2020 was a year from hell and I did a lot of escaping by reading. I have found some all new fantasy favorites of mine that I have been non-stop recommending to friends and anyone who will listen! This past year was also really hard for writers, especially debut authors, so here are some fantasy books published in 2020 that I absolutely loved!

If you’ve read any of these, let me know what you thought about them!

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Soulswift by Megan Bannen
Published: November 17, 2020
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 480
Goodreads

Gelya is a Vessel, a girl who channels the word of the One True God through song. Cloistered with the other Vessels of her faith, she believes—as all Ovinists do—that a saint imprisoned Elath the Great Demon centuries ago, saving humanity from earthly temptation.

When Gelya stumbles into a deadly cover-up by the Ovinists’ military, she reluctantly teams up with Tavik, an enemy soldier, to survive. Tavik believes that Elath is actually a mother goddess who must be set free, but while he succeeds in opening Her prison, he inadvertently turns Gelya into Elath’s unwilling human vessel…

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Master of One by Jaida Jones & Dani Bennett
Published: November 10, 2020
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 544
Goodreads

Rags is a thief—an excellent one. He’s stolen into noble’s coffers, picked soldier’s pockets, and even liberated a ring or two off the fingers of passersby. Until he’s caught by the Queensguard and forced to find an ancient fae relic for a sadistic royal sorcerer.

But Rags could never have guessed this “relic” would actually be a fae himself—a distractingly handsome, annoyingly perfect, ancient fae prince called Shining Talon. Good thing Rags can think on his toes, because things just get stranger from there…

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Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Published: September 15, 2020
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pages: 512
Goodreads

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw…

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The Kinder Poison by Natalie Mae
Published: June 16, 2020
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 416
Goodreads

Zahru has long dreamed of leaving the kingdom of Orkena and having the kinds of adventures she’s only ever heard about in stories. But as a lowly Whisperer, her power to commune with animals means that her place is serving in the royal stables until the day her magic runs dry.

All that changes when the ailing ruler invokes the Crossing: a death-defying race across the desert, in which the first of his heirs to finish—and take the life of a human sacrifice at the journey’s end—will ascend to the throne and be granted unparalleled abilities…

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Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
Published: July 7, 2020
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Pages: 336
Goodreads

There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it’s not just a story.

As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison…

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These are all 5 stars reads from 2020 and while there are many more, these are the ones that I keep thinking about and coming back to. If you’re interested in finding out more about these books, I’ve linked my reviews for each of them as well as their Goodreads pages!

If you decide to pick up any of these books, let me know what you thought about them! I’d love to hear your thoughts, good or bad.