The long days of summer can be enchanting, so why not spend them with a series whirling with wonder, lore, wizardry and fantasy? We’ve rounded up a few we’re sure you won’t want to put down… unless it’s to grab another glass of lemonade.

Caraval series by Stephanie Garber

In this enchanted series, sisters Scarlett and Tella go to see the Caraval show and get more than they bargained for when Tella is kidnapped by the show’s organizer. What once seemed like a game is now a matter of life and death as the sisters go on a journey woven with doomed love, dangerous secrets and magic around every corner. Lives, empires and hearts are all at stake.

A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin

Martin was dubbed the “American Tolkien” by Time magazine and is credited as the gold standard for modern epic fantasy thanks to his series set in the fictional Seven Kingdoms of Westeros that inspired HBO’s Game of Thrones series. Chronicling the many violent battles over the Iron Throne, this series tells of the desperation from both those who seek it and crave independence from it.  

The Witches of London series by Alyxandra Harvey

In this enchanting YA trilogy set in the 1800s, readers meet cousins Emma, Gretchen and Penelope who accidentally discover a hidden, magical lineage when a family keepsake is broken. From witchcraft and kidnappings to romance and wonder, the girls’ powers bring them on a dangerous journey that is out of this world.  

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Whether you’ve never read Harry Potter of you’ve read the books a dozen times, there’s no time like the present to pick up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and lose yourself in the tale of Harry as he escapes his foster home thanks to a scholarship at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and flies through an adventure of magic and archenemies. The following books follow Harry on an odyssey of honor and contempt, love and loss and right and wrong.

Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien

Middle Earth comes alive for readers as the deep history behind the 20 rings made for elves, dwarves, men and Dark Lord Sauron is revealed. From humble beginnings at The Shire through wizardry, magic, power, betrayal and the War of the Ring, we are taken on a fantastical journey that will never disappoint.

The Cecelia and Kate novels by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer

It’s England in the 1800s, and when cousins Cecelia and Kate are forced to spend a summer apart, they write letters to keep one another informed about happenings in the countryside and in glamorous London. But when the pair find themselves involved in a dangerous, magical adventure, their correspondence, wit and teamwork are key to saving others.

The Spellsinger Adventures series by Alan Dean Foster

When Jonathan Thomas Meriweather, a typical undergrad, is pulled into an interdimensional portal while in a somewhat compromised state, he lands among talking animals, sorcery and the Spellsinger. In no time flat, he’s unwillingly teamed up with a turtle wizard preparing for the battle of a lifetime to stop a dark force threating this new world – and the one he calls home.

(Feature image courtesy of @amybucklesbookshelf)

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