Top 10 Favorite Worlds and Settings of 2021

This Top 10 post is new for me. I decided I wanted to talk about some favorite worlds and settings because otherwise I wouldn't talk about some of these books at all. A couple of these weren't my favorites of the year, but I just happened to really enjoy the world they were set in.

Everyone knows I love the Elemental Assassin series, so it's no surprise this is on here. Lol. I love urban fantasy and I really like the different elemental powers the characters in this series have. It is just a fun world to explore that is filled with interesting creatures and elementals. And Gin's Pork Pit is definitely a character in and of itself. Lol. The world in Tales from the Gas Station is insane. It's weird and sometimes it doesn't make sense, but that's what I like about it! It's creepy, but a lot of fun! Instant Karma takes place in a beachside town and I just really enjoyed that. I also really liked that we spent quite a bit of time in an animal shelter as the characters worked to rescue and recuperate baby otters.

Like I said, I love urban fantasy and the Shadowhunter world is another of my favorites! I just really like the mythos of all the different creatures and all the different magic, be it from warlocks or the runes the Shadowhunters use. Not to mention all the different worlds they visit, like the land of the fae or Idris itself. And then in The Red Scrolls of Magic, Alec and Magnus go to Europe on vacation and that was really fun! They went to a couple of different cities and I just really enjoyed following them on the ride. Warcross is one series that fell sort of flat for me. However, one of the things I really loved about the series is the world. Being inside the Warcross game was one of my favorite things. The landscapes as they did these games sounded amazing! Plus, when we weren't inside of Warcross, we were out in Tokyo! I absolutely loved that! Dead Silence mostly took place on an abandoned space ship that may or may not have been haunted 👀 Like, that's amazing! I loved the vibes!

Girl of Flesh and Metal is set in the not-too-far future that was actually very reminiscent of Warcross. This is another world where technology was heavily integrated into the real world, and in the second book they have freaking androids that may or may not be corrupted. It was just so much fun! Especially because we're following Lena who hates technology, which is ironic because her parents own the biggest tech company in this world. And to make matters worse, after an accident, she is given an AI arm and basically turned into a cyborg. It was just a really cool world! The Space Janitor series is another sci-fi world (I was very into sci-fi this year lol) set in space and different planets. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed exploring the space stations and the other worlds Triana found herself in. And of course, last but not least, we've got Fear Street. Even though some of these books may not be so great, I still end up enjoying them to a degree just because I love the setting so much! I love Shadyside and the terrible luck Fear Street brings to it and its residents! I love it! 😈

What were some of your favorite worlds or settings of 2021?