Oh hot damn, this is my jam…
I read almost exclusively fantasy books. My favorite book of all time is Sabriel by Garth Nix. It’s very much a high fantasy novel but it is also a wonderful and complex coming-of-age story. It is the first in a series of books called The Old Kingdom trilogy and the next two books are just as wonderful, but Sabriel has a special place in my heart.
If you like urban fantasy, I gobble up the Mercy Thompson books by Patricia Briggs. From the covers, they seem like fantasy smut which is why I originally picked up the first book but Mercy is a wonderful, multi-dimensional character who saves the day but is ultimately a real person. There are currently six books in the series plus a series of graphic novels, but I haven’t read those and in each one, Mercy grows even further. If these books had been around when I was a kid, I would have wanted to be just like Mercy.
If you like short stories, one of my favorite fantasy anthologies is The Faery Reel. It has a number of really well-written stories about faeries from a number of popular fantasy authors. In fact, just look for anything edited by Ellen Datlow. She’s kind of the Steven Spielberg of fantasy anthologies.
I’m also a huge fan of the Hunger Games trilogy. I wouldn’t call it fantasy I would call it dystopian science fiction but I have noticed that many, many people who read mainly fantasy are fans of the series. If you like dystopian young adult novels, I suggest the book Unwind by Neal Shusterman. This is an interesting commentary on the debate between pro-lifers and pro-choicers. It’s eerie and terrifying but a very good and thought-provoking read.