Naomi Novik’s name either does or should show up in this category a lot. She’s the author of the wonderful, delightful, gripping novel series Temeraire, the first book of which is His Majesty’s Dragon. I’ve already written about those books, though, and am completely willing to talk about at length with anyone who will listen. Same with her Scholomance series, which hands-down beats the pants off of any other book series about adolescents surviving their way through wizarding school - and it does it without the author being a mold-huffing wankpuddle.
Uprooted is a standalone novel, and it borrows heavily from Polish folklore and stories from Novik’s childhood to tell a gripping, earnest tale of high magic, love, loss, and growing into one’s self.
Naomi Novik is among the best living fantasy writers and likely should be remembered as one of the greatest fantasy authors of all time. Her prose is as economical and precise as Ursula K. LeGuin’s, plots as engaging as Octavia E. Butler’s, and the action - my god, the action - is every bit as grand as the best that George R. R. Martin has ever put to page (and without his insufferable enumerations of every lemon cake and hull plank).
Hers is an incomparable talent, and you owe it to yourself to start working a path into her work. I cannot recommend Uprooted highly enough.