I recently received a request for fantasy book recommendations. As a writer whose prefered genre is fantasy, why shouldn’t I have some amazing fantasy books up my sleeve? As I scrolled through my 2022 book list, however, I was surprised. There were a few good fantasy books in there, but not many. The real gems were in 2021. So instead of making a list of my favorite fantasy books of 2022 (there would be 5, okay?), I’m making a list of my favorite fantasy books from the last two years! I also need to mention that I am leaving Lord of the Rings and Narnia off of this list because they are intuitive. Meaning if you haven’t read them, none of these books matter until you do.
Out of the forty plus fantasy books I’ve read since January of 2021, here are 12:
- The Wingfeather Saga, by Andrew Peterson
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, North! Or Be Eaten, The Monster in the Hollows, and The Warden and the Wolf King. If you’ve been waiting to read this, or got bogged down in the first book, pick it back up. These books are so good. The kind you stay up till 3:00 in the morning reading with a flashlight (guilty as charged) and crying (real tears, but also when your eyes water because you’re tired) about because they’re just. So. Beautiful. My personal favorite was North! Or Be Eaten, but most people favor The Warden and the Wolf King. Except my sister, who liked The Monster in the Hollows best for a while. (It has changed to TW&tWK, though.) Notice which one is not listed? On the Edge can be hard to get through. If you HAVE TO, just skip it so you don’t miss the whole series! - The Wilderking Trilogy, by Jonathan Rogers
This includes The Bark of the Bog Owl, The Secret of the Swamp King, and The Way of the Wilderking. I cannot describe how hilarious, yet spiritually solid these books are. As they are a loose adaptation of the story of David, Dr. Rogers has a gift for taking a Biblical premise and taking it into a world full of feechies (YOU WILL LOVE), alligators, birds, and wonderful emotional resonance. I listened to the audiobooks narrated by Dr. Rogers himself, which were hilarious. - Summer and Bird by Katherine Catmull
Do you need a sister book? A sister book worth crying over? A sister book that will leave you shocked and surprised and longing for more than this world? Read this book. (Good gracious it seems I need to write another book review.) - Beauty by Robin Mckinley
A lovely retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I also read the author’s Sleeping Beauty retelling, Spindle’s End. I liked Beauty better. - Dreamlander, by K. M. Weiland
This one is definitely for older audiences because it has some more graphic battle scenes. But it was so good. With such a fabulous ending. Bittersweet and beautiful, full of adventure and hope. - Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit
This is not high fantasy. But it does have fantastical elements, such as water that can make you live forever and toads that happen to be very important parts of the story. I know this book just keeps popping up because I love it! - The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
I have not read the third book in this series. The Princess Academy was fabulous and its sequel, Palace of Stone, was pretty good. Hale writes beautifully, yet the words flow. The high fantasy worlds she has created are unique, fresh, and full of interesting characters. - The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye
“Well bless my soul!” (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)
In all seriousness, this book could be best described as The Parent Trap meets fairyland. Except there is only one princess. And there are squirrels and a lovely woodland and some awesome plot twists. It’s short, easy to read, and satisfying. - Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
I know what just went through your head. Another Cinderella retelling? Nope. This is a retelling of “The 12 Dancing Princesses,” which is a fairy tale by the ol’ Grimm Brothers. I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing but the story was awesome! I know there are sequels but I have not read them. - The Light Princess by George MacDonald
George McDonald being who he is, I was surprised by how lighthearted and simple this story was. It was refreshing and cute, but had a deeper theme to it, running through the pages. It would be fabulous to read with younger siblings! - The Green Ember Series, by S. D. Smith
The Green Ember, Ember Falls, Ember Rising, and Ember’s End. Please don’t listen to the audiobooks. Unfortunately the reader made me dislike several characters I would have loved if I’d read instead of listened. That being said, these stories are filled with so much beauty and truth. Lovely. - The Ascendance Trilogy, by Jennifer Nielsen
I enjoyed this series as a fast paced distraction from my exhaustion as I worked with my church’s VBS team last summer. In all honesty, the books were pretty shallow and broke some rules I’d argue shouldn’t be broken, which is why they’re near the bottom of the list. But the insult about soldiers fighting like grandmas but with longer knitting needles was worth the whole trilogy. 😂 Also Mott.
As a bonus, here is a fantasy book that I cannot believe I read and want to warn you about.
- Ogre Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine.
I could rant for quite a while about the quality of writing in Ella Enchanted, but since it’s one of my sister’s favorite books I will restrain myself. (FOR NOW.) That does not stop me from saying Ogre Enchanted, the prequel, was HORRIBLE. It’s a take on Beauty and the Beast. And it isn’t the prince who becomes the beast. It’s the princess. If that doesn’t turn you off right away, there are plenty of other things I could say. We finished the book solely to find out what happened to Ella’s mom, who was in it.
Do you have any favorite fantasy books I didn’t mention? Tell me about them in the comments!
Lovely list, Ella Em! I’d like to look into some of these…
I would recommend The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber! It’s an incredibly clever and just delightful read. My sister and little brother also loved it!
Also, I hope you give the third Princess Academy a try! I definitely enjoyed it more than the second! 😀
Ah, that’s good to know about the third Princess Academy book! I’ll keep that in mind!
Thanks for reading!
Yes!!! There’s a quote by Angelina Stanford I believe, that says the more you read, the longer your reading list gets! The hardest part is trying to read all the good books in the world, and also trying to write a fairly decent one a the same time! 😉😂
EXACTLY!!
North Or Be Eaten is my favorite of the WFS too! (I’ve never met any one else who loves that one best!) And you should read the sequels to Princesses of the Midnight ball. Caroline and I just finished listening to those. The audiobooks are really good. Great post Ella! Most of these I’ve read but there are a few you have added to my reading list. Thanks!😊
Ah, I’ll have to add them to the ever-growing list! So much to read, so little time. 😄 You’re very welcome!
Thanks, Ella Em! These references are so helpful ☺️
You’re so welcome! 💗
Great book choices! Plus, some I need to read. I loved the first Princess Academy book, but never finished the second one because it felt like she was switching love interests on me. Would you say it’s worth finishing? I’ve been wondering if I should pick it up again.
I didn’t adore the story, but I was interested enough to finish. It had a cool ending. The whole switching love interests thing… well. I don’t want to give you a major spoiler but I will say that things aren’t always as they seem. ☺️
Great post! I’m happy to say I’ve read most of these. I have to agree with you on Ogre Enchanted. I got through the first chapter and sent it back to the library. It was… *shudder*.
I’m curious about Dreamlander because I’ve been following K.M. Weiland’s blog for a long time but haven’t actually read any of her novels. Is that a good one to start with?
Ugh. It didn’t get any better. By the end people were kissing squirrels because someone had turned into a prince but they didn’t know which squirrel it was. 🤦🏻♀️
That was the first one I read. I loved it. There is a subplot that’s not my favorite but if you can push through it the book is so worth it. I think it’s free on Amazon Kindle right now.
I love anything George MacDonald! My two current favorites I can’t help but go back to are Lilith and At The Back Of The North Wind (though in my opinion, other than North Wind herself, there’s not much in the second one that makes it count as fantasy. But still, it’s amazing). They’re so full of depth and longing that I can’t even understand, but I always want to reread them to try and understand and learn something more from MacDonald.
*Adds suggestions to booklist*
That is so awesome. Now I’m really excited to read them! Goodness. Do you ever get overwhelmed by the number of books there are to read?!