I was recently compiling a list of my favorite books of the year so far, and there are a few fantasy books that are definitely going to be on my end-of-the-year list. A couple of these are so good, I wish I could read them again for the first time! But since that isn’t possible (yet), I’m sharing them here in order to bump them up on your TBR, so you can experience them for yourself.
Weavingshaw by Heba Al-Wasity
This is a dark fantasy about a young woman who ends up in the employ of the Saint of Secrets after making a deal to secure medication for her dying brother. Leena has a hidden ability: she can see ghosts. It comes in handy, since the Saint now wants her to locate a particular ghost for reasons he hasn’t explained. Leena thinks the Saint is a monster and has heard stories about some of the awful things he has supposedly done. But in their travels, she discovers he might not be the man everyone claims him to be. It’s a fast-paced and sometimes spooky story of loyalty, second chances, and secrets.
Strange Animals by Jarod K. Anderson
After a near-death experience, Green decides to leave his life in the city and heads to the remote woods of the Appalachian Mountains to find himself. That’s really all I want to tell you, because this novel surprised me over and over. Let’s just say there are things happening in the woods, and Green will get wrapped up in them. Read this one if you want something comforting. Despite having a few intense moments, it’s quite a lovely, calming story about life and nature, and the characters are excellent.
All Access members, read on for three more new fantasy books you might have missed.
The Swan’s Daughter: A Possibly Doomed Love Story by Roshani Chokshi
If you love gorgeous, inventive descriptions in your fantasy novels, pick this one up now! Demelza is a vertitas swan, but she doesn’t have the abilities or interests of her sisters. All she can do is tell when people are lying. But when Prince Arris of a neighboring kingdom announces that he is looking for a bride, Demelza agrees to help him weed out the bad contenders by telling him what is true or false about what they say, keeping him from marrying the wrong person. Now, Demelza has a place at the palace, new friends, a job, and a bit of a crush on the prince. But that won’t be a problem, right?
The Fountain by Casey Scieszka
I cannot do better than Emma Straub’s blurb calling this “Tuck Everlasting for grown-ups.” It’s the perfect description. This is a bittersweet story about love and loss. Vera Van Valkenburgh is an immortal woman who has been alive for centuries. It has not been easy, having to always move around, hiding her secret, and losing people she cares about. So after two hundred years, she returns to the Catskills, where it all started, to try and find what caused her immortality and reverse it. But when she gets there, she learns of a company that is buying up all the property in the area. Could they know what caused her immortality, and could they have the answers she needs?
The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan
This might be my favorite book of the year. It’s a historical dark fantasy based around the legend of the Beast of Gévaudan, a monster that supposedly terrorized a town in 18th-century France. Sebastian Grave has tangled with the Beast before, and he thought it was dead. When it resurfaces, he is contractually obligated to return and finish the job. Along for the trip is the demon Sarmodel because, well, he lives inside Sebastian. This is the bananapants buddy comedy I didn’t know I needed, a wild, bloody, hilarious romp with a high body count that is also steeped in history. I can’t wait for the next one!
Okay, star bits, now take the knowledge you have learned here today and use it for good, not evil. If you want to know more about books, I talk about books pretty much nonstop (when I’m not reading them), and you can hear me say lots of adjectives about them on the Book Riot podcast All the Books! and on Instagram.
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