy world where dragons are spiritual entities that can be called and controlled by people with special gifts. This series is SO EFFING FANTASTIC, I can’t even begin to tell you. There’s very little doubt in my mind that fans of GRACELING would love this book, and it’s sequel, EONA: THE LAST DRAGONEYE.