I’m hoping for a well written fantasy that doesn’t give off strong YA vibes. I don’t care if it’s technically YA, but I just can’t stand the ~cringe~ and the mediocre writing. I also want it to be engaging and not too slow. Does this exist? 😅
Romance is great if it doesn’t take away from the plot
by salty-queen73458
11 Comments
Choice of Magic
All the Skills.
An Inheritance of Magic.
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
Threadneedle by Cari Thomas
The *His Fair Assassin* trilogy, by Robin LaFevers, which also has a followup 2-book series. “Packed with love, magic, and deadly games of courtly intrigue and treason, Robin LaFevers’s fast-paced YA trilogy set in 15th-century France combines romance with captivating action. *Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?*
YA because the main characters are teens, however is historical fiction with clever and thoughtful writing, fully-developed characters, and a great premise – the main characters are convent-raised but the god they serve is St.Mortain, the god of death.
“The Goblin Emperor” by Katherine Addison (also “Witness for the Dead” and “The Grief of Stones” in the same universe)
“The Curse of Chalion” and “Paladin of Souls” by Louis McMaster Bujold
“The Raven Tower” by Anne Leckie if you’re open to something more experimental
This is an incredibly broad request!
I try to suggest just a single book per post, as the long lists people give are in my view not super useful. This one is hard, though. So you get my top 5:
{{Gideon The Ninth by Tasmyn Muir}}
{{Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik}}
{{The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman}}
{{Daevabad Trilogy by S. Chakraborty}}
{{Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees}}
If you read any of these, feel free to DM me – I’d love to talk about them.
{{The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen}} !!!!!!!
“the palace job” by Patrick Weekes (triology)
Any of the series by Jennifer Fallon.
Shadow of the Torturer
Very broad request so I have a suggestion despite my fantasy knowledge gap— Grendel by John Gardner is an interesting spin of Beowulf that criticizes some existentialist philosophers