4 Fantastic Fantasy Novels to Read

by MK French

Whether you prefer young adult or adult fantasy, I'm sure there is something on this list that you will enjoy.

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The Nightblood Prince by Molly X. Chang

July 2025; Random House; 978-0593897362
audio, ebook, print (YA fantasy

Fei was prophesied to become the Empress of All Empresses, so she was taken from her family and raised in the palace. While she is intended to marry the Crown Prince, she is incredibly lonely. She decides to hunt a legendary tiger as a means to seize control of her destiny. This brings her into contact with Yexue, the beautiful runaway prince from a rival kingdom. He harbors dangerous magic and commands an army of vampires. To outrun destiny, Fei must change the world as she knows it.

Fei is incredibly angry with the lot in life she has, trapped in a gilded cage with no agency, meant to be used as property for Siwang's eventual glory. As much as the two genuinely care for and live with each other, Siwang never questions this and doesn't understand the simmering rage coiled inside of Fei. The first third covers life in Rong, and the tension between the kingdom and that of Lan, where Yexue is from. Both love her, which she questions because of the prophecy declaring her the Empress of all empresses, so the princes, emperor, and people of all kingdoms on the continent assume whoever marries her will be the emperor of all emperors. 

From the gilded cage of the palace to going to war in her father's place like Fa Mulan, Fei continually strives to be her own woman. She tries to make choices for herself, feeling guilty for not being a good enough daughter. The final third of the novel is from a different perspective of the war, further complicating what we know about both princes and their role in Fei's life. She has the best interests of ordinary people in mind, not national pride or prophecy. It still hangs over her at the end of the novel, and I look forward to seeing what happens with it in future novels. 

Buy The Nightblood Prince at Amazon

Ascension by ST Gibson

July 2025; Angry Robot; 978-1915998057
audio, ebook, print (400 pages); urban fantasy

Rhys McGowan is now High Priest of Boston's Secret Society, at peace with his wife, Moira, and rival turned boyfriend David. A strange ritual opens up the Society to sabotage, so Rhys delves into the world of demon summoning. Managing so many spirits at once is a terrible burden, but he's never been good at asking for help. 

This is the second book in the Summoner's Circle series. Rhys is an overachiever, stubborn enough not to want help, and continually wants more. This means more recognition, more spirits in his stable, and more work to sustain the group. This also means that, much like I didn't start out liking David in the first book, I'm really not a Rhys fangirl at the beginning of this volume. He knows what the Society is all about and throws himself into summoning demons and binding more to himself to boost his skills. The general rule is no more than seven spirits, but he feels that's only superstition. We can guess how well that's going to go from the start.

There are flashes of other magic traditions and communities, which I appreciated. The odd ritual on a college campus drives Rhys to investigate and potentially punish whichever magician did it, and the other leaders feel it would blow over fairly quickly. The more spirits he tries to control, the more short-tempered and easily agitated he gets. He's paranoid of others, and especially of Max, whom he knows David is drawn to and is trying to reestablish a Thelemic branch in Boston. Instead of being the calm presence he was at the end of the first book, he's an emotional wreck and almost unpleasant enough for me to want to put the book down. Moira is her lovely self, salvaging that relationship, and I enjoyed David a lot more in this book. The climax of the story really brings home the importance of the rules that Rhys ignored, the connections he was starting to break down, and why power for power's sake is always a bad idea. There are two more books in the Summoner's Circle, and I'm sure they'll continue to challenge this polycule and their magic.

Buy Ascension at Amazon

The Gryphon King by Sara Omer

July 2025; Titan Books; 978-1835412831
audio, ebook, print (464 pages); fantasy

When Bataar was fourteen eight years old, he killed a gryphon and became a legend across the red steppe. As an adult, he rules the land that once disdained his people, and plans to overpower the kingdom of Dumakra. They have pegasus-mounted warriors, and Nohra Zultama is one of them. While they didn't fear the warlord's attacks, betrayal caused the kingdom to fall. Nohra now vows revenge, but is close to Bataar's wife Qaira and hesitates. Riots break out and strange beasts are sighted, leading Bataar and Nohra to work together to save the people from the djinn, ghouls, and monsters that threaten the world.

The main POVs of this novel are Bataar and Nohra. Bataar grew up on the steppes, and his response to the Three Kingdoms scorning his people was to conquer their cities and turn their resources to his purposes. He turned to Dumkara, hoping for its riches, and in this kingdom, Nohra is one of the zultam's daughters. She fought for the right to be one of his knights, a warrior and protector of the people. This means that when Bataar killed her father to save his conquest of the capital city, Nohra wants his life in return. She and her sisters are his prisoners in the aftermath, as well as her brother, the crown prince; her older half-brother is the one who had sold out their father, hoping to be zultam under Bataar. Bataar isn't stupid and knows that the prince isn't a trustworthy ally. Nohra's fighting skills and respect from her people are impressive, which Bataar would love to leverage and avoid further uprisings from the people.

With a dual POV, we have two starts to the story and two characters that we get to know and commiserate with. There are multiple battles, appearances of the gryphons and unnatural monsters, as well as court intrigue. The takeover happens at the one-third mark, leaving the aftermath for the tenuous friendship between Qaira and Nohra, the unrest in the city, and the appearance of mythical beasts killing people in the city and outlying regions of the kingdom. The story takes its time to develop the relationships between the characters, especially in light of the occupation. Bataar is a leader intent on conquest, and the rage Nohra holds for him is a palpable thing. He's playing a long game here, and this makes it fascinating to read. I couldn't put the book down and stayed up late to finish it. It feels like the first book in a series, so hopefully we'll see what else is in store for these kingdoms. 

Buy The Gryphon King at Amazon

The Last Tiger by Julia Riew and Brad Riew

July 2025; Kokila; 979-8217002047
audio, ebook, print (416 pages); YA historical fantasy

Tigers are being hunted to extinction. Lee Seung is a servant yearning for freedom, and Choi Eunji is a noble girl defying tradition. The two join forces but soon find themselves on opposite sides of a battle over the last tiger, a symbol of their people’s lost freedom and key to the liberation of their country. Seung and Eunji have conflicting loyalties, so tensions rise—especially after a charming princeling of the empire becomes a rival for Eunji's affection.

This novel is heavily influenced by the story of their grandparents meeting and falling in love during the Japanese occupation of Korea prior to the Korean War. We have an introduction explaining this, as well as quotes from their grandparents regarding writing the book, fictionalizing their history, and quotes about their lives. This becomes part memoir as well as fiction.

The Dragon Empire took over the Tiger Colonies from the Serpent Queendom, calling them backward and superstitious, needing the benevolent rule of the Dragon Empire to take care of them. The Choi family are collaborators, eager to keep power and influence as much as possible in this regime. Seung is part of the bullied lower class, with police forces coming into his home to take whatever they want whenever they want. He hopes to someday take the exam to enter the Adachi Academy and get gifted with ki, but doesn't have the tutors or books the upper classes do. In return for his silence about seeing her outside without a chaperone, Eunji will tutor him. This begins a friendship that becomes more in time. The energy of the last tiger and a revolution are also present, complicating life in the colonies.

While the story starts out how you'd expect for a romance novel, it doesn't follow those same conventional beats. There's the supernatural element with ki and the beasts of each kingdom, able to gift it to humans. This means other creatures of myth are real, and we have some cameos later in the book. The revolution is scattered and not well defined, given the strength and vicious methods that are used to eradicate the entirety of Tiger culture. The main characters are complicated and feel like real people, while some of the Dragon Empire stand-ins feel like caricatures. The finale was relatively quiet compared to some of the earlier events, though the epilogue makes it clear there's still a lot of work to be done to recover. The authors' grandparents got their happily ever after, so we know this world will find its way as well. 

Buy The Last Tiger at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever. 

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