Top fantasy read in 2024 part 2

Blogmas 2024

Happy Friday!

As promised here is the second part of my favorite fantasy read in 2024.

First in Dark Academia

At the time that I am writing this post, I haven’t written a coherent review yet.

I know that the synopsis says “A standalone dark academia brimming with mystery, tragedy, and the damning echoes of the past. For fans of Leigh Bardugo, V. E. Schwab, and Fullmetal Alchemist.” and if indeed it’s brilliant and exetremely well written its reminds me rather of Babel by RF Kuang or the Poppy War to some extent.

Review to come hopefully in 2025 when I will have found my words!

In the Romantasy category I have several favorites, all very hyped ones!

Quicksilver is a very good fantasy with an imaginative world building, lots of actions, a grumpy and feisty main female character and a sexy main male character.
With a mystery/quest to boot.

Saeris had always lived in squalor and when she stole a queen’s guard gauntlet she will be tortured and should have died if not for an ancient sword.
This will propel her in faerie land, saved by a tall, dark, handsome and half mad Fae warrior: Kingfisher.
That’s the beginning of a lot of action packed scenes and a quest to rediscover the mystery of quicksilver.

Saeris is human, opinionated and very feisty.
She is also extremely stubborn and never backs down from a challenge. Under her bravado, she also cares deeply for her brother and soon, her new found family.
Kingfisher is your tall, broody and handsome hero with a twist because he is slowly becoming mad. Warrior of legend and hated by the king, a lot depends on him.

This is a romantasy riding the trope of enemies to lovers or maybe kidnappers to lovers? I don’t know exactly.
What I do know is that the chemistry was palpable and that I am rooting for Saeris and Kingfisher ship.

The second fantasy is When the Moon Hatched!

This is a very refreshing fantasy. Instead of a traditional romantasy, I got something that looked a lot like epic fantasy! Why epic fantasy?

Because:
-the worldbuilding is carefully crafted and incredibly rich!
We find a full glossary at the beginning of the story, complex and extremely useful complete with a beautiful map.

-the characters are multi layered, complex with a heavy backstory.

-revenge is Raeve ‘s main motivation, it is her own quest.
She is obsessed with it. She wants to make the bad guys pay!

-the main character, Raeve, is very polarizing. You’ll either love or dislike her.
Add to these elements that we have:

-DRAGONS! And not just one race of dragon but three separate races. Some with feathers, some with scales. Some meant for fiery climates while others thrive on ice and snow.

-sexy males. In particular one very yummy king: Kaan.
He is powerful, beautiful but also caring and considerate. His love doesn’t smother it elevates.

Raeve and Kaan’s relationship is fire meeting ice. The perfect opposite attracts except that both are protectors of the weak. The attraction is palpable and the trauma undeniable. They have a lot to sort out and I wsih good luck to Kaan seeing how stubborn Raeve is! But every warrior loves a good challenge right?

If I have to sum it up I would say it’s a solid romantasy, the world building is not extremely new but holds many elements I love in my fantasy stories like dragons and witches and the romance is very enjoyable. It’s an easy and fast read that will keep you entertained and will probably leave you wanting to read the sequel because… you will see!

I listened to the audiobook and that made me add stars as the narrators are excellent!
Narrators: Fiona Hardingham narrates Tamsyn (perfect match)
Joe Jameson narrates Fell (deep sexy male voice that I had enjoyed as Oliver in Boyfriend Material)
Will M. Watt narrates Stig.

All in all, I think it’s a good start to a new series that will please romantasy readers and dragons lovers! I will read (or rather listen to) its sequel!

In the LGBTQ fantasy category I have two contestants today!

if your love Emily Wilde ‘s Encyclopaedia or Faeries or Legends and Latte, the Spellshop etc then that book is made for you!
Even better if you loved Boyfriend Material but imagine it in Fantasy.

Leovander Loveage (Leo for his friends) is attending his last year of magic training under duress. Something went horribly wrong in his childhood and he doesn’t want to write Grand Magic anymore. But if he wants to inherit his mother’s family house, he has to finish his studies.
At The Fount (that’s the magic school) he has a sorcerer he can’t stand or rather, said sorcerer looks mildly disgusted with Leo’s level of incompence. Said sorcerer is perfect student Sebastien Grimm.
When a spell has gone wrong and puts Leo under Grimm’s control, they will both journey to the Unquiet Wood, where monsters freely roam, to search for a mysterious sorcerer who should be able to lift the curse.
Of course, being a journey, it won’t be smooth sailing and they will both have to work with each other if they want to survive. Maybe confronting their greatest fear in the process.

Based on the plot and the characters, you can guess some of the tropes you will find in this story!
-grumpy (Grimm) sunshine (Leo);
-enemies to “we are getting towards something else”;
-a curse and a quest to undo said curse;
-personal growth (confronting your demons and your fears).

To all these elements, you can add a great world building with an original magic system (casters and scrivers; the price to pay to cast magic), monsters roaming in magical woods, some politics as the Coterie (the sorcerers government/elite) is not faultless and lots reckless “romps” in magical woods.
This is light yet insightful, funny yet sometimes sad, adventurous and highly entertaining!

I never got to write a review for that one, probably because I didn’t know how to do it justice.

That books was EVERYTHING!

TJ Klune was true to the House in the Cerulean Sea and he gave us MORE. More of the kids (still adorable and funny) more of Linus and Arthur (married life is a success), more of Arthur’s background and horrifying past and he added a new member to the tribe: David!
I want a third book!

It needs to be a series like Green Creek somehow.

Here are two favorite quotes, for my lack of words:

“But I believe the greatest weapon we have at our disposal is our voices. And I am going to use my voice for you, and for me. Hate is loud. We are louder.”

And this one is the heart of the book and what it wants to convey as message:
“See me. See me for who I am. I am magic. I am human. I am inhuman. See me. I am a boy. I am a girl. I am everything and nothing in between. See me. You do. You see me. You recoil in fear. You scream in anger. See me. I bleed. I ache. You see me, and you wish you hadn’t. You wish I was invisible. Out of sight, out of mind. Unseen, faded, muted. You want my color. You want my joy. You want a monochrome world with monochrome beliefs. You see me, and you want to take it all away. But you can’t. You want me lost, but I am found in the breaths I take, in the spaces between heartbeats. I am found because I refuse to be in black and white, or any shade of gray. I am color. I am fire. I am the sun, and I will burn away the shadows until only light remains. And then you will have no choice but to see”

And now my last category is Cozy Fantasy

« I wanted to write a book that felt like a warm hug.”
That’s what you find in the author’s note at the end of your read and that sums up perfectly what The Spellshop is!

That story is cozy, delightful, feels like drinking hot chocolate and will have you shed some tears when reading about how a certain sentient plant was created!

The tropes are a melting pot of:
-found family (the biggest trope and my favorite);
-climate changes but make it the magic version (people of the empire are keeping all the magic for themselves creating climate unbalance as sorcerers don’t replenish spells in the outer islands anymore);
-self-growth (Kiela will have a huge growth morphing from hermit librarian to island’s magic helper);
-slow burn romance but that could also qualify as friends to lovers or childhood sweethearts.

The story is also filled with enchanting scenes that will you make think of a Studio Ghibli movie: racing a merhorse, raining flowers, sights of a fisherman village at sunset etc.

The Spellshop is a cozy fantasy where Kiela will discover her new calling, unable to resist her caring nature, and gain a new family in the process. Villains are more curmudgeons than real evil and the angst level is fairly low, just enough to keep us invested in the story. It’s charming, very easy to read and it will leave you content and happy.

And today’s big favorite is…

What is Greenteeth about? Essentially it’s a cozy story about banding together in the most unexpected circumstances to fight evil, creating lasting friendship bonds in the process and finding a new family.
The protagonists should never have been able to work together, being from different species but danger is a great motivator! Soon they will embark on a quest to fight back the villain lurking in the shadows.

The book is told from a single POV, even if we have two/three main characters: Jenny Greenteeth point of view.
You are going to love Jenny Greenteeth, even if she essentially is a monster in appearance

What I loved (let’s go for bullet point else the review will be so long!):
-the unexpected alliance and friendship;
-the found family;
-Jenny’s character and her wanting to “slay a dragon and save a damsel”;
-the quest! I love a good quest and you will have tests to pass demanding bravery, intelligence, intuition and audacity;
-the writing! It’s beautiful, vivid and enthralling;
-the lore and legends evoked in the story;
-that we have a true evil villain;
-the action and the surprises, we have a big twist at the end!

I will just say that if you loved The Spellshop, Legends & Latte or even Lord of the Ring (with unassuming characters winning the day and saving the world), this would be the perfect fantasy read for you! It’s cozy, charming, humorous, adventurous and well written!
I already know that Molly O’Neill has won a new fan.

Did you read fantasy this year? What were your favorites?

Thanks for reading.

Sophie