Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
This week is a great prompt and one I found hard to narrow down. I often buy print books that I’ve read and loved so that I can add them to my bookshelves. So, in an effort to narrow things down, I’m going to focus on fantasy reads that I’ve bought within the last year. All of these were 5 star reads for me. Let’s check them out!
1. Fable by Adrienne Young
Series: Fable (Book 1)
Page Length: 368
Publication Date: Sept. 1, 2020
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Synopsis: As the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home seventeen-year-old Fable has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. The next day her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food. To survive she must keep to herself, learn to trust no one and rely on the unique skills her mother taught her. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew. To do so Fable enlists the help of a young trader named West to get her off the island and across the Narrows to her father.
But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him and Fable soon finds that West isn’t who he seems. Together, they will have to survive more than the treacherous storms that haunt the Narrows if they’re going to stay alive.
Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men.
LINKS: My Review | Goodreads | Amazon
2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Series: Six of Crows – Book 1
Page Length: 465
Publication Date: Sept. 29, 2015
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Synopsis: Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .
A convict with a thirst for revenge
A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager
A runaway with a privileged past
A spy known as the Wraith
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes
Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.
3. A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft
Title: A Far Wilder Magic
Author: Allison Saft
Page Length: 384
Publication Date: March 8, 2022
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Synopsis: When Margaret Welty spots the legendary hala, the last living mythical creature, she knows the Halfmoon Hunt will soon follow. Whoever is able to kill the hala will earn fame and riches, and unlock an ancient magical secret. If Margaret wins the hunt, it may finally bring her mother home. While Margaret is the best sharpshooter in town, only teams of two can register, and she needs an alchemist.
Weston Winters isn’t an alchemist–yet. Fired from every apprenticeship he’s landed, his last chance hinges on Master Welty taking him in. But when Wes arrives at Welty Manor, he finds only Margaret and her bloodhound Trouble. Margaret begrudgingly allows him to stay, but on one condition: he must join the hunt with her.
Although they make an unlikely team, Wes is in awe of the girl who has endured alone on the outskirts of a town that doesn’t want her, in this creaking house of ghosts and sorrow. And even though Wes disrupts every aspect of her life, Margaret is drawn to him. He, too, knows what it’s like to be an outsider. As the hunt looms closer and tensions rise, Margaret and Wes uncover dark magic that could be the key to winning the hunt – if they survive tht long. In A Far Wilder Magic, Allison Saft has written an achingly tender love story set against a deadly hunt in an atmospheric, rich fantasy world that will sweep you away.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review | Favorite Lines
4. Cast in Firelight by Dana Swift
Series: Wickery (Book 1)
Page Length: 448
Publication Date: Jan. 19, 2020
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Synopsis: Adraa is the royal heir of Belwar, a talented witch on the cusp of taking her royal ceremony test, and a girl who just wants to prove her worth to her people.
Jatin is the royal heir to Naupure, a competitive wizard who’s mastered all nine colors of magic, and a boy anxious to return home for the first time since he was a child.
Together, their arranged marriage will unite two of Wickery’s most powerful kingdoms. But after years of rivalry from afar, Adraa and Jatin only agree on one thing: their reunion will be anything but sweet.
Only, destiny has other plans and with the criminal underbelly of Belwar suddenly making a move for control, their paths cross…and neither realizes who the other is, adopting separate secret identities instead.
Between dodging deathly spells and keeping their true selves hidden, the pair must learn to put their trust in the other if either is to uncover the real threat. Now Wickery’s fate is in the hands of rivals..? Fiancées..? Partners..? Whatever they are, it’s complicated and bound for greatness or destruction.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
5. A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Page Length: 757
Publication Date: Feb. 16, 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Synopsis: Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she’s struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can’t seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.
The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre’s Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta’s orbit. But her temper isn’t the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.
Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.
Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance-and healing-in each other’s arms.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
6. Gilded Serpent by Danielle L. Jensen
Series: Dark Shores (Book 3)
Page Length: 576
Publication Date: April 27, 2021
Publisher: Tor Teen
Synopsis: From bestselling author Danielle L. Jensen comes a thrilling new novel in the Dark Shores world, a series that Sarah J. Maas called “everything I look for in a fantasy novel.”
THEIR BATTLES ENDED IN VICTORY
Lydia returns to Mudaire to enter training at the healing temple. But instead of fighting to save lives, she’s convinced she is doing more harm than good. She delves into the history of the gods only to discover a truth that will change her life forever.
His birthright as commander of the Royal Army is finally in his grasp, but Killian feels anything but victorious. Burdened by his past, he embraces the darker side of his mark—and in doing so, risks starting a war.
BUT THE WAR HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN
Having defeated the tyrant Urcon, Marcus struggles to form a lasting alliance with the Arinoquians. But he is plagued by the knowledge that there is a traitor among his friends, and it could cost him everything that he’s fought for.
Torn between her growing allegiance to the Thirty-Seventh legion and her need to liberate her people, Teriana finds herself mired in a web of secrets. She embarks upon a path that will either save everyone she loves—or put them all in their graves.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review | Loving the Lines
7. Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
Page Length: 384
Publication Date: Sept. 21, 2021
Publisher: Tor Books
Synopsis: Under the Whispering Door is a contemporary fantasy with TJ Klune’s signature “quirk and charm” (PW) about a ghost who refuses to cross over and the ferryman he falls in love with
When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead.
Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. On the outskirts, off the path through the woods, tucked between mountains, is a particular tea shop, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop’s owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over.
But Wallace isn’t ready to abandon the life he barely lived. With Hugo’s help he finally starts to learn about all the things he missed in life.
When the Manager, a curious and powerful being, arrives at the tea shop and gives Wallace one week to cross over, Wallace sets about living a lifetime in seven days.
By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, this absorbing tale of grief and hope is told with TJ Klune’s signature warmth, humor, and extraordinary empathy.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review | Loving the Lines
8. Beneath Cruel Fathoms by Anela Deen
Series: The Bitter Sea Trilogy (Book 1)
Page Length: 386
Publication Date: May 2019
Publisher: Fine Fables Press
Synopsis: After a violent storm destroys her ship, Isaura Johansdottir knows better than to hope she’ll be rescued from Eisland’s vast Failock Sea. Adrift and alone, her plans to start over lost, it’s a tragic conclusion after the disastrous end of her marriage—until she’s saved by Leonel, one of the merfolk, a creature long believed extinct. In repayment for her life, Leonel enlists her help to investigate the Failock’s mysterious and deadly plague of squalls. But when Isaura discovers Eisland’s ruthless new Lord commands the storms, her life will be in more danger on land than it ever was at sea.
As guardian of the Fathoms, Leonel must find the cause of unnatural storms ravaging the tidal currents and destroying the sea life. There are rumors of dark magic stirring in the Orom Abyss, the resting place of old, vanquished gods who tried to submerge the land millennia ago. Yet without proof, no one in King Ægir’s court will listen to him. And if it’s discovered he broke the Blue Laws to save a shipwrecked landweller, he might not survive the consequences.
As storms spread, Leonel and Isaura uncover secrets as forbidden as the bond that grows between them. Betrayal lurks in the restless sea, and when ancient powers lay siege to Eisland’s coast, the truth may be drowned along with everything else.
LINKS: My Review | Goodreads | Amazon
9. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Title: The Song of Achilles
Author: Madeline Miller
Page Length: 352
Publication Date: Sept. 20. 2011
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Synopsis: Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper – despite the displeasure of Achilles’ mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.
Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Favorite Quotes
10. This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede
Title: This Vicious Grace
Author: Emily Thiede
Series: The Last Finestra
Page Length: 448
Publication Date: June 28, 2022
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Synopsis: Three weddings. Three funerals. Alessa’s gift from the gods is supposed to magnify a partner’s magic, not kill every suitor she touches.
Now, with only weeks left until a hungry swarm of demons devours everything on her island home, Alessa is running out of time to find a partner and stop the invasion. When a powerful priest convinces the faithful that killing Alessa is the island’s only hope, her own soldiers try to assassinate her.
Desperate to survive, Alessa hires Dante, a cynical outcast marked as a killer, to become her personal bodyguard. But as rebellion explodes outside the gates, Dante’s dark secrets may be the biggest betrayal. He holds the key to her survival and her heart, but is he the one person who can help her master her gift or destroy her once and for all?
Emily Thiede’s exciting fantasy debut, This Vicious Grace, will keep readers turning the pages until the devastating conclusion and leave them primed for more!
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | My Review
Do you have any of these on your bookshelves? Which have you bought because you loved them so much? Comment below!
fable was. A NEEEDDD
Oh my gosh , yes!! I would buy that one just for the cover. Stunning!
Six of Crows was so good!
Right! One of my faves!
Six of Crows and This Vicious Grace (unread) are the only ones of these that I have on my shelves at the moment. I for sure want to add all of the ACOTAR books to my shelves at some point. There’s a few here that I still need to read.
Those are both so good! And ACOTAR – love!! I have them all.
Love your list! One of my favorite books was Six of Crows. Here is my list: https://www.abookiesbooks.com/books-i-loved-so-much-i-had-to-buy-a-copy/
Thanks! I love that one too. 🙂
Fab list! Absolutely love Six of Crows (and the other books in the series/world).
Thank you! I adore that duology!
I kind of bought Six of Crows as well. I bought it for my daughter, but it’s in my house so it counts right? haha
Totally counts!! lol
Six of Crows duology was one for me too. I read my daughter’s copies first and then had to buy my own
They’re soooo good!!!
Don’t own any of them
Yes- love Song of Achilles, but don’t have a physical copy
It’s such a good one! So glad to hear you loved it. 🙂
I’m not much for SFF, so I haven’t read any of these. I do, however, have a copy of THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA on my bookshelf that I really need to get read. One of these days!
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
Thanks, Susan! I hope you enjoy Cerulean Sea when you get to it. 🙂
Yes! I loved a few of these myself and the only one I’ve got on my shelf is Achilles (and even then I just want the special edition of it too, lol)! I do want to get Cerulean Sea, Fable (ugh, those covers), and Beneath Cruel Fathoms for my shelf too. Fab list, Julie!
Thanks, Dini! I have a hard time resisting a beautiful cover. lol I really want the special edition of Achilles too. It’s gorgeous.
I’ve heard good things about Under the Whispering Door.
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-books-i-loved-so-much-i-had-to-get-a-copy-for-my-personal-library/
It’s a fantastic read!! Very poignant and beautiful writing.
I bought the Cast in Firelight duology as well as the whole series for Dark Shores! Love them both.
Yes!! Love the Dark Shores series. I can’t wait to read the next book. Gilded Serpent was amazing!!!
Great list! I bought myself a copy of Song of Achilles after already reading it and listening to the audiobook, because I just had to!!
Right! it’s such a great read. I totally had to add it to my shelves!
I’d love to collect the different editions of Vicious Grace, I’ve seen lots of nice book box editions recently! <3
Me too! They’re all so stunning.
I loved Under The Whispering Door, The Song Of Achilles and Six Of Crows as well!
They’re all such amazing reads!! Glad to hear you love them too!
ooooh Fable is sooo good!! I also loved A Court of Silver Flames and A Far Wilder Magic is on my TBR – great list 🙂
Thank you! A Far Wilder Magic is so good!!! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
I have read and loved three of these, but as I don’t reread books, this top ten was not a good fit for me.
That makes sense. I’m a rereader. 🙂