Best Fantasy Books

In the West African-inspired land of Orisha, a young maji must complete a sacred ritual to restore magic before a ruthless king destroys it forever.

The conclusion of the Powerless Trilogy, in which rebellion, revelation, and the forbidden romance between Paedyn and Kai reach their climax and the fate of Ilya is decided.

A dark, gold-soaked reimagining of the Midas myth in which the king's most prized possession — a woman he turned to living gold — begins to question the gilded cage she has mistaken for safety.

Violet Sorrengail returns to Basgiath War College for her second year, navigating deeper secrets, more dangerous enemies, and a relationship with Xaden Riorson that is tested by the truths they are both keeping.

When a brilliant Cambridge magick scholar dies, two rival graduate students descend into a meticulously logical Hell to retrieve his soul — and the recommendation letter their careers depend on — in R.F. Kuang's dark-academia fantasy of grief, ambition, and rivalry.

Before Dorothy dropped in, the Wicked Witch of the West had a life. This is her story — a retelling of The Wizard of Oz from the perspective of Elphaba, a misunderstood girl whose emerald skin and sharp intelligence make her an outsider from birth.

The second Assistant and the Villain book, in which Evie steps deeper into the Villain's world as the cozy comedy gains higher emotional stakes, real danger, and a more developed central romance.

Desperate to support her family, a young woman takes a job as the personal assistant to the realm's most feared villain — and discovers that working for the bad guy comes with surprisingly charming benefits.

Two sisters escape their tyrannical father for Caraval, a once-a-year immersive magical game where the line between performance and reality dissolves — and where this year's prize is one of the sisters herself.

The finale of the Crave saga, in which the supernatural conflicts reach their climax and Grace, Hudson, and their allies fight for their world and their future in a high-stakes conclusion.

A farm boy in the fantasy land of Alagaësia discovers a dragon egg, bonds with the dragon Saphira, and is thrust into a war against the tyrannical King Galbatorix and his empire.

A Maiden chosen by the gods and forbidden from human touch falls for her enigmatic new guard, whose true identity threatens to unravel everything she has been taught to believe.

The second Malediction book, in which Cécile and Tristan, separated and working from different worlds, race to find the witch who can break the curse binding the trolls — and the dangerous forces who want it kept.

When Meggie's father reads aloud from a book called Inkheart, characters tumble out of the story into the real world — and something from our world disappears into the book in exchange.

In a kingdom that purges the powerless, an ordinary girl hiding among the gifted must survive a deadly competition — and her growing feelings for the ruthless prince tasked with enforcing the law that would have her killed.

The second Powerless Trilogy book, in which the fallout of Powerless tests Paedyn and Kai on opposite sides of a brewing rebellion, deepening both the danger and the forbidden romance.

Danielle L. Jensen's debut, in which a young woman is kidnapped and taken beneath a mountain to a cursed city of trolls, married to its prince to break an ancient curse she wants no part of.

Lara is trained from birth to be a spy-bride sent to destroy the Bridge Kingdom from within, but when she arrives she must choose between the mission she was raised for and the truth she discovers.

Quentin Coldwater is admitted to Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy, only to discover that mastering real magic does nothing to cure the depression and aimlessness he hoped it would fix — and that when Fillory, the Narnia-like world from his childhood books, turns out to be real, getting there exacts a price the fantasy never warned him about.

The conclusion of the Stolen Heir duology, set in the world of Elfhame. Held captive after his betrayal, the volatile prince Oak must navigate court intrigue, divided loyalties, and his dangerous feelings for Wren as war threatens the faerie realm.

Alizeh, a servant girl who is secretly the lost heir to an ancient kingdom of Jinn, crosses paths with Kamran, the crown prince destined to oppose her, in a lush Persian-inspired fantasy of prophecy, forbidden attraction, and gathering rebellion.

The conclusion of the Malediction Trilogy, in which the broken curse unleashes the trolls upon the human world, and Cécile and Tristan must face the consequences and decide the fate of both their peoples.

The penultimate Crave book, in which the supernatural conflicts come to a head, alliances are tested, and Grace and Hudson face the gathering threats that will define the saga's finale.

The fourth Crave book, in which Grace is drawn into the dangerous politics of the vampire court as betrayals, power struggles, and the deepening romance raise the stakes for everyone.