The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
Summary: This seven-book series plunges the audience into the magical world of Narnia, where time passes fast, and a lion rules the land. The series starts with the story of four children who enter Narnia through a wardrobe and ends with chaos when Narnia erupts with war.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R Tolkien
Summary: In the world of Middle-earth, a hobbit named Frodo inherits the One Ring, which can destroy the entire world. When a recently awakened evil being named Sauron goes after the Ring to gain power, Frodo and eight others embark on a quest to destroy the Ring and defeat Sauron.
Prequel:
Summary: This book, which also takes place in Middle-earth, is a prequel to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It explains the creation of Middle-earth and its ancient history.
A Wizard of Earthsea (1968) by Ursula K. Le Guin
Summary: A Wizard of Earthsea is a coming-of-age story about a young wizard named Ged, who, in a spell gone wrong, releases a shadow creature that attacks its creator. The novel thus follows Ged as he seeks freedom from the creature's firm grasp.
A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin
Summary: This series incorporates three different storylines: the chronicling of civil war between various families to gain control of the fictional realm of Westeros; the rising threat of the Others who dwell beyond an immense pile of ice that forms Westeros' northern border; and the journey of Daenerys Targaryen, the exiled daughter of a king who was murdered in the civil war. These three stories start to intertwine and overlap as the series progesses.
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Summary: After receiving an invitation to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, an 11-year-old boy named Harry discovers that he is the son of famous wizards. This series catalogs Harry's various experiences as he attends Hogwarts, ending with an account of the Second Wizarding War, in which Harry fights Voldemort, or "he who shall not be named."
The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Summary: Set in the fictional country of Panem (a future North American country), Katniss Everdeen volunteers to participate in a battle royale death match called The Hunger Games. Told from Katniss's perspective, this trilogy depicts Katniss's fight to survive in an ever-changing dystopian world.
The Lightning Thief (2005) by Rick Riordan
Summary: In The Lightning Thief, a 12-year-old boy named Percy Jackson finds out that he is the son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. After finding this out, Percy conducts a quest across the United States to find an entrance to the Underworld and stop the war between the gods.
Outlander (1991) by Diana Gabaldon
Summary: Outlander is initially set in the time of World War II, and it centers on a nurse named Claire Beauchamp, who travels through time to eighteenth-century Scotland, where she finds adventure and romance.
American Gods (2001) by Neil Gaiman
Summary: American Gods tells the story of a man named Shadow Moon. After being released from prison, Shadow accepts a job that requires him to travel the expanse of the United States. During his travels, Shadow meets a wide variety of characters and finds himself in conflict with the old gods of mythology and the new gods of media and technology.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (2004) by Susanna Clarke
Summary: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell takes place in nineteenth-century England during the Napoleonic Wars. Its premise is that magic once existed in England and has returned to the country through two men: Gilbert Norrell and Jonathan Strange. Focusing on the relationship between these two men, this novel investigates the nature of "Englishness" and various English stereotypes.
The Night Circus (2011) by Erin Morgenstern
Summary: The Night Circus is a non-linear narrative and is written from multiple points of view. Primarily taking place in Victorian London, the plot of this book centers around a magical circus called Le Cirque des Rêves (The Circus of Dreams), which is only open from sunset to sunrise. When two talented young magicians named Celia and Marco come of age, the circus recruits them, and this book conveys their journeys.
Circe (2018) by Madeline Miller
Summary: The novel Circe explores the origin story of the Greek god and sorceress Circe, who is famous for turning people (especially men) into animals through the use of drugs and incantations.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (2020) by Victoria Schwab
Summary: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue follows a young French woman who, in 1714, gains immortality by bargaining with the Dark. In consequence, though, the woman is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
(These books are not owned by the Elizabethtown High Library)
The Song of Achilles (2011) by Madeline Miller
Summary: The Song of Achilles is a retelling of the Trojan War from the perspective of Patroclus, who is in a romantic relationship with Achilles, a great warrior who must live up to the destiny the gods have designed.
The Priory of the Orange Tree (2019) by Samantha Shannon
Summary: The Priory of the Orange Tree is set in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in a world that resembles Earth. The novel, which incorporates several points of views, spans continents and cultures to tell the the story of a world divided.
The Once and Future Witches (2020) by Alix E. Harrow
Summary: The Once and Future Witches is about three witches who join the "women and witches" suffragist movement in 1893 in New Salem, Massachusetts, in an effort to give women their magic back. This story, which also can be categorized as historical fantasy, discusses topics such as queer love and women's rights.
The Burning Kingdoms trilogy by Tasha Suri
Summary: This trilogy is set in a world inspired by ancient India. Within this narrative, a ruthless princess and powerful priestess come together to change the course of the empire they live in.
The Handmaid's Tale (1986) by Margaret Atwood
Summary: The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel about a woman's struggle in a totalitarian society where her identity, fertility, and freedom are suppressed.
Court of Thorns and Roses (2020) by Sarah J. Maas
Summary: Court of Thorns and Roses is about a nineteen-year-old huntress who kills a wolf in the woods and is thus approached by a beast-like creature who demands retribution. This huntress is then dragged to a magical land, where she discovers that her captor is not a beast, but one of the lethal immortal faeries who once ruled their world.
The Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novik
Summary: The Scholomance is a series of young adult fantasy novels about a magical boarding school for wizards. The series documents the life of Galadriel Higgins as she attends the school and faces dangerous challenges.
A Midnight Library (2020) by Matt Haig
Summary: One night, Nora Seed decided to end her life. However, in the process of going so, Nora gets stuck in a sort of "middle state," where she's not dead, but transported into the world of the Midnight Library. At the Midnight Library, Nora is guided by a librarian to try out alternative lives. In this process, Nora discovers that things in her reality are not as she imagined them to be.