1. Traditional Fantasy in a New YA World
If you are like me, sometimes you really want to read a novel with the traditional mythology for fairies, and werewolves, and vampires, but with that great young adult feel to it. Luckily for us Cassandra Clare has mastered this with the Shadowhunter Chronicles. Lord of Shadows truly encompasses this feeling especially with fairies delving the reader into the politics of the Unseelie and Seelie courts. Added bonus for series lovers, the Shadowhunter chronicles has eleven books out so far not counting short story collections and the numerous other books still being written! So buckle up fantasy lovers and prepare for the most fantastical ride of your life!
Lord of Shadows by Cassandra ClareMy rating: ❤❤❤❤❤
Cassandra Clare has outdone herself yet again! Full of daemons, magic, fairies, shadowhunters, and of course romance, readers are sent on an emotional roller coaster by Clare's fantastic writing. Taking place directly after the events of Lady Midnight, Julian and Emma must face their future as life at the LA institute changes dramatically. With a new addition to the household, a new relationship, and a group of centurions inviting themselves over, the Blackthorn family has a lot to deal with, and will take readers on an adventure that will keep them guessing until the last page. Clare's ability to juggle so many characters while still giving them each their own emotional journeys makes this book and all her writing a must read. Lovers of Clare's other books will be pleased to see the appearances of beloved characters from her other novels and will be intrigued by how they play into the foreshadowing for this book and the rest of the series. Lord of Shadows is perfect for all YA fans especially fantasy and romance fanatics! I highly recommend this book and all other books in the Shadowhunter Chronicles.
(Haven't read the other books in this series yet? No problem! Just check out my spoiler free reviews tab to find my review of Lady Midnight)
View all my reviews
2. Crime Novel Lost in a Fantasy World
I usually hate mystery novels. I get bored because I can figure out who did it half way through the book and the characters tend to be flat and repetitive. Due to a wonderful (and slightly forceful) recommendation by my friend Emmett, I stumbled across the Dresden Files and finally found my type of mystery. I don't know about you, but I need something fantastical to keep me interested in books without major character development and the Dresden Files is exactly that. I love the idea of some magical or divine entity helping solve crime and it definitely helps take the edge off the harshness of a typical thriller. Helpful hint: If you end up loving the Dresden Files, try watching the TV show Lucifer on Fox, it has a very similar feel to it!
Storm Front by Jim ButcherMy rating: ❤❤❤❤❤
Jim Butcher has finally given us the perfect blend of mystery, thriller, fantasy, and humor with his creation of The Dresden Files. Ever looked up wizard in the phone book? Well that's where Harry Dresden is listed because he is Chicago's one and only wizard for hire. Got a ghost problem or a need for a magical talisman, he is your man, (just don't ask for any love potions!). So when some murders start popping up stinking of dark magic Harry is on the case helping out the local Chicago PD track down the villain. So what if most of them think he is a nutcase! Harry's dry and sarcastic humor keep readers laughing even through the more gory parts of the book. While the writing in this book isn't exactly complex the plot line is, taking the best aspects of a mystery/crime novel and combining it with the interesting world building of a fantasy novel, you are left with one crazy, complicated book. Sadly there are a lot more flat characters than round ones, leaving Harry as the only major receiver of character development, but Butcher makes up for it with the jam packed action in the book. I would highly recommend this book for readers of at least middle school age, though it is truly a book for all ages!
View all my reviews
3. Fantasy Romance that is Hot Hot Hot!
As you may know by now I love romance novels! And of course I also love fantasy! So imagine my surprise when I found the absolute perfect marriage of them. Sarah J. Mass knows what she is doing when it comes to writing a romance novel and she compliments is perfectly with the fantasy genre. I do have to warn you the romance is pretty intense in this series so if you want a slightly (and I do mean slightly) more toned down romance with still a great fantasy world check out her Throne of Glass series. I promise its equally as good!
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. MaasMy rating: ❤❤❤❤❤
Sarah J. Mass takes romance and fantasy to a new level, in the fast paced, hauntingly beautiful and entirely new retelling of beauty and the beast, that is A Court of Thorns and Roses. Feyre is fighting to survive as a poor merchants daughter, ignored by the family she provides for, and looked down upon by the wealthy towns folk. When she wanders too close to the wall that supposedly separates the human lands from Fae land, she encounters a wolf that looks too beautiful to be normal. When she takes her knife and kills the mysterious wolf her life is thrown off into a wild course where a fae beast comes knocking at her door and whisks her away to his palace in the spring court, inspiring a wild and complex romance. Mass creates a wholly original world in this book that keeps readers wanting to learn more. All of the characters in this book are so well crafted, with each of them having entirely their own personality. In a book with such a unique and confusing world one would expect the plot to be light in this first book, but Mass surprises us with a page turner full of the most wonderful plot twists and build up. I would highly recommend this book to romance and fantasy enthusiasts, though beware there is some mature material so make sure you know what you can handle.
View all my reviews
4. Its like Harry Potter, but not...Because Its Better!
Wizards, orphans, the chosen one, a magical boarding school, and an evil magical villain, are you sure this isn't just like gay Harry Potter? Yes I'm sure! Carry On may have a lot of the same themes as Harry Potter, but if all you are looking for is book shipping Harry and Draco this isn't it. Carry On takes place in a seemingly generic magical world that becomes more and more interesting the farther into the novel you get. Mainly it deals with growing up and struggle we all face with our so called "destinies". Basically if you have a pulse, then you should read this book! Helpful Hint: While you can read this book and Fangirl in any order, I would recommend you read Fangirl first as it gives some background on Carry On that is kind of needed to navigate the beginning of the book because Carry On just throws you into the story with little explanation. (Check out my spoiler free reviews tab to find my review of Fangirl)
Carry on by Rainbow RowellMy rating: ❤❤❤❤❤
Rainbow Rowell turned her fantastic cameos of the popular series she invented in her novel Fangirl into a full fledged book! Readers should be prepared for the full Rainbow Rowell experience of fantastic characters that resonate with you completely, beautiful romance, and well delivered humor. Carry On is the story of Simon Snow, an orphaned wizard attending his last year at a magical boarding school, while trying to defeat the insidious humdrum, and survive his friends and horrible roommate Baz. Only Baz didn't show up for school, and Simon seems to be the only one who is worried. As if being the "chosen one" wasn't hard enough, now the Mage is threatening to take Simon away from Watford, ghosts are popping up everywhere, and worst of all, Simon and his girlfriend Agatha are having major relationship problems. Rainbow Rowell takes the hardships we all experience as teenagers and translates them perfectly into a fantasy world. The characters, while they have magical abilities, feel so real and their emotional journeys are definitely akin to all of us dealing with high school and growing up. Rainbow Rowell also addresses the difficulties of discovering your sexuality extremely well in a way that many young adults can relate too. I would recommend this book to everyone I know as well as everything else written by Rainbow Rowell, though this book will be the best received by a young adult audience.
View all my reviews
5. A Book You Definitely Don't Want to Judge by its Cover
I know, I know the cover is horrible and looks like a cliche romance novel, but I swear on Will Herondale's grave it isn't! I blew through Bloodlines and the rest of the series in around a week, and I loved every second of it! It actually inspired me to finish reading the Vampire Academy series (mainly due to the fact that it contains major spoilers for the VA series so beware!) Sydney and Adrian both had so many qualities that I see in myself and my friends so reading this felt so comforting. Even though I like the Bloodlines series better than VA, read VA first just to get the background on the characters in Bloodlines, I promise its worth it to read both!
Bloodlines by Richelle MeadMy rating: ❤❤❤❤❤
Readers will be blown away by the hilarious, and romantic, supernatural thrill ride that is Bloodlines by Richelle Mead. Sydney Sage is an alchemist whose sole job is to protect humans from the creatures of evil; vampires. Living in constant fear of being punished for events of her past and her sister being forced to take her place, Sydney will do anything to get on the alchemists good side. So when she is given an opportunity to go to a sunny Palm Springs boarding school to protect the moroi vampire princess, Sydney jumps at the chance. Sydney must put her fears of vampires behind her as she faces many difficult challenges, from girl drama to mysterious magical tattoos. This book is part of one of my all time favorite series! Mead takes a different approach to the typical vampire romance novel, creating realistic characters that make the reader forget they are a part of the supernatural. Bloodlines, being an offshoot of the Vampire Academy series, takes the beloved characters from previous books and gives them a whole new story with new and in my opinion even better characters. The writing is not very challenging, but the characters have amazing development and the plot has endless twists and turns that never get boring throughout the whole series. I would highly recommend this book to lovers of comedy, mystery, the supernatural, and most of all romance!
View all my reviews
Have fun my fantasy book nerds! Love you all!-Becca
No comments:
Post a Comment