3 Little Known Fantasy Book Series That You Will Love

Something to know about me is that I love reading and I am a HUGE fan of fantasy books. Most people will have read the likes of the Harry Potter series, The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings (my favourite book) but there are plenty of lesser known books that are definitely worth reading and will keep your nose glued to the pages from start to finish. Here are 3 little known book series that I loved.

The Arcane Ascension Book Series by Andrew Rowe

This series fits in the LitRPG (Literary Role Playing Game) genre, which combines the usual characteristics of a role playing game (such as game-like challenges and quests aimed at gaining specific abilities or objects) and the classic narrative of fantasy novels. Not that I am an expert, as I only discovered that a definition for this genre existed whilst writing this post.

The story is set in the land of Kaldwyn, split in several nations all of which have a spire in them. These spires can grant incredible powers (known as attunements) to those who earn them by completing the challenges that the spire presents them with. To make the entire process more difficult, those who emerge victorious rarely remember much about the challenges they faced and the layout of the spire. The book narrates the story of Corin Cadence, a young man of noble origins who is eager to face the spire in order to earn an attunement and find his older brother, who disappeared in the spire during his test five years prior.

I was personally not entirely convinced by the author's choice to include a romantic storyline for Corin: not only it felt a bit forced as it was a very sudden change for a character who dislikes physical contact and has major trust issues, but there was no real need for a romantic storyline in the books. Nevertheless, this series is incredibly well written and engaging and therefore fully recommended.

The Mage Errant Book Series by John Bierce

As the above mentioned series, these books could also be classified as LitRPG. The reader will immediately sympathise with the main character, Hugh of Emblin, who is the literal embodiment of a "lovable loser". He has very little self confidence due to the fact that, although he has been displaying magical abilities and has therefore been sent to Skyhold's Academy, he seems to have little to no control over his magic and, unlike every other mage he knows, he has no attunements. With no friends and no apparent talent, Hugh has no hopes for the Choosing ceremony, during which the students are chosen by adult mages as apprentices. To his surprise, not only he gets chosen and starts making friends, but his path will lead him to exciting discoveries and several challenges, the first of which will take place in the vast Labyrinth underneath the Academy.

Although I am not a fan of the printed layout of the book, the story is incredibly captivating and really easy to read. You will quickly become attached to Hugh and his friends and, if you are anything like me, there is a considerable chance that you will read all three books in one or two days.

Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

The name of this series may sound familiar as Tim Burton directed a movie (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, 2016) based on the first book of the series. Unfortunately, as the cinematographic project was only meant to produce the one movie, the plot was changed in order to create a proper ending to the story instead of following the original storyline, which leaves the readers on a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of the first volume.

Embellished with (real) old eerie photos, this series follows the story of 16-year-old Jacob who, following the sudden death of his grandfather, embarks on an adventure that will take him to a remote coastal village in the United Kingdom. There he discovers a place unknown to the modern world and meets new "peculiar" friends. He soon comes to realise that the stories his grandfather used to tell him when he was growing up were all true, and that this world and his new friends are threatened by an unknown terror.

Just like its title, this story is "peculiar", in a good way. The vintage photos add to the narrative and give a face to those characters the reader will inevitably grow attached to. With their suspence, terrifying foes, magical characters and a bit of time travel, these books will keep you hooked until the last page.