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The Chronicles of Elantra by Michelle Sagara
I’d like to think the fact we share a first name means that I could some day write a book half as good as one of Michelle Sagara’s. Chronicles of Elantra has everything: cranky dragons who abhor improper etiquette, aloof immortals, untrustworthy magic-wielding arcanists, and one chosen heroine possessed of magic she doesn’t understand.
The streets of Elantra are ripe with magic, history, and world-ending stakes. Every book is a treasure, and at fifteen books with the series still ongoing, that’s saying something. If you like long-running fantasy series, this is right up your alley. Cast in Shadow is book one.
The Black Jewels trilogy by Anne Bishop
I almost didn’t put this trilogy on here, because I figured recommending it has to be like preaching to the proverbial choir by now, but I love it so much I did anyway.
Writing a character whose magic is so strong that you can practically feel it leap off the page is a difficult task, but Bishop does it extraordinarily well, while still maintaining an almost unbearable level of tension throughout the trilogy. If I had to pit the main character of Jaenelle Angelline against any other character in all of fantasy, I think she would win hands-down.
Fair warning, there are some really terrible people in these books and some pretty dark things happen to the main character, but the darkness is balanced by hope and humor. Daughter of the Blood is book one.
Throne of the Five Winds by SC Emmett
Court intrigue epic fantasy at its best! Do put your thinking cap on before reading, as there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but they are all so totally worth it.
The dialogue is, at times, almost Jane Austen-esque in between-the-lines wit, and the setting is reminiscent of the historical Far East. While you are given your princess and princes (yes, there are six of them), your main heroine is the extraordinarily adept handmaiden Yala.
Banter! Intrigue! Assassinations! Testing of wits! A very promising start to a new series.