LaZelle
#9503.77 adjusted 3.83 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 2 books Status Unfinished 2002–2009 Reading commitment Low Nina Kiriki Hoffman Last reviewed 2026-11-01
Overview
The LaZelle books are contemporary fantasy novels by Nina Kiriki Hoffman about a family in Southern California whose members develop magical gifts as teenagers. A Fistful of Sky (2002) follows Gypsum LaZelle, the one child whose power does not appear until she is twenty and then turns out to be curses. Fall of Light (2009) follows her sister Opal, a makeup artist who can reshape people's features and who is drawn into a supernatural problem on a film set. The two novels share the LaZelle family and are listed as a two-book series. No further novels have been announced.
Urban fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking
LaZelle Nina Kiriki Hoffman
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | A Fistful of Sky | 2002 | 1 | core | 3.92 (1,658 ratings) |
 | Fall of Light | 2009 | 2 | core | 3.28 (488 ratings) |
Two novels about a Southern California family whose children develop magical talents.
Quick answers
- How many books are in LaZelle? LaZelle's Core Canon is 2 books.
- What is the reading order for LaZelle? Publication order, starting with A Fistful of Sky. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is LaZelle finished? Unfinished (2002–2009).
- How much reading does LaZelle take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 2 Core Canon books).
- How is LaZelle ranked? #950 in this site's official ranking, based on 2,146 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #950?
Ranked #950 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.77 across 2 core books.
- A smaller readership (2,146 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.28 to 3.92.
- 0.04 behind #949, Witch World.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 2 books · Unfinished · 2k ratings · Ranks #950 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment urban fantasy universe.
Reading order
Publication order (2 Core Canon books)
- A Fistful of Sky (2002)
- Fall of Light (2009)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 2003: nominated: A Fistful of Sky
- Mythopoeic Award (Adult Literature), 2003: finalist: A Fistful of Sky
- James Tiptree Jr. Award, 2004: finalist: A Fistful of Sky
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Suggestions computed from what LaZelle and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Necessary Beggar Portal fantasy / Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.92
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- Mulengro Urban fantasy / Dark fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.91
- The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl Urban fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.91
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.77 across 2,146 ratings on 2 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 22 universes, among them The Ordered and Reflections of Eterna; four candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-01
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- FictionDB author page Tier 2
- Publishers Weekly Tier 2
- Penguin Random House Tier 2
- Wikipedia Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-01
Rule: Core Canon = the two LaZelle family novels, A Fistful of Sky (2002) and Fall of Light (2009).