CHRISTIAN FICTION BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: the best Christian fiction I've read in the last year 

I would love to hear any non-romance Christian fiction recommendations you have for me!

"If you are declaring that you are a follower of Christ, there should be certain things that come through in your writing and certain things that shouldn't come through...." I really vibed with that statement and I'm glad someone isn't afraid to use their platform to say it.

As a new Christian who loves books, I've been struggling finding good reads. I mean, the amounts of times I've been gifted or bought a book and they were just so sinful - UGHHH! So Thank you!

Instead of being on tik tok and social media I want to start reading more books on my free time. Thank you. God bless

I don’t feel so alone now that I’ve found a few Christian booktubers! I like your channel, and thanks a lot for posting this. I was on an intense reading break and now I’m clearing out my book list with appropriate and Christian books 🌻 it’s not easy but it’s something I want and really need to do!

I’m a Christian but I personally do not read much Christian fiction. However, I picked up a Christian fiction book from a thrift store once after reading the synopsis. The name of it is Pocketful of Pearls. IT IS SO GOOD!!!!! I was going through a really hard time and God spoke to me so much while reading that book. It was just.. indescribable. Can’t remember the authors name but I now want to read the rest of her books and I have them saved on my goodreads app. I may check out these books in your video too!!

God BLESS YOU!! As a fantasy loving New Adult Christian I am finally learning the value of seeking out Christian authors and Christian fiction especially in my favorite genre of fantasy and you pointed me to so many books that are now on my to be read that I'm SO EXCITED TO READ!!!! GOD BLESS YOU ONCE AGAIN! WOULD LOVE ANOTHER ONE OF THESE IF YOU'VE READ A LOT MORE!

Thank you very much! The other videos under this search category weren't that helpful. this was the first one I found that has relevant, Christian engaging material. This was truly beneficial novel research for teaching Christian middle school!

I really want to read some of these now. I'm so glad that I bought my Kindle this year. I've been reading everyday. I love it. Thank You for such a lovely video.

I just finished the Raven Trilogy based on your recommendation, and I enjoyed it so much. It reminded me that I need fiction and fantasy in my life. Love your channel. Thank you!

Hey, nice video. Thank you for the recommendations. Most def gonna try the Wingfeather.

Excited to check some of these out!

I’m also a Christian, I love the story of Anastasia, and I’m planning on getting an eReader, so I’m definitely placing “Romanov” on my to-buy list! (I’ll also download samples of the other books you mentioned). I’m planning to get more into reading, so I’m looking for good books to read. I’m glad I found this video!

*screams happily* I'm so happy you mentioned The Delusion and The Deception!!! Oh my goodness, yesssss!!!

I feel like I just struck gold, thank you sooooo much!

New to your channel and agree that Christian fiction can be very formulaic! Sometimes that's comforting, but a little of that goes a long way. I do think the market demand for variety is creating change, especially for speculative fiction! I love both Nadine Brandes and Andrew Peterson!

Good recommendations. I added some of these to my amazon cart.

THANK YOU! lol im starting a Christian book review channel of my own and found myself struggling so much to plan ahead in the Christian fiction category! I can't with the romance stuff! 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ But these christian fantasy books sound so good! Delusion sounds the best to me! Thanks so much!

Oh, man, I am gonna be checking out all of these. And the rest of your channel! :3 God bless!

I needed this video. Even if the content is not explicitly Christian, simply finding good clean books is hard. Everything is so explicit these days.

Hi, Shantel! I enjoyed this video so much! A book I read recently that I would recommend is Lucia's Renaissance: A Novel of 16th-century Italy by C.L.R. Peterson. It's historical fiction set in Verona, Italy and Venice.There is an element of romance but it's not a romance. Amazing settings, historical events like plague and the Inquisition, characters well-drawn and sympathetic.

Thanks for the recommendations! I do not read much Christian fiction because I've had some really bad reading experiences with it overall. However, I have found a few good ones. The Seasons series by Beverly LaHaye and Terri Blackstock is really good. It's about 4 families that live on a cul-de-sac. They're all friends, but each book centers on a different family and a struggle they face. I read these quite a few years ago. More recently I read the Refiner's Fire trilogy by Lynn Austin and loved it. There is some romance in them, but it's not the main focus. I would definitely consider them more historical fiction.

I'm new to reading Christian fiction. I'm a nerdy homeschool mama. I miss reading and want to add that to my mother culture daily. The last book I read that was scfi was the Red Queen like three years ago and city of Bones series. I'm reading Til We Have Faces by CS Lewis right now. Thank you so much! I'm excited to start. ❤️

I’m so excited Mark of the Raven was your first recommendation! Morgan Busse is my friend and she’s such a sweetheart. And yes, Tainted is a loose Frankenstein retelling. ☺️ I have to tell her about this video. And Fawkes is one of my absolute favorite Christian fantasies - Nadine’s books are so good! I don’t read much contemporary (I prefer historical, SciFi, fantasy, and mystery), but if you enjoy contemporary southern fiction, I highly recommend A Long Time Comin’ by Robin W Pearson.

Ty for the recommendations. I'm an aspiring Christian fictional writer working on my first series. I'm having trouble with balancing the Holy message and keeping the story interesting, so reading these may help inspire me.

I still have the If I Run trilogy in my book stack. I remember reading them years ago and loved them! Thanks for the recommendations!🎉

I love that Terri Blackstock series. If you like Sci/Fi and Fantasy Christian books, I really enjoyed the Firebird series by Kathy Tiers. It is one of my favorite series of all time.

I just found out your video and this is so helpful, thank you! I feel like it's so difficult to find christian books (there's none in my country...) And I didn't know Romanov was a christian book, so I think I'm going to purchase it!

Thanks for the recommendations! I'm a new subscriber and am so glad to find you.

There has been a huge stride in Christian Fiction, which I ABSOLUTELY LOVE :D But I feel it's over scrutinized. Great topic. If we only held the secular genres to the same standard as Christian books (in writing-not morals) it would be more of a fair game and allow Christian to write more and not feel so squeezed in their personal writing journeys. Love your list Chantel! Terri Blackstock is an incredible author and unique in her story lines and plots. I never heard of The Wingfather Saga before. That is going on my TBR!!

8:55 I was thinking about recommending these books to u bc I've read 2 of the books in the series and I've really enjoyed them!

Hello Chantel😊. Just saw this second channel you have, I also follow your homeschool channel. The Romanov book seems really good, I’m not as into the fantasy genre, but I definitely like the historical fiction genre. You might be interested in the author Frank Peretti, in high school I remember reading his book “This Present Darkness” and it was really good.

I've read The Delusion because of your video. Incredible, huh? Though you said there were a second book, I didn pay attention sorry haha Wow, second one is heavier than the first. Loved it. Thaaanks!!

I highly recommend the Heirs of Neverland series by Kara Swanson. The series is YA and I personally loved it.

I love the Ravenwood Saga and The If I Run series!

Appreciate these recommendations. Going to see if you have a video with middle grade recommendations for my 9 year old daughter. She is insatiable...

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND: Mundis Veridis and the End of The World? I think that's the title. It follows a demon through the end times and I was... EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS reading it. But I found that not only does it speak a lot of truth, but the things in it are so realistic and wonderfully accurate WITHOUT HURTING THE STORY that is just... it's so well written! It's so good! I really liked it! I did read it a few years ago though so I don't know how good it actually is I guess, more just my memory :)

This video was posted a while ago but I just found it and am so happy I did! I’ve been really wanting to find books, especially fiction, that are Christian and moral. So many books, and most of all teen fiction, are not good. It makes me wish for the characters to guide their morals by a higher standard, not do whatever. I would recommend the Green Ember series highly. It is very moral, has courage and sacrifice, and is just beautiful. The author, S. D. Smith, is a Christian and I can see it in his writing.

This year I read a Christian fiction book for the fist time and I loved it: Life After by Katie Ganshert. I've always been afraid to try this genre, because I don't like it when books are 'preachy' (if that makes sense). I would definitely be interested in more contemporary recommendations. Hopefully you'll be able te make a video like that in the future.

I love Terri Blackstock. Her Restoration series is awesome. The first book is Last Light.

Hi, and thank you for the recommendations! I’m always on the look out! I like the Mark Of the Lion series (3 books) by Francine Rivers. It takes place during the times of the early church. I copied this from the publisher since I tend to ramble. #1 A Voice in the Wind: This first book in the classic best-selling Mark of the Lion series brings readers back to the first century and introduces them to a character they will never forget-Hadassah. Torn by her love for a handsome aristocrat, a young slave girl clings to her faith in the living God for deliverance from the forces of decadent Rome. Also Amish Mysteries by Samantha Price and others. ❤️

You should write a fiction Christian book, I think you'd be amazing at it!

Loved Mark of the Raven and the rest of the series. Had not thought I would like fantasy, but that series changed my mind.

Mark Goodwin! Thrilling, thought provoking just an all around series you can't put down. I think"As in the days of Noah" is on RU-vid but I fist read 7 cows ugly and gaunt. Pretty closely based on Revelation.

Have you read any Tosca Lee's works, she does alternative history as well ? wingfeather saga was one i really enjoyed reading to my kids, and does well with multiple reads, as does the Green ember series was great as well. Prince Warriors was an interesting take on spiritual warfare that my daughter loved. Ted Dekker books are ones that hit on the mystery/suspense side.

Last year I found out about Gods and Kings by Lynn Austin. It was pretty good. I don't like romance either, and I especially don't want to read it in a Christian book. Then I found out Orson Scott Card has a couple of Christian fiction books. I started Sarah, but had to set it down for some booktube challenges/readalongs/etc. The Romanov book you mentioned made me think of The Noticer. That was a good book about perspective and being patient, etc. I read that book ages ago and still think of it. Great video.

Some interesting sounding reads for sure. I also read almost exclusively Christian fiction as a teen and pretty much don't read any now. Like you said, I tend to hold it to a higher standard and get annoyed with it that much easier.

I've just discovered your channel and subscribed! Very well spoken and interesting --- thank you! I struggle with Christian fiction being lacking; but have noticed a bit of a change in the right direction, as well. I'll be checking out your other videos on the topic. You mentioned Frankenstein... Are you aware of the author Michelle Griep? She's written a couple of really interesting historical fictions --- Lost in Darkness and Man of Mist and Shadow; one about a Frankenstien-esque character and the other about a Dracula-esque. Both, of course, not really "scary" but explained by science and medicine. Very interesting and within the genre, if not a little light on the preachy. haha!

i love this. ususally i have to brose carefully to make sure the books i want to read are ok. so i really apreciate this. i mean i didn't even knew there was christian fantasy father than narnia!

Loved it!

Ahh you talk about so many of my favorite books/authors! 😆❤️ Also, I have If I Run on my tbr, I've heard how good it is from so many people. And I was interested in The Delusion too but it looks so creepy 🙈

I really liked A Table By The Window - it’s kind of a foodie novel, if that’s a thing? With a mild romance plot on the side, but I wouldn’t really call it a romance series. It’s more about family history and food. Also Katie Sheurmann’s series that starts with House Of Living Stones. I haven’t read the last book yet, but it is kind of cozy, small-town church story. I’ve really enjoyed the first two books so far!

Shadows of demons and angels by Maggie Jarpey...the No eye has seen series by Graham Carter.....Bones of fire Eric Hill........and Heaven and Hell by Kenneth Zeigler

Ted Dekker is amazing! Start with The Circle trilogy, then the Lost Books YAs, Green, the The 49th Mystic and Rise of the Mystics will blow you away. All these series are set in the same world. His AD30 and AD33 books are amazing historical fiction set in the world of Christ. It’ll pop the circuits of your brain with the highs and lows. He also has recently written several childrens series. Dream Travelers Quest, Millie Maven, and And There We’re Dragons I read to my kids.

I have both Nadine Brandes books on my shelves and would love to hunt down the Wingfeather saga books.

Thank you for this.

This was EXTREMELY helpful, thank you for this! If I could recommend a book, it would be "Fahrenheit 451." Now it's not necessarily Christian, but I LOVE the way the author Bradbury puts The Bible in there, and how crazy prophetic it is for today, idk hear me out hehe. I used to hate reading, hated it my whole life, the only book I ever actually read/enjoyed was the Bible, no joke. But last year in my writing class, I was given Fahrenheit, an old Sci-Fi paper back from the 50s that's about a world where books are illegal, and their firemen are in charge of burning the books, and the main character, a fireman, starts to question his world when he steals the last remaining Bible. I cannot explain to you how much this book means to me hehe, it's old-school, witty, poetic, like a Twilight Zone episode about today. The technology mentioned in there sounds JUST LIKE our technology, the noise of media and the dying light of the awareness of truth, of common sense... idk what I'm trying to say, all i know is that I've got two favorite books now! And thanks to your review it might triple hehe. But yeah, that's my schpeel. There's 2 or 3 sentences the author says pertaining to God that I didn't like, but ay what else is new? I mean he was definetly cool about it I'll give him that, he wasn't blatantly obnoxious like most writers who put down God because of their own unbelief. The older generation was more respectful, more Christian as a matter of fact pft, so when I read this, I went in with a sense of trust, like, "I know your not gonna do me too dirty." Kinda trust hehe. Idk, sorry I'm rambling, go on with your day. Thanks again for this!

I understand why some people don't care for Christian Romance, but personally, I think it can have it's place and purpose. I def think that there are a lot of frivolous Christian Romance books that really do walk that line of being too sexual and less "Christian". However, I also have read a lot of sweet and cute romances that I think are great stories overall. Romance and Love are a part of life even in the Bible! Just read the Song of Solomon! So I think that Romance from a true Christian perspective can have it's place. I know some people say that they give unrealistic ideas about relationships and marriage and I'm sure for some people that could be a problem but I also believe that they can foster a sense of romanticism that we sometimes need to be reminded of. For example, as a mom and housewife, I can get consumed in all of the everyday things that need to get done. Cleaning, cooking, work, so many things that I need to do, that romance gets pushed so far from my mind. But then at night (when I do most of my reading) I can pick up a good (Clean) book, with romance and love involved, and it can direct my mind back to the sweetness of romance and encourage me to remember to keep the love sparks alive in my own marriage. I do think that this does depend on the reader and if it does give you false expectations, then you shouldn't read it. I don't feel like it does that to me personally. I take it for what it is, fiction. Just like any other genre, Mystery, Suspense, Fantasy, Historic etc. It's fictional characters, living in a fictional world so it should be taken with a grain of salt. Also I am saying this as a wife and mother so I can understand if someone single feels differently about this. And I am talking about what I consider "Clean Christian Romance", no language, explicit love scenes, etc..But that's just my two cents worth! Also, Terri Blackstock is my absolute favorite suspense author. Her Newpointe 911 series is an older one but it's my fave! She writes suspense like no one else in the Christian fiction world! And I loved" If I Run", so great! My only problem with Terri Blackstock is that she doesn't have enough books😂😂!

There are so many options in classics. Hadn't read much in the way of the more modern Christian fiction genre. Tried a few "Christian" romances & was confused. Many Christian authors have written classics with Christian themes, I suppose these are considered separate from this genre as just classics? Dickens, Bram Stoker, JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, etc.

Some of the authors that I enjoy reading are Colleen Coble, Lynette Eason, Nancy Mehl, Irene Hannon, DiAnn Mills, Jaime Jo Wright ( I know you are already a fan of hers, she has a new book that was just released), Lisa Harris & Cara Putman. Check them out, they are Christian suspense/Mystery writers. I don't know if you knew this, but Andrew Peterson read his books live on his Facebook page. Our family listened to them and he used a British accent when he read the footnotes. He definitely made them come alive. There is even a short movie that was made from the first book.

I didn't realize Fawkes and Romanov were Christian fiction. I may have to check some of these out!

The wormling. I think it's the book king? 🤔 I recommend those they're fantasy and ment for children but they're really good.

One of my favorite series is Books of the Infinite. There is romance, but it plays a very minor role in the series. Also I loved Mark of the Raven and the other books in that series, as well as, Tainted. Now if you will excuse me I have to go spend a lot of money on books you just recommended that I haven't read yet.

i would definitely reccommend the DragonKeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul. The author gives such an amazing description of good and evil. It is a bit of J-Fiction, but the series is amazing!

I was actually wondering myself if you got any audio book recommendations? I would also like to listen to more Christian fiction mystery recommendations. Something like if I run. Since I've already listened to the first two books and I am planning to listen to the third one. Are there any like that on Audible?

Have you read The Undoing of Saint Silvanus (Beth Moore’s only fiction book) or Whispers of the Bayou? (Mindy Starns Clark)

Hello! Loved your video! Please read Arena by Karen Hancock. It is my all time favorite. It's a christian fantasy. I would love to know what you think of it!

Chantel, have you read “Safely Home” by Randy Alcorn? I read it years and years ago and it’s still one of my favorite Christian fiction books! It’s a story of two guys whom if I remember correctly meet at college. The one returns to his home country of China and begins to experience persecution. And the story follows their friendship through this. The ending had me crying in tears and I still to this day think of it and it encourages me in my Christian walk. You gotta check it out!😉

Nancy Rue. Reluctant Prophet series and Sullivan Crisp series

I'm looking for a good read that will evangelize the person who gets it as a gift. Can you recommend?

Try the Red Wing saga. 7 book series. Also try the Left Behind series. 16 books in this series

I'm kinda confused. Can someone tell me what Christian Fantasy is? Like is it supposed to be magical plus Christian? If so how do the 2mix? I'm just curious.

I really liked Rooms by James L . Rubart, and am enjoying the Colleen Cobel Annie Pederson series (Christian mystery genre).

Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan Moby Dick by Herman Melville

I felt THE SAME WAY about Christian! They are getting better, but they also have to be held to that standard of Christian fiction.

I recently read The Edge of Everywhen by A.S. Mackey. It is a middle grade book. It was pretty good but not quite 5 stars.

Steven James - The Patrick Bower Files It's seven main books starting with The Pawn and ends with Checkmate. It follows a FBI detective and him solving murders. The books also involves his teenage step daughter and her ups and downs.

Something you said about wanting to see the spiritual world, God can allow that if you ask with a sincere heart. He will prepare you in unexpected ways for that time. If you ask he may let you see the good or the bad or both, but do not be afraid.

I love this! I struggle with Christian fiction too, because they all seem exactly the same & im not into romance either. I used to love Ted Dekker, but I’ve not been a fan of most of his more recent stuff. Looking forward to checking these out! Do you have a good reads account?

I have really enjoyed DragonKeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul. It's a really great fantasy Christian series. I really enjoyed them, I think you might like them. :) Thank you for some good recommendations, I'm adding them to my TBR.

I would highly recommend the sheperds series by Brian Andrews. It is a mix between fiction and thriller and it really takes place in the world of the spiritual definitely an adult book. And if you're interested in another series thar is kid friendly I highly recommend Dragonkeeper chronicles. This is a wonderful series based in a fantasy world and touches on the every day struggles that Christians face in a way that every age can relate to.

As someone who is writing a Christian romance, I'd love to watch your video on why you don't like it so I can find if there's something I'm doing in my story that I shouldn't. Where's your video on this?

'The Dark is Rising' by Susan Cooper. I'm sure someone has already recommended this book to you and if so please disregard it. I myself haven't read it yet but it was highly suggested to me.

Jupiter storm and Jupiter winds By CJ Darlington is a very very underrated fantasy type Christian novel :)

This is Sara and i was wondering if you can recommend any good fantasies and mystery books for me to put on my TBR cart

I have always enjoyed the books by Dee Henderson. Some of her books are Christian Romance, but she has others that are Christian Fiction. Her O'Malley series is more of a Christian Romance, but there is a book in that series that I highly recommend and it does not have to be read as part of the series, it can be read as a stand alone. It is called Full Disclosure.

Would these book's be available in India?

Oh my! What happened with the transcription?

Okay I really struggle to read Christian fiction for several of the reasons you said.. They can be very predictable or they have romance in them and I hate that in all books.. Then the other thing is being way to in your face about God in a way that I don't think people are in their normal lives. I read Mind Games by Nancy Mehl and really enjoyed it. This was a recommendation from Chalice :-) I also liked Shiloh Autumn by Bodie Thoene which is a great depression based historical fiction but they wrote other series as well.

What is the name of your podcast?

Have you read books by Karen Kingsbury

I've never had any luck finding compelling Christian fiction to read. I've resorted to just reading nonfiction for my Christian reads. Thanks for this video!

Thanks for sharing

Rose Macaulay - The Towers of Trebizond. You might count it as Christian romance - still excellent. Evelyn Waugh - Men at Arms trilogy

Have your read A Canticle for Leibowitz? It’s my favorite book of all time, following a Catholic monastery after a nuclear holocaust.

If you like scifi, The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis, and The Alliance by Gerald N. Lund are both fun an Christian safe (as I like to label books these days). I don't necessarily need Christian themes in my books, but I appreciate them. It's hard finding fantasy books these days that don't push some social/political agenda that I don't want to read about.

Check out Randy Singer’s books. Not a series. Also, Safely Home by Randy Alcorn.

what genre in the book store would these books be found under? would it be in the religious section or fantasy

Ordered the mark of the raven ☺️

The True Colors series from Barbour Publishing is great historical fiction based on true crimes from America’s history. I am really enjoying them, although The Blue Cloak was difficult content.