Blogmas Day 17: Five favourite fantasies I’ve read this year

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that fantasy is my favourite genre and I get so much joy out of picking up new books with magic, dragons, and mystical worlds.

Of all the books I’ve read this year, these were my five favourites.

A Conjuring of Light
I could easily have included A Gathering of Shadows in this list too, but since I’ve also chosen Our Dark Duet, I thought I’d go with the final book in the Shades of Magic trilogy. This book made me feel so many emotions so intensely in a way that no other book ever has. I adore the characters, magic system, and world of this trilogy, and this book has brought me so much terror, excitement, and joy. I connected with the characters so well, and it’s inspired me to write my own stories. This book was just the perfect end to an incredible trilogy. It had everything I wanted and more.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone
This book captured a little piece of my imagination while I was reading it. Rarely, do you find such a unique fantasy series with such expressive prose as this one. The characters are likable, the writing is evocative, and the way the two worlds captured within the plot interconnect is excellent.

Carry On
This was probably the book that made me laugh the most this year. The prose and dialogue were both so snappy that I snorted out loud at least once every two chapters.  The story is a skit on Harry Potter, and what a great skit it is. The developing romance is cute, the writing suits my sense of humour and Baz is just fantastic. I would honestly read an entire spin-off series about Baz.

Our Dark Duet
As the conclusion to the This Savage Song duology, about monsters and darkness, I always knew this one was going to hurt. And hurt it did. But it was so brilliantly executed, so dramatic and intense, that I finished the last page, cried a little bit, and then immediately forgave V. It may have been emotionally harrowing, but the ending of this book was so beautifully crafted, that I read it and knew it just had to end that way.

The Last Namsara
This fantasy novel was a real surprise for me. Set in a mythical world, where stories are forbidden and dragons roam the land, The Last Namsara is bold and captivating. The use of stories with in a story is pretty meta (not going to lie, I love a bit of meta) and cleverly done. The main character, Asha, is dynamic and has a brash, courageous streak that I could definitely get on board with. But perhaps the best part of this fantasy is how realistic the dragons are; they’re exactly as I’d imagine dragons to be if they flew through our skies, and they don’t come across as too fairy tale-like or childish.

What were some of your favourite fantasy reads of the year? If you have any recommendations for books you loved that I might have missed then let me know!