Book Recommendations – 11 Enemies/Rivals-to-Lovers Books to Read (and then Scream About in the DMs)

In case you’re new to the Pond’s book recommendation posts, the recommendation posts are brought to you by Varian, the Pond’s very own Toadshifter who is knowledgeable in all kinds of magic! One of Varian’s ambitions is to get better at sewing, hence why whenever Varian has come up with their latest costume, they will always recommend a few books that inspired them!

We have had the immense fortune of having some really great enemies/rivals-to-lovers books in the last year, so I thought to myself: why not write a book recommendation book collating all the wonderful books we have read that have these two satisfying tropes?

Book Recommendations – 20 Books Inspired by Mythology & Folktales (Other than Greek Mythology)

In case you’re new to the Pond’s book recommendation posts, the recommendation posts are brought to you by Varian, the Pond’s very own Toadshifter who is knowledgeable in all kinds of magic! One of Varian’s ambitions is to get better at sewing, hence why whenever Varian has come up with their latest costume, they will always recommend a few books that inspired them!

I love stories inspired by mythology. I love when mythology-inspired stories feel familiar, taking elements and ideas and motifs from stories that have stood the test of time, and telling them in a fresh, contemporary, and exciting way.

But, I’ve noticed that whenever I look for new books inspired by mythology, the lists often recommend books that are inspired by Greek mythology. Don’t get me wrong – I think Greek mythology is awesome and books inspired by Greek mythology are pretty rad. For instance, The Star-Touched Queen is a retelling of Persephone and Hades blended with Indian folklore and Promise of Shadows has a Black main character that is also a Harpy.