January: Fantasy
As most readers of my blog probably know, fantasy-particularly high fantasy-is my favorite genre. That being said, I don't really feel that I'm widely enough read in this genre. So this year I plan to change that! Anyway, here are some of my recommendations to you. These are in no particular order and may have appeared in previous posts, but I'm going to try and keep them mostly new.
The entire Septimus Heap by Angie Sage series is a favorite of mine. It's middle grade fantasy with adventure, dragons, magic, time travel, mistaken identity, it's got everything. Definitely a fun series that is a quick read.
The Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer is another absolute favorite of mine. It's middle grade/lower YA. Artemis, the main character, is a twelve-year-old criminal mastermind who kidnaps a fairy in order to ransom her for fairy gold, but that's only the beginning. We get to follow Artemis through eight books, so be prepared. This is another quick read.
Of course the Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien must be mentioned. I haven't read any of these books in a few years, but I've enjoyed them all. They aren't very long, for high fantasy novels. They are a bit descriptive, which I personally enjoy, they have a lot of long poems/songs-again, this is something I really like. They are older and the style is a bit different than more modern stuff, but I think fantasy lovers would enjoy them anyway.
The Harry Potter series by J K Rowling has to be included. This is one of the things that got me super into reading. I haven't read the series in about eight or nine years (I really need to do a re-read), but it's still a favorite. I have a lot of fond memories with this series. If you haven't read these, you definitely should. They start out as middle grade books but grow into YA/adult as Harry grows up over the years.
The Icemark Chronicles by Stuart Hill is a series of YA fantasy books that I read several years ago and then reread a couple of summers ago. The main character in the first book is a girl princess warrior who is training to rule her country. She befriends a warlock, rides a snow leopard, and humanizes vampires. It's a fun series.
This one always comes up. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is set in the same world as the Grisha trilogy (which I also really enjoyed), but follows a new cast of characters in a different country. Just go read this. Kaz is my favorite and Inej. I love the other characters too, but those two are amazing.
The Arros Chronicles by P D Kalnay are a new favorite of mine. Only two of the novels are out so far, but I've loved them both. It's a middle grade/YA series set in a kingdom with six princesses. Each book kind of focuses on a different princess, but all of them are present in some way. The first one is free for kindle on Amazon, so you should check it out.
The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan is one that I hope to finish this year. I've read four of the twelve books and really enjoyed them all. There isn't really magic in this middle grade series, but it's set in a fantasy world with some fantasy type creatures. There's a little bit of sorcery stuff, but not much. They are fun and quick reads.
Paladin by Sally Slater was one of my favorite Netgalley books last year. It took me by surprise honestly. It's YA and there's some romance, but I didn't feel that it overshadowed the entire story, like is often the case. It was just so much fun to read and I really want her to get that sequel out! (But don't worry, this can stand alone just fine.)
And finally, I think everyone should read Brandon Sanderson (he's my favorite author). I would recommend starting with his Mistborn trilogy (starting with The Final Empire)
Please leave me any of your favorite fantasy reads in the comments! I would love to hear what they are and add to my TBR.
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