November Reading List: Fantasy

In the month of November, I'm going to read a genre of books that I used to love when I was younger, but haven't read much of lately: fantasy novels!

As a kid, princesses, magic, and fairy tales were most definitely my jam. I loved nothing more than to get lost in an impossible world. However, as I got older, my interests drifted more into realistic fiction. Aside from the Harry Potter books and Game of Thrones, I haven't read much fantasy as an adult. So, I decided to return to my former favorite in the month of November and rediscover what I used to love about the genre.

Here's the reading list for the month:

The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson - I don't know much about this book. I picked it up at our school book fair after I saw our media specialist carrying it around. That's usually a decent indication that a book is worth checking out. The back of the book says that this is about a girl who must go on a dangerous and slightly magical journey to return a mysterious girl to the king's protection. Sounds pretty much standard for a young adult fantasy.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas - This novel is really popular on the young adult book blogs. It's way past time that I read it for myself. This one is about an assassin trying to win her freedom from prison, along with the title of King's Champion.

After Alice by Gregory Maguire - I've read most of Maguire's other works (my favorite being Wicked), so I want to read his dark take on Alice in Wonderland too.

Stray by Elissa Sussman - I admit that I picked this book up off the shelf at Barnes and Noble based on the beautiful cover design alone. It's about a princess trying to follow a traditional path through life, but struggling to control her magic.

I'm definitely interested to see if I still enjoy fantasy as much as a did as a teenager. I worry about struggling to find a true emotional connection to these works, as I find that many fantasy novels are plot-driven rather than character-driven. I'm definitely a fan of character-driven works at this point in my life, but I'm going to give this month a fair shot. It's time to make some magic!