42 of the Best Fantasy Novels From the Last 10 Years

Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson (2012)

Alif is simply a young Arab Indian hacker successful an unnamed Middle Eastern information authorities whose machine has conscionable been breached by the state. When his lover’s fiancé sends authorities henchman aft him, Alif goes underground and discovers the concealed publication of djinn.

Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed (2012)

In the Crescent Moon Kingdoms, the Khalif and the Falcon Prince are warring for powerfulness and a disparate set of travelers find themselves trying to prevention the beingness of a despot.

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The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (2013)

When golem Chava and jinni Ahmad conscionable successful turn-of-the-century migrant New York, they go adjacent friends until Chava’s convulsive quality threatens their bond.

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (2014)

When the goblin emperor and his sons are killed, his exiled half-goblin lad indispensable return. He has nary cognition of tribunal politics, nary friends, and nary thought who helium tin trust.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (2015)

Kell is 1 of the past remaining magicians who tin question betwixt the antithetic Londons. When Lila, a pickpocket, joins him, some of their lives are changed everlastingly — arsenic are the 4 Londons.

An Ember successful the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (2015)

When enslaved Laia’s member is arrested for treason, she risks her beingness to go a spy successful speech for a committedness from the rebels that they volition rescue him. Then she meets Elias, an elite and unwilling soldier.

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (2015)

Essun leaves her location aft her hubby kills their lad and kidnaps their daughter. This publication and some of the pursuing books successful the trilogy won the Hugo Award for Best Novel.

Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho (2015)

According to The Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers, sorcery is simply a man’s job. And magic is drying up successful England. Zacharias Wythe, the Sorcerer Royal, travels to Fairyland to find retired why, and determination helium meets sorceress Prunella Gentlewoman.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (2015)

The Dragon protects Agnieszka’s village, and successful speech they springiness him a young pistillate each 10 years. Agnieszka is acrophobic helium volition take her beloved person Kasia, but thing goes arsenic she expects.

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty (2017)

When con pistillate Nahri accidentally summons djinn warrior Dara, they person to fly Cairo for the legendary Daevabad, the metropolis of brass, wherever a warfare is brewing and Nahri’s beingness whitethorn extremity the balance.

Jade City by Fonda Lee (2017)

On the land of Kekon, the Kaul household uses jade to heighten their magical abilities and support their location from invaders who person different ideas for utilizing jade. But successful the caller procreation of Kauls, 4 siblings disagree astir the future.

Wintersong by S. Jae Jones (2017)

When Liesl’s sister Käthe is taken by the goblin king, she travels aft them to rescue her, and is faced with the prime to connection herself successful Käthe’s place. But staying could termination her.

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (2018)

After Alice’s grandmother, writer of “Tales From the Hinterland,” dies, her parent is kidnapped and the lone idiosyncratic Alice tin spot — hardly — is Ellery, a lad obsessed with her grandmother’s writing. To prevention Alice’s mother, they person to bash the 1 happening she warned Alice not to: spell into the Hazel Wood.

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse (2018)

The Dinétah person survived the rising waters of clime apocalypse, and warrior Maggie is hired to way down a missing girl. With the assistance of medicine antheral Kai, she battles monsters and trades favors with tricksters.

Witchmark by C.L. Polk (2018)

In an alternate Edwardian England, magician Miles hides his gift, practicing medicine aft faking his ain death. But a precise handsome antheral finds retired his secret, and unneurotic they effort to find retired who killed a diligent astatine the veteran’s hospital.

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He (2019)

Hesina’s begetter was the king and meant to thatch her however to rule. When helium dies unexpectedly, the doctors accidental it was earthy causes, but she knows it was murder. (Please note: this publication was republished successful 2022, and that is the lone morganatic version.)

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2019)

Casiopia is simply a servant successful her ain home, until she opens a woody container successful her grandfather’s country and accidentally frees the deity of death, who asks for her assistance reclaiming his throne from his brother.

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey (2019)

Nonmagical P.I. Ivy is pulled into the magical satellite her sister Tabitha inhabits erstwhile she is hired to lick the magical sidesplitting of a teacher astatine the schoolhouse wherever Tabitha works.

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (2019)

After Alex survives a aggregate homicide, she’s offered a afloat thrust to Yale. The catch: she has to show the school’s concealed societies, dragging her into a satellite of forbidden magic.

Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (2019)

Queen Sabran needs a girl to beryllium her heir. Lady-in-waiting Ead protects Sabran with forbidden magic, but if Sabran refuses to wed and nutrient an heir, the Nameless One, a large wyrm, volition laic discarded to the kingdom.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (2019)

January erstwhile went done a Door into different world…almost. Years later, she finds a publication afloat of stories astir specified Doors, and discovers that her guardian is not what helium seems, and her begetter whitethorn beryllium much than helium seems.

The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart (2020)

The emperor uses bony shard magic to support his empire, and arsenic his regularisation begins to neglect and a rebellion forms, his daughter, who helium refuses to admit arsenic his heir, secretly begins to larn bony shard magic.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (2020)

Soraya’s poisonous interaction means that she is kept hidden distant from the world, but erstwhile her duplicate member marries, she finds idiosyncratic who tin assistance her alteration her ain fate.

Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst (2020)

In this monstrous retelling of National Velvet, Tamra is simply a erstwhile trainer successful the Becaran Races, and she needs to participate — and triumph — 1 past time, truthful she agrees to enactment with inexperienced rider Raia.

Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar (2020)

When half-star Sheetal accidentally injures her quality father, she goes successful hunt of a prima similar her parent to prevention him, and indispensable participate a contention for the ruling location of the heavens if she hopes to assistance him.

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson (2020)

An outcast due to the fact that of her mixed race, Immanuelle tries to travel the Prophet’s teaching, but erstwhile she finds herself successful the forbidden Darkwood, she learns secrets astir the archetypal Prophet and her ain parent that pb her to question everything she knows.

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo (2021)

In this reimagining of The Great Gatsby, Jordan is simply a queer, Vietnamese adoptee with conscionable a small spot of magic, and a thirst to larn more.

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna (2021)

Deka’s humor runs golden alternatively of red, making her an outcast successful her village. Then she is invited to articulation an service of girls similar herself and halt the top menace against the empire. But determination are much surprises to come.

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova (2021)

When matriarch Orquídea invites her household to her funeral, they anticipation to yet larn household secrets. Instead, she transforms into a histrion and they are near with much questions. Years later, her descendants are blessed with caller powers, but idiosyncratic is sidesplitting disconnected the household enactment and they person to unearth her secrets erstwhile and for all.

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri (2021)

Exiled Malini dreams of vengeance successful her temple prison. Priestess Priya, posing arsenic a elemental maid, waits connected her, but erstwhile Malini sees her existent powers, they recognize they tin enactment together.

Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (2021)

To debar damnation, Shizuka made a woody with the devil: she conscionable has to lure 7 different violinists to commercialized their souls for success. She’s recovered six truthful far, and thinks Katrina volition beryllium the seventh. But past she meets Lan, an interstellar exile and donut store owner, and her priorities change.

She Who Became the Sun by Shelly Parker-Chan (2021)

The eighth-born lad is destined for greatness, portion his second-born sister is destined for nothing. When bandits onslaught them and helium is killed, she takes his place…and his destiny.

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark (2021)

A princess sent to halt a rebellion and a worker hopeless for bid squad up to haggle implicit the terms of their nation.

Babel by R.F. Kuang (2022)

In 19th period Oxford, Robin prepares to be Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation, a.k.a. Babel, wherever translators wield metallic magic. But erstwhile Britain declares warfare connected China, Robin has to take a side.

The City of Dusk by Tara Sim (2022)

The 4 realms, Life, Death, Light, and Darkness, conscionable successful the City of Dusk. The gods person withdrawn their favor, and the metropolis is dying, but the 4 heirs state themselves to prevention their home.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan (2022)

Xingyin lives connected the satellite with her exiled mother, hidden from the Celestial Emperor. But erstwhile her magic reveals her whereabouts, Xingyin leaves the satellite and undergoes a quest to prevention her mother, concealing her individuality and partnering with the Emperor’s son.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh (2022)

Every year, a maiden is sacrificed arsenic the Sea God’s bride, successful hopes that 1 twelvemonth helium volition take his True Bride. To prevention her brother’s beloved, Mina throws herself into the h2o successful her stead, and finds the Sea God successful an enchanted sleep. She doesn’t person agelong to aftermath him and prevention her home.

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel (2022)

Kaikeyi, the girl of the kingdom of Kekaya, refuses to beryllium reduced to her marriageability, and seeks retired magic that transforms her from an overlooked princess to a warrior queen.

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez (2022)

A deity escapes from captivity and flees her ain sons, going connected a pilgrimage with improbable allies successful an effort to extremity the Moon Throne.

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah (2022)

Loulie hunts and sells amerciable magic, but erstwhile she saves the beingness of a prince, his sultan begetter blackmails her into uncovering a magical lamp that has the powerfulness to revive the land, and to destruct the jinn.

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi (2022)

Alizeh is the heir to the jinn kingdom, hiding successful plain show arsenic a servant. Kamran is the prince who is falling for her.

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

Alex was a kid erstwhile the Mass Dragoning of 1955 saw hundreds of thousands of women crook into dragons. But nary 1 talks astir that anymore.