Realm of the Elderlings is my favorite series of all time and its written by a woman, but every other book series ive read that ive liked has been written by a man. Not sure how to describe how most books I tried written by woman in the past felt other than the audience not feeling like me. Realm of the elderlings I never had this issue, I enjoyed following the female protoganists and the fool even if I dont identify with how they feel, so I think its not necessarily the main character being a male for half the series being why I like it.
I just typically dont like men written by woman like woman rightfully dont like woman written by most male authors, since it tends to be done poorlly. Looking for series/authors that do a good job of representing both genders and writing for them, not misrepresenting either or acting like its the only thing that defines them and all their actions.
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon is a great epic feeling fantasy read. I recommend it heartily; I believe it’s her first book (?) but it’s incredibly well written and immersive.
Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson was a step out of my own comfort zone, since I don’t typically prefer real world settings, but I enjoyed it immensely. It’s set in basically the current era, and the main character is a hacker who ends up accidentally getting involved in a magical hidden world.
The Shades of Magic series by V. E. Schwab is a lot of fun. Alternate universe fantasy with tons of magic.