My Favorite Fantasy Authors: Written By Kathy Palm

I learned about V.E. Schwab's books via OwlCrate, as their first-ever subscription box included A Darker Shade of Magic, and I've been hooked ever since. Each series or stand-alone has a slightly different vibe, but in a classic Schwab sort of way.

I've heard them explain that she wouldn't write a book just to continue with the characters unless they had something to say. That really stuck with me, and I feel it shows in their work.

Schwab is a versatile writer spanning different age groups and themes within fantasy. From their darker adult stories, such as Vicious, to spooky middle grade with the City of Ghosts, I love the different kinds of fantastical adventures their stories take us on.

Tracy Deonn's YA Arthurian-inspired series, The Legendborn Cycle, is not one to miss. This was definitely a moment where I immediately fell in love with the book, and the author became an instant favorite.

Legendborn is a clever and powerful tale that blends fantasy seamlessly with today's reality while not glossing over some of the uncomfortable truths and evils of today's society. The story talks about grief, race, and belonging, all the while being a witty Arthurian retelling set on a college campus with secret societies and brooding youths.

Tracy also has short stories in several anthologies, including From a Certain Point of View, At Midnight, and Cool. Awkward. Black. Legendborn was also an OwlCrate pick for their October 2020 box, and the second book in the series, Bloodmarked, was announced in October 2022. I hope we get a special edition of the third book in the series.

Nicki Pau Preto captivated my heart with her YA Crown of Feathers trilogy. This story is about a fierce female who's told she can't follow her dreams because of her gender. As expected, she’s ready to prove herself and follow her dreams regardless. There are complicated family situations, high stakes, and Phoenix riders; what more could you want?!

I had the pleasure of being on her First Riders street team to help promote the Crown of Feathers trilogy, and I'm so excited to read whatever else she writes. Ghostsmith is the sequel and conclusion to Bonesmith, a YA fantasy featuring a whole new world and magic system.

Later this year, Nicki will release her first middle-grade book, which features a magic school!

Rebecca F. Kuang is a powerful adult fantasy writer who is not afraid of tough topics . Her books are wonderfully written and often dissect heavy themes and issues.

I will never forget how emotionally raw I felt after binge-reading The Poppy War over 3 days. I had to take a breather before continuing on to the Dragon Republic. The series is a very rewarding read, but a rather heavy one.

Babel, a stand-alone masterpiece of dark academia, is one of my top favorite books. As with many of Kuang's books, it tackles questions of language and privilege while captivating the audience with the situations the characters are facing.

Little is known about her next book, Katabasis, except that it probably has something to do with a character's descent into the underworld, and I cannot wait to see what she does in that context!

I read my first book written by Jason June last year, and I cannot get enough. His stories are engaging with vibrant characters that just suck you into their situations and spit you back out feeling like you just had the best hug.

I first heard of Jason June from an author chat on the Nest. If you didn't know, The Nest hosts chats with authors about their upcoming books or other themes, and Jason June is someone I could listen to for hours! He even did a chat for the OwlCrate podcast, Lost in Plots, which was super fun to listen to.

Jason June writes primarily YA fantasy, but it sounds like we should export even more variety from him in the future. This fall, we get not 1, but 2 new Jason June books, which I am super excited for. We're getting the conclusion/sequel to the YA fantasy The Spells We Cast and a YA stand-alone winter romance!

Shannon "S.A." Chakraborty excels at writing epic adult historical fantasy with entertaining characters and lavish worlds . Her books are epic in every sense of the word and not ones to miss.

The Daevabad trilogy is a historical fiction fantasy set in a medieval Islamic world full of mythology and culture. The series is complete, and there's even a bonus fourth book containing short stories from different characters and times throughout the trilogy. The story does have a bit of a slower start, but it is well worth the buildup.

Her current series, Amina al-Sirafi, is another epic historical fantasy series. Featuring pirates on the Indian Ocean, magic, and quests. It's a really hard book to put down, and I cannot wait to see where her adventures take us next.

Earlier this year Namina Forna published The Eternal Ones, the conclusion to her YA trilogy, The Gilded Ones. It had everything I wanted from the series and dealt with themes of purity, societal norms, and the woman's place.

I first learned of this book from my OwlCrate box back in 2021 and remember resonating deeply with the author's letter where she said the concept of purity has been used to keep women in their place.

This series is not for the faint of heart, but it is worth the heartache to read and fall in love with these characters. As each story progresses, more truth unfolds until you're left with the heart of the story; it is well worth the journey. I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

I first read one of Gabe Cole Novoa's books last year after it was recommended in the Nest . The Wicked Bargain is a YA Latinx pirate fantasy featuring magic and demons where our main character struggles to be themselves. The story captured my attention and my heart immediately, and I've been a big fan ever since.

I've already devoured both of his books, which were released earlier this year, The Diablo's Curse (a companion to The Wicked Bargain) and Most Ardently (a Pride and Prejudice retelling). He also has a YA sci-fi series that I'm hoping to read soon called Beyond the Red.

If you know me, you know this list would include Brandon Sanderson, who lives and breathes storytelling . He writes across all ages, but mainly fantasy and science fiction with a little bit of thriller sprinkled in.

I dove off the deep end when I found Sanderson. My first two books of his were The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance, aka books 1 and 2 of the Stormlight Archive, and I fell hard! While many of his books tend to be quite long, he has written several short stories and novellas, which I also really enjoy.

Many of his stories take place in the Cosmere, which is his fictional universe that, by design, will include more than 30 core books when it is complete. A really nice thing about his work is that while the different books and series have Cosmere connections, each is still enjoyable on its own.

He also co-writes stories with some of his writer friends and uses his position in the industry to question things, such as  Audible's royalty rights for independent authors.

Sanderson teaches a writing course at his local university, and this year will be the 4th year his company, Dragonsteel, will host their own convention.

K. O'Neill is an author and illustrator who writes books that simply captivate my heart. Hailing from New Zealand, their books generally leave me with a sense of comfort and happiness , making them the ultimate comfort read. The art is adorable, and the stories have really great themes of inclusiveness.

Their books are for all ages, and I cannot recommend them enough! Most are stand-alone stories, and even books 1 and 2 of the Tea Dragon Society can be read as stand-alones.