Im looking for fiction books, but Im not sure what specific genre I will like the best. Im thinking fantasy / sci fi / magical realism etc.
I used to be obsessed with the Harry Potter series. I also used to love all the popular books like Twilight, the Hunger Games
I also had a few years where I read tons of fiction romance novels, but not sure if I’m looking for that now.
by sapphireflame_
10 Comments
If you’re open to middle grade fantasy, I recommend [Nevermoor](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/6a6d5ca1-b2f5-47be-828c-018144d3bbc7) by Jessica Townsend! It’s my favorite series even as an adult, and the only one that makes me feel the way the Harry Potter books used to.
[Neal Susterman](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19564.Neal_Shusterman) has a couple of series you should check out, Scythe and Unwind.
[The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11408650-the-unbecoming-of-mara-dyer) series by Michelle Hodkins is a nice mix of paranormal and romance.
I really enjoyed the [Contagion](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31298617-contagion) series by Teri Terry, let’s call it sci-fi+.
Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers – sci-fi very character driven
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson – takes place in our world but it’s truly a delight. Young adult, mystery but very compelling
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green sci-fi, incredibly well done, thought provoking, interesting characters and great plot
V.E. Schwab has two that I particularly love. A Darker Shade of Magic: elemental magicians and four different versions of London across four very different worlds (one is our world in the 1820s). Vicious: rival college students discover they can unlock superpowers by inducing a near-death experience. Darker Shade is good for Avatar The Last Airbender fans, Vicious for X-Men fans
Also I second the comment about Neal Shusterman’s Unwind and Scythe.
A contemporary series I love, Finlay Donovan is Killing It: a divorced mom with a douchebag ex and two young kids gets mistaken for a contract killer. Many shenanigans ensue. Very funny and a crazy ride.
If you decide to try romance again, the Bromance Book Club series is hilarious. Nashville’s elite athletes, business men and music stars have a secret book club where they read romance novels to learn how to solve their relationship issues.
The Magicians by Lev Grossman is pretty amazing.
A really fun series that’s kind of blowing up right now is Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. This is an especially great choice of you’re interested in going the audiobook route.
Super Powereds by Drew Hayes is similar to Harry Potter, but instead of kids learning magic, it’s a college for future super heroes.
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson is a very common entry into epic fantasy.
I’ve read all of these this year and really liked all. It’s a mix of YA and adult, sci-fi and dystopian.
The Atlantis Grail is a YA series – really good. I like it better than Hunger Games and all those.
Inheritance Games is another YA series that is good.
Fourth Wing and Iron Flame are romantasy and I enjoyed those.
The Will of the Many is a new series and it’s really good.
When you are ready for a dense science heavy book – Seveneves
The Old Man’s War is a god Sci-fi series.
The Invisible Life of Addie laRue is more fantasy/magical realism.
Maybe some of these will sound interesting to you. Don’t be afraid to dnf books if you just aren’t into them after a few chapters. I try to read 100-120 books a year and I wind up dnf-ing 4-10 per year. Sometimes they sound promising but it just doesn’t work for me.
I know they’re recommended everywhere, but the ACOTAR series by Sarah J Maas really reignited my love for reading. I’ve since gone on to read over 20 books multiple years in a row. I think the secret is finding something fun and easy. ACOTAR is fantasy romance (a bit smutty at times if that bothers you) and very easy to read. While I don’t think the writing quality is *amazing*, if you liked Twilight you’ll like them I think.
The Lightning Struck Heart by TJ Klune was the perfect book that got me back into reading (if a fantasy parody about a gay wizard and his sassy unicorn best friend that also has a strangely wholesome found family vibe appeals to you. And also an epic quest to rescue a prince from a dragon, traveling with the knight that the wizard is in love with but who is betrothed to the prince lolol. The book is wild and wildly hilarious.)
For a more emotional read with a roller coaster of all the happy and sad emotions and also fantastic found family, his Bear, Otter, and the Kid series is also great.
As someone very much like you, who loves Harry Potter (did a reread once a year for 10+ years). I read both other series you mentioned as well, my recommendation is: Throne of Glass.
I stopped reading for about 5 years. I got back into reading this year from ACOTAR by Sarah J Maas, who is the same author. When I tell you Throne of Glass is 10000X times better than acotar and has replaced Harry Potter as my yearly reread, I’m not joking.
Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson is a god damn masterpiece. It took me two times to get into it though, the magic system confused the crap out of me the first time. I went back after finishing ToG and I loved it.
The Expanse books by S.A Corey are also fantastic (I love the show).