Fantasy Books for Your Summer Reading Pile
Author Tasha Suri recommends books by S.A. Chakraborty, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and P. Djèlí Clark
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Gif: Elena Scotti (Photos: Courtesy Tasha Suri, Amazon)
It’s common to associate summer reading with books about family beach houses on Nantucket where explosive intergenerational secrets come to light. But for some of us, it just isn’t summertime until we’ve cracked open a fat paperback with a big map in the front, a detailed guide to a fictional, magical landscape. In this latest installment of Jezebel’s series of summer reading recommendations from guest writers, Tasha Suri recommends fantasy novels that scratch that particular itch.
Suri is the author of The Jasmine Throne, the first book in a new epic fantasy trilogy that follows two women: Malini, a princess who’s been locked up in a wrecked temple by her emperor brother, and Priya, a servant with dangerous secrets. They form an uneasy alliance—that grows into more—against a backdrop of high-stakes imperial politics and resistance. Suri recommends sweeping fantasy novels drawing on a wide variety of places and magical traditions as well as, in at least one instance, “ a besuited heroine I would happily die for.”
Tasha Suri’s Summer Fantasy Reading Recommendations
The Councillor
The Councillor is the story of a scholar thrown into the role of kingmaker after the poisoning of the monarch she served. It’s gorgeously written, but it’s the queernorm world, the heroine who uses intelligence as her sword, and the vibrant supporting cast of characters—including a far-too-clever prince with a pet cobra—that really make the book shine.