Another book I would recommend to anyone interested in fantasy but looking to shake things up would be The Hero and the Crown. There are dragons and there is a very weird family. And the protagonist is priceless: stubborn, driven, and prone to major mishaps and great triumphs - her mother has been slandered in death, and a lot of the politics swirling around her are depressingly familiar, but no less intriguing for that.
I read it before I read Tolkien, actually, but I think it really made me appreciate Tolkien more, and I'm sure this could work both ways.
It's usually marketed as YA (young adult) - but I re-read it last year and realized that it just didn't get old for me. So whatever your age is, dive right in.
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~The beginning is the word and the end is silence. And in between are all the stories. This is one of mine~
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