There are few things more delightful than having a stack of amazing books just waiting for you to read them. It is a delight that I am treated to constantly, as I seem to buy books at a faster rate than I actually end up reading them. But that just means that I have a whole library of books to browse through every time I need something new to read. I enjoy a wide range of genres, from sci-fi and dystopia, to thrillers and mysteries, but my all-time favourite genre is definitely fantasy. I love magic, and strange, unfamiliar worlds, and the unlimited potential of fantasy worlds. I can lose myself for hours in these epic adventures. My reading stack is full of intriguing reads right now, and today I want to share five fantasy novels that are top of my list to read
The Prison Healer | Lynette Noni
Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan has spent the last ten years fighting for survival in the notorious death prison, Zalindov, working as the prison healer.
When the Rebel Queen is captured, Kiva is charged with keeping the terminally ill woman alive long enough for her to undergo the Trial by Ordeal: a series of elemental challenges against the torments of air, fire, water, and earth, assigned to only the most dangerous of criminals.
Then a coded message from Kiva’s family arrives, containing a single order: “Don’t let her die. We are coming.” Aware that the Trials will kill the sickly queen, Kiva risks her own life to volunteer in her place. If she succeeds, both she and the queen will be granted their freedom.
But no one has ever survived.
With an incurable plague sweeping Zalindov, a mysterious new inmate fighting for Kiva’s heart, and a prison rebellion brewing, Kiva can’t escape the terrible feeling that her trials have only just begun.
Why I’m excited about this book:
- Characters undergoing trials. It’s so exciting, and satisfying, watching them struggle and grow throughout the process.
- Rebellions. When am I not going to get excited about a good uprising? Go the rebels. Get that justice.
- Volunteering in someone else’s place. Self sacrificing characters are one of my weaknesses in any book. Just, my heart, it melts.
Caravel | Stephanie Garber
Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.
But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic.
Why I’m excited about this book:
- Sisters. I genuinely think there aren’t enough books starring sisters, and it’s a shame
- Magical performances. After reading The Night Circus, I am so hungry for more magic performances and elaborate games.
- Following your dreams. I am always so fond of a book where characters escape their duties and follow their hearts and dreams.
The Gilded Ones | Namina Forna
Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.
But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.
Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire’s greatest threat.
Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she’s ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be–not even Deka herself.
Why I’m excited about this book:
- Outcasts with special destinies. I just love the twist of someone being outcast and ‘impure’ only to find that they have a special destiny all of their own.
- Caste systems. There’s always something fun about a caste system like this. It reminds me a little of the blood system in Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, and I am so here for more of that.
- Female warriors. Just, yes. Please sign me up for this epicness.
Nevernight | Jay Kristoff
In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.
Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.
Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.
Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?
Why I’m excited about this book:
- Assassins. I don’t know why, but assassins are pretty much my favourites ever. Show me a character who is a deadly killer, and I am probably going to fall in love with them immediately.
- Characters undergoing trials. As stated above, I love a good set of trials, especially when there’s competition.
- Dark fantasy. I’ve not read much in this sub genre, and I am so excited to dip my toes in, starting with this book, which I have heard a lot of praise for.
The Starless Sea | Erin Morgenstern
Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues—a bee, a key, and a sword—that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians—it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose—in both the mysterious book and in his own life.
Why I’m excited about this book:
- Libraries. Need I say more? This novel is all about books and stories and libraries, and if there is one set of things near and dear to my heart is is absolutely those. I have heard this described as a love-letter to books, and I am so hyped.
- Stumbling on magical worlds. It’s just fun to see a character stumbling in on a magic world they never imagined existed and seeing them try and figure out how it all works.
- Mysteries. A quest to follow a serious of bizarre clues, that end in the revelation of a magical secret? Sign me up!
These are five of the fantasy books I am most excited to read, but I would love to hear from you. What is the most anticipated read on your reading list? Are any of these books on your TBR? What’s your favourite genre to read?
Oooh, The Prison Healer sounds so good! My TBR thanks you. Caraval is still on my list, though I’m not sure why I’ve been putting it off. I recently read The Gilded Ones.
My most anticipated read was Elatsoe (contemporary fantasy), and it was spectacular! Now I’m looking forward to In the Jaded Grove (portal fantasy) and Butterfly Yellow (YA novel in verse).
I’m so anticipating The Prison Healer myself. Probably take me 6 years to read it at my current rate though, haha. I hadn’t heard of Elatsoe, but oh my goodness it sounds so good. And that cover is just gorgeous. Adding that one to my TBR for sure!