Happy Monday!
This is day 6 of Blogmas2021 and today we are discussing favorite fantasy reads!
As most than half my reads are fantasy, I couldn’t stop at only one winner today!
So you get three winners this year, take your pick!
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas was phenomenal!
I gave it all the stars.
I never thought one day that Nesta would become my favorite Archeron sister yet, here we are! I don’t know why I doubted Sarah J Maas, she truly amazed me.
That book was fabulous!
Nesta will begin this story at the bottom of a pit, loathing herself, and that she will have an incredible growth throughout the book.
The friendship she will form with equally hurt women will help her and her friends overcome their past trauma.
Their motto could be “stronger together”.
It’s a formidable testimony to resilience and rebirth.
Sarah J Maas dug deep into Nesta’s psyche, her past, her trauma.
There were two scenes in particular, one in a forge, one on a training field where you could feel Nesta clawing her way back to sanity and strength. NEVER AGAIN, NEVER AGAIN, NEVER AGAIN!
These words resonated deep in my soul and I was crying while walking on the street, listening to the audiobook.
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
This story is so beautiful, candid, poetic. I feel like a little girl listening to fairytales before bed, with stars in my eyes. Enchanting!
But the light and merry world filled with tiny dragons and beautiful dresses will morph slowly into a worrisome universe where hidden players have secret agenda and don’t hesitate to curse and kill to further them.
You don’t have the magic of Caraval but it had a fairytale and enchanting feel to it that I loved as much!
I loved Evangeline, with her rose gold hair.
Some will find her naïve maybe but I thought she was very courageous and a firm believer of HEA.
“This was one of the reasons she’d drunk the poison that had turned her to stone. It wasn’t because she was fearless or terribly heroic; it was because Evangeline simply had more hope than most.”
I think it takes courage to remain hopeful, to believe that something good is waiting for you rather than succumb to cynicism and abandon hope.
“Evangeline had always had a weakness for hoping in things others thought impossible.”
“She knew her story had the potential for infinite endings—and that belief hadn’t changed. There was a happy ending waiting for her.”
Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
The opening scene happens in a convent’s cemetery where Artemisia finds a censer abandoned at the base of a tombstone. Soon enough, a white raven named Trouble warns her that the young novice who carried the censer is in grave danger.
Artemisia won’t hesitate for one second to rush to her aid and battle a highly ranked spirit.
That’s Artemisia for you: always dedicated to help others, disregarding her own health and safety as unimportant compared to others.
From that first gripping scene we dive head first in a brand-new universe akin to some medieval times. A world where spirits target the sighted to possess their soul and make them their puppets.
A world where the Grey Sisters, Artemisia’s order prepare the dead’s bodies to avoid the birth of dangerous spirits. These sisters are also trained to fight spirits with relics and misericords, these thin blades they wield.
Cathedrals, relics, horses, knights, revenants, nuns, monks…this painted a rich tapestry transporting me in a fantasy medieval universe.
Battles, revenants, possession, secrets, unexpected friendships and devouring ambition, you have everything in Vespertine to make it one of my top five books of 2021 once again.
Margaret Rogerson has proven once more that she does know how to write an enthralling and riveting story!
Thanks for reading!
Sophie
I haven’t read any of these (shocking!), but I am not surprised to see Maas and Garber on your list.
This is a much-deserved tie! I can hardly wait for the ACOTAR #5 announcement. With Crescent City nearly out, it should be coming *any* day now!
I LOVED A Court of Silver Flames so much too! Vespertine is still on my TBR, but I have high hopes for it 🙂
I hope you’ll get the opportunity to read Vespertine Lindsey!
I’ve put off A Court of Silver Flames all year because… Nesta. I tell myself I’ll love it but I just haven’t decide to dive in just yet.
Tanya honestly I didn’t want to read it either because…Nesta! But give it a chance! And if you like audiobooks, go for the audio!
I need to read ALL of these ack! Such fabulous picks, Sophie! I can’t wait to discover them too!
Thank you Jen!
Once Upon a Broken Heart sounds fab…gotta check it out!! Merry Blogmas Sophie!
Merry Blogmas to you too Trisy!
So many great books to choose from! Love your choices and totally agree with them!
Yay Caro!
I really want to read Verspertine!
I really enjoyed it, hope you do
Vespertine is on my Christmas wishlist that I send my mom. Fingers crossed!
I hope she follows the list to a T Stephanie!