and they have plenty to tell….
Shelley Parker-Chan's finale to the Radiant Emperor duology flips the board from the first book’s showcase of the dazzling brilliance of ambition and passion to a brutal, haunting dive into the muck of humanity's darkest. Parker-Chan takes their characters’ plights, desires, and choices into its brutal, yet natural and fateful conclusion as the race to rule Imperial China nears its end.
Completely unhinged, chaotic, and exciting - Iron Widow is the perfect combination of angry feminist reimagination of Chinese history and mecha sci-fi. Iron Widow is an entirely new experience, with many exhilarating moments and a compelling, morally-challenged (anti?)heroine to spearhead its story.
Daubed in gold and dipped in honey, Nghi Vo delivers a smooth and clever reimagination of an American classic tangling race, sexuality, magic, and class. I deeply enjoyed her sumptuously decadent writing, all the way until the party glamour dies and the gold drips its last luxury.
Tasha Suri creates a memorable breakout moment with her trailblazing The Jasmine Throne — first in a new epic, nuanced, and wonderfully complex story. A blistering, gutsy, and kinetic book, it's one of the finest fantasies I've read in 2021.
Like antiheroes, morally gray characters, and vibes reminiscent of "Killing Eve" all jam-packed in a dark Jamaican-inspired fantasy book exploring the duality of heroes/villains? Ciannon Smart's evocative debut is for you.
The Books are Rising 