Reading has been part of my identity since a very young age, but somewhere through the gruesome days of middle school and early high school, I fell away from it. Fortunately, there were plenty of remarkable books that made me fall back in love with reading, and for that, I can thank the fantastic genre of fantasy with a romance subplot: the perfect blend in my eyes. Now, I am an English Literary student in college, and revolve my life around books at work! I couldn’t imagine my life without literature; thus, I would love to share some of my personal favorite reads in this article. Some of these books I read years ago and were the foundations to igniting my love for reading, but others I have read recently and now am obsessed with. My brain would love to make this list up to 100 books, but for the sake of everyone’s time, I’ll stick with eight.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
A reimagining of Homer’s legendary work, The Iliad, Miller brings an insight to the childhood of Achilles and Patroclus, as well as their growing devotion to one another. This epic love story will change the way you view love forever and is an action-packed adventure you won’t want to miss! I love this story from the bottom of my heart and recommend it to practically every book lover I meet; it is one of those books you’ll never forget and may read again and again as you witness these characters’ growth and experience fighting in the Trojan War.
“He is half of my soul, as the poets say.”
The Song of Achilles
Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan
When her whole life collapsed and she is now dying with a terminal sickness, Rae still could rely on storybooks. Yet, faced with a second chance at life by being transported into a magical world of her favorite fantasy series, Rae is confused as one can be. Even worse, she is supposed to represent as the villainess character in this world. But Rae decides to make the most of it; after all, the wicked are better dressed and have cooler lines, even if they are doomed to a bad ending. This story is wonderfully intriguing as it is humorous; you’ll get to tag along with Rae and her band of allies – and one supposed lover – as they chant, “Evil wins at last!”
“Book characters were dangerously attractive in the safest way. You didn’t even know what they looked like, but you knew you liked it.”
Long Live Evil
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson
You probably aren’t supposed to start here, but this was my first Sanderson novel! And happy to say, it was a great one. Following Yumi and Painter, the two live completely opposite lives. Yumi spends her entire life under strict obedience in a more traditional timeline, and her powers can summon spirits that grant vital aid to her society; however, she desperately longs for a single day as a normal person, one without such pressuring responsibilities. Painter lives in a modern world as a patroller of the dark streets, yet he dreams of being a hero and someone important. Yet, when the two are suddenly flung together and switch bodies, they must work together to balance each of their lives while the other is in control and figure out what caused their situation.
“Art is about feelings and emotion. It’s about letting them escape, so they can be shared. It’s about capturing a truth about yourself. Like you’re ripping a hole in your chest and exposing your soul.”
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
City of Gods and Monsters by Kayla Edwards
I vividly remember reading this story while on a flight to visit family, and despite its grand length of almost 700 pages, I finished it in one sitting! Following Loren Calla, she has only ever been an ordinary human, which is quite difficult when living in a city that caters to the needs of vampires, werewolves, witches, and other supernatural creatures. However, her entire life changes when she barely escapes abduction at the hands of supernatural bounty hunters, who decide to take her friend instead. Desperate to save her, Loren accepts help from Darien Cassel, the leader of the Seven Devils and the most feared in the city. Unknowingly, Darien is assigned to track down Loren for ransom, yet when he sees a human who couldn’t hurt a fly, he decides to protect her instead of turning her in for a reward. As tragedy strikes the city when more women start disappearing, the two must rely on one another to discover a dark secret in their world.
“Whether he called himself a Devil or not, he had quickly turned into her angel. Perhaps she was becoming his, too.”
City of Gods and Monsters
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
Welcome to Charon’s Crossing! As the dead pass through, have a stop for some hot tea and fresh scones. When the reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might legitimately be dead. And when the owner of a peculiar tea shop, Hugo, promises to help him cross over in the afterlife, Wallace definitely decides he is officially dead. But despite his hard-headed anger issues, Wallace is not ready to abandon the life he barely got to enjoy. Therefore, when he is given one week in the tea shop before he must cross over, he decides to live a lifetime in seven days. This hilarious, heartwarming, and romantic story teaches us the importance of living life to the fullest and enjoying the time you spend with the people around you.
“If we worry about the little things all the time, we run the risk of missing the bigger things.”
Under the Whispering Door
Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat
A heartbreakingly underrated story, Pacat shares a tale of heroes and villains of a long-forgotten war who are reborn and begin to draw new battle lines. Sixteen-year-old dock boy Will is on the run from the men who killed his mother. Yet he finds refuge in fighting alongside the Stewards, who have sworn to protect humanity if the Dark King ever returns. Thrust into a world of magic, Will begins training for a vital role in the upcoming battle against the Dark. This wonderful story will bring friendship, love, deception, and thrilling plot twists around every corner.
“He’d never forget the moment James’s eyes had met his—the sensation of coming home, as though they knew each other.”
Dark Rise
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Held in a dark prison, the assassin is suddenly summoned to a vicious king who rules from his throne of glass. Yet she has not come to kill him, but to win her freedom. If she successfully defeats twenty-three other competitors, who are all murderers, thieves, and warriors, she will be released from the prison and serve as the King’s Champion. Celaena Sardothien will meet a Crown Prince who will provoke her, a Captain of the Guard who will protect her, and a princess who will befriend her, but there is something amiss in this castle. As competitors start mysteriously dying out of nowhere, Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival. This eight-book-long series will captivate your heart, and I promise it will be worth your time!
“You could rattle the stars,” she whispered. “You could do anything, if only you dared. And deep down, you know it, too. That’s what scares you most.”
Throne of Glass
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Poppy’s life has never been her own. Chosen from birth to live the life of a Maiden in solitude, she is never to be touched or looked upon, nor spoken to. As she waits for the day of her Ascension, she’d much rather be with the guards and fighting back the evil that took her family. Hawke, a golden-eyed guard, is honor-bound to ensure Poppy’s Ascension, yet he enters her life where their destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. For the first time in her life, Poppy is questioned about everything she ever believed in, and she finally begins to see herself as her own person with her own choices, the more time she spends with the guard. Yet a fallen kingdom is rising once more, and as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, Poppy and Hawke must make great sacrifices as their entire world begins to unravel and secrets arise.
“With my sword and with my life, I vow to keep you safe, Penellaphe,” he spoke, voice deep and smooth, reminding me of rich, decadent chocolate. “From this moment until the last moment, I am yours.”
From Blood and Ash
That’s a wrap for an insight into my recommended reads! I hope you found some new ones to take a deeper look into; you won’t regret it.
For more spectacular fantasy romance books, read our article here.
Check out our Bookstr Team Recommendations list on bookshop.org!
