Review: Fantasy titles for everyone

Lately, I’ve read quite a few fantasy novels. Here’s a couple of my favorites. 

Review by Amy Stoothoff

I got lost in Olivie Blake’s Atlas Six and the sequel Atlas Paradox. It’s a dark and exciting story about six magicians recruited to a secret society. The Society is full of enigmas, betrayal, seduction, and power moves. The nuanced characters keep you on your toes. You grow to both love and hate them all.

For something a bit more cozy, I read Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries. It’s less dark but still engaging. This is an enchanting tale of a sourpuss professor doing field research in the far north and has a dash of everything: love, friendship, magic and of course faeries.

I just finished Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, which is a whole different type of fantasy.

This wonderfully unique setting of the  Medieval Indian Ocean provides a fresh backdrop. It's the story of a legendary woman pirate captain. She’s a middle aged woman living a quiet life with her daughter. Until one of her former crewman’s mother, who’s incredibly rich, tracks her down and convinces her to rescue her kidnapped granddaughter. A mind boggling bounty, the lure of the sea, and a longing for one last exploit persuade her to sign on for the mission. Turns out this simple rescue isn’t what it seems. Along the way, she reunites with her quirky former crewmates and close friends and they sail off on her ship the Marawati. They encounter a familiar demon, a dark magician, and mythical monsters along the way. With her friends at her side, she boldly faces each challenge. 
A pirate adventure, an enchanting story with faeries, and a dark secret society all captured my attention and sparked my imagination. Between The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries, and Atlas Six there’s something here for just about any fantasy lover.