Young Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels Written by Asian American Women
A Compiled Crowdsourced Megalist from Twitter
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This is a compiled list based on a Twitter that writer Muqing M. Zhang started and is occasionally updated when I come across new books. Last updated: Feb 3, 2019.
On January 11, 2019 Muqing Zhang sent off a tweet and attracted Asian American sci-fi and fantasy readers and writers out of the wood works. Asian here includes women (self-identified) from the South Asian and Middle Eastern communities, not just East Asian!
Please also recommend more Asian communities (such as Central Asian, Pacific Islanders), as well as LGBTQ writers and stories. This list of women is anyone who identifies as female or uses she/her pronouns. I haven’t read the authors on this list, so please help with tags & notes.
Note on list formatting:
- Sorted by author, in alphabetical order, by family name
- Link to author’s website in their name
- The tweet / recommendation from the Twitter community (some repeated tweets, and have spread tweets for authors with multiple endorsements)
- If single book: book name is part of the title
- If multiple books, I’ve added in some titles or the series that they’re known for (not all the books they’ve written)
- You can search keywords, such as genderqueer, trans, Asia to find what you’re looking for. Press “Ctrl + F” for PC and or “Command + F” for Macs.
Contents and a Quick Start
This post as a catalogue has:
- TL;DR List & an Anthology
- The List: Young Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books by Asian American Writers
- Conversations to Check Out
- Authors’ Recommendations
- #LGBTQ
- Honourary Mentions
TL;DR List & an Anthology
Anthology Collection: Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman (Editors): A Thousand Beginnings And Endings
Anthology includes pieces by: Ellen Oh (Author), Elsie Chapman (Author), Renée Ahdieh (Author), Sona Charaipotra (Author), Preeti Chhibber (Author), Roshani Chokshi (Author), Aliette de Bodard (Author), Melissa de la Cruz (Author), Julie Kagawa (Author), Rahul Kanakia (Author), Lori M. Lee (Author), E. C. Myers (Author), Cindy Pon (Author), Aisha Saeed (Author), Shveta Thakrar (Author), Alyssa Wong (Author)
The collection includes most of the writers who were recommended by the Twitter community, so a great sampler book.
Also check out the website Diversity in YA, curated by Cindy Pon and Melinda Lo.
The List
Renee Ahdieh
Repeating a lot of people, but anything by @Marie_Lu and @rahdieh — Joelle 💙 @joelle_saraaa
Wrath and The Dawn Series
- The Wrath and the Dawn
- The Crown and the Arrow
- The Moth and the Flame
- The Mirror and the Maze
- The Rose and the Dagger
Flame In The Mist Series
- Flame in the Mist
- Okami
- Yumi
- Smoke in the Sun
S.K. Ali: Saints and Misfits
Recommended by Katie Faigin @KatieFaigin
Traci Chee
The Reader Series by Traci Chee (@tracichee) — Julia K @jkparkey
The Reader Series
- The Reader
- The Speaker
- The Storyteller
Kat Cho: Wicked Fox
@KatCho her debut is Wicked Fox @MarieLu Legend Series, The Young Elites, And Warcross. All have positive asian female and Asian male leads! Also other of my fav is @rahdieh with The flame in the mist (Japanese characters and settings) Lolita Luna🌙 @Lolitas_Love
Roshani Chokshi
Roshani Chokshi’s Books, especially her MG book Aru Shah and the End Of Time! — Mermaid Morgan 🌊🌊 @AsIsTheSea
We love Roshani Chokshi! Just finished her “Aru Shah and the End Of Time” and the kiddo was heartbroken when he found out the next book in that series hasn’t been published yet. — Moominmamma’s ghost @mammatroll
- The Gilded Wolves
- Aru Sha and the Song of Death
- Aru Sha and the End of Time
- The Star-Touched Queen
- A Crown of Wishes
- Star-touched Stories
Akemi Dawn Bowman: Starfish
Roshani Chokshi has THE STAR TOUCHED QUEEN and, most recently, THE GILDED WOLVES. It’s not fantasy (it’s contemporary), but I love STARFISH by Akemi Dawn Bowman so so much and I think it’s really important. Stacey Lee has written historical adventure like UNDER A PAINTED SKY. — Camryn Garrett @dancingofpens
Mary Fan 🐲 范诗容
The Dragon Warrior by @ktzhaoauthor and Blood Heir by @ameliewenzhao. There’s also Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon by @AstralColt and Spin the Dawn by @LizLim — Ryan Ramkelawan @ryanramkelawan
Known for the Jane Colt Sci-Fi series
- Artificial Absolutes
- Synthetic Illusions
- Virtual Shadows
- Starswept
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- Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon
- Flynn Nightsider (first novel in a new series)
Emily Pan: The Astonishing Color of After
Recommended by Katie Faigin @KatieFaigin
Julie Dao
oOOOOH anything by Marie Lu! There’s the Legend Series and the Young Elites series and also the Warcross series, which is most recent. FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS is by Julie Dao and is great and has a sequel. CB Lee and the NOT YOUR SIDEKICK series are great — Camryn Garrett @dancingofpens
Sayantani DasGupta: The Serpent’s Secret
Grace!! Ty for shouting out! Also good recs for girl powered, PERCY JACKSON-esque Asian American fantasy include THE SERPENT’S SECRET by @Sayantani16 and ARU SHAH AND THE END OF TIME by @Roshani_Chokshi — Katie Zhao 💛 @ktzhaoauthor
Somaiya Daud: Mirage
Mirage!!!! So so good — Seema Rao @SeemaRaoWrite
Julie Kagawa
Has anyone mentioned Julie Dao’s or Julie Kagawa’s books? Both have series and my daughter loves them! — Susan Blumberg-Kason @Susan_BK
- Shadow of the Fox
- Soul of the Sword
Blood of Eden
- The Immortal Rules
- The Eternity Cure
- Dawn of Eden
The Talon Saga
- Talon
- Legion
- Soldier
- Rogue
The Iron Fey Series
- The Iron King
- The Iron Daughter
- The Iron Queen
- The Iron Knight
Also known for the Iron Fey Novellas.
Heidi Heilig
Recommended by Katie Faigin @KatieFaigin
Sarah Kuhn
Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn — funny brilliant ! — Kathy Bryson @kathybryson2
Monstress by Marjorie Liu and the Heroine Complex books by Sarah Kuhn could use a mention that they are adult books! Especially Monstress, it’s super dark. Kuhn’s books would likely work for the older end of YA readers. Great list! — Maija Reads @maijareads
Heroine Complex Series *Note, older YA readers / Adult
- Heroine Complex
- Heroine Worship
- Heroine’s Journey
CB Lee
Jade City is an adult novel, so definitely better suited to older teens and above. Another couple of good books I just thought of for your pre-teen: NOT YOUR SIDEKICK by C.B. Lee and HEROINE COMPLEX by Sarah Kuhn. — Fonda Lee @FondaJLee
- Seven Tears At High Tide
- Not Your Sidekick
- Not Your Villain
- Not Your Backup
Fonda Lee
I really liked Jade City by @FondaJLee, though some parts are pretty heavy emotionally, so maybe wait a few years? — Jon @jcsilliman
- Jade City (*Note an adult novel)
Stacey H. Lee
Roshani Chokshi has THE STAR TOUCHED QUEEN and, most recently, THE GILDED WOLVES. It’s not fantasy (it’s contemporary), but I love STARFISH by Akemi Dawn Bowman so so much and I think it’s really important. Stacey Lee has written historical adventure like UNDER A PAINTED SKY. — Camryn Garrett @dancingofpens
- Under a Painted Sky
- The Radical Element
- Outrun the Moon
Grace Lin
Grace Lin is a children’s books illustrator and author, with books for young children and Young Adult novels.
- Year of the Dog
- Year of the Rat
- Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Elizabeth Lim
Thank you, Elizabeth for writing Spin the Dawn and Reflection. Those are also good books too and I hope your books get acclaim and more fan art comes your way. — Ryan Ramkelawan @ryanramkelawan
- Spin the Dawn
- Reflection
Majorie Liu
Monstress is a high fantasy comic by Majorie Liu Centers an Asian Am character and mixes Easterna and Western fantasy/mythology — Kamala Harris is the Feds @jay_murph2099
Monstress by Marjorie Liu and the Heroine Complex books by Sarah Kuhn could use a mention that they are adult books! Especially Monstress, it’s super dark. Kuhn’s books would likely work for the older end of YA readers. Great list! — Maija Reads @maijareads
Known for: Hunter Kiss, The Dirk & Steele Series, Monstress Graphic Novel
- Monstress (adult graphic novel— one reader says it’s quite dark)
Malinda Lo
Ash and Huntress by @malindalo are really fantastic fantasy novels with some amazing world building based around Asia — Alex Naase @Alexandr_ite
Known for: Ash and Huntress universe, Adaptation Series, Riverside Series
Marie Lu
Legend by Marie Lu is also available in manga/graphic novel format — Lolita Luna🌙 @Lolitas_Love
The Legend trilogy by Marie Lu if you like dystopian novels. — G. @MissGher
Known for: Legend trilogy, The Young Elites series, Warcross series, DC Icons series, Spirit Animals series (Full List here)
- Legend (2011)
- Prodigy (2013)
- Champion (2014)
- The Young Elites (2014)
- The Rose Society (2015)
- The Midnight Star (2016)
- Warcross (2017)
- Wildcard (2018)
Sangu Mandanna
A Spark Of White Fire by @SanguMandanna! I absolutely loved it and it got me to re-read the Mahabharata. Hitha Palepu @HithaPalepu
Known for: The Celestial Series
- A Spark of White Fire
- The Lost Girl
Maura Milan: Ignite the Stars
Thank you, Ryan!! I’ll also add @katcho’s WICKED FOX, @swatiteerdhala TIGER AT MIDNIGHT, and @mauramilan’s IGNITE THE STARS! — Elizabeth Lim @LizLim
Axie Oh: Rebel Seoul
Thanks for the shout out! Also REBEL SEOUL by @axieoh is amazing! (mecha anime style robots & swoony kdrama romance). THE GAUNTLET by @KarunaRiazi is an amazing MG adventure (think Muslim JUMANJI). And FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS by @jules_writes is a FABULOUS dark Fantasy Kat Cho 🦊🇰🇷 @KatCho
Cindy Pon
Recommended by Katie Faigin @KatieFaigin
- Silver Phoenix
- Fury of the Phoenix
- Serpentine
- Sacrifice
- Want
- Ruse
Karuna Riazi: The Gauntlet
Thanks for the shout out! Also REBEL SEOUL by @axieoh is amazing! (mecha anime style robots & swoony kdrama romance). THE GAUNTLET by @KarunaRiazi is an amazing MG adventure (think Muslim JUMANJI). And FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS by @jules_writes is a FABULOUS dark Fantasy Kat Cho 🦊🇰🇷 @KatCho
Sabaa Tahir
- An Ember in the Ashes — Recommended by @caeriu
- Torch Against the Night
- A Reaper at the Gates
Andrea Tang: Rebelwing (2020 release)
THE DRAGON WARRIOR by @ktzhaoauthor (out this year!) is Percy Jackson with Chinese mythology, and REBELWING by @atangwrites comes out in 2020 and is about Asian diaspora kids, revolution, and mechanical dragons! Grace Li @gracedli
Swati Teerdhala: Tiger at Midnight (April 2019)
If she’s a fan of Percy Jackson, I would keep an eye out here: http://rickriordan.com/rick-riordan-presents/ … They’re doing a lot of culturally and ethnically diverse stories that seem to be in the vein of Percy Jackson (but not written by Riordan himself) — Marwa Sarraj @meowwa93
It’s not out until April, but The Tiger at Midnight is an Indian mythology inspired YA fantasy by @swatiteerdhala that is perfect for epic fantasy fans! — Rosie Brown @rosiesrambles
JY Yang
#LGBTQ, #non-binary, writer from Singapore!
- Tensorate Series: The Black Tides of Heaven and The Red Threads of Fortune
F.C. Yee: The Epic Crush of Genie Lo
For a pre-teen who loves fantasy action, especially Percy Jackson, I highly suggest THE EPIC CRUSH OF GENIE LO by F.C. Yee
I second THE EPIC CRUSH OF GENIE LO! It has a ton of Chinese mythology and it’s so, so funny!! Grace Li @gracedli
Mimi Yu: The Girl King
Recommended by Meg/Vic/Some swamp creature @AnArmAndAMeg
Amelie Zhao: Blood Heir
i highly recommend @ameliewenzhao ‘s debut BLOOD HEIR which is coming out super soon !!! Ananya Devarajan is REVISING @ananyad12
Katie Zhao: The Dragon Warrior
The Dragon Warrior by @ktzhaoauthor and Blood Heir by @ameliewenzhao. There’s also Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon by @AstralColt and Spin the Dawn by @LizLim — Ryan Ramkelawan @ryanramkelawan
Conversations to Check Out
Originally, I had planned to compile the list, but the messages in the thread were just so heartwarming to read. People seconded suggestions and authors also responded to fans. Here’s a sample exchange:
The Dragon Warrior by @ktzhaoauthor and Blood Heir by @ameliewenzhao. There’s also Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon by @AstralColt and Spin the Dawn by @LizLim — Ryan Ramkelawan @ryanramkelawan
Thank you, Elizabeth for writing Spin the Dawn and Reflection. Those are also good books too and I hope your books get acclaim and more fan art comes your way. — Ryan Ramkelawan @ryanramkelawan
Thank you, Ryan!! I’ll also add @katcho’s WICKED FOX, @swatiteerdhala TIGER AT MIDNIGHT, and @mauramilan’s IGNITE THE STARS! — Elizabeth Lim @LizLim
Recommendations from the Authors
The authors who were recommended also gave nods to other writers in the community, proving that it’s about growing the pie and not just hoarding a slice of it! Most of the tweets are already under the recommended books. I tried to collect them in one section.
Thanks for the shout out! Also REBEL SEOUL by @axieoh is amazing! (mecha anime style robots & swoony kdrama romance). THE GAUNTLET by @KarunaRiazi is an amazing MG adventure (think Muslim JUMANJI). And FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS by @jules_writes is a FABULOUS dark Fantasy Kat Cho 🦊🇰🇷 @KatCho
Jade City is an adult novel, so definitely better suited to older teens and above. Another couple of good books I just thought of for your pre-teen: NOT YOUR SIDEKICK by C.B. Lee and HEROINE COMPLEX by Sarah Kuhn. Fonda Lee @FondaJLee
Thank you, Ryan!! I’ll also add @katcho’s WICKED FOX, @swatiteerdhala TIGER AT MIDNIGHT, and @mauramilan’s IGNITE THE STARS! — Elizabeth Lim @LizLim
Grace!! Ty for shouting out! Also good recs for girl powered, PERCY JACKSON-esque Asian American fantasy include THE SERPENT’S SECRET by @Sayantani16 and ARU SHAH AND THE END OF TIME by @Roshani_Chokshi — Katie Zhao 💛 @ktzhaoauthor
#LGBTQ
I made a call out to extend on this list and ask for queer reads. Got some info back:
From The Gaysian Project @GaysianProject
- Sidekick Squad by CB Lee — “The “Sidekick Squad” series by @author_cblee ! Extremely fun YA series that centers on a Queer AsAm Superhero!”
From Robert De Negro @baizeodu (Cohost of Podcast of Colour)
- Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert
From a conversation in The Gaysian Project @GaysianProject with CB Lee:
- Ash and Huntress Universe by Malinda Lo
- Adaptation by Malinda Lo (bisexual characters)
- A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo (lesbian protagonists ?)
The Red Threads of Fortune, by JY Yang (queer, non-binary writer from Singapore!)
“11 Works of Trans-Positive Science Fiction & Fantasy” from Barnes & Noble. Not all writers are women or Asian, but great list!
Honourary Mentions
This section was opened because some Twitter community members recommended Asian American men (not just cis-men, but anyone using he/his pronouns) as well. The list was originally created for Asian American female writers, but I’ve chosen to make space for the men who have been mentioned as well. Hope to get more trans and non-binary folk and maybe I’ll open up a section/post for them too!
Yoon Ha Lee
#LGBTQ — Trans Writer
You might already know this, but Rick Roirdan has his own publishing imprint for this very purpose! “Dragon Pearl” by Yoon Ha Lee is coming out in the next few days, and I think a sequel for “Aru Shah and the End of Time” by Roshani Chokshi is also scheduled! — emily @aemiouly
The Machineries of Empire
- Ninefox Gambit
- Raven Strategem
- Relevant Gun
Greg Pak: The Princess who Saved Herself
In the comics and graphic novel realm, The Princess Who Saved Herself and it’s upcoming sequal The Princess Who Saved Her Friends, written by @gregpak & @jonathancoulton with art by @takmiyazawa are great too. I know it’s written by an Asian dude, but the hero is an Asian girl! snbatman @snbatman
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Gilbert (Comes out in June 2019)
#LGBTQ — Recommended by Robert De Negro @baizeodu (Cohost of Podcast of Colour)
Finally, a big thank you to all the passionate readers, parents, and writers who contributed to this list and Muqing Wang for starting the conversation!
That’s it! Let me know if you have more Asian sci-fi / fantasy female writers to recommend. Let’s expand it beyond just Asian American. :-) Feel free to connect on Twitter and also check out my travel blog for Japan and LGBTQ information in Asia: The Cup and the Road.
