Books That Aren't Set In/Inspired By The Western World | T5W | Reading With Danielle

This was definitely harder than it should have been, which is a huge indicator that I need to expand some of my reading! But still, here is a list of books I have read that either are not set in and/or not inspired by the Western world.

5. Eon by Alison Goodman

A lot of people call this a retelling of/inspired by Mulan, but I don't like categorizing every book about a girl dressing as a boy as a Mulan retelling. Still, this is very reminiscent of Eastern Asian cultures (it's been too long since I've read this to remember exactly which cultures, sorry! I think it's Chinese, but I don't want to be wrong, you know?) It's about dragons and dragon tamers and it's a fun book. I actually love fantasy stories that are inspired by Eastern cultures (Avatar The Last Airbender, anybody?) and this is another example as to why I need to find more to read.

4. America Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Okay, so to be fair this is sort of set in the Western world. Half of the story does take place in America (hence the title), but there is a large portion that doesn't and is taken straight out of Chinese folklore (if that's the correct term to describe the Monkey King. Everything about the story surrounds Chinese culture and what that means for the characters, so I'm going to include it anyway. Sorry if that's breaking the rules of the topic too much, I just really want everyone to read this book.

3. The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye

This book is another fun fantasy novel and it takes place in Russia! Or possibly a fantasy version of Russia, I can't quite remember (please don't mind me and my memory issues). I loved the setting in this book and how the characters interacted with it. One of the main characters is actually next in line to be the Tsar, which makes for some interesting Russian politics moments. It's definitely more on the fantasy side, but yeah. I'd definitely recommend.

2. Ink by Amanda Sun

I LOVED this book back when I read it and it is a crime that I still have not read the next book. This is an urban fantasy that takes place in Japan and, um, WOW. The author has been to Japan before (I think she lived there for a while, but don't quote me on that) and you could definitely tell. It just felt like it was in Japan in a way I almost can't describe. It felt the same way reading manga feels- just absolutely Japanese. Plus it plays with some mythology here, which makes the story super fun.

1. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

This one might be a little obvious, but I had to include it. This is, of course, only really talking to the first book, which takes place in "New Beijing" and the Eastern Commonwealth. This is clearly a futuristic version of China. I actually love the fact that Marissa Meyer chose to have Cinder grow up here, since there are many claims that the original Cinderella story is a Chinese folktale.

Don't forget to check out the Goodreads group!