Dark, Bleak Fantasy with Strong Characterization

Try these books if you're looking for:

• Fantasy
• Dark or bleak mood
• Strong Characterization
• 
  

The Briar King
By Gregory J. Keyes
SCIFI KEYES
Two millennia after humans were freed from the tyranny of slavery, the Briar King, a legendary portent of death, reawakens, and the fate of the kingdom lies in the hands of the king's woodsman, a rebellious girl, and a new-made knight. (Book 1 in the Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series.)

A Game of Thrones
By George R.R. Martin
SCIFI MARTIN
The kingdom of the royal Stark family faces its ultimate challenge in the onset of a generation-long winter, the poisonous plots of the rival Lannisters, the emergence of the Neverborn demons, and the arrival of barbarian hordes. (Book 1 in the A Song of Ice and Fires series.)

Guardian of Honor
By Robin D. Owens
SCIFI OWENS
The Marshalls of Lladrana summon a savvy though average American lawyer from Earth to their realm, in hopes that she might save them from an impending monstrous evil. (Book 1 in the Summoning series.)