I stumbled upon debonairblog's fantasy round-up and had to scribble a list in the margin — their taste leans toward lush worldbuilding and memorable voices, so I’ll highlight the standouts I loved most.
They push '
the name of the wind' for its beautiful prose and unreliable narrator, and I totally get it: Kvothe's storytelling feels like sitting beside a charismatic, slightly wounded bard. Right beside that pick is '
the lies of locke lamora' — clever cons, thick Venetian alleys, and a protagonist who’s nearly as charming as his schemes. For epic scope they recommend '
the way of kings' and 'Mistborn', two series that approach worldbuilding and magic systems from very different angles: one is storm-forged, philosophically dense and monumentally structural; the other is gritty, inventive and ruthlessly plotted.
They don't ignore quieter or feminist-leaning fantasies either. Expect '
uprooted' and '
the priory of the orange tree' on the list for their sharp takes on folklore and royal politics. If you like weird, essential strangeness, debonairblog also throws in '
the fifth season' —
Fractured societies, earth-bending powers, and a narrator who stays with you. Bonus mentions that ping my nostalgia: 'The Hobbit' and '
The Lord of the Rings' as linchpins, and a sherbet-sweet diversion like '
The Night Circus' if you need a magical interlude.
If you want reading advice from me: pace the big epics, savor
novellas and standalone masterpieces between heavy, long series, and check for trigger notes (some of these go dark).
all in all, debonairblog's picks feel like a carefully curated
Bookshelf — forward enough to surprise you, comfortable enough to return to, and perfectly suited for my late-night page-turning habits.