Top Ten Tuesday

#TopTenTuesday: Books with Asian Inspired Fantasy Settings

Dini @ dinipandareads51 Comments

We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s topic is: Books Set in/Take Place During X (Pick a place, time, era, etc. Examples: Books set in Europe/Italy/Australia/Chicago, books set in Regency England, books that take place during the 1900s, books set in imaginary worlds/post-apocalyptic/dystopian worlds, books set on the ocean, books set it castles, books that take place during WW2, etc.)

I’m shifting gears slightly today and instead of featuring books set in a specific time or place, I’m featuring fantasy books with Asian inspired settings! There were a lot of options to choose from and while it was tempting to mention the books that I always shout about and are already quite mainstream popular (i.e. The Poppy War, Jade City, The Sword of Kaigen), I’ve highlighted books that I don’t mention enough on my blog and that I feel deserve more love! That’s not to say some of these aren’t already mainstream popular though…

I’ve read all except one of these (the first marked with an asterisk) but it’s high on my TBR priority list!

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan*
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He

A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin
Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker
The Silence of Bones by June Hur

Have you read these Asian inspired fantasy books or are they on your TBR? What Asian inspired fantasies have you read and loved (and aren’t mentioned here)?

51 thoughts on “#TopTenTuesday: Books with Asian Inspired Fantasy Settings”

    • I’ve definitely been intimidated by the hype when it comes to The Radiant Emperor duology. I want to love it as much as everyone else and it’s also why I’ve been hesitant to pick it up (so silly, I know)! 🤭 And I hope you enjoy the Burning Kingdoms trilogy whenever you get around to it! I’m reading the second book now and so far, I’m really enjoying it!

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  2. Great list, I love Asian inspired fantasy novels 😍 plus they tend to get such stunning covers too. I’ve read Six Crimson Cranes and A Magic Steeped In Poison. I loved both of them. As I said recently I’m determined to finally read The Jasmine Throne this year and four of the others are also on my physical or digital TBR already (including the one you still need to read too).

    I haven’t gotten to that particular June Hur book but I loved A Crane Among Wolves and I really want to read The Keeper Of Night although atm I think I only have The Scarlet Alchemist by the author on my Kindle. I also majorly want to read the Nghi Vo series but I keep hoping I can find it on offer as the library doesn’t stock it and I’m also reluctant to buy novellas at RRP 🙈 they do have incredibly pretty covers though 😂

    Fantastic list. I can’t wait to get to all of the ones still on my TBR. I’ve loved all of Elizabeth Lims books (still need to read her latest though) but Six Crimson Cranes is my favourite. I also loved Daughter Of The Moon Goddess but I know you weren’t a fan and Scorpion And The Night Blossom which we’ve already discussed. But of Descendant Of The Crane, The Ivory Key & Song Of Silver which do you recommend picking up first?

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    • I’m so glad that they get such gorgeous covers because then it also entices me even more to add them to my shelves! 🤭 I hope you enjoy The Burning Kingdoms series whenever you get to it. I’ve just started the second book yesterday and so far, I’m already enjoying the intensity of it (although it’s also making me anxious cos the stakes are SO HIGH OMG, haha)! A Crane Among Wolves is on my TBR but I’ve heard good things about it. I still need to catch up with Hur’s backlist but I have to admit that sometimes the books can be so pricey… 😭 Is the Nghi Vo series something you can request your library to stock? I hope that you can get your hands on it (I tried to hold out for some 99p deals with this series but so far, no dice)!

      Of those three books, I think I would recommend Song of Silver first, followed by Ivory Key, then Descendant of the Crane. If you want to read Ivory Key at any point, I was planning to re-read before finishing the duology, so if you’re interested in a buddy read, let me know! It doesn’t have to be this year too but I’m flexi, hehe. Happy reading, Charlotte 🙂

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      • So true, it probably first helped them catch my eye tbh 😂 Ooh sounds very intense. I really hope it stays strong and doesn’t crush you too much. I’ll let you know when I finally pick them up. I have very high hopes for it though. I loved it, it was a fantastic introduction to her books for me. Aww I’m sorry to hear that, hopefully the ebooks will go on offer sometime for you 🤞 I have the Red Palace on my physical TBR already so I’ll be trying that one next. I also really want the Forest one but I think it’s out of print in the UK 🤔 maybe. I’ll have to look into it. I know they used to have a ‘suggest title’ option but I don’t know where it is (if it’s still there) as they changer catalogue system this year. I’ll definitely look into it though. Maybe then they could get Wayward Children too 😅 aww yes I’ve been watching out for that too. Or decent copies of secondhand ones. Finding either is hard though.

        Ooh thanks for the tip 😊 and sure we can buddy read it sometime. It probably wouldn’t be for a little while but I think I should be able to fit it in before next year. Maybe in a month or two, once I’ve gotten through my horror TBR? Depending what’s on your plate around then. Thanks, Happy Reading to you too 🥰🥰

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  3. I read and enjoyed The Jasmine Throne (4 stars), but somehow could never seem to summon up the enthusiasm to continue with the series…

    Six Crimson Cranes is on my TBR, as well as The God and the Gumiho. Asian-inspired fantasy is definitely something I need to dip my toes in more!

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    • I ended up giving my re-read of Jasmine Throne 4-stars as well. I’m currently reading the second book and I have to say that I’m enjoying it more already but it’s also making me anxious because the stakes are so high and so much can go wrong in every direction! 😂 Oh, I have The God and the Gumiho on my TBR as well. I’ve heard good things about it too 🙂 I hope you enjoy the Asian-inspired fantasies still on your TBR!

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  7. one of the best sub-genres for real !! i’ve really been wanting to pick up song of silver, flame like night recently, i bought it and its sequel about a year ago and they’ve been sitting untouched ever since 😭 but i also feel like fantasy for me is a winter genre…

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  9. At one time I think I had one of Elizabeth Lim’s on my shelf, but then it sat there unread, so I think I unhauled it. Most of the time when I do this, the idea is always that someone will find the book who will actually read it! 🙂

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  14. Great theme and list! The Empress of Salt and Fortune is the only one of these that I’ve read, though several of the others are on my TBR list. I think a good addition to your list would be The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho.

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  19. Oh, I love this theme, Dini! I used to read a ton of Asian-inspired fantasy books, but it’s fallen off a bit since I started reading romantasy. (Totally unrelated occurrence, of course . . . but I suppose we can blame the romantasy. It’s got broad enough shoulders to shoulder the blame. xD) I still need to read The Silence of Bones . . . which I’ve been meaning to do forever now!

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    • I think this just means that more Asian authors need to write romantasy! 🤣 I’d love to read more diverse romantasy, ngl! It’s been years since I read The Silence of Bones but I remember being very pleasantly surprised by it. If you do give it a go, I hope you enjoy it just as much, Sammie!

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  21. Great list, Dini! I loved The Jasmine Throne and Six Crimson Cranes!! I have several of these on my TBR list. I’m pretty sure you got me A Magic Steeped in Poison for a bday, years ago. 😀 LOL. I need to get to it soon!

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  28. She Who Became the Sun is awesome. I need to reread it so I can read the sequel. But I’m scared of a shattered heart haha.

    I’m hoping to read The Jasmine Throne finally this coming month!

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