It’s December but that doesn’t mean you need to swap out your dark fantasy books for festive books. Here are 10 more fantasy books you should read before 2024 ends.
Evocation by S.T. Gibson
Adult fantasy novels allow for spicier scenes, but more importantly, they allow for thorough exploration of complicated adult relationships and responsibilities. Evocation is exactly that. S.T. Gibson explores exes to rivals to lovers, and setting personal boundaries in the book, and all of these happen in great tarot, occult vibes. Can’t wait to explore more of the magic system in the next book.
The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson
Remember The Remnant Chronicles? The wonderful YA series was penned by Mary E. Pearson and she’s now back with an adult debut. The book brings readers to a new Fae world that features the usual faerie rules, but also new gods and monsters that readers will welcome. The book will be released in November and we have sat down with Mary to chat about her Celtic inspiration, and the transition from young adult to adult books, so stay tuned!
Swordcrossed by Freya Marske
Freya Marske is known for her The Last Binding trilogy, and we are here to introduce you to Swordcrossed, a new standalone fantasy romance title featuring swordsmanship, great mental health representation, and a lot of details around wool trade… Check out our hilarious interview with Freya Marske to see why you will get hooked on this book as well.
Wisteria by Adalyn Grace
The final book in the Belladonna trilogy, Wisteria is a strong conclusion to the gothic series. And it’s not just us saying this because the general consensus around the book community is that Wisteria is the most sensational title in the whole Belladonna series. Obviously we are not going to spoil you but paired with this gorgeous cover, this book has beautiful romance, and well thought-out characters like Death and Fate that allow Adalyn Grace to explore certain themes in an in-depth manner.
A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft
Earlier this year, we chatted with Allison about A Far Wilder Magic, her YA fantasy, but we are now here to convince you to read A Dark and Drowning Tide, her equally amazing fantasy-slash-dark academia-slash-murder mystery book. Featuring an absolutely gorgeous cover, this sapphic romantasy has the greatest cast of characters, and an amazing German-inspired magic system.
Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent
Carissa Broadbent’s books are all over the internet these two years and we think you should jump on the bandwagon before there are more books in the universe. (Although, don’t worry because you can always refer to our reading guide for all things Carissa Broadbent here.) While you might consider starting from the first book in the series, we would recommend starting from Six Scorched Roses, which is a standalone spin-off which showcases what a perfect romantasy book is like.
The Wren in the Holly Library by K. A. Linde
Loosely inspired by Beauty and the Beast, The Wren in the Holly Library is the start of this spicy urban fantasy. Ticking all the tropes, this book will be an easy read for anyone who wants an alternative NYC for the festive season.
The Coven by Harper L. Woods
The first book in a dark academy and romantasy series, The Coven follows Willow as she’s forced to attend a magical university for witches. There’s forbidden romance as Willow is tangled with the Headmaster (which completely depends on how you feel about this). The second book, The Cursed, has just come out this November as well so you can binge read them in one go!
Murtagh by Christopher Paolini
While Murtagh, a new story set in the world of Eragon, technically came out last year, we are including it here as there’s now an absolutely gorgeous deluxe version. The deluxe version features beautiful maps and artworks, but also new material including a chapter that feature both Eragon and Murtagh (they are half-brothers, in case you have forgotten about the whole plot). And hey if you are struggling to remember the relationship between Eragon and Murtagh — time for a reread of the whole series, no?
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Bone Season, Samantha Shannon revisited the first book of this fantasy series with updated text last year. This year, Bloomsbury also released books 2 to 4 (Samantha’s version). We are so glad that new readers can appreciate the series with even stronger worldbuilding, better explored characters, and more beautiful language. The Dark Mirror, the 5th book in the series, will be released next year so there’s no better time to start reading this series than now.
