Reading Recommendations: Black Fantasy Reads
A new month means another batch of reading recommendations! This month’s theme is Black Fantasy Reads!
A Mastery of Monsters
When August’s brother disappears before his sophomore semester, everyone thinks the stress of college got to him. But August knows her brother would never have left her voluntarily, especially not after their mother so recently went missing.
The only clue he left behind was a note telling her to stay safe and protect their remaining family. And after August is attacked by a ten-foot-tall creature with fur and claws, she realizes that her brother might be in more danger than she could have imagined.
Unfortunately for her, the only person with a connection to the mysterious creature is the bookish Virgil Hawthorne…and he knows about them because he is one. If he doesn’t find a partner to help control his true nature, he’ll lose his humanity and become a mindless beast—exactly what the secret society he’s grown up in would love to put down.
Virgil makes a proposition: August will join his society and partner with him, and in return, he’ll help her find her brother. And so August is plunged into a deadly competition to win one of the few coveted candidate spots, all while trying to accept a frightening reality: that monsters are real, and she has to learn to master them if she’s to have any hope of saving her brother.
Sambury does an amazing job of setting up the world-building and creating this space that exists beyond the realms of everyday society. I loved the attention to detail from the intricacies of the society August becomes involved with, and how we learn about it through her eyes (of an outsider). It was interesting to learn about the connection between humans and monsters, while the story is also an allegory/commentary on race and socio-economic differences. It takes August, our snarky heroine of the story, to shake things up and truly have these members hold a mirror up to faults within their elitist society.
Almost There
Sometimes, life in the Big Easy is tough. No one knows that better than Tiana, though she also believes that hard work can go a long way. But when the notorious Dr. Facilier backs her into a corner, she has no other choice but to accept an offer that will alter the course of her life in an instant.
Soon Tiana finds herself in a new reality where all her deepest desires are realized―she finally gets her restaurant, her friends are safe and sound, and, perhaps most miraculous of all, her beloved father is still alive. She’s got everything she’s ever wanted…
But after a while, her hometown grows increasingly eerie, with new threats cropping up from unlikely places. Navigating through this strange new New Orleans, Tiana must work alongside Naveen and Charlotte to set things right―or risk losing everything she holds dear.
Almost There is a retelling of a retelling in a sense. It follows the Disney adaptation of The Princess and The Frog tale, but flips the switch as the main character, Tiana, decides to reluctantly make a deal with the Shadow Man (Dr. Facilier) in order to achieve her dreams and bring back a loved one. The novel is enchanting, fun, and suspenseful as Rochon weaves together a tale about dangerous wishes the consequences they bring. I love how she further fleshed out Tiana’s characters as well as others who are featured in the film, but don’t get as much time on screen. Her ideas brought a fresh new lens to Tiana’s story that keeps the reader thoroughly engaged in the story.
Make Me a Monster
As a newly certified mortician’s assistant at her parents’ funeral home, her days are not for the faint of heart. Luckily her boyfriend Noah isn’t squeamish, and Meka is finally feeling ready to say the three little words that will change everything.
But then tragedy strikes, and Meka’s world is torn apart. Nothing makes sense, especially the strange things start happening. Ravens are circling her home. Strangers are following her. Someone is leaving mysterious items at her door. And worst of all . . .
I think the setting of the story alone and having the main character, Meka, who is a mortuary assistant at her family’s funeral home, makes this an eerie read. It’s great for the spooky season or the cooler months, where readers are seeking out thrillers to add to the ambiance. One of the major themes of the novel is grief and dealing with death as a part of life. Through tragedy and revelations later uncovered in the novel, Meka has to come to terms with her mortality (and her work). The story, though supernatural in nature, is also a commentary on how time is not promised and that grieving is not a linear process.
Where There Be Monsters
Eleven-year-old Glory Brown is desperate for adventure far from her family’s quaint, quiet life at The Light Inn. Generations of Browns have been stewards of this humble hotel, which acts as a sanctuary in the stretch of monster-filled land called the Seam. But Glory wants nothing more than to learn how to use her Moxie, a special magic only kids have, and to train to become a Spherinaut like her mother, exploring and documenting the perilous depths of the Outersphere.
When a mysterious boy named Marcus appears one day on a top-secret mission for the Parliamentarium – the school for aspiring Spherinauts – Glory packs up her beloved books and sets off on a once-in-a-lifetime journey that will shuttle her across time and space…and reveal new dangers lurking in the worlds beyond the Seam.
For there’s mischief afoot that’s threatening the balance between the worlds, its magic, and its monsters. And it’s up to Glory to find a solution before it’s too late.
Rather than outright fantasy, this book is blended with many science fiction elements as well which makes it entertaining. The suspense and unknown in this novel makes it so engaging to read. Readers will be locked into the story as we travel through new worlds and thwart villains who threaten the delicate balance of the Outersphere. Glory’s characters are admirable, and I love her tenacity to discover new places and figure out puzzles. She shows such growth over the course of the story and I can’t wait to see what adventure she’ll go on next.
Underground Railroad Undead: Slaves vs. Zombies
Missouri, 1853. (but not the one from History class) Sixteen year-old Kenlee’s plan was simple: survive the brutality of the Gore plantation and chop enough wood to buy freedom for herself and her little sister, Sunday. But survival turns bitter when the dead rise, hungry and relentless.
When the Underground Railroad arrives to the rescue, led by the mysterious and fearsome Capt. Moses, Kenlee learns that the road to Freedom isn’t a train or road at all. It’s a system of portals called the North Star stretching across distant locations. Armed with plasma steampunk weapons and harboring dangerous secrets, the Shepherds of the Underground Railroad are Kenlee’s last hope against the zombies and those who still wield the whip.
But the portals to Freedom are failing, catchers are on their trail, and the undead’s numbers grow by the hour. As the secrets of the Railroad unfold, Kenlee realizes survival isn’t enough. To save Sunday, she must defy every rule she’s ever learned and carve a path out of slavery-and through the horrors waiting at every turn.
Kenlee has spent her life surviving by following the rules-submission, silence, and obedience-but when the dead rise, and survival demands defiance, she must break every rule she’s ever learned and fight for a freedom she never dared to imagine.
Underground Railroad Undead is a fast-paced novel that seeks to write a new chapter in the alternate history sub-genre of Fantasy. This novel seeks to give a supernatural take on history and also the reckoning of America’s racial past. The novel packs a powerful punch from beginning to end with the high stakes and constant danger our cast of characters face. It also felt uplifting at time, despite the dire situations of fight or flight described in the novel. The concept of portal technology for the Underground Railroad was so interesting especially, the weapons used to defend them against the sombi (zombies) in the novel.
That concludes my reading recommendations for Black fantasy reads! What books do you recommend or what are your favorites? Comment below!
I love the sounds of the Underground Railroad comic, because it reminds me of another book in which technology plays an unexpected role in a fiction about that historical era. But I can’t say which one… because it would be a spoiler, as it seeeeeeemed to be just another historical novel until that happens! The others do sound like fun tho, and I love any title that plays with the “Here Be Monsters” quote.
The Underground Railroad one is actually a novel, not a comic. But it would be cool to see the story in graphic novel fun. The concept was unique!