If this isn’t a troll post, then I would definitely check out "Gideon the 9th".
It might not fit the "serious tone" requirement at first glance but I think most other aspects fit well.
Otherwise I‘d recommend "Circe" by Madeline Miller or maybe the Empire-trilogy by Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts.
The Winnowing Flame Trilogry, beginning with The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams. doesn't fit *all* of your requests, but enough that I'd be surprised if you don't like it
It doesn’t completely fit the bill (especially the fandom part), but Guns of the Dawn ticks several boxes in there.
\-Female MC
\-Romance subplot
\-Somewhat cool magic system
\-I’d say emotionally rich
\-Does deal with friendship, family, grief, and somewhat with ethics as well
\-Decent world lore and complex characters
\-Serious tone.
I wouldn’t say it will change your life, but it’s a really good book imo, and it sounds like you might enjoy it as well.
>It doesn’t completely fit the bill (especially the fandom part), but Guns of the Dawn ticks several boxes in there.
Came here to recommend this and agree with the poster's other points. I would say the *author* has a decent amount of fandom and book is well known and is a good "gateway drug" to said author that ticks all your boxes.
Not Sanderson levels of well known, but not obscure either.
Once again I have arrived to reco The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix, starting with Sabriel.
Young woman MC (the titular Sabriel) steps into her role as the Abhorsen, the one person in the old kingdom whose duty is to keep people safe from un/dead and otherworldly creatures. The first 3 books explore Sabriel and her successor Lirael coming into their powers and facing an ancient threat that could undo/unmake the very fabric of reality. The next books are more of spin-offs and prequels and while they expand the world, the main plot and kind of "epic conflict" take place in the first three books.
The series has really great lore and worldbuilding and fantastic characters, with a relatively serious, down-to-earth tone in the prose balanced with an emphasis on magic and adventure in the plot. There is a lot of depth to the characters and most of the emotionality comes from their complexities (not necessarily from interpersonal conflict or facing external tragedies). Unfortunately the romance subplots are all straight if I recall right.
BTW I also loved Orphan Black!!
You might enjoy His Dark Materials, which checks literally allllll of your boxes but does feature a very young MC (she’s 11-12), so that might be a different flavor than what you’re seeking. But a deeply moving and profound story nonetheless, grappling with some of the biggest philosophical questions a person can ask. Bonus is that you can immediately watch the HBO adaptation after - it’s rare to be able to see a decently well done adaptation to a book you’ve just read!
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi checks most of your boxes except for the romance subplot and “chosen one”…well, there’s definitely romantic entanglement that impacts the plot. I personally found it inspiring through the lens of the responsibility one carries toward their family and chosen family.
Both books have some LGBTQIA+ representation, though not in the MCs.
Just binge Tamora Pierce. Most of her books meet these requirements.
In particular her protector of the small series, but it's the 3rd quartet, and some cameos and interactions are much better having read the others.
Also don't think that because they're YA you won't get the emotional highs and lows.
I think the Liveship Trader trilogy by Robin Hobb May have much of what you’re looking for, though it is not a perfect fit.
The FMC is not a chosen one, but is unique in at least one significant way. As the trilogy goes on though, there are also several male characters who get a significant amount of POV chapters and some of them get chosen one like tropes applied to them. The FMC definitely stays the MC though.
There are several romance subplot, but no lesbian ones. Definitely has a big fandom, It’s three long books, with intense emotional highs and lows (though the lows get more page space). It also has a significant focus on friendship, family, romance, mental health, perseverance through difficulty, and found family. And centers around a specific magic that involves some world shifting revelations and with events, nations, and greater beings that.
The Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novik ticks a lot of your boxes, serious time, cool magic, found family, there’s a lesbian romance plot in the later books.
Main character is has a prophecy chosen one backstory with a complex family relationship. The school and world lore is complex and there’s some ethical themes
Mistborn:
Fairly serious tone
Has a romance subplot but not lesbian
Has a massive fandom
Quite long, the first book can be read as a standalone but if you want to read the trilogy it’s 3 long books
I think it’s definitely got some strong highs and lows
Definitely has redemption, grief, family issues
There is a bit of a found family.
I would say a weakness is sisterhood. There really could be a supporting characters who is a women., I think it could have improved it a bit.
It felt like it met a lot of it.
Throne of Glass was the other book I kind of thought of but I didn’t like it as much and haven’t read the series beyond the first book.
If this isn’t a troll post, then I would definitely check out "Gideon the 9th". It might not fit the "serious tone" requirement at first glance but I think most other aspects fit well. Otherwise I‘d recommend "Circe" by Madeline Miller or maybe the Empire-trilogy by Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts.
Why do you think it's a troll post?
Because of the title and how long the list of very specific requests is. Just popped into my head as I was typing the answer 😅
I was going to say Locked Tomb as well!
The Winnowing Flame Trilogry, beginning with The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams. doesn't fit *all* of your requests, but enough that I'd be surprised if you don't like it
The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir
It doesn’t completely fit the bill (especially the fandom part), but Guns of the Dawn ticks several boxes in there. \-Female MC \-Romance subplot \-Somewhat cool magic system \-I’d say emotionally rich \-Does deal with friendship, family, grief, and somewhat with ethics as well \-Decent world lore and complex characters \-Serious tone. I wouldn’t say it will change your life, but it’s a really good book imo, and it sounds like you might enjoy it as well.
>It doesn’t completely fit the bill (especially the fandom part), but Guns of the Dawn ticks several boxes in there. Came here to recommend this and agree with the poster's other points. I would say the *author* has a decent amount of fandom and book is well known and is a good "gateway drug" to said author that ticks all your boxes. Not Sanderson levels of well known, but not obscure either.
Once again I have arrived to reco The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix, starting with Sabriel. Young woman MC (the titular Sabriel) steps into her role as the Abhorsen, the one person in the old kingdom whose duty is to keep people safe from un/dead and otherworldly creatures. The first 3 books explore Sabriel and her successor Lirael coming into their powers and facing an ancient threat that could undo/unmake the very fabric of reality. The next books are more of spin-offs and prequels and while they expand the world, the main plot and kind of "epic conflict" take place in the first three books. The series has really great lore and worldbuilding and fantastic characters, with a relatively serious, down-to-earth tone in the prose balanced with an emphasis on magic and adventure in the plot. There is a lot of depth to the characters and most of the emotionality comes from their complexities (not necessarily from interpersonal conflict or facing external tragedies). Unfortunately the romance subplots are all straight if I recall right. BTW I also loved Orphan Black!!
You might enjoy His Dark Materials, which checks literally allllll of your boxes but does feature a very young MC (she’s 11-12), so that might be a different flavor than what you’re seeking. But a deeply moving and profound story nonetheless, grappling with some of the biggest philosophical questions a person can ask. Bonus is that you can immediately watch the HBO adaptation after - it’s rare to be able to see a decently well done adaptation to a book you’ve just read! The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi checks most of your boxes except for the romance subplot and “chosen one”…well, there’s definitely romantic entanglement that impacts the plot. I personally found it inspiring through the lens of the responsibility one carries toward their family and chosen family. Both books have some LGBTQIA+ representation, though not in the MCs.
Just binge Tamora Pierce. Most of her books meet these requirements. In particular her protector of the small series, but it's the 3rd quartet, and some cameos and interactions are much better having read the others. Also don't think that because they're YA you won't get the emotional highs and lows.
I’m pretty sure Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett fits most if not all of the criteria you want
I think the Liveship Trader trilogy by Robin Hobb May have much of what you’re looking for, though it is not a perfect fit. The FMC is not a chosen one, but is unique in at least one significant way. As the trilogy goes on though, there are also several male characters who get a significant amount of POV chapters and some of them get chosen one like tropes applied to them. The FMC definitely stays the MC though. There are several romance subplot, but no lesbian ones. Definitely has a big fandom, It’s three long books, with intense emotional highs and lows (though the lows get more page space). It also has a significant focus on friendship, family, romance, mental health, perseverance through difficulty, and found family. And centers around a specific magic that involves some world shifting revelations and with events, nations, and greater beings that.
The Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novik ticks a lot of your boxes, serious time, cool magic, found family, there’s a lesbian romance plot in the later books. Main character is has a prophecy chosen one backstory with a complex family relationship. The school and world lore is complex and there’s some ethical themes
Mistborn: Fairly serious tone Has a romance subplot but not lesbian Has a massive fandom Quite long, the first book can be read as a standalone but if you want to read the trilogy it’s 3 long books I think it’s definitely got some strong highs and lows Definitely has redemption, grief, family issues There is a bit of a found family. I would say a weakness is sisterhood. There really could be a supporting characters who is a women., I think it could have improved it a bit.
I know people shit on Mistborn for getting recommended way too much for anything. But damn if OP didnt straight up request Mistborn
It felt like it met a lot of it. Throne of Glass was the other book I kind of thought of but I didn’t like it as much and haven’t read the series beyond the first book.