Last month the Reading Wonderland blog series offered four author interviews with a plethora of book recommendations (check out my May posts). I thought, let’s keep the ball rolling on the beauty of reading and books and play a game: This Then That which offers a book title I’ve read to which someone else provides a recommendation of a different title that aligns with that style. Fun right?

This week, I asked my Bookstagram friend Lavinia Ungureanu (you can find her on Instagram @instaraygram) to play along. I know how much she loves YA fantasy, so I thought she was the perfect person to ask to participate. What you’ll find is a book gallery below. The left side is my THIS titles. I’ve linked all of the books to Powell’s books (because it’s an independent bookstore, but I suggest finding a local one). The right side are Lavinia’s THAT titles. If you think of one, drop it in the comments. And visit my IG story today for YA Contemporary. I’ll give you THIS titles and you share your THATs! Can’t wait.

This Then That

THIS

CL Walters

Strange the Dreamer

This is the first book in a duology by Laini Taylor. The follow up is Muse of Nightmares. She also has several other fantasy titles, one of her most popular being Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Ember in the Ashes, Book 1

Sabaa Tahir’s fourth book in this series releases in December. You’ve got time to enjoy the first three books before then.

Harry Potter Series

There are seven books in this series. It begins with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. It might be categorized as Middle Grade fantasy initially, but each title ages with the protagonist, Harry.

Infernal Devices Trilogy

Clockwork Angel is the first in the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare. It is set in Victorian England and follows three characters: Tessa, Jem and Will. The follow up titles are Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely

This book is the first in a series written by Brigid Kemmerer. The follow up title as already been released: A Heart so Fierce and Broken. The third title is set to be released January 2021.

Children of Blood and Bone

This is the first book in a series written by Tomi Adeyemi. A gripping fantasy with African influence, it’s gorgeously told. The second in the series is also available: Children of Virtue and Vengence.

A Darker Shade of Magic

This is the first book in the Shades of Magic trilogy by V.E. Schwab, more adult than YA, but definite crossover appeal. All of the titles are available.

Throne of Glass

This is the first title in a series by Sarah J. Maas of nine books—all of which have been released.

Circe

A mythological retelling of the witch Circe from The Odyssey.

The Night Circus

A fantastic novel set in a circus amid magicians in a life or death competition. Brilliant and rich.

THAT

Lavinia Ungureanu

The Raven Boys Cycle

This is the first book of 4 by Maggie Stiefvater; this is a staff pick by the Powells Book Staff.

Shatter Me Series

Tahereh Mafi wrote this series of seven novels (all available) that begins with this one. A kind of super hero dystopia with edge and a lot of romance.

The Name of the Wind

Patrick Rothfuss presents a “riveting first-person narrative of a young man who grows to be the most notorious magician his world has ever seen.” Powells.com

Stalking Jack the Ripper

The first in a series of four books, Stalking Jack the Ripper is about a Lord’s daughter who goes “against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.”

The Wrath and the Dawn

From Goodreads: In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.

Spin the Dawn

from Goodreads: Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping YA fantasy about a young girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Six of Crows

The first of a duology (the second title is Crooked Kingdom). It’s a squad - heist story set in a fantasy world and it is fantastic.

The Grisha Trilogy

Shadow and Bone is the first title in The Grisha Trilogy also by Leigh Bardugo. Gorgeous fantasy with magic and romance. All three of the titles are available.

Serpent and the Dove

A staff pick at Powells.com:

"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." Lou (a scrappy, snarky witch of a girl) and Reid (a stoic, principled witch hunter) accidentally stumble their way into a forced marriage. Lou must hide the secret of her magic from her unexpectedly kind but undeniably dangerous new husband, and Reid, honorable to his core, begins to question where his loyalties lie. A lush, gorgeous, and incredibly fun debut. Recommended By Joanna S., Powells.com

Language of Thorns

A collection of shorts that transport you into the Grishaverse of The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, The Six of Crows, and King of Scars. Can’t get enough of Leigh Bardugo!

Don’t forget to check in on my Instagram story to share you thoughts about the contemporary titles I’ve posted! I’ll be posting your THAT to the blog next week.

NEXT WEEK: This Then That, YA Contemporary Edition

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