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Fantasy Level: Beginner

Percy Jackson and Harry Potter are great fantasy series that are easy to digest. Simple magic systems allow for easy following, The real-world setting makes it easy to feel empathy for the characters. Also, young characters allow for less complex thinking patterns. There are less adult topics like marriage or brutality. These series fall into the beginner genre very easily.

Easy

These books take on the next step, maybe a gateway into the adult genre. A prime example is Throne of Glass, An Ember in the Ashes, and Mistborn.

Throne of Glass still falls closer to the young adult genre but has some more complex magic systems and adult topics like politics. Characters that are easy to follow, but a long, eight book series that takes time to get through.

An Ember in the Ashes is still a young adult series, but has a heavy fantasy background built off of complex and mythological history. Since this one is set more in a war-like aspect, there is some brutality to be aware of with more complicated decisions to make.

Mistborn is an adult series even though the main character begins at 16 and 17 years old. This is a series that introduces big problems to a young age. Why I like this is because when difficult concepts arise, it is explained to a younger person. This can get a little repetitive but it reminds you how the magic system works.

Intermediate

We are now engulfed into the adult genre but have more explicit content. Here we should find A Court of Thorns and Roses and Fourth Wing.

Both of these series start with adult characters, but we open to more sexually explicit content, as well as brutality. We will see more moral dilemmas, emotional responses, and war. While this writing style stays simple for a vast majority of readers, it is still engaging to a minorly complicated magic system

Hard

Here we have writing styles that may be more difficult, as well as brutality. Please welcome: The Way of Kings, A Blade Itself, and The Assassins Apprentice.

These are three very different stories, but I put them together because they each have a difficult aspect to them.

The Way of Kings has a massive system and is the start of the “cosmere” that Brandon Sanderson has built outside of Mistborn. This magic system is described in very lengthy books in a 10+ book series. Because of the size and magic system, this is easily  moderate book, however what I have found to make it hard is the emotional turmoil of the characters. There has been intensive study made by Sanderson to build these characters with a vast display of mental health issues. There are explicit topics involving murder, depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar, etc. This is what truly makes the story as difficult as it is.

A Blade Itself is a brutal series. I would have put Red Rising here as well, but I wanted to keep this mainly fantasy for now. There is torture and gruesome scenes int this book that will make your toes curl, let this be your trigger warning. However, I find Abercrombie’s writing to be easier to read, like Sanderson’s pieces.

The Assassin’s Apprentice starts with a slow-paced story. This is a “hear me out” story because it’s very emotionally driven with a deep character-driven plotline. While this is the case, the title is misleading to a lot of readers, however I will not spoil it as to why. Because this is so character-driven, the pacing is what makes this book difficult. Test your patience here.

Expert

Drum roll please because I am putting The Wheel of Time and The Lord of the Rings in the expert category.

To those who have read these series, hats off to you because I could not do it, not for the lack of trying. I have no vendetta against these books, but they are genuinely hard to read.

Because these series are older, the writing style and vocabulary alone can be difficult for a modern day reader. On top of the challenge of reading the story, the magic system and world building is so detailed, it has it’s own importance to understand. These books feel meticulous, and that every piece is important to a one thousand piece puzzle.

There are brutal and adult based topics that can be quite difficult to understand with the writing style here as well

Honorable Mention: The Silmarillion

This bumps every category down one. This is a topic for another day. If you have read this, you can read anything.

Thank you to everyone who supports me! Last week there was no post for mothers day and a loss in my family. I am back and ready to continue writing <3.