Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. Following on from last week where I shared the top ten crime fiction books I have read so far this year, today I am doing the same thing but this time it is with Fantasy books. Crime and Fantasy are my top two genres to read, I do read books from other genres but these two are my favourite.
So far this year I have read 22 fantasy book (actually 23 because I am currently reading Ignite Me by Taherah Mafi but when I made this list I hadn’t started this book yet). My least favourite of those 22 so far was To Sway A Bard. This is a short novel about a thief who is planning a heist and the Sheriff who is trying to stop her. Hoesntly, the premise sounded amazing, exactly what I love to read but the actual book did not go the way I hoped so it’s down at the bottom with my least favourite reads of the year.
So, the top 10 fantasy books I have read so far this year are:
In number 10:
The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber. This is the second book in the Once Upon A Broken Heart series. The first book was okay, I didn’t love it but I did love Stephanie Garber’s writing and her other series, Caraval, is one of my all time favourite series, so I wanted to keep reading. This second book was much better than the first. I enjoyed how the characters developed and that there seemed to be a more engaging plot in this book. I did not like the ending, that’s why it’s in tenth place here, it has a trope that I really hate to see so I am hesitant about going into reading the third and final book in this series.
In number 9:
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros. I won’t write any thoughts here, I will put them altogether with the other books in the series which (spoiler alert) are higher up on this list.
In number 8:
Way of the Argosi by Sebastien de Castell. This is the first in the spin off, prequel series, that goes with Castell’s Spellslinger series – another of my all time favourite series’. In Way of the Argosi we follow a young Ferrius and we see how she starts on the path to becoming an Argosi. I really enjoy how the writer builds the layers for characters in this series. She starts out as a scared young girl and we really get to go along on the journey with her as she figures out how strong she is and as she learns what is the best thing to do. I thought without Kellen in it I would not enjoy this series as much, I don’t usually enjoy prequel’s because I sort of know how they end but this one surprised me, I loved it and I hope to finish all three books by the end of the year.
In number 7:
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas. I started this year with the idea that I was going to finish ALL of the Sarah J Maas books on my shelves, because I own all of them and I had only read the first book in each of her series’ – A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass and Crescent City House of Earth and Blood. So, I had big goals for this year to get through all 13 other books that I owned in these series’. At this point, it is August and I am making progress in this goal but I’m not sure I’m going to make it but hey, we shall see. I did read Crown of Midnight. Which, to begin with was very slow going. It was a little boring with all the information you get at the beginning but then once the action gets started it hooks you in and I started to really enjoy it and I am excited to get around to Heir of Fire next.
In number 6:
Unravel Me by Taherah Mafi. This is the second book in the Shatter Me series which follows Juliette, a girl who has been in prison for a long time because if she touches you then you die is basically the premise. I enjoyed the first book but I loved the second book. The writing is done in a way that you really feel like you are inside Juliette’s head, feeling what she is feeling and there are so many parts that are absolutely heartbreaking.
In number 5:
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. I did warn you this one was coming and yes, the first book in the series is up higher on the list and I will give my thoughts with that one.
In number 4:
Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco. This is the second book in the princes of sin series, the spin off of the Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy. This one follows Prince Gluttony and his rivalry with a newspaper journalist. I did enjoy this one, it wasn’t as good as the rest of Kerri’s books in my opinion, a bit too cinderella-y for me but I still enjoyed the tension and the way the mysteries are done in the plot. Also, it has dragons. The next book in this series follows Prince Sloth and I cannot wait for this book to come out, I will devour it the day I get it. Unfortunately that won’t be until February.
In number 3:
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas. As I was saying, I planned to read all of her books that I had not read yet, this year. So, I have currently read four out of five of the ACOTAR series and ACOWAR is so far my favourite out of the series. I like the balance between battle and romance within this book, although I do kind of think the series could have ended nicely here I appreciate getting to spend more books with the characters.
In number 2:
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. Here it is. Okay, honesty. I spent two years refusing to read this book, I didn’t think I would like it and it got so popular so quickly I was cautious about it. Then I got a cheap copy of the first book and I absolutely loved it. And now I have multiple t-shirts, seven dragon soft toys, a bunch of pins and other merchandise and I have read all three books in the series… I might like the series a little bit.
In the top spot, number 1 is:
Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco. This is the fourth and final book in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series. It follows Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell as they uncover different mysteries like Jack the Ripper, a killer who mimics Dracula, a circus with Houdini in it and this final book they come up against the serial killer H H Holmes. I adore this series. I love everything about it.
What are some of your favourite fantasy books you have read so far this year?
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