The Bookish Mindset

The fantasy shelves in a bookshop can be a scary thing if you’re looking to dip your toe into the genre. Let me start you off with some recommendations:

Magical Realism –

The Moon Represents My Heart – Pim Wangtechwat. A beautiful novel about time travelling, family and belonging. With historical and romance elements, I gift this book out a lot!

Family Lore – Elizabeth Acevedo. One of my favourite authors, Acevedo’s work is absolutely worth delving into. In her first adult novel, we have a family in which only the women have magical powers.

Shark Heart – Emily Habeck. A bizzare book but I need to mention it. Shark Heart describes a world in which some humans morph into animals. It’s weird and wacky and really quite touching too.

She and Her Cat – Makoto Shinaki. Delicate and sweet, this one is three interconnected stories about neighbourhood cats and their owners.

Limited World Building –

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven – Juno Dawson. I can’t recommend this series enough, it’s incredible. Witches covens keep evil at bay on earth with incredible feminist themes. The first in a trilogy. Read it and thank me later.

That Self-Same Metal – Brittany N WIlliams. Set in Shakespearean theatre, the fairie cast of A Midsommers Night Dream are real and they’re terrorizing London. More books coming in the series.

A Tempest of Tea – Hafsa Faizal. A fantasy book set around a teashop? Sign me up! Think magic and vampires and heist fun!

Cosy Fantasy –

Legends & Lattes – Travis Baldree. The ultimate in cosy fantasy. An orc stops adventuring to set up a coffee shop. The second (that is actually the prequel, but read L&L first) is also glorious.

Young Adult –

This Poison Heart – Kalynn Bayron. Young Briesis has the power to control plants and finds herself digging up her family history of apothecary and magic. The first in a duology.

Skin of the Sea – Natasha Bowen. The original mermaids, the Mami Wata’s patrol the seas, helping the dead on their way. But when our MC decides to save a life instead, the balance of the world is put into question. The first in a duology.

Pet – Akaeke Emezi. A book I won’t stop recommending, I’m still obsessed with it. A book that looks at good vs evil and evil that masquerades as good. So good.

Fantasy continues to be a favourite genre of mine and I’m excited to hear what you’d suggest for here. Have you loved any of the above too? Let me know in the comments below!

You can find all these recs and more great fantasy reads in my Bookshop.org store here.

If you like what you’ve read and would like to access more content, I’d love if you could take a look at my patreon and consider supporting my content on there too.

Last updated 09/10/2024