Reading has always been a massive part of my life, and there’s nothing I love more than sharing my favorite books with people. I thought it would be fun to start a series called Recommended Reads, where I can recommend titles based on different genres. Today I wanted to start out with a genre that I personally feel is highly underappreciated: fantasy.
Personally, fantasy has always been one of my favorite genres. However, whenever one of my friends asks me to recommend a book to them, they rarely are interested in picking up a fantasy. I know that the idea of fantasy can seem overwhelming to people―there’s a lot of world-building, and fantasy books are often longer than other genres. But some of the best books I’ve ever read are fantasy books. Today I’m going to recommend six fantasy books, ranging from light fantasies to epic fantasies.
- To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
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This dark fantasy is a retelling of The Little Mermaid, but with a twist. Lira is a siren who hunts princes―and Elian is a prince who hunts sirens. This is the only standalone on this list, so it requires the lowest commitment of all the books. I really enjoyed reading this book because not only is it very entertaining, but it’s very fast-paced, so I was never bored. The fantasy elements in this book are also very low-key, so I would definitely recommend it to people who are first getting into the genre.
- The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
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This is the first book in a four-part series; I love these books so much that I’ve read the entire series three times. The book follows a girl named Blue, who comes from a family of psychics. Her entire life, Blue has been told by her family that if she kisses her true love, he’ll die. This has never been too much of a problem for Blue, until she meets three boys that go to the neighboring private school. This is one of the more light fantasies on this list, because it’s an urban fantasy, which means that it has magical elements, but it takes place in the real world―unlike, say, a series like Game of Thrones. The writing in this book is beautiful, and the characters will definitely stick with you long after you finish the series.
- Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
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This is the first book in a duology, but the sequel is going to be published in September. This was one of the most popular fantasy books of 2019, and for good reason. It tells the story of Lou, a witch, who is forced into a marriage with Reid. The only problem is, Reid is a witch hunter, and he has no idea that Lou is a witch. This is one of the closest books to a romance on this list; if you ignore the fact that it’s about witches, it’s essentially a romantic comedy. It has some of my favorite tropes, like enemies to lovers and sharing a bed, so it’s just such a fun read.
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
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This is another retelling, this time of Beauty and the Beast. It’s the first book in a three-part series, and these are definitely some of the most popular fantasy books out there. Even Kourtney Kardashian read these books, which is really funny to me for some reason. This book is about a girl named Feyre who is brought to the magical kingdom of the Fae as punishment for killing a sacred animal. I would categorize this as romantic fantasy, and even though the book is pretty long, it’s really easy to get through.
- The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
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This is probably my favorite book on this list, and it is the first in a trilogy. This book is about a girl named Jude, who was kidnapped as a child and brought to the land of fairies. Her whole life, she has been tormented for being human, and secretly, there’s nothing she wants more than to be just like the Fae. If you like Game of Thrones, I honestly think you will love this book, because it’s full of backstabbing, deception, and political intrigue. Also, this probably has one of my favorite romances I’ve ever read, so if you’re a fan of hate-to-love books, you should definitely check The Cruel Prince out.
- The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
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I saved this book for last because it is the most intense on the list. This book is actually an adult fantasy, so you should definitely keep that in mind when picking it up. This is a Chinese-inspired war fantasy, and it follows an orphan named Rin who is selected to study at the Sinegard military school. I read this book last month, and it’s honestly one of the best books I’ve ever read. It has such an honest, grueling portrayal of war, which made it very difficult to read at times, but it was just so important and well-written. The character development and the world-building in this book is amazing, so if you’re looking to tackle an epic fantasy, I would definitely recommend The Poppy War.
So that’s it for my recommended fantasy reads! I highly recommend every single book on this list, especially now that we have more free time because of online classes. Happy reading!
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