This list compiles the most compelling fantasy books of the past decade, guest-curated for Picture Book by Ava Piñeda-Fox. These books focus on a range of subjects, from powerful heroes to ancient creatures, to re-told stories from the past, to magic beyond human comprehension. Through the authors' skillful tackling of different worlds, each book in this collection will transport readers into entirely other universes. Themes such as strong female leads, romance, politics, and magic appear frequently. The books will no doubt inspire the readers who crack them open.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, featured on the Picture Book Bookshop website, is the first book in a duology that follows ‘six’ main characters in the city of Ketterdam. Kaz, the leader of the six Dregs, takes his companions on high-stakes heists, terrifying missions, dodges authorities and enemies. Suddenly, he’s offered a once-in-a-lifetime mission that would make him richer than he could dream of. But he can’t pull it off alone, so he enlists the help of the Dregs to complete their biggest quest yet...
Inej and Nina, the two women in out of the six Dregs, are inspiring figures. Although her past wounds her and she longs to see her family again, Inej is a kickass fighter who doesn’t take nonsense from anyone. She’s a trained acrobat and the Dreg’s spy. She’s kind, but merciless, and shows the duality of a woman who can be both warm and caring, and lethally persistent to accomplish her goals.
Nina, a ‘Heartrender,’ has the ability to manipulate hearts, heal, and sense emotions. She’s loud, opinionated, and flirtatious, with a gift for languages. Her creativity and headstrong voice inspire young girls around the world to speak their minds and stand up for themselves.
Circe by Madeline Miller, follows the story of Circe, born to two powerful entities, while she, in comparison, is nothing short of a failure. She doesn’t have her father’s powers or her mother’s divine looks, and for that, the gods shun her. Circe turns to mortals to companionship, but when she discovers a secret that even the gods refuse to acknowledge, it forces her choose between her homeland or the mortal life she has come to love.
Circe is strong; she pushes through boundaries and the beliefs put on her and forges her own path in life. She is bullied, but she is also just as harsh. She creates monsters, but also befriends mortals the gods deem worthless. The events she experiences lead her down a path she never expected to take, and make her face atrocities that prove her to be a strong, compelling female character. Miller shows Circe in all her divinity, more complex than previous Greek mythos may have presumed.
In general, readers are recommended to be at least 14, as subjects such as violence and substances appear throughout the stories. However, this varies on a case-by-case basis, and one should independently search each book to determine the appropriate age for the readers.
Buy the books to ship nationwide on Picture Book’s Bookshop.org page: