If You Like the Legacy of Orisha Series…
The third book in Tomi Adeyemi’s Legacy of Orisha series, Children of Anguish and Anarchy, was released at the end of last month. Starting with Children of Blood and Bone, this African-set series tells of a land where magic has been silenced by those in power. The heroine Zelie, who has the potential to wield magic, tries to bring it back. She is swept into the world of the monarchy as she goes on a quest to reignite magic. She forms a trio with her brother and a noble, who turns out to be the princess, to collect objects they need to perform a ritual to return magic to their people.
While you wait for your copy of book three to arrive, or after you’ve finished it, here are other books that will provide similar drama, thrills, and magic.
Akata Witch series by Nnedi Okorafor (started in 2011)
Akata Witch uses the much-beloved magical training trope, this time set in Nigeria, with an intensity sure to pull in readers. Sunny, along with friends Chichi and Orlu, are Leopard People, those with magical powers. Since Sunny is a free agent (someone without a magical parent), she seeks out teachers. Meanwhile the ritual killer that has been taking children as victims must be stopped, and the three teens try to increase their skills so they can defeat him at last.
Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard (started in 2015)
Aveyard created a fantasy world where people are divided by blood: common folk have red blood and the elite have silver blood and special powers. But somehow Mare has both red blood and powers. This series is full of war, battles, and politics and is exciting from start to finish.
Slay by Brittany Morris (2019)
Kiera is an honors student — and one of the only Black kids — at her high school. She’s also the secret game developer of SLAY, a multiplayer online role-playing card game made by and for Black people. When a teen is murdered over a fight in the SLAY world, the games is lambasted for causing racist violence.
Wings of Ebony series by J. Elle (started in 2021)
Rue is caught between two worlds: her home in Houston with her sister and Ghizon, her magical homeland. Although she thought she was the only connection between her worlds, she discovers that the powerful of Ghizon are manipulating her community in Houston and vows to bring their interference to an end.
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas (2022)
I would pitch this fantastic YA fantasy as Hunger Games x Percy Jackson but with Mexican mythology and a trans main character. Teo is the trans son of the goddess of birds and is selected as one of 10 semidioses (demigods) to compete in the titular trials. The winner carries light to the temples of the sun, keeping life going strong in the world, while the loser will be a sacrifice to Sol. The sequel comes out in September!
Outlaw Saints series by Daniel José Older (started in 2022)
This duology, the first YA books in the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, is set in a diaspora community of pirates, Sephardic Jews, and Cuban Santeros that escaped the sinking island of San Madigral over a decade ago. Mateo dreams of becoming a musician and hopes to catch the eye of a pro on the night of the Grand Fete. When he witnesses a murder, he become enmeshed in a ancient battle and awakens a force within him.