Fantasy books have recently had a resurgence in popularity in the reading world. There are many great options to choose from, but too many choices can become a headache.  This compiled list of the Top Five fantasy/sci-fi books will help you best select the book for you!

Shatter Me is a YA, dystopian fiction that tells the story of a teenage girl who has never been able to experience physical human connection due to her lethal touch. Juliette, labeled a freak, finds herself locked up in an asylum where she is left in indefinite isolation until The Reestablishment decides that they want to use her as a weapon for war.

There are 11 books in the Shatter Me series. Six are novels and five are novellas. This book is very similar to the X-Men movies, so if you’re a fan of that type of series you’ll definitely enjoy Shatter Me. It is a YA, sci-fi series with tons of action. The first book relies on world-building but by the second book, the pace heavily increases.

A Court of Thorns and Roses is a story of the nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre, whose life changes when she is imprisoned in the kingdom of her enemy after killing a wolf in the woods. When she’s dragged into this whole other world, she realizes her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once conquered the world. As she adapts to her new home, a wicked shadow is growing and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom her captor and his world forever.

Sarah J. Maas’s fantastic spin on Beauty and the Beast is a great read if you enjoy YA, high-fantasy novels. It’s very heavy on world-building which is perfect for people who love to immerse themselves in a great story. This series contains five lengthy books.

Six of Crows tells the story of Kaz Brekker, a brilliant but ruthless swindler with a skilled crew of sneaky thieves and spies at his disposal. Once Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams, He realizes he can’t pull it off alone. Kaz and his partners make their own way in a brutal world by trading in secret and stealing for their own gain while never looking back. Hopefully, Kaz can keep them from killing each other before the mission is completed.

This duology is the sequel to the beloved series Shadow and Bone, which is an additional good read. This series heavily smashes expectations. The six dangerous outcasts give you everything from murder to wit, to tragedy. It’s written by Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times bestselling author and creator of the Grishaverse.

Throne of Glass written by Sarah J. Maas takes place in a land without magic. The king rules with an iron hand, and Celaena, an assassin, is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three dangerous foes in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king’s champion. 

Something evil dwells in the castle of glass—and it’s there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival.  Her competition soon becomes a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

This is another fantastic book written by Maas. For those who love high fantasy or are familiar with Maas’s books, this one is also a very good read. It’s fast-paced and there is always something new happening in each chapter.  

Jade City by Fonda Lee, author, takes place in Janloon, a city torn by an unstable territory war between the rivaling No Peak clan and The Mountain clan, and is ruled by the Green Bones, which are people genetically inclined to handle the jade. Due to the magical, rare jade they possess, they have immense influence and power over the city’s commerce, politics, and people. The fate of the Green Bones and Kekon itself will be determined by the outcome of the clan war.

This trilogy is very Godfather-esque and is action-packed with magic and kung fu interwoven throughout the series. It’s a well-paced story about a leading family of fighters and the community they protect. The characters are very relatable and have tons of complexion and depth. This book is targeted at a more mature audience but overall is a very fun read.

All of these books have different writing styles and aspects that make them all very interesting and sensational reads. Amongst all of these various genres of books, choose the one that speaks to you the most.