Like Fantasy? LOVE these... Top pick's of 2015!

Hey everyone!

As you may have guessed, one of my favourite genres is fantasy. Who's isn't?

What I love about this genre is that you can become completely immersed in a unique new world, usually full of magical creatures and rarely are two books the same.

My favourite magical creature would have to be the Fae but I do love witches, dragons, demons and all the rest of it. Although there doesn't have to be creatures like dragons in fantasy books for me to love them, just some semblance of magic and I'm hooked.

So I've spend the majority of my summer reading this genre and I've put together some of my top reads which I think you guys should check out and hopefully come to love as much as me. 


Top picks for lovers of fantasy!



1) Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Let's get my completely obvious and bias pick out of the way shall we? So yeah, the Throne of Glass series. This series follows assassin Celaena Sardothein from her harrowing year spent as a prisoner in a salt mine to entering a deadly competition to win her freedom and to become The King's Champion. This series get's better and better, as it's progressed we are introduced to more characters (therefore bigger books ;)), more of the magic element, more magical creatures such as the Fae and witches and so many plot twists that leave you reeling. Not only is this a great fantasy but the world building involved is superlative, there aren't many books that can enable you to easily imagine a whole new world, especially as detailed as this is. With Queen of Shadows just around the corner why not give this a try!


2) A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Another Maas pick I'm afraid but this is definitely for you romance lovers. A Court of Thorns and Roses was newly released back in May and this quickly became an instant favourite of 2015 so far. This is all about Feyre who hunts to feed her family, one day she kills a wolf... only it wasn't a wolf at all but a member of the Fae! eeeep more fae. In exchange for the life she took Feyre must repay it with her own; spending the rest of her days living among the Fae folk. We travel to the Fae Court and meet some really great secondary characters and then it's basically a romance but just a things start to get good... and when I say 'good' I mean haaawwt... darkness descends, games are afoot and were introduced to some action. All in all this book has a lot going for it and the next instalment is first on my to buy list of 2016!


3) The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Next we have The Winner's Trilogy which I highly recommend to those of you who enjoy high fantasy. While the fantasy is pretty epic what I actually enjoy most is Kestrel Trajan, our heroine. Kestrel is strong but not in the psychical sense, she's much more suited to a battle of wits. As the General's daughter and her upcoming birthday Kestrel must decide whether to marry or enlist in the army but instead she rebels and buys herself a slave: Arin. She soon discovers that she hasn't really bought a slave at all but a whole 'lotta trouble, Arin to has a rebellious side and is hiding the most dangerous secret of all. I was completely hooked from cover to cover, it's highly addicting and ends with devastating cliffhangers. The Winner's Kiss will be released in March 2016 so you've got plenty of time to check this one out.


4) The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

This story is about the Caliph of Khorasan; Khalid, he marries a girl every night only to have her executed at dawn, hanged by a silk cord. Enter our heroine Shahrzad, when her best friend falls victim to this ruthless monster she’s heartbroken and is determined that the Caliph's reign of terror must end, she volunteers to become his next bride and kill himThis book is a gorgeous fantasy that will take you to a stunning world filled with a rich culture of food, music and twisting tales of Aladdin. This is a fantastic debut came out May 2015 and not only were the MC characters awesome but the cheeky secondary characters quickly became my favourites. I highly recommend this book to everyone and I can’t wait for Book 2: The Rose and the Dagger as it promises a lot more magic!


5) Cinder by Marissa Meyer

The Lunar Chronicles is a series of re-telling's but they all have their unique twist, these books have become increasingly popular this year and with good reason. Cinderella goes intergalactic in this debut, Cinder is a cyborg living in New Beijing where human and androids live in a not-so-peaceful world. In keeping with the original fairy tale Cinder lives with her evil stepmother and stepsisters and is made to serve them, but instead of 'housework' being Cinder's 'thing' she actually a gifted mechanic. Soon the world is on the brink of disaster with the rivalled world Luna being run by the evil Queen Levana, during this Cinder soon meets the totally gorgeous Prince Kai. This is one of my favourite series and I definitely encourage fans of re-telling's to give this series a try. It's the perfect blend of the classic stories with a fascinating twist and the great thing about this series in the characters from each overlap and interact, adding to the drama! So we have Cinder Cinderella, Scarlet Little Red Riding Hood, Cress Rapunzel and soon to be Winter Snow White in November, pretty great right?



6) The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

Looking for mystery, adventure, folklore, magic and a spot of romance? Then look no further.

This has this and much much more, following Blue who lives with her mother and aunts who are all physics, sounds pretty cool huh? Well not so when Blue's future has already been predicted; She is destined to kill her true love with a kiss. AWKWARD! The Raven Cycle follows Blue and four 'Raven Boys' from Aglionby Academy; Gansey, Adam, Ronan and Noah. Together they try to unravel and save the mystery of a long forgotten sleeping King. With intricate plot twists, multiple POV's and dark magic around every corner, you're sure to lose yourself in this epic adventure. The Raven King is set to release in March 2016 so get yourself on Goodreads, check out some reviews and see if this series is for you!


7) The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

After finishing The Heart of Betrayal a few weeks ago, I just had to include this series. The book starts off with Princess Lia preparing for her wedding day, she doesn’t know anything about her betrothal so decides to run away from the marriage and the pressure of being a royal. She soon settles in a little town and manages to hide her identity by getting a job at the local tavern. Whilst working two strangers enter: One is the prince she left on her wedding day, the other is an assassin sent to kill her. There’s a twist, we don’t know which one is which they are only referred to as ‘The Prince’ and ‘The Assassin’, so it keeps you guessing as your reading. There's a love triangle but I actually didn't mind this, I was much more focused on trying to figure out who was who. The final instalment The Beauty of Darkness will be out mid 2016.


8) An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

This story is told from two POV’s: Laia and Elias. Laia is a Scholar and because of this she is classed as subservient to the Martials. Elias is part of the Martial Empire and has spent the last fourteen years training to be a soldier, he is now a Mask. One night Laia’s brother is taken by the Martials and thrown into person, determined to free him Laia must seek aid from the Resistance. Once Laia and Elias meet, they will find that their destinies are intertwined and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself. It's hard to describe this book, it's dark, twisted and just delicious to read with it’s completely addictive writing. I honestly read this with a pounding heart from start to finish into the wee hours of the night, with the added elements of magic, trials and old myths coming to life and now we're being treated to a sequel in 2016? Who could say no to this?


9) Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

The Grisha series, okay so this ended last year but it's definitely one I would highly recommend to anyone new to fantasy. This story is all about Alina Starkov who suddenly comes into her own powers after her best friend is attacked and she saves his life. Alina is then taken to train with the Grisha who all have different powers, strengths and weaknesses. This magical elite guard is led by The Darkling, who is possibly still the most talked about character ever. He's truly something and I won't spoil anything because you really must experience his gloriousness for yourself and first hand. Filled with myths, action and adventure this is sure to be an instant favourite.


10) Angelfall by Susan Ee

Lastly I give you the Penryn & the End of Days series, possibly one of the best YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, Dystopian out there, wow that's a mouthful.

In a post apocalyptic world we meet Penryn, possibly the most kickass heroine there is! Penryn's sister is taken by angels and it's here that Penryn literally demands an angel who has been stripped of his wings to take her to her sister for a rescue mission. From the very begging you become completely immersed in the gruesome world and really root for Penryn. The excitement never stops, plot twists never end and with a slow burn romance in the background because hello we have a sister to save and vicious angels to avoid, thank you very much. Sadly this fantastic series came to end in May 2015 but the good news is all these books will be shops... go now!


So these would be my top picks for fantasy 2015, they'll be sure to make you fall in love and become quite obsessed with.

What do you like about fantasy?
Do your book have to have magic and creatures in?
Or is a vivid new world enough to entice you?
Do you have any best/worst picks?

Any and all recommendation are welcome, I'm always looking to expand my bookshelves.
I do hope you guys will check some of these out,
Happy Reading!
Cody
xo.

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21 comments:

  1. I love really dark and twisted fantasies. ACOTAR did a really great job at making the fae really dark and sinister. I have Shadow and Bone on my bookshelf waiting to be read. Your whole list is basically books that I am dying to read. Another fantasy series that I am dying to read is The Falling Kingdom series. Have you read this one?

    Sarah @ The Reading Petal

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    1. YES! The more dark & twisty the better, I love them. Oh my god you are going to love Shadow & Bone, it's seriously good!!
      I kid you not I have Falling Kingdoms sat on my bookshelf right waiting to be read, I'm just waiting to get a few books out of the way and then I am totally reading it.
      Do you have it? We should totally read this soon if so :)

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    2. I don't have it actually, but I can easily get it from the library! :) :)
      Whenever you want to read it, you just let me know!

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  2. Many of these books are on my to-read list ! I have already bought the Throne of Glass series on my kindle but I just don't seem to be ready to read it yet, afraid to be disappointed with it somehow hehe :) By the way, you could read The Iron Fey series if you haven't yet, I think all fantasy lovers would love it ^^

    @ "Book Addict"

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    1. Take the plunge and read it ;) it's soo good, I hope you enjoy it when you do decide to read it!
      Oh my god The Iron Fey is one of my favourite fantasies ever, Julie Kagawa is amazing!!!
      I'm going to be re-reading the series before The Call of the Forgotten comes out :D

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  3. FANTASY! My all-time favourite genre! Honestly, what isn't to love about fantasy? It's pure epic! Magic, swords, dark princes, nothing ever being what you thought it was, new worlds...it just makes me feel all happy and warm inside :)
    I have literally read every single book (or at least the first book in the series) you have mentioned (with the exception of one or two, but those ones I'm desperately trying to get my hands on), and I have loved them. Which all boils down to the fact that this list is basically a list of books I love. Though I think I'm just going to save myself the hassle and just buy ACOTAR and An Ember in the Ashes rather than wait for it from a friend...
    Argh, my copy of Heart of Betrayal is on its way, I hope it comes soon! And I need to finish the Grisha series and Penryn and the End of Days series! I'm seriously kicking myself for not reading them sooner. I spent way too much time rereading The Iron Fey series to take notice of anything else for the past few years, haha.
    Honestly, what I would give to actually live in one of these worlds! Better yet, I wish I could just travel to each and every one of these worlds, just to meet the characters and demand they become my friends. And maybe try to bring them with me to the next world!
    Absolutely loved this post, especially since it's all dedicated to fantasy :)
    (Apologies for this super long post, I might have gotten a little carried away, oops! But this is fantasy after all and you literally listed all of my favourites!)

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    1. Give me a minute to digest this fabulously long comment, I love you for them!
      YES, FANTASY IS AMAZING!! What I would give to live in just one of these worlds.
      Yaaaayyy I'm so glad, I would strongly urge urge urge you to get them Erika, you can no idea how much I need to speak to you about every single sentence of ACOTAR ;) you're literally going to combust with all the hot men ;)
      You must read HoB as soon as it arrives!! Rafe or Kaden? </3 this is basically all I took from it haha shameful!
      Fantasy Fan-girls together, I love it! We can totally jumping back into the Iron Fey super soon ;)

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  4. I love fantasy! It's one of my favourite genres! I especially love fairy-tale retellings, so the Lunar Chronicles is one of my favs! Dark fantasy works too - especially if it has blended Dystopian or Sci-fi in with it. But obviously, plain old fantasy realms are fine! Honestly, I don't really mind if there are magical creatures in it, and I prefer if there is! Like all those creatures that pop up in the Age of Legends series. Death worms, Thunder Hawks...

    I definitely think all your picks are great! They'd make my list. I'd say that the Half Bad series would also be a good fantasy series. It's about witches and I'm hoping my ship will set sail by the end of the third (and sadly, last) book. :)

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    1. I also tagged you in the Book Combo Tag and it'll be cool if you checked it out! http://morningsandepilogues.blogspot.hk/2015/08/book-combo-tag.html

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    2. I'm so glad, are you dying for Winter to be released as much as me?! Yes, a dark fantasies are epic, they're definitely the ones that keep me up at night reading. Death worms? Thunder Hawks? well this sounds epic, I'm checking this out thanks!
      I haven't read the Half Bad series but I will definitely add it to my TBR self if it's great, thanks so much for your comment and the nomination :D x

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  5. Fantastic list! All the ones I haven't read on here, are on my to read list!! :D

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    1. Thanks Erin! Oh you are soo guna love them <3

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  6. Also, I tagged you! http://angelerin.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-90s-tag.html

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  7. I'm loving fantasy more and more these days! I'm so glad I'm finally reading the Throne of Glass series because it is SO GOOD. I need to read Heir of Fire before Queen of Shadows comes out!
    I haven't read The Wrath and the Dawn yet but it sounds amazing and I can't wait. Great list! :D

    -- Nicola Reads YA

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    1. YES THRONE OF GLASSS.. you have the best taste ;) I am totally going to stalk your blog for reviews, I need to know your Ship!!
      Heir of Fire, is the best! You're going to love it, Queen of Shadows totally needs to hurry!
      Thanks Nicola :D

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  8. Amazing list! I have read some of the books, and my favorite is probably the grisha trilogy. I love how vivid the world is, with a touch of Russian culture. And the Darkling! Can't get him off my mind :)

    Anyway I nominated you for the blogger recognition award. kindly check it out http://theliteraryhuntress.blogspot.com/2015/08/blogger-recognition-award.html :)

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    1. Thanks Tasya! Oh yes I definitely agree, the Grisha world is so detailed and gorgeous and that Darkling is something else, I truly can't bring myself to hate him even though he's evil ;) haha , thanks so much!!

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  9. Fantasy has somehow became my favorite genre. It happened without me realizing it lol!! I've read most of these and wrote down the others to read. Ty for the recommendations :D

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    1. It's amazing right? I absolutely love everything about fantasy books, this year has been the best for them! You're welcome, I hope you enjoy them :)

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  10. Yes yes yes to all of these! I'm a huge fantasy fan! I especially love Sarah J. Maas - ACOTAR and the ToG series are so epic! I can't wait for Queen of Shadows to come out and the next ACOTAR book! Also, The Winner's Curse series is beautiful - I love all the mind games that Kestrel plays and all the complicated politics and alliances :) Awesome list!

    Laura @BlueEyeBooks

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    1. YESSS LAURA, Oh I love your comment! We totally have the same tastes, frankly everything SJM writes is extraordinary but I completely agree with you about Kestrel, she was pretty badass in her own way and the way that story is written is exceptional :D Thank you!!!

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