Recs if you like The Killing Spell...

fantasy murder mysteries yayy

Contemporary, historical, YA, horror, you name it! Fiction that includes the unique history, setting, and cultural backdrop of the Hawaiian Islands, its people, and its traditions, written by Native Hawaiian—Kānaka Maoli—authors. Sticking to one book per author; suggestions welcome!

standalone fantasy under 400 pages

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!

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 💜

Protagonists using Indigenous knowledge to magically fight for their people against systemic oppression

fantasy works that focus on language and translation. (Thank you to @strawberrymilk for the LoD rec!)

lit fic and horror, mainly, and mostly books by women, nonbinary & trans writers, basically mostly non-cis-men

Native Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, are an indigenous population in Polynesia. Many people are familiar with the U.S. occupied "State of Hawaii," but not the sovereign nation of Hawaiʻi. Here's a list from Kānaka and local authors about the islands, history, culture as well as fiction!

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!

Science fiction and fantasy books that prominently feature linguistics, or language more broadly, as a central theme or important (worldbuilding) element.

Fiction Stories based on Indigenous/American Indian/Native American culture.

when words and grammar itself is magical