Top Ten Tuesday #49: Recent Fantasy Reads

Hey, it’s Top Ten Tuesday meets Wyrd & Wonder! 😀

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic:

10 most recent reads

I’ll flip this for Wyrd & Wonder and make it my 10 12 (went overboard) most recent fantasy reads starting with the most recent.

Dragon Wing by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

It’s set in a world with lands that float in the air, so people get around on dragons and dragonships. The story focuses on an assassin who is hired to kill a young prince and a dwarf who’s questioning everything about his people’s beliefs and history. It was an okay read that got a bit inconsistent toward the end.

The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner

Gaslamp fantasy novel about a young woman living in poverty who gets by as a petty thief. One day, she gets the chance to try something new and dangerous when she is hired on as one of the women to protect a rich young lady from assassins. It was an entertaining read. Loved the protagonist.

Kushiel’s Chosen by Jacqueline Carey

The second novel in a trilogy about a courtesan from a country of people who are said to be descendants of angels. The courtesan uses her unique gifts to thwart, so far, two attempts to usurp the queen of her land. I’m so hooked on this story, and this book is now a favorite. We get more evidence of magic and the gods in this. I read this as part of a readalong with the Wyrd & Wonder crew.

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett

The first novel in the Discworld series, which focuses on several characters living on a flat world that lies on the backs of four elephants standing on the shell of a turtle that’s flying through space. This book focuses on the failed wizard Rincewind. I didn’t like it as much as the other Discworld novels I’ve read, but it was okay.

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

This was a reread. It’s a standalone fantasy novel about a young outcasted half-goblin who suddenly becomes emperor of his father’s kingdom when his elf father and half brothers suddenly die in an airship accident. It’s a favorite and I enjoyed revisiting it. I first read this as part of a readalong with the Wyrd & Wonder crew.

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

YA fantasy that’s inspired by African cultures and folklores. It’s about a girl who was bred specifically to carry out a duty for her mother. As a kid, servants avoided touching her believing that the girl can steal their stories because she can see the past of whatever and whomever she touches. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this one. I might even read the second book when it comes out.

Dragon Age, Vol. 1: The Silent Grove by David Gaider & Alexander Freed, illus. by Chad Hardin

The first volume in a fantasy comic book series based on the Dragon Age video game. It’s about a king on a quest to find his father accompanied by two rogues, a pirate and a shady dwarf. I liked the art but the story confused me a twinge.

The Conductors by Nicole Glover

Seems to be adult fantasy but it struck me more as YA while I read. It mostly takes place shortly after slavery was abolished in the U.S. and is about a couple, former slaves who used to help people escape slavery, using their celestial magic to solve a series of murders in Philadelphia’s Black community. Although the story kept my interest, the pacing was sometimes off and I think the worldbuilding could be stronger.

Renegade’s Magic by Robin Hobb

It’s the last novel in Hobb’s Soldier Son trilogy, which is about a young man who believes he’s destined to become a soldier but gets caught up in some magic that alters his destiny. Reading through this trilogy was a slog and this last book didn’t make me feel as if it was worth it. I did not like this protagonist. Makes me feel tired just thinking about him and the story.

Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

The third novel in the Nevermoor series, a middle grade fantasy series about a girl who everyone thinks is unlucky. The girl — Morrigan Crow — is taken away to a new place where she learns she has great power. In this book, Morrigan learns about other threats to Nevermoor. It was a fun, entertaining read that touches a bit on issues we were dealing with back in 2020 (and still are). I don’t know if that was the author’s intent or not.

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

This was a reread to prepare for Hollowpox. It’s the second novel in the series. In it, Morrigan learns all about Wundersmiths and we learn more about Nevermoor. It was an entertaining read too.

An Embarrassment of Witches by Sophie Goldstein (illus.) & Jenn Jordan

YA graphic novel about best friends, Rory and Angela, who’ve just finished college and are trying to figure out what to do with their lives. Rory, who was supposed to go to Australia to build dragon sanctuaries with her boyfriend, is dumped right before the trip begins, and Angela is about to start an intense internship at the cryptopharmocology lab under Rory’s mom. The illustrations aren’t in a style I typically like and the story was just okay to me, but I loved the world it’s set in. It’s… fantastic.

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LET ME KNOW IF YOU’VE READ ANY OF THESE.

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