Category: Fantasy World based on a non-western country

Frail Human Heart (The Name of the Blade #3)

By Zoë Marriott

In the final book of The Name of the Blade a Japanese-mythology inspired urban fantasy, Mio travels into the underworld and attempts to prevent the end of the world. Features a biracial Lesbian/Queer best friend and a kitsune who can switch genders at will.

Publisher’s Description

In the thrilling final installment of Zoë Marriott’s epic, Japanese-inspired urban fantasy trilogy, Mio has succeeded in banishing the Goddess of Death’s plague-spreading monsters – by making the most terrible sacrifice. Now Mio’s love Shinobu is lost forever, the Goddess is rising from the underworld, and hell is literally breaking loose in London.

To save the city from the catastrophic war between gods, Mio must journey into the perilous dream realm to learn the final secret of the katana’s origins, and its true powers. With secrets from her own family’s past emerging, and more impossible choices to be made, she will need every bit of help available from her remaining friends and her allies in the Kitsune Kingdom just to escape her quest alive.

Because in the end, the only thing standing between the human world and the apocalypse… is Mio. And her sword.

Genre: Fantasy

Representation:
Gender:
Cis girls:  Jack
Genderqueer/non-binary: Kitsune

Sexual  Orientation:
Lesbian/Queer: Jack

Romantic Orientation:
Homoromantic: Jack

Race/Ethnicity:
Multiracial: Jack
East Asian: Kitsune

The Summer Prince

By Alaya Dawn Johnson

This dystopian novel is set in the technologically advanced city of Palmares Tres, where a king is sacrificed every five years after he chooses the next queen. June and her best friend, Gil, both fall in love with Enki, the Summer King. Even though June and Gil are determined to save Enki, Enki has accepted that he will die and wants to use his death to draw attention to the plight of the lower classes.

Publisher’s Description:

The lush city of Palmares Tres shimmers with tech and tradition, with screaming gossip casters and practiced politicians. In the midst of this vibrant metropolis, June Costa creates art that’s sure to make her legendary. But her dreams of fame become something more when she meets Enki, the bold new Summer King. The whole city falls in love with him including June’s best friend, Gil. But June sees more to Enki than amber eyes and a lethal samba. She sees a fellow artist.

Together, June and Enki will stage explosive, dramatic projects that Palmares Tres will never forget. They will add fuel to a growing rebellion against the governments strict limits on new tech. And June will fall deeply, unfortunately in love with Enki. Because like all Summer Kings before him, Enki is destined to die.

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia/Utopia

Representation:
Gender:
Cis girls: June
Cis boys: Enki, Gil

Sexuality:
Bisexual: Enki, Gil
June’s sexuality is not specified.
People in this society are assumed to be bisexual.

Romantic Orientation:
Not mentioned in the book. Presumed to be the same as the characters’ sexual orientation.

Race/Ethnicity:
Afro-Latinx: June, Enki, Gil

Trigger Warnings:
Violence
Imprisonment 

Additional Notes:
Some Brazilian readers have critiqued this book for inaccurate Brazilian representation.

The Sowing (The Torch Keeper, #2)

By Steven dos Santos

After his lover is murdered and his brother is imprisoned, Lucky is determined to take down The Establishment, the brutal government of his dystopian world. But when he is caught attempting to assassinate a prominent member of the Establishment, he is thrust into a situation where he must depend on others to save his life.

Publisher’s Description 

This time, there are no choices. Lucian “Lucky” Spark leads a double life. By day, he trains to become one of the Establishment elite. At night, he sabotages his oppressors from within, seeking to avenge the murder of his love, Digory Tycho, and rescue his imprisoned brother. But when he embarks on a risky plot to assassinate members of the Establishment hierarchy, Lucky is thrust into the war between the Establishment and the rebellion, where the lines between friend and foe are blurred beyond recognition. His only chance for survival lies in facing the secrets of the Sowing, a mystery rooted in the ashes of the apocalyptic past that threatens to destroy Lucky’s last hope for the future.

Genre: Fantasy

Representation:
Gender:
Cis boys: Lucky

Sexual Orientation:
Gay/Queer/: Lucky

Romantic Orientation:
Not explicitly labeled.

Race/Ethnicity:
Latinx: Lucky

Additional Notes:

Ownvoices: Queer, Latinx

The Raising (The Torch Keeper, #3)

By Steven Dos Santos

Lucky has become a symbol of the revolution that is intent upon overthrowing the tyrannical government. However, he is haunted by his dark past and his possible involvement with the events that threw his world into chaos.

Publisher’s Description:

Once a humble orphan existing in the shadows of the brutal Establishment, Lucian “Lucky” Spark has evolved from lone vigilante to “The Torch Keeper,” a fiery symbol of the valiant resistance. Lucky now leads the heroic fight to restore justice and liberty to the downtrodden survivors of a world devastated by geological catastrophe and tyranny.

But as the Torch Brigade prepares to launch a final, desperate gambit against the ruthless forces controlled by his former companion, the mysterious Cassius Thorn, Lucky struggles with the secret of his own true identity. Is he the spark of hope destined to unite a nation and finally end this destructive crusade? Or is he truly the dark catalyst of the past, intent on reducing the remnants of humanity to smoldering embers?

With the fates of his brainwashed brother, Cole, and genetically transformed love, Digory Tycho, caught in the crossfire of epic war, Lucky’s final choice may have apocalyptic consequences for an entire world.

Genre: Fantasy

Representation:
Gender:
Cis boys: Lucky

Sexual Orientation:
Gay/Queer/: Lucky

Romantic Orientation:
Not explicitly labeled.

Race/Ethnicity:
Latinx: Lucky

Trigger Warnings:
Alcohol/Substance abuse

Additional Notes:

Ownvoices: Queer, Latinx

Labyrinth Lost

By Zoraida Córdova

Alex is a bruja and must attend a Deathday celebration to receive her family’s blessing. Instead, she accidentally banishes them to Los Lagos, a Wonderland-like realm. She sets off to rescue them, accompanied by a boy she barely knows, and lands up in a love triangle along the way.

Check out this book and more on our best of list for books with Latinx characters.

Publisher’s Description:

I was chosen by the Deos. Even gods make mistakes.

Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation…and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo she can’t trust, but who may be Alex’s only chance at saving her family.

Genre: Fantasy, Contemporary

Representation:
Gender:
Cis girls: Alex, Rishi
Cis boys: Nova

Sexuality:
Bisexual: Alex
Queer: Rishi
Heterosexual: Nova

Romantic Orientation:
Not mentioned in the book. Presumed to be the same as the characters’ sexual orientation.

Race/Ethnicity:
Latinx: Alex, Nova
Indian: Rishi

Trigger Warnings:
Bullying


Additional Notes:
Labyrinth Lost is not ownvoices for bisexuality.

Ownvoices: Ownvoices for Latinx representation.