Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 (Ish) Books Set In A Fantasy World

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 (Ish) Books Set In A Fantasy World

We all know that I will take ANY possible chance to shout about fantasy books. So when I saw that this TTT’s topic was top 10 books with X setting, I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to write about.

As you may know, fantasy is my all time favorite genre.

ALL TIME.

I could read only fantasy for the rest of my life. Give me it all: high fantasy, urban fantasy…(I couldn’t think of any other types of fantasy but there are a lot more. Curse my forgetful brain.)

But anyways. Let us get on with the list of fantasy books you ABSOLUTELY MUST READ BECAUSE I DECLARE IT SO.

And also: I have included any pictures I’ve taken of these books before in this post. It may be filled with images, because I love love love talking about these books.

If you click on the book title, it’ll take you to my review of that book (if I have one.)

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

This book deserves spot #1 on this list. Yes, these books are in no particular order…but this book is incredible.

I can’t talk about it enough, honestly. It is the perfect fantasy, and while I adored Leigh Bardugo’s previous books, this one was so much better. If you weren’t a fan of the Grisha trilogy? Read this book. If you were? STILL READ IT.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Does this series receive a lot of hate? Yes. (And, I might add, sometimes it deserves it. I’m still waiting for Chaolorian to happen, Sarah.)

But it is FANTASTIC and I still adore it, although I do recognize sometimes it can be problematic. But I won’t be talking about it here.

I highly recommend you give it a try. The second book is so much better than the first, and every book gets even better after that.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Another Maas book? Yes. I will read anything SJM writes.

You may be wondering why I didn’t mention the first book in this series. Well. That’s because I hated it.

It received ONE STAR from me. And I rarely give out that rating.

I really wasn’t a fan of that book, which made me hesitant to start this one. I saw the raving reviews, and decided to give it a try.

And AM I SO GLAD I DID. It’s now one of my favorite books and I can’t recommend it enough.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

(My review for the sequel, Days of Blood and Starlight, is here.)

Does this count as fantasy? Half of it takes place in a fantasy world…I’ll count it anyway.

If you like gorgeous writing and characters, this book is for you. It features fallen angels (which IS a trope much overdone, like vampires) but it was so, so good. It’s probably the only angel book I’ve enjoyed.

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

This is perfect, unproblematic, incredible fantasy.

I adore this trilogy so, so much, and am eagerly anticipating the release of the third and final book this fall. You should definitely read the first two books if you haven’t already and get caught up before it comes out!

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

My review for the sequel, A Gathering of Shadows, is here.)

Does it count? I’m not sure. I’m including it because I love it.

This book takes place in London- but not just one London. Multiple Londons. Which is why I’m counting it as fantasy.

Come on, people. It’s V. E. Schwab. You have to read it.

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

While this book isn’t one of my ALL TIME favorites, I still really enjoyed it. And I’d recommend it. It features a love triangle in the first book, but it’s done surprisingly well. And the second book is even better. I still haven’t picked up the third, which came out recently, but I will soon, I promise.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Another wonderful book, with fabulous characters and a unique world that I just can’t get enough of! The second book comes out at the end of this month, and it’s BETTER. Which is hard to believe, I know.

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

I do recognize that this book has its flaws, but it’s also a great story. I can’t wait for the sequel to release so I can get more of this world and characters.

While it does have mixed reviews, I enjoyed it. And I would still recommend you try it.

The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

Like I mentioned above, I enjoyed these books, and I’d really recommend them. They aren’t as good as Six of Crows in my opinion, but they are still fantastic books that definitely deserve to make this list.

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

I loooooooove this book. It was the first Sanderson book I read (now I’ve only read two, but still. It got me hooked.) Don’t let the size of these books scare you! They’re amazing. Really, fantasy at its best.

Which fantasy books do YOU love? Are any of them on this list? Are there any not as well-known (or well-known, it doesn’t matter) fantasy books you really want me to read?

Thanks for reading!

Ava