In so many fundamental ways, Sirens wouldn’t exist without amazing, popular, controversial fantasy works by women. And yet, between the programming, the author readings, the dance party, and the always-amazing keynote addresses, sometimes we don’t find time to talk about books. Let us help you!

Each year, Sirens selects a variety of books on our theme—and invites attendees to bring their breakfast and have an informal conversation about those books. To be fair, you don’t have to have read the books to come…but we hope you’ll read one or two!

Here are the Books and Breakfast books for Friday, October 9. Read on, Sirens.

	Bitterblue, Kristin Cashore You can’t talk about revolution without considering a queen who agitates from the throne. Bitterblue, the third of Cashore’s Graceling books (which can be read as a standalone), contemplates just that: a young queen, beginning to rule her damaged kingdom in her own name. Bitterblue must learn, and quickly, whom to trust and what changes she needs to make for the good of her people.
	The Book of Phoenix, Nnedi Okorafor If full-scale revolution complete with infiltrating government facilities is your thing, this is your book. The Book of Phoenix (the later-published prequel to Who Fears Death; it can be read as a standalone) tells the story of Phoenix, a two-year-old experiment in a forty-year-old woman’s body, who starts a revolution. In a world where magic and science have merged, and are continuing to merge, and not in always in ways that anyone can control, The Book of Phoenix examines fear, doubt, freedom, and love.
	An Ember in the Ashes, Sabaa Tahir Spies? Check. Assassins? Check. Tahir’s debut novel has subterfuge, intrigue, and political power galore. Laia, the spy, is one of the oppressed, someone who has enlisted the help of her nation’s rebels to assist her brother, in exchange for her subversion. Elias, the assassin, is one of his nation’s finest soldiers, upholding the brutality of the empire even while he plots his escape. Threaded, always, with a line of hope, An Ember in the Ashes begins a new series about power, deceit, and rebellion.
	Fire Logic, Laurie J. Marks The women in this book will kill you—quite literally, but also metaphorically. Marks has written a trio of complex, capable, fascinating women (and a couple fascinating men as well). Set in a country overrun for fifteen years with invaders, Fire Logic shows us the high cost of resistance. The book, the first in a yet-unfinished series, centers around Zanja, a trained diplomat, as she ends up entangled first in a slaughter and second in a rebellion led by a people not her own. And on the way, she falls in love.
	The Summer Prince, Alaya Dawn Johnson Don’t let the sci-fi stuff fool you: this book is magic. In a post-apocalyptic world where people can turn themselves into data streams, Palmeres Tres is a lush, buzzing, tech-heavy city in Brazil. Ruled by women, a Summer King is selected—and killed—every ten years, his death validating the continued matriarchal rule. In this world, June, like everyone, falls in love with the Summer King—but June and the Summer King use their connection to create explosive, revolutionary art.

For Saturday selections, please visit this post.