Here’s a quick and easy rec list of fantasy books I have read, that are recent releases (or at least, the final book in the series was).
My rec lists have no fluff and chit chat, there will be links for you to read my full reviews in a separate window and affiliate links where you can buy!
I’ve tried not to just include booktok darlings but there are some mixed in.
- 1. Crowns of Nyaxia – Carissa Broadbent
- 2. The Luminaries Series – Susan Dennard
- 3. The Unconventional Heroes Series – L.G.Estrella
- 4. Bride – Ali Hazelwood
- 5. Assistant to the Villain Series – Hannah Nicole Maehrer
- 6. The Bridge Kingdom Series – Danielle L Jensen
- 7. Fourth Wing – The Empyrean series – Rebecca Yarros
- 8. Saga of the Unfated series – Danielle L Jensen
- 9. The 5 Crowns of Okrith series – A K Mulford
- 10. The Scholomance series – Naomi Novik
1. Crowns of Nyaxia – Carissa Broadbent
Set in world ruled by different vampire courts, the first two books follow Oraya and Rhain. Oraya is the adopted daughter of The House of Night’s ruler, she enters a once in century competition to win the favour of their God to make her equal to the vampires she grew up amongst. But war between the courts is brewing and Oraya discovers that there’s many secrets and lies behind her childhood.
I have heard some valid criticisms of this series and the world building but I really enjoyed it! I think it’s a really unique setting and I liked the whole hunger games but with vampires vibe.
Read my review for the first book in the series here
2. The Luminaries Series – Susan Dennard
This series is set within a secret society of demon hunters. The main character, Winnie, and her family have been shunned after their dad was caught performing dark magic from a rival order. To redeem her family Winnie is determined to pass the Hunter Trials, but as she progresses, secrets and lies behind her dad’s wrong-doings and disappearance are revealed. She discovers a deeper conspiracy that’s much bigger than her, plus a new creature no one will believe is real and that both of her ex best friend’s have secrets of their own tied to this mess.
This is another really unique world, I loved how much of a misfit Winnie is and how deep the Luminary lore is in these books.
Read my review for the first book in the series here.
3. The Unconventional Heroes Series – L.G.Estrella
The Necromancer Timmy and his assistant, the deadly shadow wielding yet pink loving Katy are looking for a pardon from the council. Timmy knows too well the stats around a necromancer’s survival and he’s decided it’s time to get out of the game. In order to earn their pardon, he’s sent on a series of missions by their assigned bureaucrat, Gerald, and over time they collect a band of unconventional heroes that includes ninja rats, a pyromaniac Elf, a baby dragon, an old swordsman, a dwarf and an ancient vampire.
This series is very much Terry Pratchett esq humour, it’s good fun, a bit weird and wacky in places, a bit poignant in others. It’s really good, light-hearted fantasy, with some found family vibes.
Read my review of the first book in series here.
4. Bride – Ali Hazelwood
Raised as ‘collateral’ among humans, Misery doesn’t feel comfortable with vampires. When she’s torn from her human job one day by her father (the vampire leader) to act as collateral again, in a landmark alliance with the werewolves… but this time it’s as his Bride. The only reason she agrees to it is because the werewolf leader is somehow tied to the disappearance of her friend.
Misery is surprised by how much she enjoys werewolf society, even if they don’t trust her. She’s also surprised how much she likes their leader…
I am a huge Ali Hazelwood fan and this book was no exception! I really enjoyed the main character and the romance and I’m excited for the next book in the series.
Read my review here
5. Assistant to the Villain Series – Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Evie is in desperate need of a job, so when she bumps into The Villain in the woods and helps him avoid capture, and he offers her a job, she takes it unquestioningly. Despite his best efforts to put her off (including a body on her desk) Evie excels as his assistant and quickly has everyone in his evil lair twisted around her fingers.
Someone is sabotaging their missions, however, and Evie sets out to help him investigate.
Her family are somehow intertwined in this mystery but Evie’s determined to protect her sister from the things no one protected her from.
This is another series that I think is both good fun but has some poignant moments. This has lots of funny points, lots of action and adventure and a bit of found family.
Read my review of the first book in the series here.
6. The Bridge Kingdom Series – Danielle L Jensen
This series is told in sets of duologues following a different couple each book with an over-arching story through-out. It begins with Lara whose being married of to Ithcanian king to keep a peace treaty set when they were children. Little does the king know that she’s been trained as a spy, with the mission to bring down the kingdom from within.
What she learns about Itchicania goes against everything she and her people have been taught however, and she comes to care for their king more than she expected to… but this realisation dawns too late, she has already given her father the key to destroying Ithicana, sparking another war with far reaching repercussions.
I really enjoyed this series, each location is full of rich culture and world building, the characters are all well fleshed out and their journey’s as individuals and couples are well-done.
I sadly wasn’t as active on here when I read this series for the first time, so there’s no review for the first book. I have got reviews for the fourth book onwards but be warned, there may be spoilers.
7. Fourth Wing – The Empyrean series – Rebecca Yarros
Violet might be the daughter of the general but she’s considered weak by everyone, including herself. So she’s shocked when her mother decides she must trial to be a dragon rider, even though she’s been training to be a scribe. Violet must survive the trials, be found worthy by a dragon and not get killed by the children of the rebellion her mother helped end, who are now forced into the dragon rider army.
The survival rate for the dragon rider academy isn’t very high, so Violet must fight a war on all fronts… including the one brewing outside the academy gates, which their leadership isn’t being completely truthful about.
Now I know I said I was trying to avoid Booktok darlings but this series is really enjoyable fantasy. I can agree with some of the flaws people have pointed out, especially in the 2nd and 3rd book but it did feel so different to other romantasy coming out at the time. It’s dragons, it’s a magic school, it’s found family and ‘enemies’ to lovers, there’s plenty to enjoy.
Read my review of the first book here.
8. Saga of the Unfated series – Danielle L Jensen
Set in a world where the Viking Gods are real, the books begins with Freya stuck in a love-less marriage with a drunk man who was blessed by the God’s with a drop of their blood, giving him supernatural abilities.
But Freya has a secret of her own, one that is revealed when her husband sells her to the jarl, who has been searching for someone like her for decades.
Due to a prophecy, he believes she is the key to him being crowned king of all of Skaland. So Freya chain’s are passed from one man to another and, unfortunately, the man who holds her fate has an extremely attractive son who is nothing like him. But as she begins to realise her power run deeper than she knew, it also appears someone else is playing a game, to undermine the Jarl and get to her. As all their enemies press in she must decide who to trust and find a way to be free at last.
As a huge lover of the show Vikings, I absolutely ateeeee up a fantasy book set in the same kind of world! The romantic tension is *cheffs kiss* perfect, the yearninggggg, all while a tonne of actual interesting plot takes place.
Read my review for the first book here.
Or buy the books here.
9. The 5 Crowns of Okrith series – A K Mulford
Set in a world where there were five kingdoms until one was lost in a war that drove most witches into hiding or servitude. This series follows a different set of couples and court through each book, as the courts try to recover from this war, fight a tyrant threatening the rest of them and uncover another threat lurking in all the courts. This series has fantastic LGBTQIA+ rep, neurodivergent representation and is really just a love letter to the romantasy genre.
Read my review compilation I made for the series.
10. The Scholomance series – Naomi Novik
This series is set in a world where there are secret societies of magic wielders but they are forced to hide in highly selective protective fortresses to avoid the monsters that roam the world is search of mana to consume. At a certain age, children are set to The Scholomance, a magic school that runs itself without any teachers present, whose mission is to one, protect the children from the monsters when their mana is at its tastiest, two, teach them how to use their powers.
The school teaches them to survive, the ones that don’t survive, die. El is very powerful, unfortunately her power is the darker kind, that replenishes faster from pain, death and just generally evil things. She refuses to give into it though, choosing to farm her mana through unpleasant tasks she hates because they hurt no one but her.
To graduate they must survive a gauntlet run through the great hall, this requires lots of mana and allies. The school was not always like this though, it used to protect it’s students and El is the reluctant hero whose going to figure out what went wrong and why… all while not triggering the doomsday prophecy her Grandmother made about her.
I really loved this series, its so unique, the main character is complex and isn’t necessarily likeable, and the ending is so.fucking.good. I never see this series recommended by people and I think it deserves so much more hype than it gets.
Read my review of book one here.
This took fucking forever to write so I hope you enjoyed this post! Check out the What I’m Reading category for more book reviews.
Antonia Bernardin 
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