Who doesn't love fantasy? Magic systems, mystical creatures, ancient prophecies and so much more can be found in this genre. But reading YA fantasy must get tiring at times - maybe it's time to dip your toes into some adult fantasy! The following are a list of 8 adult fantasy series and if you're looking for gushing romance, complex characters, or a page-turning plot, these books are sure to have you mesmerized.
1. Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson
For ages, the Skaa have been tormented by its Lord Ruler, the “Sliver of Infinity”, who is immortal. When hope was so long-lost that not even its memory remained, a scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge.
We follow our protagonist Vin, a half-Skaa orphan. She teams up with the underworld elite recruited by Kelseir. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot. A perfect series to start the adult fantasy genre, and Sanderson's writing is extremely easy to follow and fall in love with.
Be sure to check out other works of Sanderson like Elantris, The Stormlight Archive, and Warbreaker.
Source: Goodreads
2. The Broken Earth Series by N.K. Jemisin
Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughters. Now, she must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long night.
Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She'll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.
Source: Goodreads
3. A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R.R. Martin
When Ned Stark travels south to serve as the hand of the king, it sets the wheels in motion for this epic fantasy series which has caused much hype among its fans. The series of events that follow lead to the war of the five kings from four houses: Stark, Lannister, Baratheon, and Greyjoy. As the houses prepare for war, missing rangers of the night's watch raise questions if it was the wildlings who live beyond the wall, or is it something else entirely?
As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced.
4. The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King
Yes, that's right. Stephen King has written a fantasy series. This series is about Roland Deschain, the last of the Gunslingers, who sets off on a quest for the Dark Tower, a mysterious edifice that is the axle of worlds and holds all existence together.
Roland pursues The Man in Black, encounters an alluring woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with the Kid from Earth called Jake. Both grippingly realistic and eerily dreamlike, The Gunslinger leaves readers eagerly awaiting the next chapter.
Source: Goodreads
5. The Witcher Series by Andrzej Sapkowski
Geralt of Rivia, the cunning assassin known as The Witcher, has been waiting for the birth of a prophesied child. This child has the power to change the world - for good, or evil. As the threat of war hangs over the land and the child is hunted for her extraordinary powers, it will become Geralt's responsibility to protect them all - and the Witcher never accepts defeat.
Source: Goodreads
6. Shades of Magic Series by V.E Schwab
Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with an ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see.
It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand. After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.
Be sure to check out her other works as well like Villains and Monsters of Verity series.
Source: Goodreads
7. All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness
Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.
Source: Goodreads
8. The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss
Told in Kvothe's voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature.
A high-action story written with a poet's hand, this is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.
Source: Goodreads
These are our picks for adult fantasy series which are great for beginners. Be sure to leave a reaction and comment down below some of your favorite fantasy books!
