Top 5 Fantasy Series

“The night Kate Harker decided to burn down the school chapel, she wasn’t angry or drunk.

First line in This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

Hello readers. Another Tuesday with another topic for Top 5 Tuesday hosted by Shanah from Bionic Book Worm. She just posted the really cool (and challenging) topics for July if you’re interested. As a fantasy reader, this week’s topic is of course the best topic she could choose for a top 5. I’ve made this list a little differently though because I made my Top 10 all-time favorite books a couple of weeks ago also for Top 5 Tuesday. That list featured my 5 favorite fantasy series (and more) so I decided to use this as an opportunity to mention 5 of the books that didn’t make it onto my top 10. Then I don’t feel so bad for not including them you see. So, if you want to know my absolute favorite fantasy books, go check out my Top 10. Otherwise, here are some other ones.

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin

I think all reviews of these books praise the characters and their development and that’s for good reason. The plot is very slow because Martin spends the time giving the reader a deep insight into every single character. It doesn’t matter whether the character is there for a single chapter or the entire series. You know them. I really enjoy that kind of writing although I will admit it can get a little too detailed sometimes.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

I went into this series thinking that it was going to be another stereotypical YA fantasy story but there was so much hype around it that I picked it up anyway. Thankfully, I was proven wrong. It’s a fast-paced and dark story filled with all kinds of characters. I think what I enjoys most about the series is its maturity. It doesn’t shy away from showing the brutality and injustice that these characters face. Also, the setting is roman inspired which is the coolest.  

The Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen

I’m not completely sure whether this is middle grade or YA, but I read it as an adult and loved it to pieces. The big plot twist in the first book is amazingly well thought out and I didn’t see it coming. Other than that, this series has action, runaway royals, politics and a main character you’ll want to protect at all costs.

Monsters of Verity by Victoria Schwab

Such a cool concept. In Verity, monsters are born from acts of violence but maybe being born a monster doesn’t mean that you’re evil. I enjoyed reading this world so much and also finding out the small details Schwab has put in there. It’s a very dark world (it’s Victoria Schwab, duh) with characters that are morally gray but also some that have managed to stay good. In general, if you enjoy Schwab’s writing, you need to read this duology.

Deltora Quest by Emily Rodda

This is a childhood favorite of mine. They are very, very short and I used to read them in a day. As a child I found them so exciting but also a little scary because of all the horrible monsters. Like they would give me nightmares, but I still loved them. I’ve been wanting to reread them now as an adult to see if I like them just as much.

5 books that are very dear to me, so I’m very interested to know if you’ve read any of them and liked them just as much.

Happy reading,

Line