I don’t review fantasy books often, but I do read and enjoy them (see my reviews of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell [2004] and The Night Circus [2011]). I love fantasy novels that are well-written, characterised and that take me to magical places. Below I am sharing five fantasy books that are currently on my TBR list and that I am excited to read in the near future.
I. The Gray House [2009] by Mariam Petrosyan
āRowling meets Rushdie via Tarttā¦Nothing short of life-changing.ā The Guardian
The Gray House is an Armenian author’s debut which she published in Russia in 2009 to a critical and popular acclaim. Translated from the Russian by Yuri Machkasov, this book has been described as a magical realist saga about disabled students who live in the House under the direction of the Outsiders. With references to Russian folklore (a house that is alive) and popular Soviet literature, the tale takes a sinister turn when students deaths pile up and the leaders of the House struggle to maintain their control and power.
II. The House in the Cerulean Sea [2020] by T. J. Klune
“1984 meets The Umbrella Academy with a pinch of Douglas Adams thrown in”. Gail Carriger (author of Soulless)
The synopsis to this book reads: “Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He’s tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world. Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light.” This book has been described as a “feel-good” fantasy with an “enchanting love story” inside. It definitely sounds like a wondrous adventure.
III. The Harp of Kings [2019] by Juliet Marillier
This book caught my interest because of Celtic folklore and its great reviews. It tells of one young woman Liobhan, a singer who, with her brother, desires to join “the elite warrior band on Swan Island“. First they have a mission: “to find and retrieve a precious harp, an ancient symbol of kingship, which has gone missing”. “If the harp is not played at the upcoming coronation, the heir will not be accepted and the kingdom will be thrown into turmoil.“ The book sounds promising especially since the author Juliet Marillier has degrees in languages and music, and is very passionate about Celtic mythology. The second book in this series is called A Dance with Fate [2020], where Liobhan goes to her comrade’s home as a bond servant for a year because of his accident and her alleged blame in it. There, she learns that Oakhill is “a place of dark secrets“.
IV. Opium & Absinthe [2020] by Lydia Kang
The author of this book is a qualified physician and this is a historical novel where vampires must be playing some role. The setting is New York City, 1899 and opium-addicted Tillie Pembroke investigates the death of her sister who died a mysterious death. Pembroke suspects that vampires have something to do with the death since her sister was found with puncture marks on her neck. The novel is said to tackle “drug addiction, vampirism, and deficiencies of medicine in New York at the end of the 19th century“. The same author also penned A Beautiful Poison [2017], a novel where one heroine has to find out which deaths are due to the deadly Spanish influenza and which are the works of a murderer who poisoned people.
V. Children of Blood & Bone [2018] by Tomi Adeyemi
I am not a big YA fiction reader, but I wanted to try some popular YA fantasy. In Adeyemi’s debut Children of Blood & Bone, ZĆ©lie Adebola lives in a land where once magic reigned supreme and people were free. ZĆ©lie decided to try to bring magic back by rising against the present monarchy. This book appeals to me because it has some Yoruba religion/mythology motifs and some Nigerian folklore which will be interesting to explore. The novel is also said to explore oppression, racism and slavery, issues which have become even more topical in recent weeks.
Have you read any of the books above or excited to read them? Are there any other fantasy books on your TBR you want to read or would like to recommend?
Thoughts on Papyrus 
The House in the Cerulean Sea is in my TBR and Children of Blood and Bone is with me, haven’t read it yet.
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They both look good. I hope we both love them!
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I usually don’t read fantasy either, though i have loved all the books I have read by Neil Gaiman. I’m currently reading Le Livre de Perle, by TimothĆ©e de Fombelle, famous French author in the genre. I’m reading it along in French with one of my French students. Beautiful writing!
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Le Livre de Perle sounds lovely! I love whimsical tales such as these and it is so nice to read them after some heavy, serious and “important” tomes on some obscure philosophy or whatever š I definitely want to read Le Livre de Perle if there is an English translation of it. The one thing I still don’t understand is why fantasy writers have this obsession with WWII from time to time and feel the need to include it (perhaps The Book Thief influence?, not sure).
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This looks like a great list! There are a couple here that weren’t on my radar, and a couple that I’d heard of but not looked into yet. I’ll definitely be adding to my TBR; The Gray House in particular sounds really good! The only one of these I’ve read so far is Children of Blood and Bone; I thought the plot was pretty typical of YA fantasy so I wasn’t overly impressed with that, but I did enjoy the cultural details and the themes that you mention finding appealing, so I think you will probably like those aspects as well! And if you don’t read much YA fantasy the familiar tropes in the plot might not be a turn off for you either. I hope you’ll have a good time with all of these books!
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Thank you! I think that is why The Gray House is the first one on my list – I guess it just sounds special somehow š I will bear in mind the weaknesses in Children of Blood and Bone. YA fantasy is something new to me and I guess on that basis alone it will be a fresh and different read for me, though, like you, I am sure I will not find it very impressive.
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The two Lydia Kang books caught my attention!
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Nice list! The House in the Cerulean Sea is on my TBR too. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about it! š
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I love these suggestions thank yoi Diana. I have noted them to seek them out. You’re the second person on WP to say they love Jonathan Strange and so I’ll be looking for this too, thank you.
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I hope you like the books, and Jonathan Strange is just a “must-read”. It is one of the best books I have ever read.
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Wow! I am so excited to read it now. Jeremy in Hong Kong another friend on WP said the same thing, it’s the best book he has ever read.
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I had a hunt around in Wellington bookshops today for this…it’s all sold out, it seems everyone loves this book Jonathan Strange hehe so I should have it in a few weeks š
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Your descriptions are outstanding. Enjoy your reading.
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Thank you!
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Oooh The Gray House looks really interesting! š
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I have The Gray House on my kindle (was it a free download some World Book Day?), and Iāve wanted to read it, too. Also, I have been seeing Opium and Absinthe every time I log on to Amazon…looks interesting, if vampires are done well within its pages.
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Never heard of any of these. Fantasy is one of my favorite genres.
Here are some of my favorites:
1. Harry Potter
2. Narnia
3. Spinning Silver- retelling of Rumplestillskin
4. Uprooted
5. Shades of Magic
6. Avalon
7. Sister’s Grimm
8. Land of Stories
9. Princess Bride
10. Lord of the Rings
Actually, the first book I am writing is a MG fantasy. It centers primarily on the Fairy Frogs. It is about an unlikely friendship between the Fairy Frogs and Toads. It all begins when Sparkle befriends Marge. Like all Fairy Frogs, Sparkle is deeply compassionate, clever, and naturally gifted in the arts (her craft is drawing, which she is deeply invested). At the same time, Sparkle is stubborn, courageous, adventurous, and rebellious.
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Thanks for the comment! like to draw attention to those books which may have gone under the radar. Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings are also my favourite classics in this genre. I’ve heard good things about Spinning Silver, thanks, I will have to check it out asap. Your book sounds very interesting. I think fantasy is a difficult genre to do well and there are so many things that can go wrong as recent Susanna Clarke’s book also shows – in my opinion.
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Spinning Silver is completely original- the world is incredibly reimagined and same with character.
Spinning Silver is the only retelling I read. I get nervous around retellings- especially if it is a retelling of a favorite novel.
If you end up loving Spinning Silver- you will probably love Uprooted as well
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Here is my “Uprooted” review- the first of Naomi Novik’s book I read.
https://megsdailymusings.wordpress.com/2016/08/21/uprooted-review/
Due to my love for Uprooted- I choose to read Spinning Silver. Spinning Silver was a Park Roads Recommend books- at an event at church, the owner of Park Road Books talked about a couple of the books. We were able to purchase them on the spot- choose Spinning Silver because of Naomi Novik
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