My Fifteen Favorite Fantasy Reads of 2020
Welcome to this year’s reading round up, in which I agonize over which of the books I read this year were my absolute favorites and share them with you!
I read a ton of books this year, and many of them were absolutely fantastic. But only 15 can make the list… because… well, because there have to be rules somewhere, and also, I don’t have enough time to talk about all 83 books I read this year (yep, EIGHTY-THREE!) (and we were wondering why Jenelle didn’t get any writing done this year… well, this is part of the reason. The rest of the reason can be summed up thusly: 2020).
Ahem.
Anywho, I did. I’ve read 84 books this year so far — the final number I’ll clock by the time the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve is anyone’s guess, but I’m pretty close to finished with a few others, so we shall see. But I wanted to get this post written before Christmas so that I can enjoy resting and relaxing with my family, watching Christmas movies, making Christmas cookies, playing board games, and all that.
Like all the years that have gone before, we have some ground rules (but I’m adjusting them slightly this year). Note: these are not books published in 2020, just books I READ in 2020.
The book has to be speculative fiction of some kind
It has to be a full-length novel
This year, I’m allowing a couple of traditionally-published books onto the list, but never fear! Two-thirds of this list is still indie-published
If you’d like to read my previous reading round ups from years gone by, you can find them below.
This book was a delightful romp into a magical land that was a little topsy-turvy. This is a Sleeping Beauty tale that begins when the princess awakens… except that she isn’t the princess, and the rest of the kingdom doesn’t waken with her, and she is thrust into a realm that has changed significantly while she slept for 300 years. I enjoyed the characters: the determined and headstrong Poly (who was just the one of the princess’s ladies-in-waiting, and yet somehow ended up under the sleeping curse instead of the princess), the absent-minded wizard Luck, and sweet Onepiece (a child with immense magical abilities who has protected himself by turning himself into a puppy).
Recommended to anyone who loves Howl’s Moving Castle.
14
This was a cute, adventuresome, middle-grade portal fantasy that swept me off my feet and didn’t put me back down until I’d turned the last page.
I loved the way that this world worked, with a Pirate Stream connecting all the worlds via magic that is devilishly tricky (if not impossible) to navigate. When a young school-girl from our world gets swept up in it and rescued by a wizard, she must help them find the missing pieces of the Map to Everywhere if she ever hopes to get home. She befriends a young thief named Fin, who has a strange ability (or curse?) that renders him un-rememberable to anyone once he’s out of their sight, and if they see him again, they don’t remember meeting him before (which makes being a thief a lot easier). Marrill, however, for some unknown reason, can remember him, and together they work to find the map.
Recommended to those who love stories like Peter Pan or Half Upon a Time.
13
I spent a ton of time in audio books this year, and this was one of the audio books I listened to. I absolutely loved this story. Another middle grade portal fantasy, this story was full of self-discovery, finding courage, and persevering in the face of trials. There were so many powerful quotes and beautiful moments throughout this book that I very much want to get myself a paperback copy so that I can easily find some of those quotes that I loved while listening.
Recommended to those who love The Chronicles of Narnia.
12
I read a lot of middle grade books this year and I’m not at all sorry. This is one of the traditionally published books on my list and really, I kind of have to mention this one as the entire series. I read and loved the first book back in 2016 (you can read my initial review of it HERE) and finally got around to reading it again and finishing the trilogy this time. Wizards, princesses, dragons, danger, a truly evil and powerful villain, this series has it all. The friendships I loved in book one grow and deepen over the trilogy. The dragon also grows… and his bond with his rider also deepens and becomes more epic. Calen makes some decisions that made me want to wring his neck, but I can’t say more about that without SPOILERS.
If you love the Chronicles of Prydain or Dragon of the Lost Sea or Dealing with Dragons I’m sure you’ll enjoy this brilliant and epic trilogy!
11
This is one of the books I actually reviewed earlier this year. You can read my full review HERE.
The stakes are higher, the characters have grown, and the story just really came to life…
This gently spooky, ghostly tale was a perfect October read. I loved the characters so much, and really enjoyed my foray back into the Reflected City. I look forward to more installments in this series!
For fans of After by Savannah Jezowski or The Oath by Frank Peretti
10
Gwen (the second oldest of 12 princesses) intends to see her younger sister, Hazel, happily married to the prince she’s fallen in love with, but when they get ambushed on their way to his kingdom, everything starts to come apart at the seams.
Gwen must now contend with stone dragons that won’t let them out of a certain part of the forest, a long lost friend who suddenly appears, and a love potion that makes everything so much more complicated. Hilarity and frustration ensue, along with heartbreak and danger from truly psychotic enemies.
For fans of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Howl’s Moving Castle, and fairy tales in general!
9
I was in a bit of a hurry when I started this book, so it took me a little bit to get into it. But once I settled down a bit, this story pulled me in and I fell in love with it.
A steampunk fairy tale about friendship and learning to trust, this story made me forget it was a Rapunzel retelling until I was almost finished with it. I loved the world, the characters, and the story. The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat a few times, and the adventure kept me reading for several nights long after I ought to have turned out my light.
Recommended for fans of Rapunzel retellings and steampunk fantasy.
8
The world building of this series is fantastic. I love how grounded it feels. The characters interact with their environment in real, believable, and familiar ways that transport me into the Neverway, or Pandorum, or the Haverly’s little village, and yet there is plenty that is fantastical. This book is a beautiful blend of darkness and fairy tale shot through with the light of a Christian message that is neither too obscure nor too obvious.
You can read my full review HERE.
7
I have enjoyed every book I’ve read by Burke so far, and Reformed was no exception. In fact, I think this might be my favorite of hers so far.
I love super heroes. Marvel, DC, the Reckoners series… you name it, I enjoy it. I don’t read a ton of super hero fiction, though, so this year was kind of different that way.
Enter a world very similar to ours, except that super heroes (called “sables” or “super abled”) exist and work for an organization called DOSA to help protect humanity.
I enjoyed the team aspect of this book, many of Burke’s other stories feature a solo protagonist working alone or with one or two other people, but I felt that she handled the larger cast quite nicely. I got to know the team fairly well, though the two main MCs (Prism and Fade) were the focus. I also liked the fast-paced action, the mystery to solve, the feel of “who is hiding behind the corner/the villain is always just a step ahead” way that the plot moved along at a fairly good clip. There was also a beautiful sibling relationship nestled within the story. As with all other Burke stories, a romantic subplot takes up a lot of page-time, but it didn’t get in the way of the story, and was as sweet as always.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed The Reckoners series by Brandon Sanderson, or just super heroes in general. (I also read The Reckoners this year, and Calamity almost made this list, but in the end, I liked Reformed better).
6
This is another middle grade fantasy series that I’ve been loving this year. A young girl with the strange ability to read minds encounters a young man who informs her that she is an elf and that she belongs in the Lost Cities (places like Atlantis that humanity believes no longer exist) with other elves. However, there is more going on below the surface and more will be expected of Sophie than she guesses, for she was genetically engineered to help save the elves from a threat that might be too powerful even for her.
What can I say? Portal fantasy, elves, alicorns, ridiculous teenage angst, themes of adoption and courage and loyalty… all things I love to pieces. Sophie is a fun character, and although she makes mistakes and often does things I don’t understand (like keeping secrets from all the adults… seriously… people want to help you, child!) she doesn’t always make awful choices and does learn from her mistakes. I’ve read the first five books so far and book six sits waiting on my nightstand so this series has definitely been one of the most enjoyable things I’ve read this year.
5
This was one of the first books I read this year, and it stood up so well that it stayed in my top five! A retelling of the myth Theseus and the Minotaur, told from the perspective of the minotaur’s sister, this story had me racing along breathlessly awaiting what would happen next.
I loved Ariadne, the cursed, bull-dancing princess. The bull-dancing scenes in the arena had me reliving the first time I read Taliesin by Stephen R. Lawhead, one of my all-time favorite books. I loved how hard she worked to prove herself worthy. I loved her courage. My heart broke for her over and over again throughout the story, but she emerged on the other side stronger for it all.
Compelling and beautiful, with a cast of interesting characters all with their own agenda (some good, some bad, some just trying to survive), this story stayed true to the original myth while also pulling off some very interesting twists.
If you loved Percy Jackson or Greek myths in general, I think you’d enjoy this.
4
I read quite a few books by this author this year. I read the entire Castle Glower series, as well as this book and Princess of the Midnight Ball, and I heartily enjoyed all of them. They are all sweet, charming, beautiful stories and I look forward to reading the rest of this series as well as anything else this author has written.
I think this was my favorite of the JDG books I read this year. Could be because I’m partial to dragons… that’s probably a lot of it. I just really loved the world building in this, and I loved the idea of dragons hoarding things they like, regardless of their value. For example, one dragon hoards shoes, another dogs, another stained glass windows! I highly enjoyed the culture the author created for these dragons, solitary but also keeping in touch through a sort of magic mirror system.
I loved Creel, the main character, and enjoyed that she was a commoner with some gumption. Sent to the nearest dragon’s cave (though nobody believes there is a dragon) so that a nearby lord can come rescue her (and also then be obligated to marry her) Creel decides not to play by the rules. Instead, she talks the dragon into giving her an item from its hoard in return for her telling the lord when he arrives that there is no dragon, so that she can strike out on her own and become a seamstress of fine garments in the city.
Although the stories and characters are nothing alike, there were some definite Dealing with Dragons vibes, and I loved it!
3
Derek and I started reading the City Watch arc by Terry Pratchett last year, and we’ve made it almost through this entire arc of the Discworld, which is sad, because Sam Vimes has become one of my very favorite fantasy characters ever and I don’t want to stop hanging out with him. Of this series, I think Night Watch is my favorite, though we recently finished Thud, and that’s giving it a run for its money. Thud definitely has one of the funniest scenes I’ve ever read, but I still think I liked Night Watch as a whole more.
I can’t summarize the entire arc here and as this is a book in the middle of the arc I don’t want to go giving away spoilers, but suffice to say, I love this ridiculous, crazy world. I love these characters, they are so dear. And I love the timey-wimey wibbly-wobblyness of this particular book so very much!
If you haven’t read about Sam Vimes and the Night Watch… I suggest you run out and grab a copy of Guards! Guards! immediately and remedy this sad situation!
2
This is the sequel to Sand and Storm, which made my top 15 favorite reads post last year. I think I enjoyed this sequel even more than the first book, as it developed many of the characters beyond where we left them at the end of book one, and we also got to see more of the world, this time exploring the capital city.
There was a lot more court intrigue in this story, as well as a new and interesting athletic competition that was every bit as unique and exciting as Quidditch. I loved getting to see the characters use their magic and their talents in different and more everyday ways in this story as the threat was more subtle than in the first book. The relationships that were begun in book one went through some more trials and miscommunications, which were mildly frustrating for the reader… but in a good way!
Recommended to those who enjoy Harry Potter or The Prince of Persia.
1
And here we come to my top favorite read of the year, and it’s another series!
I saw quite a few of my friends raving about this book back at the beginning of the year, but didn’t get around to reading it until my book club picked it as our monthly read.
I don’t think I’ve ever devoured a series quite as quickly as I did this one. I read the first book, immediately signed up for the author’s newsletter so I could read the companion novella, bought and devoured book two, preordered book three and read it the day it hit my kindle, and now I’m waiting impatiently for book four to arrive!
This story is one of political intrigue in a world inhabited by trolls, elves, and humans. The elves live between the troll and human kingdoms, and tensions are high on every border. The elves wish to make an alliance with the humans so that they do not have to worry about fighting battles on two borders, so when the humans request an alliance by marriage, the elves hesitate… but only briefly. Peace is of utmost importance.
Fiesty, talkative, outgoing, extremely extraverted Essie, human princess, suddenly finds herself married to a solemn, silent, exceedingly introverted Prince Farrendell. But she only has herself to blame, after all the arranged marriage was her idea!
I loved wandering with Essie through the Elven kingdom, learning its culture, learning how to abide by new customs while also keeping her own personality intact. I loved the sweet, beautiful romance that gradually begins to bloom between her and Farrendell.
I don’t even know what to compare it to, this story is so different from anything I’ve read before, but if you love the story of Arwen and Aragorn and wish they had a series all to themselves, then you’ll probably love this!
So there you have it, my fifteen favorite fantasy reads of 2020. With much cheating, as per usual.
Talk to me, dear Reader! Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? What were your top favorite reads this year?
I hope you all have a blessed and beautiful Christmas. I probably won’t be posting again until next year, so until then:
May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
