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A column in Publishers Weekly by a bookseller objects to YA books depicting girl warriors. To bolster her case that this is TERRIBLE, she includes a graphic showing a bunch of book covers showing badass girls, many of whom are people of color in books written by writers of color, and two of whom are not holding a weapon at all but does have a super cool prosthetic arm or is riding a phoenix. (Girls! Just say no to prosthetic limbs and the dangerous sport of phoenix riding!)
Anyway, those books look great! I would like to read some of them, and I bet you would too. Anyone want to join me in buying or getting a couple from the library, then reviewing them (good, bad, or indifferent) to give them more visibility?
(Also, it took me fricking forever to put this post together, so please make me feel like my time wasn't unwisely spent.)
It's still very hard for writers of color to break into YA publishing, and it's still unusual for girls of color to be featured on book covers at all, let alone genre book covers showing them as totally awesome rather than pregnant and in a gang. So thanks, column author, for bringing these books to our attention given that many of them are unlikely to have a big marketing budget and booksellers like you won't sell them, thus contributing to publishers' beliefs that those kinds of books don't sell.
I haven't read any of them, so please let me know if you have and what you thought. I promise to buy and review whichever books get the most votes in comments. You can vote for more than one. If a series book other than # 1 wins, I will start with # 1 of that series.
Rage: A Stormheart Novel
, by Cora Carmack. Princess or adventurer. Duty or freedom. Her Kingdom or the Stormhunter she loves.
Beasts of the Frozen Sun (The Frozen Sun Saga Book 1)
, by Jill Criswell. Burn brightly. Love fiercely. For all else is dust.
Deathcaster (Shattered Realms Book 4)
, by Cinda Williams Chima. Warrior Alyssa ana’Raisa would do anything to protect her home, the Fells, and her legacy, the Gray Wolf line.
Princess Ninjas
, by Dave Francini (author) and Eduardo Garcia (artist). When the kingdom is under attack who do we turn to? The king and his guards? A knight of myth and legend? Or the prophesized, chosen Princess Ninjas who battle evil and will save the day? I think we all know who! [They have an adorably fierce turtle-bear sidekick!]
The Afterward
, by E. K. Johnston. Romantic high fantasy from the bestselling author of Star Wars: Ahsoka and Exit, Pursued by a Bear.
A River of Royal Blood
, by Amanda Joy. Set in a North African-inspired fantasy world where two sisters must fight to the death to win the crown.
The Triumphant (Valiant Book 3)
, by Leslie Livingston. The final book in the Valiant series takes Fallon and her warrior sisters on an epic journey from the corrupt Roman Republic to the wonder of the ancient world: Alexandria, Egypt.
War Girls
, by Tochi Onyebuchi. Two sisters are torn apart by war and must fight their way back to each other in a futuristic, Black Panther-inspired Nigeria. [This is the one with no weapons, but a cool prosthetic arm.]
Crown of Feathers
, by Nicki Pau Preto. A debut fantasy novel about a girl who disguises herself as a boy to join a secret group of warriors that ride phoenixes into battle.
Dealing in Dreams
, by Lilliam Rivera. The Outsiders meets Mad Max: Fury Road in this fast-paced dystopian novel about sisterhood and the cruel choices people are forced to make in order to survive.
Sorcery of Thorns
, by Margaret Rogerson. An imaginative fantasy about an apprentice at a magical library who must battle a powerful sorcerer to save her kingdom.
Trinity of Bones
, by Caitlin Seal. The much-anticipated second title of the Necromancer's Song trilogy. Naya Garth will do whatever it takes to bring Corten back from the shores of death.
Bright Star
, by Erin Swan. The girl who was once an outcast must somehow become the leader Paerolia needs. But she is stronger than she believes—and with the help of a fiercely loyal dragon, she may just be the one to lead them all to victory.
Red Mantle: The Red Abbey Chronicles Book 3
, by Maria Turtschaninoff. An epistolary novel told through the letters Maresi writes back to her friends and mentors at the Abbey. Turtschanino has been awarded the Finlandia Junior Prize, the Swedish YLE Literature Prize, and the Society of Swedish Literature Prize
Shatter the Sky
, by Rebecca Kim Wells. A determined young woman sets out to rescue her kidnapped girlfriend by stealing a dragon from the corrupt emperor. [KIDNAPPED GIRLFRIEND. STEALING A DRAGON.]
Ship of Smoke and Steel (The Wells of Sorcery Trilogy Book 1)
, by Django Wexler. In the lower wards of Kahnzoka, the great port city of the Blessed Empire, eighteen-year-old ward boss Isoka enforces the will of her criminal masters with the power of Melos, the Well of Combat. [That is a whole lot of capitals, I have to say. But it also says "She doesn't expect to have to contend with feelings for a charismatic fighter who shares her combat magic, or for a fearless princess who wields an even darker power" so maybe there's FF?]
The Girl the Sea Gave Back
, by Adrienne Young. For as long as she can remember, Tova has lived among the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and use her for her gift as a Truthtongue.
The Girl King
, by Mimi Yu. Two sisters become unwitting rivals in a war to claim the title of Emperor in this richly imagined, Asian-inspired fantasy. [Hey! This is only $1.99. BOUGHT.]
Anyway, those books look great! I would like to read some of them, and I bet you would too. Anyone want to join me in buying or getting a couple from the library, then reviewing them (good, bad, or indifferent) to give them more visibility?
(Also, it took me fricking forever to put this post together, so please make me feel like my time wasn't unwisely spent.)
It's still very hard for writers of color to break into YA publishing, and it's still unusual for girls of color to be featured on book covers at all, let alone genre book covers showing them as totally awesome rather than pregnant and in a gang. So thanks, column author, for bringing these books to our attention given that many of them are unlikely to have a big marketing budget and booksellers like you won't sell them, thus contributing to publishers' beliefs that those kinds of books don't sell.
I haven't read any of them, so please let me know if you have and what you thought. I promise to buy and review whichever books get the most votes in comments. You can vote for more than one. If a series book other than # 1 wins, I will start with # 1 of that series.
Rage: A Stormheart Novel
, by Cora Carmack. Princess or adventurer. Duty or freedom. Her Kingdom or the Stormhunter she loves.Beasts of the Frozen Sun (The Frozen Sun Saga Book 1)
, by Jill Criswell. Burn brightly. Love fiercely. For all else is dust.Deathcaster (Shattered Realms Book 4)
, by Cinda Williams Chima. Warrior Alyssa ana’Raisa would do anything to protect her home, the Fells, and her legacy, the Gray Wolf line. Princess Ninjas
, by Dave Francini (author) and Eduardo Garcia (artist). When the kingdom is under attack who do we turn to? The king and his guards? A knight of myth and legend? Or the prophesized, chosen Princess Ninjas who battle evil and will save the day? I think we all know who! [They have an adorably fierce turtle-bear sidekick!]The Afterward
, by E. K. Johnston. Romantic high fantasy from the bestselling author of Star Wars: Ahsoka and Exit, Pursued by a Bear.A River of Royal Blood
, by Amanda Joy. Set in a North African-inspired fantasy world where two sisters must fight to the death to win the crown. The Triumphant (Valiant Book 3)
, by Leslie Livingston. The final book in the Valiant series takes Fallon and her warrior sisters on an epic journey from the corrupt Roman Republic to the wonder of the ancient world: Alexandria, Egypt. War Girls
, by Tochi Onyebuchi. Two sisters are torn apart by war and must fight their way back to each other in a futuristic, Black Panther-inspired Nigeria. [This is the one with no weapons, but a cool prosthetic arm.]Crown of Feathers
, by Nicki Pau Preto. A debut fantasy novel about a girl who disguises herself as a boy to join a secret group of warriors that ride phoenixes into battle.Dealing in Dreams
, by Lilliam Rivera. The Outsiders meets Mad Max: Fury Road in this fast-paced dystopian novel about sisterhood and the cruel choices people are forced to make in order to survive.Sorcery of Thorns
, by Margaret Rogerson. An imaginative fantasy about an apprentice at a magical library who must battle a powerful sorcerer to save her kingdom.Trinity of Bones
, by Caitlin Seal. The much-anticipated second title of the Necromancer's Song trilogy. Naya Garth will do whatever it takes to bring Corten back from the shores of death.Bright Star
, by Erin Swan. The girl who was once an outcast must somehow become the leader Paerolia needs. But she is stronger than she believes—and with the help of a fiercely loyal dragon, she may just be the one to lead them all to victory.Red Mantle: The Red Abbey Chronicles Book 3
, by Maria Turtschaninoff. An epistolary novel told through the letters Maresi writes back to her friends and mentors at the Abbey. Turtschanino has been awarded the Finlandia Junior Prize, the Swedish YLE Literature Prize, and the Society of Swedish Literature PrizeShatter the Sky
, by Rebecca Kim Wells. A determined young woman sets out to rescue her kidnapped girlfriend by stealing a dragon from the corrupt emperor. [KIDNAPPED GIRLFRIEND. STEALING A DRAGON.]Ship of Smoke and Steel (The Wells of Sorcery Trilogy Book 1)
, by Django Wexler. In the lower wards of Kahnzoka, the great port city of the Blessed Empire, eighteen-year-old ward boss Isoka enforces the will of her criminal masters with the power of Melos, the Well of Combat. [That is a whole lot of capitals, I have to say. But it also says "She doesn't expect to have to contend with feelings for a charismatic fighter who shares her combat magic, or for a fearless princess who wields an even darker power" so maybe there's FF?]The Girl the Sea Gave Back
, by Adrienne Young. For as long as she can remember, Tova has lived among the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and use her for her gift as a Truthtongue.The Girl King
, by Mimi Yu. Two sisters become unwitting rivals in a war to claim the title of Emperor in this richly imagined, Asian-inspired fantasy. [Hey! This is only $1.99. BOUGHT.]Tags:
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...this lady really needs to go do a review of her Alanna covers if she thinks they're lacking in weaponry; I think every US edition of the quartet features at least two covers with swords. Even the terrible 2011 version of Alanna is armed!
You know what all the covers she features notably don't have, though? The skimpy outfits that were so popular on Girl Warrior books back in my day (I had the Knopf Alanna set). Maybe that's what's making her uncomfortable?
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Of this list, I've only read The Afterward so far but I liked it a lot--a gentle subverting of many epic fantasy tropes and a satisfying queer (f/f) love story. The irony in her including it in the books she complains about is that it has very few action scenes!
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ETA: I may have ordered / pre-ordered several for myself....
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I like the cover and title of Beasts of the Frozen Sun, but that summary doesn't really give anything away.
Ship of Smoke and Steel has a great cover and possibly f/f; the summary doesn't do it any favors, but I'm still hopeful.
A River of Royal Blood: I just really like that cover!
The Girl King sounds fun.
The Triumphant really, really reminds me of the Wonder Woman movie Amazons in terms of visuals--I bet that was deliberate.
Princess Ninjas looks adorable.
I looked up the axe cover at the top of the article (not in the big block of Girls With Swords Oh No), and that one sounds pretty neat:
Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller. "As her father's chosen heir, eighteen-year-old Rasmira has trained her whole life to become a warrior and lead her village. But when her coming-of-age trial is sabotaged and she fails the test, her father banishes her to the monster-filled wilderness with an impossible quest: To win back her honor, she must kill the oppressive god who claims tribute from the villages each year—or die trying." (Summary quoted from Goodreads.)
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I nearly went to go read the article and then decided my blood pressure didn't need to be hiked.
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I am particularly keen on War Girls, Crown of Feathers, The Afterward, Sorcery of Thorns (library apprentice!) & Shatter the Sky
(Actually I have just made myself a private wishlist called YAGirlWarriors and added them all to it, then I can just pick one as a reward each time I finish something else ...)
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And it seems odd to me to object to including the Winter-Soldier type woman in the group. Yes, Bucky could eat plums with his arm. It's still bad-ass. And meant for violence.
And she apparently included the phoenix girl cover because it was too awesome to leave out of anything. Which, honestly, fair enough.
Maybe it's because I was eating an actual cinnamon roll when I clicked through, so all the world seemed rainbows and unicorns, but my take-away was "here are some awesome books, just what I would have loved as a kid" (many of these books feature non-white women) and that we should also have more books about awesome women even if they don't plan to physically dismember people, because women can be awesome in many ways.