This blogging prompt is hosted by the Goodreads Top 5 Wednesday group
Today’s T5W prompt is Books Over 400 Pages
This is a pretty self-explanatory prompt. Here are some of my top I-Like-Big-Books-And-I-Cannot-Lie books!
1. The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos, #1) by Samantha Shannon
LGBT+ Fantasy – 848 pages
I haven’t yet read this one, but it’s been on my TBR for soooo long that I felt like I had to include it. A beautiful cover, a fun magic system, queens, assassins… What’s not to like? Oh, and bonus for the LGBT+ content!
This book was HYPED last year (or maybe a couple years ago?), and I couldn’t log onto any social media without the book community raving over it. So, of course, I had to buy it. But… I just haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. It’s been sitting on my shelf collecting dust since Christmas 2021. Maybe this is the year I finally dive in!
2. The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1) by Brandon Sanderson
Epic Fantasy – 1280 pages
Of course, I had to include one of my favorite authors, BrandoSando. He is such a beast when it comes to cranking out amazing and unique fantasy novels. I am constantly in awe of him and his characters. This novel is the first in his large series, The Stormlight Archive, and I am very impatiently waiting for him to complete it. He’s 4 books in (plus 2 novellas), and has planned to finish at 10 books. I think it’s safe to say we’ve got a while to wait until this series is complete.
BUT, that just means you can experience these novels and their diverse set of characters throughout your life 🙂
3. Merchants of Knowledge and Magic (The Pentagonal Dominion, #1) by Erika McCorkle
LGBT+ Fantasy – 499 pages
I was introduced to this gem of a read by WriteHive, as I am judging it for their 2022 Indie Ink Awards! (shhh can’t say which award just yet, but be on the lookout! She’s a good one.)
Incredibly diverse, with gender and sexual identities galore, this novel also features a completely different world, set within different planes of existence. The magic is based on the God/Spirit you were sired from (or have ancestry linked to), and let me tell you that this is like nothing I’ve ever read before. I am a little over halfway through, and I am LOVING it.
4. Knight in Paper Armor by Nicholas Conley
Dystopian Fantasy and Sci-Fi
A beautifully written YA-esque (although with some adult content) book about a teenage boy, ostracized from everyone else with powers unimaginable, and who is saved by the confident, brave young girl he meets at school. Though the writing itself is phenomenal, the pacing of the plot is a bit strange, as it feels like the climax is halfway through the book. There’s a bit of a buildup near the end, but nothing quite like that middle piece.
Still, the highlight of the novel is the characters and their interactions with each other. Even with the non-traditional plot, there is a bit of mystery, and seeing the characters come to life to solve this mystery (which was not as predictable as I had anticipated) is well worth the read.
5. The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastards, #1) by Scott Lynch
Fantasy
Content Warning: Graphic violence, adult language, some sexual content
A Game of Thrones tale, but rather than the high and mighty fighting over a throne, instead, it is the seedy underbelly of the city of Camorr thieving and killing for dominance. The characters are witty, intelligent, and oh-so ballsy. They MAKE this novel. A happy bonus is that the writing is phenomenal and the plot is so intricate and ridiculously amazing that you’ll be guessing right up until the end.
The story is a dark one, but full of ingenuity and comedy. The Gentlemen Bastards are a troupe of genuine friends–family, really–and the reader immediately feels the need to root for them against all odds. Overall, this is definitely a book that I would recommend to ANYONE, regardless of their genre of preference.
I read this back in early 2021, as I borrowed the book from my sister. BUT I was just gifted the whole trilogy for Christmas a month back, so now I’m ready to dive back in and finish the series! I’m so excited to get to know these characters and their stories once again.
The Book Dragon 
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