Look, some of us just aren’t very patient. And that can go double for book lovers, as readers often have to wait years between installments of their favorite series before they hit shelves (cough, cough a song of ice and fire cough). It’s no wonder sometimes you just want to dig into a series whose ending is already available.
This is especially understandable when it comes to fantasy series, whose individual installments often end on the kind of shocking cliffhangers that make you want to open the next book right away. (Or features the kind of plots whose details are easily forgotten in the long wait between installments).
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Here are some of our picks for the best full-length fantasy series you can sit back and binge-read right now.
the series throne of glass by sarah j. mass
series titles: throne of glass, midnight crown, heir of fire, queen of shadows, empire of storms, tower of dawn and kingdom of ash.
What Makes It Great: When the throne of glass series began, it was ostensibly the story of celaena sardothien, an 18-year-old assassin who tries to win her freedom by Participate in a tournament in which you must fight against almost two dozen thieves, assassins and warriors from all over the kingdom of ardarlan.
When the series ends, its scope has expanded to the battle for the very soul of the world, with everything from lost princesses and fairy warriors to witches, shapeshifters and demons. wildly addictive and massive in scope, this is sarah j. maas at her best as a storyteller. (And it’s a great introduction to her work.)
the bone witch rin chupeco trilogy
titles of the series: the witch of the bones, the forger of hearts and the mirror of shadows
What makes it great: One of the darkest and most original fantasy series of the moment, Rin Chupeco’s trilogy follows the story of a girl named Tea who discovers that she is a witch from the bones—a rare and powerful magical specialty that makes her feared and ostracized in her community for her ability to resurrect and control the dead.
Full of tension and menace, Tea’s origin story unfolds alongside stark evidence of just how willing she is to use its power for her own ends, creating delicious tension and menace that grows with each page. a true original in this genre space.
the war of the poppies trilogy by r.f. wow
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titles of the series: the war of the poppies, the republic of the dragon and the fiery god
What Makes It Great: An epic fantasy inspired by Chinese history about empire, shamanism, and opium that is also a violent retelling of the second Sino-Japanese War, this is a series that doesn’t turn out to be anything like you expect.
With a morally gray heroine at the center who only gets darker and more complicated as the trilogy progresses, this is the kind of exciting, magical, terrifying and heartbreaking story you’ll get lost in.
the lunar chronicles of marissa meyer
series titles: ash, scarlet, cress and winter , with auxiliary novels stars above and more beautiful.
What Makes It Great: Fairy tale tales feel like they’re on sale right now, but marissa meyer’s always seem to stand out. Ella’s Lunar Chronicles series reimagines the stories of several famous female fairy tale characters, placing them in a futuristic world where humans, androids, and cyborgs co-exist.
From a cyborg version of Cinderella (cinder) to Rapunzel who is also an incarcerated computer hacker (cress), you’ll be amazed at the sheer amount and breadth of creativity at work on these tales.
holly black’s folk of the air trilogy
titles of the series: the cruel prince, the evil king and the queen of nothing, together with companion novel how the king of elfhame learned to hate stories
what makes it great: no, the author writes the world of fairies as holly black. and the folk of the air trilogy is magical from start to finish. The series follows the story of a human girl named Jude who is raised in the high court of fairies after her parents are murdered and is determined to find a way to belong there, even if it means defying the cruel and evil. prince carden, the youngest. son of the great king.
With lush descriptions, intriguingly unique and detailed fairy descriptions and dizzying twists, this is a series that’s easy to read in a weekend, and I’m only sorry I don’t have more to read.
victoria aveyard’s red queen series
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series titles: red queen, crystal sword, king’s cage, storm of war , and multiple ancillary novels you can read collected in broken throne
What Makes It Great: Set in a world divided by blood, lower-class reds (whose blood is, you guessed it, crimson) must serve the elite blood magic classes silver that rule them. But when the young barrow mare, a red, discovers that she possesses powers she shouldn’t be able to have, the silver king tries to keep her abilities a secret by passing her off as a long-lost princess and marrying her son. .
As Mare digs deeper into her elite world, she’ll risk it all to help the Scarlet Guard, a red-led underground rebellion, bring her down.
leigh bardugo’s grishaverse series
series titles: shadow and bone, ruin and uprising, and siege and storm make up the bardugo’s original trilogy, tied together by a couple of ancillary duologies set in the same world with related characters. Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom follow the adventures of Kaz Brekker and his gang, while King of Scars and Kingdom of wolves continues with the stories of nikolai lantsov, zoya nazyalensky and nina zenik.
Supplementary books such as The Language of Thorns and Lives of Saints recount various Ravkan folktales and stories of the Grisha saints that form the basis of world folk religion.
What Makes It Great: If you’ve seen the shadow and bone series on netflix, you probably already have an idea of the rich scope of this story, in which soldiers Magicians known as Grisha can manipulate and control matter in its most fundamental elements, granting them power over specific elements such as fire (Inferni), objects such as metal or textiles (Durasts), and even the human body (Heartrender). The first three books in the series follow the story of Alina Starkov, a rare sun summoner whose prophesied powers over light could save her world from the literal powers of darkness.
Of course, Bardugo’s Grisha series is far more expansive and exciting than even the initial trilogy seems, boasting rich layered world-building and complex, compelling characters. There is also no guarantee that this series will remain complete, as author Leigh Bardugo seems to like writing in this universe.
stephanie garber’s caraval trilogy
series titles: caraval, legendary and finale are the main completed trilogy. The spin-off series of Once Upon a Broken Heart takes place in the same universe that follows supporting character Evangeline Fox.
What Makes It Great: A tale of secrets and magic centered around a legendary circus-like carnival, caraval is a lush, richly detailed story that includes all the tropes you expect from the best fantasy tales. But what sets Garbert’s story apart is that its ultimate focus is not on romantic relationships or solving an ancient magical mystery, but on the unbreakable bond between the sisters at the center.
despite the entertaining romances that occur, it’s scarlett and donatella who are the true otp of this story, and whose devotion to each other will keep you reading.
lacy baugher milas is the book editor for paste magazine, but she loves learning about all kinds of pop culture. you can find her on twitter @lacymb.
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