I love how you read so many different books and authors that aren't really discussed by other people on RUclips, I'm so tired of hearing the same recommendations from everyone and I can always count on you for genuine and really good books :)
So glad you mentioned Juliet Marillier! I've read the series so many times growing up. The relationship between Sorcha and her brothers, particularly Finbar, is beautifully written.
I've been in such a reading slump... Thank you so much for pointing me back towards fantasy 💛 I saw recently you'd read Temeraire. I read the first three some years ago and never finished the series... 🤔😊 x
I found your channel because of your Discworld video! I love this list! The Inheritance Cycle was a favourite as a teen, and I read Tooth and Claw because of your recommendation. Dragons are the best!
OMG yay! another reader who loves Juliet Marillers books!!!! Daugther of the Forest and Wildwood Dancing are two of my favourite books.... so beautiful stories
Jean you are one of my favorite Booktubers! Thank you for talking about Terry Pratchett, I have been wanting to get into his books but didn’t know where to start!
i think you would really like the Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley - i think its a series, but ive only read the first one but it is AMAZING- it has a lot of the slow paced, detail heavy qualities you were saying you liked, and it is the Arthurian legend told from all the women's povs and it is a beautifully written book!
Terry Pratchett has in no time become one of my absolute favorite authors. I read the first 2 Rincewind books (As I read them in chronological order) and wasn't completely sold even though I did find them enjoyable for the most part, but from Equal Rites and onwards I haven't been able to look back, and I'm now about to start Reaper Man. My favorites so far has been Mort and Guards! Guards! Robin Hobb is Queen! I love her books so much. My favorite book so far has been Fool's Fate. I'm in the middle of the Rain Wild Chronicles, too and it's so far featured my least favorite book I've read of hers.
I really have to pick up Terry Pratchet!!!! I've been wanting to since I first saw you talk about Disc world in your videos! I also really loves the Rangers Apprentice as a kid, a really great fantasy series!
I have to thank you for introducing me to the Discworld! I picked one that you recommended a couple of years ago and I loved it, now I think I read about 15 of them.
Great list. I love anything by Tamora Pierce or Brandon Sanderson. Those are two of my favorite fantasy authors. Also, I love "Here, There Be Dragons" by James A Owen which sounds like something you might enjoy.
Oh my goodness!!! I think I actually gasped out loud when you mentioned Sweep! It's so rare to find someone else who not only has read the Sweep series but loves it so much. I actually just posted a video about my top formative reads as a youngster and I talked at length about Sweep, which I've read over ten times at this point (and it began my Wicca obsession, haha).
Dude I absolutely love Juliet marillier. I bet you would also love Naomi novick. I haven’t read any of her dragon novels but her two spinning silver and uprooted are life changing. So good.
This was the perfect timing for this! I've been looking for some adult fantasy to get into the genre. I've read a few Pratchett books, but the Robin Hobb and Juliet Marillier books sound particularly interesting and are now on my to-read list. Thank you for the recommendations!
My all time favorite series are LOTR, Narnia, and The Belgariad (David Eddings). I really want to read Robin Hobb but I hear she’s really good at making you emotionally invested, and I can’t handle that right now. It’s been a difficult year with lots of loss (I know you’ll understand), and I just feel like if I read anything emotional I’ll start crying and never stop. I’m really interested in Tooth and Claw as well, and you’ve got me wanting to read Juliet Marillier. I also love Discworld, and need to read more. Great video, as always! 😊
I loved the Sweep series when I was in highschool. It’s so cool to see people talk about it on booktube. So many of those other books sound amazing, so I’m definitely adding those to my Tbr.
It is so awesome to see/hear your enthusiasm for fantasy!! really makes me want to pick up a fantsay book next myself. Daughter of the Forest is on my to be read list now, you don't have to apologize for mentioning it all the time, on the contrary! I also really need to watch your Where to start with the disc world series video because man, I've been asking myself that question for a long time now xD my faves in the fantasy realm are the his dark materials series, a song of ice and fire and also newly the termeraire series (even though I have only read the first one in the series). Really keen on finding hidden gems in the fantasy genre, so thank you so much for this recommendations video. happy reading and have a great week, jean! love, bia
The first video I watched of yours was about the Discworld & Terry Pratchett, I've now read The Wee Free men & Going Postal which were both amazing and funny & it really made me remember why I love reading and made me nostalgic for books I read when I was younger, thanks for more recommendations! :D
Every time you talk about fantasy you like I always hope that you mention the Wicca/Sweep series because of the significance it had for me in my teenage years - and you always do
I am reading equal rites right now! I love Terry Pratchett anytime I see one I don't have I grab it because it's always a good read. I'm so glad you included them on your list. I also recently found a love for Robin Hobb, I've only read one of her trilogies so far, but I'm looking forward to reading all of them. I hadn't heard of The Portable Door or Kissing the Witch but now I definitely plan to check them out!
Oh I loved this video! I love fantasy, and hearing people talk about books they love always puts me in a good mood anyway☺️ I need to read some Robin Hobb at some point - my boyfriend read her for the first time this year and loved her! That Emma Donoghue book sounds PERFECT, ahhh I really want to buy that one now. And Tooth and Claw sounds amazing, too - I love 1800s literature so that premise sounds so fun to me! Thank you for the recommendations!
Jeanne I love your reviews and your selections, also the Greek mythology, so thankyou. I'm on the 2nd book Royal assassin from the land of the Elderlings . Also Circe is on my radar.
One series I've been coming back to for well over a decade now is the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. I love them more and more each time I read them, and the older I get (the series is YA). I would start with the first book, So You Want to Be a Wizard. Its world inspires a similar sense of wonder as Harry Potter, putting magic in the modern world in a way that really makes it seem possible that the whole world could be abuzz with magic, without us ever noticing. Plus, WIZARDS IN SPACE. Actual aliens who are also wizards. And cat wizards who tend the worldgates in New York train stations (they have their own spinoff duology). Highly recommended.
I really loved The Bear and The Nightingale and The Girl in The Tower by Katherine Arden which I read this year. I also loved Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson! I was surprised to not see any Sanderson on your list, or is he not really your cup of tea? And also loved the Kingkiller Chronicles by Rothfuss even though he still hasn't published the third book in the series 😛
I have The Bear and Nightingale on my shelf and should get to it ASAP as I've only heard good things ^_^. I've never actually read any Brandon Sanderson aha. And what's with fantasy series taking so long for sequels!?
I am a huge fan of Pratchett and his books (especially his Discworld novels), it's so nice to see him mentioned here^^ I personally enjoy his books about the witches the most and Esme Weatherwax is my favorite character. I think my favorite books by him would be: Witches Abroad, Snuff, Monstrous Regiment and Lords and Ladies. His later books really changed in style, his tone of narration was more serious in places and the themes got a bit darker, I think you can especially tell with Snuff, where slavery and racism are the main themes.
You seem to like Wicca in -fantasy novels so I will recommend a few. writers- Rosemary Edghill- The Sword of Maiden's tears, and her Bast mysteries. and Keith Hartman- The Gumshoe, the Witch and the Virtual Corpse. I hope you like them.
Love this list! I heard about Daughter of the Forest about fifteen years ago, but never got around to read it. Now I really have to! One of my favourite fantasy-trilogy is Korpringarna (The raven rings), which I really don't understand why it has'nt been translated into english yet. It's amazing!
Magician by Raymond Feist (Riftwar series) and Daughter of the Empire etc by Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts. Patricia Kennealy (Morrison) The Throne of Scone etc. Dragon Prince etc by Melanie Rawn. David Eddings. Oldies but goodies.
No need to apologize for gushing about Juliet Marillier! You put her on my radar and I'm super excited to get into her work now, I'd never heard of her before but her books sound awesome! I'm hoping to finally get to The Dragon Keeper this summer! I first bought it because you recommended it in another video but I haven't had much time to read, so it's been sitting on my shelf seductively for ages. Have you read Howl's Moving Castle? Definitely one of my very favourite fantasy books, and I think you would enjoy it too! It is whimsical, very tongue-in-cheek, pretty feminist and it feels very nostalgic, even though I only read it like a year ago. I also love Rainbow Rowell's Carry on and Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy. On a more frivolous note, you look especially lovely in this video. Love your hair and make-up. ♥
Hi Jean! Discworld has been on my TBR since you made that “Where to start with the Discworld?” video a longgg time ago. I’ve also added Daughter of the Forest to my TBR list because of you! My favorite fantasy novels are Dinotopia by James Gurney, Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, The Hobbit + The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, the Redwall series by Brian Jacques (Martin the Warrior is 1 of my all time f a v o r i t e novels if I’m to be completely honest with myself), & The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. I’d highly recommend The Stormlight Archive if you’re ever interested in picking up an Epic Fantasy series :)
Tooth & Claw is such a great book! The premise seems odd but the execution is flawless. You really begin to love (or despise!) the various characters. Great dragon pick! 🐉
I'm so intrigued by Libba Bray and Daughter of the Forest, I'll definitely give them a go! And I should really start reading The Discworld, especially since my dad loves it so much! I'd recommend The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - a bit slow, very rich and just stunning - and the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage, it was my first proper fantasy and it's just great, the world the characters, I love it all!
I am currently reading "The Light Fantastic" by Terry Pratchett, tought I better start the series chronologically, so this is my second discworld book...I'm not that convinced yet.. but I probably won't stay with the order, I heard the later ones are much better? My favourite adult fantasy series is definitely The Kingkiller Chronicles, you should give it a try! I'd love to hear your opinion on it.
Yeah to be honest I've always though Colour of Magic and Light Fantastic are the worst possible ones to start with aha. Pratchett himself admitted the first one has no plot! I did a whole video on them if that helps you pick your next read but I also stand by my recommendations in this video ^_^
Since you love dragons, I have to recommend the Dragon Prince series by Melanie Rawn if you haven't read them. two series of three books each. The first is very political, the second is much darker, but both are fabulous.
trying to write my own and i think i finally have a good idea. It not an original idea to be fair but it combining all my favourite things making my own tale its so hard to find an original idea that hasn't been done before so just write what i like to read about
I've heard some good things about Robin Hobb before but some of her books seem quite dark which is not what I'm interested in at the moment so I keep holding of on reading them.
More children's than YA but a humble little gem of a fantasy book is The Bogwoppit by Ursula Moray Williams. Archer's Goon by Diane Wynne Jones is another. Robin Jarvis is worth reading Particularly his Whitby trilogy and Tales from the Wyrd Museum. Thank for the recommends, Juliet Marillier sounds particularly intriguing.
For more female-driven fantasies (and some mention of f/f representation), you've got to check out Jaqueline Carey's Kushiel series! They're adult high fantasy, and a little high on the mature content at times, but the series is honestly amazing and so deep. Carey is a master at world building and her characters practically leap right off the page. She's written three trilogies within the world, with the first trilogy starting off with Kushiel's Dart.
Great suggestions! I've been on a huge fantasy book kick this summer lately. Have you ever read the Zamonia books by Walter Moers? They're really lighthearted fantasy similar to Douglas Adams' books.. They're really funny and have great illustrations. I think only a few of them are translated from German, but if anyones looking for a great, lighthearted, fantasy book for summer i suggest the 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear and Rumo by Walter Moers. :)
I think, based on these books, you would really like Naomi Kritzer's books. Fires of the Faithful is a really cool Alternate History where musicians can channel magic through their music. Its very unique and has a lesbian protagonist which was rare in 2002! Unfortunately she only wrote one other book in that series , I would have loved to explore that world a bit further.
I love the Discworld series! Just finished reading Pyramids actually. It had me in fits of laughter; so much so that my mate was referring to me as a howling banshee the following day. The camel was a particular favourite.
I'm currently reading The way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson and it's AMAZING. The Kingkiller chronicle series is really good too! It's like an adult version of Harry Potter, so I think you might like it.
I ordered Daughter of the Forest yesterday after watching your video about your favourite books of 2017 so far and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Hearing you stress its darkness and grit one more time has gotten me even more excited. My favourite fantasy books are not very original, I'm afraid: The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss, A Song of Ice and Fire by Martin, Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde (this one is more on the humorous side) and The Lord of the Rings by everyone knows who.
Eeh I do hope you enjoy it as much as I did. And thanks for the recommendations still, I've only read A Song and Ice of Fire and Lord of The Rings of those.
You should know that I hold you entirely responsible for me not sleeping more than four hours last night. I have not been able to put down Daughter of the Forest since it got delivered yesterday. It's so compelling and heart-wrenching, the strong presence of nature so beautifully written, Sorcha's future so uncertain that I can't stop reading.
Hi Jean, loving all of your recommendations! If you haven't already, you should try A Discovery of Witches (All Souls trilogy) by Deborah Harkness - it's brilliant! Witches, daemons, vampires, Oxford university, manuscripts, alchemy...so many interesting elements! The books are so chunky too so plenty of reading in each 😊
also my favorite fantasys are LOTR, the Wise Child trilogy, ASOIAF , harry potter, the Howells Moving Castle trilogy, the chronicles of narnia, the septimus heap series and more!
You've read Septimus?! It was my first fantasy series and I've loved it ever since, but unfortunately not that many people know the books... I've started rereading them again and it just feels like a warm hug ❤
Oh, you would love Abhorsen by Garth Nix. I love the world-building and the characters, the creatures! Definitely will reread the whole series after this! And someone interpreted and designed all the visuals from the series as his art portfolio. I love how detailed his clothing design for the characters are. Check out his work here! joshwongart.com/projects/6602724
You should also check out the "Sabriel" series by Garth Nix. It's a young adult fantasy series, and even though I have just read the first one so far, I absolutely love it!
I adored the inheritance cycle when I was younger, all of them are falling apart and I can’t tell you how long I reread them - but I never finished the books! The final book is still sitting on my shelf in hardcover. I want to read it but then I would have to reread all of them which is an intimidating task😭
The audiobook's are great, it took me ages to finish the series too and listening from the beginning through to the end when I was 19 got me to finally do it :D totally worth it!
there is a trilogy i loved when i was younger called the secret circle by L J Smith about witches you should read that. It is young adult and written in the 90's so probably a bit dated but i still love them
I’ve been reading more fantasy than usual the last two years, so I’m equipped for this question! Sorceror to the Crown by Zen Cho (there are dragons at one point), Uprooted by Naomi Novik (the best fairy tale retelling I’ve ever read), Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake (an in-process YA trilogy about three magically gifted sisters competing to the death to be queen). I’d also second the rec for the Arthurian feminist retelling The Mists of Avalon. I’ve heard the rest of the series is shit and whatever you do DON’T Google the author, Marion Zimmer Bradley. It will ruin the book, however she’s deceased so if you worry about supporting problematic authors, you don’t need to here.
I'm still trying to wade through the KJV I'm about just over a quarter in about 2-3 weeks ,thought it would of been easyish being it's English seems my attention tends to float off..hahaha
I love how you read so many different books and authors that aren't really discussed by other people on RUclips, I'm so tired of hearing the same recommendations from everyone and I can always count on you for genuine and really good books :)
Aw thank you I'm glad I'm able to provide you with some intriguing recommendations that you enjoy ^_^
So glad you mentioned Juliet Marillier! I've read the series so many times growing up. The relationship between Sorcha and her brothers, particularly Finbar, is beautifully written.
It's such a beautiful story, I'm so glad I discovered her writing, and it's really nice to find other fans of hers here!
I've been in such a reading slump... Thank you so much for pointing me back towards fantasy 💛 I saw recently you'd read Temeraire. I read the first three some years ago and never finished the series... 🤔😊 x
youve totally convinced me to read daughter of the forest i just ordered it last night
Mwuhahaha my evil plan has worked!
I found your channel because of your Discworld video! I love this list! The Inheritance Cycle was a favourite as a teen, and I read Tooth and Claw because of your recommendation. Dragons are the best!
OMG yay! another reader who loves Juliet Marillers books!!!!
Daugther of the Forest and Wildwood Dancing are two of my favourite books.... so beautiful stories
Jean you are one of my favorite Booktubers! Thank you for talking about Terry Pratchett, I have been wanting to get into his books but didn’t know where to start!
i think you would really like the Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley - i think its a series, but ive only read the first one but it is AMAZING- it has a lot of the slow paced, detail heavy qualities you were saying you liked, and it is the Arthurian legend told from all the women's povs and it is a beautifully written book!
I need to read this!
Terry Pratchett has in no time become one of my absolute favorite authors. I read the first 2 Rincewind books (As I read them in chronological order) and wasn't completely sold even though I did find them enjoyable for the most part, but from Equal Rites and onwards I haven't been able to look back, and I'm now about to start Reaper Man. My favorites so far has been Mort and Guards! Guards!
Robin Hobb is Queen! I love her books so much. My favorite book so far has been Fool's Fate. I'm in the middle of the Rain Wild Chronicles, too and it's so far featured my least favorite book I've read of hers.
I really have to pick up Terry Pratchet!!!! I've been wanting to since I first saw you talk about Disc world in your videos! I also really loves the Rangers Apprentice as a kid, a really great fantasy series!
I just started reading Terry Pratchett this year, after really liking Good Omens, and started with Equal Rites, and I'm so glad I did!
I love your hair like this!!! So pretty and romantic!
I have to thank you for introducing me to the Discworld! I picked one that you recommended a couple of years ago and I loved it, now I think I read about 15 of them.
Oh I’m so pleased to hear it! What’s been your favourite so far?
Guards, Guards! and Mort :)
I love Mort ^_^
Great list. I love anything by Tamora Pierce or Brandon Sanderson. Those are two of my favorite fantasy authors. Also, I love "Here, There Be Dragons" by James A Owen which sounds like something you might enjoy.
Yay so glad you mentioned Tamora Pierce. She is one of my favorite authors as well but I was spacing her name and it was bugging me.
Oh my goodness!!! I think I actually gasped out loud when you mentioned Sweep! It's so rare to find someone else who not only has read the Sweep series but loves it so much. I actually just posted a video about my top formative reads as a youngster and I talked at length about Sweep, which I've read over ten times at this point (and it began my Wicca obsession, haha).
Finally someone who includes the Inheritance Cycle in their list
Dude I absolutely love Juliet marillier. I bet you would also love Naomi novick. I haven’t read any of her dragon novels but her two spinning silver and uprooted are life changing. So good.
This was the perfect timing for this! I've been looking for some adult fantasy to get into the genre. I've read a few Pratchett books, but the Robin Hobb and Juliet Marillier books sound particularly interesting and are now on my to-read list. Thank you for the recommendations!
Woohoo glad to be of service. Hobb and Marillier are fantastic I hope you enjoy them ^_^
My all time favorite series are LOTR, Narnia, and The Belgariad (David Eddings). I really want to read Robin Hobb but I hear she’s really good at making you emotionally invested, and I can’t handle that right now. It’s been a difficult year with lots of loss (I know you’ll understand), and I just feel like if I read anything emotional I’ll start crying and never stop. I’m really interested in Tooth and Claw as well, and you’ve got me wanting to read Juliet Marillier. I also love Discworld, and need to read more. Great video, as always! 😊
I loved the Sweep series when I was in highschool. It’s so cool to see people talk about it on booktube. So many of those other books sound amazing, so I’m definitely adding those to my Tbr.
It is so awesome to see/hear your enthusiasm for fantasy!! really makes me want to pick up a fantsay book next myself. Daughter of the Forest is on my to be read list now, you don't have to apologize for mentioning it all the time, on the contrary! I also really need to watch your Where to start with the disc world series video because man, I've been asking myself that question for a long time now xD my faves in the fantasy realm are the his dark materials series, a song of ice and fire and also newly the termeraire series (even though I have only read the first one in the series). Really keen on finding hidden gems in the fantasy genre, so thank you so much for this recommendations video. happy reading and have a great week, jean! love, bia
The first video I watched of yours was about the Discworld & Terry Pratchett, I've now read The Wee Free men & Going Postal which were both amazing and funny & it really made me remember why I love reading and made me nostalgic for books I read when I was younger, thanks for more recommendations! :D
Every time you talk about fantasy you like I always hope that you mention the Wicca/Sweep series because of the significance it had for me in my teenage years - and you always do
I am reading equal rites right now! I love Terry Pratchett anytime I see one I don't have I grab it because it's always a good read. I'm so glad you included them on your list. I also recently found a love for Robin Hobb, I've only read one of her trilogies so far, but I'm looking forward to reading all of them. I hadn't heard of The Portable Door or Kissing the Witch but now I definitely plan to check them out!
Oh I loved this video! I love fantasy, and hearing people talk about books they love always puts me in a good mood anyway☺️ I need to read some Robin Hobb at some point - my boyfriend read her for the first time this year and loved her! That Emma Donoghue book sounds PERFECT, ahhh I really want to buy that one now. And Tooth and Claw sounds amazing, too - I love 1800s literature so that premise sounds so fun to me! Thank you for the recommendations!
Jeanne I love your reviews and your selections, also the Greek mythology, so thankyou. I'm on the 2nd book Royal assassin from the land of the Elderlings . Also Circe is on my radar.
One series I've been coming back to for well over a decade now is the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. I love them more and more each time I read them, and the older I get (the series is YA). I would start with the first book, So You Want to Be a Wizard. Its world inspires a similar sense of wonder as Harry Potter, putting magic in the modern world in a way that really makes it seem possible that the whole world could be abuzz with magic, without us ever noticing. Plus, WIZARDS IN SPACE. Actual aliens who are also wizards. And cat wizards who tend the worldgates in New York train stations (they have their own spinoff duology). Highly recommended.
I really loved The Bear and The Nightingale and The Girl in The Tower by Katherine Arden which I read this year. I also loved Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson! I was surprised to not see any Sanderson on your list, or is he not really your cup of tea? And also loved the Kingkiller Chronicles by Rothfuss even though he still hasn't published the third book in the series 😛
I have The Bear and Nightingale on my shelf and should get to it ASAP as I've only heard good things ^_^. I've never actually read any Brandon Sanderson aha. And what's with fantasy series taking so long for sequels!?
I am a huge fan of Pratchett and his books (especially his Discworld novels), it's so nice to see him mentioned here^^ I personally enjoy his books about the witches the most and Esme Weatherwax is my favorite character. I think my favorite books by him would be: Witches Abroad, Snuff, Monstrous Regiment and Lords and Ladies. His later books really changed in style, his tone of narration was more serious in places and the themes got a bit darker, I think you can especially tell with Snuff, where slavery and racism are the main themes.
Loved this video and will be exploring these books. Thank you!
You seem to like Wicca in -fantasy novels so I will recommend a few. writers- Rosemary Edghill- The Sword of Maiden's tears, and her Bast mysteries. and Keith Hartman- The Gumshoe, the Witch and the Virtual Corpse. I hope you like them.
Love this list! I heard about Daughter of the Forest about fifteen years ago, but never got around to read it. Now I really have to! One of my favourite fantasy-trilogy is Korpringarna (The raven rings), which I really don't understand why it has'nt been translated into english yet. It's amazing!
You must you must, I need to spread the joy that is Daughter of the Forest aha. That’s also such a shame about your favourite not being in English 😭
These are such great recommendations! You've definitely added to my TBR! Also, your hair looks gorgeous like that! :)
Thank you!
Magician by Raymond Feist (Riftwar series) and Daughter of the Empire etc by Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts. Patricia Kennealy (Morrison) The Throne of Scone etc. Dragon Prince etc by Melanie Rawn. David Eddings. Oldies but goodies.
I see Raymond Feist’s books round a lot, I should probably check them out!
No need to apologize for gushing about Juliet Marillier! You put her on my radar and I'm super excited to get into her work now, I'd never heard of her before but her books sound awesome!
I'm hoping to finally get to The Dragon Keeper this summer! I first bought it because you recommended it in another video but I haven't had much time to read, so it's been sitting on my shelf seductively for ages.
Have you read Howl's Moving Castle? Definitely one of my very favourite fantasy books, and I think you would enjoy it too! It is whimsical, very tongue-in-cheek, pretty feminist and it feels very nostalgic, even though I only read it like a year ago. I also love Rainbow Rowell's Carry on and Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy.
On a more frivolous note, you look especially lovely in this video. Love your hair and make-up. ♥
Hi Jean! Discworld has been on my TBR since you made that “Where to start with the Discworld?” video a longgg time ago. I’ve also added Daughter of the Forest to my TBR list because of you! My favorite fantasy novels are Dinotopia by James Gurney, Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, The Hobbit + The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, the Redwall series by Brian Jacques (Martin the Warrior is 1 of my all time f a v o r i t e novels if I’m to be completely honest with myself), & The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. I’d highly recommend The Stormlight Archive if you’re ever interested in picking up an Epic Fantasy series :)
I adored Going Postal, that was one of the first Pratchett books I ever picked up and was such a great place for me to start with the Discworld
I'm so glad you enjoyed it as well, it's one of my all time favourite books!
The Dragon Keeper series is one of my favorite too! I think you should check out the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, I think you would like it! ;)
Tooth & Claw is such a great book! The premise seems odd but the execution is flawless. You really begin to love (or despise!) the various characters. Great dragon pick! 🐉
It's such a unique concept and she nailed it!
I haven’t heard of most of these so I’m definitely going to check them out!
Wonderful, so pleased to have introduced you to some new books ^_^
Ahh i so needed this video, im getting into fantasy and i could use these recommendations!
Woohoo! Glad to be of service ^_^
I'm so intrigued by Libba Bray and Daughter of the Forest, I'll definitely give them a go! And I should really start reading The Discworld, especially since my dad loves it so much! I'd recommend The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - a bit slow, very rich and just stunning - and the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage, it was my first proper fantasy and it's just great, the world the characters, I love it all!
Em Letham YES! Septimus Heap is one of my favourite series!! No one really talks about it on booktube
ahhhh thank u! Amazing recommendations as always 🙆
I am currently reading "The Light Fantastic" by Terry Pratchett, tought I better start the series chronologically, so this is my second discworld book...I'm not that convinced yet.. but I probably won't stay with the order, I heard the later ones are much better?
My favourite adult fantasy series is definitely The Kingkiller Chronicles, you should give it a try! I'd love to hear your opinion on it.
Yeah to be honest I've always though Colour of Magic and Light Fantastic are the worst possible ones to start with aha. Pratchett himself admitted the first one has no plot! I did a whole video on them if that helps you pick your next read but I also stand by my recommendations in this video ^_^
Jean Bookishthoughts I will, thanks a lot! :)
I love seeing Alphabet of Thorn on your list! It’s one of my favorite books !
Since you love dragons, I have to recommend the Dragon Prince series by Melanie Rawn if you haven't read them. two series of three books each. The first is very political, the second is much darker, but both are fabulous.
trying to write my own and i think i finally have a good idea. It not an original idea to be fair but it combining all my favourite things making my own tale its so hard to find an original idea that hasn't been done before so just write what i like to read about
I've heard some good things about Robin Hobb before but some of her books seem quite dark which is not what I'm interested in at the moment so I keep holding of on reading them.
More children's than YA but a humble little gem of a fantasy book is The Bogwoppit by Ursula Moray Williams. Archer's Goon by Diane Wynne Jones is another. Robin Jarvis is worth reading Particularly his Whitby trilogy and Tales from the Wyrd Museum. Thank for the recommends, Juliet Marillier sounds particularly intriguing.
For more female-driven fantasies (and some mention of f/f representation), you've got to check out Jaqueline Carey's Kushiel series! They're adult high fantasy, and a little high on the mature content at times, but the series is honestly amazing and so deep. Carey is a master at world building and her characters practically leap right off the page. She's written three trilogies within the world, with the first trilogy starting off with Kushiel's Dart.
I've read of Carey's other series Namaah's Kiss ^_^
Awesome! I love those too. The Kushiel series takes place a few hundred years before Naamah's Kiss. They're all wonderful :)
Great suggestions! I've been on a huge fantasy book kick this summer lately. Have you ever read the Zamonia books by Walter Moers? They're really lighthearted fantasy similar to Douglas Adams' books.. They're really funny and have great illustrations. I think only a few of them are translated from German, but if anyones looking for a great, lighthearted, fantasy book for summer i suggest the 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear and Rumo by Walter Moers. :)
I think, based on these books, you would really like Naomi Kritzer's books. Fires of the Faithful is a really cool Alternate History where musicians can channel magic through their music. Its very unique and has a lesbian protagonist which was rare in 2002! Unfortunately she only wrote one other book in that series , I would have loved to explore that world a bit further.
I love the Discworld series! Just finished reading Pyramids actually. It had me in fits of laughter; so much so that my mate was referring to me as a howling banshee the following day. The camel was a particular favourite.
Pyramids is hilarious ^_^
I'm currently reading The way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson and it's AMAZING. The Kingkiller chronicle series is really good too! It's like an adult version of Harry Potter, so I think you might like it.
Have you read any cinda williams chima? I have a couple of her books on my TBR but I've heard she's excellent for some YA fantasy
I ordered Daughter of the Forest yesterday after watching your video about your favourite books of 2017 so far and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Hearing you stress its darkness and grit one more time has gotten me even more excited. My favourite fantasy books are not very original, I'm afraid: The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss, A Song of Ice and Fire by Martin, Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde (this one is more on the humorous side) and The Lord of the Rings by everyone knows who.
Eeh I do hope you enjoy it as much as I did. And thanks for the recommendations still, I've only read A Song and Ice of Fire and Lord of The Rings of those.
You should know that I hold you entirely responsible for me not sleeping more than four hours last night. I have not been able to put down Daughter of the Forest since it got delivered yesterday. It's so compelling and heart-wrenching, the strong presence of nature so beautifully written, Sorcha's future so uncertain that I can't stop reading.
Hi Jean, loving all of your recommendations! If you haven't already, you should try A Discovery of Witches (All Souls trilogy) by Deborah Harkness - it's brilliant! Witches, daemons, vampires, Oxford university, manuscripts, alchemy...so many interesting elements! The books are so chunky too so plenty of reading in each 😊
I’ve heard great things about the discovery of witches so you’re right I really should read it! Thanks for the reminder :)
You beat me to this Rachel!!!! I adore this series too... and it's author. Have read it many times.
Can't wait for the tv series.
also my favorite fantasys are LOTR, the Wise Child trilogy, ASOIAF , harry potter, the Howells Moving Castle trilogy, the chronicles of narnia, the septimus heap series and more!
Heartbreak-Pudding-Reads I‘m reading LOTR for the first time and I‘m loving it!
You've read Septimus?! It was my first fantasy series and I've loved it ever since, but unfortunately not that many people know the books... I've started rereading them again and it just feels like a warm hug ❤
Septimus heap, yessssss!!!
You too?! Amazing!
Oh, you would love Abhorsen by Garth Nix.
I love the world-building and the characters, the creatures! Definitely will reread the whole series after this!
And someone interpreted and designed all the visuals from the series as his art portfolio. I love how detailed his clothing design for the characters are.
Check out his work here!
joshwongart.com/projects/6602724
Well you convinced me to buy the Portable door - which I did :-)
My work here is done!
You should also check out the "Sabriel" series by Garth Nix. It's a young adult fantasy series, and even though I have just read the first one so far, I absolutely love it!
M. A. I reread the whole series from time to time.
First read it when i was 14, im 24 now and i love it still!
That's wonderful to hear! I'm 22 and I just stumbled over it for the first time a few months ago. I'm starting with the second one soon 😊
I adored the inheritance cycle when I was younger, all of them are falling apart and I can’t tell you how long I reread them - but I never finished the books! The final book is still sitting on my shelf in hardcover. I want to read it but then I would have to reread all of them which is an intimidating task😭
The audiobook's are great, it took me ages to finish the series too and listening from the beginning through to the end when I was 19 got me to finally do it :D totally worth it!
Jean Bookishthoughts I forgot about the existence of audiobooks! Thank you!
there is a trilogy i loved when i was younger called the secret circle by L J Smith about witches you should read that. It is young adult and written in the 90's so probably a bit dated but i still love them
kissing the witch sounds awesome and daughter of the forest
They’re both so wonderful ☺️
Eyes of the dragon is a really good book you should check it out
i love fantasy books its my favourite. I have so many i need to read
I’ve been reading more fantasy than usual the last two years, so I’m equipped for this question! Sorceror to the Crown by Zen Cho (there are dragons at one point), Uprooted by Naomi Novik (the best fairy tale retelling I’ve ever read), Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake (an in-process YA trilogy about three magically gifted sisters competing to the death to be queen). I’d also second the rec for the Arthurian feminist retelling The Mists of Avalon. I’ve heard the rest of the series is shit and whatever you do DON’T Google the author, Marion Zimmer Bradley. It will ruin the book, however she’s deceased so if you worry about supporting problematic authors, you don’t need to here.
Love your hair! What curling tool have you used?? Xx
Oh none I just had it in two french braids the day before ^_^
It's perfect for the topic of this video - you would fit right in any fantasy movie with a sassy/cute princess with secret powers.
of course my fav is lord of the rings....the movie helps a lot. Love Aragorn lol
Definitely gonna read Kissing the Witch!
Yes! My work here is done ☺️
God i miss Terry Pratchett he made laugh out loud on the bus and train going to work and coming home
Yeah! Well of course Discworld had to appear here :D
It’s a given!
If anyone wants a good darker fantasy look no further than The First Law Trilogy - Joe Abercrombie.
Not recommended for younger readers.
I lOOOooove your accent!!!!
I'm still trying to wade through the KJV I'm about just over a quarter in about 2-3 weeks ,thought it would of been easyish being it's English seems my attention tends to float off..hahaha
If you like dragons please check out Walter Moers The City of Dreaming Books.
I have that on my shelves actually ^_^
Jean Bookishthoughts You’ll love it!
I’ve had a great and terrible beauty for a long time and never picked it up!!!
Ps. Never read a libba bray book 😭
It's so good!
Why there is not lord of the rings? :'(
Aha I liked them but not a much as these ones ^_^
*Sseereess*