Podcasts & Books

12 Of The Best Fantasy Books For Adults To Transport You To Distant Lands

By Renée Ardon-Coppinger

There’s nothing more glorious than curling up with a good book and being transported directly to strange and wonderful far away lands, so we’ve compiled some of our own faves guaranteed to have you gripped from the very first pages.

Here are the best fantasy books to add to your list.

A Court Of Thorns And Roses

By Sarah  J. Maas

This passionate, sexy and daring romantic fantasy drags you into the world of Feyre, a huntress dragged away from her family for the murder of a faerie by a fierce captor. As she begins to look into the piercing green eyes of this man, she begins to understand that the lands are far more frightening than she could ever dream of, and so she must fight to break an ancient curse before losing everything she loves forever.

Buy it here.

The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue

By V.E. Schwab

Another ‘Tik Tok Made Me Buy It’ title, this fantasy follows Addie as she trades her soul with the devil for immortality not truly realising the price she would pay to be lost to those that had once known her best. Set in a tiny village in 18th Century France, she becomes completely forgotten and insignificant to her family, friends and those she once held dear, until one day, finally, someone recognises her thrusting her back into a normal world. 

Buy it here.

Legends And Lattes

By Travis Baldree

Don’t let the title fool you, this isn’t some novel about the coffee scene in Melbourne. This heartwarming, fresh fantasy draws you into the depths of hell following Viv the orch barbarian as she finally hangs up her sword and sets her sights on a new beginning that will require a team of misfits otherwise shunned from the real world around them. We can guarantee you’ll love the characters and the message that family can be wherever we find it.

Buy it here.

Queen Of Myth And Monsters

By Scarlett St. Clair

This whimsical tale follows the newly crowned queen Isolde as she marries her vampire love Adrian, a man that has cost her both her homeland and her father’s approval. Filled with goddesses, vampires, fear and blood shed, this fantasy will unfold without you being able to look away.

Buy it here.

The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires

By Grady Hendrix

A New York Times Best Seller, this 90s-set horror set in a small Southern town is ideal for  those diehard Stephen King fans who love unwinding a mystery. When a meticulous mother Patricia is viciously attacked by an elderly neighbour one night after book club, her world seems to completely unfurl leaving her helpless against the chaos that follows.

Buy it here.

Under The Whispering Door

By TJ Klune

When a fierce reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own sadly unattended funeral, he is completely outraged before slowly beginning to realise that perhaps he is actually already dead. Yet even in death, he refuses to abandon living his life and so he goes on a journey for one week to pass through one door into the other in an extremely moving way.

Buy it here.

The Night And Its Moon

By Piper CJ

This new release follows the journey of two orphaned girls who become powerful women who have to deal with a string of haunting and curious events and people along their way. When separated by fate, they both make it their mission to find one another despite being swirled into a land between human and foe knowing they’re destined to be by each other’s side.

Buy it here.

Hell Bent

By Leigh Bardugo

When acclaimed writers title Hell Bent as ‘one of the best fantasy books they’ve read’ you know that you’re in for something electric. Full of shocks, twists, murder, power battles, wealth and loss, there’s plenty to love about the unfolding drama as we follow Alex Stern as she navigates her way through to hell and back, literally.

Buy it here.

Babel

By R. F. Kuang

This number 1 New York Times Bestselling sci-fi fantasy tale explores the cruelty of an empire from the eyes of Robin Swift, an orphan who sees England as a majestic paradise compared to his original lands of Canton. But that quickly shifts and the realisation draws that paradise can in fact also become a prison, and there’ll be nothing you can do about it.

Buy it here. 

The World We Make

By N.K. Jemisin

Readers follow along with the heroic Avatars as they bravely attempt to prevent NYC from being overrun by a tyrannical leader desperate to spit his hatred and venom to all his helpless citizens. The second installment of the Great Cities duology will have you entranced from start to finish with the quick sharp turns and unexpected situations that unfold.

Buy it here.

Fairy Tale

By Stephen King

There’s no list of great novels without the King himself Stephen King, and his latest release Fairy Tale is full of his usual unparalleled imagination, creativity and poetic writing style that completely captivates breaking away from his usual horror genre to follow 17 year old Charlie whose destiny changes in a mere second after his guardian dies suddenly. Full of loss and growth, you won’t want to put this one down.

Buy it here. 

Thistlefoot

By GennaRose Nethercott

Another wildly popular 2022 release explores the strange and often eerie folklore traditions of Eastern Europe putting a modernised twist on the classic fairy tales of past generations. The plot follows the estranged Yaga siblings who are reunited only when they discover they’re about to inherit a fully-sentient home standing on chicken legs. The pilgrimage through America turns dark when they release their longed-for home is nowhere near as safe as they’d once anticipated.

Buy it here.

Read on for the best new books to devour this year.

Image credit: Supplied

Editor's note: Urban List editors independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. Urban List has affiliate partnerships, so we get revenue from your purchase.

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