I hope everyone has a good Halloween! To me, the months between October-December feel so magical. The holidays, the weather, the nostalgia. That’s why I think high fantasy is the perfect genre for these months.
- Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Suggested Age Range: 14-15 and older
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.18
Celaena was serving her sentence of hard labor when she is offered freedom by Prince Dorian, on one condition. She must enter the competition to become the Royal Assassin. If she wins, she will serve the prince for four years then be free. But, when one of the contestants winds up dead, followed by another, Celaena must find the killer before she’s next.
- Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Suggested Age Range: 13 and Up
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.03
The world is divided by blood. Those with red blood are commoners. Those with silver blood are the ruling elite and have superpowers. 17-year-old Mare Barrow is a Red, living in poverty. But she finds herself soon working at the Silver Palace where she discovers her own power. Fearful of her, the Silvers hide her in plain sight, declaring her a long-lost princess. But Mare is sneaky–she works with the Red Guard, a resistance group, and gets ready to see the whole world she knows crash down.
- A Trial of Sorcerers by Elise Kova
Suggested Age Range: 14+
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.14
18-year-old Waterrunner Eira Landan is haunted–by her older brother’s importance, by her magic, by the person she accidentally killed. No one wants her as an apprentice until she decides to compete for a spot in the Tournament of Five Kingdoms. She is determined to be one of four champions. When she shows promise, Eira is invited to the royal court and even discovers her skill for forbidden magic. But, when she steps into the spotlight, so do the skeletons of her past.
- Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
Suggested Age Range: 11+
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.22
Alanna always craved the adventure only allotted to boys. Her twin brother always craved to learn magic. So, they decide to switch places, and Alanna is on her way to King Roald to begin training as a Page. But her path isn’t easy–she must learn to fight, and to control her heart and instincts.
- The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen
Suggested Age Range: 14+
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.11
Lara is a warrior princess trained in isolation and tasked with one thing: to bring King Aren of the Bridge Kingdom down. She’s sent as a bride under the guise of peace, but when she arrives, she gains a deeper understanding of the war. Is she the hero or the villain? And is King Aren really so bad?
- The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
Suggested Age Range: 14+
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.60
Roschar is built on stone and storms. Centuries have passed since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant but the Shardblades and Shardplate remain–mystical swords and armor. Many wars were fought for them and one still rages on in the Shattered Plains, where Kaladin has become a slave and fails to save his men. Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands another army and he is fascinated with an ancient text called ‘The Way of Kings.’ Across the ocean, a woman named Shellan wants to train under a scholar and heretic, Dalinar’s niece, Jasnah. Jasnah hints about the truth of the Knights Radiant and their wars.
- Sabriel by Garth Nix
Suggested Age Range: 12+
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.14
Sabriel studied at a boarding school in Ancelstierre, and thus has little experience with free magic and the dead not staying dead in the Old Kingdom. But in her final semester, her father goes missing, and she must travel to the Old Kingdom to find him.
- A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Suggested Age Range: Adults
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.06
Kell is one of the last Antari–she has the ability to travel between parallel Londons: red, grey, white, and once black. She was raised in Red London and served as ambassador to the Maresh Empire, travelling between the Londons. But she’s also a smuggler, getting paid to let people have glances of the other worlds. But when one such exchange goes awry, Kell runs to Grey London and runs into a cutthroat cutpurse. She robs him, then saves him, then spirits him to a new world where more adventure awaits, if they can stay alive.
- Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Suggested Age Range: 9+
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.98
Ella is cursed from birth with a fairy gift from Lucinda: the gift of obedience. When her father dies and she is forced to live with a nasty stepmother and stepsister, Ella is not afraid. She is savvy and a rebel, who embarks on a journey to track down Lucinda and seek an end to her curse.
- Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Suggested Age Range: 12+
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.04
Agnieszka lives in a lovely quiet village. But just on the edge of the village is the corrupted Wood, filled with malevolent power. Her village relies on the Wizard, who keeps the Wood’s power at bay. Yet, for his service, the Wizard demands a sacrifice of one girl every ten years. The choosing is coming again, and everyone knows Kasia will be the choice–Agnieszka’s best friend. But Agnieszka fears the wrong thing, for the Wizard will not choose Kasia.
- Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan
Suggested Age Range: 12+
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.23
Since the beginning of time, humans have worshipped gods called Fhrey, who seem to be invincible. But when a Fhrey falls on a human sword, the balance between humans and gods changes. Those in the middle are Raithe, who is told his destiny is to be a god-killer; Suri, a young seer; and Persephone who needs to overcome tragedy and lead.
- The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Suggested Age Range: 14+
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.17
Logan Ninefingers has been caught in one feud too many and is at risk of being dead. Nobleman Captain Jezal dan Luthar would rather fence and play cards, but war is on the horizon. Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, wants Jezal dead. But Glokta hates everyone. Then there’s the wizard, Bayaz, who will make these character’s lives a lot more difficult.
- Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Suggested Age Range: 11+
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.94
Galen is a young solider returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to dance every night for the king. Together they search for a way to break the curse of the dancing princesses. All they need is an invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knitted with enchanted silver needles, and….true love. But malevolent forces are working against them, and they might be in more danger than they thought.
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