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Top 10 Fantasy Must Reads

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.”

George R.R. Martin 

 

I consider myself a “Book Dragon,” rather than the more common “Book Worm.” The “Book Worm” only takes time to read select books, making their way through a list of what “should” be read and throwing in the occasional for pleasure read. As a “Book Dragon,” I devour as much literature as I can from the classics of Lewis Carroll and Henry James to the fantasy genre that I love as much to curl up with as I love to write. This covers authors from all across the wide range of the genre such as Holly Black in the Young Adult Fantasy category to J.R. Tolkien in High Fantasy. Limiting the list to 10 Top Fantasy Must Reads was extremely difficult, so you will find series listed as one read (start book one and you must finish the series type of reads), but as I scanned my overflowing bookshelves in my office, I managed to narrow it down.




We will start with No. 10 and work our way up to my fallback favorite series at No. 1.

Before we start, here are some definitions within the Fantasy genre that you should know.


Young Adult Fantasy = literary genre featuring magic and fantastical elements written for young adults (primarily teens) between the ages of 12 and 18.


High Fantasy = subgenre of fantasy that features a fictional world with epic themes, characters, or plots, and is often set in a world that's very different from Earth.


Romantasy = genre that combines romance and fantasy, and can take place in a high fantasy world, characterized by a central romance, fantastical elements such as magic and mythology, and a focus on relationships.


10.  A Game of Thrones – George R.R. Martin  (High Fantasy)


If you haven’t at least heard of “Game of Thrones,” you must be spending your days in a cold, dark room, isolated and only allowed out for an hour of solo yard time. I was introduced to Game of Thrones by the HBO series. I stayed away from both the books and the series for several years after HBO released season one and it seemed to become a cult obsession that I didn’t want to follow down the rabbit hole (yes, I know, wrong author reference, but it works.) Eventually, around season 3, I caved and started watching the series and was hooked. I quickly caught up to the live air dates and had to wait for new episodes and seasons to come out, so I started in on the books.



Here’s a quick synopsis from one of my favorite places, Barnes & Noble:


“In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the North of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.”



As much as I love the story, the reason A Game of Thrones comes in at No. 10, is because of the difficult that you face when you pick up the book. First off, it is massive, with book one coming in at 720 pages, so there is a bit of a time commitment. But what I find makes it a hard read, even though a fascinating read, is that the story is moved forward by each chapter being told through the point of view of one character, say Ned Stark, and then the next chapter will be told from the POV of a different character, say Jon Snow, then Arya, and so forth. By the time you are back to the story being told from Ned Stark again, you may be several months in the future and have to remember how his story unfolded through the eyes of other characters. That, along with page-length, is the incredibly small font that literally makes the words hard to see, let alone comprehend.


9. The Mortal Instruments (series) - Cassandra Clare (Young Adult Fantasy)


Discover the world of the Shadowhunters in the first installment with The City of Bones. There are 6 books in this series, and now I don’t normally like to tackle books with more than 4 books in the series like I did when I was in say elementary school, because I feel like I don’t have the time to commit to them, I have made a few exceptions. When it comes to Cassandra Clare, not only did I make an exception with The Mortal Instruments books, but everything else she has written as well, because she is just that good.



Here's a taste to get you hooked as well:




“When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. And she’s more than a little startled when the body disappears into thin air. Soon Clary is introduced to the world of the Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of warriors dedicated to driving demons out of our world and back to their own. And Clary is introduced with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque monster. How could a mere human survive such an attack and kill a demon? The Shadowhunters would like to know…”


8. The Serpent and The Wigs of Night (Crown of Nyaxia Series) – Carissa Broadbent) (Romantasy)


“For humans and vampires, the rules of survival are the same: never trust, never yield, and always – always – guard your heart”


This series packs dark romance, mystery, intrigue and secrets into a delicious to devour package. In short, this book, the first in the series, could be described as The Hunger Games meets Vampires. This novel is a ride that I didn’t want to put down and waited impatiently for the next book and then the next, just to consume them just as fast.



“The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself.

But winning won’t be easy amongst the most vicious warriors from all three vampire houses. To survive, Oraya is forced to make an alliance with a mysterious rival.

Everything about Raihn is dangerous. He is a ruthless vampire, an efficient killer, an enemy to her father’s crown… and her greatest competition. Yet, what terrifies Oraya most of all is that she finds herself oddly drawn to him.

But there’s no room for compassion in the Kejari. War brews, shattering everything that Oraya thought she knew about her home. And Raihn may understand her more than anyone – but their blossoming attraction could be her downfall, in a kingdom where nothing is more deadly than love.”


7. A Court of Thorns and Roses (series) – Sarah J. Maas (Romantasy)


Normally, I’m not a big fan of “retellings” of stories, but when I finally was convinced to pick this book up, I truly felt like I was reading something completely originally with a little taste of Beauty and the Beast, and I was sucked into this world and haven’t been able to leave. I am still working on finishing reading this series, as I tend to actively read more than one book at a time, but I keep coming back to it, and since this first novel was so amazing, I have also picked up Mass’ other series and started them too.



Let me introduce to Feyre in this sexy, action-packed romantasy:


“When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.

At least, he's not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin, and his world-forever.”


6. Violet Made of Thorns – Gina Chen (Young Adult Fantasy)


Violet Made of Thorns is an amazing debut standalone fantasy novel that made me want more novels from author Gina Chen, but she has yet to release any. This book is the perfect dark, steamy fairytale you need in your life with an unapologetic protagonist, forbidden love, and a magical kingdom on the edge of destruction.


Here’s a peek:



“Violet is a prophet and a liar, influencing the royal court with her cleverly phrased—and not always true—divinations. Honesty is for suckers, like the oh-so-not charming Prince Cyrus, who plans to strip Violet of her official role once he’s crowned at the end of the summer—unless Violet does something about it.But when the king asks her to falsely prophesy Cyrus's love story for an upcoming ball, Violet awakens a dreaded curse, one that will end in either damnation or salvation for the kingdom—all depending on the prince’s choice of future bride. Violet faces her own choice: Seize an opportunity to gain control of her own destiny, no matter the cost, or give in to the ill-fated attraction that’s growing between her and Cyrus.Violet’s wits may protect her in the cutthroat court, but they can't change her fate. And as the boundary between hatred and love grows ever thinner with the prince, Violet must untangle a wicked web of deceit in order to save herself and the kingdom—or doom them all.”


5. The Empyrean Series (Fourth Wing/Iron Flame) – Rebecca Yarros  (Romantasy)


Who doesn’t love a story where the dragons are the stars? Hop on the hype train that is The Empyrean Series with the first two novels: Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, and then join me in waiting impatiently for book No. 3 Onyx Storm that is due to hit shelves in January 2025. The Empyrean Series is an addictive fantasy with epic levels of spice, danger, and intense world-building. These books are high fantasy/romantasy on a level I haven’t seen before and they will have your heart beating out of your chest from page one till the waiting game for the next book in the series.

Let’s dive into Fourth Win and meet Violet:



“Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general―also known as her tough-as-talons mother―has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away…because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter―like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda―because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.”


4. The Folk of the Air (series) -  Holly Black (Young Adult Fantasy)


This blood thirsty bestselling trilogy contains the books: The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King, and The Queen of Nothing. This trilogy is filled with thrills, twists, and enchantments, as one girl discovers the meaning of true power when she finds herself in the web of royal faerie deception. I devoured this trilogy in no time, falling in love with the characters and trying to figure out just where the web of lies and deceit would take the characters next. If you haven’t stepped into the world of Faerie by any author yet, I would highly recommend taking the leap with this series.

Here's a look at the series from Barnes & Noble:


“Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him—and face the consequences in doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.”


3. The Lord of the Rings (series) – J.R.R. Tolkien (High Fantasy)


“One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.”


Beware the One Ring!


The Lord of the Rings trilogy includes the novels: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. This trilogy, along with the prequel The Hobbit, were made into highly acclaimed movies directed by Peter Jackson. Tolkien can be hard to read because of his style of writing, but these books, even though there is a great amount of detail being thrown at you left and right, you will devour again and again. (Side Note: the same cannot be said about some of Tolkien’s other books such as The Silmarillion, which has so much detailed history that I tried and failed multiple times attempting to read it.)


You will fall in love with his characters and be right there beside them as they each face different challenges while all aiming to achieve the same goal: Destroy the Ring, Destroy the Enemy.  





“In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell by chance into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins.

From Sauron's fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, his power spread far and wide. Sauron gathered all the Great Rings to him, but always he searched for the One Ring that would complete his dominion.

When Bilbo reached his eleventy-first birthday he disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin Frodo the Ruling Ring and a perilous quest: to journey across Middle-earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord, and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom.”

 

  

2. The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien (High Fantasy)


"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."


So begins one of the most beloved tales ever written. Make sure to dive into The Hobbit before you jump into the Lord of the Rings series. The Hobbit was my first venture into high fantasy when I was in the third grade and Tolkien will forever hold a place in my heart for that. I would consider The Hobbit to one of the most well-loved and enduring novels that will stand the test of time.

Just in case you have no idea what I’m talking about, here’s a little behind-the-scenes from the book:





“Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum.”


1.        Harry Potter (series) – J.K. Rowling (Young Adult Fantasy)


The Harry Potter series has been acclaimed as "one for the ages" by Stephen King and "a spellbinding saga" by USA Today. 


I was introduced to the magical, wizarding world of Harry Potter in third grade when the first book, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone, was read to my class by our teacher. I was so hooked from the very first page, that I didn’t have the patience to wait for her to read a select chapter or two a day, so I jumped to the school library and checked it out, finishing it and starting the second one before she had finished it in class. I don’t think that the legend that is Harry Potter will ever fade. The 7-book series was made into a highly successful movie franchise and became the centerpiece entertainment hook for Universal’s theme parks.


If you haven’t picked up this series, I have no idea why. Even if you have seen the movies, you really MUST read the books. While the movies are excellent, there is just so much that you are missing out on that you can only find inside the pages of the novels.


Here’s a look at the book that brought us the wizarding world and the boy who lived:



“Harry Potter has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points while riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped to hatch a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisibility.All he knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley - a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry's room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years.But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry - and anyone who reads about him - will find unforgettable.For it's there that he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him... if Harry can survive the encounter.”

 

 

 “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.”

J.K. Rowling 


Hope this Top 10 helps you find the right book!

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