So many fantasy books are part of series. I love a good series. If the story is engaging then I want it to go on and on. But what are the best standalone fantasy books that I read in the last year?
My go to answer on this is going to have to be Heather Webber. She writes magical realism set in the Southern U.S. Each of her books is a standalone.
These are the two I read in the last 12 months. A Certain Kind of Starlight is about estranged relatives who have to come to town to help a sick aunt. They have to figure out how to keep her bakery running too while deciding on how to deal with each other and the possibly magical trust fund they will soon inherit. The Lights of Sugarberry Cove has similar themes. Sisters are reconnecting in their mother’s small hotel on the weekend of the town festival during which one of the sisters nearly drown several years before.
Tao tells small fortunes – like the weather or where to find a lost item. She travels with her mule and has been solitary for a long time. Now she is meeting up with people on the road and getting involved in their stories. This book is so sweet and cozy.
Elisa and her mother need to move towns every 10 months or they start to put down roots – literally. Her mother has just turned into a tree for good. Now Elisa is trapped in a town and can’t get out. Can she figure out what is going on before the bark on her arm starts to spread?
