Explore the most brilliant new fantasy books 2023 will bring your way. Read the most anticipated and must-read fantasy books coming in 2023 that will take you around the world and beyond.
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Most Anticipated Fantasy Books Of 2023
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Looking for magical and adventurous reads? Then you’re at the right place. Our new fantasy book list is filled with the most exciting titles from around the world. It’s going to be a fantastic year filled with brilliant, diverse, unique, and addictive stories. As well as new and beloved writers who crafted some of the most amazing characters and worlds you’ll ever have a chance to explore.
RELATED: Best Fantasy books that will give you serious wanderlust
No matter if you prefer high-fantasy, dark fantasy, romance fantasy, fantasy YA books, or some other sub-genre you’ll find something on our list that’ll surely take your breath away. With diverse writers, we also get diverse stories and characters and of course, we can travel around the world while sitting comfortably in our favorite reading nook.
You’ll also be able to read about thousands of years old myths and legends from Asia, Africa, and South America, and Europe. Explore your favorite fairy tales in new and exciting ways but of course, also get lost in completely new worlds and fall in love with characters you never knew you needed.
26| Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker – YA Fantasy, April 2023
Synopsis:
Thirty years ago, a young woman was murdered, a family was lynched, and New Orleans saw the greatest magical massacre in its history. In the days that followed, a throne was stolen from a queen.
On the anniversary of these brutal events, Clement and Cristina Trudeau—the sixteen-year-old twin heirs to the powerful, magical, dethroned family—are mourning their father and caring for their sick mother. Until, by chance, they discover their mother isn’t sick—she’s cursed. Cursed by someone on the very magic council their family used to rule. Someone who will come for them next.
Cristina, once a talented and dedicated practitioner of Generational magic, has given up magic for good. An ancient spell is what killed their father and she was the one who cast it. For Clement, magic is his lifeline. A distraction from his anger and pain. Even better than the random guys he hooks up with.
Cristina and Clement used to be each other’s most trusted confidant and friend, now they barely speak. But if they have any hope of discovering who is coming after their family, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other and their family’s magic, all while solving the decades-old murder that sparked the still-rising tensions between the city’s magical and non-magical communities. And if they don’t succeed, New Orleans may see another massacre. Or worse.
Terry J. Benton-Walker’s contemporary fantasy debut, Blood Debts, with powerful magical families, intergenerational curses, and deadly drama in New Orleans.
Blood Debts is one of the most atmospheric contemporary fantasy books for young adult and adult readers with dark mysteries.
25| White Cat, Black Dog: Stories by Kelly Link – Short fantasy stories, March 2023
Synopsis:
Seven ingeniously reinvented fairy tales that play out with astonishing consequences in the modern world, from one of today’s finest short story writers–MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellow Kelly Link, bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Get in Trouble
Finding seeds of inspiration in the Brothers Grimm, seventeenth-century French lore, and Scottish ballads, Kelly Link spins classic fairy tales into utterly original stories of seekers–characters on the hunt for love, connection, revenge, or their own sense of purpose.
In “The White Cat’s Divorce,” an aging billionaire sends his three sons on a series of absurd goose chases to decide which will become his heir. In “The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear,” a professor with a delicate health condition becomes stranded for days in an airport hotel after a conference, desperate to get home to her wife and young daughter, and in acute danger of being late for an appointment that cannot be missed. In “Skinder’s Veil,” a young man agrees to take over a remote house-sitting gig for a friend. But what should be a chance to focus on his long-avoided dissertation instead becomes a wildly unexpected journey, as the house seems to be a portal for otherworldly travelers–or perhaps a door into his own mysterious psyche.
Twisting and winding in astonishing ways, expertly blending realism and the speculative, witty, empathetic, and never predictable–these stories remind us once again of why Kelly Link is incomparable in the art of short fiction.
White Cat, Black Dog: Stories is one of the most charming new short fantasy story collections for adults and YA readers who love classic fairy tales and modern retellings.
24| The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence – Epic Fantasy, May 2023
Synopsis:
A boy has lived his whole life trapped within a vast library, older than empires and larger than cities.
A girl has spent hers in a tiny settlement out on the Dust where nightmares stalk and no one goes.
The world has never even noticed them. That’s about to change.
Their stories spiral around each other, across worlds and time. This is a tale of truth and lies and hearts, and the blurring of one into another. A journey on which knowledge erodes certainty, and on which, though the pen may be mightier than the sword, blood will be spilled and cities burned.
The Book That Wouldn’t Burn is one of the most anticipated new fantasy books for adults who love books about books.
23| The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao – Fantasy novel, June 2023
Synopsis:
This Hindu philosophy-inspired debut science fantasy follows a husband and wife racing to save their living city—and their troubled marriage—high above a jungle world besieged by cataclysmic storms.
High above a jungle-planet float the last refuges of humanity—plant-made civilizations held together by tradition, technology, and arcane science. In these living cities, architects are revered above anyone else. If not for their ability to psychically manipulate the architecture, the cities would plunge into the devastating earthrage storms below.
Charismatic, powerful, mystical, Iravan is one such architect. In his city, his word is nearly law. His abilities are his identity, but to Ahilya, his wife, they are a way for survival to be reliant on the privileged few. Like most others, she cannot manipulate the plants. And she desperately seeks change.
Their marriage is already thorny—then Iravan is accused of pushing his abilities to forbidden limits. He needs Ahilya to help clear his name; she needs him to tip the balance of rule in their society. As their paths become increasingly intertwined, deadly truths emerge, challenging everything each of them believes. And as the earthrages become longer, and their floating city begins to plummet, Iravan and Ahilya’s discoveries might destroy their marriage, their culture, and their entire civilization.
The Surviving Sky is one of the most enchanting and immersive new romance fantasy books for adults who love atmospheric and mythology-inspired stories.
22| We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride – Contemporary fantasy novel, January 2023
Synopsis:
They Both Die at the End meets The Bell Jar in this haunting, beautiful young adult novel-in-verse about clinical depression and healing from trauma, from National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride.
Whimsy is back in the hospital for treatment of clinical depression. When she meets a boy named Faerry, she recognizes they both have magic in the marrow of their bones. And when Faerry and his family move to the same street, the two start to realize that their lifelines may have twined and untwined many times before.
They are both terrified of the forest at the end of Marsh Creek Lane.
The Forest whispers to Whimsy. The Forest might hold the answers to the part of Faerry he feels is missing. They discover the Forest holds monsters, fairy tales, and pain that they have both been running from for 11 years.
We Are All So Good at Smiling is one of the most exciting and unique fantasy books for YA and adult readers who love emotional stories and poetry.
21| Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee – sci-fi fantasy novel, April 2023
Synopsis:
From World Fantasy Award-winning author Fonda Lee comes Untethered Sky, an epic fantasy fable about the pursuit of obsession at all costs.
Ester’s family was torn apart when a manticore killed her mother and baby brother, leaving her with nothing but her father’s painful silence and a single, overwhelming need to kill the monsters that took her family.
Ester’s path leads her to the King’s Royal Mews, where the giant rocs of legend are flown to hunt manticores by their brave and dedicated ruhkers. Paired with a fledgling roc named Zahra, Ester finds purpose and acclaim by devoting herself to a calling that demands absolute sacrifice and a creature that will never return her love. The terrifying partnership between woman and roc leads Ester not only on the empire’s most dangerous manticore hunt, but on a journey of perseverance and acceptance.
Untethered Sky is is one of the most anticipated new fantasy books for adults and YA readers who love epic tales and one-of-a-kind world-building.
20| The Stolen Heir by Holly Black – Romance Fantasy, January 2023
Synopsis:
The Stolen Heir is one of the most popular new YA romance fantasy books for adults and young adult readers who love classic fairy tales and fae stories.
19| Godkiller by Hannah Kaner – Horror Fantasy Book, January 2023
Synopsis:
Kissen kills gods for a living, and she enjoys it. That is until she finds a god she cannot kill: Skediceth, god of white lies, who is connected to a little noble girl on the run.
Elogast fought in the god war, and helped purge the city of a thousand shrines before laying down his sword. A mysterious request from the King sends him racing back to the city he destroyed.
On the way he meets a godkiller, a little girl and a littler god, who cannot find out about his quest.
Godkiller is one of the spookiest new fantasy books for young adults and adult readers who love mythology-inspired tales.
18| To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose – YA Fantasy Book, May 2023
Synopsis:
A young Indigenous woman enters a colonizer-run dragon academy—and quickly finds herself at odds with the “approved” way of doing things—in the first book of this brilliant new fantasy series.
The remote island of Masquapaug has not seen a dragon in many generations—until fifteen-year-old Anequs finds a dragon’s egg and bonds with its hatchling. Her people are delighted, for all remember the tales of the days when dragons lived among them and danced away the storms of autumn, enabling the people to thrive. To them, Anequs is revered as Nampeshiweisit—a person in a unique relationship with a dragon.
Unfortunately for Anequs, the Anglish conquerors of her land have different opinions. They have a very specific idea of how a dragon should be raised, and who should be doing the raising—and Anequs does not meet any of their requirements. Only with great reluctance do they allow Anequs to enroll in a proper Anglish dragon school on the mainland. If she cannot succeed there, her dragon will be killed.
For a girl with no formal schooling, a non-Anglish upbringing, and a very different understanding of the history of her land, challenges abound—both socially and academically. But Anequs is smart, determined, and resolved to learn what she needs to help her dragon, even if it means teaching herself. The one thing she refuses to do, however, is become the meek Anglish miss that everyone expects.
Anequs and her dragon may be coming of age, but they’re also coming to power, and that brings an important realization: the world needs changing—and they might just be the ones to do it.
To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is one of the most thought-provoking and immersive new fantasy books for adults and YA readers.
17| The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta – New YA Fantasy Book MARCH 2022
Lizz Huerta’s debut book is certainly one of 2022’s highlights. Thanks to her writing style and suspenseful story building, no reader is going to be able to put this book down. The Mesoamerican story reflects on today’s struggles as Indir, the truth dreamer, and Saya, the seer fights their own battles for survival and freedom.
Indris has to find her path after the king dies and his successor decides to wipe all dreamers out. In the meanwhile, Saya tries to free herself from her family’s grip that oppresses her.
The Lost Dreamer is a deservedly anticipated YA fantasy book that empowers women and deals with important decisions everyone needs help with within our real world too.
384 pages
16| Wild and Wicked Things Book by Francesca May – LGBT+ Historical Gothic Fantasy Book MARCH 2022
Inspired by The Great Gatsby, this book cannot be more surprising and captivating. If you’ve been looking for new historical fantasy books then this heart-pounding gothic LGBT+ romance, you ought to pick up this incredible piece. If you’re into magical romance fantasy books then you should put this enchanting novel on your TBR.
Readers are going to find themselves in a world after World War I, where magic is real. If you’re looking for dark and mysterious new fantasy romance books then pick up this beauty.
Annie Mason returns to Crow Island hoping to make amends with her past and reconnect with her friend. While she planned to stay away from magic, the mystifying new neighbor tempts her to make unexpected decisions.
Francesca May’s Wild and Wicked Things is a magical story of passion and unbreakable bonds. It is definitely among the most beguiling LGBT+ stories of 2022.
432 Pages
15| Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel – Mythology New Fantasy Book APRIL 2022
2022 is definitely a good year for unique fantasy lovers. Vaishnavi Patel is starting her writing career with a big bang, because this book will become a new favorite in no time. A proper modern mythological fantasy that has everything readers want.
Kaikeyi, the only daughter of Kekaya’s king is destined to be a prop in her father’s power play, but she has other aspirations. This fascinating story will help countless people to step out of their comfort zone and exceed all expectations.
The story is about Kaikeyi who transforms herself into a powerful warrior queen from an overlooked princess. If you’re looking for new retelling books then put Kaikeyi on your TBR.
Kaikeyi’s life-changing story set in India is undoubtedly one of the most exciting mythological fantasy books of 2022.
432 Pages
14| Book of Night by Holly Black – Contemporary Thriller Fantasy Book May 2022
Those, who were lucky enough to read Holly Black books know that her first adult book is something to look forward to. Another action-packed story awaits, that will keep you on the edge of your seat for hours.
You are about to enter a dark world, where shadows have much more influence on life than you may think. They hold secrets no one would want to reveal. A small-time con artist and problem solver Charlie is doing her best to survive while avoiding shadow traders, but her past creeps up on her with no regard to her future.
Book of Night is going to take you to a whole new world packed with stirring secrets and breathtaking twists. This urban fantasy is a must-read in 2022.
320 Pages
13| Siren Queen by Nghi Vo – Magical-Realism, Historical Fantasy Book, May 2022
Widely beloved magical-realism master Nghi Vo is not going to disappoint this time either. Now readers are invited to take a peek behind the scenes in Hollywood.
What does it take to become a star? Luli Wei may have thought completely differently, but the Chinese wannabe actress does not back out when realizing what ancient magic is involved. She is willing to become a monster in order to claim fame and success.
The remarkable historical fantasy book Siren Queen takes readers to a fascinating world, where anything can happen if you are willing to make sacrifices.
288 Pages
12| This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi – Romance, Mythology, Fantasy Book, February 2022
The best-selling Shatter Me series set the bar high and it seems Tahereh Mafi has much more in her repertoire. The first of the This Woven Kingdom trilogy is certainly going to make 2022 a great year.
Inspired by Persian mythology, this fantastic romance fantasy book shows the struggles of two completely different worlds. We follow Alizeh, a servant girl, and Kamran, the crown prince, whose lives are affected by the same prophecy. If you’re looking for thrilling new dark romance books then put this fantasy tale on your TBR.
This Woven Kingdom is full of surprises and bewitching characters. This romance fantasy book kicks off another amazing trilogy by Tahereh Mafi.
512 Pages
11| Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments by T. L. Huchu -Mystery Fantasy Book, March 2022
Ropa is having a hard time as her ghostalking business is not doing too well. That forces her to take an odd job at the Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments hospital. A teenage boy in a coma needs her help as no magic or medicine has helped him.
Our hero turns all rocks and finds out that the Edinburgh Ordinary School for Boys may have something to do with the boy’s condition. This ordinary school is far from ordinary, it is a registered school for magic and the headmaster has a terrible secret that may bring darkness upon the whole world.
If you love mystery fantasy books packed with remarkable secrets that have a unique voice, you are going to love Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments by T. L. Huchu.
368 pages
10| Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen -YA Fantasy Book July 2022
Fantasy lovers may have just found their new favorite author. Gina Chen’s first book is going to breathe some fresh air into the young adult romance fantasy scenery.
Violet is a witty prophet, who doesn’t shy away from false predictions to keep the court in her hands. By outsmarting and misleading her superiors she has a stable spot in the court. Or she thinks so, because Cyrus, the soon-to-be crowned prince wants to remove her from that distinguished position.
Just when things seem to be the worst, Violet unleashes a course that might mean the end of all.
Gina Chen’s debut is packed with interesting characters, mind-blowing magic, and unlikely romance.
368 Pages
9| The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean – Fairy Tale, Horror, Contemporary Fantasy Book, August 2022
There is so much in this story, everyone is going to find something to love about it. No matter if you are a parent trying to give as much as possible to your children, or a little one struggling with everyday issues. By embarking on this enchanting adventure with the book eaters, you are going to feel warmth in your stomach.
This remarkable story of the book eaters, who retain all stories ever written by eating them, is a genuine delight for all ages. Readers will find themselves in a rather dark fairy tale as Devon’s son turns out to have an appetite for much more than books.
You can also enjoy this spooky story as an audiobook so if you love horror audiobooks get ready for a bone-chilling ride.
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean is a touching LGBT+ contemporary fantasy book with the uplifting darkness of a horror fairy tale.
304 Pages
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8| Only a Monster by Vanessa Len -YA Dark Fantasy Book, February 2022
Vanessa Len’s Only a Monster is a strong start to a dark, but enchanting YA fantasy trilogy. No one could tell this is her first book, because the story is superbly crafted and it seems every detail is carefully thought through.
Joan spends this summer in London at her late mother’s family, who seem to be a little odd, but nothing utterly strange about them.
After getting a fun job at the Holland House and being invited to a date by her new colleague, Nick, life couldn’t be better. That high only lasts a short time for the teenage girl, because her family turns out to be a pack of monsters, and Nick is here to slay them. It’s a thrilling and surprising book and is a fantastic choice for those who enjoy reading dark fantasy books for adults.
Only a Monster is a fairly dark, yet amusing YA fantasy book set in London that ticks all the boxes.
416 Pages
7| A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows – LGBT+ Romance Fantasy Book, July 2022
2022 is a strong year for amazing LGBT+ fantasy books. Readers are blessed with a number of unique stories that portrait love in various magical worlds.
Foz Meadows’ new novel invites readers to an extraordinary tale of forbidden love, political conflicts, and self-exploration.
Velasin and Caethari find each other by chance and both of their lives turn upside down as they cannot resist their feelings for the other.
A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is a complex LGBT+ romance fantasy book about trust and forbidden love.
544 Pages
6| Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor – New YA Fantasy Book 2022
The Night Circus fans are going to be delighted once they grab this magnificent YA fantasy book. Seventeen-year-old Jani is about to have an incredible adventure she would have never imagined.
The famous Hotel Magnifique comes to town.
Jani and her younger sister Zoza’s life changes forever as they enter and untangle the mystery of this fine institution. But besides the enchanting and whimsical qualities of the hotel, there are dark and disturbing secrets as well. This fun and spooky novel is one of the finest new mystery books of 2022.
Hotel Magnifique is one of the most captivating new young adult fantasy books, especially for those who loved The Night Circus.
400 Pages
5| The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller – Gothic Fantasy Book, March 2022
Get ready for a mysterious read because this novel is one of the most exciting new gothic books and is set in a vibrant and dark world about an Emperor and Charm, the last witch of the necromantic workers. Charm is not only a witch but the Emperor’s mistress, as well as a madam whose house is filled with girls who aren’t real.
When the Emperor summons Charm to her deathbed he also gives her the task of finding out which of his sons killed him and who should inherit the empire. Charm soon has to decide between herself and the entire Empire.
The Bone Orchard is one of the most anticipated new books about witches and magic of 2022.
The Bone Orchard is one of the most magical gothic fantasy novels of 2022 that’s perfect for adults and YA readers who enjoy stories about necromancers and mysteries set in a lush fantasy world.
423 pages
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4| The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh – YA Mythology Fiction/Fantasy Book, February 2022
This magical story will take you on one of the most amazing journeys of your life. You’ll follow the story of Mina and her village’s Sea God. Mina grew up to be one of the most beautiful girls in her village. Which is not the best thing in this village.
The villagers believe that all the natural disasters and death are caused by the Sea God. So, every year they throw a girl into the sea to become the Sea God’s bride. Through the years they were hoping to find the ‘True Bride’ who will end their suffering.
Mina, however, is not afraid to take control and decides to throw herself into the sea and that’s when she gets transported into the spirit realm where she finds out that the Sea God was in deep sleep the whole time.
Mina has to find a way to wake him up before her time runs out.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea is the perfect mythological fantasy book for YA and adult readers who enjoy ancient stories and wouldn’t mind a voyage to an undiscovered sea and the spirit world.
336 pages
3| Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan – Fairy Tale, High Fantasy, January 2022
This fascinating novel is filled with immortals, legendary creatures, and is based on one of the most beautiful Chinese tales.
You’ll follow the story of Xingyin who suddenly has to leave her home, The Moon, and her powerful mom behind. She finds her place in the Celestial Kingdom but soon she has to embark on her own quest to save her mother. Her journey takes her across the earth and skies.
Daughter of The Moon Goddess is an enchanting new romantic fantasy book based on the legend of the Chinese Moon Goddess and is a great choice for adults and YA readers alike.
512 pages
2| All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie – Fairy Tale, Historical Fantasy Book, March 2022
If you’ve been looking for a new fantasy book to read in 2022 with an unusual yet beautiful style, then you should pick up this novel.
This magical story follows the tale of a Norse trader and his journey to Mongolia where he bartered for a few horses that turned out to be much more and changed the land of fire, stone, and ice forever.
All The Horses of Iceland is a super quick historical fantasy read for those who enjoy unique books and one-of-a-kind storytelling.
112 Pages
1| This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede – YA Dark Romance Fantasy Book, June 2022
This fascinating read is one of 2022’s most exciting romance fantasy books. The story follows Alessa who has a special gift from the gods. Her power is supposed to make her partner’s magic stronger. However, after her three husbands’ death, a powerful priest turns against her.
Soon she has to hide from assassins who believe the only way to save their island home is by killing Alessa. She has no other choice but to hire Dante an outcast streetfighter as her bodyguard with dark secrets but he might just be the person she was waiting for.
The Vicious Grace is one of the most thrilling new romance fantasy books of 2022 for adults and YA readers who enjoy magical stories about curses, demons set in a lush Italian-inspired world.
448 Pages
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