✦ The Naan - Stop Readers ✦🫓📚| BT Reading Challenge || September '25 - Page 3

Originally posted by: GumnaamHaiKoii

Hey!

The Folk of the Air series might work , romance is there but not the main focus, so it could be worth a try .

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison is on top of my TBR list it’s more of a political fantasy and doesn’t seem to have much romance either .

You can also try The Keeper's Six by Kate Elliott and Silver on the Road by Laura Anne Gilman . I haven’t read them yet, but they look super interesting and fit your preferences well <3

I haven't really heard good things about the Folk of the Air series I've heard that that it is mostly romantasy and has quite a lot of smut in it

But The Goblin Emperor and Silver on the Road actually sound good! I've added them to my TBR!

Thank you so much for the recs babeeeeee

P.S. What's your name?

Originally posted by: foreverlazy

*lola tung voice: oh my goodness I love this question*

If you want high fantasy, aka a book with nothing to connect it to our world, I would highly recommend To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo!!! It's probably my favourite book and I've read it at least three times. It's about a siren princess and a prince who'd rather be a pirate than rule his kingdom, and I don't think that summary does the writing justice. (I will say though, this is the only book I've read by this author. I haven't heard people say anything positive about any book she wrote after this, and I don't want to ruin my love for her writing by reading her other books if they're supposedly that bad.)

I'm also obligated to recommend Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo because I consider it a fantasy classic. Her world-building and magic system are so interesting that many, many writers have tried to replicate them in their own way.

Other similar books:

• Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody - This was the book that got me back into reading a few years back and I'm pretty sure I have it 5 stars. I've seen people call it a dark fantasy, and I disagree. It has a similar atmosphere to a dark fantasy, but completely different themes.
  
• Malice by Heather Walter - All-time favourite; on par with To Kill A Kingdom. It's a sapphic Sleeping Beauty retelling, and as someone who's not a big Sleeping Beauty fan, every Sleeping Beauty retelling I've read has been such a hit. (A little heads up: I had to listen to a mafia romance to feel something again because I didn't know what to do with myself after I finished this book.)
• Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian - I read this years ago, but I remember really liking it. It's about a princess who finally snaps and tries to take back her kingdom. I can't remember the magic system all that well though.

I'm also gonna recommend some historical and urban fantasies, just because, although there's not a lot of cool worldbuilding, there are some really interesting magic systems and overall great whimsical fantasy vibes.

• The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi - There's a heist, and found family, and lots of nerdy things for me personally. (I will read everything this author writes because she is just a criminally underrated writer. I started reading The Star-Touched Queen by her a couple of years ago, but never ended up finishing it, but I think you might like it!)
  
• The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake - I read this last year and LOVED it. It took me a while to get through it, just because it's that 'academia in fantasy' sort of style that I'd never read before. The way magic and science are connected was a cool concept.
• The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab - I read this last month, and I did like it, but I will admit that it's a bit overhyped. (Like, it's a good book, but I wouldn't call it a "modern classic.")
  
• The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow - Okay, so I haven't finished this book yet, but I'm having such a good time with it. I've read Alix E. Harrow's books before and loved them! (How is this her debut novel?!)
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - Currently reading this one! I love the circus setting, it's just so unique, but there's not really a consistent plot.

Other books I'd recommend, although I haven't finished them (because I got busy).

• Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim - Everyone describes this as "Project Runway meets Mulan," and I couldn't find a better way to put it. (I think I vaguely remember something about magic scissors.)
  
• The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri - Political, sapphic fantasy.
  
• The Storm Crow by Kalyn Josephson - There are magic crows and an arranged marriage for political purposes.
  
• Illusions of Fire by Nisha Sharma - I've actually never read this, but I like Nisha Sharma as a writer, and I'm curious to see how she does with the fantasy genre. (This one actually has very positive reviews from what I've seen!)
  

K, I'm done now.

Wow!

So many recs!

First of all, I've read Six of Crows 5 times now, AND I LOVE IT! Kaz Brekker is literally one of my top 5 fantasy protagonists! SOC was literally responsible for getting me out of a reading slump 4 years ago!

To Kill a Kingdom and Ace of Shades are books that I actually have on my TBR! I was planning to read them this month! I just hope it isn't too trope-y because when an author panders to too many tropes, I'm immediately taken out!

I really love the concept of The Gilded Wolves, and I've also heard of this author! I think this is gonna be my next fantasy read! I've also heard a lot of mixed reviews about The Atlas Six, so I've been scared to read it, though its been sitting in my TBR for many years The Night Circus has also been sitting on my TBR for god alone knows how long

I've read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue already. It was interesting in parts, but that's about it. The book was quite dragging most of the time and the prose wasn't that great either!

Thank you so much for the recommendations babeeeeee I'm gonna start The Gilded Wolves soon!

P.S. Team Conrad or Team Jere?

Originally posted by: LadyWhistledown

Wow!

So many recs!

First of all, I've read Six of Crows 5 times now, AND I LOVE IT! Kaz Brekker is literally one of my top 5 fantasy protagonists! SOC was literally responsible for getting me out of a reading slump 4 years ago!

To Kill a Kingdom and Ace of Shades are books that I actually have on my TBR! I was planning to read them this month! I just hope it isn't too trope-y because when an author panders to too many tropes, I'm immediately taken out!

I really love the concept of The Gilded Wolves, and I've also heard of this author! I think this is gonna be my next fantasy read! I've also heard a lot of mixed reviews about The Atlas Six, so I've been scared to read it, though its been sitting in my TBR for many years The Night Circus has also been sitting on my TBR for god alone knows how long

I've read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue already. It was interesting in parts, but that's about it. The book was quite dragging most of the time and the prose wasn't that great either!

Thank you so much for the recommendations babeeeeee I'm gonna start The Gilded Wolves soon!

P.S. Team Conrad or Team Jere?

Glad you liked the recs! I was worried you'd read most of them already because I feel like we have similar reading tastes. (Gilded Wolves is definitely the right place to start!)

Team everybody is awful and needs therapy (except for Cam Cameron, he's an angel, but also therapy for dealing with the rest of them).

Guys and Gals, half a month is nearly over.. that is to say pls keep your page logs & excel updated.

Originally posted by: missFiesty_69

Guys and Gals, half a month is nearly over.. that is to say pls keep your page logs & excel updated.

Oh right I completely forgot about it

I'll do that tomorrow

Originally posted by: LadyWhistledown

Hey guys!

Any avid fantasy readers here? I'm looking for fantasy novels with great world-building! Preferably no romantasy suggestions

omg i have so many recs! are you a beginner? also, do you want adult fantasy/high fantasy/dark fantasy or like more geared towards young adult?

Originally posted by: foreverlazy

*lola tung voice: oh my goodness I love this question*

If you want high fantasy, aka a book with nothing to connect it to our world, I would highly recommend To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo!!! It's probably my favourite book and I've read it at least three times. It's about a siren princess and a prince who'd rather be a pirate than rule his kingdom, and I don't think that summary does the writing justice. (I will say though, this is the only book I've read by this author. I haven't heard people say anything positive about any book she wrote after this, and I don't want to ruin my love for her writing by reading her other books if they're supposedly that bad.)

I'm also obligated to recommend Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo because I consider it a fantasy classic. Her world-building and magic system are so interesting that many, many writers have tried to replicate them in their own way.

@b: isn't this the Shadow and Bone / Netflix series ? I have been meaning to read and watch it some day, but never got around to reading/watching it. How's it ?

I'm not much of a fantasy reader... Will it engage someone who's new to the genre ?

Originally posted by: missFiesty_69

@b: isn't this the Shadow and Bone / Netflix series ? I have been meaning to read and watch it some day, but never got around to reading/watching it. How's it ?

I'm not much of a fantasy reader... Will it engage someone who's new to the genre ?

Personally, I do think Six of Crows is a great way to get into the genre. I didn't much like the S&B trilogy of which SoC is a spin-off, but the SoC duology is absolutely sensational. The Netflix show is also pretty decent. I do adore the actors they cast to reprise the characters from Six of Crows. Wasn't much invested in the Shadow & Bone storyline in the show either. 🙈

Originally posted by: missFiesty_69

@b: isn't this the Shadow and Bone / Netflix series ? I have been meaning to read and watch it some day, but never got around to reading/watching it. How's it ?

I'm not much of a fantasy reader... Will it engage someone who's new to the genre ?

Sort of, yeah. Shadow and Bone is a trilogy that takes place in the same world as Six of Crows, but I wouldn't call SoC a spin-off. But the Netflix series kind of tried to smush both the S&B trilogy and the SoC duology into one show, and it only kinda worked. I only read the first S&B book, but while the writing was good, I didn't connect to it the way that I did with SoC, especially since SoC was so unique for its time. S&B seemed more interesting in the show, but SoC definitely suffered due to the lack of screen time/so many changes. But... it was cool to see the overlapping plots!

I love SoC so much, but I wouldn't recommend it to a first-time fantasy reader. The author kind of just drops you into her world, and everyone I recommended it to before who doesn't read a lot of fantasy ended up DNFing it.

Originally posted by: foreverlazy

Sort of, yeah. Shadow and Bone is a trilogy that takes place in the same world as Six of Crows, but I wouldn't call SoC a spin-off. But the Netflix series kind of tried to smush both the S&B trilogy and the SoC duology into one show, and it only kinda worked. I only read the first S&B book, but while the writing was good, I didn't connect to it the way that I did with SoC, especially since SoC was so unique for its time. S&B seemed more interesting in the show, but SoC definitely suffered due to the lack of screen time/so many changes. But... it was cool to see the overlapping plots!

I love SoC so much, but I wouldn't recommend it to a first-time fantasy reader. The author kind of just drops you into her world, and everyone I recommended it to before who doesn't read a lot of fantasy ended up DNFing it.

Ah, got it! Classic Netflix MO—adapting books but always add or subtract to spice it up, for that extra tadka, kinda like how Star Plus takes original Bengali shows and kachra-fies them to make it all 'dramatic' and dhoom-tana-tana-fied.

So, any book you'd recommend for a first-time fantasy reader?

I mean, I read paranormal romance. (Is paranormal considered fantasy? Idk …)