It’s Here: Five Terrific Fantasy Reads That Will Make Your Summer
Photo by Bethany Laird on Unsplash
It’s Here: Five Terrific Fantasy Reads That Will Make Your Summer
You love getting lost in the magic of faraway worlds. You would drop everything at a moment’s notice to go out on an adventure that includes spells, magical creatures, a bit of danger, some badass fights, and love of all kinds.
How do I know this?
Because I would too. Especially after being cooped up for months. Okay, as an introvert, being cooped up actually hasn’t been that bad. But since I can’t physically go anywhere, I decided to reconnect with some magical friends in their written worlds.
Usually summer reads are read on the beach, but that may be a fantasy in and of itself this year.
If you’re dying to escape to somewhere more fun, where there isn’t a pandemic going on (but like probably a lot of dangerous vampires and gods and magic gone way, way wrong), read on for my five favorite books for you fantasy lovers.
The Soulbound series by Hailey Turner
Okay seriously, this book series rocks. Think CSI mixed with magic and a gay main character. The series is set in the real world, where the non-magical and magical live side by side. Vampires, werewolves, and all the gods exist.
Our main character Patrick is a mage (someone with magical abilities) and a special agent, and seems to always get wrapped up in the cases thrown at him because of a link to his family that doesn’t seem to end. Throughout the series he needs to make alliances with vampires, werewolves, and even negotiate carefully with the fae and different gods in order to keep himself and his boyfriend alive.
I eagerly await each installment in this series, and tend to fly through them when I download them to my kindle. Sometimes I need to slow myself down because I don’t want it to end, like, ever. Turner really excels in her character development and the lore that she weaves into her books.
The gods play a huge role in each book, and she dives into a different pantheon in each installment. As someone who loves folklore and mythology, it’s awesome.
Also if you’re an NYC native (or very familiar like I am), it’s fun to read Patrick running all around the city and seeing familiar places – with a very accurate description of the subway system and Grand Central (which I really appreciated).
The first book is A Ferry of Bones and Gold, and you can find it here.
2. The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman
Magic in a tiny upstate New York town called Four Paths. Think Stranger Things with magic instead of demogorgons. We follow different POVs as we unravel the story of the founding family children.
Each family has a specific magic power, and they have to pass a test in order to gain their powers. But some people are lying about their abilities…
Not only that but there’s a threat of “the gray”, which is a magical upside down that people can find themselves trapped in. Usually if you’re caught there, the creature residing inside doesn’t let you back out.
Violet, youngest daughter of one of the founding families, moves into town after the death of her sister. She knows nothing about magic, the gray, or any of the history of the town. Yet something is brewing within the town’s population that she’ll need to be a part of.
The premise of this book is so cool. I found it in a bookstore on vacation last summer and I just had to have it. It’s suspenseful and dark. Not just theme-wise, but the climax of the plot happens literally during a storm in the middle of the night. I highly recommend it.
You can find it here.
3. The Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine
This series is an oldie but a goodie. I think I first read this series my freshman year of high school. This series is about a Texas town called Morganville. Our main character, Claire, is off to college and gets more than she bargained for when she finds out that the town is really run by vampires.
She makes her closest friends when she moves out of the dorms, and they teach her the ground rules of how to survive in Morganville. The only problem is, because of her super smarts, the vampires need her to help them out with a problem that their very survival depends on.
And saying no to the vampires in Morganville isn’t really an option…
This series is so fun! My whole friend group read it and we still talk about it. It’s a fifteen book series, but they’re quick, exciting reads and the adventures never get boring. Some of the writing is so beautiful and some plots so emotionally-investing that I had a passage printed out and pasted to my bedroom wall for a time. Yes, I am that person.
You can find it here.
4. The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare
This book series is also older, but I still love it and it sits on my shelf. I first listened to them via audiobook, which are great too. Jennifer Ehle (from the one and only best version of Pride and Prejudice, fight me…) narrates the first, and Ed Westwick (“I’m Chuck Bass…”) narrates the second.
If you’re familiar with either the main series or TV show, Shadowhunters, you’ll already know the mechanics of this world. It’s the prequel trilogy to the events in Clare’s Mortal Instruments series.
The first book is called Clockwork Angel. In this series, we spend our time in 19th century London and meet ancestors of characters we know from the main series. The main character, Tessa, comes to London to find her brother, but as she tries to put together the mystery, she finds herself among the Shadowhunters and with more to solve than just whatever happened to her brother.
She faces demons, vampires, warlocks...you name it.
One of the things I love about it is we dive deep into what it means to be a Parabatai. This is usually an oath taken by two Shadowhunters, who swear to fight side by side for life. Through the characters Will and Jem, we get to see an intimate male relationship (whether that’s platonic or romantic is up to you as you read) and I feel like we don’t see many emotional, loving relationships between men in pop culture. The only other example I can think of that has the same depth is Frodo and Sam from Lord of the Rings. So it’s refreshing to see.
You can get the first book here.
5. The Simon Snow Novels by Rainbow Rowell
Ever wish you had a book that was like Harry Potter but more inclusive with LGBT characters? This is it. Rainbow Rowell first came out with Carry On, which introduces us to the world of Simon Snow and his enemy vampire roommate, Baz.
Simon Snow is a “chosen one”, but...he’s kind of really bad at it. He’s not super great at magic and yet he’s supposed to handle a “magic-eating monster” who looks just like him[1].
Rowell creates an environment that is very reminiscent of the Harry Potter universe, but she completely changes how magic works. It’s based on common phrases, instead of latin like in Rowling’s work, because words matter.
For example: Open Sesame to open a door instead of Alohomora.
The vocabulary of magic even varies by country, as we see in the sequel novel, Wayward Son.
I will admit I was skeptical at first because of just how similar the structure was to Harry Potter, but the plot overall is original and the characters are really fun. It definitely has earned its spot on this list.
You can find it here.
Happy Summer Reading!
What are your favorite fantasy books? I’m constantly looking for new ones to add to my TBR pile so be sure to share!
Tag me (@veritasarahm) in pictures on Insta or Twitter if you read these books and you can use the hashtag: #sjdsummerreads. You can also shoot me an email! Happy summer reading!
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