The Best Fantasy Books I’ve Read

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
This one is just so good about a young woman who lives in Prague as an art student by day, while by night she goes around the world collecting human teeth for the non-human monster who raised her. Just prepare to be completely sucked in by this magical story (and then read the rest of the trilogy). (Full review here)

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
After I mentioned Lovely War recently, so many people have told me I’ll love this new book that includes Greek gods – I actually started this one yesterday on our drive back from Las Vegas and it’s excellent. Two rival journalists fall in love as they take on the warring gods and, you know, the fate of all mankind.

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
This was our audiobook pick for our family trip and it was a huge hit! I picked the full cast version, which was a great call – there are so many different voices and original music and sound effects and it just made for a stunning listen that we were all very into from the first few minutes. Tress has lived a quiet life until her beloved friend (and . .. .maybe more than friend?) is taken away on a voyage by his father and disaster strikes. Now Tress is ready to leave everything she’s ever known behind to stow away on a ship and sail across the mysterious seas where even a single drop of water can spell death for everyone aboard.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
I can’t resist a fairy tale retelling – especially a Beauty and the Beast one –  and this one had such amazing reviews so I had to try it out. And let me tell you – it lives up to the hype! (Full review here)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles)
The first book in this series was the August book for the 2023 Everyday Reading Book Club and it was so delightful. YA fantasy novels aren’t my normal cup of tea, but I loved this fractured fairy tale version of Cinderella. Each book in this 4 book series tells the story of a different fractured fairy tale: Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
City of Bones is all that I can ask for in a fantasy book – action, romance, top-notch characters, and plenty of twists. If you’re a YA fantasy fan or a Harry Potter lover, it is a good bet you will like this book.

Beast of Ten by Beth Brower 
After I finished reading the entire Emma M. Lion series (twice!), I figured it was time to explore some of this author’s other books and multiple people had told me that her Beauty and the Beast retelling was top notch. The beginning was a bit slow (which didn’t surprise me because Emma M Lion was the same) but once I got into the story, I was hooked!

The Secrets of Ormdale series by Christina Baehr
I just read the first one (delightful!) and my 12 and 14 year olds have loved them too! When Edith and her family inherit an old abbey in Yorkshire – what they didn’t expect to find were dragons on the property! This one has the slower classic feel of Emma M Lion but in a YA series with a touch of fantasy.

Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer
The publishers call it a fantasy series but there’s actually no magic in it at all – it probably just FEELS like a fantasy book because of the setting and storyline. (And yes, there are maps in the front). It’s set in a fictional world where the kingdom is splintering under the pressure of a mysterious sickness that’s spreading through the kingdom and the only cure is in short supply. The king and his brother took over running the kingdom after their parents were assassinated and they’re holding the kingdom together basically by brute force. Naturally, there are those in the Wilds who are determined to undermine the king’s iron grip on the kingdom. (Full review here)

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
I read this one in the fall and it was such a fun Halloween read for me (but could really be read any time of the year). It’s based on the fairytale The Goose Girl and it is filled with sinister magic, fantasy, and one dangerous witch! I also loved the romance between older characters! (Paladin’s Grace and Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher was also highly recommended by my Instagram community as another great fantasy read.)

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
If there was a fantasy book that I just absolutely devoured – it was Graceling! This one is REALLY fun, where certain people, called Gracelings, have a specific special power. The companion book, Fire, is even better. (Full review here)

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Elisabeth is an apprentice librarian at the Great Library, where her task is to keep an eye on the grimoires, books that are living and breathing. If these books are made angry, they’ll transform into monsters. When an attack sets the most dangerous grimoire loose, she will uncover a plot that threatens the entire kingdom that no one may be able to conquer. (Full review here)

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
Full of great characters, Finnikin of the Rock is the kind of fantasy I can really love about a kingdom that’s been cursed, and Finnikin’s quest, a decade later, to break the curse and restore peace.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
For those who love fairy tales and fairy tale retellings, the Books of Bayern series is a slam-dunk winner. It follows four strong young heroines in magical lands as they fight to save their kingdoms and loved ones from dark forces. Goose Girl, the first book in the series was one of the very first books I ever wrote about on Everyday Reading and it’s still one of my all-time favorites. The plot is certainly basic enough fairy-tale material, but Hale makes it something really wonderful. (Full review here)

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Mass
Sarah J Mass is best known for her Cresent City and A Court of Thorns and Roses series, but this series was the most recommended book from my audience! Celaena may be an assassin, but she has no plans to kill the king. Instead she is seeking the reward of her freedom, by winning a competition against 23 other thieves and murderers and be the new King’s Champion.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Darrow is a simple miner on Mars, working as hard as possible to prepare Mars for the rest of civilization. Despite his efforts, he soon realizes he has been betrayed by society. Mars is already thriving with cities, lush greenery and much more – making him realize that he and his people (the Reds) are nothing more than slaves for the rest of mankind. Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the ruling classes school in his design to destroy the society from within. Analese’s husband has read this entire series and has loved every single one!

Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Before she was the Queen of Hearts, Catherine was just a girl who dreamed of love and baking—not the crown. Though the King of Hearts desires her, she falls instead for Jest, the charming court joker, risking everything for a chance at true love. But in a world of magic and madness, destiny has its own plans, threatening to turn her dreams into a nightmare.

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
My husband and now my two oldest daughters are HUGE Brandon Sanderson fans and I’ve never read a single book by him! In this fantasy series, the great hero of legend failed to stop the evil overlord, ensuring his rise to power. After enduring years of prison and torture, the hero escapes, creates a group of specialists, and frees the people of the oppressive regime.

The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive) by Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson is one of Bart’s favorite authors and even though I’m not a huge fantasy reader, a lot of people recommended this one. It is the story of a land filled with conflict and war where characters from all walks of life struggle to survive.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
Just a forewarning, if you want to get into this series, each book is roughly 600-1,000 pages long. It’s definitely a time commitment, but this epic fantasy series is filled with all the elements you would expect – history, lore, and magic.

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
This book kept coming up while I was compiling this list of fantasy books – and I know it has been popping up everywhere in fantasy booktok land! In a kingdom cursed by dark magic, Elspeth must find twelve magical cards to save it, all while battling the ancient, dangerous spirit growing stronger in her mind.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
In a quiet small-town inn, a man named Kote hides a legendary past, until a visitor arrives seeking the truth about Kvothe, the mythic hero of countless tales…and this is the story of his epic life.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
In this Rumpelstiltskin retelling, Miryem, the daughter of a struggling moneylender, takes charge of collecting debts and earns a reputation for turning silver into gold. But when her boast draws the attention of the Staryk king—an icy fey ruler—she is thrust into a dangerous challenge that could alter the fate of two kingdoms. With two unlikely allies, she must uncover a secret that threatens both human and Staryk lands.

Kiss of Deception (Remnant Chronicles) by Mary E. Pearson 
One arranged marriage, one runaway princess, and two men after her for completely different reasons. This series is full of secrets, deception, love and finding oneself.

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith
This one sounds like your classic enemies to lovers romance! Meliara’s fight to free her kingdom turns deadly when she’s captured by the enemy commander, the dashing Marquis of Shevraeth. But the real battle begins at court, where the man she’s meant to hate becomes the one who might just steal her heart.

Heartless Hunter (Crimson Moth series) by Kristen Ciccarelli
I have seen this one floating around Goodreads and it’s receiving pretty high ratings. Filled with witches, magic and a pretend courting, this romantic fantasy sounds very interesting!

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
I don’t know if I have ever received more requests about my feedback on a book than I did with this one. And spoiler alert, I started it and never finished it! (I know, I know!). This one is a fantasy book with dragons, so many secrets and some steamy romance.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
If you are a fantasy lover, this adventure fantasy novel, with a hint of romance is for you! Professor Emily Wilde is an expert on the world of faeries and she’s working on completing her encyclopedia about them. She travels to a remote Scandinavian village filled with unwelcoming townsfolk, and her biggest rival Bambleby. Will she be able to work with Bambleby to find the faeries? Or will the two researchers cause the faeries to put the entire village in danger?

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
My mom read Beauty by Robin McKinley to me and my sisters when we were young and I will never forget it! I haven’t read anything else written by her, but this one about a young orphan girl chosen to wield the Blue Sword (a privilege no woman has done in generations) sounds good!

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
You all raved about her most popular book, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. But in this YA fantasy series there is not just one London…there are four! They all share the same name and location, but they are all in a parallel dimensions. Kell can travel between the different Londons, but when he stumbles upon a forbidden artifact, it’s up to him and a thief he meets along the way, to save the world and stay alive doing so.

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
This is one that Analese from the Everyday Reading team has on her 2025 Summer Reading List. She is reading it for her book club and it sounds like it is all about survival, love and some magic mixed in!

The House Witch by Delemhach
I’m always on the lookout for more books to add to my super popular “Halloween Books for Adults” list and this one was a recent recommendation that was happily available on Kindle Unlimited. Stay tuned in September or October to see if it makes the list!

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien
This epic fantasy trilogy follows Frodo Baggins’ perilous journey to destroy the One Ring and defeat the Dark Lord Sauron. It is filled with iconic characters, mythical creatures, and an entire world waiting to be discovered. The Hobbit is also one I couldn’t not add to this list!

All Systems Red by Martha Wells
If you are short on time this might be a good one to get into – since most the books in the 7 book series are under 175 pages! In a future run by corporations, a self-aware security robot called Murderbot (who secretly hacked its own controls) must protect a team of scientists and help solve the mystery of a missing mission.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
If you have read Shadow and Bone, this is the duology that follows two years after Shadow and Bone ends. In this epic tale, there are six main characters, five perspectives, complex and detailed world-building, flashbacks to the characters’ histories, and a blend of darkness, magic, action, humor and romance.

Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
Analese from the Everyday Reading Team recommended this one on the printable 2025 Summer Reading Guide. Han Alister is a thief in order to keep his family alive. Everyone knows him because he has worn silver cuffs on his wrists since birth and can’t remove them even though they are the only thing of value his family has. Princess Raisa, has just returned home after three years of freedom in the country and wants to be a warrior rather than a trinket at court. It’s full of magic, war, wizards and adventure.

The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black
Author Holly Black came highly recommended by all of you fantasy lovers! In this one, a mortal girl is taken to the world of Faerie and must outwit cruel royals (including the wicked Prince Cardan) to survive deadly court politics and stop a war that could destroy everything.

The Bridge Kingdom series by Danielle L. Jensen
A romantic fantasy with an enemies to lovers trope, a forced marriage, and a world divided by a bridge…this one has it all! Lara, a princess trained spy, is sent to be the bride of the King of Ithicana and penetrate the Bridge Kingdom to save her people. But she soon realizes that Aren, the King of Ithicana is not evil, he only wants to protect his people. Will she save her people or will she destroy the king?

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