3 Fantasy Books You Must Read This Summer
Guest post by Jacklyn Walters
It’s officially summer, which means it’s officially time to dust off our favorite summer fantasy reads.
We know what you’re thinking—spring courts and love triangles and MMCs with long blond hair. That’s where you, reader, are mistaken. This isn’t a Pantene commercial. This is much more serious.
Don’t get us wrong, we love a good field of wildflowers. But we like our summer reads mysterious and surprising and, honestly, a little dark. Save the formulaic stories for Christmas movies. We’re ready for a villain who isn’t just a nice boy with selfish intentions..
As reader girls & femmes ourselves over here at Forest & Fawn, we know no two summer readers are alike.
Some are beach readers—the girls who need a paperback to fold up and dog-ear and fill the pages with sand. Others are camp girlies—you guys need something that can go from campfire to hammock to tent to the bottom of your multicolor Cotopaxi backpack without looking (too) battered by the end of the week. Then there’s AC chic babes—for you, something to warm you up in your 65° apartment.
No matter your summer-girl archetype, we have the perfect fantasy novels for your TBR.
1. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
For the beach reader (or anyone looking for a classic fairytale).
The only standalone novel in our summer rec list, “Spinning Silver” is a retelling of Rumplestiltskin. But not in a weird way.
Family to protect. Subjects to save. Debts to pay. Miryem is the daughter of her town’s moneylender, and soon has to take over the role when her father fails to collect the money they’re owed. When Miryem finds out just how good she is at this, the local (and dreaded) fae start to notice.
Why It’s the Perfect Summer Read:
An unlikely girl gang that will soon become your new favorite found family.
Multiple POVs. Like, a lot.
A deep exploration of anti-semitism through the lens of a classic fairytale. Very cool.
Novik is incredible. All of her books feature thoughtful magic systems, thorough world building, and are strikingly unique. “Spinning Silver” will not leave you disappointed.
2. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
For the camp girly (or anyone looking for a series).
Perfect for summertime bingeing, “The Bear and the Nightingale” is book 1 of the Winternight Trilogy.
Vasilisa has second sight; she sees creatures others cannot. Her childhood was marked by conversations with the protective spirits around her house. But her father’s new wife, also gifted with second sight, doesn’t perceive the creatures as protective at all. With her new step mother’s restrictive rules in play, things pretty quickly take a turn for the worst.
Why It’s the Perfect Summer Read:
Stories told around a fire
Exploring in the woods
Honoring spirits, and the consequences when you don’t
This story has it all: Russian fairytales that could keep you up at night, an evil stepmother (which I have literally been begging for more of), a free-spirited woman who refuses to be forced into marriage. Just girly things.
3. North is the Night by Emily Rath
For the AC chic babes (or anyone ready for a reminder that colder days are coming).
“North is the Night” transports us to winter in medieval Finland. Basically, it’s great for sitting wrapped up in blankets in your frigid air-conditioned living room.
Wrapped in the love of female friendship and rooted in Finnish mythology, this story follows best friends Siiri and Aina, who is pretty much immediately snatched up by a goddess of the underworld. We follow along their dual-perspective narratives as Aina navigates her new world and Siiri goes on an epic quest to rescue her friend.
Why It’s the Perfect Summer Read:
Getting stolen away to the underworld—Aina’s story is a Finnish version of Persephone as soon as summer ends.
Not-quite-sapphic love story. It’s giving friends-to-lovers, except they’re still mostly just friends.
Book 2, “South is the Sea,” is set to come out this year.
Live it up while you can girls! You never know when a death god is coming to drag you to their realm.
Our summer reads list is sickeningly long, but these three made their way to the top this year. We wanted to branch out from the new releases, dive into some stories we don’t typically consider for summertime, and get in one more new read before another Maas binge ahead of ACOTAR 6.
Once you’ve devoured these, head to the Forest & Fawn Instagram. We’re always sharing fantasy book recommendations over there—queer fantasy reads, 100 book recs from BookCon, the list goes on.
Until then, enjoy. Happy summer. Happy reading. And always remember your sunscreen.
Guest post by Jacklyn Walters
Jacklyn Walters spends more time in the imaginary than the real world, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Like Belle, Jacklyn prefers to live “with a dreamy far-off look, and her nose stuck in a book.” She has always found escape in reading. Ironic, since the books she read as a teen were primarily dystopian novels. But they lit up something in her. They showed her that being a strong-willed woman doesn’t mean you’re difficult, it means you’re going to save the world.
Now her passions lie in creating and making sure others can tell their stories, too.
When she isn’t working on marketing campaigns, Jacklyn can be found exploring local parks, planning grand adventures, laughing with friends, and, of course, reading.
