Happy Thursday, bibliophiles!
I meant to post this earlier in the month, but, alas, school. But hey – March isn’t over yet, is it? And here in the U.S., March is Women’s History Month! So for the occasion, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite YA novels with feminist themes not just for March, but for all year round, because we should all be uplifting the voices of women every day of every year.
Let’s begin, shall we?
FEMINIST YA BOOKS FOR WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
Once & Future, A.R. Capetta and Cori McCarthy
GENRES: Sci-fi, romance, LGBTQ+, retellings
MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I mean, how could the premise of an Arthurian retelling where the reincarnation of King Arthur is a POC, pansexual woman not hook you? Plus, lots of dismantling imperialism, sword fights, and an almost entirely queer cast.
GENRES: Contemporary, fiction, romance
MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Can I rant for a minute? I loved this book to death, but the Netflix adaptation of it looks AWFUL. I watched the trailer, and it looks like it COMPLETELY misconstrued the message of the book. The movie makes feminism look like a joke; in the book, Viv was already conscious of the toxic environment of her high school, but in the movie, they (unintentionally?) painted feminism as something that was “trendy” or “what the kids are into.” (In the beginning of the trailer, Viv magically has this feminist awakening from seeing her mom’s old Riot Grrl pictures…) Also in the trailer, she only starts to notice the rampant sexism in her high school AFTER SOMEBODY TELLS HER…
[fumes] okay I’ll stop now but Y I K E S
just stick to the book, okay?
How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse, K. Eason
GENRES: Sci-fi, fantasy
MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Okay, I know this has been shelved as both adult and YA, but…hey, Rory’s 15 for most of the book, so I think I can slip it in this post. Plus, what’s not to love about disobedient, patriarchy-smashing princesses in space?
GENRES: Horror, paranormal, fantasy, LGBTQ+
MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Claire Legrand was a hit-or-miss author for me up until I read this one, but Sawkill Girls is such a powerful novel, both in its paranormal intensity and its resonant themes of sisterhood.
Girls of Paper and Fire, Natasha Ngan
GENRES: High fantasy, romance, LGBTQ+
MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
As disappointing as the sequel was, Girls of Paper and Fire still remains a book that stunned me like no other. A powerful tale of rebelling against oppression and corruption – and some lovely forbidden romance!
The Black Coats, Colleen Oakes
GENRES: Contemporary, fiction, mystery, romance
MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
A super twisty and inventive novel with plenty of morally grey characters and secret societies. Plus, it raises some great points about vigilante justice. And there’s nothing better than getting back at misogynists and rapists, right?
The Sound of Stars, Alechia Dow
GENRES: Sci-fi, dystopian, LGBTQ+, romance
MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Every time I look back at this book, I think something along the lines of “man, I’m so glad I bought this.” Secret libraries, alien invasion, quality music references, cross-country road trips, and more than a little bit of resistance. Very nearly flawless!
Music from Another World, Robin Talley
GENRES: Historical fiction, romance, LGBTQ+
MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A beautiful romance set against the backdrop of protest and resisting homophobia in 1977 San Francisco. There’s lovely representation for both lesbian and bisexual characters, and it’s such a tender and resonant read!
TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! Have you read any of these novels, and if so, did you like them? What are your favorite feminist YA reads?
And while I’m at it, might I direct you all to the Women’s History Book Tag? It was created by Margaret @ Weird Zeal, and I had such a blast doing it last March, and I figured I should direct it to your attention. 🙂
Today’s song:
That’s it for this post! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
The Bookish Mutant 