Sibling relationships can be easy on most days, tough on others. Some siblings might be estranged, others incredibly close. Dynamics between sibling change; sometimes you want to hug them, or irritate them, or leave them alone. For many, being blood-related doesn’t matter, as long as the person is a sibling of your heart. Today, I’m sharing twelve books featuring sibling relationships that are written by Asian authors. Without further ado, enjoy~
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the infinity courts
– akemi dawn bowman
Nami died early. When she arrived in the afterlife, Nami finds out that an AI has taken over the human consciousness. To make the future at Infinity better for when Nami’s sister dies, she needs to fight against the all-knowing Ophelia and her four Princes. Nami’s actions were constantly propelled by the desire to make things better for her sister. Even in The Genesis Wars, book two, Nami strived towards that goal.
Riley was adopted into her sister’s family at a young age. Excitedly waiting for Hattie’s initiation into the magical world, Riley wishes that she had her own power. Wanting to share her magic with Riley, Hattie invoked a forbidden spell which unfortunately, backfired. To save Hattie, Riley sets off into a magical adventure as a non-magic folk. Although Hattie and Riley aren’t blood-related sisters, everyone can see how close they are. No one would doubt their love for one another.
sisters of the snake – sasha nanua & sarena nanua
As the retelling of The Princess and the Pauper, Princess Rani and Ria the street urchin looked shockingly like twins. A deal was made between them as Rani wants to escape the suffocating walls of the castle while Ria desires for stability and warmth after years of stealing to survive. Both sisters are on their own paths. While they were apart for most of the time, Ria and Rani had each other in their thoughts. I’m sure there is more to come in Daughters of the Dawn.
the forest of stolen girls – june hur
Hwani’s father went missing while investigating the disappearance of thirteen young girls at their hometown. Determined to find her father, Hwani went back and reunited with her estranged sister, Min. Both of them went missing when they were younger too, but was found unconscious near a crime scene. Neither Min nor Hwani remembered anything. Things are awkward between the sisters who have been brought up apart for five years. They couldn’t understand one another at the beginning, but family comes through in the end.
six crimson cranes – elizabeth lim
Six princes were turned into cranes while their only sister searches for a way to break the curse, with a bowl on her head and a spell that forced her to become mute. If a word is uttered, a brother will drop dead. Before this curse, Shiori spends time with her brothers. Though separated, Shiori reminisced the good times with her brothers pre-curse.
the girl who fell beneath the sea – axie oh
For her older brother’s happiness, Mina took the jump for Shim Cheong. To calm the Sea God’s wrath, a maiden is sacrificed to serve as his bride every year, in hopes that that maiden will be the one to end all suffering. The day that Shim Cheong, Joon’s sweetheart, was going to jump into the sea, Mina replaced her.
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the kingdom of back – marie lu
We all know about Wolfgang Mozart but not about Nannerl Mozart, who is an incredibly talented composer and musician in her own right. Not going to lie, my fondness of these two stemmed from how young they were at the start to when they grew up to understand things better at the end. Wolfgang’s vulnerability and Nannerl’s protectiveness just warmed my heart.
Nishat and Priti are always annoying one another but there whenever it’s important. However close they are, though, there were times where Priti’s actions were painfully ignorant of her sister’s past experiences that Priti herself know.
Follow Mia and Jake on an historical exploration in China where they solved clues to find their missing Aunt Lin and the mythical treasure of a could-be emperor Zhang Yunwen. As they do that, Mia often thought about her brother as someone distant. As they grew up, Jake started hanging out with his own friends and Mia felt his absence more strongly. Throughout the book, Mia realized that Jake will always be there for her even when he questioned the situation.
the keeper of night – kylie lee baker
Japanese-British Ren has never belonged anywhere. When she’s with the Reapers, they tell her that she’s only a Shinigami. While she’s with the Shinigami, they only saw her as a Reaper. When one mistake had forced her to leave Britain, Ren’s younger stepbrother followed with her to a place he has no connection to. Ren gradually resented Neven’s questionings and inability to understand how desperately she wanted to be a Shinigami, to truly belong.
We all know what happened on the early morning of April 15th. The Luck twins reunited on the Titanic after being separated. Jamie just wants to spread his wings and do other things. Valor couldn’t grasp why Jamie no longer wanted to be a part of the dragon-phoenix pair, to follow her to America and be an acrobat in the circus. The bravery and love for family was what propelled Valor to sneak into the Titanic and her subsequent actions. Despite being at odds with one another, the twins love each other.
a magic steeped in poison – judy i. lin
Ning’s sister is dying from the same poisonous tea that killed their mother. To earn the glory of a shénnóng-shī and the opportunities that comes with the title, Ning left for the palace. Throughout A Magic Steeped in Poison, every move that Ning made was in consideration of Shu’s potential death. You can feel the desperation within Ning to find a way to heal Shu.
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let’s chat:
are there any books that you’ve read within this list? sibling dynamics are always interesting to read about, especially as a sister myself. you see the ups and downs within the relationship just cause that’s how it is in reality.
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