In September 2021, I picked up a little-known series called A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, not knowing it would change my life forever. The years before, I had read a handful of fiction books, but never more than ten per year, and it often took me months to finish a book. Reading just stopped being a part of my life after school, even though I liked the idea of getting back into it.
I just felt like I didn’t know what was good, and I also didn’t know how to look for books. By complete coincidence, I found a Bookstagram account and then suddenly saw content about ACOTAR on my feed and eventually decided to give it a try.
Ten days later, I had inhaled the entire series and ordered a bunch of other fantasy books. At that point, I thought it was just gonna be a phase, but I posted a bit about the books I read on the Instagram account I had just started that I planned to use for a blog centered around horror and history.
It wasn’t just a phase. My horror and history Instagram quickly became an ‘official’ Bookstagram account, and 2,5 years later, I have read over 300 books and built a community for myself that is beyond what I ever thought was possible. Sometimes, it’s still wild to think that people actually trust my book recs and that it all developed into what it is now.
All that is to say, I’ve read a ton of fantasy books in the past years, but there are some that stand out, that I cannot stop thinking about, and that I’ve been recommending tirelessly. I am going to update this post over time, but in March 2024, these are my top 15 fantasy novels, in random order.
Note: This post only includes first books in series, so if you know me and know my eternal love for Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan, this is the reason why that book for example has not made the list.
- Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Since I’ve already mentioned the sequel, I might as well start with this.
I love this duology with my whole heart, it just touched my soul in a way that no other book ever has. The world is so beautiful, the characters are amazing, and the plot is just perfect from beginning to end in my opinion, but my favorite part is how it’s such a poetic tale of love, devotion, and sacrifice. It’s by far my favorite love triangle I have ever read and it had me in tears for the entirety of the second book. I will be doing a reread in April and I’m just so excited for that!
- The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty
I said this would be in random order, but Amina is my second favorite book of all time (behind HOTSW). I love the Daevabad trilogy as you will see further down the list, so I knew I was going to love Amina as well, I just didn’t anticipate how much. It’s funny, it is filled with action and adventure, it has one of the best found families I’ve ever read and it’s just so fucking good. I am so excited for the sequel, and anything else the author is going to write.
- Babel by R.F. Kuang
Babel is one of those books that I think are going to go down in literary history as a modern classic. It’s an absolute masterpiece and if I had to choose, I’d pick this as the best book I have ever read. Everything about it is just so masterfully done, from the characters, the magic, the plot, the writing, and just the overarching themes of racism and colonialism; it’s so poignant and heartbreaking. 100% must read.
- The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
This is another book I would consider a modern classic, very much on a level with works like Lord of the Rings or A Song of Ice and Fire.
I love A Day of Fallen Night a little bit more, but despite it being a prequel, I think the better reading order is Priory first and ADOFN second, so that’s why I’m putting Priory on the list. Both are masterpieces though, the way that Samantha Shannon can put a whole epic fantasy into one big standalone is so awe-inspiring. The whole world she has created is so detailed and rich, the characters have such depth to them, the plot is perfectly crafted and I love how it’s so female-focused.
- A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
Ava Reid is not for everyone, but I think when you’re her target audience, the books hit so deeply.
I loved all three, but A Study in Drowning was definitely my favorite. The female main character is probably the most relatable one I’ve come across in fantasy; I love her so much. The book is dark and heavy at times (always check TWs for Ava Reid!), but it was such a cathartic experience for me. It’s based on Welsh mythology, and the lore and atmosphere are on point.
- Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
If I ever were to start a book cult, it would be for Little Thieves (if you’ve read the books, I hope you’re chuckling right now). This book took me so much by surprise. It’s emotional, it’s hilarious, it’s deep, and it’s so damn charming. The demisexual rep in this healed a part of my inner teenager, it’s so well done and sweet. This is a series that I wish had existed back when I was in my teens, and I’m so happy for every young person who gets to read it now and hopefully finds themselves in it.
- The City of Brass by Shannon Chakraborty
When I got back into the reading and joined Bookstagram and came across this series, I immediately felt drawn to it, so it was one of the first ones I read after I felt like I was caught up on all the big romantasy series. Well, I read the first book lol, it took me ten months to finish the trilogy even though I loved it so much. The Daevabad trilogy has some of the best worldbuilding I have ever read, the complexity of the morals is unmatched, the plot is so good, and honestly everything about it is so good that it’s unbelievable that this was a debut series.
- These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
Fun fact: I bought this book on Kindle months before I read ACOTAR because I saw it on a list of ‘books to read in 2021’, but it took me over a year to finally get to it. This is a series that I believe is 100% worth the hype; I loved all five books, with Our Violent Ends being my favorite. The writing is so gorgeous, I love the characters and found family with my whole heart, and the plot!! Technically, it’s more sci-fi than fantasy, and the science elements are done so well. I love Chloe Gong so much, she is definitely one of my top authors.
- Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Again, this is more sci-fi than fantasy, but it has fantasy elements as well. This series is unlike anything I have ever read and will ever read, the worldbuilding and plot are truly on another level. It fucks up your brain in the very best way, and it is so much fun to try to figure out what’s going on. Everything in this series is deliberate (including the confusion), the characters are so amazing, and truly all of it is just mind-blowing. I understand why it’s not for everyone but if it is for you, there’s a high chance you will slip into the cult community around this series.
- Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
This book is gothic romance-mystery at its peak, the vibes are so fucking good and dark, I love Death and the poisons, it’s all just so much up my alley. This was a book that I loved so much, and I was a bit worried the sequel wouldn’t quite live up to the magic of book 1, but boy was I wrong! The progression of the story was amazing and at this point, I have no doubt the next book will be just as good. One of my favorite YA/NA series for sure, and one day, I am going to reread it in October so that the outside vibes match.
- A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
I adore Rebecca Ross, and A River Enchanted has truly enchanted me. The Scottish folklore and magic, the setting, the different characters, all of it is so beautiful and well done. It’s whimsical but then really picks up the pace as the story progresses (the sequel had me pacing my room while I listened to the audiobook). It is quite unlike anything I’ve ever read and it does such a good job at transporting you to the Isle of Cadence and all its secrets. The writing is also so stunning, all in all it’s just a gorgeous book.
- Blood & Steel by Helen Scheuerer
This is a series that really took me by surprise, I had heard good things and I was sure I was going to enjoy it, but damn, this HIT! The whole world is so well crafted, the plot is fast-paced and kept me on the edge of my seat, and ugh, the romance! Wilder and Thea immediately became one of my favorite couples; the enemies to lovers was perfection. Also, Thea is one of my new favorite female main characters, she is so strong and powerful, and I love her so much.
- The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi
Another book that firmly belongs in the “how the hell is this a debut” category (there’s one more to come, too), The Final Strife blew me away with its worldbuilding, the politics, the complex plot, the morality, the message, all of it is done so masterfully. And then we got the sequel that made everything so much bigger, but at the same time SO MUCH BETTER. It ended up being my second favorite book of last year, truly, Saara El-Arifi is a queen and I cannot wait for the end of this trilogy (and the sequel to Faebound which I also loved dearly).
- The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen
You can write Bridge Kingdom off as another standard enemies-to-lovers romantasy, but to be honest, that is such a disservice to an incredible series. Yes, the first book is very romance-heavy; yes, it is ETL, but the politics, the world, all of it is so good, and it gets bigger and more complex as the series continues. The first book holds a very special place in my heart, but my favorite is The Inadequate Heir, truly I did not expect to love Keris and Zarrah as much as I did, but they left me no choice!
- The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
Finally, we end the list with another R.F. Kuang book/series. The Poppy War is heavy as fuck, but it’s so brilliant. I loved it back when I finished it in April 2022, and two years later, I still think about it all the time. If I had to pick, this is the book I would choose for “best debut novel I have ever read” (look at RFK getting two awards from me in this post lol), the story progression is so good, the finale of that book is uh, mind-blowing, and the sequels deliver just as hard.
Beware that this comes with pretty much all the trigger warnings, but if you can stomach it, I highly, HIGHLY recommend reading it.
It is hard picking a top 15 because there is such a variety in the genre and the books are often so different that it’s hard to compare, but I think over time, you realize which books stand out the most and stay with you. Some of these were not immediate favorites and with others, it was love at first sight, but in the end, these are the 15 books/series I will never get tired of recommending. I am so excited to talk more about the books I love (and maybe the ones I don’t) on this blog and I hope you will go on this journey with me!