9 Books with Asian Main Characters

9 Books Monday is a feature that I used to have here on the blog, where I would talk about 9 books that have positive representation for a minority/marginalized group. It’s a weekly feature that I’m excited to bring back. In the past, I have done posts about 9 book with: bisexual female main characters, latinx mc, black mc, muslim mc and lesbian mc.

This time I’m doing 9 books with Asian main characters written by asian authors.

3 Books I Read and Loved  

 If The Dress Fits by Carla de Guzman

I talk about this book A LOT, but it’s such a cute book and I feel like people would love it if they gave it a chance.  This is an #ownvoices book about a fat filipino main character. It has friends to lovers, fake dating, incredible family dynamics and insightful depiction of the Philippines. You can read my full review and you can see the Bookish Style Guide I did based on the main character Martha Aguas.

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo

This book was released recently and I really enjoyed it!  Amazing food description + wonderful female freindship + strong character development+ cute romance+ incredible father/daughter relationship= an adorable, fun and compelling read. The main character is Korean american and her dad has a food truck that sells fusion, a mix between korean and brazilian food. 

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Indian main characters + arranged marriage in a contemporary setting + summer program for web developers + adorable romance + incorporation of indian culture (language, customs, movies, food) = one of the cutest books ever and also a really interesting one. Also, #ownvoices for the indian representation. 

4 Books on my TBR

Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao

Part of this book is set in India, the main characters are from India, and the author of the book is also from India, which is why I’m trusting the representation in this is gonna be amazing.  The main characters of this book are two girls and this story revolves around their friendship, while dealing with themes like domestic abuse, human trafficking, immigration, and feminism. I can’t wait to read this one, even if I have the suspision that it’s gonna break my heart.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

This book is an East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend from Snow White, it explores the origin story of this ‘evil’ character and I have heard that it has stunning writing, complex characters and it had a dark twist to it. I love books with morally gray characters and I’m looking forward to reading this one.

Want by Cindy Pon

This book is set in a futuristic Taipei that’s sucumbing to environmental problems. It deals with themes of  inequality, poverty and privilege. The main character of the book is Taiwanese and this is #ownvoices representation since Cindy Pon is also Taiwanese. There are chinese, filipino and indian characters as well, and there’s diversity in terms of sexuality too. This sounds so interesting and I have heard nothing but good things about it, so I’m excited to read it!

Beginner’s Guide: Love and Other Chemical Reactions by Six de los Reyes

This book is set in the Philippines, the main character is a scientist, who is trying to find love through a scientific methodology and ends up falling for the guy she less expected. I love stories where opposites attract and I’m looking forward to this one. Also, this is #ownvoices since the author is from the Philippines. I’m expecting this to be cute, funny and entertaining.

2 Books Releasing Soon 

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

This is the story is set in an Asian-inspired fantasy world where a Demon King takes human girls for concubines, and it’s the story of two of the girls that fall in love and fight for their freedom and each other. The author had said that the kingdom in which this story takes place is heavily inspired by her experiences growing up in Malaysia. There’s a huge trigger warning for violent assault/rape, so I’m a bit scared that this is gonna be frustrating and devastating because of the  subject matter, but I’m still really excited to read it! Release date: November 6th 2018

Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan

It’s always amazing to see a POC in the cover of a book, but I’m particulary excited to see an Asian character in the cover of a sci-fi book. This is the story of a girl that is a criminal mastermind and unrivaled pilot, she has spent her life terrorizing the imperialist nation that destroyed her home and then she is captured, sent to a military academy and has to work for them. This sounds like something I  would really enjoy and I can’t wait to give it a chance!  Release date:  September 4th 2018

Have you read any of these books? did you enjoy them? Are you planning on reading any of them? Do you have recommendations for books with asian main characters?

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