Fantasy is a literary genre that explores imaginative worlds and supernatural elements beyond the bounds of reality, often featuring magical creatures, mythical landscapes, and epic quests.
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Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
"Power taken and not returned incurs a debt. And the universe, and the debt, will always come to collect, one way or another."
A reimagining of Arthurian legend, Legendborn follows Bree Matthews as she uncovers a hidden world of secret magic societies hiding on her own college campus. On top of the college and magic, she’s also investigating her mother’s death. Soon, she realizes there is more to her mother’s death than meets the eye - and the more is wrapped up in whatever magic is going on.
I love retellings, and this one excels in the genre. It is steeped in history brought into the modern era, and the characters feel like real college kids you might me walking through campus. I’ve heard great things about the sequel but haven’t had the time to pick it up yet - a sweet treat waiting for me one day soon!
Magic for Liars by Sarah Gaily
“Even after everything--even with everything that was still between us, that would probably always be between us--she was my sister. I was born reaching for her.”
Part fantasy, part murder mystery. A light fantasy read, great for anyone dipping their toes into the genre - but also great for the fantasy worn. The story follows Ivy Gamble, private investigator, as she investigates a gruesome murder at a magical, private academy. The same academy her estranged sister happens to work at. This is a book about magic, but it’s also a book about family, grief, and other big stuff. I liked how the author plays with established fantasy tropes, too. There are a lot of tongue-in-cheek references and quips that add another layer to an already great story.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
"Sometimes I feel there are doors lurking in the creases of every sentence, with periods for knobs and verbs for hinges"
You will see here that I have some favorite authors, Alix E. Harrow being one of them. I’ve added three of her books to this site because I simply couldn’t choose just one. Her writing style is lyrical while still being grounded, and she is an expert world builder. This magic is ripe with a hopeful magic, exploring what it means to belong and have a home. Set in the early 1900s, it follows January - a young, curious girl often left to her own devices and obsessed with stories. One day, she finds out about the existence of magical doors that transport one to other worlds. The secrets of these doors reveal secrets about her own life, and the book beautifully weaves between stories - we see the story January is reading intertwined with the story we are reading.
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
"Starling House was no longer just a house. What had begun as a stone and mortar had become something more, with ribs for rafters and stone for skin, It has no heart, but it feels; it has no brain, but it dreams."
I have a thing for books about houses. If there’s an anthropomorphized house in a book, I’m in. If that house symbolizes some big human feeling like loneliness or something, then I’m double in. Starling House is such a book. Dark, looming, and huge Starling House looms over a small, Appalachian town. Opal, sole caretaker of her brother, gets a job as housekeeper and quickly realizes the house is hiding some dark, sinister secret - or maybe a few! The man of the house, Arthur, brooding and secretive, has to tear down his own (metaphorical) walls - and maybe Opal helps out with that too. And maybe they have to figure out the house’s secrets to save the town. And maybe they kinda like each other? A gothic tale fit for a princess (me).
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
"That's all magic is, really: the space between what you have and what you need"
Our third and final Alix E. Harrow story. A historical fantasy novel set in an alternate version of Salem, MA in 1893 - a place where magic is suppressed and hidden. It follows three sisters, alike in blood but different in demeanor, who must reunite to bring magic back into the world. The story follows both the resurgence of magic and the fight for women’s suffrage at the time, bringing up multiple challenges both magic and non-magic for the sisters. The magic in this book is well written, and the world is intriguing, but the real highlight is the sisters themselves. They are so richly imagined and tangible - they themselves highlight the enduring power of sisterhood, that of blood and that of community.
Circe by Madeline Miller
“I thought once that gods are the opposite of death, but I see now they are more dead than anything, for they are unchanging, and can hold nothing in their hands.”
From a writing perspective, this is the most beautiful book I’ve ever read. Madeline Miller is a witch with a pen, weaving the most beautiful and lyrical tapestries of words together one can imagine. The story itself is a retelling of the myth of Circe, a minor goddess and daughter of the sun god Helios. The story imagines her life as we might see it from her perspective, from her childhood to her banishment and beyond. The story sees Circe interact with various figures from Greek mythology, such as Odysseus and the Minotaur. Overall, this is a story of self-discovery and humanity, how we live with and without each other.
Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott
“If a story does its job, it doesn't ever end. Not really. But it can change. This is the nature of folktales. They shift to fit each teller. Take whatever form suits the bearer best. What begins as a story of sorrow can be acknowledged, held like a sweetheart to the chest, rocked and sung to. And then it can be set down to sleep. It can become an offering. A lantern. An ember to lead you through the dark.”
Another favorite author of mine, Gennarose Nethercott writes the quirky, heartfelt fantasies of your dreams. Another retelling, somewhat, this one brings the Slavic legend of Baba Yaga into the modern world. Siblings Bellatine and Issac one day inherit a house, shipped from Russia, that has legs and is named Thistlefoot. A dark, mysterious being has followed the house stateside and the siblings must go on the run, along with their family’s traveling puppet show which they perform across America. As they run they discover more and more about the origins of the house, how it relates to their personal history, and how it relates to the larger history of their Jewish heritage. This novel is fun and moving, exploring themes of intergenerational trauma, family, and the power of a story. I loved this one so much, and find myself thinking of it often.
50 Beasts to Break Your Heart by Gennarose Nethercott
"What is a monster but someone who can see this world from both sides? even you must know that. You, who live half in life, half in death. What is a monster if not someone, some thing, caught between?"
This is a book I read years and years ago. I don’t fully remember the story itself (I needed to look up some summaries of the book to give you the full picture) but the imagery from this book has stuck in my head since I read it. I can vividly see the cityscapes, the buildings, the desert, the kitchen tables, and the intricate rooms this story takes place in. Laini Taylor knows how to build a world. The story itself follows Lazlo Strange and his fascination with a city of myth, called Weep, that ends up being real - and Lazlo gets the chance to travel there. I think this book is best approached with little knowledge. It is such a fantastical story that you should experience without any preconceived notion. So I’ll stop here and just saw, what a wonderful duology. The second, Muse of Nightmares, is just as good.
Strange the Dreamer Duology by Laini Taylor
""Beautiful and full of monsters?"
"All the best stories are""
There was something special about this little creature. Donna couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, but she knew with all her heart that it was true. It wasn't a matter of if she was going to try and save it, but a matter of how she was going to save it. She went back to the car to get a blanket and when she returned the creature was gone. The bush began to shake. Brad couldn't see what was causing it to shake, but he didn't care. he had a pretty good idea about what was going on and what was happening. He was so confident that he approached the bush carefree and with a smile on his face. That all changed the instant he realized what was actually behind the bush.mormoermoermeormeormeormeormeormeormeormeormeormeormeor fghfghfghfgh
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
"All of us are lonely at some point or another, no matter how any people surround us. And then, we meet someone who seems to understand. She smiles, and for a moment the loneliness disappears.”
There is something about a low fantasy book that is steeped in the fairy tales and myths of old. Not that that’d be obvious from this list… The Golem and the Jinni is one of these stories. Set in the late 19th century in New York City, this story weaves together Jewish and Middle Eastern folklore through the meeting and unlikely friendship (and maybe more?) of Chava, a golem, and Ahmed, a jinni. The story flashes back to their lives in the city and their lives before, detailing how they came to find themselves so far away from their homelands. On top of the magic, this book explores the immigrant experience during this time - the joys and fears of creating a home for yourself in a foreign land. And of course, there’s an ancient evil threatening to destroy their new home. There’s always an ancient evil!!!
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