Books like 'Sphinx's Princess'
Readers who enjoyed Sphinx's Princess by Esther M. Friesner also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
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The Twelve Dancing Princesses by K.M. Shea
14 ratingsQuinn is a loyal soldier of Farset, willing to risk her life on behalf of her country and squad. So, when a fellow soldier volunteers for a dangerous mission, Quinn joins him. Their assignment is to investigate the nightly disappearance of the twelve royal princesses, a mystery none have solved as those who attempt it vanish... -
Legendary by Stephanie Garber
42 ratingsA heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister, Scarlett, from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free... -
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
27 ratingsA princess in exile, the boy she left at the altar, six enchanted cranes, and a dragon from the deepest sea.Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control...Categorized as:
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Den of Wolves by Juliet Marillier
19 ratingsThe “powerful and emotionally-charged” fantasy series from the author of the Sevenwaters novels continues, as Blackthorn and Grim face haunting secrets and old adversaries... Feather bright and feather fine, None shall harm this child of mine... Healer Blackthorn knows all too well the rules of her bond to the fey: seek no vengeance, help any who ask, do only good...Categorized as:
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The Princess Game: A Reimagining of Sleeping Beauty by Melanie Cellier
16 ratingsThey call her the Sleeping Princess, but Celeste is far from asleep… Celeste has been cursed since her sixteenth birthday--just not in the way the rest of the kingdom thinks. All they see is her breath-taking beauty, marred by her foolishness. Only she knows that she retains her brilliant mind. And it’s a secret she must keep at all costs... -
Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce
34 ratingsAlianne is the teenage daughter of the famed Alanna, the first lady knight in Tortall. Young Aly follows in the quieter footsteps of her father, however, delighting in the art of spying...Categorized as:
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The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
33 ratingsRevengeWhen Eugenides, the Thief of Eddis, stole Hamiathes's Gift, the Queen of Attolia lost more than a mythical relic. She lost face. Everyone knew that Eudenides had outwitted and escaped her. To restore her reputation and reassert her power, the Queen of Attolia will go to any length and accept any help that is offered... she will risk her country to execute the perfect revenge...Categorized as:
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Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady by L.A. Meyer
24 ratingsAfter being forced to leave HMS Dolphin and Jaimy, her true love, Jacky Faber is making a new start at the elite Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls in Boston. But growing up on the streets of London and fighting pirates never prepared Jacky for her toughest battle yet: learning how to be a fine lady. Everything she does is wrong...Categorized as:
children family female-mc high-school historical-fiction realistic 19th-century action-adventure -
Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
26 ratingsPoor Creel. She can't believe her aunt wants to sacrifice her to the local dragon. It's a ploy to lure a heroic knight so that he will fight the dragon, marry Creel out of chivalrous obligation, and lift the entire family out of poverty. Creel isn't worried. After all, nobody has seen a dragon in centuries... -
A Prince Without a Kingdom by Timothée de Fombelle
12 ratingsThis was the only treasure that Vango was after: the secret of his life.Vango has been in danger for as long as he can remember. He has spent his life running along rooftops, fleeing to mysterious islands, and abandoning those he loves in order to protect them from the demons of his past. But Vango will not run for much longer...Categorized as:
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Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
24 ratingsA brand new novel in the beloved world of Sevenwaters, a fantasy series that should appeal to "Lord of the Rings" fans (VOYA). The chieftains of Sevenwaters have long been custodians of a vast and mysterious forest. Human and Otherworld dwellers have existed there side by side, sharing a wary trust...Categorized as:
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A Tale of Beauty and Beast: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Melanie Cellier
16 ratingsPrincess Sophia has helped her twin sister Lily save the duchy of Marin. But now Sophie faces an even greater threat when she sets out to free the cursed kingdom of Palinar from its beastly prince. Alone, and with danger on every side, Sophie must navigate a magical castle and its even more mysterious master to discover the secret to breaking the curse... -
Miss Bennet's Dragon by M. Verant
6 ratingsRoyal Dragonfly Award Winner for Fantasy. Foreword INDIE Finalist for Fantasy.An unforgettable fantasy retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice that is romantic, funny, and more relevant than ever.Elizabeth Bennet is hiding a forbidden power. She can speak to draca, the fire-breathing creatures kept as status symbols by English gentry. If only Mr...Categorized as:
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Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
43 ratingsAlthough I had never seen him before, I recognized him immediately. I'd have known his voice anywhere. This was the guy I'd seen on my last journey back in time.Or more precisely, the one who'd kissed my doppelganger while I was hiding behind the curtain in disbelief.Sixteen-year-old Gwen lives with her extended - and rather eccentric - family in an exclusive London neighborhood...Categorized as:
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Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers
31 ratingsI lean forward, pushing my body out past the battlements. The wind plucks at my cloak, buffets against me, as if it would carry me off in flight, just like the birds or the knight's soul. Let go, it cries, I will take you far, far away. I want to laugh at the exhilarating feeling, I will catch you, it whistles seductively.The convent has returned Sybella to a life that nearly drove her mad... -
Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller
35 ratingsAlosa's mission is finally complete. Not only has she recovered all three pieces of the map to a legendary hidden treasure, but the pirates who originally took her captive are now prisoners on her ship. Still unfairly attractive and unexpectedly loyal, first mate Riden is a constant distraction, but now he's under her orders...Categorized as:
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The Captive Kingdom by Jennifer A. Nielsen
16 ratingsJennifer A. Nielsen returns to the world of The False Prince in this fourth book of the Ascendance Series!In a peaceful Carthya, Jaron leads as the Ascendant King with Imogen beside him -- but the peace he fought so long for is not destined to last.On a routine sea voyage, Jaron's ship is brutally attacked, and he is taken hostage...Categorized as:
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My Sister the Moon by Sue Harrison
16 ratingsIn prehistoric Alaska, an Aleut girl, unwanted and abused, changes the destiny of her tribe.Gray Bird wanted only sons. His daughter, Kiin, would have been killed at birth to make way for a male heir if not for the tribal chief, Kayugh, who claimed the infant as a future wife for one of his two young sons...Categorized as:
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Unlocking the Spell by E.D. Baker
18 ratingsNow that Annie has helped her sister Gwendolyn (a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty) wake up from the 100-year curse by finding her beloved prince, you would think that things would get back to normal. Think again! That beloved prince, Beldegard, is stuck in the body of a bear and the only way that Annie can be free of the two irritating lovebirds is to help-by finding the evil dwarf who cast the spell... -
The Forgotten Sisters by Shannon Hale
20 ratingsAfter a year at the king's palace, Miri has learned all about being a proper princess. But the tables turn when the student must become the teacher!Instead of returning to her beloved Mount Eskel, Miri is ordered to journey to a distant swamp and start a princess academy for three sisters, cousins of the royal family...Categorized as:
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The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker
25 ratingsIn this new stand-alone fairy tale, Princess Annie is the younger sister to Gwen, the princess destined to be Sleeping Beauty. When Gwennie pricks her finger and the whole castle falls asleep, only Annie is awake, and only Annie-blessed (or cursed?) with being impervious to magic-can venture out beyond the rose-covered hedge for help. She must find Gwen's true love to kiss her awake... -
Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly
27 ratingsIsabelle should be blissfully happy – she’s about to win the handsome prince. Except Isabelle isn’t the beautiful girl who lost the glass slipper and captured the prince’s heart. She’s the ugly stepsister who’s cut off her toes to fit into Cinderella’s shoe ... which is now filling with blood.When the prince discovers Isabelle’s deception, she is turned away in shame...Categorized as:
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Hand of Fire by Judith Starkston
6 ratingsA legendary war, an invincible warrior, a woman forced to defend her family and realm--and her independent spirit. Will she become the captive or the captor?Briseis struggles to protect her city, an ally of Troy, from marauding Greeks and her husband's arrogant violence. She finds strength in visions of a handsome warrior god until he appears before her in flesh and blood... -
How to Climb a Lady's Tower by Bree Wolf
10 ratingsAn untamed lady...A stranger in the night...And a match made in heaven. Nothing but a pawn in her uncle’s game for title and station, Miss Rebecca Hawkins is forced to spend her days in the company of the most boring lord to ever cross her path, dreading the day he will finally work up the courage to ask for her hand. Her dreams of adventure are crushed by the duty laid upon her shoulders...Categorized as:
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The Deepest Night by Shana Abe
12 ratingsA rich portrait of post-Victorian England, The Deepest Night seamlessly blends thrilling romance with riveting history and adventure—perfect for fans of Libba Bray and Lauren Kate.It’s 1915, and sixteen-year-old Lora Jones is finishing up her first year as a charity student at Iverson, a prestigious, gothic boarding school on England’s southern coast...Categorized as:
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A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi
18 ratingsAn ancient mystery. An unlikely union. For one young princess in a state of peril, a dangerous wish could be the only answer…She is the princess of Bharata—captured by her kingdom’s enemies, a prisoner of war. Now that she faces a future of exile and scorn, Gauri has nothing left to lose...Categorized as:
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The Beautiful Pretender by Melanie Dickerson
18 ratingsWhat happens when a margrave realizes he’s fallen in love with a servant?The Margrave of Thornbeck has to find a bride, fast. He invites ten noble-born ladies from around the country to be his guests at Thornbeck Castle for two weeks, a time to test these ladies and reveal their true character...Categorized as:
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The Fortune Teller by Gwendolyn Womack
18 ratingsSemele Cavnow appraises antiquities for an exclusive Manhattan auction house, deciphering ancient texts—and when she discovers a manuscript written in the time of Cleopatra, she knows it will be the find of her career. Its author tells the story of a priceless tarot deck, now lost to history, but as Semele delves further, she realizes the manuscript is more than it seems...Categorized as:
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No Place for Magic by E.D. Baker
20 ratingsWhen Emma and her beloved frog-turned-prince Eadric travel to Upper Montevista to ask for Eadric's parents' blessing on their marriage, they find his homeland in chaos: Eadric's annoying little brother Bradston has been kidnapped by trolls! Worse, his mother won't let Emma use magic, even to rescue Bradston, and Eadric seems suddenly a bit too fond of the girls from his past... -
The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope
20 ratingsIn 1558, while exiled by Queen Mary Tudor to a remote castle known as Perilous Gard, young Kate Sutton becomes involved in a series of mysterious events that lead her to an underground world peopled by Fairy Folk—whose customs are even older than the Druids’ and include human sacrifice...Categorized as:
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The Seer and the Sword by Victoria Hanley
24 ratingsLegend states that there exists a mighty sword that makes its possessor invincible to his enemies. But there is a curse on anyone who lifts the sword for conquest. King Kareed of Archeld goes after this sword anyway, winning it from the King of Bellandra. When he returns home from battle, he brings his daughter, Princess Torina, two special gifts...Categorized as:
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Princess of the Silver Woods by Jessica Day George
25 ratingsWhen Petunia, the youngest of King Gregor's twelve dancing daughters, is invited to visit an elderly friend in the neighboring country of Westfalin, she welcomes the change of scenery. But in order to reach Westfalin, Petunia must pass through a forest where strange two-legged wolves are rumored to exist... -
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
26 ratingsHigh in the Transylvanian woods, at the castle Piscul Draculi, live five daughters and their doting father. It's an idyllic life for Jena, the second eldest, who spends her time exploring the mysterious forest with her constant companion, a most unusual frog. But best by far is the castle's hidden portal, known only to the sisters...Categorized as:
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Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier
26 ratingsChild of the Prophecy is the thrilling conclusion to Juliet Marillier's award-winning Sevenwaters Trilogy.Magic is fading... and the ways of Man are driving the Old Ones to the West, beyond the ken of humankind. The ancient groves are being destroyed, and if nothing is done, Ireland will lose its essential mystic core...Categorized as:
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Dagger's Sleep: A Retelling of Sleeping Beauty by Tricia Mingerink
6 ratingsA prince cursed to sleep. A princess destined to wake him. A kingdom determined to stop them. High Prince Alexander has been cursed to a sleep like unto death, a curse that will end the line of the high kings and send the Seven Kingdoms of Tallahatchia into chaos... -
The Jade Bones by Lani Forbes
6 ratingsCast into the underworld after an act of shattering betrayal, Mayana and Ahkin must overcome unimaginable odds if they are to return home and reclaim the throne of the Chicome. A river of blood and demons disguised as children are only two of the challenges standing in their way. Fortunately, they are not unequipped...Categorized as:
ancient-civilization female-mc historical-fiction myths action-adventure book coming-of-age epic -
Aleksey's Kingdom by John Wiltshire
6 ratingsA Royal Affair: Book Two Doctor Nikolai Hartmann escaped the Hesse-Davian dungeons. He fled civilized Europe to come to the vast wilderness of the New World, where he carved out a home in which he could love openly and without censure—Aleksey’s Kingdom. However, there is an irritating green-eyed, dark-haired flaw in his new paradise... -
The Smoke Hunter by Jacquelyn Benson
8 ratings"Indiana Jones meets Lara Croft" in this debut and engrossing action thriller with the fate of the world in one person's hands (RT Book Reviews).Frustrated suffragette and would-be archaeologist Ellie Mallory stumbles across a map to a city that shouldn't exist, a jungle metropolis alive and flourishing centuries after the Mayan civilization mysteriously collapsed...Categorized as:
historical-fiction myths action-adventure adult book colonization fiction historical -
The Runes of Destiny by Christina Courtenay
10 ratingsFrom the author of Echoes of the Runes comes a thrilling new timeslip novel, filled with adventure and romance, perfect for fans of Barbara Erskine, Diana Gabaldon and Vikings. Separated by time. Brought together by fate. Indulging her fascination for the Viking language and losing herself in an archaeological dig is just what Linnea Berger needs after her recent trauma...Categorized as:
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Traitor's Masque by Kenley Davidson, Esther Wane
14 ratingsWhat would you be willing to betray in exchange for your freedom?Trystan was once the pampered daughter of a wealthy aristocrat, but since his death, she’s considered a social pariah. Trapped by her stepmother’s malicious web of lies, Trystan is willing to do just about anything to escape—even play a part in a devious plot to disinherit the kingdom’s incompetent heir, Prince Ramsey...Categorized as:
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The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas
16 ratingsCHINA, 484 A.D.A Warrior in DisguiseAll her life, Mulan has trained for one purpose: to win the duel that every generation in her family must fight. If she prevails, she can reunite a pair of priceless heirloom swords separated decades earlier, and avenge her father, who was paralyzed in his own duel... -
The Last Legacy by Adrienne Young
17 ratingsWhen a letter from her uncle Henrik arrives on Bryn Roth's eighteenth birthday, summoning her back to Bastian, Bryn is eager to prove herself and finally take her place in her long-lost family.Henrik has plans for Bryn, but she must win everyone’s trust if she wants to hold any power in the delicate architecture of the family...Categorized as:
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In the Coils of the Snake by Clare B. Dunkle
18 ratingsIn the powerful final volume of the Hollow Kingdom trilogy, Miranda has waited her whole life to come home to the goblin kingdom, never imagining she'd feel so alone. Caught between two hostile races, she becomes their greatest reason for war--and only hope for a future...Categorized as:
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Sisters of Sword and Song by Rebecca Ross
18 ratingsFrom the author of The Queen’s Rising comes a thrilling YA stand-alone fantasy about the unbreakable bond between sisters. Perfect for fans of Ember in the Ashes, Sky in the Deep, and Court of Fives.After eight long years, Evadne will finally be reunited with her older sister, Halcyon, who has been proudly serving in the queen’s army... -
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Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott
18 ratingsDreaming the Eagle is the first part of the gloriously imagined epic trilogy of the life of Boudica.Boudica means Bringer of Victory (from the early Celtic word “boudeg”). She is the last defender of the Celtic culture in Britain; the only woman openly to lead her warriors into battle and to stand successfully against the might of Imperial Rome -- and triumph... -
Seer of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
24 ratingsGet swept away in the romantic fantasy of this national bestselling author's world of Sevenwaters The young seer Sibeal is visiting an island of elite warriors, prior to making her final pledge as a druid. It's there she finds Felix, a survivor of a Viking shipwreck, who's lost his memory. The scholarly Felix and Sibeal form a natural bond...Categorized as:
family female-mc historical-fiction myths action-adventure audiobook book coming-of-age -
Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier
24 ratingsFOR PAULA, ACCOMPANYING her merchant father on a trading voyage to Istanbul is a dream come true. They have come to this city of trade on a special mission to purchase a most rare artifact—a gift from the ancient goddess, Cybele, to her followers. It’s the only remnant of a lost, pagan cult.But no sooner have they arrived when it becomes clear they may be playing at a dangerous game...Categorized as:
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Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George
27 ratingsHoping to escape the troubles in her kingdom, Princess Poppy reluctantly agrees to take part in a royal exchange program, whereby young princes and princesses travel to each other's countries in the name of better political alliances--and potential marriages...Categorized as:
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River Secrets by Shannon Hale
28 ratingsRazo has no idea why he was chosen to be a soldier.He can barely swing a sword, and his brothers are forever wrestling him to the ground. Razo is sure it's out of pity that his captain asks him to join an elite mission—escorting the ambassador into Tira, Bayern's great enemy.But when the Bayern arrive in the strange southern country, Razo discovers the first dead body...Categorized as:
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The Rose & the Dagger by Renée Ahdieh
43 ratingsThe darker the sky, the brighter the stars.In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad is forced from the arms of her beloved husband, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once thought Khalid a monster—a merciless killer of wives, responsible for immeasurable heartache and pain—but as she unraveled his secrets, she found instead an extraordinary man and a love she could not deny...Categorized as:
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