Best Fantasy Books of 2019

Below you will find a list of the fantasy books published in 2019 that we enjoyed most. Click on a book title to read the full review.

A Brightness Long Ago by Guy Gavriel Kay

Guy Gavriel Kay’s A Brightness Long Ago is a masterpiece; perhaps the finest work of one of the world’s greatest living storytellers. This story is shocking, devastating, and beautiful....

Published: 2019

The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie

Another 10/10 book and the most recently published book to appear on this list, published as it was in 2019. Ann Leckie first came to our attention with her highly-regarded science fiction books. W...

Published: 2019

The 10,000 Doors of January by Alix E Harrow

It is a rare thing to relate to a book’s character in such a way that similar situations evoke empathy across your lives. Enough parallels can be drawn to feel almost as if the book is catere...

Published: 2019

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (The Locked Tomb Trilogy: Book 1)

The Emperor needs necromancers.The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense.Tamsyn Muir’s Gide...

Published: 2019

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

The “feminist successor to The Lord of the Rings” - Laura Eve. The Priory of the Orange Tree is a story told with grace and infused with rich history and lore in its glor...

Published: 2019

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

Alternate timelines, manifestations, Hands of Glory, alchemy, Doctrine of Ethos and immortality and and and GODDAMN. McGuire provides a clinic in storytelling with Middlegame. This is her magnum op...

Published: 2019

A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie (The Age of Madness: Book 1)

Sometimes you find that perfect book, the one that hits you at the exact right moment. Everything aligns. The writing, the characters & the world-building just makes your soul sing. A Little Ha...

Published: 2019

Beneath the Twisted Trees by Bradley Beaulieu (The Song of the Shattered Sands #4)

Beneath the Twisted Trees is rich in detail, which allows us to follow this large cast of characters and how their actions interweave with each other. The size of the book can be a bit overwhelming...

Published: 2019

The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft (The Books of Babel #3)

There are so many emotional scenes, amazing set-pieces, and charming intricacies that fill The Hod King to the brim. Bancroft is a world-class literary author and I can't think of another ...

Published: 2019

Holy Sister by Mark Lawrence (Book of the Ancestor #3)

Mark Lawrence always slays, page after glorious page. He could write a grocery list and I would be like YES! OMFG THIS IS GENIUS! THE WAY HE OUTLINES THE FOOD REQUIRED IS UTTER PERFECTION! WE ARE T...

Published: 2019

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (Alex Stern #1)

I can’t remember the last time I wanted to step into a book so much, be part of a world so desperately. Even with all the danger, with the pain and darkness and death, it’s a place that...

Published: 2019

The Poison Song by Jen Williams (The Winnowing Flame Trilogy #3)

Easily one of the best fantasy trilogies in recent times. I might be sounding like a broken record by now, but Jen Williams’ writing has won me over, time and time again. She writes with a di...

Published: 2019

Seven Blades in Black by Sam Sykes (The Grave of Empires: Book 1)

Among humans, none have power like mages. And among mages, none have will like Sal the Cacophony. Once revered, now vagrant, she walks a wasteland scarred by generations of magical warfare.T...

Published: 2019

Fortune's Fool by Angela Boord (Eterean Empire: Book 1)

A secret affair. A disfiguring punishment. A burning need for revenge.Kyrra d’Aliente has a bad reputation and an arm made of metal.Cast out of the safe and luxurious world of s...

Published: 2019

Rise Against by Hailey Edwards (The Foundling Series #4)

This is definitely the best book of the series... with just one more to go. I can't imagine at this point how it can be bettered, but I trust in Hailey Edwards to keep surprising me....

Published: 2019

Kings of Ash by Richard Nell (Ash and Sand #2)

Follow the long, bloody journey of Ruka, son of Beyla through the islands of Pyu and the frozen wastes of the Ascom; see the return home of Ratama Kale Alaku, the 'Sorcerer-Prince', and the...

Published: 2019

The Dragon Republic by R F Kuang (The Poppy War #2)

This is a story of self-worth and determination, of finding value in life when your strengths are stripped away. It shines a light on some of the worst aspects of humanity which are sadly still ref...

Published: 2019

The House of Sacrifice by Anna Smith Spark (Empires of Dust #3)

Hail Him. Behold Him.Man-killer, life-stealer, death-bringer, life’s thief.All are bound to Him,His word is law.The night coming, the sudden light that makes the eyes...

Published: 2019

The Unbound Empire by Melissa Caruso (Swords and Fire #3)

While winter snows keep the Witch Lord Ruven's invading armies at bay, Lady Amalia Cornaro and the fire warlock Zaira attempt to change the fate of mages in the Raverran Empire forever, earning...

Published: 2019

The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter (The Burning #1)

The Rage of Dragons explodes at a breakneck pace. Complex characters, dragons, revenge, ALL THE STABBY-STABBY-STAB-STAB. I adored everything about this book! The cover, the chapter titles, the maps...

Published: 2019

Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff (The Nevernight Chronicle: Book 3)

Kristoff has saved his best for last, delivering powerful, emotional, game-changing reveals meant to shock, stun, and grind you to a pulp. As Mia’s prestige rises, all her wins feels earned a...

Published: 2019

The Hanged Man by KD Edwards (The Tarot Sequence: Book 2)

The last member of a murdered House tries to protect his ward from forced marriage to a monster while uncovering clues to his own tortured past. The Tarot Sequence imagines a modern-day Atlantis of...

Published: 2019

The Light of All that Falls by James Islington (The Licanius Trilogy: Book 3)

After a savage battle, the Boundary is whole again - but it may be too late. Banes now stalk the lands of Andarra, and the Venerate have gathered their armies for a final, crushing blow. ...

Published: 2019

The Sword of Kaigen by M L Wang

On a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice. For hundreds of years, the fig...

Published: 2019

Priest of Lies by Peter McLean (War for the Rose Throne #2)

Tomas Piety has been many things: soldier, priest, gangster...and spy. As Tomas's power grows, the nobility better watch their backs, in this dark and gritty epic fantasy series.Peo...

Published: 2019

The Girl with No Face by M H Boroson (The Daoishi Chronicles #2)

The adventures of Li-lin, a Daoist priestess with the unique ability to see the spirit world, continue in the thrilling follow-up to the critically-acclaimed historical urban fantasy The Girl ...

Published: 2019

Dispel Illusion by Mark Lawrence (Impossible Times #3)

Sometimes being wrong is the right answer.Nick Hayes’s genius is in wringing out the universe’s secrets. It’s a talent that’s allowed him to carve paths through time....

Published: 2019

Master of Sorrows by Justin Call (The Silent Gods #1)

You have heard the story before - of a young boy, orphaned through tragic circumstances, raised by a wise old man, who comes to a fuller knowledge of his magic and uses it to fight the great evil t...

Published: 2019

Smoke and Stone by Michael R Fletcher (City of Sacrifice #1)

After a cataclysmic war of the gods, the last of humanity huddles in Bastion, a colossal ringed city. Beyond the outermost wall lies endless desert haunted by the souls of all the world's dead....

Published: 2019

Empire of Grass by Tad Williams (Last King of Osten Ard #2)

The kingdoms of Osten Ard have been at peace for decades, but now, the threat of a new war grows to nightmarish proportions.Simon and Miriamele, royal husband and wife, face danger from...

Published: 2019

Flight of the Darkstar Dragon by Benedict Patrick (Darkstar #1)

Impossible world. Impossible dragon. Impossible adventure.Lost with her ship and crew in an unfamiliar land, Min’s first command could be her last.Nothing here behaves...

Published: 2019

Steel Crow Saga by Paul Krueger

A soldier with a curseTala lost her family to the empress's army and has spent her life avenging them in battle. But the empress's crimes don't haunt her half as much as the crime...

Published: 2019

The Ankh-Morpork Archives: Volume One by Terry Pratchett (Discworld Anthology #1)

Perfect as a gift for that Pratchett fan in your life, or as an addition to your own never-ending Pratchett collection, The Ankh-Morpork Archives: A Discworld Anthology – Volume 1 m...

Published: 2019

Fallen by Benedict Jacka (Alex Verus series: Book 10)

Fallen is a high-water mark for Benedict Jacka’s ‘Alex Verus’ series and a challenging benchmark for other urban fantasy writers. Compelling, un-put-down-able, emotional, and with...

Published: 2019

The Secret Chapter by Genevieve Cogman (The Invisible Library Series #6)

The Secret Chapter was yet another brilliant inclusion in Genevieve Cogman’s ‘The Invisible Library’ series. Filled with fast paced action, thrilling heist moments, great characte...

Published: 2019

Sin Eater by Mike Shel (Iconoclasts #2)

A year has passed since Auric Manteo descended into the haunted depths of a Djao ruin to return a lethal artifact, only to face down a bloodthirsty, imprisoned god. Now his daughter Agnes comes to ...

Published: 2019

Wrath of Storms by Steven McKinnon (The Raincatcher's Ballad #2)

Serena’s fearsome power is growing stronger. After conning her way aboard a luxury airship in search of clues about her past, she walks straight into a sky pirate’s trap. But after her ...

Published: 2019