6 Books with N. E. Davenport

Nia "N.E." Davenport is the Science Fiction/Fantasy author of The Blood Gift duology (Harper Voyager), Out of Body (Balzer+Bray), and Love Spells Trouble (Bloomsbury). She’s also served as a member of the Hugo-nominated FIYAHCON team, in which she helped organize the SFF convention’s programming. She attended the University of Southern California and studied Biological Sciences and Theatre. She has an M.A. in Secondary Education. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys vacationing with her family, skiing, and being a huge foodie. She’s an advocate for diverse perspectives and protagonists in literature. You can find her online at www.nedavenport.com, on Twitter @nia_davenport, or on Instagram @nia.davenport, where she talks about binge-worthy TV, fun movies, and killer books. She lives in Texas with her husband and kids.

Today she tells us about her Six Books.

1. What book are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading The Faithless by C.L. Clark. It's the sequel to The Unbroken, and I love everything about the characters and the world. Both books have really powerful plots that interrogate the impacts of colonialism.

2. What upcoming book are you really excited about?

I am super excited about Gabriela Romero Lecruz's The Sun and the Void. It's set in a vivid world of ancient magic that's inspired by the history and folklore of colonial South America. It's about two young women on a quest for belonging and dives into magic and gods-which I can never get enough of reading.

3. Is there a book you're currently itching to re-read?

Tracy Deonn's Legendborn offers a really unique twist on the legend of King Arthur, and I'd really enjoy re-reading it again. It's a phenomenal book about a young Black girl navigating the politics of magic and power in a predominately white space.

4. A book that you love and wish that you yourself had written.
Sabaa Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes quartet of books are some of my favorites that I've ever read. Tahir creates a sweeping world that blends military fantasy with epic fantasy. I don't necessarily wish I'd written it myself because no two authors would produce the same story and so it would be a wholly different book. But it is a lot of fun to think about being in the driver's seat with some of the characters I really love, including Helene Aquila. She's a fierce warrior and fighter, and I'd love to write a character that deals with some of Helene's challenges and experiences some of her triumphs.

5. What's one book, which you read as a child or a young adult, that has had a lasting influence on your writing?

I read N.K. Jemisin's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms as a young adult. I think it might've been the first time I'd read an epic fantasy novel with e Black woman as the protagonist. I was enraptured by its court politics, intrigue, and mythology about magical gods. It's for sure had a lasting influence on my writing; it's a big part of why I'm drawn to stories centered around political intrigue and/or mythology.

6. And speaking of that, what's your latest book, and why is it awesome?

My latest book is THE BLOOD GIFT. It is the sequel and conclusion to my debut fantasy novel, THE BLOOD TRIALS. It's about an elite warrior, Ikenna, and her rogue team of fellow soldiers who must outrun bounty hunters, the government that's labeled them traitors, and a megalomaniacal demi-god, all in the hopes of saving their friends and enemies from the racist and misogynistic oppression that threatens their world from all sides.

Thank you, Nia!

POSTED BY: Paul Weimer. Ubiquitous in Shadow, but I’m just this guy, you know? @princejvstin.