The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Fantasy

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi

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This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
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Supreme and magnificent world building. Tahereh Mafi has created a book to lose yourself in. This Woven Kingdom has it all. Amazing world building, forbidden love, suspense, and unexpected twists and turns. Be prepared for anything! I did have a little problem with the first quarter of the book just because of the extensive world building but after that the story pulled me in as if a string was attached on one end to my heart and the other to the story of Alizeh.

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi, (List Price: $15.99, Storytide, 9780062972453, December 2022)

Reviewed by Mandy Harris, Angel Wings Bookstore & Bistro in Oxford, North Carolina

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The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

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The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah
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Such a fun book! I was craving a fun, original fantasy novel, and this delivered everything I wanted. It had depth without being super dark, the characters were fun and lovable, and the magic system is very cool! I’m looking forward to book 2

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah, (List Price: $19.99, Orbit, 9780316368865, December 2022)

Reviewed by Athena Palmer, Shelf Life Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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The Floating World by Axie Oh

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The Floating World by Axie Oh
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Ren lives in hiding with her adopted family in the mountains, performing as an acrobat in their traveling caravan. When danger strikes, she releases her magical power of light. Sunho lives in the Under World, his memories erased. He is one of many sent to find Ren and capture her. When they meet, he doesn’t realize she is the girl he’s looking for as they begin their journey together.. This immersive fantasy world is very cinematic with an intriguing story.

The Floating World by Axie Oh, (List Price: $19.99, Feiwel & Friends, 9781250853080, April 2025)

Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

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The Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel by Maggie Stiefvater

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The Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel by Maggie Stiefvater
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The Raven Boys is one of my absolute favorite series, and I was really interested to see how it would be adapted for this graphic novel. The storyline is complex and not necessarily well suited to this format, and the writing is so beautiful and atmospheric that I wasn’t sure how it would translate. I can happily say this edition does a SUPERB job. Everything looks exactly as I imagined. Every page was full of magic and atmosphere. As a fan of the series, there were so many foreshadowing clues. I absolutely cannot wait to see the rest of the series adapted. Whether a long-time fan or a newbie to Maggie Stiefvater, any lover of magic and dark whimsy will devour this!!

The Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel by Maggie Stiefvater, (List Price: $17.99, Viking Books for Young Readers, 9780593621189, August 2025)

Reviewed by Rachel Randolph, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

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A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

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A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
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Away from the walls of the Empire is the port city of Yarrowdale, a quasi-Empire outpost responsible for processing the reagents behind powers like Din’s engraving. And here occurred a murder even more vexing than the last, where a Treasury official vanished without a trace. What Ana and Din begin to unfurl are the cascading consequences of a top-secret program, infighting to sustain a dying monarchy, and a murderer at the center of it all who can seemingly predict their every move. A Drop of Corruption probes at the tantalizing false promises of autocracy, the thankless job of justice, and the oft-stifled battle cry of a society worth fighting for. Even with all the dangers within every page, Bennett has crafted a world I’d love to live in, with characters as fascinating as the leviathans themselves.

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett, (List Price: $30, Del Rey, 9780593723821, April 2025)

Reviewed by Jordan April, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

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Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
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I was so happy to get this book (mostly because of how big it was), but I was even more surprised when I sat down to read it, and I was so engaged that I lost track of time, and I couldn’t put it down. It was so amazingly well written, and the characters were astoundingly well written and hilarious. I spent three solid days reading this book, and it never felt like a chore to do so. The ending was amazing, and I can’t wait to have three solid days free so that I can read the next one.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, (List Price: $11.99, Square Fish, 9781250076960, February 2018)

Reviewed by Mandolin Moore, Story on the Square in McDonough, Georgia

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What Wakes the Bells by Elle Tesch

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What Wakes the Bells by Elle Tesch
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Gothic readers rejoice; What Wakes the Bells is exactly what you are looking for! This young adult fantasy boasts a vivid fantasy world filled with ominous bells, luminous Saints, and a sinister city that lives and breaths alongside its citizens. The story follows Mina Strauss, a Bell Keeper, as she learns the secrets and complexities to her family’s bell-keeping legacy. Within Mina’s journey, the story deals with toxic family relationships, the effects of grief, issues of autonomy and consent, and the pressure to protect those you love. From the acme of Lyndell Hall’s bell tower to the shadowy halls of the catacombs, this Czechian myth-inspired tale will captivate you!

What Wakes the Bells by Elle Tesch, (List Price: $19.99, Feiwel & Friends, 9781250322807, March 2025)

Reviewed by Catherine Pabalate, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven

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Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven
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This may be the most beautifully written book I’ve ever read. I need to process and come back, but this made me feel all the feels. There are so many insanely gorgeous lines I would love to quote here. Suffice it to say, I about ran out of ink in my highlighter. If you liked Addie LaRue, you will like this book. Even if you didn’t, you will probably like this book. Another note: I It doesn’t remotely read as YA. More like literary fiction.

Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven, (List Price: $20, Wednesday Books, 9781250333889, March 2025)

Reviewed by Kelley Dykes, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina

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Go Luck Yourself by Sara Raasch

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Go Luck Yourself by Sara Raasch
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Like the first novel, this book is filled with themes of family, holiday joy, and learning to love—both yourself and others. Following Kristopher Clause as he investigates missing holiday magic in the land of St. Patrick’s Day, he discovers that his life and emotions have been twisted by his need to appear put together. As he starts to learn how to feel joy again, Kris also finds love in a person thought to be his enemy — the St. Patrick’s Day prince. Through humorous dialogue, intricate detailing, and a plentiful amount of romance, Go Luck Yourself is a fast-paced and heartwarming novel.

Go Luck Yourself by Sara Raasch, (List Price: $19.99, Bramble, 9781250333216, March 2025)

Reviewed by Ashton Ahart, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina

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Where Shadows Bloom by Catherin Bakewell

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Where Shadows Bloom by Catherin Bakewell
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Bakewell writes fantasies that leave me feeling charmed, comforted, and optimistic. Where Shadows Bloom is as much a love letter to the power of storytelling as it is a fantastical romance between its two lovelorn leads. Compassion and sensitivity leaps off the page. A marvelous read for younger YA readers.

Where Shadows Bloom by Catherin Bakewell, (List Price: $19.99, HarperCollins, 9780063359086, February 2025)

Reviewed by Isabel Agajanian, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida

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King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair

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King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair
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Vampires that are kings, a mortal who is becoming his queen who he worships at her feet even though she doesn’t trust him. Everything you could want and expect from Scarlett St. Clair when it comes to spice, romance, and an easy to follow fantasy. I was hooked and ready to fall down at King Adrian’s feet from the start, and my love was solidified as the book went on. Isolde is a princess who was raised to be a queen and she is no docile pet either, she has an attitude and is a warrior first before you is a queen. She keeps getting these visions that feel like she was there before, of her and King Adrian, but she most definitely wasn’t there, or was she? As she comes to terms with what King Adrian is and her place as a queen she also has to face a deadly mist of magic that is taking over their lands and killing people by the hundreds. Will these two come to trust each other in every way and overcome what is set out to tear them apart?

King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair, (List Price: $18.99, Bloom Books, 9781464239601, January 2025)

Reviewed by Kelli Dynia, Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda, Florida

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Unhallowed Halls by Lili Wilkinson

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Unhallowed Halls by Lili Wilkinson
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I loved the Gothic setting of a castle with ancient roots on a desolate Scottish moor. I’m not really one to go after books about demons because I feel they can hem in the plot, but I loved the way Oak described them as elementals, and how he could see everything alive on the empty-looking moor just by knowing how to look. He was probably my favorite character. I also liked how Page took her chronic pain and made it her superpower later in the book. A big theme of the book is physical bodies versus the mind, and I think Wilkinson did an excellent job weaving that theme through every aspect of the book. From the lessons the Agathion professors taught, to Page’s endometriosis, to the LGBTQ characters, and to the ancient stories of the gods.

Unhallowed Halls by Lili Wilkinson, (List Price: $19.99, Delacorte Press, 9780593810989, February 2025)

Reviewed by Candice Conner, The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, Alabama

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But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo

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But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo
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Where to even begin with this book other than wowza. I was not expecting to be given the most thrilling sapphic monster romance in the entire world. But Not Too Bold gave me goosebumps, and I fear that’s all you really need to know about how incredible it was.

But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo, (List Price: $24.99, Tordotcom, 9781250376633, February 2025)

Reviewed by Caitlyn Vanorder, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor

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The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor
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You’ll want to get your little ink-stained hands on this one as soon as possible! Maeve is getting by in her world by never staying in one place for long and changing her name with every move. See, her father was a known murderer and everyone thinks Maeve is dead. But when she received a letter from seven years ago from an anonymous “friend” claiming that her father is innocent, she must find out the truth. To do this, she’ll have to take on a new identity and apprentice with the Otherwhere Post: the only people who can cross words now (supposedly thanks to her father) to deliver messages. But can she find out the truth before she’s found out herself?

The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor, (List Price: $20.99, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 9780593404546, February 2025)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor

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The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor
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Maeve’s world burned down (literally) seven years ago. Her father was responsible for the crime. A letter from the past arrives, claiming he’s innocent. Maeve practices scriptomancy, the magic of enchanting letters. She impersonates her way into the only place she can uncover the truth in this atmospheric, dark fantasy.

The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor, (List Price: $20.99, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 9780593404546, February 2025)

Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

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