5 fantasy novels you have to read

The fantasy genre has been booming more than usual since the release of Netflix hit series Shadow and Bone. An adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s original Grisha trilogy and the Six of Crows duology; the magical drama is full of incredible world-building, complex heroes, and enticing villains.

So if you’re into that, here are 5 more fantasy stories that might pique your interest.

1. Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

This dark fantasy features so much for Shadow and Bone fans to love: an intricate, Slavic-inspired world; a divine young girl tasked with saving her kingdom; an alluring boy with a terrible secret; and a weary prince unsure of his identity off the battlefield.

2. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

The first book in the Legacy of Orïsha series, Nigeria’s own Tomi Adeyemi takes readers into the vibrant and dangerous world of Orïsha, where a sadistic king has wiped out magic, allowing him to slaughter and oppress the now-defenseless maji. But when young Zélie learns there’s a way to return magic to the world, she teams up with an unexpected ally, the king’s daughter Amari, to outrun the magic-hating prince Inan and free her people.

3. The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

In Otera, all women are forced to undergo a purity ritual at the age of 16. On the day of her ceremony, Deka’s blood doesn’t run the hoped-for red, instead revealing itself to be a cursed gold. Now considered a demon, Deka is forced to face a consequence worse than death by the village elders, until an enigmatic woman rescues her and recruits her into a new army made up of girls just like her.

4. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Celaena Sardothien is a convicted teenage assassin whose deadly knife skills could give Inej (Amita Suman) a run for her money. While serving her sentence in a death camp, Celaena gets an offer she can’t refuse: act as the crown prince of Adarlan’s champion in a tournament to select the next royal assassin, in exchange for her eventual freedom.

5. The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Like the tailors of the Grishaverse, the titular Belles are women gifted with the ability to alter human appearances and keep up with the ever-changing beauty standards that make or break one’s social standing in opulent Orléans. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court to take up this duty, she discovers everything she knew about the history of the Belles is a lie — and that her powers are far more dangerous than she ever knew.

What fantasy novels have you enjoyed? Drop your recommendations below.