I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love reading fantasy. However, for some, it’s a large genre and you may not know where to start. Before we jump into books, let’s look at what fantasy is and the two types of fantasy.
What is fantasy?
Fantasy is a subgenre of fiction which defy what is possible in our reality such as magic, superheroes and supernatural creature stories.
Fantasy is the first genre children are introduced to when they begin reading as it includes fairytales, myths and legends that are told to them. Modern fantasy can now be split between high fantasy and low fantasy even within the sub categories of fantasy.
What is high fantasy?
High fantasy can be classed as an epic fantasy which is set in a completely different world and allows readers to be immersed in that world. This world has its own rules, battles and systems whether it be magic or other powers.
High Fantasies have these elements in common
A secondary magical world
This means the stories take place in a world separate from our own which the author populates with everything from their own imagination.
Intricate world-building
This involves creating a detailed and immersive fictional universe with its own history, cultures, languages, and magical elements. Authors invest in developing various aspects, such as political and social systems, economics, and rules for magic. The goal is to construct a rich and believable backdrop that enhances the narrative, introducing mythical creatures, unique flora and fauna, and diverse civilizations. Successful high fantasy world-building allows readers or viewers to escape reality and fully immerse themselves in a fantastical realm, making the story more compelling and memorable.
Mythological influences
All fantasy has roots in myths and folklore from many different parts of the world whether it be Western or Eastern mythology or European mythology.
High stakes
High stakes involve significant and perilous consequences that characters face on a grand scale, such as the fate of worlds, magical balance, or the destiny of entire civilizations. These stakes create urgency, driving characters to confront formidable obstacles and make pivotal choices impacting their fantastical world.
High-stakes fantasy often features epic conflicts between forces of good and evil, the threat of apocalyptic events, or quests for powerful artefacts. This heightened sense of importance contributes to tension and excitement, keeping audiences engaged as characters grapple with monumental challenges to secure the well-being of their fantastical universe.
What is low fantasy?
Low fantasy takes place in a world we recognise as our own as the magic of fantasy is brought into our world instead of the reader being transported into a new world. The main sub-genres incorporated into low fantasy are urban fantasy, dystopian fantasy, and historical fantasy.
Low fantasies have these elements in common
An otherwise normal world
An otherwise normal world refers to taking ordinary aspects from our everyday reality and imbuing them with magical or extraordinary qualities within the context of the fantasy setting. This technique creates a blend of the familiar and the fantastical, providing readers with relatable points of reference while enhancing the imaginative elements of the story.
Magical creatures and/or magical powers
The inclusion of magical creatures and powers is a key element that enriches the narrative and allows for readers to still escape. Magical creatures, such as dragons and elves, add diversity and wonder to the imaginary setting, while characters wielding magical powers, like spellcasting or shape-shifting, play a central role in character development and plot progression.
Personal stakes
The concept of personal stakes revolves around individual characters facing intimate challenges, conflicts, and motivations within a setting that is more grounded and less fantastical. Unlike high fantasy, the focus is on the characters’ personal emotions, relationships, and individual goals, often set in environments that closely resemble our own. The narrative prioritises everyday challenges, making the stakes more relatable and human, emphasising personal growth, overcoming inner struggles, and navigating complex interpersonal dynamics. This approach contributes to a character-driven and emotionally resonant storytelling experience.
High Fantasy Recommendations
After the Forest by Kell Woods
Standalone
ISBN 9781460762028
Published 4 October 2023
Pages 384 pages
Ginger. Honey. Cinnamon. Flour.
A drop of blood to bind its power.
1650: The Black Forest, Wurttemberg. Fifteen years after the witch in the gingerbread house, Greta and Hans are struggling to get by. Their father and stepmother are long dead, Hans is deeply in debt from gambling, and the countryside lies in ruin, its people recovering in the aftermath of a brutal war.
Greta has a secret, though: the witch’s grimoire, secreted away and whispering in her ear, and the recipe inside that makes the most sinfully delicious – and addictive – gingerbread. As long as she can bake, Greta can keep her small family afloat.
But in a village full of superstition, Greta and her intoxicating gingerbread is a source of ever-growing suspicion and vicious gossip.
And now, dark magic is returning to the woods and Greta’s own power – magic she is still trying to understand – may be the only thing that can save her …
If it doesn’t kill her first.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
ISBN 9780349437002
Published 9 May 2023
Pages 512
Welcome to the brutal and elite world of Basgiath War College, where everyone has an agenda, and every night could be your last . . .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.
Alliances will be forged. Lives will be lost. Traitors will become allies . . . or even lovers. But sleep with one eye open because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.
The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten
ISBN 9780356521237
Published 19 September 2023
Pages 400
Lore has been living by her wits since she was a child, running poisons for the cartel that took her in, avoiding the attention of the law, and keeping her illicit affinity for death magic a secret.When a job goes wrong and Lore is captured by the Sainted King’s warrior-monks, she expects death. But King August has a different plan. Entire villages on the outskirts of the country have been dying overnight, seemingly at random. Lore can either use her magic to find out what’s happening – or face the pyre.Thrust into a lavish court where no one can be believed and even fewer can be trusted, Lore must navigate an intricate web of politics, religion, and forbidden romance and solve the King’s mystery. A mystery more dangerous and twisted than Lore can even imagine
The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon
ISBN 9780008555849
Published 1 November 2023
Pages 480
All Talasyn has ever known are the Hurricane Wars. An orphan of the struggle, she uses the power of light to fight for her people against the Night Empire.
All Alaric has ever known is darkness. The son of the Night Emperor and their deadliest weapon, he wields terrifying shadow magic to crush the rebellion.
Then he sees Talasyn, his sworn enemy burning bright across the battlefield. The moment they clash their lives are changed forever.
Now a greater threat is rising and only they can stop it.
The coming storm threatens to destroy everything. If they don’t destroy each other first . . .
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
ISBN 9780575089914
Published 1 December 2009
Pages 672
A thousand years ago evil came to the land and has ruled with an iron hand ever since. The sun shines fitfully under clouds of ash that float down endlessly from the constant eruption of volcanoes. A dark lord rules through the aristocratic families and ordinary folk are condemned to lives in servitude, sold as goods, labouring in the ash fields.But now a troublemaker has arrived and there is rumour of revolt. A revolt that depends on criminal that no-one can trust and a young girl who must master Allomancy – the magic that lies in all metals.
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
ISBN 9781952457005
Published 30 March 2020
Pages 627
A Maiden…
Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.
A Duty…
The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.
A Kingdom…
Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
ISBN 9781529362909
Published 9 March 2021
Pages 416
On the fringes of the Great Spice Road, Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land – but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. Then a royal messenger summons her ailing father to court, and Maia seizes her chance. Disguised as a man, she travels to the Summer Palace in her father’s place to compete for the emperor’s favour, and the coveted position of imperial tailor.If Maia’s ruse is discovered, her life will be forfeit. But if she wins, she will achieve her greatest dream.Yet nothing could have prepared her for the challenge ahead: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor’s bride-to-be. One from the laughter of the sun, one from the tears of the moon, and one from the blood of stars.Accompanied by the mysterious court enchanter, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise, Maia’s journey will take her to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.
Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare
ISBN 9781529001396
Published 10 October 2023
Pages 624
In the vibrant city-state of Castellane, the richest of nobles and the most debauched of criminals have one thing in common: the constant search for wealth, power and the next hedonistic thrill.
Kel is an orphan, stolen from the life he knew to become the Sword-Catcher – the body-double of a royal heir, Prince Conor Aurelian. He has been raised alongside the prince, trained in every aspect of combat and statecraft. He and Conor are close as brothers, but Kel knows he has one destiny: to die for Conor. No other future is possible.
Lin Caster is one of the Ashkar, a small community who still possess magical abilities. By law, they must live behind walls in the city, but Lin, a physician, ventures out to tend to the sick and dying of Castellane. Despite her skills, she cannot heal her best friend Mariam without access to forbidden knowledge.
After a failed assassination attempt brings Lin and Kel together, they are drawn into the web of the mysterious Ragpicker King, the criminal ruler of Castellane’s underworld. He offers them each what they want most; but as they descend into his world of intrigue and shadow, they discover a conspiracy of corruption that reaches from the darkest gutters of Castellane to the highest tower of its palaces. As long-kept secrets begin to unravel, they must ask themselves: is knowledge worth the price of betrayal? Can forbidden love bring down a kingdom? And will Lin and Kel’s discoveries plunge their nation into war – and the world into chaos?
The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
ISBN 9781760897512
Published 30 March 2021
Pages 416
Here at Zalindov, the only person you can trust is yourself.
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.
Akarnae by Lynette Noni
ISBN 9781921997501
Published 1 February 2015
Pages 384
With just one step, sixteen-year-old Alexandra Jennings’s world changes – literally.
Dreading her first day at a new school, Alex is stunned when she walks through a doorway and finds herself stranded in Medora, a fantasy world full of impossibilities.
Desperate to return home, she learns that only a man named Professor Marselle can help her… but he’s missing.
While waiting for him to reappear, Alex attends Akarnae Academy, Medora’s boarding school for teenagers with extraordinary gifts. She soon starts to enjoy her bizarre new world and the friends who embrace her as one of their own, but strange things are happening at Akarnae, and Alex can’t ignore her fear that something unexpected… something sinister… is looming.
An unwilling pawn in a deadly game, Alex’s shoulders bear the crushing weight of an entire race’s survival. Only she can save the Medorans, but what if doing so prevents her from ever returning home?
Will Alex risk her entire world – and maybe even her life – to save Medora?
Low Fantasy Recommendations
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Book 1
ISBN 9780008600662
Published 18 August 2023
Pages 368
Eighteen-year-old Iris dreams that one day her writing will make a difference. A war between gods is raging, and she’s landed a prestigious job at the Oath Gazette.
But at home, she’s barely holding it together. Her brother is missing on the frontline. Her mother is lost in a haze of addiction. And each night Iris pours her heart out in letters to her brother.
Letters that will never be answered. Or so she thinks…
They’ve made their way into the hands of the last person Iris trusts: Roman Kitt. Her cold, unforgiving rival at the paper.
Drawn together by fate and magic, they form an unlikely connection. They say love conquers all… but can it triumph in a war between gods?
Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas
ISBN 9781035011230
Published 28 June 2022
Pages 320
Something sinister waits within the trees . . .
It’s been five years since Wendy and her two brothers went missing in the woods, but when the town’s children start to disappear, the questions surrounding her brothers’ mysterious circumstances are brought back into the light. Attempting to flee her past, Wendy almost runs over an unconscious boy lying in the middle of the road . . .
Peter, a boy she thought lived only in her stories, asks for Wendy’s help to rescue the missing kids. But, in order to find them, Wendy must confront what’s waiting for her in the woods.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
ISBN 9781399709897
Published 22 November 2022
Pages 336
She found magic in the most unlikely of places.
Mika Moon follows three rules: hide your magic, keep your head down, and stay away from other witches. Mika is good at being alone, and she doesn’t mind it . . . mostly.
But when an unexpected invitation arrives to teach three young witches at the mysterious Nowhere House, Mika jumps at the chance for a different life. As she comes to care for its quirky inhabitants – and Jamie, the handsome but prickly librarian – finally belonging somewhere feels like a real possibility.But magic isn’t the only danger in the world – is it worth risking everything to protect the found family Mika didn’t know she was looking for?
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Book 1
ISBN 9781250217288
Published 17 March 2020
Pages 352
A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.
Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.
When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.
But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Book 1
ISBN 9780141346809
Published 21 August 2013
Pages 400
Look, I never asked to be the son of a Greek god. I was just a normal kid. . . until I accidentally vaporized my maths teacher.
Percy Jackson is having a bad week. His life has gone from totally normal to monsters-from-Greek-mythology-randomly-appearing kind of strange. Worse still, the king of the gods thinks Percy has stolen his all-powerful lightning bolt – and it seems making Zeus angry is a very bad idea.
Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to catch the true lightning thief and stop all-out war from erupting on Mount Olympus. . .
What could possible go wrong?
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
Standalone
ISBN 9781529087970
Published 26 April 2022
Pages 384
Welcome to Charon’s Crossing.
The tea is hot, the scones are fresh and the dead are just passing through.
When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own sparsely-attended funeral, Wallace is outraged. But he begins to suspect she’s right, and he is in fact dead. Then when Hugo, owner of a most peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace reluctantly accepts the truth.
Yet even in death, he refuses to abandon his life – even though Wallace spent all of it working, correcting colleagues and hectoring employees. He’d had no time for frivolities like fun and friends. But as Wallace drinks tea with Hugo and talks to his customers, he wonders if he was missing something.
The feeling grows as he shares jokes with the resident ghost, manifests embarrassing footwear and notices the stars. So when he’s given one week to pass through the door to the other side, Wallace sets about living a lifetime in just seven days.
Can’t Spell Treason without Tea by Rebecca Thorne
Book 1
ISBN 9781035030996
Published First release 25 July 2023, re-release 9 May 2024 with Tor
Currently available on Kindle
Pages 464
Two women wanted to open a cosy bookshop. They discovered a world of adventure.
Reyna and Kianthe dream of opening a friendly book shop together, serving the very best tea and cakes. Worn wooden floors, plants on every table, firelight drifting between the rafters – all complemented by love and good company. But Reyna is an elite bodyguard to a vengeful queen, and Kianthe is the most powerful mage in existence. Leaving their lives behind seems . . . impossible. Yet they flee to Tawney, a town nestled in the icy peaks of dragon country. There, they open the bookstore they’d always wanted.
What follows is a tale of mishaps, mysteries, dragons, and a murderous queen throwing the realm’s biggest temper tantrum. Through it, these two women will discover what they mean to each other – and their world.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
ISBN 9781035042432
Published Kindle 28 June 2022, Hardcover 31 January 2023
Pages 320
After decades of adventuring, Viv the orc barbarian is finally hanging up her sword for good. Now she sets her sights on a new dream – for she plans to open the first coffee shop in the city of Thune. Even though no one there knows what coffee actually is.
If Viv wants to put the past behind her, she can’t go it alone. And help might arrive from unexpected quarters. Yet old rivals and new stand in the way of success. And Thune’s shady underbelly could make it all too easy for Viv to take up the blade once more.
But the true reward of the uncharted path is the travellers you meet along the way. Whether bound by ancient magic, delicious pastries or a freshly brewed cup, they may become something deeper than Viv ever could have imagined.
The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin
ISBN 9781728229423
Published 1 June 2021
Pages 384
For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power from the sun peaking in the season of their birth. But now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season.
In Autumn, Clara wants nothing to do with her power. It’s wild and volatile, and the price of her magic ― losing the ones she loves ― is too high, despite the need to control the increasingly dangerous weather.
In Winter, the world is on the precipice of disaster. Fires burn, storms rage, and Clara accepts that she’s the only one who can make a difference.
In Spring, she falls for Sang, the witch training her. As her magic grows, so do her feelings, until she’s terrified Sang will be the next one she loses.
In Summer, Clara must choose between her power and her happiness, her duty and the people she loves…before she loses Sang, her magic, and thrusts the world into chaos.
Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
ISBN 9780356518763
Published 28 June 2022
Pages 320
It’s difficult to find a husband in Regency England when you’re a young lady with only half a soul.
Ever since she was cursed by a faerie, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear or embarrassment – a condition which makes her prone to accidental scandal. Dora hopes to be a quiet, sensible wallflower during the London Season – but when the strange, handsome and utterly uncouth Lord Sorcier discovers her condition, she is instead drawn into dangerous and peculiar faerie affairs.If Dora’s reputation can survive both her curse and her sudden connection with the least-liked man in all of high society, then she may yet reclaim her normal place in the world. . . but the longer Dora spends with Elias Wilder, the more she begins to suspect that one may indeed fall in love, even with only half a soul.
What fantasy books are you going to explore?
Seriously, please let me know which fantasy books stood out to you and which ones you will be exploring. I love diving into the worlds of these books and I definitely reread them- even the ones that have been recently released.
Fantasy is an escape from reality and I adore exploring new worlds. Hopefully, one of these has stood out, whether the book is a low or high-fantasy novel. Some books can swing either way depending on the person so these are how I would classify them.
Leave a Reply