Reasons I Love Fantasy | Top Ten Tuesday

I was thinking about maybe focusing on my favourite author, but I thought it might be better to focus on a genre and maybe recommend some of my favourite books. I think anyone who reads my blog would know I am a huge Fantasy fan, both YA and Adult depending on what kind of mood I’m in, so I knew when this prompt came up I just had to choose this one to do.

Escapism

This one could definitely count for any genre of book but I definitely think that fantasy is one genre that takes this to the extremes. I love the idea of falling into a magical far off land and watching their struggles and fights. There is something so complete about a fantasy novel and although I can sometimes draw parallels between their world and ours it’s never enough to break the escape.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Published by Doubleday Books on November 5, 2019
Pages: 498
Goodreads

Far beneath the surface of the earth, upon the shores of the Starless Sea, there is a labyrinthine collection of tunnels and rooms filled with stories. The entryways that lead to this sanctuary are often hidden, sometimes on forest floors, sometimes in private homes, sometimes in plain sight. But those who seek will find. Their doors have been waiting for them.
Zachary Ezra Rawlins is searching for his door, though he does not know it. He follows a silent siren song, an inexplicable knowledge that he is meant for another place. When he discovers a mysterious book in the stacks of his campus library he begins to read, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, lost cities, and nameless acolytes. Suddenly a turn of the page brings Zachary to a story from his own childhood impossibly written in this book that is older than he is.
A bee, a key, and a sword emblazoned on the book lead Zachary to two people who will change the course of his life: Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired painter, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances. These strangers guide Zachary through masquerade party dances and whispered back room stories to the headquarters of a secret society where doorknobs hang from ribbons, and finally through a door conjured from paint to the place he has always yearned for. Amid twisting tunnels filled with books, gilded ballrooms, and wine-dark shores Zachary falls into an intoxicating world soaked in romance and mystery. But a battle is raging over the fate of this place and though there are those who would willingly sacrifice everything to protect it, there are just as many intent on its destruction. As Zachary, Mirabel, and Dorian venture deeper into the space and its histories and myths, searching for answers and each other, a timeless love story unspools, casting a spell of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a Starless Sea.

Characters

The characters in fantasy always seem to be badass and people who are coming into their own power and self confidence. There is always an element of growth or development and I love that. I really enjoy watching a character grow from a nub to a full blown hero saving the town or the day. Some of my all time favourite characters are from fantasy books!

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #1
Published by Bloomsbury Children's on August 2, 2012
Pages: 433
Goodreads

Meet Celaena Sardothien.Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.
In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught.
Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

Worlds

I suppose this could fall under escapism but I think it deserves its own category. The fantasy worlds I read are always beautiful, well put together and stunningly described. A huge part of fantasy is the world-building and how immersive it all is. I love reading a book and being able to almost smell the dust on the road or taste that bizarre new delicacy.

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Series: Strange the Dreamer #1
on March 28, 2017
Pages: 536
Goodreads

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.
What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?
The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?
Welcome to Weep.

Magic

Who doesn’t need a little magic in their lives? Magic for me in a story makes all the difference especially if the magic system is something new and exciting. But then again I’m also a sucker for the whole stick a wand at it and hope for the best! I love the idea of learning about a whole new way of thinking and how it will all end up working. Plus if there’s some sort of magic school in there as well, I’m completely sold on it!

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Series: Shades of Magic #1
Published by Tor Books on February 24, 2015
Pages: 400
Goodreads

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.
Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.
Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.
After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.
Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

Politics

The political system in fantasy is always so well-formed and way better to read about than the ones in normal books. I love learning about the different countries and the kings and queens that rule them. All the marriage and trade deals and intrigue across the borders. It makes for such a wonderful story.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing on February 26, 2019
Pages: 848
Goodreads

A world divided.A queendom without an heir.An ancient enemy awakens.
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door.
Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.
Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.
Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

Villains

I think fantasy books have the BEST villains, there is always extremely high stakes and they always have some weird intrigue going on. Plus if there is magic they always have the really good kind but use it for evil! I think I fall in love with more villains in fantasy books than the good guys.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Series: Six of Crows #1
Published by Henry Holt and Company on September 29, 2015
Pages: 465
Goodreads

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.

Book length

Fantasy books are always good meaty books and that usually means that everything is always really well developed and leads to a really long series that takes a really long time to read. I love sitting and getting completely immersed in a long book where the end seems to be a really long way away.

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Published by Bantam on August 6, 2005
Pages: 835
Goodreads

Here is the first volume in George R. R. Martin’s magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R. R. Martin’s stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.
A GAME OF THRONES
Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.
Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.
source: georgerrmartin.com

Creatures

This definitely falls under world building but I just think about how great some of the books I have read with creating creatures that are not only impressive but are completely terrifying as well. I love finding a world that have loads of different creatures that add to the story and makes a completely different reading experience.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter #1
Published by Pottermore Publishing on June 26, 1997
Pages: 345
Goodreads

"Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'."
Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!

Lack of technology

I definitely think that urban fantasy is a whole lovely genre but I think the lack of technology really makes me love fantasy! I think it means that the stakes become higher because things can’t be solved by Google or a text message. Plus it makes time run a lot slower and I just prefer it!

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Series: An Ember in the Ashes #1
Published by Razorbill on April 28, 2015
Pages: 446
Goodreads

Laia is a slave. 
Elias is a soldier. 
Neither is free.
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

Which books have you read or which ones have you added to your TBR? Let me know!