As you know, we also love & review many YA (young adult, or books generally for readers ages twelve and up) books on our blog. So we wanted to take today to highlight two of our absolute favorites in YA fantasy, both of which we read & reviewed in the past year.
Check back tomorrow for two more of our favorites, this time middle-grade fantasy!
Girls at the Edge of the World by Laura Brooke Robson
Evocative, atmospheric, and thoughtful, I knew Girls at the Edge of the World was going to be one of my favor-ite books this year immediately after reading it. Bright, multifaceted charac-ters, luminous worldbuilding, and a deft philosophical undercurrent make it an undeniable standout--at once a story of struggling, shining girls in a darkening world, a defiant queer romance, and an ode to living life to the fullest and the things that make it worth living at all.
It's a fast read, the writing light but deft, and while there are familiar elements to the storyline, the plot and characters feel fresh and original, dodging clichés with unexpected twists and a distinctly witty, thoughtful narrative. It's also a piercing, contemplative look at heteropatriarchy, religion, colonialism, and how economic and class divides are displayed and exacerbated by climate change--all without being remotely preachy or contrived. I especially loved the flyers, a blend of art and athletics, stardom and symbolism constantly training to bring the city together and earn their own survival; there's believable competitiveness and drive within the troupe, but also fierce loyalty and palpable caring between its members. I highly recommend Girls at the Edge of the World to readers ages twelve and up.
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
Particularly excellent books are often described as 'unable to be put down.' Raybearer was, for me, one of the rare books where this was absolutely true. From the first page, the world and characters are all-absorbing, and I was so glad to discover that there was a sequel--only for that, alas, to end as well.
In Raybearer, Ifueko delivers one of the rarest kinds of stories: one that combines exquisite writing and a vivid, atmospheric world with one of the strongest, most fierce, most utterly sympathetic protagonists I've ever had the pleasure to encounter, whose refusal to let her future and fate be controlled by another secure the story both in unexpected twists and startling, inarguable realism. With such a unique and multilayered storyline, full of twists I very honestly never saw coming, it feels as though it should be plot-driven, but it never feels that way; Tarisai is undeniably the driving force in this book, and I absolutely fell in love with her and her story.
However, I would be remiss to ignore all the other characters in favor of Tarisai, because every character in Raybearer truly feels distinct, and their relationships and conflicts often carry the story as much as she does. Every glowing description and quiet interaction is beautiful and vivid, and Tarisai's world manages to feel both as personal and expansive as our own.
I struggled to write a review for Raybearer that truly encapsulated how much I loved it, and I find myself doing the same thing here. This book is full of emotion and strength, feminism and defiance, a stunning tale of a girl who refuses to be quiet, and a world full of magic and mystery but also deep, ingrained flaws. Raybearer is utterly beautiful, remarkable, and all-absorbing, and I highly recommend it to readers twelve and up.