Best Fantasy Books for Smart Women

Do you love the idea of female-fronted fantasy (alliteration!) with heroines who are 20 or older? Maybe you loved Harry Potter and Narnia back in the day but have grown up and want something older. Maybe you are still a teen but read like an adult. Maybe you would like a break from all those fantasy stories with high school in them. Either way, I have complied a short list to help you out!

Most characters in books, movies, TV, etc. tend to be young, single/un-attached, and childless. Yes, this leaves open endless possibilities, but I love it when writers do something different! I love it when a good fantasy has the main character’s history/children/etc. worked into the plot because it makes it far richer. I’m on the lookout for good fantasy stories like this, so if you know of any, let me know!

Without further ado, here are a few of Stephanie’s Recommended Fantasy Books for 20+ Women! These books feature smart, capable 20-something or 30-something women and a healthy helping of real-world magic. I really enjoyed all of them and give them five stars.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
The book is about Claire and Sydney Waverley, two sisters. Claire tends a magic garden, living in the family home. Sydney and her young daughter, Bay, have just escaped from Sydney’s abusive boyfriend and have come back to their hometown to live with Claire. This is more of a magical realism story than a fantasy, but it’s still a great read.

Holly Lisle’s World Gates trilogy
Another story about sisters. 35-year-old Lauren and 25-year-old Molly are both taken to the same strange world, unaware they’re even related. What they both find out means that our own world is in danger.
I really like these characters and Lauren’s little boy, Jake. I love a good world-saving story that takes the time to develop the characters’ personalities.

Arena by Karen Hancock
Arena is about 20-something Callie, who thinks she’s signing up for a harmless research experiment but is really about to be taken to a brutal alien world. There is a way to escape, but it won’t be easy. (this book is technically sci-fi, but it’s so close to fantasy I keep thinking of it as fantasy). I’ve written to the author of this one; she’s a sweetie.

Happy Reading!