Hi! I feel like so many people go through this, but I’m currently a university student who loved reading as a kid, got burnt out, and now wants to get back into it. I’ve picked up a few books recently, but I just couldn’t really get into them. The last book that had me locked in was A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. I also read the entire Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas and I like the idea of ACOTAR, but I don’t know how I feel about Maas as a person/her writing anymore. I’m looking for something maybe fantasy/sci fi and it doesn’t have to have romance, preferably with good world building. I’m open to a series or a stand alone!
This also might not be useful, but as a kid I was SUPER into Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Divergent, Legend, Keeper of the Lost Cities, and a lot more.
by shducjdjjeks
5 Comments
Jim Butcher Codex Alera series,
Maybe the Broken Earth series by NK Jemison?
Robert Jackson Bennett has a few series with great worldbuilding, two finished (Divine Cities and Founders trilogies) and one ongoing (Shadow of the Leviathan).
There’s also the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix, which is marketed as YA but I find it just as readable as an adult. Starts with *Sabriel*.
Disarm Evil is a sci-fi fantasy that is praised for its world building. It’s not very spicy or romantic, but it has fascinating character arcs, hard magic, airships, a divers array of creatures, a sense of humor that will catch you off guard, and it will leave you thinking about its themes for at least a week or two once you are finished reading it.
you want deep worldbuilding that hooks fast without dragging? here’s your hit list:
* **The Broken Earth Trilogy** by N.K. Jemisin brutal, brilliant, and totally different magic system tied to geology, society in collapse, and it *moves*
* **The Poppy War** by R.F. Kuang starts like a magic academy story turns into full-scale war and historical allegory world is dense, dark, and unforgettable
* **City of Stairs** by Robert Jackson Bennett dead gods, shattered cities, and spy thriller energy tight writing with layered mythology
* **The Goblin Emperor** by Katherine Addison low-action, high-intrigue political court fantasy that’s weirdly cozy and clever
* **Red Rising** by Pierce Brown sci-fi with insane pacing and a cast that sticks Hunger Games x Game of Thrones but on Mars
you’re not burnt out—you’ve just outgrown lazy writing
these’ll remind you why you loved books in the first place