Can any suggest a good fantasy book for my early 20’s daughter please?

[Gonksarecooler]

Hi - am urgently (need to order from Amazon today to be here for tomorrow) looking for a Christmas present of a fantasy/sci fi book for my daughter?

She loves/collects the pretty editions of books with the coloured printing t around the pages (sorry - don’t know what that is called?) and preferably a map at the front of the book - hardback only.

Has anyone got any suggestions please? It isn’t my genre so I am at a loss? Also she doesn’t like any of these (awful!) Alpha male styles that seem to be everywhere at the minute.. strong female characters please!

I can’t help with the fancy page edging and maps but here are some titles:

Hexwood, Deep Secret, A Sudden Wild Magic, Enchanted Glass; any of these by Diana Wynne Jones.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

The Rainbow Opera by Elizabeth Knox.

The Eyre Affair, The Last Dragonslayer; both by Jasper Fforde.

The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas.

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley.

Robin Hobb. the Assasin’s Apprentice or Live Ship trilogies.

Robin Hobb. Start with Assassin’s Apprentice (or the first trilogy). They are such good books.

interestingly was here to suggest Robin Hobb as well! I personally love the liveship trilogy best but I enjoyed almost all of them.

Do you know of any authors or series she’s enjoyed previously which could help direct suggestions?

Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas is spectacular.

Thank you! Assassins apprentice is a a brilliant suggestion but cannot find hardback copies - there is only paperback on Amazon.

Diana Wynne Jones and Laine Taylor books she already has. The other options look brilliant but are again not available in hardback. Although I may order second hand cookies which are available and will get here in Jan and hang onto those for her birthday!

Sorry - do you know of any others that are currently available in hardback please?

I don’t know those authors, sorry. I had a little look on Amazon and nothing will ship next day to my location at this point so not sure what would be available to you. Any chance you can get to a bookstore and get some help from someone?

Sorry - it would have been more helpful if I had already said what sort of authors she had got - on her some of the names are
Sarah J Maas (many books!)
Rachel Gillig
Thea Guanzon
Stephanie Garber
Adrienne Young
Imani Errol

Anything by Naomi Novik
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
Has she read Shannon Chakraborty

If she likes cosy fantasy then
The Spell Shop by Sarah Beth Durst
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross - available with beautiful sprayed edges in some shops, is apparently absolutely brilliant (according to my DD and several book podcasters!).

Check out the Poppy War trilogy if she hasn't read it yet. My all time favourite, and there's a collector's edition on Amazon. I'll have a think on others that might come in special covers.

David Eddings The Belgariad and the Mallorean series. The first of the Belgariad is ‘Pawn of Prophecy’.

Or real blast from past. What about Ursula le Guin. Maybe ‘ A Wizard of Earthsea’.

Good luck OP!

Unfortunately, this genre typically moves to paperback quite quickly and has its longer life in pbk, so you might have more luck with a newer book.

I think you’re talking about sprayed/deckled edges, which are often exclusives for book shops, so you may struggle on Amazon. Any chance you can get to a bookshop? Or perhaps buy a book voucher so she can choose?

I second Naomi Novik:
www.waterstones.com/author/naomi-novik/963749

And Folio Society has gorgeous, but expensive editions.
https://www.foliosociety.com/uk/sci-fi-fantasy

A lot of folk aren’t aware, but Amazon is pretty awful for the book industry, so if she’s keen on books she may prefer something not from Amazon - just a thought. Typically, the high production value hardback specials are produced specifically for bookshops to incentivise large orders. You might find something on bookshop.org, but I’m not sure about posting dates.

Hope you find something she loves.

Amazon has 'The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition' with maps and 56 illustrations.

Spotted this in Waterstones a week ago. It’s a painted fore-edge. Louis Sachar wrote Holes which is excellent.
Also Katabasis by RF Kuang again beautiful fore age painting and good author (both fantasy)

I enjoyed Steel Princess by April Grace and Whispers of the Elixir by CP Silver.
Im afraid I have no idea if they are available in hardback though.

Also "The Race Is On" series by OC Heaton. Again, can't say if its in hardback or not. I dont think it is.

It doesn’t help you for Christmas (unless you happen to live near London or Brighton where they have shops) but for future presents Goldsboro Books do lots of books with sprayed edges and have a lot of fantasy books

goldsborobooks.com

Look for suitable Titles on the Folio Society website. You might not get it before Christmas but they usually have special edition books with all the trimmings.

You often get them cheaper on re selling sites like abe books.

www.foliosociety.com/uk/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=%7B%7Bcampaign.name%7D%7D&utm_term=%7B%7Badset.name%7D%7D&utm_content=%7B%7Bad.name%7D%7D&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21722595764&gclid=CjwKCAiAmKnKBhBrEiwAaqAnZyVdsDonyYOJqTg976Z7g94r1n0i2JUyTbnVg4ou1rE4Xt_gDoLFMBoCNP0QAvD_BwE

Kerri Maniscalco Throne of the Fallen.

Brandon Sanderson's secret projects - there are four books, beautiful hardbacks but unrelated to each other so you can just get one if you want

I'd highly recommend the Fallen Gods trilogy by Hannah Kaner, I have those in hardback and they're beautiful.

Also, Samantha Shannon Priory of the Orange Tree and A Day of Fallen Night.

You mention Sarah Maas but the Crescent City trilogy is available as a hardback set if she doesn't already have them.

I don’t know the authors you mention, but if she hasn’t yet read it, ‘Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell’, by Susanna Clarke would make a magnificent gift, even in paperback:

https://amzn.eu/d/5FdxrNl

The Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern