So, for this week's article, I thought that I would write about five fantasy book series that I love, and that actually mean a lot to me. Growing up, I was an avid reader. I plowed through my school libraries, and I have nearly gone through the entire Young Adult section at my local library back home. My most favorite genre was always fantasy. It is no wonder that now as a grown writer, I tend to write more fantastical stories. So, I am listing the top five fantasy series that shaped me as a writer and satisfied me as a reader.

I will also include links to the author's site so you can check out their website and collection of books for yourself!

1. Tamara Pierce, The Tortall Series

Pierce's books were really my first introduction into more mature fantasy. I, of course, had been reading more elementary or pre-teen series up until that point. But as soon as I picked up the first book in the series, Alanna: The First Adventure, I was hooked. The general synopsis (without any spoilers) of the first book, is that twins of a nobleman are both being sent to schools. Thom, the brother, is being sent to knight school in the capital. His sister, the main character Alanna, is being sent to a temple to learn how to be a lady. Neither of the like this plan, so they switch identities. The first quartet of the Tortall series, Song of the Lioness, follows Alanna as she matures from a young child into a grown woman. If you're invested after reading the first quartet, don't worry, there is more. (And they stay within the realm of Tortall).

The Immortals: the main character is a shape-shifter mage named Daine.

Protector of the Small: main character is Keladry, a girl who wants to be a knight.

Tricksters: Not a quartet. Follows Aly Cooper, a girl who wants to be a spy.

Beka Cooper: A prequel to the other series. The main character is Beka Cooper, a guard (cop) in the capital of Tortall.

I have also heard that she may be possibly writing another set of books featuring characters from Tortall.

Tamara Pierce also wrote another series called the Circle of Magic. I have not read this series yet, mostly because I was focused on the Tortall series, but I have heard good things.

2. Rick Riordan, The Percy Jackson Series

This series was also very influential for me. I had always loved Greek mythology growing up, then Rick Riordan reimagined it into a series that aged as I did. I started reading Percy Jackson when I was eleven, and the series finished when I was in high-school, which is about the age Percy Jackson was when the series ended. Percy Jackson was like how the Harry Potter series was for people who were eleven when the first Harry Potter book came out (1997). I grew with the series.

For those who do not know, Percy Jackson is a young boy who suddenly finds out that he is the demi-god son of Poseidon, and that old forces are awakening in the Greek Mythology world.

The series was fun, entertaining and could appeal to all ages. I loved the characters and I liked how the characters were funny, the writing was quippy and energetic. I've definitely taken Riordan's fun with his writing to heart.

He also has three other series. Heroes of Olympus which focuses on Roman mythology as well. The Kane Chronicles which takes a look at Egyptian mythology and the Magnus Chase series which looks at Norse mythology.

3. Cassandra Clare, The Mortal Instruments

Before Cassandra Clare, I had never heard of "Urban Fantasy". But then I read her the Mortal Instruments series where vampires, werewolves, angels, demons, faeries, and humans all lived in one world. She opened my eyes to the possibilities of fantasy. Before, I had only thought of fantasy in the terms of Lord of the Rings, but she helped me realize that really any fantasy is only the limit of your imagination.

The main character of the first series, the Mortal Instruments, is a young woman named Clary Fray, who is suddenly thrust into the world of the demon-hunting Shadowhunters.

She has an overall series called the Shadowhunter Chronicles, which has the sub-series: The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, and the Dark Artifices which is the latest books. This series alone has ten books. And every single on of them is great, from start to finish.

4. Leigh Bardugo, The Grisha Trilogy

Leigh Bardugo's Grisha series is so cool! She takes you and immerses you deeply within a culture with characters that are so fascinating. The world building is also so awesome. It had its roots in Russian traditions and folklore, with a spin of course. It was fantasy with touches of horror, which was very cool.

The main character of the Grisha series is Alina Starkov, a runt in the Ravkan army, who discovers she has powers unlike any other Grisha.

While I liked the Grisha trilogy, I loved the latest set of books: The Six of Crows duology. The latter series focuses on a set of criminals in the underground of Ketterdam. The criminals take on a heist that is impossible, or is it?

The characters are amazing, diverse, unique characters that I love and adore.

5. Sarah J. Maas, The Throne of Glass series

This was not a series I grew up with, but I quickly became invested in my junior year of high school. To this day, I am still eagerly awaiting the next installment. Her characters left a lasting impression on me, and can't even tell you how many times I have reread her books, too many times to count. She had a clear style, and a great world that is memorable and lasting.

The main character of the Throne of Glass series is an assassin named Celaena Sardothien. She is released from a slave mine in order to fight for the Crown Prince in a champions tournament. And from there it gets even more complex.

Her characters are complex and interesting, and as the Throne of Glass series progresses, the plot also thickens. So quick you may not even see it coming. She has become on of my favorite authors, and also my goal for good writing. I can only hope to write half as well as Maas someday.

In addition to the Throne of Glass series, Maas also has the Courts of Thorn sand Roses series. I have read both and I eagerly await the new book for the Court of Thorns and Roses this may and the new book for the Throne of Glass series this Fall.

Each of these authors engaged me as a reader, but I also took something valuable away from them in my writing style. Whether it was developing the characters, the plot, the world, or changing the genre slightly, I can see their influence when I am writing. My characters are sarcastic like Maas', I focus my worlds in specific cultures like Bardugo and Riordan, I break genre boundaries like Clare, and use Pierce as my inspiration. Each of them has motivated me and inspired me to get to where I am now.

Through their writing, I became the main characters. I was fighting demons, killing monsters, using magic, sword-fighting. The possibilities were endless. Even now, I can think of the series and pick out moments that I loved and moments that made me cry.

Through them, I escaped my own world into a variety of new ones, through them I learned what writing was about and who it was for. Not just for the audience, but the writer as well.