Some books really force you to decide what you like more: a fast-paced plot or a slowly-evolving character arc. A River Enchanted gives you enough reasons to go with the latter. Fantasy books, especially when not in the the young adult demographic, are often expected to let a complex plot, an extensively built world, and…
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The myth of the tortured artist has turned real for many creatives all through past and present, like Vincent van Gogh who battled mental illness and secured his spot as the suffering artist when he chopped off his ear with a razor blade. But at the core of a creative world, the idea of suffering…
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Retellings have been trending on book lists and for all the right reasons. Whether it’s Chloe Gong’s YA romantic historical fantasy, These Violent Delights, or CB Lee’s fresh exploration of Treasure Island, as part of the “Remixed Classics” series by BIPOC authors, A Clash of Steel. Even reimaginings of Hindu epics like Ramayana (Vaishnavi Patel’s…
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It’s often interesting to see what motivated an author to craft a particular story. Especially when the push to create something powerful comes from empathy for the powerless. Like Sabaa Tahir who says her own experience of growing up as a kid who didn’t fit in and then reading about various stories of some absolutely…
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May is truly bringing some of the most anticipated books across the genres, but especially on the shelves of fantasy, science fiction, and speculative fiction. From a fresh take on Disney’s Brave by the New York Times bestselling author of The Raven Cycle series to an adult debut inspired by Middle Eastern stories and a…
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Blending threads of mythology with courageous heroines and hints of romance against a mysterious fantastical backdrop inspired by folklore has recently found a huge space on bookshelves, and deservedly so. Whether it’s the recent YA fantasy, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh that retells a Korean folktale or the recent adult…
Read MoreSalma Hussain, author of The Secret Diary of Mona Hasan (May 2022), recommends twelve books with Muslim characters written by Canadian authors.
Read MoreQ/A with Karuna Riazi —author of The Gauntlet (2017) and A Bit of Earth (2023)— on her upcoming contemporary retelling, crafting middle-grade stories, and writing a biracial character.
Read MoreQ/A with Naz Kutub on his upcoming debut novel (The Loophole, 2022), portraying tough themes in the midst of heart and humour, and writing a young queer Muslim protagonist.
Read MoreAneesa Marufu, the author of The Balloon Thief, writes a guest post on how feelings of prejudice and unbelonging drove this debut fantasy.
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