Top 5 Tuesday || Best Fantasy Books

It’s possible that Shanah @ Bionic Bookworm has handed me the easiest T5T of my entire life, and I AM READY. Today, it’s all about the best fantasy books I’ve ever read!

The Shades of Magic Series by Victoria Schwab

You saw this coming. If you know ANYTHING about me, you totally saw this coming. I am so ridiculously enamored with every word Schwab puts down on the page, with how she crafts her worlds, with how she shapes her characters, EVERYTHING, so OBVIOUSLY I have to put this first above all else. Very simple logic here.

 

The Gentleman Bastard Sequence by Scott Lynch

And here’s another obvious one from me! I’m a huge fan of the Gentleman Bastard Sequence because the worldbuilding is phenomenal and complex, the characters are extremely morally grey, the situations they get in and out of are RIDICULOUS in the best ways, there are heists, there are thieves, there are pirates, there are sharks, there is alchemy, there is magic, there is EVERYTHING I could possibly ask for. My love for this series is only topped by my love for Shades of Magic!

 

The Witchlands Series by Susan Dennard

If I’m being predictable, stop me now. Or don’t, because I’m honestly on a roll and have SO MUCH LOVE IN MY HEART for this series. I love the magic system, I’m fascinated by the world (do I want to see more of the creatures that inhabit it, like the sea foxes? uh, hell yeah I do), and I am super eager to see where it goes. There’s this promise of major, world-shaping conflict on the horizon, and I’m such a sucker for that kind of thing, especially when you dash in a sprinkle of cryptic prophecy.

 

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

I am UNBELIEVABLY READY for The Devil’s Thief to come out. This book had everything I love: thieves, time travel, 1920s New York, other magical talents, and a good old heist (I like my heists, kids). It was exciting, had a gut-wrenching twist to it, and there is one character who is very stabby and very queer, so naturally, she’s my favorite.

 

The Passenger Duology by Alexandra Bracken

Once again, we’re looking at a series with time travel, and even though there’s a heavy romantic element to it, which I normally don’t like, I had such a fun time with this one! There’s enough of a dramatic plot to keep moving forward, the time travel system is phenomenally clever, there are stabby sapphic characters (can you sense tonight’s theme?), and those covers? GORGEOUS.

 

What are your favorite fantasy books? Do you prefer a different genre? Do you have any recommendations that I clearly need to get to? Hit me with it!