Thought I would mix it up a bit as I haven’t been reading overly much lately, so this is going to be a post about my top five fantasy recommendations at the moment. These may not be my favourites, but they are books that have been on my mind lately that are really fabulous and deserve to be read.

I’ll start with one that I have been mentioning quite a bit lately as I only finished it earlier this month, and that would by Dance of Thieves by Mary E Pearson. To be fair I could so easily of chosen any of the books in the Remnant Chronicles as I adore every single one of those books, but as I recently finished this latest one of a new series I thought Id recommend this. Full of politics, intrigue, twists and turns, along with a nail biting romance, this is a must read for any and all fantasy fans. I would recommend reading the Remnant Chronicles before reading the Dance of Thieves though- guess I am recommending both then… Review for Kiss of Deception and Dance of Thieves can be found at the links.

One of my favourite books from last year, Darien by CF Iggulden is by far one of my favourite fantasy series lately. Although normally a historical fiction writer, it turns out that Iggulden is a fantastic epic fantasy writer. Empire of Salt is an amazing fantasy world struggling with the end of a bright age, with battling families fighting for the one throne and an unusual magic system its a really great and unique read. I am currently reading its sequel, Shiang. You can see my full review of Darien here.

Next is a duology that is a really creeping fantasy fairy tale retelling. Alice by Christina Henry, and the sequel Red Queen is a retelling of the much loved Alice in Wonderland. Its such a creepy take on the classic story with the idea that Alice is in a mental asylum following her return to the real world. Throughout the two books, she is hunted down by the evil characters that she met in Wonderland including the White Rabbit. These two books are both really short quick reads, but are certainly worth it; if I was you I would read these two back to back as you will not want to wait. Full review of both books can be found here.

Although I am yet to finish reading this series, from just the first two books I know that I will definitely be recommending it; The Falling Kingdoms series by Morgan Rhodes is a young adult epic fantasy series. With a county split in three, tensions build between the leaders who want the very best for the citizens. Rare elemental magic, rebellion and court politics, I have loved both Falling Kingdoms and the second book Rebel Spring. Full review of Falling Kingdoms can be found here. 

The final book, or rather series, that I am recommending are actually novellas. Once again I have actually only read the first two books, but they are so fabulous that I know the others will be the same. That is the Wayward Children series, following children who have returned from their own fantasy worlds, now having to deal with being back to reality. The first one, Every Heart is a Doorway, is set in a school for these children, somewhere they can be with others who have had similar experiences. While the second, Down Among the Sticks and Bones, is the story of two of the children finding their way to their fantasy world and there experiences there. These books are a little creepy, but they really are fantastic.

So these are my fantasy recommendations for 2018. They are a mix of Young Adult and adult fantasy but they are all as good as each other. I will be doing a Science Fiction version of this, so let me know if there are any other genres you would like me to do recommendations for. Next year I will do this again but updated with all the new books I have read.

Do you have any fantasy books you would recommend? I’m always looking for new fantasy books to jump into..