So I did a big list of my favorutite Women Writing SFF before, which you can find here!
However I just looked at it, and noticed it was in July 2021, so it seems high time to do an update… These are all either stand alones, or the first in their specific series.
I’ll try to sort them a litte. In this post you’ll find:
- Epic adventures
- Urban Fantasy
- SF / Future / Dystopia
As this is now already longer than expected, I’ll do a second post with the following, and link it here once it goes live.
- Quick and easy reads
- Historical fantasy (lots of victorian-ish as that’s my current comfort zone)
Epic adventures
Blackdog by K.V. Johansen
This has a wonderfully detailed and rich world, full of small gods, demons, magic, different cultures and religions.
It features complex relationships between characters, gods and factions. It describes the life in a mercenary troupe traveling the desert as well as living in what feels a bit like mountain enclave, with a mad god at its head. I enjoyed the small scale bits just as much as the overarching “fate of the world” plot that the whole book runs toward.
There’s also an amazing cast of characters who grew and changed organically over the course of the story. I especially liked the well written female characters.
The Hallows by HL Tinsley (Self Published)
Wonderfully weird and unique. Floating nuns in a 1920 world. Mystery, banter and humour contrasting with a bleak world, and a good dash of action made for one addictive read.
The Waking of Angantyr by Marie Brennan
I really loved the dark and bleak setting, as well as a syringe female character who just won’t give up. She defies the role she has in society, and she fails a lot along the way. She does get up and try again every time though, through sheer grit and determination, on her quest for a better life, and revenge for her ancestors.
She’s not the easiest character to like, but I found her fascinating, so I was easily enthralled by her story. Especially the voices she hears had me intrigued instantly.
Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron (BIPOC)
This is situated somewhere between YA and adult. It’s quite bloody and grim for YA, but the prose, pace as well as the characters actions definitely had a younger flavour.
For me this mix worked well, as the grit gave the story a bit much needed depth, while the writing made it easy to just breeze through the story.
The biggest plus for me was the world we get to visit! It’s African inspired which felt a nice change to so many eurocentric books. I found the tribes and the contrast between city life and more rural places fascinating.
Sair?’s Claw by Virginia McClain (Sapphic / LGBT author)
I loved the strong female leads in this book, with women who know how to handle a katana as well as those who know how to handle a ship, a scroll or kiso (magic).
I enjoyed how inclusive it was in its society, where people might murder you, but are good with using your proper pronouns of choice! People get judged by their actions and talents, and not by who they love our what’s between their legs, and I must say I really liked this bit of cultural setting! After all not everyone is as judgy about those things as the west is.
The mystery and action had me glued to the pages from start to end, and I was quite annoyed when I had to put it down in order to go to work.
Burn Red Skies by Kerstin Espinosa Rosero (Self Published)
I really enjoyed the world, that has different regions which come with different abilities, elements and aspects. From people being able to wield ice to those who are resistent to fire, there’s distinct advantages and disadvantages that come along.
I found the characters really well developed. They each felt like fully fleshed individuals, and I never struggled to know who was on the page at any time. They are all rounded and have flaws as well as their own agenda! I liked how divers the cast was, both in personalities as well as in abilities. One of the main characters is mute for example, while another one is weak and soft. Others are ruthless powerful fighters or even a gang of loveable pirates. For me this mix worked really well and gave more depth to both the world and the story itself.
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (BIPOC)
An epic fantasy that was nevertheless easy to follow.
Three main point of view characters, so not an overwhelming cast, but still enough to allow more variety than being stuck with one.
* A young man destined to – something. I loved exploring his fate right along with him, and seeing where his story goes.
* A female ship captain with a sort of water magic that makes her both valuable and someone to be feared due to her being different…
* A female priest who is caught up in intrigue and politics, and not at all sure whose loyalties she can trust.
I loved the different setting that felt like a nice breath of fresh air! Not only the different societies and cultures, but also the divers and varied cast let me dive in and more or less devour the book.
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri (Sapphic / queer author)
I loved the India inspired world, and most of all the magic and religions that are firmly threaded through the world building. I found the customs, powers, beliefs, sickness, and all that comes with it so very fascinating, I would have happily read a whole non fiction book just about the history of it all!
The characters were well developed, and I liked the divers cast from all layers of society. From poor street urchin to high society, and everything in between. I especially enjoyed the feminist tilt of the story, as women are treated poorly in the current society. But strong female main characters definitely make you doubt being a good wife and an obedient servant is all they are good for. I loved the character development we got to see, and especially some twists that did not go where you expected them to go.
Gates of Hope by J.E. Hannaford (Self Published)
At first the book seemed to be on the lighter end of stories. However, the setting grows and the world building gets ever deeper the farther you go. Once again I adored all the little details about flora and fauna, that made this an immersive world you could really walk into, and get lost in, while not being so much it hampers the plot progression.
A Bitter Drink by Azalea Forrest (LGBT / Self Published)
There’s some political scheming, though I found it pretty easy to follow, so it’s not overly complex.
A good mix of races, some well known like dwarves or elves, some refreshingly new, like our main character, a “hedonistic plant man”.
It features found family and plenty of cosy scenes, but also has quite some dark parts and a good few deaths. Despite the gritty bits there’s overall a sense of hope, and most people are trying to do good.
This seems to be an queernormative world, at least no one bats an eye if you choose a woman, a man, or maybe both for your evenings entertainment.
There’s also one major character who uses they/them pronouns. I didn’t like that exactly this character was the really weird, probably neurodivergent, evil scientist though. There are a few times when “he” is used for them, all but one could be due to being in another character’s view, who maybe don’t know. As the MC is at least bi, if not pan, it didn’t grind as much as it would if the one queer character is the bad guy or killed off right away.
I personally really enjoy a mix of cosy and dark, so this fit my personal taste rather well!
Sacaran Nights by Rachel Emma Shaw (Self Published)
Having the bones of your loved ones turned into keepsakes might weird a lot of people out, but I found it utterly fascinating! Having grown up in a house with four generations, seeing people age and die is a normal part of life for me. That doesn’t take away the grief of course, but I never understood the weird relationship a lot of people have with aging, dementia and death. It left me with a weird fascination with death and grief, so this part of the story I really loved and wanted more off!
Oath Sworn by Meg MacDonald
This is a gaslamp fantasy with plenty of politics, religions, intrigue – and airships!
This book does not hold your hand. It’s complex and it has a bit of a slow start, which I didn’t mind because I liked the tone and world enough to be hooked early on. You aren’t told everything, and either you catch things and keep going, or you’re gonna be lost. For me it worked really well, I felt I always knew enough to be engaged, but had enough mysteries and unknowns to want to read on and learn more!
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi (LGBT / neurodivergence)
A fantasy heist with a diverse cast and great banter!
The characters all have defining histories & traits. Like being Jewish, LGBT, neurodivergent, not the right skin colour for the society they life in, … This was a definite draw for me! Especially as they are so different but a really close unit and loyal group anyway. The repercussions and traumas that come with their were well handled. However I missed some character growth over the course of the story
The Skin by J.E. Hannaford
I clicked with the main character right from the start. She is a Selkie who lost her skin, and therefore can’t return to her home in the sea. Her tone and voice felt unique and let her come to life in my mind quickly.
I haven’t read much about Selkies before, and I was looking forward to a fresh world for me to explore – and I was not disappointed in the least!
Friendships and new found family at the heart of it all bound the different POVs and plot lines together. What felt like single strands ended up in a strong weave that easily kept me enthralled until I – horrendously! – ran out of pages…
Urban Fantasy
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho (Sapphic)
Twitter pitch: A stressed zillennial lesbian fights gods, ghosts, gangsters & grandmas in 21st century Penang.
It’s Urban Fantasy, but it’s so very different from the typical wizards throwing fireballs! (I like those too, but a fresh breath of air is always especially welcome…)
We have a young woman who grew up in America, move back to Malaysia when her immigrant parents lose their livelihood.
Obviously Jessamyn is very used to some of the customs, as her parents still stayed rather true to their heritage, but her having grown up in the US has her sitting between to worlds every so often. This allows Zen Cho to sprinkle in enough information to easily keep a reader new to the culture firmly in the setting, without over explaining or info dumps. She’s as curious about some of the things she learns as I was, and I loved exploring more and more of her new surroundings.
There’s gods, spirits, ghosts, murder, gangsters and a lot of gossipping as well as the struggle to balance this new spiritual side of things with the normal day to day life. How are you supposed to settle in, find a job and be a good daughter and niece, if all these things are happening? You better find a way…
Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw
This is a quirky and rather fun and easy read. There’s a lot of different creatures in it (vampires, vampyres, ghouls, mummies, demons, …) and Greta’s job is it to keep them all healthy.
A murder spree is going on in London, and all sorts of monsters look for safety in Lord Ruthven’s house. He’s really nice, very old and sort of adopted the job of being the protector for London’s undead people.
This isn’t an action paced novel like Harry Dresden for example – it is rather more focused on friendships, solving a deadly mystery and the physical health of all sorts of beings.
I loved hearing about mummies needing new bones to stop the constant ache when shuffling along, or how while ghouls prefer meat gone bad, a baby ghoul will get a fresh “nice rat” as you can be pretty certain it hasn’t eaten rat poison… I had so many moments were I snorted or grinned at myself, and that is always a plus for me!
Greta isn’t special, doesn’t have magic, isn’t especially strong. She is just a doctor, trying to do the best for her patients. She knows her limits, and so won’t go head to head with the big bad evil, but rather ask for help – and I thought that was rather a nice change of view!
Smash & Grab by Maz Maddox
I picked this up for the cover alone, no idea what it was about. And I regret nothing!
It’s urban fantasy with dinosaur shifters, and a nerdy dinosaur expert, on the run from a sort of fossil hunter mafia.
I really clicked with both the main characters, and while I personally could have done with some less graphic m/m fun, it for the story, was well written, and didn’t detract from the story.
If you follow my reviews, you know I don’t enjoy romance or apice in my books, so if it doesn’t even bother *me*, it must be quite well done.
I adored the banter, the action, the dinosaurs and all the fun adventures on the way.
Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater
Small Miracles is funny, cosy, humourous, warm, inclusive and very entertaining. In short it is the utterly perfect book for me.
It starts out very easy, and I wasn’t sure if it would fully click with me. Ha. But how it did! Those weird people grew on me imperceptible, and before I knew it I loved them.
The way they interacted, the found family vibes, the budding friendships and growing love just was amazing to read.
The hilarious tone balanced it out, so it didn’t feel soppy, but fun.
It reminds me a lot of Pratchett books in that way.
Gadriel, the fallen angel with the super sweet tooth, is just such a matter of fact character. She, or he spouts amazing things in the most factual tone, reminiscent of characters like Discworld’s Death.
I also adore how the book plays with things like gender. Angels don’t just adhere to human genders on their own, but when on earth they pretend to be humans, but switch genders all the time on a whim. This again kept the story humourous and fun on one hand, on the other hand people just taking that in stride really made me well warm and fuzzy.
I couldn’t get enough of this hot chocolate in book form.
The Accidental Alchemist by Gigi Pandian
This is a cosy murder mystery, with a loveable gargoyle and a vegan alchemist who unintentionally kind of collects people (and said gargoyle) to take care of.
I really liked the tone and the easy friendships that are forming throughout the book. I thought especially the interactions between adults and teens, as they felt well handled and realistic! A couple of very different people slowly growing together and being there for each other.
I personally would have liked it better without the – so far very, very light – romance angle thrown in, but it was so low it didn’t really bother me much.
The mystery part wasn’t as engaging as the characters and the cosy vibes, but the tone and voice more than made up for it in my case. I loved the small gargoyle who loves to cook, and the teen who isn’t yet sure who he is. There’s a bit of banter and adventure, and it’s overall just a really warm and entertaining read, despite a dead body or two along the way.
Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron
While yes, there are dragon shifters, and there is a little bit of romance, it definitely is a fast paced and fun urban fantasy. Or dystopia? Near future with magic being back in the world anyway.
I loved the main characters, and the bit of attraction between them did not feel like drama, whining or pining. There’s no hot loins or similar.
Ain’t nobody got time for that anyway, if you’re busy running from bad guys trying to shoot you. Or avoiding being eaten by the family matriarch. Or Lampreys. Don’t let the giant lamprey get you…
We follow the Julius, who is the smallest dragon in his family, and decidedly too nice, from one disaster into the next. He tries to find his own way in a world that wants him to be something he decidedly is not.
Plenty of action, nice twists, new friends, magic, monsters, gangsters, fight scenes and dragons make for a addictive read that I finished in just two days.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (LGBT)
If you like a good romance, this might make it an even better book for you! However the romance just made me roll my eyes a bit. I just can’t stand the “yes or no” back and forth, and I really don’t care what body part goes where between the sheets.
Outside of that, I really loved most of the book! The found family, the older characters, the young witches who felt like actual kids. I appreciated the no drama marriage of two elderly men just as much as the way everyone was accepted into their home for who and what they are.
I had some good laughs when murder is suggested as a solution to problems, or when kids float around the room accidentally! The relationships between the different people felt real and three dimensional. I really enjoyed spending time with everyone and will miss them!
The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith (Queer author)
This was one hell (sorry for the pun) of a lot of fun!
A library in hell, full of unwritten stories.
A human librarian, a muse, a naive demon and a hero escaped from his own book, on a quest for a missing book. What could possibly go wrong? Right – everything!
I liked the mix of book nerdiness, adventures, traveling the realms, mystery humour, philosophical questions and banter.
While at times the pacing felt a bit rough around the edges, overall this was a fantastic read that had me well entertained all the way through. I really got on with the characters well. This story was weird and unexpected while still making me feel right at home. I’ll definitely want more!
By a Silver Thread by Rachel Aaron
A fun and unique urban fantasy, and I already can’t wait to read the sequels.
I loved the magic and the strengths and weaknesses that come along with it! It felt fresh and different, which is always a treat.
There are dark bits, especially as the MC and her best friend are deeply bound by above mentioned blood mage, who is not a good person. Overall however it was more of a fast paced and fun read to me. There’s banter and action a plenty, and some of the scenes had me all out snort and giggle.
Some nice twists and turns surprised me, while still feeling like an organic part of the story. Others bits went exactly as expected, which made for a very satisfactory read.
SF / Future / Dystopia
Square³ by Mira Grant
At the start I didn’t really know where it was going, but was easily drawn by the narrative voice.
The farther I got the less I knew what was actually going on, as everything I learned opened 5 new questions – but in the good way! It is thought provoking and fascinating to try to find out what happened to the world, and the characters.
Aside from teh setting, the characters were definitely my main draw, and I must say it didn’t feel like a novella to me, but like a way longer novel, the way I got a feel for them and the world. This is in my eyes always the mark of a great short format, if it doesn’t feel “short” but perfectly right.
The Given by Colby R. Rice (BIPOC)
I quite enjoyed the main character, and her family dynamics. Loving father, who’s rarely there as he is working his feet off trying to earn money. A mom who has a drug problem, but tries to do the best for her family, even if it means sacrificing principles and dignity. A young woman trying to care for her sister. A family just trying to get through life in a world that has broken down and war and violence are ever closing in on the few civilian territories.
I liked how real and three dimensional people felt and how they just did what needed doing. I also quite enjoyed the mix of post apocalyptic world, fantasy aspects, police procedural, survival, family, trust, betrayal and mystery.
The dystopian story features a lot of societal topics like oppression, racism, abuse of power, … And I thought they were handled rather well!
How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason is a very fun SciFi story with a bit of fairytale magic mashed in.
I was quickly hooked by the tone and voice of both the book and the main character, and was very well entertained by the humour and banter all the way through.
If you’re looking for something light and fun, that doesn’t take itself too seriously, this is a great choice!
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Another tiny story with a giant heart.
Not much is really happening, there’s no actual or or big stakes.
Instead there’s a mystery, a new world to explore, characters I instantly fell for, and just so much warmth in it.
I had a horrendous month to say the least, and this was exactly what I needed to calm both my anxiety and help to distract me from grief as well.
Becky Chambers to me, is the ultimate warm hug in word form.
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal (Anxiety)
I loved the alternate history this is set in, and liked how the timeframe was a backdrop, but didn’t take over the story. We mostly have the social structures of the 50s, and we get a few glimpses of the rest of the world, but we keep focused on the main characters and their immediate surroundings.
I loved Elma, and I especially loved the anxiety representation. Having social anxiety myself, I was absolutely feeling her scenes of panic.
This must be enough for today, next post soonish!