The Best Fantasy Novels that Booktok Doesn’t Know About
The Best Fantasy Novels that Booktok Doesn’t Know About
Oftentimes, during my endless scrolling, I find myself getting frustrated at the same books being recommended on repeat. I wanted to find books that felt fresh and unique without having to compromise all of the tropes I adore. So here is a list for those of us that may feel similarly.
A Game of Cat and Witch by Ruby Rune
Publish Date: 10 May 2026
This newly published romantasy is the first in the Monstrous Shifters series and has a unique approach to the genre. It feels cozy, cute and yet is pumped with spice. The main characters are incredibly funny一even more so when they are around each other. Their hatred of one another adds another layer of comedy as they try to deny their attraction to one another.
The worldbuilding in this book isn’t the most fleshed out, but it was never a problem for me as the entire book is incredibly funny and more of a comfort fantasy than a lore-heavy one. It is an unfinished series as of July 2026 though, with the next book changing POV, so if that’s your jam, check it out!
Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publish Date: 1st August 2024
This is the first book in The Harbinger Trilogy and it is the book that got me hooked onto romantasy as a genre. The worldbuilding is so expertly interwoven with the plot that it doesn’t feel overwhelming (even for newer readers of fantasy), which is a godsend when you’re in the mood for fantasy but do not have the mental capacity to spend the first 100 pages trying to comprehend names, places, lore and plot. This series also has disability inclusion which we LOVE to see, and it highlights a real but overlooked disability that Jennifer L. Armentrout suffers with herself.
Overall, this series is simultaneously heartbreaking, fun and spicy - and I cannot recommend this series enough!
Support Local: We recommend Bookshop.org to help keep independent bookstores alive.
A Stage Set for Villains by Shannon J. Spann
Publish Date: 5th February 2026
A Stage Set For Villains is a standalone dark fantasy that blew my socks off. There were multiple times in this book that I had to close it and stare at a wall because of the plot twists being thrown at me. I went into this book knowing little to nothing and I would honestly suggest you do the same but I will give you a few key points.
Firstly, this is a dark fantasy and not a romantasy despite there being romance present throughout the novel. It’s forbidden, heartbreaking and will leave you in a pool of your own tears.
Secondly, this book takes place in a circus setting for the most part, and is very reminiscent of Caraval. So if that’s your jam, do not hesitate to pick it up!
Support Local: We recommend Bookshop.org to help keep independent bookstores alive.
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley
Publish Date: 8th July 2025
This is slow-burn romance done right. I went into this only knowing it used to be a Dramione fanfiction but honestly it feels completely separate when reading it. This is an enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity romance that just hits you square in the heart. This is part of an unfinished series - with the next book being released on the 7th July 2026 - but I cannot state how immersive the worldbuilding is within the story. You can see elements of the Potter world spread throughout but in the backdrop of the story we are being told, they feel new and refreshed. This series is also dual POV, which gives you an added layer of butterflies when he falls first.
Support Local: We recommend Bookshop.org to help keep independent bookstores alive.
Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven
Publish Date: 29th January 2026
Our Infinite Fates feels so far removed from every other fantasy on this list, and not in a negative way. The plot, writing style and characters feel so unique to Laura Steven that I would be interested to see what else she has to write in the future. The primary plot is that the main character never makes it to her 18th birthday. She gets murdered each time by the same person, no matter where she is reincarnated or who she is reincarnated as. The book teleports us through the past and the present, weaving in the important stories of their past as she tries to survive past her 18th birthday because her sister’s life depends on it. I would have adored this to be a series, but it is a standalone novel and is perfect for those that want a cute romantasy to gobble up in one afternoon.
Support Local: We recommend Bookshop.org to help keep independent bookstores alive.
The Shattered King by Charlie N. Holmberg
Publish Date: 2nd September 2025
The Shattered King is the first book in a duology, and is available on kindle unlimited. This series is for the visual readers out there, with the MC’s magic allowing her to enter a different realm of sorts to heal others. In fact, this book was so vivid that when I think of it, I imagine the images it evoked from me rather than the fact it was a book at all. It plays out like a movie on a page in the most infatuating way. I genuinely have no clue how it hasn’t wormed its way into the Booktok algorithm, with its forbidden romance, stubborn FMC and deep lore.
Support Local: We recommend Bookshop.org to help keep independent bookstores alive.
The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle
Publish Date: 3rd July 2025
The Dagger and the Flame is the first book in the unfinished series of The City of Fantome and I am incredibly surprised that Booktok has not sunk its proverbial claws into this yet. It has enemies-to-lovers romance, hidden powers, incredible plot twists and dual POV.
The worldbuilding in this novel is well done but it really becomes solid in the second novel - The Rebel and the Rose - which expands the world that we came to know in this one.
Support Local: We recommend Bookshop.org to help keep independent bookstores alive.