Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas
Calling all romantasy lovers! Sarah J. Maas is arguably better known for her still-unfinished A Court of Thrones and Roses series, but IMHO the Throne of Glass books are her best work. The series revolves around Celaena, a teenage assassin who’s hauled out of her slave camp and given a chance to fight for her freedom in a deadly competition. She’s up against monsters, magic, and some unexpected bonds, all the while learning more about her kingdom and her own destiny.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, by Holly Jackson
Pippa (better known as Pip) is a high school senior who’s focused on more than just getting into college. She’s decided to look into the murder of a local teen who was supposedly killed by her boyfriend, but Pip doesn’t fully believe that version of the story. This four-book series moves past the initial case and into even more crime and secrets.
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The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
If you want a series you’ll tear through quickly because you can’t put it down, The Hunger Games is always an amazing choice. The premise may be objectively horrifying–once per year, every district in the nation of Panem sends two children to fight to the death in an arena—but Katniss Everdeen and her journey from tribute to rebel is well worth the read. The original series also has two prequels out, so you’ve got five books to enjoy.
Crazy Rich Asians, by Kevin Kwan
You may have seen the hit movie Crazy Rich Asians several years ago, but what you may not have known is that it’s actually based on the first in a trilogy of books. The series is amazing on its own even without the context of the movie, but if you want to know what happens next after the end credits start rolling, you can read the entirety of the series to find out.
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The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
If you want a dose of pretty realistic dystopia, then The Handmaid’s Tale and its sequel The Testaments are a must-read. Gilead, a totalitarian regime, has taken over the United States in the middle of a fertility crisis and women who can give birth are forced to have children for the country’s upper class. The first book is told from the perspective of Ofred, one of the handmaids, while the second is set 15 years later and is told from the perspective of two young women and one of aunts who oversees the handmaids.
Twilight, Stephanie Meyer
Books about hot teen vampires and werewolves may not seem like the kind of thing you want to invest your time in (and maybe you’re swayed by what you’ve seen or heard about the movie adaptations) but the Twilight books are genuinely a great read. Some of them may be pretty long, but trust me you’ll rip right through this series in no time.
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Red Queen, by Victoria Aveyard
Any time someone’s interested in trying out fantasy, I always recommend the Red Queen series and it’s always a hit. In it, the world is divided into two classes: those with silver blood and those with red. The Silvers are an elite ruling class with god-like powers, while the Reds are lowly commoners. That’s the way it’s always been… that is until Mare, a teenager with some deep hatred for the Silvers, discovers she possesses a power of her own despite her red blood. Terrified of what this could mean, the Silvers disguise her as one of their own, claiming her as a long-lost princess. But as a Red resistance movement takes hold, Mare does what she can to help them.
Mistborn, by Brandon Sanderson
Imagine a world where the hero failed and the dark lord won. That’s the setting of the Mistborn series. The planet of Scadrial is ruled by an immortal tyrant and hope may as well be forbidden. That’s where Vin, a young orphaned thief, discovers she has rare magical powers. She may have learned early on to trust no one, but in this fast-moving fantasy epic, Vin decides to team up with a group of rebels made up of the underworld’s elite looking to bring the dark empire down.
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Dublin Murder Squad, by Tana French
Tana French’s six-book Dublin Murder Squad series starts with In the Woods. Rob Ryan is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad who’s thrust into the investigation of a 12-year-old girl who was murdered in the same woods his friends went missing in twenty years ago. Rob needs to uncover his hazy memories of that time if he wants a chance to uncover the truth.
Dune, by Frank Herbert
Hot take, but the Dune movies did a disservice to the books, so if you also watched the films and found them lacking, the books are where you need to head. Set thousands of years in the future, the sci-fi epic focuses on the story of Paul Atreides, a son of nobility who finds himself thrust into politics, prophecy, and a dangerous game of survival on the sand-covered planet of Arrakis. The original series has six books, but there are now over 20 books set in the universe, so I hope you’ve got a good reading light handy!
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