A Year Full Of Fantasy: New Books Releasing Each Month Of 2026

The Wolf and His King is a queer retelling of a 12th-century narrative poem by Marie de France about the werewolf Bisclavre—a piece of writing I was unfamiliar with until learning about this book.

Queer retellings are among my favorite ways to reimagine history and past creative works, as they shine a light on universal themes of love and belonging, regardless of person or station.

If 12th-century poetry isn’t necessarily your thing, the yearning in this fantasy romance between a nobleman with ambitions to become a knight (who just so happens to turn into a wolf occasionally) and the king he is sent to serve might change your mind.

If you were on any social media platform in February, Petra Lord may have crossed your screen. This sapphic, dark academia fantasy took the world by surprise with its intriguing premise and first-chapter hook.

In a society where your body can be bought or exchanged, Anabelle Gage must change out of her decaying male body before it falls apart at the seams. Her one chance at earning a new body through a prestigious academy goes up in flames when she fails her entrance exam.

In a final ditch effort to save herself, she’s caught committing a crime by the one person she never thought she’d see: the headmaster. Choosing between her execution and becoming his assistant, Ana will do what she can to steal, fight, and even kill to save herself while untangling the web of secrets she stumbles into when setting foot in Paragon Academy.

Short story collections are difficult to recommend because they tend to have some stories you don't mesh with for whatever reason. However, Seasons of Glass and Iron is a no-skip album, a grand slam, an encore number three from your favorite artist (how many more metaphors can I use for "it's really, really good"?).

Amal El-Mohtar is one half of the duo who wrote This Is How You Lose the Time War, which achieved rather viral success, but it's her short stories and novellas where I think her writing truly sings. 

This collection brings together El-Mohtar's writing over the span of 20 years, and, as she says in the introduction, its loose theme is "women talking to each other" and how dangerous and beautiful that can be.

Witch Queen Rising is a modern urban fantasy about rival witch families in New Orleans, chock-full of werewolves, vampires, and powerful magic users as they navigate trauma and shifting power dynamics.

Seraphine “Phine” Barreau isn’t supposed to be the next Prime—the head witch—in her community. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she must return to a place she never wanted to see again (hey, if you were called the “Tick Witch” because you can draw magic from other sources and make it your own, perhaps you’d have a chip on your shoulder too). On top of the political backstabbing and schmoozing with the locals, there’s a parasitic curse poisoning her fellow witches that she must contend with!

Not only did this book first hit the Indie bestseller list, but after being picked up for traditional publishing, it also landed a spot on the New York Times bestseller list!

Kit Davenport, a charming nobleman who’s known to be reckless and wild, must now fulfill his duties and complete a marriage ceremony that's arranged for him. Wanting to escape this life, Kit impulsively boards a ship owned by a handsome but dangerous captain.

Upon discovering that the boat he boarded is full of pirates, Kit must work under Reggie Sharpe’s command and survive the trouble that awaits them at sea, while trying to ignore the ever-growing curiosity he has about the captain.

Will he be able to outrun his past and give up his duties for love, or will the secrets he uncovers be too hard to handle?

It can be difficult to pull off a snarky, irreverent voice in writing and in dialogue, while still leaning into impactful themes that linger in the reader’s mind. Wiswell excels at all of this, and The Dragon Has Some Complaints is just the latest in her repertoire. 

The titular dragon in this story has three heads, each with a distinct personality. Centerhead is poised and haughty, with a revenge agenda in mind. Bottomhead is…not the brightest. And Upperhead is fully convinced he—individually—is actually a human, and being part of a multi-headed dragon is some weird hallucination he’s in.

When their home is attacked once again, they (okay, mainly Centerhead) hatch a plan to infiltrate the closest human dragon-riding academy to gain shelter, food, and possibly the aforementioned revenge. While there, they get paired with a rider, and the found family that forms between them is both wholesome and hilarious.

What did I tell you before? I’m a sucker for unique magic systems! I couldn’t get enough of this world while listening to a panel F.A. Davidson was on during a recent convention. I learned a lot about her process of writing an urban fantasy set in St. Louis, and I found it fascinating how she incorporated such an amazing kind of magic into our world.

Norah Sullivan is gifted with the power of navigation, an ability that can manipulate probability. But before she can even understand how to start using this power, she and her father are attacked by probability beasts. One bite from them, and the risk of your death increases immensely, which becomes a problem when her dad is the one who gets hurt.

This is my most anticipated read of the year! I’ve read a lot of books by Marske in the past, including a few of her standalones and The Last Binding series, which was a wonderful combination of fantasy, historical fiction, and romance, and I was obsessed with every single one. When I found out that her newest book would feature a magical medical school and a murder during final exams, I hit the pre-order button so fast!

At the Academie of the Grand Duchy of Sieuxerr (say that ten times fast), students who have completed their fifth year attempt to complete the Grand Exam: a five-day test in which your entire (randomly selected!) group succeeds, or you all fail together. The discovery of a dead fellow student on day one kicks off the story’s events. 

From the mind behind Don’t Let the Forest In and Hazelthorn comes a new dark fantasy (with haunting illustrations among its pages) that’ll have you falling for a siren’s call.

Sick of the gloomy life on the isle of Kelcarrow, Jonathan Covey is itching for something new, even going so far as to leave to avoid being the one left behind.

In a desperate attempt to seek help, he reaches out to a sea god that most people believe is a myth. Jonathan would’ve believed that too if the ritual hadn’t actually worked.

As deadly as the eldritch god may seem, Jonathan can’t help but be drawn to Scorpion Deep. But when things take a turn for the worse, he needs to figure out a way to break free from the horror he welcomed into his life.

I love reading books with a dual POV, which lets you see into the minds of both MCs, and this is just one of the reasons why I’m waiting in anticipation for the release of this dark retelling of Rapunzel x The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Trapped in a tower, Thorelea Winyard has one job. Once a week, a newly dead animal is placed in her cell, and she must paint it before death takes over.

One day, when her painting brings the subject back to life and makes it immortal, she becomes the next court painter to the king and queen.

When forced proximity manages to bring her closer to Prince Kelter, a spark kicks off a tension-building, slow-burn romance. But every story has a twist, and you’ll have to give this one a read to find out if love will be their saving grace or their biggest downfall.

Reading the synopsis of this book made me realize it answers questions that often pop up for me at the end of a really satisfying story. I often wonder where the world of the story sees the character after the final chapter. What happens after the heroes save the day? Who is the chosen one after the prophecy has been fulfilled?

In Til Quest Do Us Part, we follow two adults who made a promise as teenagers when death seemed certain, and their harrowing journey required it.

Now Elysande finds herself sovereign of her nation, but when the time comes to marry a neighboring prince, a goddess from their previous adventure won’t let her and her Knight Guardian out of their old oath.