Recs if you like Salt Water Blood...

fantasy murder mysteries yayy

Literature featuring indigenous authors from the Americas and Pacific. Fiction from across all genres by First Nations of Canada and the US, Māori, Aboriginal Australian, Samoan, Hawaiian, Papua New Guinean and other Pacific Island indigenous peoples. Any and all recommendations are more than welcome! Thank you 💜

Disclaimer: I am not Pacific Islander, but we should all strive to read more Pasifika authors!

The grouping of Pasifika and Asian communities has a complex history. And because of this grouping, Pasifika authors are largely underrepresented.

Check out Pacific Islanders in Publishing (I cannot figure out how to hyperlink, sorry) for more recs!

I have not read all of the books on this list, so please let me know if any are not fit for this list!

Suggestions are always welcome!

Fantasy with fortunes read, omens feared, and futures grasped.

Books written by writers from the Pacific islands.

-Micronesia (Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Palau, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Kiribati) -Melanesia (Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Makulu Islands, West Papua) -Polynesia (American Samoa, Cook Islands, Easter Island, French Polynesia, Hawai'i, Aotearoa/New Zealand, Niue, Pitcarin Islands, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu)

Be the trend setter of your book club or bookish friend group by getting to know the authors of next year’s publication cycle. These books are all by new talent in the publishing world from both the Big 5 and small, traditional publishers.

Be sure to also check out these authors on social media for ARC opportunities, and show these authors some love by requesting a purchase with your local library, or pre-ordering a copy yourself!

This is a subsection of the 2026 Debut Author list for young adult novels.

A list of the YA books published in 2026. Please comment if any are missing.

A vibes-based list themed after Legend of Zelda.

Inspo: the Water Temple, infamous for having a calming and healing atmosphere while simultaneously being the most convoluted dungeon in the game. The stories around the dungeons are often full of sad tales about picking up the pieces after lives cut short or wishes lost as well. Themes: emotional, character exploration, the ocean or water.