FALENCIA JEAN-FRANCOIS

Falencia is a hatian woman who speaks freely about her intersecting identities and fights to bring the world stories that not only represent her, but teach the world something. Her debut book, Devil of the Deep, follows a mermaid who is forced to flee her home in order to escape an underwater cult and ends up partnering with a notoroius pirate and an unwilling navy captain to protect an ancienty artifact from nefarious forces who want to use it to end the world.

This book is filled with intersecting marginalized identities and big conversations about things like Blackness, trans identity, queerness, what it means to be "othered" and even the need to deconstruct colonial religion. This book was masterfully written and, in my opinion, is one of the greatest pieces of literature to be written in modern times.

NATALIA HERNANDEZ

Natalia is a rising (already risen, let's be honest) star in the indie space. Her debut, The Namebearer, came out late 2022, and she has already become one of the most well-known and celebrated authors in many bookish spaces. The Namebearer follows a young girl who was taken from her home and stripped of her name and identity so that she could be raised by the royal family with one specific purpose: so that when the Queen eventually gives birth to the next monarch, she can go to the flowers of prophesy and receive his name. However, when the Prince is born, she goes to the flowers and is told that he will not be king. In fact, if she wants to save the kingdom, she must rebel against the royal family and go find The Promised Prince so that he can take his throne and usher the realm into peace.

In the Namebearer, we primarily follow this nameless girl as she hides among a group of warrior women and trains for this important mission. And throughout the rest of the series (Follower of Flowers, Daughter of Danray & unnamed final installment), we follow her as she fights for her own identity in the midst of sacrificing everything to save a kingdom that considers her a traitor. This story speaks to every little girl and every brown person who has been raised to believe that they only exist in the context of a people who want to both rule them and erase them.

She is also the author of Asiri and the Amaru, which follows a woman who has the rare gift of being able to talk to animals. She has spent her entire life being exploited by her father to build his own reputation. But when she runs away, she decides that she isn't going to tell anyone about her gift. She wants to live a normal life. But when a mythical Amaru gets hurt and a very attractive vet needs her help to save it... well... you know where the story goes from there. This story is a beautiful peak into Peruvian mythology with a cozy, warm setting.

Natalia writes unapologetically Latine storys filled with beautiful imagery, fantastical magic and beautifully orchestrated plots. Couldn't recommend her work more!!!

AMANDA WEAVER

Amanda is one of the best writers I know. Her first book I came across was In the House of Transcendence, which follows a Black woman who can see and interact with ghosts. As a child, her father exploited her gifts and denied her community with people who could help her understand and grow in her gifts. She lived her life in isolation and seperated from her community. But when she stumbles accross another witch and is invited to be a part of a real community, she jumps at the opportunity. Even when it comes with its own set of challenges and difficulties. Including a murder that only she can solve. Working closely with one of the communities elders, our main character must investigate the death of the elder's lover, while building community with her new found-family and working at a local burlesque club. Yes, you read that right. This book is about a burlesque dancing necromancer. Need I say more?

I also read her most recent novel, No One's Gonna Take Her Soul Away, which follows a Black woman who is brutally murdered and unjustly sent to the seventh level of Pandemonium (hell). But she knows she doesn't deserve to be there, so with the help of a vampire and a werewolf, she must battle her way through seven levels of hell so that she can confront the god who banished her there and find justice for herself. This book has strong conversations about the plight of Black women who are forced to fight for, and to save, themselves. It is an incredible story filled with gore, big conversations, and a dash of spice.

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