10 Shocking Plot Twists In Fantasy Books That Left Me Speechless

Warning! This article contains major spoilers for many popular fantasy book series!

One of the reasons I love reading fantasy books is because of how the magical worlds lend themselves so well to incorporating thrilling plot twists. While many of these narrative developments involve deaths or feature terrible tragedies for the characters, they make the stories interesting and compel the reader to stick with the series. The effectiveness of a plot twist depends on how well the author has foreshadowed the shocking turn of events without giving away the secret of what’s coming. A plot twist shouldn’t come out of nowhere, but the audience shouldn’t be able to predict it too easily.

When done right, a plot twist is an incredibly satisfying and exciting addition to a fantasy story and is sometimes framed as a cliffhanger to encourage readers to pick up the next installment of the franchise. Many of the best fantasy books of the last ten years use twists to engage readers and set their narratives apart from the other offerings within the genre. However, many of the most iconic works of fantasy use plot twists, as this literary device has been a mainstay of an author’s toolbox since the beginning of storytelling.

10 Feyre Turning Into A High Fae – A Court Of Thorns And Roses (2015)

Written by Sarah J. Maas

At the end of the first book in Sarah J. Maas’ series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, the protagonist, Feyre, falls victim to the villain, Amarantha, and is killed after completing her trials. This in itself was a plot twist, as the reader spends the entire book with Feyre and expects to see her triumph in the end. However, it soon becomes clear that Maas has other plans for Feyre, as her sacrifice does a lot more for herself and the faeries than expected.

Most of
A Court of Thorns and Roses
revolves around the importance of her being human and how different it makes her from the Fae.

The High Lords see how much Feyre has done and decide to use their magic not only to resurrect her but to make her a Fae and immortal. While this makes sense within the context of the remaining books, after reading this passage and realizing that Feyre will never be human again, it was astounding. Most of A Court of Thorns and Roses revolves around the importance of her being human and how different it makes her from the Fae. The remaining books see Feyre grapple with this change and her future as a Fae.

9 Nezha Is A Shaman – The Dragon Republic (2019)

Written by R.F. Kuang

R.F. Kuang has written some of the best historical fantasy books of the past few years, with The Poppy War trilogy contributing greatly to the genre. The series follows Rin, an unlikely hero who enters a military training school for a fictionalized realm similar to ancient China and soon discovers her shamanic skills and connection to the pantheon of gods. Though she wields this power with reckless abandon thanks to her considerable abilities, she’s far from the only shaman in the novels.

However, the most unexpected twist was the reveal that Nezha, Rin’s rival at school and later on the field of battle, has his own god to whom he answers. After Nezha’s contempt for Rin and supposed fear and mistrust of shamans, discovering that he can tap into a similar power source upends both our world as the reader and Rin’s as his frenemy. However, I couldn’t help being moved and feeling for Nezha and his anxieties after learning about the trauma that accompanied his connection with his god.

8 Kvothe Lost His Magic – The Name Of The Wind (2007)

Written by Patrick Rothfuss

The Kingkiller Chronicles began with Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind, which introduced readers to the incredible story of Kvothe, a hero worthy of his fantastical reputation. However, the frame story of the novel reveals the sad truth of where Kvothe has ended up. Now known as Kote, the legendary man runs an inn and is in hiding from his many enemies, which is where a storyteller finds him and convinces him to share his tale to be recorded.

Though most of The Name of the Wind focuses on Kvothe’s early years and discoveries of magic and power, the novel returns to Kote’s present. In the book’s final moments, we learn that Kote has lost his abilities and power when he fails to stop an attack at the inn. While it was clear that something was going on below the surface, I felt devastated that the Kvothe I had spent so much time with was a shell of himself. It’s made clear how far he’s gone when Kvothe’s companion tells the Chronicler to remind Kvothe of his heroic past.

7 Xaden Is Venin – Iron Flame (2023)

Written by Rebecca Yarros

As Violet delves into her new reality as a dragon rider in the first book in the Empyrean series, Fourth Wing, she grows closer and closer to Xaden Riorson, an older cadet with many secrets of his own. As their chemistry becomes increasingly explosive and Violet is drawn into the web of his rebellion, some of these mysteries are uncovered, but not all. In the second installment, Iron Flame, Xaden and Violet are on separate paths, but they both work to help foster the rebellion and keep the attacks from the Venin at bay.

However, the final twist at the end of Iron Flame makes the wait for the third book all the more difficult, as the story leaves off with Xaden channeling too much power to save Violet and being turned into a Venin. How Violet will save Xaden and help him return to normal will be a huge part of the next installment, as Xaden’s change was a breathtaking cliffhanger. As the screen adaptation approaches, Amazon’s Fourth Wing TV show must adapt the character relationships as well as it does the dynamic between humans and riders.

6 Ned’s Death – A Game Of Thrones (1996)

Written by George R.R. Martin

There are too many plot twists throughout George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series to count, but one of the first of the books remains the most impactful. Chronicling the story from multiple perspectives, A Game of Thrones uses Ned Stark, the Lord of House Stark, as one of the main characters in the story. His goodness and innate sense of justice immediately differentiate him from the other players in court, who would lie, betray, and kill anyone who stands in their way to power.

It’s a lesson that stays with you throughout the next four books and makes it easier to predict when things are about to go terribly wrong for a character.

Of course, Ned’s execution after his discovery that Cersei’s children aren’t the rightful heirs to the throne is what communicates to the audience that the noble and true are rarely the winners in Game of Thrones. It’s a lesson that stays with you throughout the next four books and makes it easier to predict when things are about to go terribly wrong for a character. His death was a tragic and shocking twist in Game of Thrones, but it was a necessary moment for the tone of the series.

5 The Narrators Are The Same Woman – The Fifth Season (2015)

Written by N.K. Jemisin

The critically acclaimed Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin only increases in stakes and tension with each installment of the story. However, the first book, The Fifth Season, has my favorite twist in the narrative that’s almost impossible to see coming. The conceit of The Fifth Season is that three different women, Essun, Damaya, and Syenite, are the narrators of the plot and are at different phases in their lives. Despite this, they all share the trait of being Orogenes.

Orogenes have the power to control the energy of the Earth, making them valuable but highly feared and hunted by others. As they navigate their lives and the facets of their power, all three women undergo stress and loss on their journeys. However, these events are made even more tragic when we realize that they’re all the same woman at separate points in time. I was entranced by the strength and power of all three, and knowing they’re one only made me more connected to the story.

4 The Existence Of The Rephaites – The Bone Season (2013)

Written by Samantha Shannon

Before Samantha Shannon wrote The Priory of the Orange Tree, she began the sweeping Bone Season series. Following the story of Paige, a clairvoyant in the fictional Republic of Scion, the existence of psychic energy and power in The Bone Season is only the beginning. Though Paige is hunted by her own government and has to hide herself in daily life, this soon catches up to her, and she’s transported away from her beloved criminal underworld to somewhere far worse.

Though this reveal comes early in the book and is instrumental in developing the series, it doesn’t make it any less confounding.

While I believed that the formidable threat in The Bone Season was the government surveillance after Paige is captured, I learned that it’s actually an alien race that rules Earth from behind the scenes. Put to work as an abused servant within a hidden city, Paige is just as shocked as the audience to discover what the real thrust of the story is. Though this reveal comes early in the book and is instrumental in developing the series, it doesn’t make it any less confounding.

3 Sazed Is The Hero Of Ages – Mistborn: The Hero Of Ages (2008)

Written by Brandon Sanderson

In The Hero of Ages, the final book in the first Mistborn trilogy, the answer to the prophecy of who is the Hero of Ages is finally revealed. While the betrayal and disruption of the prophecy by Ruin was one of the biggest plot points in the series, the shocking discovery of the true Hero of Ages was one of the most dumbfounding twists. One of the main characters of Mistborn, Vin, seemed primed to be the Hero, as she fought tooth and nail to claim her destiny, but not every protagonist is meant to be the chosen one.

Sazed, who is a Terrisman and scholar throughout the books, turns out to be the Hero of Ages, who has been prophesized since the first installments. There were hints throughout the Mistborn novels about how the Hero of Ages could be anyone of any gender, making the audience believe that Vin was the Hero. However, all along, Sazed was the one who possessed the power to return the world to its former glory. After losing loved ones and sacrificing much, Sazed gives everything he has once again to the role of Hero.

2 Mrs. Coulter Is Lyra’s Mother – Northern Lights (1995)

Written by Philip Pullman

For most of Philip Pullman’s novel, Northern Lights, the plucky and precocious Lyra thinks of herself as an orphan, as this is what everyone told her growing up. The series His Dark Materials focuses on coming-of-age and the loss of innocence, and Lyra’s character arc plays a large part in this. Every step she takes toward her future in Northern Lights sees her move closer to maturity and further from the piece of childhood that gives her certain powers.

One of the most devastating moments for Lyra is when she realizes the terrible and cruel Mrs. Coulter is really her mother and that Lord Asriel isn’t her uncle but her father.

One of the most devastating moments for Lyra is when she realizes the terrible and cruel Mrs. Coulter is really her mother and that Lord Asriel isn’t her uncle but her father. The fact that both of them lied to her for years and virtually abandoned her would be difficult enough if it weren’t for the fact that they were both willing to experiment on children to further their scientific discoveries. While Coulter and Asriel might be her parents biologically, they rarely step up to be the people Lyra needs them to be.

1 The Shadow Shares Ged’s Name – A Wizard Of Earthsea (1968)

Written by Ursula K. Le Guin

One of the greatest fantasy writers of all time, Ursula K. Le Guin wrote many iconic books for adults, but her children’s series, Earthsea, stands out as some of her best work. The first book, A Wizard of Earthsea, follows the rise to power of Ged, a wizard who becomes a legend in the series. However, when reading about Ged for the first time, I was aware of how young and naive he was and how easily manipulated into making mistakes because of his pride.

A coming-of-age tale, A Wizard of Earthsea sees Ged age and slowly realize the error of his ways as a youth as he relentlessly tracks down the shadow creature he set loose as a young man. The existence of the creature plagues him for years and dogs his every movement, but Ged can’t seem to cast the shadow away for good, no matter how powerful he gets. It’s when Ged realizes that to name the shadow will drive it away and that he calls it Ged, as the creature arose from his missteps, that he can vanquish it.