Yahoo Lifestyle The 32 Best Romantasy Books of all TIme
Here are the 32 best romantasy novels of all time. I’ll tell you what the red-hot romantasy genre is all about and where to start with my recommendations. You'll discover a selection of the best and most popular titles, along with some of the classics that were romantasy before romantasy was cool.
You love fantasy. Or you love romance. Or maybe you love fantasy and romance. Well, romantasy is the perfect genre just for you. Romance can be found in every story under the sun, of course, from the crime novel to the horror story to historical fiction and more. So it’s no surprise combining romance and fantasy is proving one of the most popular genres of the day.
I’ve scoured Reddit and GoodReads and countless other websites. I’ve studied the bestseller lists. And just to keep it honest, I’ve consulted my nerdy, romantic, Lord of the Rings-loving heart to compile this list.
Here’s what some of the biggest fans say, according to a readers’ poll on Reddit.
Reddit Top 10 Best Romantasy Novels/Series of All Time
Reddit’s First Official r/Fantasy Romance Top Books List is bursting with bestsellers and big names. The Top 10 titles when we went to press?
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Crowns of Nyaxia by Carissa Broadbent
The War of Lost Hearts by Carissa Broadbent
The Folk of the Air by Holly Black
The Shepherd King by Rachel Gillig
The Empyrean by Rebecca Yarros
Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas
Hidden Legacy by Ilona Andrews
Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
Either you’re seeing a lot of favorites or finding out you’ve got a lot of great new books to discover. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
What Is Romantasy?
First, what is romantasy? Well, it’s a romance found in a fantasy setting. The fantasy element can range from a modest backdrop for romance to a full-blown, complicated world as rich and satisfying as any other but with a red-hot romance probably powering the plot. Love has always been present in fantasy, but it’s usually been the chaste, chivalric kind found in the tales of King Arthur or J.R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Think shy glances, a trembling touch of a hand and–if you’re lucky–a modest kiss in the moonlight.
Romantasy ups the ante. Lovers may indeed swoon, but they also very much want to consummate their love. It’s real. One never imagined the peoples of Middle Earth actually having sex; indeed, the thought is faintly ridiculous. But in romantasy? Sex and love and all its complications are most definitely on the agenda, along with dragons and magic and who knows what else. But definitely sex.
If you love Star Wars but wish Han and Leia had done more than flirt? Romantasy is for you. (I know, Star Wars was basically sci-fi; but still, the Force!) I’ve included all the big authors you’ll find on Reddit and Goodreads and elsewhere. But I’ve also included a lot of surprises, books that really do belong on any romantasy list but usually aren’t there.
So here are some of the most popular, some of the best and some of the key titles that were romantasy before romantasy was cool. Not every book will foreground the romance, but that’s ok! Some are steamy and spicy, some are sweet and some (just a few) feature romance but it's not the entire purpose of the story. I want you to discover some great new romantasies and some of the great books that inspired those authors. Romantasy didn’t spring out of nowhere! So let’s get reading. At the head of the Parade are…
The 32 Best Romantasy Books of all Time
1. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Rebecca Yarros is on every list of the best-selling or best written romantasy books/series/novel-you’d-most-like-to-see-turned-into-a-movie. (Yes, a TV series on Amazon Prime is in the works.) It’s also a stealth dark academia novel, since when you enter the Basgiath War College to potentially pair with a dragon, you either graduate…or you die. No pressure! Bonus: Our hero Violet Sorrengail has the burden of a famous mom (the most ruthless wingleader around) and loves books.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros ($20.99; Entangled: Red Tower Books) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Related: The 28 Best Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror Books of 2024…So Far
2. A Court of Thorns And Roses by Sarah J. Maas
The other must-have best-selling author in the romantasy genre is Sarah J. Maas. (I mean, there are many, but Yarros and Maas are huge.) A hunter named Feyre is dragged unwillingly to a new land of faeries where her captor is a beast, some of the time. At other times, Tamlin is handsome and undermines all the lies she’s been told about the Fae. But Feyre has precious little time to debate this admittedly appealing fellow since the “dangerous” land of the Fae faces its ultimate danger. And Feyre may be able to save it.
A Court of Thorns And Roses by Sarah J. Maas ($19; Bloomsbury Publishing) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Here’s my first curveball. The Night Circus should be considered a foundational text for the romantasy, though it isn’t included very prominently on lists about the genre very much. (On the Reddit list, it doesn't appear until #121!) Erin Morgenstern’s then-offbeat story about a traveling, magical circus proved a startling fantasy novel in 2011 that won awards and legions of fans thanks to a Victorian-like setting, a compelling battle of wills between two young magicians and the simmering romance that sparks between them. Celia and Marco should be rivals but perhaps Le Cirque des Rêves is the real enemy?
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ($19; Anchor Books) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
4. The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
Another blockbuster novelist in the romantasy world, Carissa Broadbent is known especially for two series. The Serpent and the Wings is part of the Crowns of Nyaxia series, which involves humans and vampires competing in a contest held by the goddess of death. Think Twilight crossed with The Hunger Games. (And yes, Twilight is on this list too.) All of her books are spicy, but if you want super-spicy, you might start with Daughter of No Worlds, the first in the War of Lost Hearts series.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent ($19.99; Bramble) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
5. Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
As you can see from the above titles, the stakes can be very high in romantasy. But it also has room for lighthearted fun. Enter T. Kingfisher and Swordheart. If you know your mystery genres, this is a “cozy fantasy.” It includes a medieval-ish fantasy world Kingfisher’s novels have been to before, though Swordheart stands alone. Our heroine is a housekeeper who inherits her great-uncle’s estate, a passel of annoying in-laws who believe they should have inherited his estate (though she was the one who cared for him) and a magical sword. The sword is quite handy when dealing with in-laws, outlaws, pushy priests and other hazards. Best of all, it contains a dashing swordsman who is compelled to defend her. Silly and humorous fun from a Hugo-award winning talent.
Swordheart by T. Kingfisher ($19.95; Argyll Productions) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
6. The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Oddly, some people think of The Odyssey as almost a work of historical fiction. Umm, gods! Demi-gods! Mythical creatures! It’s definitely fantasy. And in Madeline Miller’s masterful, critically acclaimed, best-selling version, it pivots on the romance between Achilles and Patroclus. Thrilling. Homer’s epics will always be told and retold again (heck, Pat Barker is doing it right now), so this isn’t the final word. But few will ever tell it better.
The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller ($17.99; Ecco) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
7. The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
Another dash of fun before the romantasy stakes are raised again. In this winning tale, a ghostwriter is plagued by an actual ghost, which…why didn’t I think of that? (A ghostwriter with a ghost? Clever.) She’s got a looming deadline and a hot editor who grumpily won’t extend said deadline (which is very unfair, says this perennially past-deadline writer). Then she must return home to bury her dad, only to find her very dead (and hot) ex-editor popping up in ghost form to save the day. Not all romantasy needs elaborate new worlds. Just a hot ghost.
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston ($17; Berkley) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
8. From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
A woman who must sacrifice herself to the gods as The Maiden. A soldier who must assure this happens, but questions everything and challenges her beliefs. Not to mention her desires. Welcome to Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Blood and Ash series, which has a spin-off series and a compendium adding up to 10 books…and another on the way in 2025. Not to worry: if you burn through these and can’t wait, Armentrout has multiple other series, stand-alones and even more under the pen name of J. Lynn.
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout ($19.99; Blue Box Press) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
9. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Here’s another franchise that is clearly in the romantasy genre but doesn’t get the credit it deserves. To some, it’s basically historical fiction in the always welcome brooding-Scottish-lover category. But hello, magical portal! Time traveler from the present day! Half the fun of Outlander is how it toys with and freshens the trope of a strong-headed woman and a Scottish man of traditional ways because, you know, she doesn’t just demand equality, she expects it, which puzzles the heck out of the men folk. Gabaldon offers much, much more, of course but it’s all in the service of a novel that surely belongs in the romantasy genre because again, time travel!
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon ($18; Dell) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
10. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Here’s a real charmer. Mika is one of the few witches in modern day England. She must hide her powers, so Mika enjoys the escape valve of posting videos online where she “pretends” to be a witch. Someone sees through her pretense and convinces Mika to come to the mysterious Nowhere House and help school three young witches in the use of their powers. In short, a governess? Indeed, but with magic and a librarian at the house named Jamie who gives Giles of Buffy fame a run for his money–a man devoted to the kids, suspicious of strangers and yet, admit it, attracted to this interloper.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna ($17; Berkley) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
11. When The Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker
Ok, romantasy has exploded in the last few years and I could fill this list with all the recent bestsellers. In general I prefer to wait a few years (ok, many years) before declaring a novel one of the best of all time, even in a newly hatched genre (or rather, newly hatched branding of a genre). Still, you’ll find a lot of very new titles included because sometimes you just can’t wait. So here’s viral sensation When The Moon Hatched, which features a fresh fantasy world and unique system of magic (a big deal to some folk who love the technical details), an imprisoned woman who can fend for herself and a heartbroken man ruling his people with a melted crown. And then they meet.
When The Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker ($22; Avon) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
12. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Author Natalie Babbitt was a rare talent, a writer of children’s books which invariably pleased any adult who picked them up. In 1975, she published her masterpiece. (Well, I really love The Devil’s Storybook and several others too, but yes, 1975 produced her masterpiece.) That book was Tuck Everlasting, the story of a ten year old girl who stumbles across a family that will live forever. She protects them and falls for the “son,” a man who looks 17 but is really 107 years old. He hands her a bottle of the miraculous water that gave them immortality and says he’ll return in seven years. If she drinks the water then, they will both stay 17 forever and she can be with him for eternity. So what would you do? It’s a powerful, deeply emotional story. No wonder it’s been made into two films and a Broadway musical. But none of them approach the beauty of Babbitt’s original novel.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt ($8.99; Square Fish) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
13. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
The faeries again! Those dangerous, but dangerously appealing creatures. In The Cruel Prince–the start to The Folk Of The Air series–Jude is a young woman of 17 (that age, again!) trapped in the land of the faeries. She wants to belong, but in general faeries despise humans. And none hate them more than Cardan, the cruel prince of the title. A pity civil war is brewing and these two antagonists will have to join forces to save their world.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black ($12.99; Little Brown Books For Young Readers) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
14. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
Who should you trust? That’s the heart of every romance. In One Dark Window, Elspeth Spindle lives in a kingdom slowly poisoned by dark magic. To protect herself, Elspeth makes a pact with the Nightmare, her name for the ancient and untrustworthy spectral presence lodged in her head. It protects her…for a price. Now the kingdom is fading and Elspeth finds herself partnering with the King’s nephew on a quest to save them all. But he’s committed treason. Can she trust him? Can she trust the Nightmare, which is slowly taking over her brain just as the dark magic is taking over the kingdom? And can she trust herself to be in control long enough to do what’s right?
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig ($18.99; Orbit) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
15. The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern
Okay, sometimes you want the spicy, sexy, I’m-glad-my-mom-isn’t-catching-me-reading-this romantasy. But other times you want the old-fashioned, moonlight and earnest pledges of love romantasy. S. Morgenstern’s classic The Princess Bride (as edited by the venerable William Goldman) is many things: a playfully meta spin on children’s books, on fan’s obsessions with favorite authors, hilariously funny and of course just a rip-roaring adventure in the grand tradition of Treasure Island and the like. But it’s also very romantic indeed, as Buttercup and Westley will attest. Read it and “as you wish” becomes as heart-stopping a declaration of desire as “I love you” could ever hope to be.
The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern…okay, William Goldman ($18; Harper Perennial) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
16. Caraval by Stephanie Garber
The love of two sisters drives the plot of Caraval. One of them is kidnapped at the start of Caraval, an annual event that’s all just for fun, maybe. Scarlett isn’t taking any chances and will do anything to track down her sister Tella. She’ll even join up with the very untrustworthy, very unheroic and very very unappealing (no really, he’s not appealing at all) Julian. I mean, he’s not really appealing except in the most obvious and also unexpected ways. He certainly can’t be trusted and certainly not with your heart. But first things first–Tella must be found by the fifth and final day of Caraval or she may be gone forever.
Caraval by Stephanie Garber ($11.99; Flatiron Books) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
17. A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet
The Kingmaker Chronicles is exactly the sort of high stakes, high fantasy series fans of romantasy often want above all. In A Promise of Fire, our hero Cat hides her magical powers (and destiny with the gods) by sticking with a traveling circus and pretending to be a soothsayer. Everyone knows they don’t really have any magical powers, so it's the perfect plan. But the warlord Griffin senses her power to determine truth through lies–the power of a Kingmaker–and takes her by force as a tool in his plan to seize power. Cat’s determination to thwart him proves remarkable...and remarkably arousing to Griffin, who might just want his captive to become his Queen. But how can he convince her he’s sincere?
A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet ($15.99; Sourcebooks Casablanca) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
18. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Another cornerstone in the modern romantasy genre. Vampires! Werewolves! Love triangle! You can’t talk about romantasy without talking about this 2005 blockbuster that led to four novels in all, a novella, five smash hit films and (someday I’m sure) a TV reboot. I mean, why wouldn’t they turn it into a tv series? I’m team Edward, because if you’re gonna live forever, good conversation is a must. I wanted to include The Hunger Games on this list as well, but a dystopian novel isn’t really a fantasy at all. Maybe it’s sci-fi a little, but fantasy? No. My nerdy side just wouldn’t allow it. (And if you’re wondering, I’m totally team Peeta. Spot a pattern? Guilty.)
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer ($16.99; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
19. An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Another blockbuster talent in the romantasy world, Sabaa Tahir launched her most famous series with An Ember In The Ashes, a book Time magazine named one of the best fantasy novels of all time. (Not one of the best romantasy novels, mind you. Best fantasy, full stop.) It’s set in a brutal world modeled on ancient Rome where our hero Laia agrees to spy on the Empire by joining its elite academy as a slave girl…. Hold on. Here’s the heart of it: a double triangle. The best (and most reluctant) soldier at the school is Elias. He has feelings for Laia and Helene, his best friend, who he must compete against at the school. But Laia has feelings for Elias and Keenan, a super-hot rebel soldier. And unlike most love triangles, it’s really not that obvious who should end up with whom.
An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir ($13.99; G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books For Young Readers) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
20. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Really this should be paired with the second and final book in the duology, Ruthless Vows, because author Rebecca Ross tells one long story in what is known as Letters of Enchantment. Divine Rivals kicks off the tale in grand style. It’s set in a fantasy world akin to the 1800s where war is brewing because the gods will it so. Our two protagonists are journalists, so you know Ross understood how to win my heart. They are bitter rivals, but there’s a You’ve Got Mail (or really, The Shop Around The Corner) twist and then things get really complicated. Read one book and it feels a little unbalanced; read both and everything makes sense.
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross ($18.99; Wednesday Books) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
21. The House In The Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
Linus Baker is a case worker at the Department In Charge of Magical Youth. Already, with an opener like that, you’re in or you’re out. If like me you kept hoping for a letter from Hogwarts, you’re in because obviously you’re a magical youth. But back to Linus, the sort of quiet, keeps-to-himself person who is perfectly content…sort of. No, no, quite content; he has a nice life all on his own. Then he’s the unlikely choice for a dangerous mission: heading to an isolated orphanage with six very (very) dangerous children. Exactly how dangerous are they and what should be done with them? The unassuming Linus is dispatched to find out, perhaps because if he’s slaughtered by said children, there’s no one in his life to put up a fuss. Linus heads to the orphanage and discovers the appealing and devoted caretaker Arthur Parnassus and–not coincidentally–the beating of his own heart. The romance is not foregrounded at all here, but it’s also a slow-burn delight.
The House In The Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune ($18.99; Tor) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
22. Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner
Here is a real treat. If you love fantasy, this is the novel all of your favorite fantasy authors talk about amongst themselves. Swordspoint is set in a world of swords and duels and modest amounts of fantasy. Swashbuckling is the main order of the day and none swashbuckles quite like Richard St. Vier. In this elegant, subtle story, Richard is the most respected/feared swordsman around…until a duel makes him a villain in the eyes of most. Political intrigue, romance, skullduggery, and wit (all sorts of wit) are the order of the day, along with a passionate romance hiding in plain sight. Think Jane Austen crossed with The Three Musketeers plus the gay heart of The Song of Achilles tossed in for good measure. I'm told the sequels are worthy and satsifying, but Swordspoint is so special I've been afraid to check them out.
Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner ($7.99; Spectra) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
23. Powerless by Lauren Roberts
The Capulets and the Montagues have nothing on the Elites versus the Ordinaries. In the Kingdom of Ilya, a cruel hierarchy exists after the Plague. Some–the Elite–survived and developed rare gifts. Some survived but are just…ordinary. The Ordinaries are declared illegal so the clever and resourceful Paedyn poses as a Psychic so she can remain in the City. When she accidentally saves a royal life, Paedyn is forced to enter the Purging Trials, which–given the name–one can understand her reluctance. On the other hand, it lets her cross paths with Prince Kai, the spare to the royal heir (his brother Kitt). Sparks fly as she hopes to not get killed and not reveal her rather Ordinary status.
Powerless by Lauren Roberts ($19.99; Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
24. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
Here is another key text for the romantasy genre. Author Angela Carter caused a sensation in 1979 with her remarkable updating of fairy tales and myths like “Little Red Riding Hood,” bringing the sex and gore to the fore but with a feminist perspective that centered the women as protagonists rather than pawns. One story became the brilliant 1984 film The Company of Wolves. Anyone who sees flesh and blood characters pulsing with desire in their fantasy stories owes a huge debt to Carter. Happily, it can be paid back by reading this landmark collection of short stories from Penguin Classics.
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter ($17; Penguin Classics) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
25. Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Author Naomi Novik cut a swath through the fantasy genre in 2006 with the launch of her brilliant Temeraire series, which wondered how the Napoleonic wars would have fared if they included dragons? Just when she was prepared to wrap it up in 2016, Novik veered left and delivered the stand-alone novel Uprooted. It’s a brilliant spin on Polish folktales, brimming with clever magic systems of various sorts, people entombed in trees and a young woman who may or may not have a talent for spells taken under the wing of a magician called the Dragon. They battle over the proper way to learn and use magic (hers is more intuitive and creative than his dry, methodical approach), they battle over what to do about the infected woods near their home and they battle over how best to help the kingdom they love. But quietly–perhaps too quietly for those who demand passionate declarations of desire–they battle their feelings for one another. It’s a landmark work of fantasy and the romance roots this marvelous story to the very real emotions of the two people at its heart.
Uprooted by Naomi Novik ($18.99; Del Rey) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
26. Bride by Ali Hazelwood
Hey, we don’t always need big epic scale or elaborate new worlds or even gentle cozies. Sometimes you just need a Vampyre bride pushed into a strategic marriage with an Alpha Werewolf, each with their own agendas that do not include falling in love. It’s Romeo & Juliet again, but not with a nymphette. Our Vampyre bride Misery Lark (good name for a gothic romance!) is no child; she’s a woman. And the spicy scenes prove it.
Bride by Ali Hazelwood ($19; Berkley) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
27. Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey
Speaking of spicy, Jacqueline Carey laid a marker for sexy fantasy fiction with her 2001 novel Kushiel’s Dart. Set in a medieval world with gods and mortals, it revolves around courtesans, sexual pleasure, a full spectrum of orientation and desire (including SM) and really, either you’re very not interested or blushing or looking it up right now. Our hero is a courtesan in training named Phèdre, who develops her abilities as a courtesan (in honor of a goddess who performed similar acts) while uncovering a plot to destroy her world. It's all inspired by lines from Genesis and the Apocrypha where rebellious angels mated with mortal women, leading to divine secrets being spilled and a powerful nation. Not for those made uncomfortable by the commingling of the sacred and the profane, but a real find for those with a taste for it.
Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey ($19.99; Tor Trade) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
28. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Mary Stewart and T.H. White got there first, and brilliantly so. But Marion Zimmer Bradley left a permanent mark on the Arthurian legend with her landmark 1983 novel The Mists of Time. She wrote many more in the series, but this is the one that matters, the one all fans of fantasy and King Arthur and romantasy must read. It’s told from a paganistic, women’s point of view throughout and works perfectly well as pure fantasy, with derring do and plots and intrigues. But the layers of meaning that arise from a new perspective on Camelot, the twin feeling of nostalgia as the pagans realize their way of life will fade from memory to make way for Christianity while we the reader also know how Camelot and Arthur will fade into myth as well is very powerful. And then there’s the sex and romance. The Mists of Avalon features all sorts of orientations, even if the characters can’t always quite name it or act on it. But it’s there and drives the story forward. It also includes the sexual violence of rape, an important if brutal bit of reality to ground the action of a fantasy and an important step forward for the romantasy genre. Stephen R. Donaldson got there first with his blockbuster fantasy novels starring Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, launched in 1977. Unlike the criticism of Game of Thrones, in neither of these books is rape just a lazy plot device. In fact, in Donaldson’s Lord Foul’s Bane (the first book in a trilogy) the title character commits rape when transported to a fantasy world and is rightly haunted and shook by his actions for the rest of the series. But since it’s really, really not a romance, that antihero Thomas Convenant is not here. The Mists of Avalon is real and fantastical and romantic, all at once.
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley ($21; Ballantine Books) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
29. Beasts Made Of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi
Sin eaters are a mainstay in folklore around the world; I mean, someone has to take the burden of our sins. In this novel inspired by Nigerian folklore, a sin eater calls out the haunting crimes of others in the form of a sin-beast. Killing the creature forces the sin eater–or “aki”–to both feel the guilt of the crime and get a tattoo on their skin of the beast. Most die from the horrors of what they feel but our hero Taj is desperate to protect his family and takes the risk. Then he’s dragged into the royal household, falls for a princess, discovers a plot to destroy the kingdom and has to worry about losing his mind to the overwhelming practice of sin-eating!
Beasts Made Of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi ($9.99; Razorbill) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
30. Witchmark by C.L. Polk
We all have our favorite time periods and people. Roman legions for some. Belle Epoque France for others. Victorian England for Holmes fanciers. But any era is improved with a little fantasy. Thus the Edwardian era of The Kingston Cycle, a quirky series of novels by C.L. Polk set against the backdrop of world war. (I decided on “quirky” rather than “charming,” because “charming” seemed so obvious–of course a novel set in an Edwardian setting with fantasy would be charming!) Our hero Miles Singer comes from nobility, people who use their magic (read: wealth! Just saying) to control the destiny of their times. Miles will have none of it, but he also doesn’t want his family to commit him to an asylum for not using his magical abilities to further their ends. So he slips away and reinvents himself as an un-magical doctor at a veterans’ hospital. But Miles can’t help revealing his talent when a poisoned patient might die or kill others in a strange form of PTSD. Is this illness an after effect of war or a new weapon of the enemy? Miles finds himself calling on the vast network of his family’s power to help him plumb this mystery. Oh, you want romance? Did I forget to mention the gorgeously handsome Tristan, a witch from another country who partners with Miles in every way? Well, there you go.
Witchmark by C.L. Polk ($16.99; Tor Books) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
31. All The Birds In The Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
Arthur C. Clarke once famously said that any sufficiently advanced form of technology is indistinguishable from magic. True, but it’s more fun to pit the two against each other. In All The Birds In The Sky, an ancient order of witches and a tech startup battle each other to save the world as they know it. The place? San Francisco. The sides? Personified by the whiz of an engineer Laurence and an exceptionally talented witch named Patricia. The problem? They might just love each other. Shockingly, the book came out in 2017, earned enormous praise and awards but as of yet has not been made into a film or miniseries. Happily, that means you can read it without anyone else’s idea of the characters and story getting in the way.
All The Birds In The Sky by Charlie Jane Anders ($18.99; Tor Books) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
32. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by R.A. Dick
It was published in 1945. They turned it into a positively delightful film starring Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison in 1947. (Watch it now; I’ll wait.) So almost 80 years later, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir remains a delightful example of the romantasy. In this one, a recently widowed woman moves into a seaside cottage because it’s all she can afford. Besides, she certainly doesn’t believe it’s haunted, as all the locals insist. But it is. And the late sea captain Daniel Gregg proves an infuriating, pushy, interfering but ultimately charming ghostly companion. A treat.
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by R.A. Dick ($17; Vintage) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
