R. Nassor may spend more time with books, tea, and ceramic mugs than recommended by professionals but it hasn’t failed her so far. Nassor has a MA in English Literature from Georgetown University, where she looked at the way medieval and early modern literature reappear in fantasy books today. She’s been writing about romance, fantasy, science fiction, and pop culture for quite a while, starting at Book Riot in 2020. She’s also written for Tor.com. You can follow her on Tiktok and contact her through her website.
Every great champion needs a championship to test their mettle. The best competition fantasy books lock you into a hero’s fight for greatness, no matter how frightening or unlikely their success may be. It’s all part of the game.
Even when you think of non-magical competitions, there is a certain level of grandeur that makes displays of athletic, academic, or artistic prowess almost superhuman. Preparing for a competition requires training, dedication, and a certain amount of luck. Champions train in the hope that their efforts will lead to their success.
The world watches the Olympics, Eurovision, and the World Cup for a reason. Historically, medieval Europe held tournament games for knights to practice battle skills during peace, and to entertain the broader public. Powhatan ball games—that have since developed into modern lacrosse—were used in both diplomacy and socialization. In other words, we have always turned to tournaments for answers of some kind, and fantasy settings only heighten the experience.
Competition fantasy books add magic that elevates the stakes of any given fight. There is always something compelling about following characters who must use their talents to succeed in an arena with impossible odds. A competition also has the added benefit of adding plot structure to a novel, from start to finish, characters have a goal with achievable milestones that lead up to their success or failure. A competition arc in a fantasy world is a reliable way to accelerate character growth through challenges.
The following competition fantasy books follow a range of trials and challenges from fights to the death to cake competitions. I guarantee they will all leave you on the edge of your seat.
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The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
In Orrun, seven contenders vie for the throne in the competition of the decade…Until one is murdered. Now, the emperor’s High Scholar Neema must discover the murderer before the competition closes while balancing being a competitor herself. If Neema lets the Raven in, she will not be alone in her life-threatening pursuit for the throne, and it might just be worth the risk. After all, this cleverly complex competition only has one winner.
A Tribute of Fire by Sariah Wilson
Two princesses are selected in this year’s deadly labyrinth race, and only one has schemed and trained her way to be there in this Greco-Roman-inspired fantasy world. Lia is the princess of a goddess-cursed desert nation that will soon starve if she doesn’t try to find a magical item to undo the curse, so she bribes her way into being one of the two sacrifices sent to an adversarial nation. She may have trained to save herself, but she cannot save her sister, who was unexpectedly selected too, not even with the help of an attractive foreign sailor who keeps appearing in her dreams. Believe it or not, the deadly trial is just the start of her problems.
Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli
Lor is so desperate to escape imprisonment that, when she is abducted from solitary confinement and awakens in a neighboring country as a contestant in a deadly contest to become queen, she takes the deal. If she wins, she will secure her and her siblings’ freedom. So, even though Lor doesn’t know how to win yet, she requests the assistance of any fae offering her a hand to survive. But the longer she stays in this seemingly perfect kingdom, the more flaws she discovers. Can Lor find a way out of fighting for a crown she might not even want?
The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem
No one expected Arin, the kingdom’s heir, to choose an orphaned apothecary’s assistant as his champion. Sylvia cannot refuse, plus this competition could give her true freedom even if it threatens her life in the process. Just one problem, she is the magical heir hiding from Arin and the kingdom that destroyed her people and murdered her family. In this Egyptian-inspired high fantasy world where magic is outlawed, Sylvia’s existence threatens everything. Now she must decide if she wants to fade away into a safe obscurity or take the throne and all the challenges that come with it.
Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland
I did tell you there would be a cake competition. Avra is a former spy, currently on the lam after accidentally stealing government secrets with his supernatural luck. When he runs into his ex, pirate Captain Teveri, Avra leverages his information for safety; luckily, a beautiful celibate monk can turn those scientifically complex government secrets into sellable information. It just so happens that selling information on the black market involves an intense pirate-filled baking competition.
The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi
Overthrowing the ruling class and avenging her family’s murder has always been Sylah’s dream. As the ruler’s child, Anoor never thought she could enact change before meeting Sylah. But it was only with the empire’s greatest secret holder, Hassa, that Sylah and Anoor could truly change the power establishment. The Ghanaian and Arabian-inspired sapphic high fantasy world has trials of combat and skill on the horizon that all three will use to start remaking the world.
The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst
Before Durst was cozy, she built worlds where magic had a bloody cost. In Renthia, where malevolent spirits want to rid the land of all humans, the queen is the only one strong enough to control their creative and destructive powers. It is vitally important that young women train as heirs by champions of the land, but spirits are vicious, and it takes a lot more than sheer power to survive. There is no reason why Daleina should survive the trials, let alone become queen, but she will put her all into protecting the people she cares about, even if it kills her.
The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport
Ikenna entered the brutal Praetorian Trials when her grandfather, who raised and trained her, was murdered. As the former savior of the Republic of Mareen, her grandfather could have only been assassinated if a high-positioned political enemy ordered it. Even though the trials are deadly, they are Ikenna’s chance to uncover the truth and exact her revenge. Magic and technology mix in this science fantasy competition that pushes all competitors to their limits.
I hope you fall in love with a competition that leaves you rooting for an unforgettable hero. Once you read the best competition fantasy books, might I recommend you try reading The Best Standalone Fantasies to Read Right Now, 5 Most Anticipated Fantasy Books of the Summer, and The Best Historical Fantasy Novels.
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