I'm highlighting some great fantasy novels that you aren't going to want to miss. One you can get today, but go ahead and pre-order the others so you don't forget (plus it is fun to get a fun surprise in your mailbox or Kindle). Only like certain types of fantasy? No problem. I have you covered with a little bit of everything: young adult, dark fantasy, cozy fantasy, Asian fantasy, humorous fantasy, and more!
Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.
Temple Fall by R.L. Boyle
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| February 2026; Titan Books; 978-1835414170 audio, ebook, print (336 pages); dark fantasy |
Temple Fall is a mysterious house where Flynn and her friends chose to spend the night. It's on the moors with a strange history, and their night of drinking devolves into a nightmare. The group falls apart, and Jackson falls to his death. Afterward, Flynn feels trapped, haunted by family secrets and the spectre of a Victorian woman. Losing time and seeing things, Flynn tries to rebuild her group of friends. They escaped Temple Fall, but the house didn’t let them go.
Flynn has a traumatic early history that haunts her and explains why her friends are so important to her. Her boyfriend Jackson is a photographer, so he wants to camp out and photograph Temple Fall, since there are few pictures of it online. The camping gear fails as a storm rolls in, so they enter the house despite the trepidation. Its energy is a bad one, and the group of friends almost gets infected with it. We're in Flynn's POV, so we see her shifting thoughts and the flashbacks to her early childhood with a paranoid mother. After K Jackson's fall from a window, the rest discovered upon leaving the house that they had been missing for four months. The weirdness doesn't stop there, and another friend dying on her eighteenth birthday sets Flynn looking for information about the manor, hoping to save her friends from dying once they turn eighteen as well.
The story is creepy from the start, with a flash-forward prologue that shows the unsettling moments leading to exiting the house. We have Flynn and her memories, then eventually the other stories involving victims who had suffered in the house as well. This increases the tension and the horror of the manor house. Flynn is missing time as she dissociates, making her fear she has her mother's psychosis. It's a race against time as she tries to save her friends, the malevolence of the house hovering over all of them. The horror of it intensifies until the finale, with the coda that tells us if her gamble worked or not. It's a chilling and haunting story that kept me riveted until the last page.
Buy Temple Fall at Amazon
The Fox and the Devil by Kiersten White
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| March 2026; Del Rey; 978-0593724439 audio, ebook, print (368 pages); romantic fantasy |
Abraham Van Helsing's daughter, Anneke, always thought her father was a madman for studying vampires, but comes home to find him murdered with a beautiful woman standing over him. This woman leaves no trace behind, and Anneke builds a team to use the latest forensic science to try tracking her down. Her father isn't the only murder victim, and she's hiding crucial evidence: letters addressed to her that are sometimes covered in blood, that are signed Diavola. The evidence seems to indicate that her devil might be the very thing her father had been studying.
Anneke has been living up to the standard her father had set before his death, which took place after the events of Dracula. She discounted his journals and thought her mother was a recluse due to grief after the death of her older brother from illness. Using her intellect, she essentially becomes a detective, looking at forensic evidence long before it was standard procedure. She looks at the strange and inexplicable deaths, and finding the woman involved brings back her wish for vengeance. She has unconventional friends along with her unconventional interests; she dresses like every other woman in the late 1890's, but she prefers investigating the woman who calls herself Diavola, and the other murders police can't solve.
We get flashes of various people caught up in the 1900 World Fair, the letters Diavola left for Anneke, and see Europe on the cusp of the modern age. The rapid pace of trains, telegram and ferry brings the investigation team through various major cities. Accents and languages are clues, and folklore carries a thread of truth regarding Diavola and her origin. It's a dangerous path Anneke takes, especially when she doesn't know what she's actually hunting. The final third carries even more tension as the characters close in.
There's increasing demand for the team to figure out why Diavola exists, what she is, and how she came to be. Once we know that, the story moves even faster until the cinematic conclusion. It's a complicated and thrilling ride, from the first page to the last.
Buy The Fox and the Devil at Amazon
The First Step by Tao Wong
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| March 2026; Ace; 979-8217188420 audio, ebook, print (352 pages); Asian fantasy |
Long Wu Ying is a farmer’s son in a rural village, eventually conscripted into the army and taken from his normal life. Wu Ying manages to alert others to an incoming ambush, bringing him to the attention of the powerful Verdant Green Waters sect. The elite school of cultivation invites him in as a novice, introducing him to a world of demonic beasts, haughty nobles, and the possibility of reaching immortality.
This is the first book of the "A Thousand Li" series, and involves the wuxia concept of cultivation. This means the mastery of energy flow in the body, so there's talk of chi and the meridians that it flows through. In this world, all people are encouraged to do some level of cultivation, since that can help even the poorest villagers stave off illness and work harder. Wu Ying is brought into the outer circle of the school to learn, and soon realizes that for all the differences, some things are the same. The school has its hierarchy of elders, a system to purchase items or favor, and nobles have the system stacked in their favor. Wu Ying has determination and the willingness to work hard, so even with his ignorance of the system he's able to learn and progress his skills.
With Wu Ying as an utter novice, we get to learn about cultivation as he does. The system of favor and duty, the payment method, and even the way he learns is laid out for us. Think of every martial arts school movie with a dash of the academia stories we have, and it explains the feel of the first third. He begins to adventure off campus, allowing us to see more of the world and the influence of the sect. There are monsters, bandits, other city guards and signs of corruption as well as other cultivators. Wu Ying continues to practice and train, knowing that's his only avenue for improving his skills.
The disparity between classes is part of the world and will be familiar to anyone who has seen movies or read other books based in this era. Wu Ying has a pragmatic view of the system and the skills he has. Though he has adventures before his tournament-style "exam," this is realistically only the first step in becoming a powerful martial artist of the sect. For those interested in wuxia stories, this series is sure to satisfy the enthusiast.
Buy The First Step at Amazon
Only Spell Deep by Ava Morgyn
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| March 2026; St. Martin's Griffin; 978-1250363763 audio, ebook, print (352 pages); fantasy |
Judeth Cole had abilities her grandfather forced her to keep hidden. When she set a fire with her magic, she was forced to leave. Taking on the identity of Jude Clark in Seattle didn't exactly help. Her life, seventeen years later, isn't great, and at her lowest point, she finds an invitation for a clandestine midnight meeting that reintroduces her to secrets and magic. Arla leads a circle of magic, which comes from a bound entity known as The Fathom. Jude soon realizes Arla wants this power all to herself and that she’s willing to kill for it, so she turns to the handsome bookseller Levi Orman for help. They research a solution, leading her around the world and back to her grandfather's home. With the Fathom threatening to break free and Arla on the hunt, Jude must finally face her past to save her future.
We open in the aftermath of the fire that burned down her grandfather's home, killing him and her mother. Jude wants nothing to do with her inheritance, since her grandfather was "a monster," and context clues later imply why she would say this. Eventually, she spells it out for us, and we learn more about the devastating life she had growing up. She preferred to be in foster care and tried to live a boring life, though it hasn't worked out well. There are cards with enigmatic clues on them to prove that she has magic, and if Jude doesn't prove herself strong enough, Arla will release blackmail material.
Jude had been through a lot before the book even opens, and the group targets her on the night she's ready to commit suicide. She's not in a good place, and there are no context clues as to why they want her in the first half of the book. We're just as confused as she is, drawn into the mystery of these strangers, making Jude run all around Seattle. The tension gradually rises as she jumps through the hoops set before her, seeking approval she'd never gotten before. As she does, we learn about the group, the different kinds of magic that exist, and the primordial goddesses that exist. The power they have is indifferent to human wants, which makes them all the more dangerous when manipulated.
There's a dark undercurrent running through the book. Between the abusive past, using magic rituals to capture others, and the bloody rituals that Arla uses, this shows the darker aspects of magic. My takeaway is that there is still a place for mercy, and that suppressing trauma or magical ability will lead to further trauma. While it's up to Jude to use her powers responsibly, being alone isn't the answer, either. No one can make the journey for her, but having support makes it worthwhile.
Buy Only Spell Deep at Amazon
The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale by C. M. Waggoner
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| March 2026; Ace; 979-8217188239 audio, ebook, print (224 pages); cozy fantasy |
Gretsella is a witch in the Dark Forest of Brigandale, selling herbs and tinctures at reasonable prices, and meeting her slightly oddball coven regularly. When a baby is left on her doorstep, she takes him in and names him Bradley. Eighteen years later, small woodland animals prophecy that Bradley is the lost prince and should ascend to the throne. Bradley ignores Gretsella’s advice and sets off for the capital, where scheming courtiers soon use Bradley for their own ends. To save him from himself, Gretsella plans to depose her darling son.
Bradley is a himbo who's happiest making other people happy, so when knights loyal to his late biological parents arrive and want him to overthrow his great uncle, he does. Not knowing anything about anything, he's easily overwhelmed and manipulated. Gretsella is "evil" in that she eventually brings up deposing the king, but that's almost anticlimactic. The story has several asides and a thread about a girl named Carrots, and it's not until the end that her story makes sense. The book is more comedic than dramatic, for all that the summary could imply an epic fantasy story. This book doesn't take itself seriously, giving the reader some fun reading time.
Buy The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale at Amazon
Prodigal Tiger by Samantha Chong
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| March 2026; G.P. Putnam's Sons Books; 978-0593860106 audio, ebook, print (352 pages); YA fantasy |
Caroline Chua has attended a magical academy in New York City for the past five years, far from her family in Malaysia. She can’t hurt loved ones this way, but is now summoned after her beloved older brother Aaron vanishes. He was next in line to become the Protector of the Island, and Caroline can't tell if all the changes on the island are because the island is actually different or that she's been gone so long. She's charged to stay out of trouble, but Caroline is stubborn and determined to find her brother. It turns out Aaron was kidnapped by vengeful ghosts with a centuries-old grudge, and Caroline is in over her head. The ghosts want to break the barriers between the ghost and mortal realms during the Hungry Ghost Festival using Aaron to take the island’s magic, and cement their rightful place as the true—albeit dead—rulers of the island. Caroline has seven days before the barrier weakens, and enemies are always ahead of her. Is Caroline strong enough for this battle?
We meet Caro as she returns to Malaysia, so we learn about her brother's disappearance as she does. She's generally reckless and doesn't think about the consequences of her actions, which is how things went so terribly wrong in the past. We get a taste of it in the opening, with a nightmare of her hunt gone wrong. She's trying to prove herself, but her magic doesn't obey her, and the island's magic doesn't want to follow her direction. This makes it infinitely harder to do anything, and her talented older brother is already possessed by a pirate spirit that hates her family. Caro had all but broken ties when disaster struck, and she left the island, so she also doesn't have the allies she needs to stop ghosts before the festival weakens the barrier between worlds. It's essentially one disaster after another, getting pieces of history never taught as glimpses of her brother within the possession.
There is a twist about two-thirds of the way through the story that undermines how Caro thinks of herself. It then changes how you see the ghost war and the past Caro grew up with. She's the same reckless young woman throughout the story, but by the end, she isn't pushing people away and doesn't want to repeat her same mistakes. I appreciated that she didn't suddenly change to be someone she wasn't. Her concern was always the people she cared about, and she wanted to figure out who she was and what legacy she would leave. While she didn't entirely know at the end, it wasn't an uncertainty that bothered her any longer. She appreciated the family and friends she had and was looking forward to the future.
Buy Prodigal Tiger at Amazon
This Will Be Interesting by E. B. Asher
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| March 2026; Avon; 978-0063440319 audio, ebook, print (464 pages); humorous fantasy |
Galwell True was the perfect hero who sacrificed himself to save the realm. Now that he was resurrected, he feels more like "Galwell the Lost." Assassin River Pricemark is tasked by her guilt to kill him, but her ambush is interrupted by reporter Celine Hazelton. Worse than her looking into why someone wants Galwell dead is the fact that Celine is River's childhood crush. To further complicate matters, Queen Thessia of Mythria decides to turn her honeymoon with King Hugh into a rescue mission. Galwell has the criminal Mona Grandhart with him, who is just as determined to corrupt him as help him. He's put forth the rule that there will be no romance on the team. But who's going to listen to that one?
This is in the same world as This Will Be Fun (read my review - it's the last one in the list). In that book, Galwell was brought back to life with Beatrice's magic. (There's a short summary in the beginning if you missed that book, but seriously, go back and read that one, it really will be fun!) He's out of sorts because he's not a hero anymore, really. The kingdom is calm and settled, and the queen has a new husband. That part's fine; he had no romantic feelings for her, but he has no purpose. He decides to go to the neighboring kingdom on the queen's honeymoon ship for something new to do, as well as keep safe from the assassin guild; when River fails, others are sent after him. Celine is on the ship to document the honeymoon, and none of them are aware that the marriage was of convenience, with no expectations for feelings.
If that sounds like a zany setup, it absolutely is. The group doesn't expect Mona or the spy master to be who they are, or that the kingdom of Vestriya has significant concerns of its own. There are misunderstandings and actual understandings, mistaken identity, and the race to reveal the truth. This world has its own version of sports and talent competitions, and the motley group tries hard to save the kingdom as well as themselves. It's a fun play on well-known tropes, including fake marriage, only one bed, grumpy/sunshine, and influencing each other in complementary ways. We have three couples, each getting a fitting happily ever after. It was a fun read, and it looks like there's the potential for another book as well.
Buy This Will Be Interesting 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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