We’re on airport rules post-election! And science-fiction and fantasy writer Evette Davis is joining us to help us offer escapism! If you’re looking for the perfect fantasy book with a great heroine to keep you safe in the days to come, she’s got some great recommendations to pick up as you start dreading Inauguration Day.
If you are anything like me, you’ve been on the news cleanse these past few weeks. When life becomes stranger than fiction, my remedy is to spend time with a kick-ass heroine. As a writer drawn to the transformation of women into warriors and leaders in my own stories, I enjoy writers who do the same. I’m thrilled to share a few of my favorite authors to help send you into another realm.
Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy), Deborah Harkness
I’ve read the books in this series at least three times and binge-watched the television episodes. I love Harkness’ take on searching for the supernatural version of “On the Origin of the Species.” It’s a search and a battle across centuries and continents in which different supernational species — vampires, witches, and demons — will have to cooperate with one another or face extinction. The fifth book, out this year, offers a glimpse of Diana’s family and background that helps round out her character.
Vampire Blood and Stay a Spell, Juliette Cross
I adore both of these series. The Vampire Blood books feature a vampire monarchy that is supposed to look after its human subjects with care. It turns out that something far different is happening, and it takes the bravery of The Black Lily to alert the handsome vampire prince who must declare war against a part of his family to regain the honor of his heritage. Each book features another brave heroine, tying together other supernatural forces that, when combined, bring peace to the kingdom. I am a sucker for a happy ending, especially after a lot of beheadings. The other series, set in New Orleans, features six books with mostly sexy, enemies-to-lovers themes that are impossible to put down.
Deal with the Devil, The Devil You Know, and Dance With the Devil, Kit Rocha (AKA, The Mercenary Librarians)
Anyone who puts mercenary + librarian = warm tingles from me. I was drawn to the series’ premise of lethal women fighting for justice and building community by, among other things, scanning and distributing books to their neighbors. Kit Rocha is a pseudonym for two authors who have expertly created a post-apocalyptic landscape where an evil corporation obsessed with genetic experimentation meets its foil in this motley group of ex-soldiers and mysterious females who can kill with their bare hands. I’m obsessed with the series and know you will be, too.
The Treasure of Paragon Series, Genevieve Jack
What drew me into this series was the first book, The Dragon of New Orleans, where a desperate dragon who has been hexed by a Voodoo Priestess saves a woman who is terminally ill by giving her his tooth. She turns out to be a powerful witch who is unaware of her powers until they are awakened by the dragon’s magic. The rest of the series brings in other dragon siblings and human and vampire characters in adventures that span several states and another dimension.
Starlight’s Shadow Trilogy, Jesse Mihalik
A female bounty hunter forced to work with her enemy in space? Count me in! I was immediately drawn to the premise of Hunt the Stars, which features a great ensemble cast of characters led by a former soldier who now commands her own ship. Short on cash, she takes an assignment from the very man who tried to kill her — a general from an alien army that can crush humans with their minds. The two sides team up to solve a mysterious kidnapping, setting the stage for the trilogy. The sexual chemistry is palpable once the loathing subsides. Eclipse the Moon takes the story to the next level, pairing a driven hacker with the strong, moody assassin who loves her as the characters are drawn deeper into the conspiracy. In Capture the Sun, the third and final book in the trilogy, a cunning thief and a teleporter must team up to save their colleagues before it’s too late.
Bonus: Consortium Rebellion series, Jesse Mihalik
This was the series that started my love affair with Mihalik’s writing. Set in a galaxy far, far away, Mihalik has created a space opera featuring a set of daring siblings with superhuman powers who must battle to survive the cutthroat culture connected to their social status and the machinations of their power-hungry father who is always looking for advantageous alliances, regardless of the consequences to his children. The three sisters harbor deep secrets and real scars but manage to find love despite being on the run and under the gun. I’ve reread these books several times and have never tired of the moxy these women display or the great dialogue.
Evette Davis is a science-fiction and fantasy writer. She is most recently the author of The Others, the first installment of The Council Trilogy, which was released in September 2024 by SparkPress. She is set to release The Gift, the second book in the series, in March 2025. Davis is a member of the Board of Directors for Litquake, San Francisco’s annual literary festival. In 2023 and 2017, Friends of the San Francisco Public Library honored Davis as a Library Laureate. Her work has also been published in the San Francisco Chronicle and Writer’s Digest. Davis splits her time between San Francisco and Sun Valley, Idaho. For more information or to sign up for her newsletter, visit www.evettedavis.com.
