10 fantasy books you need to read before you die

This stand-alone adult fairy tale has a smart heroine, a witty narrator, Cosmere connections and pirates. What's not to love? There are secluded islands, a talking rat, clever pirates, a powerful sorceress, lots of shenanigans, a dragon, and last but not least, adventures on the open yet deadly seas.

Tress has lived on The Rock, her home island, her entire life. When her friend goes missing, she finds the courage to chase what she wants and braves the spore sea.

Welcome to Ketterdam, be sure to stop by the Crow Club. Here you'll find magic, mayhem, and everything else in between. This story is about a gang (or a murder of crows, if you will.) There’s a clever heist, found families, lots of snark, and underdogs fighting for what’s theirs.

Kaz Brekker is what some might call a criminal prodigy and he's putting together a team to pull off the biggest heist ever. If his team of outcasts succeeds the magic of this world could be forever changed.

This is the first in a fantasy duology which takes place in the same world as the Shadow and Bone trilogy but no prior knowledge of the world is required to enjoy this adventure.

And never forget: No mourners, no funerals.

We have some exciting news! Our Into the Grishaverse Vol 2: Six of Crows duology is coming soon! You can find out more here.

So imagine you’re on a quest with your crew. People hire you, the work may be rough, but you get it done and then there’s loot after! It’s one quest after another and the party might have some people you could do without, but you have a groove. It’s all working out. And then your orc barbarian suddenly says they’re done, that’s their last mission, they’re out. This is THAT orc’s story. Viv, former muscle for hire, is ready to try something new. Something a bit more refined with a bit less steel. Maybe something with a bit more coffee. Maybe some milk.

This is a super cozy fantasy story set in what could be your next D&D campaign. Come see how it goes when Vic tries her hand at running a coffee shop. Do her lattes slay? When conflict arises, will she fall back on old habits or has she hung up her sword for good? This story will leave your heart feeling full and your stomach craving pastries and warm beverages.

The first in a clever trilogy of scheming Fae, The Cruel Prince follows the story of Jude and her time in the High Court of Faerie. After the murder of her parents, 7-year-old Jude and her 2 sisters were raised in Elfhame, part of the Faerie Realm.

Jude, a mere human and now almost adult, aims to claim her place and belong in this brutal land even if the wicked Prince Cardan thinks she is worthless. What Jude doesn't know is that greater plots are at work. This dark story of Fae hijinks questions where the line is between hate, love, and obsession – as well as how far you will go for what you want.

Come see if a teenage human can really outsmart the High Court of Faerie or if she'll die trying.

Find yourself swept up in an epic tale of djinn, ifrits and legendary beings. This story features a vivid magical world and a strong female lead character. Nahri, a master con woman living in Cairo, accidentally summons a djinn; which is of course preposterous as there's no such thing as magic. Now Nahri must question her truths as well as her mysterious gift for healing.

There's a grand adventure, a legendary city, political intrigue, complicated royals and countless secrets. Nahri finds herself inexplicitly pulled towards Daevabad, but will she stop doubting long enough to embrace her fate? The first book sets things up for an action-packed trilogy which you'll be hard-pressed to put down.

Yadriel and Martiza, aka his cousin and best friend, are the black sheep of their traditional Latinx family of brujos. Their family has a special magic that allows them to heal and help ghosts pass on. Like many things in Latinx society, gender plays a heavy role in what you are (not) allowed to do.

This Día de los Muertos, they plan to prove Yadriel is a real brujo, despite his family not accepting his true gender. After their cousin Miguel dies most violently, they hatch a plan to learn the truth from Miguel's ghost but that's not the ghost that answers their summons. Can they still figure out the truth and help their family?

This story has an important message about challenging what society expects of you and being true to yourself. There's also a very real chance it will leave you craving a visit to your local pandería (bakery).

Set in the 1800s, Babel is a masterful blending of historical fiction and magical dark academia.

It’s a story about students in an unjust world trying to find their way. Children are raised to be scholars simply so that those in power can take advantage of the societies from which these children came. It’s a story about scholars, academia, and the love of languages. It’s a story about so many things that are not okay in our world and how we may attempt to gloss over them.

So many things are wrapped up in this one story where we follow the life of Robin, a young boy plucked from his homeland of China and brought to Britain to forever be a novelty, never a respected peer.

Ultimately it’s a story about hope, revolution, and survival. It’s simultaneously a love letter and hate mail to languages and academics and I cannot recommend it enough.

After being denied entry into the literature school, Effy Sayre finds herself out of options and pursuing architecture. When there's a competition to redesign her favorite author's estate, Hiraeth Manor, Effy eagerly applies hoping to learn more about her beloved author who has unfortunately passed away.

What she's not expecting is the estate to be a little better than a crumbling haunted house, a stuffy literature student out to prove her favorite author a fraud, and dark thoughts from her past coming back to haunt her.

This is a story about scholarship and gatekeeping. About agency and history. About learning how to move forward when those you should be able to trust betray you. Come with Effy on a journey to Hiraeth and see what you find there. It may surprise you.

In a world with parallel Londons, only the Antari, rare magicians, are able to travel between worlds. The Londons were once more connected, but now they are very much separated. While Red London is thriving with magic, Grey London has none, White London is decaying, and Black London is a little more than a myth.

Belonging to the royal family in Red London, Kell is one of the last Antari. His official job is to bring messages between the worlds but unofficially he also transports items. When a trip between Londons goes awry, Kell finds himself thrown together with Lila Bard, a skilled thief from Grey London. Unlikely partners, they find themselves having to work together to survive and save the world from dark magic.

This epic series features political intrigue, power struggles, vibrant magic systems, witty dialogue, captivating characters and a magical competition.

After centuries of sleep, the gods Enva and Dacre are at violent odds. The war is slowly sweeping the land but some towns are in denial of the reality of the war. 18-year-old journalists Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt both want the same thing, to be the next full columnist at the Oath Gazette.

Iris desperately needs the position to provide for her family while Roman is stuck at the Gazette due to his family's expectations. Both are talented writers with dark pasts they can't escape. Due to the magic of enchanted typewriters, they find themselves spilling their secrets and encouraging each other as the war closes in around them.

This beautifully written story has everything you'd want from a magical historical wartime fantasy. There are enchanted typewriters, magical cafes, delightful magic, defiant characters, complicated vows, and gods playing with mortals. Can these passionate journalists find a way to work together to save their town, and better yet the world, from these rival gods?