Fantasy

From the unread shelf is back with the fantasy edition! Fantasy is a genre I’ve really grown to enjoy over the last year. What’s interesting is the majority of the fantasy books on my unread shelf are young adult fiction; I think that’s because I get the majority of my recommendations from fellow bloggers, rather than seeking them out myself, and I guess YA fantasy is popular among the bloggers I follow.

I will admit, many of the fantasy books I have enjoyed have one foot in reality (I’m hoping you know what I mean by that). For example, The Lost Boy by Christina Henry and Sealskin by Su Bristow, so hopefully I’ll see that in books I still have to read. Those are both adult fiction titles but you’ll see my unread shelf seems to be skewed slightly in favour of YA.

If any of the books featured below aren’t Fantasy, please forgive me, I’m going by what I’ve seen them reviewed as, rather than seeking out their genre myself.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams – but he can’t pull it off alone.

A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist.

Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction – if they don’t kill each other first.

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Alice by Christina Henry

In a warren of crumbling buildings and desperate people called the Old City, there stands a hospital with cinderblock walls which echo with the screams of the poor souls inside. In the hospital, there is a woman. Her hair, once blonde, hangs in tangles down her back. She doesn’t remember why she’s in such a terrible place just a tea party long ago, and long ears, and blood… Then, one night, a fire at the hospital gives the woman a chance to escape, tumbling out of the hole that imprisoned her, leaving her free to uncover the truth about what happened to her all those years ago. Only something else has escaped with her. Something dark. Something powerful. And to find the truth, she will have to track this beast to the very heart of the Old City, where the rabbit waits for his Alice.

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Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff

The Collective by R.S. Williams

Tilly Gregson never knew a world outside hers existed. If four years of the starving-university-student diet didn’t kill her, this dissertation just might. All that is on Tilly’s mind is finishing her work, getting her degree, and spending time with her friends before the end of the school year. Then along comes Harvey, and he shows her a world beyond her imagination full of magic and time-travel and pirates. As if that wasn’t enough, Jenny who is a member of a secret order, waltzes into Tilly’s life to add one final nail to her dissertation’s coffin. Nothing prepared either of them for the hardships they are about to endure. The girls have to work together to survive, but as it turns out Harvey is more dangerous than he first let on. Will they be able to stop Harvey before he destroys Jenny’s order? On their adventure, Tilly and Jenny find friends in the most unlikely of places–and betrayal just around the corner.

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Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.

Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…

Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark-who was captured by the faeries five years ago-has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind-and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?

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The Gift Maker by Mark Mayes

‘Gifts ought to be free, but they never are. They tie you to the wishes of others. To your own sad expectations. To the penitentiary of your dreams.’

Late one night, Thomas Ruder receives a strange package: a small blue box. Another such item is delivered to his friend Liselotte Hauptmann. These gifts will change their lives forever.

In the far-off border town of Grenze, a play is to be performed at the Sheol Theatre. Reynard the impresario expects a very special audience. Thomas and Liselotte, together with their friend Johann, are drawn into Reynard’s seductive web, as Daumen, the gift maker, must decide who his master really is.

The Gift Maker is a story about identity, about fulfilling your dreams and becoming the person you always were … at whatever cost.

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Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

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A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

Most people only know one London; but what if there were several? Kell is one of the last Travelers magicians with a rare ability to travel between parallel Londons. There is Grey London, dirty and crowded and without magic, home to the mad king George III. There is Red London, where life and magic are revered. Then, White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. But once upon a time, there was Black London…

 

 

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Three more well known fantasy books on my shelf that I’m looking forward to reading are:

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And a fantasy book I’m eagerly awaiting the release of next month is:

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Zelie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orisha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zelie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zelie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zelie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zelie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orisha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zelie herself as she struggles to control her powers–and her growing feelings for an enemy.

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And that concludes a look at some of the Fantasy titles on my unread shelf. I hope you’ve enjoyed browsing.

If you missed the non-fiction edition, you can find it here.