If You Liked Shadow and Bone
Photo from Netflix.
Carly Ungerer
Shadow and Bone season 2 aired on Netflix this last March, and remained in Netflix’s global top 10 for about a month. The show, which was adapted from the titular Shadow and Bone book series and the Six of Crows duology, creates an atmospheric world, complex plot lines, and nuanced character arcs. For those who have either already read the book, want to wait, or just enjoy nuanced fantasy, heists, and morally gray characters, consider reading these books.
The Gilded Wolves
The Gilded Wolves shares many characteristics with Six of Crows, the book series the storylines of characters like Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Wylan, Nina, and Mattias were based off, such as a diverse cast of characters, found family, and elaborate heists.
The Gilded Wolves is set in 1889 France, and is centered around a semi-secret society, the Order of Babel. The Order of Babel is an immensely powerful organization consisting of two remaining houses and two fallen ones. The Order is primarily concerned with matters related to Forging, a seemingly mystic ability held by few, similar to the abilities of Grisha. The book follows Severin, a rich hotel owner, Laila, a girl with an expiration date and a unique ability, Zofia, a girl with a talent for math and forging using metal, Tristan, the boy who grew up alongside Severin with a talent for forging with plants, Enrique, a charismatic historian and Filipino nationalist, and Hypnos, the head of a remaining house.
Severin, a wealthy hotelier and once an heir to a now dead house of the Order, leads a small tight-knit group, who help him with his “acquisitions.” Severin was cheated out of his inheritance, and steals from Babel in retribution. His character is reminiscent of Kaz Brekker, who similarly was wronged and schemed his way to retribution. Both characters are the primary leaders of their crews and the masterminds behind the complex heists they pull off. However, when a recent collection goes awry, Severin is forced to steal a dangerous, forbidden artifact from one of the remaining houses itself. But nothing is what it seems and others are racing them to the outlawed treasure.
Trigger Warnings: Ableism, Antisemitism (mentioned), Bullying, Death, Child abuse, Homophobia, Loss of a loved one, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Violence
The Poppy War
The Poppy War follows a young, poor, orphan girl from rural, southern Nikan, a region deeply inspired by 20th century China. Fang Runin, a young shop girl called Rin, was only 14 when her foster parents arranged to marry her off. In order to escape the fate of a child bride, Rin studies for the Keju, an incredibly difficult test that all 16 year olds are able to take in order to attend prestigious academies. But when Rin tests into Sinegard Academy, the most exclusive military school in Nikara, she thought her troubles would be over. However, she must face prejudiced teachers and students, difficult training, and a connection with a vengeful god as her nation rests on the brink of war.
The Poppy War is dark and a very heavy read. It tackles topics of genocide, war, and death, and some of its more grim scenes are based off of historical events like the Rape of Nanking. However, it is so well written and Rin’s viewpoint is so complex that the gruesome nature of the book, although sobering, read well. Rin herself, despite being a deeply flawed character, may be one of my favorite protagonists of the book series I have read.
Trigger Warnings: Abandonment, Abuse, Addiction, Assault, Blood, Bullying, Cannibalism, Classism, Colonisation, Decapitation, Dismemberment, Drugs, Drug abuse, Fire, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Hostages, Human experimentation, Massacres, Mutilation, Murder (including children), Racism, Rape (past, recollected), Self-harm, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence (including against children), War
All of Us Villains
All of Us Villains is marketed as a cross between The Hunger Games and Harry Potter, which is a fairly accurate comparison. The story follows seven children, descended from seven families in Ilvernath, a world where low magick exists in spades, but high magick is all but lost. In fact, the only remaining high magick is tied to a generational curse that compels each family to send a child of their own to fight in a tournament, where the winner gains the remaining high magick for the rest of a generation.
The Blood Moon, the indicator of a new tournament, has risen in Ilvernath, and this time the stakes have been raised. The tournament, which had once been a secret kept by the tournament families and the families of cursemakers, who imbue magick into rings and jewelry, making charms and curses, has been revealed to the world by an anonymous author from one of the weaker tournament bloodlines. Now all the contestants are in the public eye, including Isobel Macaslan, the first champion announced, Alistair Lowe, from a house that often wins through their villainy, Gavin Grieve, the champion of the weakest family, and the champion of the Thorburns, who yearns to be a hero. But when one champion seeks to unravel the tournament, ending this curse, the champions must fight against each other and fate in order to find their “happy endings.”
Trigger Warnings: Abuse, Alcohol use, Blood, Death, Fire, Gore, Murder, Mutilation, Suicide (mentioned), Violence
Little Thieves
Vanja is the adopted daughter of Death and Fortune and the former servant to Princess Gisele. But, one year earlier, she stole Gisele’s identity, which she now uses to help aid her as a infamous jewelry thief, saving money to fund her escape. But when her most recent theft goes wrong, Vanja ends up with a detective on her tail, a curse turning her into gemstones for her greed, and a half-god guardian following her journey to break her curse before time runs out.
Little Thieves is less dark than the Poppy War, All of Us Villains, and Six of Crows, and is based off of the Grimm fairy tale, “The Goose Girl”. Vanja’s clever nature and the found family evident in the book make it reminiscent of Six of Crows. This book, however, lacks in racial diversity compared to Six of Crows or the Gilded Wolves. But, the book has good queer representation, with ace main characters and sapphic supporting characters.
Trigger Warnings: Attempted rape (mentioned), Blood, Child abuse, Emesis, Sexual harrassment, Violence
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