These are seven of my favorite books/series of all time!!^^ And I will be also giving a brief review of them hehe
──── Warriors (series) ────
by Erin Hunter
“You cannot live with a paw in both worlds”
– Erin Hunter, ‘Into the Wild’
Genre: Animals (cats) | Fantasy | Action
Age Rating: 10+ (some gore, mentions of killing, action, and betrayal in the series)
Warriors by Erin Hunter is a series about cats that work together in different Clans for survival. There are originally four, and then later in the series five Clans: ThunderClan, ShadowClan, WindClan, RiverClan, and SkyClan. Their ancestors look after them and send mysterious prophecies from StarClan, whereas there is also a tribe living in the mountains. The Clans used to live in forest territory, but after Twolegs invaded their land, they moved to the lake.
You will learn more about the history of the Clans during ‘the Dawn of the Clans’ series/the special edition ‘Mothflight’s Vision’, where mountain cats from the tribe headed to the forest, starting to fight over land, recruiting members, and overcoming enemies.
There are currently 9 arcs in the series, with ‘Changing Skies’ being its latest. There are also novellas, super editions, guides, and graphic novels about the series, and a new book, ‘Chasing Shadows’, is actually to be released on the 31st of March.
I love most of the plots of the arcs (they are all pretty interesting to be honest), so if you are a big fan of cats you should definitely read the series! You will have to spend quite long to catch on though (the family trees are definitely… very long and there are a lot of generations). I started reading the first book in late 2020 or 2021 and is pretty up to speed on the series, so if you want a better understanding of the worldbuilding and characters I don’t recommend jumping into the latest series at once (you will get really confused lol).
There are also other series about animals, Seekers (revolving around bears), Survivors (revolving around dogs), Bravelands (which takes place in Africa), and Bamboo Kingdom (about pandas). There may be more but these are just the ones I am aware of :’D
So yeah, if you like animal fiction/fantasy, I really recommend checking out Warriors and also the rest of Erin Hunter’s books!
──── The Divergent trilogy ────
by Veronica Roth
“Is it a hard one? You can pick a new one if you want, but make it good. You don’t get to pick again.”
– Four, ‘Divergent’
Genre: Dystopia | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Young Adult | Romance | Adventure
Age Rating: 13+ (some mentions of gore, dystopia, shooting, etc.)
‘Divergent’ follows Tris (Beatrice) Prior, a girl from Abnegation, who undergoes intense initiation training with her chosen faction and struggles to fit in with the others. Set in future dystopian Chicago, there are five factions: Abnegation (selfishness), Amity (peace), Candor (honesty), Dauntless (bravery), and Erudite (intelligence). The moment you turn sixteen, you have to take a test to determine your faction, but the choice in the end is solely up to you.
I won’t spoil the plots of ‘Insurgent’ and ‘Allegiant’ (you should definitely read ‘Divergent’ first before checking the two other out!), but the series is really soo good <3 I love Tris’s personality, but maybe it’s because of her faction’s upbringing or something because she doesn’t really seem like your typical sixteen-year-old girl?
There are so many obstacles throughout the book which hooks the reader in immediately. I haven’t watched the movies before, but there are so many heartwarming moments in the books and I keep swooning oh my gosh Tris and Four’s relationship is just chef’s kiss !! <3
‘Divergent’ and ‘Insurgent’ were both really entertaining to read, but I accidentally got myself spoiled for ‘Allegiant’ and I HAVE TO SAY THAT I REALLY HATE THE ENDING THOUGH. There’s also an epilogue set five years later which I read and got really mad at. Don’t get me wrong though, I love the series dearly and the characters so much but the ending just really broke me… :'(
If you’re a big fan of dystopia/romance though (like I am) you should definitely check this out! You’ll definitely grow to love the worldbuilding (there are also so many jokes and swoonworthy moments hehe)
──── The Cruel Prince (part of a series) ────
by Holly Black
“If you hurt me, I wouldn’t cry. I would hurt you right back.”
– Holly Black, ‘The Cruel Prince’
Genre: Fantasy | Romance | Young Adult
Age Rating: 13+ (mentions of gore, a lot of plot twists, a tiny bit dark)
‘The Cruel Prince’ is the first book in ‘The Folk of the Air’ trilogy. This novel really hooked me in from the first page; I absolutely love the worldbuilding and Holly Black’s way of writing!
It’s a bit of a dark and complex story though. It’s about a human girl named Jude who grows up in the High Court of Faerie and struggles to fit in with the rest of her magical peers. There’s a lot of different troubles, and she constantly gets looked down by many of the fey, who despise humans.
She is also bullied by Prince Cardan, the youngest and wicked son of the High King, and his friends. But to settle in at the Court, she has to defy him, and she must live with her consequences.
This book is really so intriguing, with lots of deceptions, plot twists, and secrets! I haven’t actually read ‘The Wicked King’ and ‘The Queen of Nothing’ yet, but Jude and Cardan’s ‘enemies-to-lovers’ relationship is killing me 😀 they are like soo cute together
I also love how Jude’s twin sister Taryn is sort of like a contrast to Jude’s brave, reckless personality? She is such a cool character and I love how she never wants to back down from challenges. If you like fantasy you should definitely check this out!
──── Ella Enchanted (part of a series) ────
by Gail Carson Levine
“I wished I could spend the rest of my life… being slightly crushed by someone who loved me.”
– Gail Carson Levine, ‘Ella Enchanted’
Genre: Fantasy | Romance | Young Adult
Age Rating: 10+ (emotional, and the sisters are manipulative but honestly it’s a light read)
Ella Enchanted is a Cinderella retelling following Ella (Eleanor), who the fairy Lucinda gifted her with ‘obedience’ when she was born. However, that means that she has to follow everyone’s commands, leading her to do things she doesn’t like.
Her cook is actually her fairy godmother, and after her mum dies when she is fourteen, she becomes close with the prince Char (who she instantly bonds with) at the funeral. However, after meeting Dame Olga (who becomes her stepmother), her dad decides to send her to finish school with Dame Olga’s daughters, Hattie and Olive.
After escaping from school, she attends her dad and Dame Olga’s wedding, where she meets up with Char again on the way. Her dad and Dame Olga are gifted ‘eternal love’ by the fairy Lucinda, and Char soon leaves for his trip. They communicate through writing letters and soon fall in love, but Ella is afraid of her curse harming Char and decides they can never be together.
After Char comes back from his trip, she attends the three royal balls, and she eventually loses one of her glass slippers. He goes to her home and asks her to marry him, and with love she finally breaks the curse.
This story is so heartwarming! I remember I was really emotional at the end, and I grew to love Ella’s character because she struggled so much and had so many troubles. This is honestly such a good retelling of Cinderella (it has similar elements but I love how there’s a curse incorporated in it). In this world there are also ogres and lots of other magical creatures, so if you love fantasy and retellings of fairytales, you should definitely check out the entire series^^
──── RoseBlood (part of a series) ────
by A.G. Howard
“I need to know why I’m so broken, so I can fix myself. One way or another. Maybe this place can help me do that, and then I can finally look forward to my future. Because I’m starting to realize there’s something worse than stepping up and facing your fears – and that’s living as if you’re already dead.”
– A.G. Howard, ‘RoseBlood’
Genre: Mystery | Paranormal | Fantasy | Young Adult | Romance
Age Rating: 14+ (mysterious and paranormal, quite dark and gothic, unsettling and eerie)
RoseBlood is a retelling of the Phantom of the Opera, about a seventeen-year-old girl called Rune Germain who is a talented singer with a weirdly powerful voice and a tragic past. After her dad’s mysterious death, she joins a French boarding school near an opera house (the mysterious and elite RoseBlood Academy) and struggles to overcome her power, but things get even more interesting: a masked boy named Thorn (who’s tied to the Phantom!) has been watching her every move. As they become closer and their feelings develop, secrets are revealed, from the start of something simple to danger.
I honestly don’t remember a lot of this as I read this around two years ago? I don’t usually read gothic/dark mysteries, but I remember picking it up because its cover looked really fascinating. The words were in this red color, and it just intrigued me. I haven’t actually read/watched the Phantom of Opera before, but RoseBlood was a pretty nice read! The plot was dramatic, and I remember loving Rune and Thorn’s relationship 😀
──── The Forgotten Book (standalone) ────
by Mechthild Gläser
“Now and then they would tell old legends and fairy tales about the castle, the way people always do about old castles. But they would be just that: fairy tales.“
– Mecthild Glaser, ‘The Forgotten Book’
Genre: Fantasy | Young Adult | Romance | Mystery | Adventure
Age Rating: 13+ (mysterious, emotional, and slightly dark but much less than RoseBlood)
The Forgotten Book is a retelling inspired by both Emma and Pride and Prejudice, evolved around a sixteen-year-old girl called Emma, who discovers a magical book in an abandoned library. Emma’s life seems perfect; her dad is the headmaster of her boarding school, her friends all come to her for advice, and it feels like she’ll start a relationship with her crush any second.
However, her life is flipped upside down when she finds that anything in the book she writes becomes true (which sounds great but has severe consequences). This magical power reveals secrets from years ago, but things become even more complicated when she realizes that someone else also wants to take the book (I’m pretty sure there was this mystery evolving around someone’s sister, and at the very end people disappeared because the book was destroyed!) Then, of course, Emma just unexpectedly becomes ally with the ‘arrogant, aloof, and irritatingly handsome’ Darcy de Winter.
This book is one of my favorites! Emma and Darcy’s relationship is honestly so cute oh my gosh <3 it’s basically a mystery/adventure but elements of fantasy and romance are incorporated! I also ADORE the boarding school setting, but sadly since I read this also around two years ago I don’t remember a lot of it either 😔
──── His Dark Materials (series) ────
by Philip Pullman
“She wondered whether there would ever come an hour in her life when she didn’t think of him — didn’t speak to him in her head, didn’t relive every moment they’d been together, didn’t long for his voice and his hands and his love. She had never dreamed of what it would feel like to love someone so much; of all the things that had astonished her in her adventures, that was what astonished her the most. She thought the tenderness it left in her heart was like a bruise that would never go away, but she would cherish it forever.”
– Philip Pullman, ‘His Dark Materials’
This is a trilogy following Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry as they explore parallel universes! It consists of ‘The Golden Compass’, ‘The Subtle Knife’, and ‘The Amber Spyglass’, with companion novellas and a follow-up trilogy :’D
The series are basically about this girl named Lyra who lives in a world with animal companions (daemons, which are physical manifestations of a person) and multiple parallel worlds. She’s taken on an adventure when her friend Roger mysteriously disappears (taken by ‘the Gobblers’).
I forgot half of the plot but I did first read ‘The Golden Compass’ in like SIXTH GRADE then reread it, and read the other two 2 or 3 years ago 😭😭 I do remember finding Lyra and her mum’s relationship really interesting (and also her parents’ relationship) though. The idea of daemons was also super cool and I loved the entire worldbuilding for this series, including how she tried to escape after being captured by ‘the Gobblers’ (? I honestly don’t remember lol). The elements of the Alethiometer (this truth-telling compass plays a crucial role in this story and Lyra can actually read it!!), the Dust, and the knife are incorporated in this trilogy perfectly. I’m pretty sure Lyra started off as suspecting Will, but they later became friends and grew into a romantic relationship, though they separated at the end so I think I was rather sad because of that…
You should definitely check it out though, especially if you’re a fan of fantasy and adventure! ‘His Dark Materials’ is described as fantasy literature, and it’s honestly quite philosophical so I remember enjoying the trilogy!
Well, that’s it for this blog! I’m sorry for how vague some descriptions may seem but I haven’t read most of them in a long time (honestly I’m trying to not spoil the plot either but ranting at the same time), and I had to read through a lot of plot summary and analysis in order to even start writing 😭 😭
(I just realized that these are also all under the genre of fantasy so if you don’t like fantasy I’m incredibly sorry…)
Anyway, thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day/night !!
3/31/26 ♡
Sources:
Works Cited
Carson, Gail. “Ella Enchanted (Novel).” Gail Carson Levine Wiki, Fandom, Inc., 2025, gailcarsonlevine.fandom.com/wiki/Ella_Enchanted_(novel). Accessed 31 March 2026.
“Divergent Trilogy.” PIXELRZ. Accessed 31 March 2026.
“Ella Enchanted Quotes by Gail Carson Levine.” Goodreads.com, 2026, www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2485462-ella-enchanted. Accessed 31 March 2026.
Gail Carson Levine. Ella Enchanted. New York, Harper, Imprint Of Harpercollinspublishers, 1997. Accessed 31 March 2026.
“His Dark Materials Quotes by Philip Pullman.” Goodreads.com, 2025, www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1943518-his-dark-materials-northern-lights-the-subtle-knife-the-amber-spygl. Accessed 31 March 2026.
https://www.facebook.com/jeremiah.say. “76 Most Memorable Quotes from the “Divergent” Series (LIFE).” Gracious Quotes, 20 January 2023, graciousquotes.com/divergent/. Accessed 31 March 2026.
“Into the Wild Quotes by Erin Hunter.” Goodreads.com, 2026, www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1346922-into-the-wild. Accessed 31 March 2026.
Love. “His Dark Materials Book Series by Philip Pullman | Read If You Love.” Read If You Love, 29 June 2025, readifyoulove.com/his-dark-materials-book-series-by-philip-pullman/. Accessed 31 March 2026.
Mechthild Gläser, and Romy Fursland. The Forgotten Book. New York, Feiwel And Friends, 2018. Accessed 31 March 2026.
“Roseblood by A.G. Howard.” Belle Plaine Books, 2017, www.belleplainebooks.com/product-page/roseblood-by-a-g-howard. Accessed 31 March 2026.
“RoseBlood Quotes by A.G. Howard.” Goodreads.com, 2026, www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/46757820-roseblood. Accessed 31 March 2026.
“The Cruel Prince – Holly Black.” Blackholly.com, blackholly.com/books/the-cruel-prince/. Accessed 31 March 2026.
“The Cruel Prince Quotes by Holly Black.” Www.goodreads.com, www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/45959123-the-cruel-prince. Accessed 31 March 2026.
“The Forgotten Book by Mechthild Gläser.” Thestorygraph.com, 2017, app.thestorygraph.com/books/ae24a12e-86ff-4835-8ddf-99c21d0196d4. Accessed 31 March 2026.
“The Forgotten Book Quotes by Mechthild Gläser.” Goodreads.com, 2026, www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/54519791-emma-der-faun-und-das-vergessene-buch. Accessed 31 March 2026.
“Warriors Series 1.” Animalia Life Club. Accessed 31 March 2026.
