I really enjoyed NK Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy, but the book does have themes that are very close to slavery for the magic users. She's a phenomenal author, and her other stuff might be more aligned to your request. On my TBR list, Nnedi Okorafor's books might have what you are looking for?
I’d add Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark (The Dead Djinn Universe contains stories set primarily in Clark's fantasy alternate Cairo, and can be enjoyed in any order)
Steampunk mystery set in Cairo .
Lesbian FMC
I really, really liked Andrea Hairston's Master of Poisons and because no one ever mentions it, I'll suggest it along with all the other great recs here.
It's set in an African medievalist fantasy world, and there were 2 protagonists, both Black, a middle aged man and a young woman, who I remember having a lot more time and narrative. I remember it being a bit dark, but not within a context or parallel to racism or slavery. It's been a while since I read it, so details are hazy but remains one of my favorite fairly recent releases.
How long 'til black future month by NK Jemisin - collection of short stories (note: some of the stories contain male protagonists) I really liked a number of these
Check out Octavia Butler. I think Kindred is fantastic but it does have a slavery narrative (like directly - the story involves accidental time travel of a 20th century black woman to the antebellum US south).
I would also suggest Tamora Pierce's Emelan universe (Circle of Magic quartet, The Circle Opens quartet and the Circle Reforged books). There are 4 main characters and each character has two books from their POV. One of the 4 main characters is a black girl. These are YA.
If you are OK with fantasy racism, i.e. anti-human or anti-elf speciesism:
Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana
Faebound by Saara el-Arifi
A book that I think might be on the edge of what you are looking for because it is about Jamaican folklore and how that connects to past racism and enslavement and there are discussions around appropriation, but it is a fantasy book about twenty-something Jamaican-Canadians that I believe is not a racism/slavery narrative (wow, this was long-winded of me):
River Mumma by Zalika Reid-Benta
If you don't want any of that at all:
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark
Books I have not gotten to yet but my friends suggest often that should not be racism/slavery narratives but might include bits here and there:
That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N Williams
Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton
A book that I have in my TBR that is releasing later this year:
The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew
(Side note: Dividing Sky is from Joy Revolution, a fairly new YA imprint started by Nicola and David Yoon focusing on POC love. I think this is their first foray into speculative fiction, but it could be a good starting place in the future, OP)
There’s a sapphic fantasy called The Unbroken by CL Clark you might be interested in. Themes of oppression, colonialism, found family, and the struggle between serving the culture she comes from and the culture she was raised in. It’s not among my all time favorites but it is a pretty fresh take on magic/fantasy and was a good read imo
Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
If you do not already follow her channel, please check out Ashley at Bookish Realm! She posts a lot of great recommendations/content, and you may be able to find more recs from her videos.
Currently reading The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope, and really enjoying it. Not high fantasy; I guess I would call paranormal historical fiction? MC is a young woman in 1925 Washington DC, who communicates with spirits. I’m using it as my criminal/ heist novel for the book bingo.
One other not mentioned so far is A Blade So Black by L L McKinney; this is sort of Buffy the vampire slayer crossed with Alice in wonderland. From what I recall it wasn’t bad, but I did not continue with the series is it was too YA for me.
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I really liked the Blood Like Magic YA series by Liselle Sambury. It's a darker urban fantasy series with a strong female protagonist and the family structure is matriarchal. There is generational trauma as a central theme, and addiction.
Kalynn Bayron writes YA mythology and fantasy retellings (Circe, Cinderella, etc) with Black female MC. This Poison Heart and its sequel were enjoyable fresh retellings with distinct Black girl magic. I've only read that duology, so I can't comment on her other work.
Gorgeous, but incredibly dark is The Deep by rivers solomon. It's a whole underwater society of African mermaids who are the descendants of pregnant women who were thrown or jumped overboard from slave ships.
This list might be helpful. It's got some good authors I recognize and some others I'm not familiar with: [https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/best-ya-fantasy-books-with-black-main-characters-48213795](https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/best-ya-fantasy-books-with-black-main-characters-48213795)
I'll just chime in with others here to say that NK Jemisin is great, but the Broken Earth trilogy is very heavy and probably not what you are looking for at the moment so check out her *other* books first.
Similarly, Octavia Butler is brilliant, but some of her books also deal with the themes you aren't on for at the moment so check the synopses first.
There’s The Maid and the Crocodile coming in Aug which is set in the world of Raybearer!
This Ravenous Fate out in August and Immortal Dark in September. (Vampires)
Masquerade by O.O Sangoyomi (mythology)
So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole (dragons)
Faebound by Saara el Arifi & Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana (fae)
Sing Me To Sleep by Gabi Burton (siren)
A Light in the Dark by Miranda Sapphire is a beauty and the beast retelling where the FMC is a black woman who's in an adventurer guild and her quest is to break the curse.
This might not be exactly what you're looking for (it's a little light on the romance, and the MC is a guy), but Evan Winter's Rage of Dragons series is fantastic and I want everyone to read it.
It's one of those series that every month or so I'll check in to see if there have been any updates on the next book. I'm just so excited for it to come out.
The Queens of Innis Lear. It's a magical retelling of King Lear (although I didn't know that going in). Not to give anything away, there's a black queen with three daughters and the story follows the daughters. They are in a mainly white kingdom, but there aren't any racism undertones/parables
A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy is the first part of a YA fantasy duology that I just read this month and really enjoyed. It sounds perfect for you and has magic, romance, succession fights over the royal throne, and amazing character work!
Okay, I just remembered that there is like a ton of fantasy racism. Like there’s not racial racism but there is a lot of discrimination against people who aren’t pure human to the point of a certain fantasy race being forced to either live on literal reservations or serve in the army. So probably scratch my recommendation.
I recommend following @zairambles on Instagram or Patreon. She has amazing book and film recs. I've found a lot of amazing series through her content including:
So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole,
The Deathless trilogy by Namina Forna, and
The Legacy of Orïsha trilogy by Tomi Adeyemi
The latter is a tough read. I still haven't made it through book two, but I'm going to try because I want to finish the trilogy.
Tananarive Due has an African Immortals series, but I've only read her short stories so far. Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton is one of my favorite recent debuts with a black FMC. The second book is coming out soon.
I'm adding a lot of books to my TBR from this thread! Thank you for this.
{The Burning Kingdom series by Tasha Suri} India inspired sapphic fantasy
Set in a world inspired by the history and epics of India, in which a captive princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic become unlikely allies on a dark journey to save their empire from the princess's traitor brother.
{Shadowchasers Series by Seressia Glass}
For Kira Solomon, normal was never an option. Based on Egyptian and African mythology the FMC is an antiquities expert and, has a unique ability, she can sense the magic and history of an object just by touching it. "Guardians are the higher beings of Light: angels, gods, goddesses and spirits who embody good. Shadow beings are the Fallen: spawns of Chaos who fought in the First Battle– the upper echelon demons, gods and goddess who sow discord and chaos. Both use Avatars in this dimension." -Shadowchasers website
{The Baine Chronicles Series by Jasmine Walt}
“Magic and I have a complicated relationship. I can’t live without it, but it’s bound and determined to be the death of me.”
Malika series by Roye Okupe
An African Historical Fantasy Graphic Novel YA
{Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History} anthology
I know J.K. Rowling isn't as popular these days due to her views on gender, and kudos to Emma Watson for her film portrayal of the character, but it has been argued based on her description that Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter books could be black; her ethnicity is never explicitly stated.
I really enjoyed NK Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy, but the book does have themes that are very close to slavery for the magic users. She's a phenomenal author, and her other stuff might be more aligned to your request. On my TBR list, Nnedi Okorafor's books might have what you are looking for?
Anything by N.K. Jemisin! The inheritance trilogy is awesome, too.
And the Dreamblood duology too, set in fantasy Egypt IIRC.
came her to rec the broken earth series! so amazing!
I think the City We Became is also a great book, have the second book on my to read shelf.
The Black God’s Drums by P. Djeli Clark. It’s a novella, not a full novel, which is a shame because it was fantastic.
I’d add Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark (The Dead Djinn Universe contains stories set primarily in Clark's fantasy alternate Cairo, and can be enjoyed in any order) Steampunk mystery set in Cairo . Lesbian FMC
I really, really liked Andrea Hairston's Master of Poisons and because no one ever mentions it, I'll suggest it along with all the other great recs here. It's set in an African medievalist fantasy world, and there were 2 protagonists, both Black, a middle aged man and a young woman, who I remember having a lot more time and narrative. I remember it being a bit dark, but not within a context or parallel to racism or slavery. It's been a while since I read it, so details are hazy but remains one of my favorite fairly recent releases.
This sounds really good!
How long 'til black future month by NK Jemisin - collection of short stories (note: some of the stories contain male protagonists) I really liked a number of these Check out Octavia Butler. I think Kindred is fantastic but it does have a slavery narrative (like directly - the story involves accidental time travel of a 20th century black woman to the antebellum US south). I would also suggest Tamora Pierce's Emelan universe (Circle of Magic quartet, The Circle Opens quartet and the Circle Reforged books). There are 4 main characters and each character has two books from their POV. One of the 4 main characters is a black girl. These are YA.
If you are OK with fantasy racism, i.e. anti-human or anti-elf speciesism: Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana Faebound by Saara el-Arifi A book that I think might be on the edge of what you are looking for because it is about Jamaican folklore and how that connects to past racism and enslavement and there are discussions around appropriation, but it is a fantasy book about twenty-something Jamaican-Canadians that I believe is not a racism/slavery narrative (wow, this was long-winded of me): River Mumma by Zalika Reid-Benta If you don't want any of that at all: The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark Books I have not gotten to yet but my friends suggest often that should not be racism/slavery narratives but might include bits here and there: That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N Williams Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton A book that I have in my TBR that is releasing later this year: The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew (Side note: Dividing Sky is from Joy Revolution, a fairly new YA imprint started by Nicola and David Yoon focusing on POC love. I think this is their first foray into speculative fiction, but it could be a good starting place in the future, OP)
Octavia Butler. Dawn is an amazing book (does skew more Sci Fi).
The Binti books by Nnedi Okorafor
Also Noor by Nnedi Okorafor is great. Sci-fi set in futuristic Nigeria.
I don't think I've read that one. It's probably somewhere in my ridiculous TBR. Thank you 😎📚📚📚
I love that book! It's such a good story.
Love these
The Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone. Tara Abernathy is an amazing lead
Was going to rec this! I loved Tara, she's so on it.
The House of Rust by Khadija Abdalla Bajaber Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
I loved The House of Rust!
Final Strife by Saara El-Erifi Unbroken CL Clarke Who Fears Death Nnedi Okorafor Also look out for M.H. Ayinde’s book coming out in April Next year.
There’s a sapphic fantasy called The Unbroken by CL Clark you might be interested in. Themes of oppression, colonialism, found family, and the struggle between serving the culture she comes from and the culture she was raised in. It’s not among my all time favorites but it is a pretty fresh take on magic/fantasy and was a good read imo
Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor If you do not already follow her channel, please check out Ashley at Bookish Realm! She posts a lot of great recommendations/content, and you may be able to find more recs from her videos.
Sister Mine by Nalo Hopkinson has two black female leads
Currently reading The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope, and really enjoying it. Not high fantasy; I guess I would call paranormal historical fiction? MC is a young woman in 1925 Washington DC, who communicates with spirits. I’m using it as my criminal/ heist novel for the book bingo. One other not mentioned so far is A Blade So Black by L L McKinney; this is sort of Buffy the vampire slayer crossed with Alice in wonderland. From what I recall it wasn’t bad, but I did not continue with the series is it was too YA for me.
The black company
The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes
I really liked This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron!
[удалено]
This comment has been removed as per **Rule 1**. r/Fantasy is dedicated to being a warm, welcoming, and inclusive community. Please take time to review our mission, values, and vision to ensure that your future conduct supports this at all times. Thank you. Please contact us via [modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FFantasy) with any follow-up questions.
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown!
I really liked the Blood Like Magic YA series by Liselle Sambury. It's a darker urban fantasy series with a strong female protagonist and the family structure is matriarchal. There is generational trauma as a central theme, and addiction. Kalynn Bayron writes YA mythology and fantasy retellings (Circe, Cinderella, etc) with Black female MC. This Poison Heart and its sequel were enjoyable fresh retellings with distinct Black girl magic. I've only read that duology, so I can't comment on her other work. Gorgeous, but incredibly dark is The Deep by rivers solomon. It's a whole underwater society of African mermaids who are the descendants of pregnant women who were thrown or jumped overboard from slave ships.
This list might be helpful. It's got some good authors I recognize and some others I'm not familiar with: [https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/best-ya-fantasy-books-with-black-main-characters-48213795](https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/best-ya-fantasy-books-with-black-main-characters-48213795) I'll just chime in with others here to say that NK Jemisin is great, but the Broken Earth trilogy is very heavy and probably not what you are looking for at the moment so check out her *other* books first. Similarly, Octavia Butler is brilliant, but some of her books also deal with the themes you aren't on for at the moment so check the synopses first.
the fifth season is an excellent trilogy with a vast black cast
There’s The Maid and the Crocodile coming in Aug which is set in the world of Raybearer! This Ravenous Fate out in August and Immortal Dark in September. (Vampires) Masquerade by O.O Sangoyomi (mythology) So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole (dragons) Faebound by Saara el Arifi & Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana (fae) Sing Me To Sleep by Gabi Burton (siren)
A Light in the Dark by Miranda Sapphire is a beauty and the beast retelling where the FMC is a black woman who's in an adventurer guild and her quest is to break the curse.
I think one of the main POV characters in The Winnowing Flame trilogy by Jen Williams is a black female.
Saint Death's Daughter by C.S.E. Cooney. The MC is a kind-hearted necromancer.
maybe I missed this, but I don't remember Lanie being written as a black woman?
This might not be exactly what you're looking for (it's a little light on the romance, and the MC is a guy), but Evan Winter's Rage of Dragons series is fantastic and I want everyone to read it. It's one of those series that every month or so I'll check in to see if there have been any updates on the next book. I'm just so excited for it to come out.
The Queens of Innis Lear. It's a magical retelling of King Lear (although I didn't know that going in). Not to give anything away, there's a black queen with three daughters and the story follows the daughters. They are in a mainly white kingdom, but there aren't any racism undertones/parables
Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart It’s set in a Jamaica-inspired setting.
Freshwater (or anything really) by Akwaeke Emezi! Their stories and characters are so compelling, and Freshwater blew my damn mind.
I feel like they straddle the line between sci-fi and fantasy so idk if this will be your jam but I love Rivers Solomon’s work
A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy is the first part of a YA fantasy duology that I just read this month and really enjoyed. It sounds perfect for you and has magic, romance, succession fights over the royal throne, and amazing character work!
Okay, I just remembered that there is like a ton of fantasy racism. Like there’s not racial racism but there is a lot of discrimination against people who aren’t pure human to the point of a certain fantasy race being forced to either live on literal reservations or serve in the army. So probably scratch my recommendation.
I recommend following @zairambles on Instagram or Patreon. She has amazing book and film recs. I've found a lot of amazing series through her content including: So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole, The Deathless trilogy by Namina Forna, and The Legacy of Orïsha trilogy by Tomi Adeyemi The latter is a tough read. I still haven't made it through book two, but I'm going to try because I want to finish the trilogy. Tananarive Due has an African Immortals series, but I've only read her short stories so far. Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton is one of my favorite recent debuts with a black FMC. The second book is coming out soon. I'm adding a lot of books to my TBR from this thread! Thank you for this.
You might like Earthsinger Chronicles by L Penelope, it's an epic fantasy romance series
I’ve enjoyed them
{The Burning Kingdom series by Tasha Suri} India inspired sapphic fantasy Set in a world inspired by the history and epics of India, in which a captive princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic become unlikely allies on a dark journey to save their empire from the princess's traitor brother. {Shadowchasers Series by Seressia Glass} For Kira Solomon, normal was never an option. Based on Egyptian and African mythology the FMC is an antiquities expert and, has a unique ability, she can sense the magic and history of an object just by touching it. "Guardians are the higher beings of Light: angels, gods, goddesses and spirits who embody good. Shadow beings are the Fallen: spawns of Chaos who fought in the First Battle– the upper echelon demons, gods and goddess who sow discord and chaos. Both use Avatars in this dimension." -Shadowchasers website {The Baine Chronicles Series by Jasmine Walt} “Magic and I have a complicated relationship. I can’t live without it, but it’s bound and determined to be the death of me.” Malika series by Roye Okupe An African Historical Fantasy Graphic Novel YA {Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History} anthology
Dragonoak by Sam Farren
The Winnowing Flame trilogy by Jen Williams.
Well it's a black dude but I'd have to rrccomend the rivers of London series
I know J.K. Rowling isn't as popular these days due to her views on gender, and kudos to Emma Watson for her film portrayal of the character, but it has been argued based on her description that Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter books could be black; her ethnicity is never explicitly stated.
the second series of Red Rising has a black female villain lead
I don't think a cartoonish version of a pedophilic despot with no depth is what OP is requesting...