Fantasy is having a bit of a moment, with sales in this genre the second biggest growing book category just behind romance.

Why is it so popular? At its best, fantasy helps us think through and process our real world. A sprawling genre, in 2023 fantasy includes everything from cosy atmospheres to magical detectives and medieval epics.

From witches to Greek goddesses, authors reimagine familiar literary characters through a contemporary lens. You’ll meet endearing dragons, mysterious dark strangers with suspicious powers, and the odd orc, elf and faery with a killer sense of humour. You’ll visit gothic castles built on mysteries and forests with their own personalities. You’ll hope, you’ll laugh, and you’ll travel to destinations that aren’t available from your local airport. Enjoy!

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven and The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson

The first two volumes of this soon-to-be trilogy (the next book is due in July 2024) imagine a British underground magical society still reeling from a civil war between a coven of witches and a dark, power-hungry warlock. The story is fast-paced and impossible to put down, and over the course of the two books I started to think of the characters as new friends. Best read while listening to a nostalgic Spice Girls playlist.

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall

A Regency lesbian romantasy with magic sprinkled on! It’s narrated by a mischievous, immortal hobgoblin who judges the ways of humans with an acerbic prose. With the help of a rumoured dark (and hot) witch, an aristocrat investigates a way out of the curse thrown on her by person unknown. As is always the case with Alexis Hall, the cast of secondary characters, especially the earnest best friend, infuse most of the fun. I laughed a lot.

Bitterthorn by Kat Dunn

Every 50 years, a dark witch takes a new companion, never to be seen again. This time, 20 years-old Mina volunteers; her future looks bleak either way, but at least here she has agency in her decision. She travels to a fantastic German gothic castle, where doors open to random seasons and moments in the past. The witch’s only request: that she doesn’t visit her tower. A stunning meditation on loneliness, with nods to Jane Eyre, Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent and Naomi Novik’s Uprooted.

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

During a sticky hot New York summer, Ann interns at the Cloisters, the Metropolitan Museum’s medieval department. She’s researching the history of the tarot for an upcoming exhibition which will prove that the cards were used in Italy for divination in the Middle Ages. Driven by fascinating and creepy power dynamics that anchor it in the Dark Academia trend, The Cloisters offers an enticing glimpse into the history of the tarot, a key trend in fantasy.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia Of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Genius scholar Emily Wilde is better at research than she is at talking to people. On a field trip to the Scandinavian village of Hrafnsvik, she undercovers the secret of faeries and of her own heart when she meets the mysterious Wendell Bambleby. Sometimes I just want my fantasy sprinkled with romance and low stakes. This was a great winter read – comforting like a cup of hot cocoa.

The Last Tale Of The Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

A crumbling manor, a bride with a mysterious past, a childhood best friend who disappeared suddenly, never to be seen again, a marriage built on a dangerous promise… When Indigo’s husband joins her for a trip back to her family home, will he resist investing his wife’s past? Haunting and beautifully written, Roshani Chokshi builds an engrossing atmosphere for lovers of fairy and gothic tales.

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

What would you do if you inherited your uncle’s villain business? In the unlikely event you ever find yourself in this position, you could do worse than following the steps of Charlie and his cat. Formerly down-on-his luck, Charlie now owns a lair and super-gadgets, who sadly come with super-enemies. A funny satire imagining the inner life of the villains in spy movies, where the cats are the real heroes (obviously).

Atalanta by Jennifer Saint

Mythological retellings are big in fantasy at the moment. Atalanta was the lone woman in the Argonauts. Here, Jennifer Saint gives back her due to the princess, raised by bears after her parents left her to die because she dared not to be a boy. We get to experience the quest for the golden fleece from her point of view. The story particularly shines in the relationship between Atalanta and the goddess Artemis.

The Lies Of The Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi

Inspired by Nigerian culture, this novella interrogates who gets to write history as Tutu, a 13-year-old boy, goes looking for water to save his mum. He comes from the City of Lies, where teenagers get their tongue cut in exchange for water. Although the book is short, the writing builds an expansive world that quickly captivated me by its poetry, danger, and thoughtfulness.

Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong

The violent cities of San-Er and their complex politics come to life in this immersive, action-packed novel inhabited by characters impossible to let go of until the last page. Competitors in the local games jump from one body to the next and fight to death in an effort to win untold riches. I loved getting to know their rich inner worlds thanks to the multiple points of view.