The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

Leigh Bardugo is a perennial favourite of ours in Cinders, we really enjoyed her Six of Crows series and her recent Wonder Woman story Warbringer has been hailed as one of the best ever renditions of Diana of Thymiscera. The Language of Thorns however is somehting different,  a collection of six novellas set in the Grishaverse – the fantasy world that five of Bardugo’s novels have been set in. These stories however are designed to stand on their own, suitable for fans of the novels but also for anyone who can appreciate a good fairytale. They are inspired by myth, fairytale and folklore, with haunted towns, and angry woods, mermaids and gingerbread and are gorgeously illustrated throughout. You’ll be delighted curled up with a blanket, this book and a hot chocolate.

Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore

Kristen Cashore is the fabulous author of Graceling, Fire and Bitterblue. The three fantasy novels, set in a world where people are granted magical powers in a variety of disciplines, are excellent and well worth a read. Jane, Unlimited is the latest offering from Cashore.  An odd little novel, Jane, Unlimited is no less of a powerhouse than her original trilogy. It follows Jane, newly left alone after her aunt and guardian was lost on an Antarctic expedition. Jane, is alone, has no direction and is obsessed with creating umbrellas inspired by her dreams. That is until she is swept away by Kiran Thrash who invites Jane to the glamorous and mysterious Tu Reviens, a place she always promised her aunt she would go. Soon when she arrives at Tu Reviens, Jane realises that not everything is as it seems and every choice she makes has unimaginable consequences.

Warcross by Marie Lu

Warcross is more than a game. For the millions who log in everyday, it’s a lifestyle. Launched ten years before the beginning of the novel, it’s a place where people can escape their lives and even make a profit. Teen hacker Emika Chen makes a living as a bounty hunter tracking down people who are betting on the game. Needing to make some money fast Emika unintentionally inserts herself into the international Warcross Championships, and becomes an overnight hit. Instead of being hauled off by the authorities – which is what she expects – she is introduced to the game’s creator, Hideo Tanaka. He has a challenge for Emika – to be a spy within the system for him – but her investigation may not uncover everything she was expecting. Marie Lu is the acclaimed author of the Young Elites and the Legend series. Warcross has already had excellent reviews and promises to be the start of an excellent new series.

Girls made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

If you’re in the mood for fairy-tale re-imaginings, then this autumn will give you more than you could have asked for. Girls Made of Snow and Glass is the brand new Snow White retelling by Melissa Bashardoust.

Already with a starred review on Kirkus, the novel has been praised as a worthy edition to the fairytale retelling landscape.

The feminist take on the fairest of them all follows both the stepmother and Snow White herself, here named Mina and Lynet. Girls Made of Snow and Glass interweaves both of their stories in past and present. It examines the relationship of these two women, who are destined by folklore to be rivals and enemies and looks at how they can perhaps escape their fate and change their story.

A must for anyone who felt that Snow White was too thin of a story and wanted something new.