This Top 5 series started back in October 2018 and it has grown really big! This is a series of books that all have a common theme. I post the schedule for the next month the last week of the prior month. You can talk about books you want to read or books you have read and all prompts are open for interpretation! Feel free to get as creative as you want with the prompts.
Upcoming Schedule!
August 28th, 2021 — People on the cover
September 4th, 2021 — Intimidating Books
September 11th, 2021 — Hyped Books
September 18th, 2021 — Fast Paced Books
September 25th, 2021 — Illustrated Covers
October 2nd, 2021 — Magical Books
Intimidating Books
I’m the first to admit that I tend to be intimidated by books that wind up being my favorites. Over the past year I’ve become a huge fan of epic fantasy books, but I also am still intimidated by any book over 400 pages. I’m also intimidated by classic fantasy books and books that have a ton of hype. I’m intimidated by huge series and books by authors who are supposed to be incredible. Sometimes I’m intimidated by books by authors that I already know I love. Sometimes I’m just intimidated by a book because the pacing is slow. There are all sorts of books that intimidate me for all sorts of reasons, but I never let that stop me from reading them. Here are the top 5 books that intimidate me that I really want to read!
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction – but assassins are getting closer to her door.
Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.
Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.
Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.
This popular fantasy tome is intimidating purely because of it’s enormous size. This book is over 800 pages long! I recently bought a copy because of course I had to have it. I love a good long fantasy book as long as the characters are well written, but I always have a hard time actually picking them up. The reviews are pretty mixed on this book, so I’d love to hear your opinions if you’ve read it!
Jade City by Fonda Lee
JADE CITY is a gripping Godfather-esque saga of intergenerational blood feuds, vicious politics, magic, and kungfu.
The Kaul family is one of two crime syndicates that control the island of Kekon. It’s the only place in the world that produces rare magical jade, which grants those with the right training and heritage superhuman abilities.
The Green Bone clans of honorable jade-wearing warriors once protected the island from foreign invasion–but nowadays, in a bustling post-war metropolis full of fast cars and foreign money, Green Bone families like the Kauls are primarily involved in commerce, construction, and the everyday upkeep of the districts under their protection.
When the simmering tension between the Kauls and their greatest rivals erupts into open violence in the streets, the outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones and the future of Kekon itself.
This series is really high on my TBR. Orbit was kind enough to send me two series over the summer so I could catch up for their fall releases, one is The Books of Babel series (Check out my review of Senlin Ascends here.) and the other is Jade City. I haven’t started this series yet, but it looks so good. I’m definitely intimidated by this one though because I’ve seen it compared to The Poppy War and The Godfather, both are stories that are epic in scale, so I have no doubt that Jade City will be as well. It seems everyone I know who has read this book absolutely loved it, so hopefully I will too.
The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne
Set in a brand-new, Norse-inspired world, and packed with myth, magic and bloody vengeance, The Shadow of the Gods begins an epic new fantasy saga from bestselling author John Gwynne.
After the gods warred and drove themselves to extinction, the cataclysm of their fall shattered the land of Vigrið.
Now a new world is rising, where power-hungry jarls feud and monsters stalk the woods and mountains. A world where the bones of the dead gods still hold great power for those brave – or desperate – enough to seek them out.
Now, as whispers of war echo across the mountains and fjords, fate follows in the footsteps of three people: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman who has rejected privilege in pursuit of battle fame, and a thrall who seeks vengeance among the famed mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.
All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods . . .
This book is super intimidating to me! While I read epic fantasy this book just has me intimidated to pick it up. I think it’s because it’s inspired by Norse mythology, which I’ve never really gotten into and also because it’s written by John Gwynne. Everyone who is a fan of John Gwynne basically seems to worship him and his Malice series is high on my backlist wishlist. This is one of those books that I basically know will be incredibly epic and amazing, but I just never feel quite ready to dive into it.
Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
In a faraway land where members of the royal family are named for the virtues they embody, one young boy will become a walking enigma.
Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chivalry Farseer, is a royal bastard, cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals – the old art known as the Wit – gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility.
So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and embrace a new life of weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin.
Remember how earlier I talked about how classic fantasy authors intimidate me? Yeah, well, Robin Hobb is at the top of that list. I love a good medieval fantasy book and this series is so well loved by the fantasy community that I really want to see what it’s all about. But I’m also intimidated by older fantasy books as they tend to be a bit slower in pace and just have a bit of a different feel to them. But at the same time I know that Robin Hobb helped shape the genre into what it is today. I bought myself a beautiful copy of this book a while back in hopes that when I do eventually pick up the book I will love it.
The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston
When you are all out of heroes, all that’s left are the villains.
Black Herran was a dread demonologist, and the most ruthless general in all Essoran. She assembled the six most fearsome warriors to captain her armies: a necromancer, a vampire lord, a demigod, an orcish warleader, a pirate queen, and a twisted alchemist. Together they brought the whole continent to its knees… Until the day she abandoned her army, on the eve of total victory.
40 years later, she must bring her former captains back together for one final stand, in the small town of Tarnbrooke – the last bastion against a fanatical new enemy tearing through the land, intent on finishing the job Black Herran started years before.
Seven bloodthirsty monsters. One town. Their last hope.
The Maleficent Seven actually came out in August and I told myself I was going to read my ARC before publication, but like the rest of the books in this post it got procrastinated because I found it intimidating. I haven’t really read much grimdark fantasy, and I really want to dive into the genre. I especially want to check out this book and then maybe venture into Joe Abercrombie. This book looks like it could be really fun, but it also looks quite dark. I’ve become a huge fan of books where the gang gets back together to save the world one last time ever since reading The Bone Maker and They Met in a Tavern, so I am pretty excited for another book with that kind of plot. This looks like it might be pretty dark, but it also sounds like there is a good deal of humor as well.
Check out other Book Blogger’s Top 5!
Dini @ Dinipandareads — Top 5 Saturday: Intimidating Books
Olivia @ The Blind Scribe — Top 5 Intimidating Books I Want to Read
Blair @ Feed the Crime — Top 5 Hyped & Intimidating Books
Tagged! Join us this week or in the future!
Mackenzie @ Lit Lemon Books
Shalini @ Quirky Booklover
Olivia @ The Blind Scribe
JD @ JD’s Book Journal
Suzanne @ bookblogarama
Heather @ Nine Bookish Lives
Let’s Chat!
What are some books that intimidate you? Do you find large books intimidating? Do you wind up procrastinating certain types of books? Have you read any of the books I listed above? Which book on my list do you think I should read first? Make sure to comment below so we can chat about intimidating books!
Devouring Books 
A lot of these books are also super intimidating to me too especially Priory of the Orange Tree. Shadow of the Gods was really good though, Gwynne is so good at characterisation. So i would recommend that one.
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Priory is huge! It’s just hard to dive into a book so big. Shadow of the Gods is one everyone raves about so I should really read it.
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I haven’t read any of these yet but I’ve got almost all of these on my radar! The length definitely intimidates me too! And some of these series are super long!
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I totally agree! The length of a book can really intimidate me. Master Artificer and Master of Sorrows is one that despite the length I wasnt anxious just because I had loved the first book so much and with the first book I had an ebook so I didnt know how long it was. Long series are intimidating too. It’s a big commitment!
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The length is usually what intimidates me, too! I’ve been wanting to read the Priory of the Orange Tree for a while but I never pick it up for the same reason as you. Hopefully we get to it soon! 😊
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Its just sooo big. I want to give it a shot but it’s hard to dive in.
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I very much recommend Assassin’s Apprentice. Had to actually look up how old it was, 1995. I read it some years after that, but still a long time ago.
I’ve read The Shadow of the Gods as well and I want to see where the series goes. But I would reread Assassin’s Apprentice before I reread The Shadow of the Gods, if I had to choose.
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Okay good to know! Excited to read them both!!
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