Best Fantasy Books I’ve Read in 2021
Okay, I get it, the year isn’t over, but I have been obsessing over some really good books this year. I’ve read over 70 books so far this year, and there’s a pretty clear genre that I stick to… FANTASY. So, if you are looking for a new fantasy book to pick up, I’ve got a good list for you!
House of Earth and Blood - Sarah J Maas
This might be my new favorite book. Of all time.
And I almost didn’t keep reading. The first few chapters were painfully slow. The characters felt bland and it took me two days before I could finally get into the story.
But the world building was incredible. The banter was absolutely delicious. The mystery, emotion, and climactic scenes had me in tears, screaming, laughing, and breaking. It has been a long time since I’ve actually cried at a character death in a book.
Bryce was incredible as a main character, and Hunt was the perfect support. Somehow, even with an 800 page book, I still wanted it to be longer. I wanted more of Ruhn and Hypaxia and even Bryce’s parents. There’s so much more to explore and it’s an incredible set up.
The Song of the Marked - S.M. Gaither
I could not put this book down once I started. Enemies to lovers, badass women, MAGIC. The worldbuilding done for this book is absolutely incredible. There’s such an enticing mystery playing in the background that you almost can’t look away from the book. The pacing is perfect for anyone who likes a bit of adventure and sword fighting but you don’t get bogged down with insane descriptions. The characters are to die for — the entire cast is fleshed out and they all bring a special bit to the story. The Shadows and Crowns series is by far my favorite series this year.
Beneath Black Sails - Clare Sager
This is the first adventure at sea book I’ve ever picked up, and now I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to pick another one up because this was just too perfect. How do you put down this perfect treasure-hunting magic adventure? Good gods, and the enemies to lovers romance... this is what all pirate stories need to be about.
Another book series that I’m absolutely head over heels in love with. Knigh is my book boyfriend and I will fight to the death for him. Vice is an incredible lead with such a fabulous story to tell. I need more swords, more magic, and more enemies to lovers with these two. I will be absolutely heartbroken when this series ends, but you should know the books continue to get better.
Serpent & Dove - Shelby Mahurin
Have I seen better magic? Yes. Predictable? Of course, it’s impossible not to be. The last 20% started to drag, and yes we were getting some answers, but it was painfully slow. Still, Mahurin’s delightful writing style made it worth those moments.
Did I find absolute delight in the enemies to lovers, forced marriage scenario? Duh. And am I absolutely in love with Reid’s transformation and the subtle ways it was hinted throughout the chapters from his perspective? Good god, yes. As if he wasn’t going to be my favorite character by the end....
After reading this entire trilogy this year, I 100% stand by this review. There’s incredible banter and, I kid you not, Reid had the BEST character arc I have EVER seen in a book. It only gets better through books two and three. You will not be disappointed.
A Sea of Pearls & Leaves - Rosalyn Briar
Y’all, this book is super gay and I am ALL FOR IT.
First person present tense is not my thing but the story was so incredible, I forgot about it entirely. Not only do we have a healthy relationship growing throughout this book, we get THE PERFECT ENDING. We need more stories like this.
First, Ingrid was lovely. She was enjoyable, sweet, and the perfect main. Lilura was beautiful as well. Strong, smart, and her emotional journey was brilliant. Soren is where my heart soars. Often anxieties are used as an excuse to shove a character to the background or made as ‘weaknesses’, but Soren was written SO WELL. From the minute we met him, he was my favorite character. He wrapped up the cast so well.
The story was incredible. Parts felt a bit forced, some characters a little underdeveloped and wishy washy (no, I’m not talking about the mysterious characters who we suspect for the plot happenings), but I was so swept away with the story it didn’t matter.
We need more books like this. We need more healthy relationships - talking about ALL the relationships, no spoilering ;) - and anxious characters and friendships. This was BEAUTIFUL.
Kingdom of Flesh and Fire - Jennifer L Armentrout
Yes, I am putting the second book. While the first one was incredible, the second book is by far the best sequel I have ever read in my life. Here we go:
I'll get the dislikes out of the way first - the worldbuilding still felt a bit lacking and came out as info-dumpy to me. Quite a few conversations that were sometimes hard to follow (because of both length and the number of characters involved in the scene). Poppy's mind became a little whiney for my taste - still a badass character, but she didn't have as many opportunities to shine (until the last chapters). There were a lot of scenes that could have been edited out and felt like they were just added to pad the word count/page numbers to 'fit' the genre more. It would have been better if they served the plot in some way. And toward the end, it felt like we were getting teasers (out of the blue with Poppy's random questions that have no relation to her train of thought, or only when it was convenient) but still no real answers as to wtf is going on.
Obviously, I'm hoping that those come with the next book in the series.
The good stuff. Holy gods, Cas and Poppy's relationship was once again incredible. Their banter is what made this so enjoyable. I was laughing (and often snorting) so often. Don't get me started on the whole 'flirting with violence' bits. I will just tell you those were my favorite parts and I spent a good extra 10 minutes rereading those scenes before moving on because they were that incredible.
I would have loved to see more Kieran, who honestly had some of the best dialogue/one-liners in the book. I expected him to be a little more forefront in this story after the setup of last book and the first half of this book. His story and involvement could really make this shine, but he did his part well.
I'm scared to pick up the next book, honestly. I know how hard it is to follow up something as good as this.
Other books I’m reading or want to read:
The Call of the Void - SM Gaither (Shadows and Crowns book 3)
The Curse of Broken Shadows - Laura Winter (because I can’t wait for this to be in print on October 5!)
