Calling all young adult readers with a lust for action and dark romance! This Mulan-inspired masterpiece follows Mariko, a descendant of a powerful samurai lineage, who has been promised to Prince Raiden. On the journey to her betrothed, she comes face-to-face with a ruthless group of rebels known as the Black Clan and becomes the only survivor of their vicious assassination attempt on her. With the boiling desire to enact revenge and get to the bottom of their traitorous scheme, Mariko is left with only one choice: establish herself within their ranks and take them out one by one.
With Flame in the Mist, Ahdieh did a remarkable job of reawakening my love for ancient Japan and its culture while celebrating feminine empowerment as her main character battles with her new identity. Mariko defies her initial role as a puppet for partnership and the female standard in feudal Japan as she chooses to pursue her attackers and shed her noble-born privileges in becoming ‘Kaito.’
For any fans of the Shadowhunter Chronicles, more specifically The Infernal Devices series, Chain of Gold is a continuation of the epic adventures one can have as an angel-blooded hunter in Edwardian London. Caught amidst a new demonic foe and with the intent of saving her family’s reputation, Cordelia Carstairs must work alongside her friends to eradicate the new threat. But, as secrets are unveiled and old stories are retold, she realizes how far these evil forces have been embedded within the Shadowhunters themselves, and her doomed love for James Herondale draws her closer to the demon side.
Cassandra Clare delivers yet again with this beautifully-told period piece! Seeing my comfort character Will Herondale again and as a father absolutely wrecked me, and Clare, as always, manages to weave her rich fantasy world with the lavish high-society lifestyle of 20th century England. Like with any of the Shadowhunter novels, readers can find a tale laced with adventure and strong themes of love and friendship that will rip your heart apart.
There is nothing I love more than delving into a good book with a chase. Another story set in Europe, Chokshi’s The Gilded Wolves features a group of rogues who have combined their peculiar talents and skill sets in order to track down a treasure of immense power that may change their whole lives. The Babel fragment is rumored to be defiant of nature’s laws and an object of unfettered power, and Séverin and his team are determined to have it in their palms. Chokshi intertwines various mythologies, exploring the dynamic of antiheroes and what found family means among these outcasts in The Gilded Wolves series.
Against the Exposition Universelle World Fair of 1889, Chokshi demonstrates her mastery in integrating fantastical elements with true historical events. The intrigue and magic of the second-largest city of Europe in the 19th century, Paris, is brought to the reader’s eyes through stunning storytelling and the characters’ hunt.
If it wasn’t apparent that I am a huge Cassandra Clare fan, it should be clear as day now! With one of the finest prequels introducing the juiciest love triangle of all time, Clare doesn’t fall short of keeping her readers in a chokehold. Having taken an overseas voyage in search of her brother, Theresa Gray fatefully meets the evil Dark Sisters and is thrust into the web of the Downworld, learning of her demonic parentage and shapeshifting abilities. When the Shadowhunters of the London Institute rescue her, Tessa can never turn back to what she once believed herself to be and finds that even her love can destroy what she treasures most.
The Infernal Devices is the direct prequel to Chain of Gold (The Last Hours series) and is also the superior Shadowhunters series in my opinion. This Victorian era story captures the beauty of a forbidden period romance and the tension of Tessa’s love for two Shadowhunters, whom she knows that she cannot save from their fates.
With a masterful combination of various historical timelines and magical realms, the works of Clare, Chokshi, and Adhieh are perfect YA selections to kick off this spring season. Within each of these novels, readers will be thrust into tales of treachery and mortal love while building a stronger connection to the beauty of our world’s past. I hope that these novels will carve a coveted space in your heart as they did in mine!
Alysa Jacob, Pine Reads Review Writer & Social Media