I am hoping all of you have at least one bookish bestie. If you don’t, please let us know so we can help! Maybe your bookish bestie is also a big fantasy lover. Are we getting closer? I have a few people in mind. I know you’re looking for the perfect book to give them. That’s why I created this bookish gift guide!
What better way to spend the holidays than transporting yourself into a different world? That truly is the best thing about any fantasy novel. Sure we love contemporary romance novels and true crime, but that stuff is all around us in the real world! Sometimes immersing yourself in something fantastical is just what you need.
Instead of getting your bookish bestie another book light or bookmark, try getting them one of these fantasy books they can add to their TBR.
1. Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
“So to mortal men, we are monsters. Because of our flight, our strength. They fear us, so they call us monsters.“
Stone Blind
Ever since I devoured The Song of Achilles, I can’t get enough of Greek mythology, fantasy books. Haynes’ novel is all about Medusa and her story. She is the only mortal in her family of gods, surrounded by her Gorgon sisters. Talk about a struggle, right? Unlike them, she can get hurt, and her mortal time clock is ticking away.
Medusa is changed forever after she takes revenge on Poseidon as he commits an unspeakable act in the temple of Athene. She becomes the Medusa we all know (and maybe love?). Her hair turns to snakes, and her gaze turns anyone to stone… condemning her to a lonely life of darkness and isolation. That is, until Perseus sets out on a quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon.
2. A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske
“Set in an alternative Edwardian England, this is a comedy of manners, manor houses, and hedge mazes – including a magic-infused murder mystery and a delightful queer romance.”
Macmillan
This book sounds SO interesting. It’s giving magic game of clue, right? Robin Blyth assumed he was stepping into a minor government role. Nothing too serious. Things turn upside down when he finds out he is actually a parliamentary liaison to a secret magical society. This error in employment leads him to discover all the magic in his world.
What would this mystery be without a partner? Robin meets Edwin, who will help him discover what’s threatening the magicians in the British Isles.
3. The Last Wish: Introducing the Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski
It is only right to include this given it is 1. outstanding and 2. in the news very frequently with Henry Cavill parting ways with the Netflix adaptation. This is the first book in The Witcher series where you meet Geralt– the man with magical powers and a merciless fighter. The monster hunter possesses one purpose to destroy every monster in his world.
Geralt will soon discover, though, that not everything that appears to be evil actually is… And the same goes for things that appear to be good. Your bookish friend is sure to obsess over this gift.
Looking to get them a few in the series? Here is the order they should read the books in!
Witcher collections
The Last Wish
Sword of Destiny
Witcher novels
Blood of Elves
The Time of Contempt
Baptism of Fire
The Tower of Swallows
Lady of the Lake
Season of Storms
4. Book of Night by Holly Black
“No one writes like Holly Black.”
—John Green, #1 New York Times bestselling author
How do we say no to a book that John Green put his stamp of approval on? Filled with thrilling secrets, this dark fantasy will keep you on the edge of your seat. Charlie Hall is the ultimate thief, and there isn’t a lock she can’t break. She worked for Gloamists, which are basically really horrible magicians up to no good, her entire life.
As she tries to distance herself from this life and past mistakes, she finds that bartending may not be the easiest way to stay on the straight and narrow path. Her sister and in need of magic, and her boyfriend possibly lost his soul and is lying to her. How much more can she handle? Apparently, a lot more when she is forced back into her old ways. Get your best friend their own copy so they can go on the journey!
5. The Fall of Númenor: And Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth by J.R.R. Tolkien
I cannot stress enough how much your fantasy-loving best friend will love this gift. If you haven’t watched Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, please stop all of your gift shopping and binge it. We will be here waiting when you get back.
Finally all in one place, you can read all about the dark ages of Middle-earth. This collection includes all Tolkien’s lore on the Second Age with new illustrations to go along with it. Previously, bits and pieces of Tolkien’s work contained insight into what exactly happened during the Second Age, but now, editor Brian Sibley put everything into one.
Pre-order this book now to get it when it releases on November 15, 2022. Just in time to finish your gift shopping.
6. Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Not many can do fantasy like Stephen King. According to Barnes & Noble, King asked himself, “What could you write that would make you happy?” He responded with,
“As if my imagination had been waiting for the question to be asked, I saw a vast deserted city—deserted but alive. I saw the empty streets, the haunted buildings, a gargoyle head lying overturned in the street, […] smashed statues (of what I didn’t know, but I eventually found out). I saw a huge, sprawling palace with glass towers so high their tips pierced the clouds. Those images released the story I wanted to tell.”
Stephen King
In this terrifying story, we see good vs. evil unlike any other. What would you do if you received magical keys to parallel worlds? Charlie Reade is about to find out. He may look like an ordinary high-schooler, but no one truly knows him. Find out his adventure in this new thrilling story by the King of Horror himself.
7. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
I can’t stop recommending this book since I started it! The best part? It’s part of a huge series by Sarah J. Maas that your friend will not be able to put down.
As Feyre is out hunting for dinner in a part of the woods usually avoided, she kills a wolf that wasn’t supposed to be killed. This could be why she gets so much money for its pelt. When a terrifying creature comes to make her pay, she is brought somewhere she didn’t know existed. The one who took her is none other than one of the dangerous immortal faeries that once ruled her world– Tamlin.
Her feelings for him grow into a hot, burning passion she never expected. Can she help stop the shadow that is looming over the world of the Fae while she is falling for someone she definitely shouldn’t be?
8. Capture the Crown by Jennifer Estep
This all new trilogy from Jennifer Estep explores murder, chaos, and a whole lot of magic. Gemma Ripley is many things (a spoiled princess who loves jewels), but most of all she is trying to figure out how to be the ruler of Andvari.
You’ll learn that this persona is just the surface of Gemma. She is actually a very powerful, very magical mind magier. Oh, let’s not forget she is a spy. She is undercover trying to figure out who is stealing when an unexpected person crosses her path– her mortal enemy Prince Leonidas Morricone of Morta. Is anyone in the mood for a fantasy enemy to lovers?
Gemma has a pet gargoyle, sparks flying like crazy for Leo, and a mystery that gets her even closer to danger.
9. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
This historical fantasy series will consume any free time your friend may have! Don’t laugh, but I am also in the middle of reading this book. Well, technically, I’m on the second book, which your bestie will get to QUICKLY, after you give this book to them.
Surely you’ve seen the TV series adaptation from Gabaldon’s books. If not, this historical fantasy is a must-have. Outlander is the most vivid, beautifully written novel out there. Follow the thrilling story of Claire Beauchamp Randall and Jamie Fraser as they figure out time travel, love, and a lot of suspense.
Set in the Scottish Highlands in 1945, Claire is a former war nurse on her second honeymoon with her husband. Everything is perfect until she falls through a standing stone into 1743.
10. The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith
Another book I’m reading (yes, I’m serious), so trust me when I say BUY IT. How can anyone say no to a book filled with witches, murder, and suspense? They can’t.
It’s 1911 in New York City, and Frances Hallowell is cooped up as a seamstress for a very atrocious man. She is mourning the death of her brother when the unthinkable happens. The man who owns the place she works at gets murdered. Before anyone can ask her any more questions, two mysterious nurses pop up, claiming she is ill.
She arrives at Haxahaven Sanitarium, which isn’t a sanitarium at all. Instead, it’s a school for witches. Of course, she meets Finn in her dreams. No. Literally in her dreams. He appears and claims to be able to teach her everything, including what happened to her brother. Will she trust him?
Don’t feel bad for wanting to buy all of these books. We already have. Your fantasy loving bestie will appreciate more than one! You can also grab a few for yourself too. Nothing like a little holiday self-care.
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