Wyrd & Wonder: Top 5 Ingredients for a Magically Good Story

The final edition of Wyrd & Wonder’s Fantastic Top Fives is here! I’m sharing five things I love to see in a fantasy book and then a few of my favorite books that feature those elements. I’d love to hear what characteristics make up your favorite fantasy books or even some of your favorite books that feature the elements I have listed below. Thanks for reading along during this year’s Wyrd & Wonder festivities!

• Great Characters – Especially a Duo!
  1. Royce and Hadrian –  Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan
     1. The blademaster and the assassin play off of one another and have great banter.
  2. Darrow and Sevro – Red Rising by Pierce Brown (ITS SCIENCE FANTASY)
     1. This is one of the most incredible demonstrations of brotherhood in SFF. These two always have each other’s back.
• Richly Detailed Setting
  1. The Song of the Shattered Sands by Bradley P. Beaulieu
     1. This is great for folks who like a desert setting and a world rich in lore, plus the series is completed!
  2. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
     1. I genuinely love Velaris, with its massive library, bustling arts district, and the general feeling of beauty and peace it has.
  3. The Bone Ships by R.J. Barker
     1. The entirety of the worldbuilding in this series is incredible, from the ships made of keyshan bones, to the gullaimes, to the matriarchal society.

• Mystery
  1. Quill by A.C. Cobble
     1. A Duke and an apprentice priest-assassin begin investigating an occult murder that leads them on quite the adventure. They’re an awesome team and the mystery really hooked me!
  2. City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett
     1. This series has so much going for it from politics to characterization to setting, but the first book is a solid murder mystery at its heart.
• Romance
  1. Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
     1. Who would have thought that a romantic plot between an undying girl and death would be so beautiful? Did I mention there’s also a mystery?
  2. Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
     1. While I could recommend almost every single T. Kingfisher book here, this is my favorite for its romance. Woman falls in love with a man bound to a magical sword.
• Political Intrigue
  1. The Throne of the Five Winds by S.C. Emmett
     1. An incredible historical fantasy that has an abundance of court politics that kept me hooked for the entire trilogy.
  2. The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
     1. While I could easily put this under the romance category, let’s not forget the vast amounts of politicking going on in this series.