ADULT FANTASY books - Forum

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wrote:
please, recommend me books.
I tried gSm, but I mostly got books I've already read or are not interested in reading.

No, not romantasy. Whatever you want to file into that category because I can't define it well at all. I've tried. I like romanse sub-plots. I've read acotar and fourth wing. No more SJM pls.

I like tournaments
I don't like scary, gross stuff
I can't deal with too high high fantasy rn

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babel i need u

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Brutus wrote:
Belladonna series and one dark window!!!

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Horcrux wrote:
Nevernight trilogy by Jay Kristoff

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Elisia wrote:
In other lands by sarah reece brennan (i hope i spelled that right)
its harry potter meets lord of the rings but very high fantasy no magic nonsense

its a stand alone and kinda long but it's SO GOOD

EDIT
it starts when they're 13 to give you the worldbuilding through this child's eyes. and you watch him grow up and really embrace the fantasy, friends and romance. it's very well written and mature without being fanfic grade romance (no disrespect to fanfics but some of these tiktok romances should have stayed on wattpad or ao3)

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Brutus wrote:
Belladonna series and one dark window!!!

I love ODW!
I am getting the BN exclusive editions!! (thank u @bunnybutts)

I have first belladonna book. Just have to read it

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Elisia wrote:
In other lands by sarah reece brennan (i hope i spelled that right)
its harry potter meets lord of the rings but very high fantasy no magic nonsense

its a stand alone and kinda long but it's SO GOOD

EDIT
it starts when they're 13 to give you the worldbuilding through this child's eyes. and you watch him grow up and really embrace the fantasy, friends and romance. it's very well written and mature without being fanfic grade romance (no disrespect to fanfics but some of these tiktok romances should have stayed on wattpad or ao3)

No disrespect detected bc I agree

ICantWhistle
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ICantWhistle wrote:
oop im trying to get back into reading so let me just build my tent in here...

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ICantWhistle wrote:
oop im trying to get back into reading so let me just build my tent in here...

Welcome

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Babel wrote:

Oakwald wrote:
babel i need u

I HATE TOURNAMENT BOOKS

With that said The Will of the Many might be in kind of the vein you're looking for!
I'll try to think of more, but I'm slightly drunk rn

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Babel wrote:

Oakwald wrote:
babel i need u

I HATE TOURNAMENT BOOKS

With that said The Will of the Many might be in kind of the vein you're looking for!
I'll try to think of more, but I'm slightly drunk rn

It's on my tbr but it's so big!!

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Babel wrote:
A Dowry of Blood by St Gibson is very good. It's vampire fiction, but it's written in a unique language which you'll either hate or love. I found the writing beautiful, but I'm also biased because I would marry Gibson if I ever got the chance.

If you're into historical books I really can recommend The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden. I honestly don't really like historical fiction, but this book is a perfect blend of historical and fantasy, and it really left an impression on me. If you liked Katherine Arden's other series (If you've read it) this is a must.

I'll throw a rec for Faebound by Saara El-Arifi, even though it's "technically" romantasy. I'm kinda sad about it suddenly becoming a catch-all phrase instead of hitting books like ACOTAR and similar, because I don't feel like the romance is the deciding factor in this one - even though it's present in a lot of the book. The world building is beauitul.

Also it's sci-fi, but I'll always recommend Murderbot - they're all very short books, but I have a blast with every single one of them. It's enough sci-fi to get some of the fantasy feel IMO.

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Babel wrote:

Oakwald wrote:

Babel wrote:

Oakwald wrote:
babel i need u

I HATE TOURNAMENT BOOKS

With that said The Will of the Many might be in kind of the vein you're looking for!
I'll try to think of more, but I'm slightly drunk rn

It's on my tbr but it's so big!!

do you enjoy audiobooks?

The Will of the Many is such a masterpiece, and it deserves all the hype.
My boyfriend usually doesn't care for the audiobooks I'm listening to while I'm making dinner and breakfast, but he asked me if we could continue listening to this one while we ate, when I listened to the last part of it. It's that good. He loved every second of it and listened in on the last hour of it.

Res
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Res wrote:
So first, I'm gonna be utterly shameless and plug a story I'm co-writing on tapas, currently:
https://tapas.io/series/Knightfall/info

It does kinda sound like it fits the bill. The female lead is aro/ace, and while there will be a romantic subplot, it won't involve her in like an actual romance way.
For quick summary, it's an action fantasy comedy about a stunt woman who ends up in the world of the movie she is filming and has to go on a dangerous quest to save the world. Only, she also has to save herself from the romantic sub-plot and deal with the utterly ridiculous world.

Shameless plug - over

For book recs:

If you don't mind light novels I can recommend "The Apothecary Diaries" and "Ascendance of a Bookworm"
Apothecary Diaries is probably more historical than fantasy, but it has a lot of the same vibes, and about a girl who loves poison and ends up being kidnapped and going to the royal palace, where she ends up as a poison taster for a concubine, but she also ends up involved in a lot of different cases happening around her she has to help solve.

Ascendance of a Bookworm is about a book lover who gets reincarnated into a world without books and decides to make some herself. It starts off as very cozy fantasy feel, and romance doesn't really become prominent ever.

For non-light novels there is The Ending Fire Trilogy
First book is called "The Final Strife" - I'm personally on the final book currently, but have really enjoyed this series.
The first book is very tourney-ish as it revolves around this big tourney where people who win will end up in power. It mainly follows three women, and it has a lesbian romantic subplot.

The Poison Study trilogy by Maria V. Snyder are also great, with romance taking the backseat.
Another story about a poison tester.
MC is stuck in prison and gets offered the chance to work as a poison tester instead of getting executed for murder and gets involved in a lot of stuff because of that

The Prison Healer trilogy by Lynette Noni I know have some trials in the first book, but it's more trials than tourney. It is a great series, however, and about another MC stuck in prison, but this time as a healer.

I recommend searching them up if you need more info, because giving summaries of things I've read some time ago never goes well x'D

Hope you could use some of it! :3

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Elisia wrote:

Babel wrote:

Oakwald wrote:
babel i need u

I HATE TOURNAMENT BOOKS

With that said The Will of the Many might be in kind of the vein you're looking for!
I'll try to think of more, but I'm slightly drunk rn

why do you hate tournaments? (i'm curious)

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Babel wrote:

Elisia wrote:

Babel wrote:

Oakwald wrote:
babel i need u

I HATE TOURNAMENT BOOKS

With that said The Will of the Many might be in kind of the vein you're looking for!
I'll try to think of more, but I'm slightly drunk rn

why do you hate tournaments? (i'm curious)

tournaments just seems like such a weird setting to me personally. (Disclaimer: Ive not read hunger games)
Most of the books I've read where it's been a thing it's mostly been about making the characters do something, where it doesn't really add to the world-building, is over fast and feels awkward with all of the other stuff happening.