Thank goodness 2020 is almost over. Normally I can’t believe how quickly a year has gone by, but with a pandemic, political turmoil, and all-around unrest, I sure am looking forward to a fresh start. You know what always gets me through the bad times though? Books. Ahhh books, you beautiful means of escape. Real life may have been crappy this year, but my fantasy reading list certainly wasn’t. No pandemic can keep brilliant authors from releasing brilliant books. This here posts lists out my favorite fantasy books in 2020. Some might not be full-fledged fantasy, but contain fantasy/magical elements. As always, they are a mix of fresh new books, ones that are a couple years old, and later books in series. But regardless of their classification, they all earn the reward of helping me get through 2020.
Slight warning. If a book listed says it’s the #2 book in a series and you haven’t read book 1, there might be spoilers in the synopsis, so skip right on over it.
King of Scars (King of Scars #1)
By Leigh Bardugo
YA Fantasy
Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. But, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.
Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him.
My 3 Favorite Things About It:
- Seeing different sides to the Grishaverse characters I’d already met, and discovering I like some more than I had previously
- I’ll never have enough Nikolai wit and sarcasm in my life
- The many examples of how the characters use inventiveness and cunning to create solutions to their problems
House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1)
By Sarah J. Maas
Fantasy (Adult content)
Bryce Quinlan had a life she loved, until a demon murdered her closest friends. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.
Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.
As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear.
My 3 Favorite Things About It:
- How Sarah J. Maas always manages to surprise me with killer twists at the end
- The expertly crafted character development of the Bryce and Hunt
- You know romantic tension and the love story is gonna be here if it’s a SJM book
Add House of Earth and Blood to your Goodreads list
Read my full review on House of Earth and Blood
The Defy Series
By Sara B. Larson
YA Fantasy
Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king’s army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince’s guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex can’t prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian.
The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she’s sworn to protect?
My 3 Favorite Things About It:
- Alexa. She’s fierce. Loyal. Scared. Brave. A strong woman living in a man’s world.
- The love triangle. Don’t roll your eyes, it’s actually a well thought out one.
- Reading a fantasy that takes place in a jungle for most of it
Ninth House (Alex Stern #1)
By Leigh Bardugo
Fantasy/Thriller
Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in Los Angeles by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and fell into a world of drugs, dead-end jobs, and worse. But at her hospital bed after being the sole survivor of a horrific multiple homicide, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?
Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.
My 3 Favorite Things About It:
- Diving into the secret world of the Houses of the Veil
- The fascinating types of magic practiced by the different houses
- A protagonist that felt unpredictable so I never knew what she’d do next
The Silvered Serpents (The Gilded Wolves #2)
By Roshani Chokshi
YA Historical Fantasy
Séverin and his team might have thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost — one that still haunts all of them. Desperate to make amends, Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumored to grant its possessor the power of God. Their hunt lures them into the icy heart of Russia where crystalline ice animals stalk forgotten mansions, broken goddesses carry deadly secrets, and a string of unsolved murders makes the crew question whether an ancient myth is a myth after all.
As hidden secrets come to the light and the ghosts of the past catch up to them, the crew will discover new dimensions of themselves. But what they find out may lead them down paths they never imagined.
My 3 Favorite Things About It:
- More Séverin and Laila. YES PLEASE.
- Watching the team recover from loss and learn to be there for each other
- Seeing each character being pushed to grow as a person and gain insight into who they are
Evermore (Everless #2)
By Sara Holland
YA Fantasy
Jules Ember was raised hearing legends of the ancient magic of the wicked Alchemist and the good Sorceress. But she has just learned the truth: not only are the stories true, but she herself is the Alchemist, and Caro—a woman who single-handedly murdered the Queen and Jules’s first love, Roan, in cold blood—is the Sorceress.
The whole kingdom believes that Jules is responsible for the murders, and a hefty bounty has been placed on her head. And Caro is intent on destroying Jules. Only by piecing together the mysteries of her lives will Jules be able to save the person who has captured her own heart.
My 3 Favorite Things About It:
- This protagonist felt so real to me in both books
- More of the romantic tension I so crave
- Learning the background of Jules and the unveiling of who she is
Stardust
By Neil Gaiman
Fantasy
Life moves at a leisurely pace in the tiny town of Wall—named after the imposing stone barrier which separates the town from a grassy meadow. Here, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the beautiful Victoria Forester and for the coveted prize of her hand, Tristran vows to retrieve a fallen star and deliver it to his beloved. It is an oath that sends him over the ancient wall and into a world that is dangerous and strange beyond imagining…
My 3 Favorite Things About It:
- The imaginative and fresh concept
- The quirky and fun writing style
- I love seeing the world through Tristran’s eyes
The Princess Bride
By William Goldman
Fantasy
As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out and only the “good parts” reached his ears. Now, Goldman has reconstructed the “Good Parts Version” to delight kids and grownups everywhere.
What’s it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex. Basically, everything.
My 3 Favorite Things About It:
- It really does have everything a bibliophile could want in a story
- WAY more funny and entertaining than I thought it would be. I enjoyed it as much as I did the movie.
- A crazy twist I never EVER saw coming (seriously, read it and you’ll be surprised too)
Five Dark Fates (Three Dark Crowns #4)
By Kendare Blake
YA Fantasy
After the grim confrontation with Queen Katharine, the rebellion lies in tatters. Jules’s legion curse has been unbound, and it is up to Arsinoe to find a cure, even as the responsibility of stopping the ravaging mist lies heavy on her shoulders, and her shoulders alone.
Katharine’s reign remains intact—for now. When Mirabella arrives, seemingly under a banner of truce, Katharine begins to yearn for the closeness that Mirabella and Arsinoe share. But as the two circle each other, the dead queens hiss caution—Mirabella is not to be trusted.
Three sisters will fight as the secrets of Fennbirn’s history are laid bare. Allegiances will shift. Bonds will be tested. But the fate of the island lies in the hands of its queens.
My 3 Favorite Things About It:
- Watching these three sisters continue to grow as people
- Seeing the love of sisters and loyal friends unfold
- It felt like this last book had more magic than the others leading up to it
The Diviners (The Diviners #1)
By Libba Bray
YA Historical Fantasy/Paranormal
Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult. Evie worries her uncle will discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer. As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho is hiding a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened…
My 3 Favorite Things About It:
- I felt like I was dropped into the middle of the 1920s
- The vivacious main character
- Enough magical mystery throughout to keep me intrigued and turning the page
Want more book suggestions? Check out these posts:
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