Get a rundown of Us Weekly‘s top stories making headlines in celebrity news, sports and entertainment on July 17, 2026. Here are the key takeaways:

• Ariana Grande and former dancer Ricky Alvarez have rekindled their romance and are “the real deal“, a source tells Us. The insider stressed that Alvarez is “far from a rebound,” noting Grande and ex Ethan Slater split long before the public knew.

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• Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were caught on video dancing to “Swag Surfin’” at JuJu Smith-Schuster and Laura Kruk‘s July 10 wedding. The newlywed footage surfaced just one week after Swift and Kelce tied the knot at Madison Square Garden on July 3.

• Kim Kardashian shared the final text messages her family exchanged with late grandmother Mary Jo “MJ” Shannon, who died at 91. The screenshots show Kris Jenner sending Bible passages in the days before Shannon’s death, with her grandmother replying “Amen.”

Edited by Samantha Benitz. Story produced with AI assistance

The next Avatar film, the franchise’s fourth installment, isn’t expected to arrive until December 2029, four years after Avatar: Fire and Ash premiered in 2025. A fifth and final film is also planned for a December 2031 release. While details about the upcoming sequels remain scarce, filmmaker James Cameron has previously revealed that he’s still writing portions of the later films, adding that advances in filmmaking technology will make production more efficient.

Fortunately, fans won’t have to wait until 2029 to return to Pandora. PlayStation has announced that the franchise’s biggest video game is joining PlayStation Plus this month alongside several other notable titles, including a few you may have forgotten about. Developed by Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft, the game originally launched in 2023 for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S to mixed reviews, with critics overall widely praising its breathtaking visuals and immersive recreation of Pandora.

According to PlayStation, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora joins the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog on July 21. The game will be available globally on PS5 and via PlayStation Portal. For those anticipating this fantastic release, it is set in the previously unseen Western Frontier of Pandora. The first-person action-adventure game puts players in the role of a Na’vi who was abducted by the Resources Development Administration (RDA) and raised to serve its interests. After 15 years in captivity, you finally escape, only to find yourself a stranger in your own homeland. As you reconnect with your heritage, you’ll unite with other Na’vi clans to defend Pandora from the RDA while uncovering what it truly means to be Na’vi.

Are ‘Avatar 4’ and ‘Avatar 5’ Already Filmed?

Back in April, Avatar star Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, who plays Tuk, shared a production update on Avatar 4 during the Saturn Awards. The actress revealed that only a portion of the fourth film had been filmed before teasing an “epic time jump” that would dramatically expand the story. According to Bliss, the time jump will allow audiences to explore Pandora’s characters, cultures, and ecosystems on a much larger scale. “We barely touched the tip of the iceberg for what we know about this world, and these characters, and how deep they can go,” she said. Bliss also explained that Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash were designed with the fourth and fifth films in mind, describing the final two installments as the beginning of an entirely new chapter for the franchise.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora joins the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog next week. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on the Avatar franchise.

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December 19, 2029

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James Cameron

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James Cameron, Josh Friedman

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Jon Landau

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No one mastered the whodunit with quite as much cerebral agility as Agatha Christie. That’s the furthest thing from a controversial statement, but widespread celebration doesn’t make the mind of the world’s most popular fiction author less singular. Given the wealth of spine-tingling mysteries in her catalog, there’s an excellent chance that more adaptations of the Queen of Crime’s bibliography exist than entries in her formidable catalog (66 novels, dozens of short stories). It’s fitting, then, that no novel has been more riffed upon than 1939’s And Then There Were None — the best-selling book of all time and the epochal classic regarded as Christie’s crowning jewel.

When it comes to elegant production or fidelity to the material, few onscreen interpretations surpass the BBC’s 2015 miniseries of the same name. And Then There Were None distinguishes itself within Christie’s work; it’s bleak and unforgiving, populated with irredeemable individuals, and devoid of a heroic detective’s intervention. Writer Sarah Phelps, director Craig Viveiros, and an all-star cast hold fast to Christie’s sinister, deliberately cruel cultural critique — the relevance of which hasn’t aged a day.

Apropos of seemingly nothing, 10 people accept an invitation to stay on a small, secluded island. Their host’s name, U.N. Owen, rings no bells, and they’re all strangers to one other. As they seat themselves around the dinner table, a gramophone recording brazenly declares their respective lethal crimes. Cue the ensemble dropping like flies. Part of And Then There Were None‘s brilliance is its time-honored format. For all intents and purposes, Christie invented the slasher horror-thriller: the mechanics of targets trapped inside an isolated location, a vindictive assailant hiding amongst his victims as he fells them one by one.

Any adaptation of Christie’s most acclaimed and ingenious creation must respect her narrative intricacy. She crafted an impenetrable yet plausible plot that stands the test of time. Simplifying the exceptional architecture undermines her achievement. The same faithfulness should apply to the novel’s foreboding tone, frank nihilism, and psychological emphasis. Many movie adaptations lessen the overarching despair or change the melancholy ending; Christie herself made the latter palatable for war-weary audiences of the 1943 stage play, which was completely understandable. Later films following suit, however, sanitize her scathing intentions.

Phelps doesn’t dull that serrated edge. She captures the book’s ruthlessness through horror motifs — crashing ocean waves, jolts of roaring thunder, potential danger lurking around every candlelit corner — and by accurately preserving how Christie interrogates England’s social hierarchies through a brutal character study. Set one month before the United Kingdom declared war on Germany’s Third Reich, the majority of Christie’s characters present themselves with self-righteous integrity. Behind their common courtesies, they either waver on the edge of collapse or are rotten to the core.

Human selfishness takes different forms throughout And Then There Were None: sadism, bigotry, negligence, greed, lust, and proselytizing. A respected judge (Charles Dance) hands down close-minded sentences, a doctor (Toby Stephens) imbibes alcohol before an operation, a jealous schoolteacher (Maeve Dermody) lets her charge drown, a police officer (Burn Gorman) commits a hate crime, a decorated World War I general (Sam Neill) betrays a fellow soldier and romantic rival, a mercenary (Aidan Turner) murders for profit, a spoiled socialite (Douglas Booth) simply doesn’t care, and a religious devotee (Miranda Richardson) cloaks her prejudice in piety.

‘And Then There Were None’ Amplifies the Book’s Ruthlessness

Even though these reprehensible individuals have escaped due process, does And Then There Were None‘s vigilante mastermind accomplish any lasting worth by operating outside the broken judicial system? Are they merely quenching their own violent thirst? That’s a (potentially unanswerable) question for audiences to ponder. Christie’s world and its citizens reek of hopelessness. Nevertheless, her characters can’t outrun justice, no matter how much they scramble. They descend into conflict and paranoia, cling to the honorable reputation they’ve manufactured, and argue their truth as fact. Even those afflicted with remorse can’t face themselves in the mirror long enough to admit their wrongs — until consequences strike, that is, and the well of justifications runs dry.

Even when Phelps strays from the source material, her deviations both amplify Christie’s subtext surrounding class and gender and adjust it to reflect current issues. The distressing immediacy of the cast’s past violent crimes removes the ambiguity without simplifying all that drives their respective psychologies. Two characters acting upon their sexual tension change nothing fundamental; it’s a rare intimate moment and another example of decadent indulgence.

We’re not invited to like these people or see our daily thoughts reflected back to us. Christie and Phelps splay the characters’ souls out on a surgical table so viewers can dissect their broken humanity, recognize their darkest impulses, and sit with the ramifications of their unchecked narcissism. Christie did cozy mysteries. Christie did brain-twisters. She did uncompromising fictional cruelty for a purpose. Phelps’ superb interpretation — and more harrowing resolution — denies her audience even a sliver of hope. The deeds are done, but human narcissism lives on.

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2015 – 2015-00-00

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Craig Viveiros

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  Maeve Dermody

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A 63-year-old man was arrested for smashing his car into Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s East Hamptons residence earlier this week.

Us Weekly obtained a police report regarding an incident where Bronx resident Keith Webster was accused of driving his Subaru into a security gate on Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Georgica Pond property on Wednesday, July 15. Webster was later charged with second degree criminal mischief and third degree criminal trespass.

Detective Sgt. Jennifer Dunn, of the East Hampton police, told The East Hampton Star by phone on Friday, July 17, that the matter is currently under investigation.

“This could be a health issue but we have to treat it as a crime until proven otherwise,” the detective clarified.

Related: Jay-Z Omits Kanye West’s Name During Surprise Beyonce Duet in Paris

Jay-Z reunited with his wife, Beyoncé, for their first live performance together in six years on Sunday, June 22. Jay-Z — real name Shawn Carter — joined his superstar spouse on stage for her third and final Cowboy Carter Tour performance at Paris’ Stade de France. The couple reeled off a string of their biggest […]

Per a police report, a security guard observed Webster’s Subaru “driving at a high rate of speed up the driveway” towards a security gate. The subsequent collision reportedly caused “significant damage” to Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s checkpoint because Webster did not “stop at the closed mechanical driveway gates.” (It is not clear whether the couple were home during the incident.)

Webster initially remained in his vehicle following the crash but eventually complied with requests to exit. By the time police arrived, Webster was reportedly restrained and sitting in front of his vehicle.

“He wasn’t making threats. He seemed confused,” Detective Sgt. Dunn clarified.

Webster complained of pain and was thus transferred to the nearby Stony Brook East Hampton Emergency Department. He was later released in order to be arraigned, with police choosing to impound his vehicle for now.

Police were able to trace Webster’s previous travels using a license plate reader camera network. According to police, Webster initially stopped at another home in the East Hamptons area though he left without issue when he was turned away.

Detective Sgt. Jones told Page Six that Webster had “no criminal history” and there were “no weapons found, no notes found, no direct threats made and no direct mention of residents of the house.”

“He seemed confused at the scene and after the arrest,” the detective explained. “He did not make any threats or mention names of the residents. It could just be chance he picked that house if he was having a medical issue”.

Us Weekly has reached out to Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s representatives for comment.

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The incident occurred just three days after Jay-Z wrapped up his three-day concert residency at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on Sunday, July 12. The shows celebrated the 30th anniversary of his Reasonable Doubt album and the 25th anniversary of the Blueprint album. The concerts featured a surprise duet with Beyoncé on “Can’t Knock the Hustle” as well as their 14-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter playing piano on “Feelin’ It” alongside Mecca and Alicia Keys.

Related: Jay-Z Walks ‘Mufasa’ Red Carpet With Beyonce and Family Amid Rape Allegations

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Jay-Z has made his first public appearance after being accused of raping a 13-year-old girl with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in the early 2000s. The rapper, 55, stepped out alongside his wife, Beyoncé, the couple’s daughter Blue Ivy Carter and his mother-in-law, Tina Knowles, at the premiere of Disney’s Mufasa in Hollywood, California, on Monday, December […]

Other guests featured during the three Yankee Stadium concerts included Eminem, Rihanna, Pharrell Williams and Usher. Beyoncé also played a medley of her hits during Sunday’s final show.

Jay-Z is set to bring the anniversary concert to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on September 4, before headlining at the Stade de France in Paris on September 10 and then coming back to the U.S. on October 23 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

The sports romance genre has taken television audiences by storm lately. Much of the success of these shows stems from the books they’re based on. First, we had the buzz surrounding HBO Max’s Heated Rivalry, based on the Game Changers series by Rachel Reid. Then, Off Campus put a different spin on the adrenaline-filled world of hockey, adapted from the book series of the same name by Elle Kennedy. While fans wait for both shows to return with their second seasons, there’s one new sports fantasy romance that combines Off Campus‘ fake-dating trope and the competitive dynamic at the heart of Heated Rivalry with the fantastical world of Fourth Wing — and it’s totally perfect for a television adaptation.

What Is ‘The Winged Game’ About?

The Winged Game, by Sophie Kim, revolves around the sport of carriwitchet (think Quidditch, but with dragons, wyverns, and stymphalian birds), and its two most famous players, Taissa Cho and Kion Locke. They used to be each other’s biggest rivals in the sport, but when Kion accuses Taissa of cheating, she’s subsequently kicked out of the league. When the book starts, Taissa has lost everything, but her life gets flipped upside down when Kion comes back into the picture. His team has experienced two years of embarrassing losses, and he needs to recruit the once-brilliant Taissa to help. The team’s publicist insists that the best PR would be to pretend they’re dating, but the only problem is that the two hate each other with an intense, fiery passion. Once Taissa and Kion reluctantly agree to the plan, of course, sparks start to fly as they become closer.

This plot would be exciting enough for a romance novel, but the fantasy aspect comes into play when the winged animals in the league develop a mysterious and dangerous illness. Taissa and Kion join forces to figure out what might be afflicting the animals, who can communicate with their owners, just like in Fourth Wing. The duo ends up embarking on a perilous journey filled with all types of fantastical figures, including fairies, vampires, werewolves, and demons. Can they figure out how to save both their winged friends and the entire sport of carriwitchet as their fake relationship starts to become all too real?

‘The Winged Game’ TV Adaptation Would Be a Fast-Paced, Fantastical Ride

Image via Penguin Random House

The Winged Game is packed with television-worthy elements, from twists and turns in the storytelling, powerful relationships between the characters, and a fantastical sport that can be brought to life with state-of-the-art CGI and special effects. Of course, the story is built around the enemies-to-lovers and fake-romance tropes, just like in Off Campus. There’s plenty of spicy action, just like in Heated Rivalry, to satisfy viewers who like romance with some heat. And there are fantasy elements, like in Fourth Wing, that would make the series all the more entertaining to watch. It’s easy to see the adaptation being cast with fresh faces, too. Someone like Arden Cho, Lana Condor, or Leah Lewis could play Taissa, while Joshua Bassett, Josh Heuston, or Gavin Leatherwood could take on the raven-haired Kion.

There’s indeed a Fourth Wing adaptation on the way, which could serve as some competition, but that fantasy doesn’t have a relatable, contemporary setting or the sports romance element that The Winged Game does. Fourth Wing has also had a slow start to production, so The Winged Game could easily swoop in and find a devoted audience right away. If nothing else, you should check out the book for yourself so that you can dive right into its thrilling, addictive world while waiting for the adaptation rights to get snatched up.

He may have had an uncontroversial start to fatherhood, but Jelly Roll has always prioritized his family.

The country singer welcomed his first child, daughter Bailee Ann, with ex-girlfriend Felicia in 2008. At the time, Jelly Roll (real name Jason DeFord) was serving a prison sentence for a drug dealing conviction.

“A guard knocks on my cell door midafternoon during lockdown. He goes, ‘You had a kid today,’” he told Billboard in June 2023. “I’ve never had nothing in life that urged me in the moment to know that I had to do something different. I have to figure this out right now.”

After learning about Bailee’s arrival, Jelly Roll vowed that he would be there for his daughter. Eight years later, the musician welcomed son Noah Buddy with ex Melisa.

That same month he became a father to Noah, Jelly Roll tied the knot with Bunnie Xo. While the pair do not share children, Jelly Roll has credited Bunnie as the reason why he was able to be a better father.

“You’re talking about a woman that came in and took a child that was soon to be born and a child that [we were] soon to have full custody of,” he said to Billboard. “I would have never got custody of my daughter without her. I wouldn’t have had the stability or the money.”

In June 2026, news broke that Jelly Roll had quietly filed for divorce from Bunnie after nearly 10 years of marriage, and the paperwork was finalized the next month.

Keep scrolling to get to know Jelly Roll’s family:

Bunnie Xo

Jelly Roll and Bunnie met in 2015 at one of the musician’s shows in Las Vegas. The following year, the couple eloped at the city’s famous Little White Wedding Chapel.

“It takes a special kind of woman to raise a kid that isn’t her child and still treat the child as if she was. Bunnie is that special woman, outside of the social media, outside of the podcast, and all the business endeavors she does and helps me with, Bunnie is a beautiful soul,” Jelly Roll wrote via Facebook alongside a photo of his wife with his daughter in May 2020. “She is kind, patient and caring. Over the years watching her relationship with Bailee blossom into this beautiful mother daughter bond that it has become has been nothing short of magical.”

In May 2026, Jelly Roll quietly submitted divorce paperwork in Tennessee, Us Weekly confirmed the following month. He listed their date of separation as May 9, 2026, and cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split.

Us confirmed in July 2026 that the country singer had finalized his divorce from Bunnie.

Bailee Ann

In 2017, Jelly Roll and Bunnie got custody of Bailee while her mother struggled with drug addiction. During a February 2024 appearance on her stepmom’s “Dumb Blonde” podcast, Bailee opened up about her struggles while she lived with her mom.

“I was still smoking a lot and doing whatever but I wasn’t doing coke anymore because my mom wasn’t around,” the teen recalled, while Bunnie noted her stepdaughter didn’t have access to harder drugs while her mother was not present. “Why would I? Didn’t have access, didn’t have need.”

While performing at Stagecoach in April 2024, Jelly Roll brought his daughter out on stage for her birthday.

“I don’t wanna put her on blast, but my baby girl is 15 years old, and in like 10 days, she’ll be 16 years old,” he told the crowd at the music festival. “I see some of y’all little cowboys getting smiles, stop it. I’m looking at you. I see you.”

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Noah Buddy

Jelly Roll announced the arrival of his son in August 2016. “God Bless this Child to be everything I am not! Noah Buddy DeFord!” he wrote via Facebook at the time. “I pray he nor Bailee ever have to pay for their father’s sins. I’ll post more pics tomorrow.”

Seven years later, Noah made his debut on his stepmother’s social media page. (Bunnie later shared that she got permission from Noah’s mom to put the little one on camera.)

“My name is Noah and my favorite color is red,” he said in a July 2023 TikTok video.

Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo were candid about their relationship ahead of their shocking 2026 divorce.

News broke in June 2026 that Jelly Roll (real name Jason Bradley DeFord) filed for divorce from Bunnie Xo (real name Alisa Andrea Carter) one month prior. In court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Jelly Roll listed the pair’s date of separation as May 9 and cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason behind their split.

Jelly Roll went on to propose in his filing that he and Bunnie Xo have “an equitable division of the parties’ assets” and apportion “responsibility for payment of the parties’ debts.”

Us confirmed in July 2026 that the exes had quietly finalized their divorce.

Related: Jelly Roll Breaks His Silence After Filing for Divorce From Bunnie Xo

Jelly Roll has broken his silence on his divorce from Bunnie Xo after nearly 10 years of marriage. Speaking on stage, Jelly Roll, 41, publicly addressed his split from Bunnie, 46, at his Saratoga Springs, New York tour leg on Thursday, June 18. “I wasn’t going to talk about this tonight, but while we’re talking […]

Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo were married for nearly a decade. While the pair did not share any children of their own, Jelly Roll became a dad when he welcomed daughter Bailee Ann in 2008 with ex-girlfriend Felicia Beckwith. He also welcomed son Noah Buddy in 2016 with ex Melisa Ann Cowell.

Scroll down to see more of Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo’s quotes about their relationship before divorce:

Jelly Roll Admits Affair During Bunnie Xo Relationship Was 1 of His ‘Worst Moments’

In 2025, Jelly Roll recalled a moment of infidelity while in a relationship with Bunnie Xo.

“One of the worst moments of my adulthood was when I had an affair on my wife,” he admitted during an October 2025 episode of the “Human School” podcast. “Because it was the first time that I was like, ‘I really can’t get this right at all. I know I’m in love with this woman.’ It just really, really, really blew me back.”

Jelly Roll explained that he put in “a lot of work to repair” their connection, which led to them being “stronger than we could have ever been.”

He added, “I wish our story would’ve went in the way that it never had an affair. I’m proud of who we are today. I truly am.”

Related: Jelly Roll’s Daughter Breaks Silence Over Dad and Bunnie Xo’s Split

Jelly Roll‘s daughter, Bailee Ann DeFord, has spoken out about her father filing for divorce from Bunnie Xo after nearly 10 years of marriage. Bailee Ann, 18, took to TikTok on Tuesday, June 16, to comment on the news after it made headlines one day prior. “I am disgusted at how invested everyone is in […]

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The next year, Bunnie Xo reflected on the moment during an interview with Us, saying it was “hard” to move on from the “betrayal.”

“I don’t think anybody can just snap out of it. It is a process. You’re literally grieving and you’re heartbroken, but you’re still in love with this person. Even though the affair is a part of the book, it’s not our story,” she explained in January 2026. “It’s literally what catapulted us into who we are today and I think that readers need to definitely consume it, chew on it and think about it. But they also see what we’ve made from that entire situation. It completely changed who we are as humans and how we looked at love.”

She continued, “We didn’t know how to love each other properly. We both were raised in opposite households but weren’t taught how to love correctly. A lot of that gets brushed over, [but] as a child, he wasn’t taught how to love properly and I wasn’t taught how to love or receive love.”

Jelly Roll Gets Candid About Intimacy Changes Since Weight Loss

Jelly Roll reflected on his 200-pound weight loss and how it has affected his intimate relationship with Bunnie Xo.

“I feel like I’m a teenager, dog,” Jelly Roll told Men’s Health in a January profile. “I have the sex drive of a 17-year-old again. I’m f***ing pouncing on my wife. We’re having daytime sex again. It’s f***ing awesome. [Before the weight loss] my testosterone level — and I’m cool to talk about this openly — was of a preteen boy.”

Jelly Roll Talks ‘Secret to Success’ in Bunnie Xo Marriage

In February 2026, Jelly Roll exclusively told Us the relationship secrets between him and Bunnie Xo.

“The secret to success is, one, not taking anything too serious [and] having conversations,” he said at a pre-Grammys gala. “What happens in that bedroom matters a lot. Those private conversations — and that other stuff.”

Jelly Roll Addresses Claims Bunnie Xo Is a ‘Gold Digger’

In a March 2026 interview with Taste of Country Nights, Jelly Rill addressed claims that Bunnie Xo is a “gold digger.”

“I love it when they call her a gold digger. She hates it. It just flames her up,” Jelly Roll said, before explaining why he finds it funny. “But it just tickles me absolutely pink because when I met her. I was homeless living out of a 1996 conversion van, so if anyone was digging for gold it was I, Popeye. I was couch-surfing and made it to the bedroom.”

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Bunnie Xo Claps Back at Jelly Roll Split Rumors

In 2025, Bunnie Xo slammed speculation that she and Jelly Roll were headed toward a split.

“Someone said the other day, ‘They used to always be together, and now you never see them together,’” she said on her “Dumb Blonde” podcast in August 2025. “I’m like, ‘Do you guys not know that for the past six months [that] I’ve been trying to make a baby?’”

Bunnie Xo Talks IVF Journey With Jelly Roll

The duo had been candid about pursuing in vitro fertilization to have a child together. “This journey with IVF, we sat down a couple months ago,” Bunnie Xo said on her “Dumb Blonde” podcast in August 2025. “And I was just like, I feel like I’ve accomplished so much in my life. And the only thing that’s left is to raise a baby and garden. I’m in my baby mama [and] gardening era.”

Writing a book is no easy task; writing a good book even less so. After all, writing is an art, and it can be a difficult thing to master. Heck, some people spend years and years studying it before they ever publish anything, and even then, there’s no guarantee that it will be good. With self-publishing being easier than ever thanks to Amazon, it certainly won’t take long to find a slew of awful books out there.

This is especially the case in the high fantasy genre, a subgenre featuring stories that take place in worlds completely separate from our own. High fantasy is experiencing a significant boom right now, which has been going on since at least the 1980s. A lot of authors have tried their hand at the genre, only to fail miserably. Every so often, though, a writer comes along that totally nails it. Their books might have perfect pacing, perfect characters, perfect prose, perfect emotion; perfect everything. These are the most perfectly written books in high fantasy.

‘The Lies of Locke Lamora’ (2006)

Image via Bantam Spectra

The Lies of Locke Lamora takes place in an unnamed fictional world, specifically in the city of Camorr, which resembles Renaissance Venice. In this weaving labyrinth of streets and canals, there exists a group of con artists calling themselves the Gentleman Bastards. These thieves have only one purpose: to rob the rich blind before they even realize they’ve been had. It’s kind of like Robin Hood, only without all the giving to the poor.

Chapters alternate between the present storyline’s acts of thievery and the history of the city and of the organization itself, which is actually a great way of worldbuilding and establishing lore without overwhelming the reader with info dumps. It keeps the story rolling forward, but also provides some much-needed context at key points. With a crew reminiscent of Ocean’s Eleven and some fantastical heists, this book has garnered a lot of love amongst fantasy readers for its excellent writing.

‘The NeverEnding Story’ (1979)

Image via Thienemann Verlag

The NeverEnding Story was written by German author Michael Ende and was adapted for the big screen just five years later. It’s sort of a frame story, acting as a bit of book-ception. The premise is that a lonely boy in the real world finds an old book, and begins reading it, which happens to be pretty much The NeverEnding Story itself. The book is set in the realm of Fantastica, which is under threat from a dangerous, amalgamous force called “the Nothing.” Fearing destruction, a princess sends a boy warrior named Atreyu to stop it.

It’s a classic feel-good story, though it is not without its more depressing parts. The movie became a staple of ’80s fantasy cinema, even spawning a few sequels. As with pretty much any book-to-film adaptation, though, the original text is going to reign supreme. It feels like a nostalgic childhood fairytale, including dragons, adventure, and magic, which is pretty much everything one could want from a high fantasy story. The writing approach turned out to be the correct choice, because it certainly helped the book stand out amongst others.

‘The Blade Itself’ (2006)

Image via Gollancz

The Blade Itself is the first book in The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. It’s a grimdark fantasy series, so don’t expect it to be all sunshine and daisies. This book is unapologetically bleak, with very few, if any, morally sound characters. The protagonists in question are pretty awful people, with one being a murderous barbarian, one being a fraudulent wizard, another being a hedonistic soldier, and the last being a literal torturer. Their fates become intertwined when conspiracies are unravelled, and villains show up to exact revenge.

This book is basically what would happen if a tabletop RPG party was made up of the worst people you ever knew. Which… if you play games like that with your friends, maybe it’s the case anyway. Joking aside, the writing in this book is brilliant, largely because it feels so realistic. The characters feel like they could be genuine people, because, let’s face it, there are a lot of corrupt and evil people out there. The way the characters are fleshed out is exceptional, and makes for an amazing reading experience.

‘A Wizard of Earthsea’ (1968)

Image via Parnassus Press

A Wizard of Earthsea is the first in the popular Earthsea saga, which became known for a lot of things, namely its impeccable worldbuilding. The story is set on an ocean planet, with the only land being an archipelago of islands. This planet, called Earthsea, is inhabited by both humans and dragons. Most humans have some sort of magical abilities and have developed cultures and realms. It’s not so simple and one-dimensional as having one culture per island either — many of these cultures have expanded and colonized multiple islands, making the world actually feel like a real, complete place.

Ursula K. Le Guin won numerous awards for this book, and for its sequels. Not only does it have a fascinating world that is incredibly easy to get lost in, but it’s also a fantastic, well-thought-out story. Of course, the thing that makes it all better is the writing itself. The prose immaculately flows and really reminds the reader that writing is an art form. There’s just nothing else like these books out there, and they’re still popular today.

‘Assassin’s Apprentice’ (1995)

Image via Del Rey

Assassin’s Apprentice is the first book in Robin Hobb‘s Farseer Trilogy, which eventually expanded into a rather large shared universe consisting of multiple trilogies and one quadrilogy. Believe it or not, the book is about an assassin’s apprentice. More specifically, it is about the king’s illegitimate son being taken at the age of six to train with the assassins in order to protect the throne from his power-hungry uncle.

This book came as a bit of a surprise to fantasy fans, because nobody had ever read anything quite like it before. Like any work, it’s clear where its inspirations come from, but it also did a lot to reinvent classic fantasy tropes so that it felt original. Assassin’s Apprentice is proof that Hobb is a master of the pen and is able to craft stories that capture the imagination and emotions, creating an unparalleled fantasy experience.

‘Gardens of the Moon’ (1999)

Image via Tor Fantasy

Gardens of the Moon is the first book in Steven Erikson‘s Malazan universe, as well as the first in the main sequence known as Malazan: Book of the Fallen. The gist of the story is that there is a terrifying and oppressive regime, called the Malazan Empire, which has conquered much of the known world. At the onset of the series, they intend to expand even further by conquering the continent of Genebackis.

That’s the very short version of things, anyway. The novels get much more complex and nuanced — they’re epic fantasy, after all. Malazan has become something of a favourite in the fantasy fandom, and it’s still seeing releases to this day, so it never goes out of style. While all of the books are pretty awesome and well-written in their own right, the way this one is written is just a little bit more special.

‘A Storm of Swords’ (2000)

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A Storm of Swords is the third book in George R. R. Martin‘s A Song of Ice and Fire series, which famously got adapted into the hit HBO original series, Game of Thrones. This book was so large that it actually needed two seasons of the show to adapt the whole thing. Like the rest of the series, the story is about nine royal families feuding over a throne, completely unaware that a primordial evil is silently gathering strength far to the North, preparing to bring an end to humanity.

So many important and legendary events happen in this book, including the Battle of Castle Black and the notorious Red Wedding. Even though it’s a super long book, it really doesn’t feel that long because it’s consistently exciting all the way through. It’s bleak, epic, and really emotional, inspiring anger, anxiety, sadness, triumph, and pretty much every other emotion that a reader should feel from a good story, all thanks to Martin’s impeccable writing style.

‘The Shadow Rising’ (1992)

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The Shadow Rising is the fourth book in the enormous The Wheel of Time saga, which spans 15 novels. The Wheel of Time generally has a reputation for being too “fluffy.” Author Robert Jordan often includes lots of padding, especially around books seven through ten, and it can be challenging for a lot of people. This fourth entry, however, is perfectly paced: each chapter actually feels like it progresses the story rather than serving as an overly long bit of filler.

The overarching narrative is set on Earth, thousands of years in the future, and is about a chosen one known as the Dragon Reborn, who is destined to either destroy the world or save it. This book follows the characters as they traverse the mysterious desert known as the Aiel Waste. It also happens to be the basis for the third and final season of the cancelled TV show. Among fans, it’s widely considered one of the best books because it’s got lots of adventure, excellent worldbuilding, great character moments, and a ton of interesting sequences. Above all, the writing in this one is absolutely top-tier.

‘Oathbringer’ (2017)

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Oathbringer is the third book in Brandon Sanderson‘s The Stormlight Archive saga. The series is part of his shared literary universe known as the Cosmere. Each book or series in the Cosmere takes place on its own planet within the same galaxy, with each planet having a distinct system of magic. Stormlight takes place on the barren world of Roshar, a land constantly bombarded by hurricane-like events known as highstorms. There is little to no plant life, and most indigenous life forms are crustaceous.

The premise of the series is about a war between humans and the native Listeners, a race of crustaceous humanoids, and the resurrection of an old form of magic that hasn’t been seen in over 1,000 years. This monster of a book is 1,200 pages long, yet it doesn’t waste a single word. It’s perfectly paced, contains some amazing and meaningful quotes, lots of large-scale battles, and one of the most thrilling climaxes in the entire genre. Sanderson is a master at his craft, but this book might just be his absolute finest.

‘The Hobbit, or There and Back Again’ (1937)

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The Hobbit is a book that probably doesn’t need an introduction. Just in case you somehow haven’t heard of it, the story was J. R. R. Tolkien‘s debut novel, and the first set in his enormous legendarium known commonly as Middle-earth. This story is meant for both kids and adults, and serves as only a small part of the truly enormous history that Tolkien wrote about Middle-earth. In it, a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins is swept away from his cozy home in the Shire to embark on a journey across the land to reclaim the dwarven kingdom of Erebor from a slumbering dragon.

The length is perfect, neither too short nor too long. It’s an absolute fantasy classic that serves as a prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy that Tolkien primarily became known for, which, like The Hobbit, would later receive movie adaptations directed by Peter Jackson. The best part about it is Tolkien’s signature flair, which recounts the story almost as if he were a father telling it to his children. It’s full of classic fantasy tropes, grand adventure, and a warm, cozy atmosphere. It’s also a legendary piece of history and one of the earliest high fantasy novels ever made.

Anna Wintour turned Centre Court into her own front row, proving once again that Wimbledon isn’t just about tennis — it’s one of fashion’s biggest runways, too. Her flowing floral maxi dress immediately stole our attention, serving up the perfect mix of timeless elegance and effortless luxury. Naturally, we couldn’t resist hunting down a budget-friendly version.

During the July 10, 2026, Wimbledon Championships, the former Vogue editor-in-chief arrived in a swirling blue-and-green floral maxi dress, pairing it with her signature sleek bob, oversized sunglasses and a statement necklace. The look was classic Wintour — cool, considered and quietly luxurious. While her dress appears to be a custom S.S.Daley design (a.k.a. the same brand recently sported by Harry Styles on stage), we found a $40 floral maxi that looks just as luxe.

Get the Prettygarden Floral V Neck Maxi Dress for just $40 (Was $50) at Amazon! Please note, prices are accurate at the date of publication, July 16, 2026, but are subject to change.

The Prettygarden Floral V Neck Maxi Dress captures the same polished feel without the designer price tag. It features a flattering V-neckline, long sleeves and a flowy A-line skirt that creates beautiful movement. It also has pockets, comes in sizes S through XXL and is available in several floral prints, including a blue-and-green option that closely mirrors Anna’s Wimbledon color palette.

Related: Jennifer Lopez’s $750 Designer Blouse Has a $32 Lookalike

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Jennifer Lopez has a knack for making romantic, bohemian pieces feel effortlessly chic. Her latest designer pick is no exception, proving that soft ruffles, breezy sleeves and feminine details are just as stylish this summer as ever. The only downside? Her Zimmermann blouse comes with a $750 price tag. While strolling through Paris on July […]

It’s clearly a hit with shoppers, too. The dress has earned more than 1,300 five-star ratings on Amazon, with one reviewer praising its “gorgeous vibrant colors” that “really stand out in person.” Another buyer said the “details and textures” make it “seem high-end,” making it an easy pick for anyone who loves an expensive-looking style on a budget.

We’d finish the look with oversized sunglasses, a statement necklace and simple sandals or neutral heels, just like Anna did. Whether you’re headed to a summer wedding, a garden party, brunch or even a winery weekend, this is the kind of dress that looks polished with very little styling. The long sleeves also make it easy to wear into early fall.

If Wintour’s signature Wimbledon style has you dreaming of a Royal Box-worthy wardrobe, this $40 Amazon find is an easy way to recreate the look for less. It delivers the same elegant floral energy without the luxury price, making it one of our favorite celebrity-inspired finds of the season.

Obsessed with Anna Wintour’s floral maxi? Scroll our favorite lookalikes below!

Shop more blue and green floral dresses that we love:

Not your style? Explore more floral dresses here and don’t forget to check out all of Amazon’s Daily Deals for more great finds!

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Related: Kate Middleton’s White Midi Dress Has Me Rethinking Bold Prints

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I’ve spent most of the summer reaching for bright florals and colorful prints, but Kate Middleton just made a strong case for going back to basics. Her latest white midi dress feels timeless and elegant, and the look is surprisingly easy to recreate. Now I’m seriously considering swapping my bold summer patterns for crisp white […]

Desiigner was arrested again for domestic violence on Wednesday, July 15. The rapper reportedly chased a woman with a hammer while she was holding a baby. The incident reportedly happened in Conway, South Carolina. The artist, whose real name is Sidney Royel Selby III, was charged with domestic violence, malicious injury to animals, and property damage.

RELATED: Desiigner Discusses Self-Healing After Revealing Why He Exposed Himself On An International Flight (WATCH)

Desiigner Arrested For Chasing A Woman With A Hammer

According to WBTW, officers from the Horry County Police Department responded to a disturbance at a home on Arbor Ridge Circle in Conway. Upon arrival, a woman told the police that she and Desiigner were arguing about him taking televisions off the wall.

The woman said that the ‘Panda’ artist snatched her cell phones and smashed them with a hammer. The incident caused her to grab her child and run outside to call for help. Selby then allegedly grabbed her on the neighbor’s lawn and threw her to the ground while she was holding their baby. Desiigner also reportedly took her purse and threw it over the fence. The woman then got up, ran into the neighbor’s house and locked herself in the bathroom — all while still holding on to her baby.

The Rapper Tried To Get Into Neighbors’ Home

After the woman ran inside, the ‘Timmy Turner’ artist then damaged the neighbors’ vehicles with a screwdriver and a hammer. According to WPDE, the woman is Selby’s girlfriend and the mother of his child. Desiigner also allegedly broke several windows to try to get inside his neighbor’s home. He was arrested and charged with second-degree domestic violence. In addition, the rapper was also charged with malicious injury to animals, personal property, injury value over $2,000 but less than $10,000. It’s not yet clear why Selby was charged with malicious injury to animals.

Desiigner Was Arrested For Domestic Violence In March

Desiigner was also arrested for domestic violence in March. Selby was arrested for domestic violence after he reportedly snatched the woman’s car keys from her pants. Furthermore, the Grammy Award-winning artist threw her down to the ground, which left her with minor scratches and bleeding. He was later arrested, charged with third-degree domestic-violence and booked into the J. Reuben Long Detention Center.

RELATED: Desiigner Discusses Self-Healing After Revealing Why He Exposed Himself On An International Flight (WATCH)