Best Fantasy Book Series To Make You Believe in Magic
If you want to read fantasy books of any kind, then search no more because I’ve got the best fantasy book series for you!
1. Only A Monster by Vanessa Len
First Book In The Monsters Series
2 Books Out, Unfinished (as of June 2024)
Morally Grey Characters
Fantasy Underworld
Time Travel
Romance (Soulmates who are enemies)
Hints of A Love Triangle
YA Fantasy Book
Chosen One (But with a twist)
Note: 349 Pages, Third Person POV, Single POV
- Trigger Warnings: On and offscreen deaths of parents and guardians
- On and offscreen deaths of family members
- Threats of violence
- Violence
- Blood
- Murder
- Weapon use
- Brainwashing
- Interrogation
- Involuntary drug use
- Real-world racist microaggressions
- Fantasy xenophobia
Plot:
As a child, Joan’s grandmother told her she was a monster. She didn’t believe it.
But now she’s sixteen, going on a dream date with her dream guy.
And it’s too late.
Joan Hunt-Cheng was always the “good girl” of her unkempt family. When she discovers the truth about her identity, she doesn’t even get time to let this horrifying news set in.
Instead, Joan gets thrown into a world where she does not know how to behave or what to believe. And the burden of saving this world falls upon her powerless shoulders.
Should You Read It?
Read Only A Monster if you’re used to reading fantasy books with stubborn, determined, yet clueless, helpless protagonists whose world turns upside down when they discover their supernatural identity. (Basically, any Chosen One story.)
If you like moral dilemmas, fantasy worlds where being morally grey is the norm, and main characters meant to be the villains, then you will devour this book.
Pick this up now for a fast-paced, action-packed, simple read.
2. Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
First Book In A Duology (Finished)
YA Fantasy Book
Retelling
Fairytale Vibes
Mythology
Arranged Marriage Trope
Sweet Romance
Sibling Bonds
Dragons, Curses, Quests
Note: 464 Pages, First Person, Single POV
- Trigger Warnings: Self-harm
- Blood depiction
- Body horror
- Death of a parent
- Murder
- Kidnapping
- Fire
- Animal death
Plot:
(Via Goodreads)
A princess in exile, a shapeshifting dragon, six enchanted cranes, and an unspeakable curse…
Shiori’anma, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Usually, she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted. But it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.
A sorceress in her own right, Raikama banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes. She warns Shiori that she must speak of it to no one, for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.
Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers and uncovers a dark conspiracy to seize the throne. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so, she must place her trust in a paper bird, a mercurial dragon, and the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she’s been taught all her life to forswear–no matter the cost.
Weaving together elements of The Wild Swans, Cinderella, the legend of Chang E, and the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.
Should You Read It?
I could write pages upon pages describing the beauty of this book. But for now, I will say: Scroll up and look at the book’s cover. If you want to live inside that picture, read Six Crimson Cranes.
Sidenote: I am talking about the Hardcover edition’s cover I showed you above, NOT the paperback cover. That cover is pretty but misleading.
3. The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence
First Book In The Library Trilogy (Third book left to be published as of June 2024)
High Fantasy Book
Books About Books
Science Fiction Fantasy
Time Travel
Notes: 559 Pages, Dual, Third Person POV
Plot:
(Via Goodreads)
A boy has lived his whole life trapped within a vast library, older than empires and larger than cities.
A girl has spent hers in a tiny settlement out on the Dust where nightmares stalk, and no one goes.
Their stories spiral around each other, across worlds and time. This is a tale of truth and lies. And hearts, and the blurring of one into another. A journey on which knowledge erodes certainty and on which, though the pen may be mightier than the sword, blood will be spilt, cities burned.
Should You Read It?
I will be honest. This is a challenging book to recommend. And I am too lazy right now. So, I will leave it up to my past self (and you).
Read this (long) spoiler-free review of The Book That Wouldn’t Burn I left on Goodreads and decide for yourself.
And if you are too lazy to read my lengthy review, you probably aren’t patient enough to read this book. So, 
. Decision made.
4. The Twisted Tree by Rachel Burge
Sequel: The Crooked Mask
YA Dark Fantasy Book
Cosy Creepy Atmosphere
Winter Woods Setting
Slow-burn Romance
Norse Mythology
Note: 256 Pages, Single, Third Person POV
- Trigger Warnings: Alcohol
- Alcoholism
- Animal death
- Attempted murder
- Blood
- Bones
- Car Accident
- Cheating
- Child abuse
- Death
- Decapitation
- Demons
- Divorce
- Gore
- Hallucinations
- Hospitalisation
- Miscarriage
- Murder
- Occult
- Satan/The Devil
- Skeletons
- Spiders
- Violence
Plot:
(Via Goodreads)
Part ghost story, part Nordic thriller – this is a twisty, tense and spooky YA debut, perfect for Coraline and Michelle Paver fans.
Martha can tell things about a person by touching their clothes as if their emotions and memories have been absorbed into the material. It started the day she fell from the tree at her grandma’s cabin and became blind in one eye.
Determined to understand her strange ability, Martha sets off to meet her grandmother, Mormor – only to discover Mormor is dead, a peculiar boy is in her cabin, and a terrifying creature is on the loose.
Then the spinning wheel starts creaking, books move around, and terror creeps in . . .
Set in the remote snows of contemporary Norway, The Twisted Tree is a ghost story that twists and turns – and never takes you quite where you’d expect.
Should You Read It?
I’m one of those people who love the 
foggy, grey, mystical atmosphere before it starts to rain. I live for that gloomy vibe! The Twisted Tree is precisely that feeling but in book form.
It is definitely not a “horror” book. It is not a “masterpiece” either in terms of writing style.
This would be best described as a comfort book for people who enjoy fantasy, magical realism, horror, or teen romance. Definitely a very underrated one. Perfect for fans of Coralline and Night Circus.
I 100% would recommend it to anyone searching for a light/comfort read in between heavier books or just cuz life but don’t want to read contemporary fiction.
One reviewer also described this as The Woman in Black meets Miss Peregrine…take from that what you will.
Best Fantasy Books Series ~ Intermission ~
Please note: For all the above reviews, I have isolated the first book in the series and focused only on the one. But from now on, I’ll be talking about the series as a whole. So, if you don’t find some of the tropes or aspects in the first book, they arrive later in the series.
5. The Kinder Poison Series by Natalie Mae
- The Kinder Poison
- The Cruelest Mercy
- The Sweetes Betrayal
Fully Published Trilogy
Strong Female Lead
Corruption Arc
Underrated YA Fantasy Book
High Fantasy Book
Love Triangle
Enemies To Lovers
“Bad Boy” Love Interest
Morally Grey Characters
(Very) Character Driven
Sibling Rivalry
Note: 416 Pages, Single, First Person POV
The plot of the first book:
(Via Goodreads)
Perfect for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Holly Black, this enthralling fantasy adventure follows a teenage girl chosen to be the human sacrifice in a deadly game between three heirs who will do anything for the crown.
Zahru has long dreamed of leaving the kingdom of Orkena and having the kinds of adventures she’s only ever heard about in stories. But as a lowly Whisperer, her power to commune with animals means that her place is serving in the royal stables until the day her magic runs dry.
All that changes when the ailing ruler invokes the Crossing: a death-defying race across the desert, in which the first of his heirs to finish—and take the life of a human sacrifice at the journey’s end—will ascend to the throne and be granted unparalleled abilities.
With all of the kingdom abuzz, Zahru leaps at the chance to change her fate if just for a night by sneaking into the palace for a taste of the revelry. But the minor indiscretion turns into a deadly mistake when she gets caught up in a feud between the heirs and is forced to become the Crossing’s human sacrifice. Zahru is left with only one hope for survival: somehow figuring out how to overcome the most dangerous people in the world.
Should You Read It?
If you love female-led fantasy series with royalty, politics, magic, swords and romance, then this book is perfect. I would recommend The Kinder Poison if you are looking for something like (and probably better than) The Folk Of Air trilogy or The Shadow & Bone Trilogy.
This fantasy series is character-driven, has political intrigue, and has morally grey characters. I mean, Zahru’s sarcasm, her personality, and her character arc are just *chef’s kiss*.
The romance is to die for. Literally.
It is pure book took, bookstagram girlies material.
Also, this is a high-stakes story but still more introspective than action-packed.
Sidenote: I read the first book and found it pretty average. But the second book changed the game. I was obsessed. I haven’t read the last book yet.
I will quote some Goodreads reviews of the series because these are pure gold and 100% accurate. Not including them would be a crime.
6. Sands Of Arawia Duology by Hafsah Faizal
“If you want me obedient, prince, kill me and carry my corpse.”
- We Hunt The Flame
- We Free The Stars
Wolrd Inspired By Arabian Culture
YA Fantasy Books
Enemies To Lovers
Forbidden Love
Slow Burn
Found Family
Note: 472 Pages, Dual POV, Third Person POV
Plot:
( Via Goodreads)
People lived because she killed. People died because he lived.
Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the sultan. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. Both Zafira and Nasir are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya–but neither wants to be.
War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artefact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the sultan on a similar mission: retrieve the artefact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds–and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.
Should You Read It?
This is a classic booktok-style YA Fantasy Book Series. Expect nothing more, nothing less.
It has been two years since I read it, but I’m looking back at some of the quotes and DAMN. Good writing.
7. The Mirror Visitor Quartet by Christelle Dabos
- A Winter’s Promise
- The Missing Of Clair de Lune
- The Memory Of Babel
- The Storm Of Echoes
Marriage Of Convenience
Steampunk
Vibez
Ya, that is it.
Note: 446 Pages, Single, Third Person POV
Plot:
(Via Goodreads)
Long ago, following a cataclysm called “The Rupture,” the world was shattered into many floating celestial islands. Known now as Arks, each has developed in distinct ways; each seems to possess its own unique relationship at the time, such that nowadays vastly different worlds exist, together but apart. And over all of the Arks the spirit of an omnipotent ancestor abides.
Ophelia lives on Anima, an ark where objects have souls. Beneath her worn scarf and thick glasses, the young girl hides the ability to read and communicate with the souls of objects, and the power to travel through mirrors. Her peaceful existence on the Ark of Anima is disrupted when her hand is promised in marriage to Thorn, from the powerful Dragon clan. Ophelia must leave her family and follow her fiancée to the floating capital on the distant Ark of the Pole. Why has she been chosen? Why must she hide her true identity? Though she doesn’t know it yet, she has become a pawn in a deadly plot.
Should You Read It?
I read the first book, and if you’ve read any of my previous blogs, you probably know: that I hate it. It was a unique experience but it was still kind of horrible.
But the second book, I loved.
The visuals this book series produces in my mind are just so unique and nostalgic that I felt compelled to include them in this blog.
I don’t know how to describe it, but I imagine this setting and these characters to look like those old cartoons I loved so much that it would feel like hitting the jackpot when I turn on the TV, and they are the ones running.
When I read the Mirror Visitor Quartet, I am transported back to those fresh mornings when I watched cartoons on TV and the morning sun poured out the window next to me. Plus, I didn’t have to give a shit about schoolwork or “the future”.
Add to those cartoons a brown-grey steampunk atmosphere. We need more steampunk books and shows. PLEASE give me more steampunk vibes.
(For people who don’t know, Steampunk is defined as ‘a style of fiction having to do with a semi-fictional world where old machinery from the Victorian 19th century is still being used. Technologies that were new or important to the Victorians, such as steam power, clockwork or electricity, are big themes in steampunk.’)
Here are some pictures to make it clearer:-
To conclude, the vibes are immaculate. But it takes patience to get there. Also, the writing style is slightly tedious. I assume that’s because it’s translated from French.
The first book is unnecessarily long and has misogynistic characters. Honestly, it helped me. Because I kept reading the book because hating on it was fun. And the second book was one hell of a redemption arc for the author, so it was all worth it in the end.
I will end it with a quote from me, and a fellow reviewer:
“It has a cosy steampunk vibe with a bit of historical aesthetic coupled with a dash of Pride And Prejudice and a tinge of Alice In Wonderland.” – me.
“Holy hell this book has some of the most unique worldbuilding I’ve seen for absolutely ages – it’s like Howl’s Moving Castle x Pride & Prejudice x Versailles under the guise of a somewhat-historical-feeling steampunk fantasy – and it’s fascinating.” – Ellie
If this seems like your cup of tea, then by all means, go get the book!
8. Keeper Of The Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger
Book Series With 9 Books and One Novella (More left to be published)
Middle-Grade Fantasy Book Series
Chosen One
Harry Potter Rip-off But Make It AMAZING.
Found Family
Romance ~ Love Triangle…? (It is like an octagon at this point, idk)
Note: 500+ pages per book, Single POV, Third Person
Plot:
(Via Goodreads)
Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a Telepath—someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain.
Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there’s a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known.
Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come “home.”
There are secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memory—secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans—that other people desperately want. Would even kill for.
In this page-turning debut, Shannon Messenger creates a riveting story where one girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world before the wrong person finds the answer first.
Should You Read It?
You know how we all have that one book series we read in the middle grade we still love because it feels like home? Yeah, that’s KOTLC for me.
There have been weeks of my life in which I’ve spent only binge-reading these books and doing nothing else.
It is, I kid you not, quite literally a Harry Potter rip-off. And of course, it is a middle-grade story, but if you want that, go read this book! There are elves, ogres, gnomes, pegasuses, goblins and whatnot in KOTLC. The magic system is limitless and creative. There is found family, a diverse (and humungous) cast of characters, and great plot twists.
Overall it’s a great read if you love books like Harry Potter. If you just want to suspend all disbelief and judgment and be goofy.
9. Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
There is a 99.9% probability that you have already heard of this duology. And I just wanted to pop up here and say: It’s absolutely worth ALL the hype it is getting AND MORE.
I read the Shadow & Bone trilogy and hated it. So, I totally went into SoC expecting to despise it. But lo and behold! Plot twist. It is now one of the top 3 books I have ever read.
So, we know the drill:
- Kaz is the super-smart emo 17-year-old with a tragic backstory who loves money but is secretly a
baby girl who is head over heels for Inej. - Inej is Queen. Inej is the og MOTHER. I worship the ground she walks on.
- Matthias is Baby Girl™️ #2. We love Matthias. He hates to admit it, but he’s our
pookie. - Nina is the waffle-loving witch Matthias loves. I mean, can you really complain about the fact that she can control corpses and twist your insides with the flick of a wrist? She’s just a girl .
- Jesper is a bi-icon. Who doesn’t love guns and Wylan? Relatable king
. 
Wylan is our neighbourhood cinnamon roll with an affinity for bombs and blasting. DO NOT MESS WITH WYLAN, OR YOU MESS WITH ME (and the whole SoC fandom. Yes, we’re all crazy).
The Plot: Basically, a heist. Explaining further would give me a stroke. At this point, the fandom agrees that this plot is confusing asf, and explaining it is impossible. We like to think of it as a dysfunctional triple date.
If I talk anymore about Six Of Crows, I am sure one of my friends will appear out of thin air and cut off my tongue, so I am stopping here.
10. Honorary Mentions
Finally, as usual, I failed to find a last book to round off the number to 10. So here’s a list of fantasy standalone book recommendations (+ a series that wasn’t good enough to be included in this list, even though I loved it when I initially read it).
- Sorcery Of Thornes by Margaret Rogerson
- To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
- Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier
- A Study In Drowning by Ava Reid
- The Night Circus by Ering Morgenstern
- Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianna Wyne Jones
- The House In The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
- The Girl Who Drank The Moon by Kelly Barnhill
- Babel by R.F Kuang
- The Celestial Kingdom Series by Sue Lynn Tan
Best Fantasy Book Series To Read: Signing Off
I know I give a lot of mixed opinions in my reviews. That is because I have girlbossed too close to the sun, and my standards are so high now that it has become impossible to reach them.
But at the end of the day, just because I did not like a book does not mean you will not enjoy it. I think of books critically, and of course, it’s necessary to criticize and put the facts down clearly for such reviews. However, the chances are that the average is not even going to notice the things I complain about.
I am rambling now.
In short, the point of this blog is not to talk about books I like. It’s to talk about every book I’ve read and help them find their audience. Unless it is that bad or promotes toxicity to a naive audience. (*cough* CoHo *cough* dark romance)
The point of this blog is to recommend the right books to the right people at the right time.
I hope I have done at least half my job today.
For more genre-based book recommendations:-
Signing off,
Mehak <3.
