Sometimes all you want to read is a good fantasy series, but who has the time to commit to a long series like that?! When I want my fantasy fix, I love checking out duologies. Here are a bunch of my favourites.

Six of Crows – Leigh Bardugo

Ketterdam is a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be bought for a price, and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker.

He’s offered the chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams if he pulls it off, but he won’t be able to do it alone. He recruits:

Nina, a Heartrender with magic.

Inej, a spy known as the Wraith.

Jasper, a sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a bet.

Wylan, a runaway with a privileged past.

And Matthias, a convict with a thirst for revenge.

Six dangerous outcasts embark on an impossible heist.

We Hunt the Flame – Hafsah Faizal

People lived because she killed. People died because he lived.

Zafira is the Hunter, a woman who disguises herself as a man and braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. And as war brews she embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artefact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz.

Nasir is an assassin who kills anyone foolish enough to defy his father, the sultan. Sent on a similar mission to retrieve the artifact, Nasir must also kill the Hunter.

But as they head out on their journey an ancient evil begins to stir and the prize they seek may pose a greater threat than they ever could’ve imagined.

Daughter of the Pirate King – Tricia Levenseller

Alosa is a pirate captain at only 17-years-old and she’s been sent on a mission by her Pirate King dad to retrieve an ancient hidden map that will be the key to a legendary treasure trove. But in order to get it, she allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving herself the perfect opportunity to search their ship without them knowing.

Alosa is more than a match for this rival and ruthless pirate crew, but there’s one thing standing between her and her goal – the clever and handsome First Mate, Riden, but she has a few tricks up her sleeve and she’s not about to let one pirate stop her from getting what she wants.

These Violent Delights – Chloe Gong

In 1926, the city of Shanghai was taken over by a blood feud between two gangs. The children of the leaders – Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov – are now rivals, but have previously been in a relationship that meant more to them than most.

But when both sides begin to show signs of instability when people begin ripping their own throats out, rumours of a madness spread through the city. Until, the deaths begin to stack up and the city realises that they have a monster on their hands.

The Bridge Kingdom – Danielle L. Jensen

Lara is the daughter of a king being sent to the mysterious Bridge Kingdom to marry the King as a symbol of peace. The only problem? She is actually a lethal spy that’s been trained to kill since birth. Her real plan is to infiltrate the country, find out all of its secrets and feed them back to her father.

But as she begins to meet the citizens and becomes closer to her new husband, King Aren, she begins to question whether she’s actually doing the right thing.

The Killing Moon – N.K. Jemison

Peace is the only law in the ancient city-state of Gujaareh. The keepers of the peace, the gatherers, wait on its rooftops and among the shadows of its cobbled streets. Priests of the dream-goddess, their duty is to harvest the magic of the sleeping mind and use it to heal, to soothe… and to kill the corrupted.

But when a conspiracy blooms within Gujaareh’s great temple, the Gatherer Ehiru is forced to question everything he has ever known. Someone, or something, is killing innocent dreamers in the goddess’ name, and Ehiru now has to protect the woman he was sent to kill or be forced to watch the city be devoured by war and forbidden magic.

Strange the Dreamer – Laini Taylor

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around. Lazlo Strange is a war orphan and junior librarian and he’s always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was a child he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but he’s not the type of person to cross the world in search of it. 

But when an opportunity presents itself in the form of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever. 

But what happened to Weep two hundred years ago that cut it off from the rest of the world? What mysterious problem does the Godslayer need help with? And what exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of God?

Fable – Adrienne Young

Fable is the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows and the sea is the only home she has ever known. It’s been 4 years since her mother died and her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and to survive she must keep to herself and trust no one. The only thing that really keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island to find her father and demand her rightful place beside him and his crew. 

But to do this she must enlist the help of a young trader, West, to help her cross the Narrows. But her father has a lot of rivalries and she soon learns that West isn’t exactly who he seems to be. But now they’re forced to work together to stay alive.

Divine Rivals – Rebecca Ross

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But Iris Winnow is more focused on helping her mother, who is an addict, and her brother, who has disappeared from the front lines. She’s been using her magical type writer to send letters to him in the hopes that he will find his way back home.

She works at the Oath Gazette where she is competing against Roman Kitt for a promotion. But unbeknownst to Iris, her letters have ended up in Roman’s hands and he begins writing her back under an alias.