Fantasy is not a genre that I seek out. I would say it is the brussel sprouts of my book collection. I like brussel sprouts (no, really I do), but I don’t want to eat them every day. Just like I don’t want every book I read to be fantastical. That said, these are some great fantasy reads that found their way onto my plate. So cook yourself up a bunch of brussel sprouts (or don’t, dealer’s choice) and let’s get to it. 

This was a great read. I knew nothing about this author when I chose this one. I found it on the shelf at the library. This was the best book I’ve read in a while. Basic premise: the Bloodmoons killed Saffron’s parents and so she vows to take her revenge. Since magic doesn’t work on her, she is the perfect person to go undercover with the Bloodmoons and take them down from the inside. You know - that old chesnutt. Think a little bit Fourth Wing, a little bit Harry Potter, and a lot of good. This was a fascinating, magical world and I’m glad this is going to become a series because I want more. If you are looking for Fantasy that is not so much Romantasy, this is a delightful book to pick up.

I found out about this one through BookTok (which is where book people live on TikTok). This book has been compared to Fourth Wing and The Hunger Games. I would say it’s very much like Fourth Wing, but I would also throw in a little bit of Harry Potter, just for fun. Basic premise: Meryn Cooper’s sister is kidnapped and she decides to enlist in order to better track her down. Instead of being sent to the front, Meryn is placed into the deadly Bonding Trials. Instead of dragons, like Fourth Wing, in this case we are bonding with dire wolves. Big ones. This book is almost 600 pages long and once I started reading, I didn’t want to put it down. If you only read one book this year, make it this one. (See also 600 pages - it may take you most of the year to read it…so worth it though.) The second book in the series - Fury Bound - is supposed to come out next month (in May), so you better get started today!

I don’t remember how I found this one. I think maybe it came across my desk. And since I’ve been working through Katee Robert’s Dark Olympus series, this one fit right in. In this case, we follow Persephone, as she begins to discover her powers and decide what she wants her life to be like. When her parents - Zeus and Demeter - try to marry her off to their best advantage, Persephone heads to the one place they’ll never be able to find her - Hades. The man and the realm. I’ll be honest, this one started a bit slow for me. But maybe that’s because I’m not the most well-versed in Greek Mythology. That said, by the time we got to the middle of the book, I was hooked and I plowed through the back half. I checked out the audio version, but NPL also has print, so pick your poison and dive into this one.

In the vein of How to Become a Dark Lord and Die Trying or Assistant to the Villain, this book takes a somewhat humorous look at how hard it is not to be evil. Violet grew to infamy as the dreaded Thornwitch. But after her dark sorcerer was killed, she is offered a second chance at life and told to be good. Since Violet has a gift for all things flora, she decides to open up a flower shop. Too bad her new landlord is really cute and really uptight. Overall, I enjoyed this one. If cozy mysteries could be fantasy books (and who says they can’t), this one would fit right in. If you are looking for something a little less apocalyptically dire, you can’t go wrong here. For some reason I thought this was a whole series, but for right now, it’s just a stand alone. Better one than none, am I right?

Ok friends. Those are the picks of my fantasy. Pick your fave and dive in. So many fantasies to choose from, so little time.

Happy fantasizing…
:) Amanda