The Best Fantasy Trilogies I’ve Ever Read as of 2025
Fantasy trilogies are the best: you get the intricate world-building and story without having to commit to too many books. But, there are a lot of trilogies, and trying to figure out which to add to your TBR can be just as intimidating as a 16-book series.
So, which are the best fantasy trilogies? Well, I’ve read quite a few by this point, and so I thought I would give you my top recommendations so you can enter your trilogy era with confidence knowing you have many five-star reads ahead. They are among some of the most epic fantasy novels I’ve ever read!
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1. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
If you are new to fantasy, then the Shades of Magic trilogy is my top recommendation. The writing, characters, and story are superb without being overwhelming.
The first book, A Darker Shade of Magic, follows Kell, the adoptive prince of the king and queen of Red London. As a rare Antari magician, Kell can travel between parallel worlds, with Red London being his home world full of magic, Grey London (our London) being void of magic, and White London being magic-starved and run by ruthless rulers. His official role is as ambassador to these other worlds.
However, our Kell has a rebellious streak, and it soon gets him into trouble that threatens all three worlds. Enter Lila Bard, a cutpurse with big dreams. They run into each other by accident, but soon they form an unlikely alliance.
The characters are really what make this trilogy for me, and the relationship that develops between Kell and Lila is one of my favorite dynamics of all time. These books are super fun, with pirates, magic competitions, epic battles, and the odd royal soriee.
2. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
The Mistborn trilogy (also known as the original trilogy or Mistborn era 1) is my favorite trilogy of all time, bar none. (Well… The Farseer Trilogy is a close second. And The Stormlight Archive is also fantastic but at 5 books is not a trilogy. )
Absolutely nothing has affected me emotionally more than this trilogy.
It also turns out that this trilogy is an excellent entry point into Sanderson’s cosmere, which is a collection of 17+ novels that take place in the same universe. (Although if this trilogy intimidates you, I do have other recommendations for the reading order to ease yourself in!)
This trilogy is about a young orphaned thief named Vin, who gets swept up in a heist led by the clever, mysterious, and increasingly unhinged Kelsier. It turns out Vin is a Mistborn, a rare type of allomancer who can wield special powers from metals by ingesting them.
Kelsier and his crew plan to rob the Lord Ruler of his precious atium stores – and potentially kill the tyrant in the process.
Of course, things escalate far beyond that, and there are so man twists and turns throughout this trilogy that I can just about promise you will be left gasping for air by the end!
2. The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb
Robin Hobb is my second favorite author and her prose is second to none. The Farseer Trilogy is the first three books that take place in the Realm of the Elderlings and follows FitzChilvalry Farseer, the young secret assassin in service of King Shrewd. We join Fitz as he navigates a politically complex court and his special powers – some of which must remain a secret from everyone he knows.
Meanwhile, a war is brewing, with the red ship raiders causing untold strife along the coast of the Six Duchies.
Many people find the pacing of these books slow, but that’s because it is a character-driven plot; you spend a lot of time inside Fitz’s head and following him in his day-to-day. Personally, this is my favorite thing bout Hobb’s books. You aren’t just reading about these characters from afar, you feel like you’re living it with them.
Everything is told from Fitz’s point of view, but I also love all the secondary characters. Verity, Burrich, Nighteyes, Kettricken, and the Fool are so real-feeling and are each fascinating, lovable characters in their own ways.
The first book, Assassin’s Apprentice is great but actually my least favorite of the three. The second book, Royal Assassin, is one fo my favorite books of all time and has one of the most hard-hitting endings I’ve ever read.
4. Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
If you’re in the mood for a fairytale romance, the Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy is a must-read. It does take place in the same world as the Caraval series, but you don’t have to have read it to read OUABH. (I didn’t.)
This trilogy is about Evangeline Fox, a pink-haired, optimistic young lady who learns the love of her life is about to get married to someone else. Desperate to stop it, she seeks out the mythical and dangerous Prince of Hearts, Jacks.
Jacks agrees to help, but asks for payment in the amount of three kisses. But soon Evangeline discovers Jacks has more on his agenda than he lets on, and she gets caught up in his dangerous plans.
This is a YA trilogy, but it is written in a way that is appealing to teens and adults alike. Truthfully, the second book in the trilogy is a bit slower than the first and third books, but overall its a very fun and satisfying series, with plenty of fun romance and magic.
5. Crescent City by Sarah J Maas
This series is SJM’s take on urban fantasy, with the title city full of modern technology like cell phones, television, and the internet. But Crescent City is also populated by all manner of folk, such as fae, animal-shifters, fauns, mermaids, and more.
It’s not officially a trilogy, as SJM has said she plans on writing more books, but I’m treating it as a trilogy because the three books wrap up the story very nicely.
The story follows 19-year-old Bryce Quilan, a half-fae working as an antiquities and magical artifacts dealer. Bryce loves to party, and spends many of her nights living it up in Lunathion’s biggest hot spots. She lives with her best friend Danika, a wolf-shifter and leader of the Pack of Devils.
One night, she comes home one night to find Danika and her pack have been brutally murdered, and Bryce’s life changes forever.
Eventually, the murderer strikes again, and Bryce gets pulled into the investigation, led by Hunt Athalar. The two don’t get along well at first, but things change as they race to solve the mystery…
These are dense books, and I would not recommend them to a newbie fantasy reader. A lot of people feel completely lost in the first couple of chapters because there is so much world-building. But the story is really well done, particularly in the first and second books.
It’s also very adult and gritty, definitely 18+.
But the story is extremely compelling, particularly in the first and second books.
Fair warning that although I enjoyed the third book as well, many SJM fans found it disappointing. You can read more about my thoughts on the House of Flame and Shadow and the reasons for its mixed review.
Promising Trilogies I’ve Started But Haven’t Finished Yet
There are other trilogies I would add, but I feel like I can’t list them here yet in good conscience because I haven’t finished them yet. But I have read the first book and find they are very promising so wanted to list them here:
The Poppy War Trilogy by R.F. Kuang
Kuang is one of my favorite writers of all time and an auto-buy author. This Asian-inspired military fantasy starts off feeling like Harry Potter but do not be fooled, this is grimdark fantasy. It quickly spirals into one of the darkest and most devastating things I’ve ever read. It’s got impact, I’ll give it that!
The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jeminsin
I read the first book, The Fifth Season, a few months ago and I can see why it was the 2016 winner of the Hugo awards. Jeminsin’s got some serious writing chops and the first book was such an original story with heartbreaking twists and turns. Again, a bit darker than I normally like to read but it was so well done that I still plan to eventually read the other two books in the series.
The Gentleman Bastards Trilogy by Scott Lynch
The first book, The Lies of Locke Lamora, is a great book to read if you enjoyed the ragtag crew and heist antics of Mistborn. True to its name, the book is all about the artful way master thief Locke wields his lies to swindle nobles – and save his own skin. Lynch is a great writer and this one is a real page-turner.
The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee
I just finished Jade City a few weeks ago and have the other two books on my Kindle waiting for me to get to them. If you like political intrigue and urban fantasy, you will love this book. It’s a bit slow getting started but then it really takes off. Full of action, family drama, and dangerously powerful magic.
Final Thoughts
These trilogies are by some of my favorite authors and contain some of my favorite characters of all time. And as an aspiring fantasy writer myself, they have inspired me to no end. If you’re a fantasy fan, you should definitely check them out!-
FAQ
Why didn’t you list the Lord of the Rings trilogy?
For two reasons: A. Everyone knows the LotR trilogy is pretty much the grandfather of fantasy. Even people who don’t read fantasy have heard of this series, so why list it? B. I haven’t actually read this trilogy. I’m not sure if I will ever be ready for Tolkien’s style of world-building but we’ll see!
