Books like 'The Calculating Stars'
Readers who enjoyed The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical science fiction young adult 20th century dystopian military survival
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Silver Stars by Michael Grant
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsShe’s fighting to survive.The summer of 1943, World War II. The Germans have been bloodied, but Germany is very far from beaten. The North African campaign was only the beginning of the long journey for Frangie, Rainy, Rio, and the millions of other Allies.Now the American army is moving on to their next target: the Italian island of Sicily...Categorized as:
military 20th century young adult historical war science fiction new adult strong heroine -
Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsIn Jane of Lantern Hill, L.M. Montgomery tells the story of Jane Stuart, a young girl whose life changes when she is sent to live with her estranged father on Lantern Hill. As she navigates the challenges of living with a man she’s never known and a world that feels unfamiliar, Jane begins to uncover hidden strengths, family secrets, and a sense of belonging... -
Magician: Apprentice by Raymond E. Feist
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 82 ratingsAn alternate cover edition of this ISBN can be found here.To the forest on the shore of the Kingdom of the Isles, the orphan Pug came to study with the master magician Kulgan. His courage won him a place at court and the heart of a lovely Princess, but he was ill at ease with normal wizardry... -
Arena by Karen Hancock
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsA Journey She Did Not Choose Will Change Her Life Forever Transported surreptitiously to a terrifying alien world, with limited resources and only a few cryptic words to guide her, Callie Hayes finds herself engulfed in a perilous battle for freedom – for her very life...Categorized as:
dystopian science fiction christian young adult mystery contemporary aliens historical -
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Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray
She's a soldier - Noemi Vidal is willing to risk anything to protect her planet, Genesis, including her own life. To their enemies on Earth, she's a rebel.He's a machine - Abandoned in space for years, utterly alone, Abel's advanced programming has begun to evolve. He wants only to protect his creator, and to be free. To the people of Genesis, he's an abomination...Categorized as:
dystopian military young adult science fiction war from hate to love futuristic suspense -
Soul of Stars by Ashley Poston
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsThe highly awaited sequel to Heart of Iron, Soul of Stars is a thrilling sci-fi adventure packed with romance, shocking twists, and witty banter, perfect for fans of Six of Crows and Cinder.Once, Ana was an orphaned space outlaw. Then she was the Empress of the Iron Kingdom... -
Cold Falling White by Gabrielle S. Prendergast
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsXander Liu survived the alien invasion—just barely. For more than a year, he has outsmarted, hidden from, and otherwise avoided the ruthless intruders, the Nahx, dodging the deadly darts that have claimed so many... -
Melophobia by James Morris
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMelophobia: fear or hatred of music. The time—now; the place—America, but in a world where the government controls all forms of art and creativity. Any music sowing the seeds of anarchy is banned—destroyed if found—its creators and listeners harshly punished...Categorized as:
dystopian science fiction historical futuristic love triangle young adult suspense other-man-woman -
Arabella and the Battle of Venus by David D. Levine
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 10 ratings“Arabella embarks on another entertaining quest in an imaginative setting that combines 19th-century seafaring with pulp-style space adventure.” —Publishers Weekly Though happy to be back on her home planet of Mars, Arabella’s peace is shattered when she receives distressing news. Her long-absent fiancé Capt... -
The Chessmen of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Rated: 3.84 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsImpetuous and headstrong is Tara, Princess of Helium and daughter of John Carter. Tara meets Prince Gahan of Gathol, and is initially unimpressed, viewing him as something of a popinjay. Later she takes her flier into a storm and loses control of the craft, and the storm carries her to an unfamiliar region of Barsoom... -
Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Ana is a scoundrel by nurture and an outlaw by nature. Found as a child drifting through space with a sentient android called D09, Ana was saved by a fearsome space captain and the grizzled crew she now calls family. But D09—one of the last remaining illegal Metals—has been glitching, and Ana will stop at nothing to find a way to fix him...Categorized as:
dystopian futuristic historical contemporary science fiction young adult mystery aliens -
Cake Eater by Allyson Dahlin
Rated: 3.67 of 5 stars · 13 ratings"With a love story for the ages, this vivid tale takes the history we know and recasts it into an exciting, technicolor, future world that challenges what we know here in the present, and how we know it... -
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Rated: 3.79 of 5 stars · 72 ratingsIt is the French Riviera in the 1920s. Nicole and Dick Diver are a wealthy, elegant, magnetic couple. A coterie of admirers are drawn to them, none more so than the blooming young starlet Rosemary Hoyt. When Rosemary falls for Dick, the Diver's calculated perfection begins to crack. As dark truths emerge, Fitzgerald shows both the disintegration of a marriage and the failure of idealism... -
Thuvia, Maid Of Mars: by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Rated: 3.74 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsMars has become divided by love. Not one, but two princes and a Jeddak are vying for the love of Thuvia of Ptarth. When she is mysteriously kidnapped, treachery threatens to throw Barsoom into bloody war. Now Cathoris must follow in the footsteps of his father, John Carter, and overcome phantom armies, dangerous spies and savage beasts as he attempts to save his true love and reunite Mars... -
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A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Rated: 3.71 of 5 stars · 57 ratingsLet the adventures begin, as Captain John Carter finds himself transported to the alien landscape of Mars--where the low gravity increases his speed and strength exponentially. Taken prisoner by Martian warriors, he impresses them with his remarkable fighting skills, and quickly rises to a high-ranking chieftain... -
A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
Elias and Laia are running for their lives. After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire. Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars’ survival... -
Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsThe searing conclusion of the thrilling epic fantasy trilogy that saw a young girl trained by an arcane order of nuns grow into the fiercest of warriors...They came against her as a child. Now they face the woman. The ice is advancing, the Corridor narrowing, and the empire is under siege from the Scithrowl in the east and the Durns in the west. Everywhere, the emperor’s armies are in retreat... -
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
The graphic novel debut from rising star Noelle Stevenson, based on her beloved and critically acclaimed web comic, which Slate awarded its Cartoonist Studio Prize, calling it "a deadpan epic." Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from Noelle Stevenson... -
Shards of Time by Lynn Flewelling
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsAcclaimed author Lynn Flewelling brings her beloved Nightrunners series to a close—at least for now—with a thrilling novel of murder, mystery, and magic. The governor of the sacred island of Korous and his mistress have been killed inside a locked and guarded room... -
The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski
Some kisses come at a price. War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it with untrustworthy new allies and the empire as his enemy. Though he has convinced himself that he no longer loves Kestrel, Arin hasn’t forgotten her, or how she became exactly the kind of person he has always despised... -
A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
Beyond the Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger. The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power... -
Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsHer story begins on a train.The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule. To commemorate their Great Victory, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor’s Ball in Tokyo...Categorized as:
dystopian young adult fantasy historical science fiction war paranormal shapeshifters -
Naughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 67 ratingsCallum is a naught, a second-class citizen in a society run by the ruling Crosses. Sephy is a Cross, and daughter of the man slated to become prime minister. In their world, white naughts and black Crosses simply don't mix -- and they certainly don't fall in love. But that's exactly what they've done. When they were younger, they played together...Categorized as:
dystopian young adult science fiction fantasy contemporary racism forbidden love death -
Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsWith the future of the Great Library in doubt, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone must decide if it's worth saving in this thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series.The corrupt leadership of the Great Library has fallen. But with the Archivist plotting his return to power, and the Library under siege from outside empires and kingdoms, its future is uncertain... -
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Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn't matter that the girls often die from the mental strain. When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death... -
Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray
New York City.1927.Lights are bright.Jazz is king.Parties are wild.And the dead are coming...After battling a supernatural sleeping sickness that claimed two of their own, the Diviners have had enough lies. They're more determined than ever to uncover the mystery behind their extraordinary powers, even as they face off against an all-new terror... -
Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine
For the US hardback, see ISBN13: 9780451489210.To save the Great Library, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone, Paper and Fire, and Ash and Quill put themselves in danger in the next thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series.The opening moves of a deadly game have begun... -
Witch's Cauldron by Ella Summers
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsSomething wicked is brewing in New York. “A month ago, I watched in horror as six of my fellow initiates died after sipping the Nectar of the gods, a heavenly drink that either grants you magical powers or kills you. I can’t believe I’m coming back for seconds.” Leda Pierce has survived the gods’ first test and gained entry into the Legion of Angels, but the fight is far from over... -
The Fire in the Glass by Jacquelyn Benson
London, 1914. Lily’s visions could stop a killer… if she’ll trust a reclusive aristocrat with her darkest secret.A monster stalks the gaslit streets of Edwardian London, draining the blood of the city’s mediums. Lily Albright knows who’s next.Lily is plagued by visions of the future she can never change... -
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors ride mighty fighting dragons, bred for size or speed. When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes the precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Captain Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future – and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature...
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