5 Epic Fantasies to Read After Sabaa Tahir’s A Torch Against the Night

Serpentine, by Cindy Pon
There’s a darkness growing within 16-year-old orphan Skybright that she can no longer deny. By day, she’s just a handmaiden to the wealthy Zhen Ni, daughter of a rich Xian family. But by night, she’s something else completely, something that threatens to swallow her entire existence whole—and bring its wrath down upon the people of her kingdom. When the battle between humans and demons takes Xia (the world Pon established in her Silver Phoenix series), Skybright is caught in the middle, meant to be a leader as a serpent demon, and perhaps a lover in the human one. How will she decide her destiny? Sequel Sacrifice is on shelves now, too!

The Winner’s Curse, by Marie Rutkoski
I  know: I put this on every fantasy must-read list I write. But it’s here, on this particular list, with good reason. Rutkoski knows a thing or ten about slow burn romance, but it’s perhaps the political game in this trilogy—especially the topsy-turvy dynamic between general’s daughter Kestrel and slave rebellion leader Arin—that makes the trilogy so riveting. You can never quite get your footing, and it makes for a breathless read. Order sequels Crime and Kiss now, too. You’ll be happy you did.

The Young Elites, by Marie Lu
Nobody is quite what they seem in Lu’s dynamic and devastating trilogy, which centers on the confounding Adelina, a survivor of a blood fever that left her with powers that make her coveted by both the Daggers, a team of Young Elites trying to channel their powers to defeat Enzo, and the Inquisition Axis, the emperor’s team intent on destroying the elites. Over the course of Elites and its sequels, The Rose Society and the recently released Midnight Star, Lu slowly, seamlessly develops the darkness in Adelina, and before you know it, you’ll find yourself rooting for the villain—and unraveling just what makes her who she is.

The Star-Touched Queen, by Roshani Chokshi
Chokshi’s stunning debut centers on Maya, a reluctant princess of Bharata, who has forever been told that her stars are dark—she’s cursed to bring destruction with her marriage. And she manages to fall right into that trap, despite her best efforts not to, falling fast and furious for the mysterious Amar, ruler of the kingdom of Akaran. Chokshi melds the Hades/Persephone myth with Indian folklore in this richly drawn, decidedly dark tale of love and death. The companion novel, the upcoming A Crown of Wishes, follows my favorite character from the first book, and promises another wild ride.

Flame In the Mist, by Renée Ahdieh
Okay, okay, there’s a reason I saved this one for last: it’s not out till May. But if you loved Ahdieh’s Wrath And the Dawn series (and who didn’t?), you should be hitting the pre-order button on Flame right quick. Drawing from Japanese samurai legend with a Mulan twist, Flame follows Mariko, a powerful alchemist in the making who’s not allowed to practice—because she’s a girl, promised as a prize in a political marriage. After a bloody ambush, she escapes, disguised as a peasant boy, and is captured by the mysterious Black Clan, whose dark agenda includes betrayal and murder—specifically, Mariko’s.