5 Fantasy Series Worth Your Time
2022 was a year full of fantasy reading for me! Before this past year, I didn’t considered myself a fantasy reader, even though horror was my main genre. I know horror is technically a sub-genre of fantasy, but I didn’t immerse myself fully into high fantasy series until recently. And now I’m obsessed.
If you also read fantasy, you likely know that for every amazing series you find, there are two more that just don’t hit the spot. I’m not a fan of disappointment, and I bet we have that in common, so let me tell you all about some amazing fantasy series I found in 2022! The series that I recommend in this post are strong from start to wherever they currently are in their release and are worth the commitment. For each recommendation, I also mention how serious of a commitment the series is based on both the number of books involved and the length of the books. Some of the series are not finished, so these recommendations mean that what is out so far is worth it. And just know, there were more series that did not make the list than made the list, so I stand by these recs. All of these series also have a strong romantic element in the plot, so they can all be considered romantasy.
Here are 5 (sort of 6—I explain below) fantasy series that are worth your time!
#1 These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan
These Hollow Vows might just be my favorite fantasy series on this list. It’s two books, each between 450-500 pages. While it’s technically YA and not super spicy, it delivers in sexual tension and a couple of the scenes are very memorable. Tropes I love in this series are love triangle, enemies to lovers, and chosen one. This fae and human universe is rich in history without being dauntingly dense, and the twists and betrayals keep the intrigue high without being so outlandish that they lose you. The characters are delightfully complex and morally gray, and there is even space for a redemption arc within the narrative! After all of the terribly long and verbose series I’ve fallen into recently, it’s refreshing to read a tidy duology that scratches all of my fantasy itches. Highly recommend, and the commitment level involved in taking on this series is low.
#2 A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
I have already written a blog post about my love for this particular series, but, of course, I also need to mention it here. There is a main trilogy in this series, a novella, and an additional novel that explores the relationship that grows between two of the other characters while they, naturally, embark on an epic undertaking to save the people they love. This series is set in a tense human/fae world where the threat of war is ever-growing. The first book is a Beauty and the Beast retelling (you know, woman does something to upset an angry man-fae-beast, man-fae-beast takes said woman to castle where she leads a life of luxurious imprisonment, woman falls in love with man-fae-beast, etc.) but THEN it goes in a totally different direction and gets SO GOOD in the second book. This is not to say that the first book isn’t good. Just know that you think you’re going somewhere good and then you take a hard and unexpected left turn to somewhere even better. This series is a relatively high commitment, with 4 books progressively increasing in length up to about 750 pages, plus the novella. And let’s just say that the author is very likely to continue these characters’ stories, so it’s not all finished, but the main trilogy can stand alone.
#3 Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas
This series is also written by SJM! Sarah is a romantasy queen, and keeps creating bigger and better worlds. The second book in this series came out in February 2022, and it ends on a BIG cliffhanger. So if you’re looking to read something to be current with and to participate in a community that comes up with all sorts of wild theories about what’s going to happen next, get into this. This story starts out as a murder mystery set in an urban fantasy world with humans, fae, angels, and all sorts of other creatures and beings. While the murder-mystery characterization is accurate, the story becomes much more complicated after the murder is solved, so it’s not just that. The characters in this book are very relatable, and are dealing with some heavy trauma and healing. While this book isn’t as spicy as the ACOTAR series overall, I would say the sexual tension is higher and, in some instances, it’s hotter. The next book is set to be out in January 2024. This is a great series and it is also high commitment. It’s not finished yet, there’s a lot of world building to keep up with, and the books are long (around 800 pages each). I’m so stoked for the next one, so buckle up and get to reading because I hear the next one is going to be even longer!
#4 Fate and Flame by K.A. Tucker
I’m so into this series. There were many aspects that surprised me and the characters are complex in the best ways. This series is Tucker’s first foray into fantasy after already being established as a romance author, and she absolutely killed it. This story includes a magical parallel world, prophecy, enemies to lovers, and VAMPIRES! I think it’s better going into this story knowing less. The main character is essentially transported into this new world she knows nothing about, and you learn what her role is and what’s going on along with her. Two books are out (both around 500 pages), the next one is coming in September 2023, and there will be at least four books. So, it’s not finished, but this is another fun one to keep up with if you like interacting with the community that’s reading them as they come out! Highly recommended, and I’ll say it’s a moderate commitment because we have at least two more books to go.
#5 (and #6) Blood and Ash AND Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Of course I needed a second vampire story on here, because vampires are obviously where it’s at. I love this series. Not everyone does. If you’re reading this post, though, you somehow found me and this blog, and I have shown up in your algorithm, so you’re more likely to be on my side about it. This series includes bodyguard romance and enemies to lovers tropes. The female main character is the maiden, chosen to fulfill some veiled purpose in an equally murkily-detailed ritual. She’s a badass that yearns for a fuller and freer life than her position as “the maiden” affords her, and she slowly uncovers what’s actually happening in this strange high-tension hierarchal society. The reason two series are mentioned here is that Flesh and Fire is the prequel series and the author has written these in such a way that you really need to read at least one of the prequel books to fully understand what’s happening in the 4th book of Blood and Ash. I did not know that the reading order was so important until AFTER I had read the 4th Blood and Ash book, so don’t make the same mistake. Here is the recommended reading order. Both of these series have more books coming out. There are already four Blood and Ash (all around 600-650 pages) and two Flesh and Fire (both around 650 pages) books out, and I think this series is worth all of those pages. I enjoy the world, and there is so much sexy time for these characters. Armentrout aims to please and inserts about as much spice as she can in between the plot happenings. It’s as much smut as you can include in a fantasy series before it becomes more about the smut. She strikes a good balance if you ask me, because after you get to know these characters, you, too, will want all of those delicious rendezvous. High commitment, and highly recommended.
These are my main series recommendations from what I read in 2022, so keep an eye out for what I’ve read more recently on my blog and on my Instagram account (@lauriekeet)!