I was once an avid book reader, pre-university. I read all different kinds of novels and book series, with fantasy novels being my favourite. I would get so engrossed with the stories that ending them would leave me feeling pretty empty for a while. It’s become a weird quirk of mine to fear finishing a series, so most of the series I have read I never finished. With this quarantine lasting who knows how long, I’ve decided that after my finals are over, I’m going to finish one or two since I miss reading. Because I started thinking about these series so much, I decided to share a list of some must-read fantasy novels that you should give a read once we can go to Indigo or libraries again.
1. Demon Road Series
I have all three books of this series on my bookshelf, staring at me to read them every day. I’ve finished the first of the series and I can’t wait to continue Amber’s story. Discovering you’re a demon and your also-demon parents are trying to kill you makes for a really interesting story. Amber’s hurled from one terror to the next as this series is full of demons, death-binding curses, killer cars and who knows what else! It’s super interesting but make sure you have the next book ready because Derek Landy leaves you wanting more!
2. Shadow Falls
There are five books in this series written by C.C. Hunter, but there are many shorter novels that tell the stories of supporting characters within the series as well. This series follows the story of Kylie, who sees ghosts. Since this is clearly not something that happens to “normal people,” she’s shipped off to Shadow Falls, a camp for “troubled teens.” Troubled as in shapeshifters, fairies, witches… the whole nine yards. Throughout her adventures of coming to terms with who she is, Kylie faces both friendship and relationship drama, which makes such a paranormal story seem… normal. If you decide to give this series a read, please let me know what team you’re on. Team Derek all the way!
3. Red Queen
I haven’t had the chance to read this series at all yet, but my sister insisted I add it to the list. She is in love with this series and has reread it many times. With four books in this series, you will read of the adventures of Mare as she tries to survive in a world divided by blood in a post-apocalyptic world (intense, I know). There’s romance, action and death, the perfect recipe for a great series by Victoria Aveyard. If you decide this is a series for you, let me know and I’ll start reading it too. Do I smell a book club starting?
4. Vampire Academy
My second favourite series of all time is Vampire Academy, written by Richelle Mead. If you’ve seen the movie, please still give this a chance (I’ve heard some not-so-great things about the movie). There are six books in this series and I believe I’ve read all but the last one! This follows the story of Rose, a human-vampire cross who lives her life as a literal badass protecting her best friend, Lissa, from evil. This series is full of love, fighting and death as you follow Rose’s adventures. I’ve definitely shed a few tears reading this series and hopefully you will enjoy it just as much!
5. House of Night
This is my all-time favourite book series. I’ve read most of this series and it is amazing! You follow the story of Zoey as she becomes a vampire, and a special one at that! While undergoing transformations and having to fight off evil, this series still has that confusing romance aspect to it, which I found very interesting! If you are considering any of the series on my list, please consider this one. There are 12 novels in this series by P.C. and Kristen Cast, so it will keep you entertained for a while!
These series have been ones I love dearly and I swear I’ll get over my weird fear and finish them one day. All are very unique in their own way and are definitely worth the read! Since we all have A LOT of time on our hands, we can dust off our old bookshelves and crack open a book. Happy reading!