There is nothing quite like having your life changed by reading an amazing book, and as a devoted fan of Fantasy
, many of the books I would like to personally experience as a newcomer again have at least some witches and dragons. It’s a common wish to want to forget your favorite book, whether it be an amazing standalone fantasy novel, the beginning of a classic fantasy series, or a BookTok selection that actually deserves its hype, and be blown away all over again.
The famous fantasy books that defined the genre often did so with a combination of poignant themes that reflect real-world conditions and memorable, magnetic characters, all while leveraging the genre trappings in a way that reinforces both. Yet some lesser-known but wonderful fantasy novels would also be worth forgetting — at least for me — to experience the feelings of their most striking moments fully for a second time.
You are watching: I Wish I Could Forget These 10 Fantasy Books, So I Could Read Them Again For The First Time
10
Ash (2009)
By Malinda Lo
Ash is one of the seminal works of Malinda Lo, an LGBTQ+ retelling of Cinderella with the counterpart main character, Aisling “Ash,” falling in love with the king’s prized huntress. The short novel is surprisingly atmospheric, gradually unveiling the story in a world of magical forests and faeries. The despair Ash feels at the deaths of her real family hits hard, but so does the beautiful hope born anew as she finds something better in the real world than her longed-for escapism.
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Lo has a way with words that is always worth revisiting, but I would still love to delve into Ash again with no preparation for the heartbreak that you will certainly feel if you read this book. Ash deserves to be considered among the literary fantasy greats, and reading it for the first time is transformative.
9
Circe (2018)
By Madeline Miller
I yearn to forget Circe for similar reasons to Ash — to again enjoy the discovery of the slow-building story about a young woman finding love and her place in the world. I also greatly enjoyed the part of the story where Circe finds fulfillment in the very environment that was supposed to be her prison and don’t need foreknowledge to underscore that things will get bleaker for her while reading these chapters.
Circe is a book that is satisfying in how it depicts one person’s long and strenuous life, and the rewards she takes for herself at the end.
However, even when the story does move on from Circe’s brief happiness into themes of revenge, loneliness, and liberation, Madeline Miller takes readers on a winding journey of self-discovery with a few twists to Greek mythology. Circe is a book that is satisfying in how it depicts one person’s long and strenuous life, and the rewards she takes for herself at the end — and such an ending lands best when you don’t know what exactly will happen.
8
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (1999)
By J. K. Rowling
Like many people, I was pretty young when I first read Harry Potter and don’t remember much of that experience, and re-reading the series in general without knowing the plot back to front might now be enlightening. However, having considered all the Harry Potter books, I think Prisoner of Azkaban would be the most fascinating to forget and then re-read (assuming I didn’t know things about the plot from the sequels).
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2
The mystery and plot twists of Prisoner of Azkaban are so intricately incorporated into the story — reading it again while knowing the truth about Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew makes it seem like the book is literally screaming it at you. There are so many tiny details, from the way Lupin reacts to certain comments to the mention of Scabbers’ missing toe, that it makes one wonder how they would perceive it if they didn’t already know what was going on.
7
Eragon (2002)
By Christopher Paolini
Eragon is, strangely, a series with almost no re-read value. Maybe you disagree, but whenever I’ve tried to revisit these books, I can’t get back into it. The Inheritance Cycle is notably Christopher Paolini’s passion project that borrows heavily from other works of fantasy, but I still remember the world being detailed and engaging, with fascinating bonds between the characters, when reading it for the first time.
There are also a few well-crafted plot twists that really sell the appeal of reading this for the first time. Eragon and its sequels seem to lose some of their magic once you are done with them, but they are a thrilling adventure the first time around. Going back to it, it seems like it takes way too long to get to the good stuff, rather than being an epic tale of dragon riders.
6
The Tale of Despereaux (2003)
By Kate DiCamillo
I have read The Tale of Desperaux so many times because its revisionist fairy tale fills me with hope and magic every time — and because it is a fairly short and easy book that I can probably get through in one or two sittings. However, being so steeped in the tale and themes now makes me wonder how I would feel if I were reading it for the first time. I certainly love revisiting it, and don’t think it really loses anything, but somewhere long ago it was a different read simply for this reason.
A tiny mouse falling in love with a young princess should make for a joking story, but this one touches upon something about connection that is universal.
In general, I will always recommend Kate DiCamillo’s Newbery Medal-winning story for its clever breaking of the fourth wall, repurposing of tropes and stock characters, and pure yet bittersweet optimism. A tiny mouse falling in love with a young princess should make for a joking story, but this one touches upon something about connection that is universal.
5
The Hobbit (1937)
By J. R. R. Tolkien
I would probably also want to forget The Hobbit movies (although maybe not The Lord of the Rings). With so many adaptations and spinoffs and impossibly fleshed-out world-building, it can be easy to forget that J. R. R. Tolkien still had a lovely voice and recounts his perilous adventures, especially this one, with a kind of poetry. “In the hole in the ground there lived a hobbit” is a beautifully simple way to open the story, which, of course, throws out the term that establishes its fantastical nature.
And so Bilbo Baggins embarks upon a quest of riddles and trolls, while the narrative highlights the event of his personal transformation. None of the more epic Lord of the Rings would have been possible without this lighthearted story that sets everything in motion, and many would like to be moved by it again.
4
One Last Stop (2021)
By Casey McQuiston
I remember not entirely getting the point of One Last Stop, at least not as I did with some of Casey McQuiston’s other books, before, all of a sudden, the historical importance of this story ran me over. This is perhaps the author’s book that would be most worth erasing from my memory, for the shocking plot twists and hard-hitting moments of personal revelation, as August comes to new beliefs about herself, her friends, and her community.
It would also be amazing to forget the synopsis of this book and read it with no prior knowledge, getting the additional surprise of the nature of Jane’s circumstances on the New York City subway. All of McQuiston’s books have emotional moments that may floor you the first time, but One Last Stop is the case where these moments get the most magic from sneakiness and surprise.
3
The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue (2020)
By V. E. Schwab
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Iconic fantasy author V. E. Schwab’s strange, languid book The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue tells the story of a young woman in historical rural France who wishes to be saved from an arranged marriage and have the power to see the world. It’s a desire that is relatable to many. However, she ends up in a Faustian bargain wherein she gets her wish but will always be forgotten by someone the moment she steps away from them.
All leads up to the final worlds, which leave things somewhat open-ended but have a razor-sharp effect in how Addie handles the demon that trapped her.
There are powerful emotions at play when Addie finally meets someone who can mysteriously remember her beyond one encounter, as well as the well-conveyed feeling of her long and hard but full life (she’s also immortal). All leads up to the final worlds, which leave things somewhat open-ended but have a razor-sharp effect in how Addie handles the demon that trapped her — which you can only truly feel once.
2
These Violent Delights (2020)
By Chloe Gong
These Violent Delights kicks off bestselling author Chloe Gong’s fantasy duology retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in 1920s Shanghai. Juliette and Roma are a compelling pair, even if they were not iterations of two of the most famous literary characters of all time, and are surrounded by just as likable supporting characters. Gong balances the hallmarks of the young adult genre, LGBTQ+ representation, creeping urban fantasy, and impressive historical analysis in this unrivaled mystery and romance.
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Again, I know from experience that this book and its second part, Our Violent Ends, are still deeply enjoyable the second time around. Yet it would be fantastic to get to fall in love with the story, manifesting in an obsession, once more. This was a great book to discover via my early days on BookTok before becoming irrevocably enthralled by the narrative, which only happened once before I was hooked forever.
1
The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones (2007)
By Cassandra Clare
Custom Image by Yailin Chacon
I feel like the advent of Shadowhunters was afflicted by the state of the genre at the time, and it came onto the scene as a replacement for Twilight. The first series, sadly, also isn’t really the best of Cassandra Clare’s overall Shadowhunters saga. The Mortal Instruments is weighed down by one of the dumbest misunderstandings ever, but being able to clear my head of it all and be reintroduced to the world on its own terms would help tremendously.
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I also think if I started from the beginning of Shadowhunters today, I would never be able to stop and would blow through every sequel, prequel, and spinoff series. No doubt about it, meeting Magnus Bane for the first time is something everyone should want to do again. Such fantasy novels are beloved for a reason, including their initial impact, leaving people forever wishing for a memory-erasing device.
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