Game of Thrones is done for the season and George R.R. Martin is busy penning the next novel, Winds of Winter. So while you patiently wait for your Game of Thrones fix — remember it was six years between novels — check out some other books to fill the void.

Grave Mercy: His Fair Assassin, Book I (His Fair Assassin Trilogy) by R. L. LaFevers

Grave Mercy is a fantastic read filled with action. I love the idea of nun assassins, especially because this group really did exist in history. Grave Mercy is the perfect blend of historical fiction and fantasy. The characters are dynamic and the writing allows you to envision the scenes while you are reading. This one belongs on everyone’s summer reading list.

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

Robin McKinley crafts fantastic stories filled with interesting characters and a mythical kingdom fully realized. This is the story of Corlath, golden-eyed king of the Free Hillfok, son of the sons of the Lady Aerin. And this is the story of Harry Crewe, the Outlander orphan girl who became Harimad-sol, King’s Rider, and bearer of the Blue Sword, Gonturan, the sword Lady Aerin carried, the sword only a woman may wield, for it will turn in the hand of a man.

A Cavern of Black Ice (Sword of Shadows) by J.V. Jones

This story is probably closest to The Game of Thrones in the scope of characters and gruesomeness of some of the scenes. The story is set in the Arctic-like realm and focuses on various clans on the brink of war. Raif is of the Clan Blackhail which he leaves after a disagreement with its new leader. Ash is an orphan runaway with special powers she cannot control. Eventually the heroine and hero meet in the city of Spire Vanis and begin a journey to help Ash understand her power. The story is slow to start but once the main characters meet it becomes a fast paced tale. As the book goes on, wider aspects of this world are revealed in an interestingly written, rich history and background.

The Thief (The Queen’s Thief, Book 1) by Megan Whalen Turner

The Thief is the first is a quartet of books that should be read by all. Megan Whalen Turner is a fantastic story teller and these novels will appeal to all kinds of readers. It tells the story of Gen, a thief and proud of it. When his bragging lands him behind bars, he has one chance to win his freedom — journey to a neighboring kingdom with the magus, find a legendary stone called Hamiathes’s Gift and steal it. The most powerful advisor to the King of Sounis is the magus. He’s not a wizard, he’s a scholar, an aging solider, not a thief. When he needs something stolen, he pulls a young thief from the King’s prison to do the job for him. The magus has plans for his King and his country. Gen has plans of his own.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Graceling is the story of Katsa, who has been able to kill people with her bare hands since she was eight. Katsa lives in the seven kingdoms, where very occasionally a person is born with an extreme skill called a Grace. Gracelings are feared and exploited in the seven kingdoms, and none moreso than Katsa, who’s expected to do the dirty work of torture and punishment for her uncle, King Randa. But then she meets a mysterious stranger named Po, who is also a Graced fighter and the first person ever to challenge her in a fight. The two form a bond, and each discovers truths they never imagined about themselves, each other, and a terrible danger that is spreading slowly through the seven kingdoms.

What are some of your favorite books that fit into the high fantasy category like The Game of Thrones?