Top Ten Tuesday: Fantasy Books That Give Me All the Feels

I'm so excited to do this week's Top Ten Tuesday! I honestly had a hard time picking what to do for today's topic -- genre freebie, which means a lot more thinking on my part, and then narrowing down the millions of options I now have. But in the end, I decided to go with a topic I know really well -- fantasy books. And more specifically, fantasy books that give me all the feels, whether those be happy feels or sad feels or any other kind of feels.

Basically, the fantasy books that have stayed with me.

For the sake of ease, I'm not including Harry Potter on this list. First, because I include Harry Potter on pretty much all of my lists, and it's starting to get embarrassing. (Am I that obsessed?) And two, because I want to talk about some fantasy books that at least some people haven't heard of. And I'm pretty sure the entire Internet knows who Harry Potter is.

So, without further ado, let's get started!

1. Mistborn: The Final Empire and The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

Okay, The Well of Ascension did give me some serious feels as well. But the first, and especially the last books in the trilogy were an emotional rollercoaster, and I am not ashamed to say that I cried (actual tears) at the end of The Hero of Ages. 

2. This Savage Song and Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab

Victoria Schwab's writing in these books was. So. Beautiful. Every time I think about these books, I want to re-read them to experience them all over again. The emotions I felt while reading these books are just more than words can express. The characters and the character arcs and the hope despite the darkness just hit me right in the feels.

3. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

Oh, look, it's my newest, latest, and greatest obsession! But this series also hits you in the feels. Repeatedly. With a sledgehammer.
The end of The Raven King, especially, was amazing and beautiful and also a freaking gut-punch.

4. The Way of Kings, Words of Radiance, and Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson

I know, I know, I can't stop talking about these books. I'm sorry. Not sorry. But these books are so, so good! I can't stop recommending them to anyone and everyone who will listen.
The characters are so lifelike and real, and some of the scenes (in all three books) gave me chills. Or made me tear up. Or made me outright laugh.
Which I consider to be an amazing thing.

5. Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier


My mom actually read this aloud to me and my brothers a few years ago, and I remember distinctly the part where I was actually starting to tear up listening and had to turn away so no one would see me crying over a kid's book. :P
Auxier has a gift for writing children's stories that are timeless, and his books are criminally underrated. Sweep is my favorite of his stories, though I have yet to read The Night Gardener. 

6. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I still can't get over the ending. It was so perfect. I'm going to start getting into spoilers if I say any more, but suffice it to say that Maggie Stiefvater knows how to end her stories well. And with tears. I won't say whether they're the happy variety or the sad variety. You can find out for yourself when you go read this book. *gentle push towards Overdrive because you shouldn't break quarantine for a book*

7. The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

It was the movie that made me cry first. Then the book. Well. Technically they only both made me tear up, but it still counts. The ending, though! You know those endings that are... not sad exactly... but still make you cry so hard? Like the end of the Les Miserables movie? That's what the ending for this is like, too. And so even though I like the movies better, this book still makes it onto my list.

8. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Does this even count as fantasy? *quickly Googles* Well, Wikipedia says it is, so I guess I'm rolling with it. I love this book. It's a really quick read, but it stays with you. And yes, it nearly made me cry. Most of these books nearly made me cry. If I read it again, I probably will cry.
This is a book about a boy whose Mom has terminal cancer. There's a monster, and fairy-tale like stories, but at its core, this is a story about grief. And it handles it beautifully.

And that about wraps it up! Bookworms, now it's your turn! What are some fantasy books that you cried over (or laughed over)? Have you read any of the books on this list? Let me know in the comments!