The Best New Fantasy Books of October 2024

Why You’ll Love It: Ann Liang’s adult debut A Song to Drown Rivers is a historical fantasy retelling of the life of one of ancient China’s fabled Four Beauties. Here, peasant girl Xishi is so extraordinarily lovely that she must move through life veiled, to stop strangers from gawking. But when she’s selected to become a spy in an enemy king’s court she’ll get the chance to avenge the murder of her younger sister.

Publisher’s Description: Xishi’s beauty is seen as a blessing to the villagers of Yue―convinced that the best fate for a girl is to marry well and support her family. When Xishi draws the attention of the famous young military advisor, Fanli, he presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty as a weapon. One that could topple the rival neighboring kingdom of Wu, improve the lives of her people, and avenge her sister’s murder. All she has to do is infiltrate the enemy palace as a spy, seduce their immoral king, and weaken them from within. Trained by Fanli in everything from classical instruments to concealing emotion, Xishi hones her beauty into the perfect blade. But she knows Fanli can see through every deception she masters, the attraction between them burning away any falsehoods. Once inside the enemy palace, Xishi finds herself under the hungry gaze of the king’s advisors while the king himself shows her great affection. Despite his gentleness, a brutality lurks and Xishi knows she can never let her guard down. But the higher Xishi climbs in the Wu court, the farther she and Fanli have to fall―and if she is unmasked as a traitor, she will bring both kingdoms down.

The City in Glass by Nghi Vo

Release Date: October 1 from Tordotcom

Why You’ll Love It: This story of a doomed love affair between an angel and a demon who battle for the soul of a fantastical city is beautiful in every definition of the word. Vo’s precise, delicate prose has rarely been put to better use.

Publisher’s Description: The demon Vitrine—immortal, powerful, and capricious—loves the dazzling city of Azril. She has mothered, married, and maddened the city and its people for generations, and built it into a place of joy and desire, revelry and riot.

And then the angels come, and the city falls.

Vitrine is left with nothing but memories and a book containing the names of those she has lost—and an angel, now bound by her mad, grief-stricken curse to haunt the city he burned.

She mourns her dead and rages against the angel she longs to destroy. Made to be each other’s devastation, angel and demon are destined for eternal battle. Instead, they find themselves locked in a devouring fascination that will change them both forever.

Together, they unearth the past of the lost city and begin to shape its future. But when war threatens Azril and everything they have built, Vitrine and her angel must decide whether they will let the city fall again.

Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic & Betrayal  by Olivie Blake

Release Date: October 8 from Tor Books

Why You’ll Love It: A short story collection from the author of The Atlas Six, Januaries features fourteen tales that swing for the fences and span genres, all held together with her fantastical prose and intriguing worldbuilding. (For what it’s worth, “The Wish Bridge” is my favorite.)

Publisher’s Description: Once upon a time in a land far, far away, a wish-granting spirit rapidly approaches burnout. Meanwhile, a banished fairy answers a Craigslist ad, a Victorian orphan navigates an occult situationship, and a multiverse assassin contemplates the one who got away.

With both iconic fan-favorite stories and entirely original pieces, Januaries features modified fairy tales, contemporary heists, absurdist poetry, and at least one set of actual wedding vows. Escape the slow trudge of mortality by diving into these enchanting new worlds with a master of imagination.

Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-il Kim, translated by Anton Hur

Release Date: October 8 from Tor Books

Why You’ll Love It: Set in a world-spanning empire powered by the mummified corpses of dead magic users, three outsiders—a widowed swordswoman, a doomed sorcerer, and a desperate civilian—are embroiled in a story of twisted magic and tenacious rebellion.

Publisher’s Description: There is no escaping the Empire. Even in death, you will serve.

In an Empire run on necromancy, dead sorcerers are the lifeblood. Their corpses are wrapped in chains and drained of magic to feed the unquenchable hunger for imperial conquest.

Born with magic, Arienne has become resigned to her dark fate. But when the voice of a long-dead sorcerer begins to speak inside her head, she listens. There may be another future for her, if she’s willing to fight for it.

Miles away, beneath a volcano, a seven-eyed dragon also wears the Empire’s chains. Before the imperial fist closed around their lands, it was the people’s sacred guardian.

Loran, a widowed swordswoman, is the first to kneel before the dragon in decades. She comes with a desperate plea, and will leave with a sword of dragon-fang in hand and a great purpose before her.

In the heart of the Imperial capital, Cain is known as a man who gets things done. When his best friend and mentor is found murdered, he will leave no stone unturned to find those responsible, even if it means starting a war.

Odd Spirits by S.T. Gibson

Release Date: October 8 from Angry Robot Books

Why You’ll Love It: A prequel novella that delves into the history of two of the central characters in S.T. Gibson’s Evocation, Odd Spirits is decidedly creepy and still cozy enough to be a perfectly quick read for this time of year.

Publisher’s Description: It takes a lot of commitment to make a marriage between a modern ceremonial magician and a tarot witch work, but when a malevolent entity takes up residence in Rhys and Moira’s home, their love will be pushed to the limits. Brewing up a solution is easier said than done when your magical styles are polar opposites; throw a psychic ex and a secret society in the mix, and things are bound to get messy.

Swordcrossed by Freya Marske

Release Date: October 8 from Bramble

Why You’ll Love It: A standalone romance from the author of The Last Binding trilogy, Swordcrossed is a charming, delightfully low-stakes cozy fantasy with excellent worldbuilding and characters.

Publisher’s Description: Mattinesh Jay, dutiful heir to his struggling family business, needs to hire an experienced swordsman to serve as best man for his arranged marriage. Sword-challenge at the ceremony could destroy all hope of restoring his family’s wealth, something that Matti has been trying—and failing—to do for the past ten years.

What he can afford, unfortunately, is part-time con artist and full-time charming menace Luca Piere.

Luca, for his part, is trying to reinvent himself in a new city. All he wants to do is make some easy money and try to forget the crime he committed in his hometown. He didn’t plan on being blackmailed into giving sword lessons to a chronically responsible—and inconveniently handsome—wool merchant like Matti.

However, neither Matti’s business troubles nor Luca himself are quite what they seem. As the days count down to Matti’s wedding, the two of them become entangled in the intrigue and sabotage that have brought Matti’s house to the brink of ruin. And when Luca’s secrets threaten to drive a blade through their growing alliance, both Matti and Luca will have to answer the question: how many lies are you prepared to strip away, when the truth could mean losing everything you want?

Shoestring Theory by Mariana Costa

Release Date: October 8 from Angry Robot

Why You’ll Love It: This friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers queer time travel romance is a charming cozy fantasy about second chances and starting over that still explores some surprisingly dark themes.

Publisher’s Description: The kingdom of Farsala is broken and black clouds hang heavy over the arid lands. Former grand-mage of the high court, Cyril Laverre, has spent the last decade hiding himself away in a ramshackle hut by the sea, trying to catch any remaining fish for his cat familiar, Shoestring, and suppressing his guilt over the kingdom’s ruin. For he played his part – for as the king, Eufrates Margrave, descended further and further into paranoia, violence and madness, his grand-mage – and husband – Cyril didn’t do a thing to stop him.

When Shoestring wanders away and dies one morning, Cyril knows his days are finally numbered. But are there enough left to have a last go at putting things right? With his remaining lifeblood, he casts a powerful spell that catapults him back in time to a happier period of Farsalan history – a time when it was Eufrates’s older sister Tig destined to ascend to the throne, before she died of a wasting disease, and a time when Cyril and Eufrates’s tentative romance had not yet bloomed. If he can just make sure Eufie never becomes king, then maybe he can prevent the kingdom’s tragic fate. But the magical oath he made to his husband at the altar, transcending both time and space, may prove to be his most enduring – and most dangerous – feat of magic to date… 

A Reign of Rose by Kate Golden

Release Date: October 8 from Berkley

 You’ll Love It: The final installment the popular Sacred Stones trilogy, A Reign of Rose brings Kate Golden’s sprawling story of warring kingdoms, magic, and betrayal to a close Events pick up right after A Promise of Peridot’s cliffhanger ending, and follows Kane and Arwen as they battle to save the world—and one another.

Publisher’s Description: Kane Ravenwood, King of Onyx Kingdom, would go to the ends of the continent for Arwen Valondale, but what if she’s beyond even that? Broken in ways he never imagined he could be, Kane must survive to fulfill the prophecy and kill his father, Fae King Lazarus. After what he’s endured, Kane is willing to save all of Evendell by whatever means necessary—even if that spells his own death.

Little does Kane know, he’s not the only one desperate for revenge. Arwen is no longer afraid to fight—no sacrifice is too great, no enemy too daunting. Now, nothing will stop her from destroying Lazarus. She’s all too aware that if she fails, both realms will be doomed forever.

And The Sky Bled by S. Hati

Release Date: October 15 from Bindery Books

Why You’ll Love It: A thought-provoking climate fantasy that explores the personal and societal costs of reliance on a dwindling resource, And the Sky Bled is already drawing comparisons to the work of N.K. Jemisin and Fonda Lee

Publisher’s Description: In the occupied city of Tejomaya, calor—a magical fossil fuel—is found only in the blood rains that fall from the sky. While a six-month drought has brought Tejomaya to a desperate standstill, rumors of a secret stash of magic propel three unlikely treasure seekers to risk everything.

Tenacious and street-smart Zain Jatav has been forced to steal calor for her slumlord bosses for years. Finding the magic reserve might be her only key to freedom. But she’ll have to contend with Iravan Khotar, a slumlord himself and an ambitious revolutionary hoping to use the same magic to save his people from the mysterious illness devastating the slums—and to bolster a fight against their oppressors. Meanwhile, heiress Anastasia Drakos leads the ruling council of Tejomaya from the safety of a nearby island. With the hidden magic, she could finally take full control of the city and crush the slums beneath her unyielding fist.

As Zain, Iravan, and Anastasia draw closer to finding the treasure, their paths tangle, and not for the first time—they met before, a decade ago, in a fire that destroyed each of their lives in different ways. Their reunion might bring the already-weakened city to its knees.

Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy

Release Date: October 15 from Orbit

Why You’ll Love It: This charming, whimsical debut from Maiga Doocy follows the story of a talented sorcerer, his curmudgeonly rival, and the curse binding them to each other. (It’s love, we all know it’s love, right?)

Publisher’s Description: Leovander Loveage is a master of small magics.

He can summon butterflies with a song, or turn someone’s hair pink by snapping his fingers. Such minor charms don’t earn him much admiration from other sorcerers (or his father), but anything more elaborate always blows up in his face. Which is why Leo vowed years ago to never again write powerful magic.

That is, until a mix-up involving a forbidden spell binds Leo to obey the commands of his longtime nemesis, Sebastian Grimm. Grimm is Leo’s complete opposite—respected, exceptionally talented, and an absolutely insufferable curmudgeon. The only thing they agree on is that getting caught using forbidden magic would mean the end of their careers. They need a counterspell, and fast. But Grimm casts spells, he doesn’t undo them, and Leo doesn’t mess with powerful magic.

Chasing rumors of a powerful sorcerer with a knack for undoing curses, Leo and Grimm enter the Unquiet Wood, a forest infested with murderous monsters and dangerous outlaws alike. To dissolve the curse, they’ll have to uncover the true depths of Leo’s magic, set aside their long-standing rivalry, and—much to their horror—work together.

Even as an odd spark of attraction flares between them.

Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon

Release Date: October 15 from Ace

Why You’ll Love It: A steamy new fantasy from the author of the popular Ice Planet Barbarians series, the premise may seem silly and yes, one half of its central couple is in fact a minotaur, but its larger story and worldbuilding is genuinely top-notch.

Publisher’s Description: As a Holder’s daughter, Aspeth Honori knows the importance of magical artifacts . . . which is why it’s a disaster that her father has gambled all theirs away. Now that her family is in danger of losing their hold—and their heads—if anyone finds out the truth, Aspeth decides to do something about it. She’ll join the Royal Artifactual Guild and the adventurers who explore ancient underground ruins to retrieve the coveted arcane items.

It’s a great plan—with one big problem. The guild won’t let her train because she’s a woman. Aspeth needs a chaperone of some kind. The best way to get around this problem? Marry someone who will let her become an apprentice. Who better than a surly guild member who requires a favor of his own? He’s a minotaur (it’s fine) who is her teacher (also fine) . . . and he’s about to go into rut (which is where it gets tricky). He also has no idea she’s a noble (oops), and he’ll want nothing to do with her if he discovers her real identity.

Now Aspeth just has to pass the guild tests, thwart a fortune hunter, and save her hold—oh, and survive a rut with her monstrous, horned husband, whom she might be falling in love with.

Inferno’s Heir by Tiffany Wang

Release Date: October 15 from Bindery Books

Why We’re Excited: This fantasy debut about an outcast princess who joins the rebellion against her own family has plenty of thrilling twists.

Publisher’s Description: Teia Carthan abandoned her morals long ago, and now there’s nothing she won’t do to stay alive. So far she has survived her parents’ deaths, the ire of the Council, and innumerable attempts on her life, orchestrated by Jura, her half brother and soon-to-be king of Erisia. Teia’s rare control over two elements marks her as both an outsider and a formidable opponent—but once Jura is crowned king, there will be no way to survive him. Not for Teia, not for anyone. 

When Jura moves to crush the rebellion that seeks to overthrow the monarchy, Teia sees one last opportunity to ensure her own safety. She can infiltrate the rebels, locate their base . . . and betray them to Jura, trading their lives for her own. 

Yet when Teia meets the rebels, she gets far more than she bargained for. And when she gains not only their trust but their friendship, she begins to have doubts. Perhaps the rebels are right. Perhaps the Golden Palace should be torn down and the monarchy destroyed. 

But then again—what if there is another possibility? What if Teia were on the throne instead? 

Monstrous Nights by Genoveva Dimova

Release Date: October 22 from Tor Books

Why You’ll Love It: Arriving just a few short months after the first novel in this duology was published, Monstrous Nights feels like the best sort of fast-paced binge. Grimmer than its predecessor, this sequel sees Kosara battling to restore the balance between the human and monster realms using ancient magic. 

Publisher’s Description: With her magic reclaimed and her role in the community of Chernograd restored, Kosara’s life should finally be back to normal―but, of course, things can’t possibly be that simple.

She is now in possession of twelve witch’s shadows. Holding them may grant her unprecedented power, but that doesn’t mean they’re always willing to do her bidding.

Across the wall in Belograd, Asen chases his only lead on the latest witch murder case. He follows the trail of smuggling kingpin Konstantin Karaivanov to an underground monster auction―which leads him right back to Chernograd.

There, sinister events follow one after another: snow falls in midsummer, a witch with two shadows is found dead, and monsters that should only appear during the Foul Days are sighted. The barrier between worlds thins… and Kosara is certain it’s her fault―and her job to fix.

The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clark

Release Date: October 22 from Bloomsbury Publishing

Why You’ll Love It: This beautifully illustrated short story set in the world of Susana Clark’s fantasy epic Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell may be small in comparison to the size of some of the other titles on this list, but boy does it pack a punch.

Publisher’s Description: Nineteen-year-old Merowdis Scot is an unusual girl. She can talk to animals and trees—and she is only ever happy when she is walking in the woods. One snowy afternoon, out with her dogs and Apple the pig, Merowdis encounters a blackbird and a fox. As darkness falls, a strange figure enters in their midst-and the path of her life is changed forever.

Metal From Heaven by august clarke

Release Date: October 22 from Tor Books

Why You’ll Love It: Set in a world transformed by industrial change and class struggle, Metal From Heaven is one part lesbian revenge quest and one part intricately plotted political fantasy, as charismatic heroine Marney Honeycutt as she seeks justice against hte wealthy mining empire that murdered her family. 

Publisher’s Description: He who controls ichorite controls the world.

A malleable metal more durable than steel, ichorite is a toxic natural resource fueling national growth, and ambitious industrialist Yann Chauncey helms production of this miraculous ore. Working his foundry is an underclass of destitute workers, struggling to get better wages and proper medical treatment for those exposed to ichorite’s debilitating effects since birth.

One of those luster-touched victims, the child worker Marney Honeycutt, is picketing with her family and best friend when a bloody tragedy unfolds. Chauncey’s strikebreakers open fire.

Only Marney survives.

A decade later, as Yann Chauncey searches for a suitable political marriage for his ward, Marney sees the perfect opportunity for revenge. With the help of radical bandits and their stolen wealth, she must masquerade as an aristocrat to win over the calculating Gossamer Chauncey and kill the man who slaughtered her family and friends. But she is not the only suitor after Lady Gossamer’s hand, leading her to play twisted elitist games of intrigue. And Marney’s luster-touched connection to the mysterious resource and its foundry might put her in grave danger – or save her from it.

Bloodguard by Cecy Robson

Release Date: October 22 from Entangled: Red Tower Books

Why You’ll Love It: A steamy gladiator romantasy that’s described as Gladiator meets Dungeons and Dragons, Bloodguard boasts plenty of political intrigue and deadly physical competition alongside its enemies-to-lovers romance.

Publisher’s Description: Everything in the Kingdom of Arrow is a lie.

Leith of Grey thought coming to this new land and volunteering to fight in the gladiator arena―vicious, bloodthirsty tournaments where only the strongest survive―would earn him enough gold to save his dying sister. He thought there was nothing left to lose.

He was wrong―and they took everything. His hope. His freedom. His very humanity.

All Leith has left is his battle-scarred body, fueled by rage and hardened from years of fighting for the right to live another day.

Then Leith meets Maeve, an elven royal who is everything he despises. Everything he should hate. Until the alluring princess offers him the one thing he needs most: a chance to win the coveted title of Bloodguard―and his freedom.

But in a kingdom built on secrets and lies, hope doesn’t come cheap.

Nor will his ultimate revenge…

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H. G. Parry

Release Date: October 22 from Redhook

Why You’ll Love It: From the author of The Magician’s Daughter, The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door is an ambitious post-World War I historical fantasy about hidden magic and family loyalty. The accidental summoning of a fairy during the last days of the wary leaves many dead and survivors cursed, magical dealings with the fae banned. But when a student manages to break into Faerie country in an attempt to cure her brother, she and her friends discover the sort of secrets that will change their world forever.

Publisher’s Description: Camford, 1920. Gilded and glittering, England’s secret magical academy is no place for Clover, a commoner with neither connections nor magical blood. She tells herself she has fought her way there only to find a cure for her brother Matthew, one of the few survivors of a faerie attack on the battlefields of WWI which left the doors to faerie country sealed, the study of its magic banned, and its victims cursed.

But when Clover catches the eye of golden boy Alden Lennox-Fontaine and his friends, doors that were previously closed to her are flung wide open, and she soon finds herself enmeshed in the seductive world of the country’s magical aristocrats. The summer she spends in Alden’s orbit leaves a fateful mark: months of joyous friendship and mutual study come crashing down when experiments go awry, and old secrets are unearthed.

Years later, when the faerie seals break, Clover knows it’s because of what they did. And she knows that she must seek the help of people she once called friends—and now doesn’t quite know what to call—if there’s any hope of saving the world as they know it. 

For She Is Wrath by Emily Varga

Release Date: October 29 from Wednesday Books

Why You’ll Love It: A Pakistani-inspired fantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo is something I never knew I needed, but this story of a young woman on a quest for vengeance feels both timely and furious.

Publisher’s Description: Three hundred and sixty-four days. Framed for a crime she didn’t commit, Dania counts down her days in prison until she can exact revenge on Mazin, the boy responsible for her downfall, the boy she once loved―and still can’t forget. When she discovers a fellow prisoner may have the key to exacting that vengeance–a stolen djinn treasure–they execute a daring escape together and search for the hidden treasure.

Armed with dark magic and a new identity, Dania enacts a plan to bring down those who betrayed her and her family, even though Mazin stands in her way. But seeking revenge becomes a complicated game of cat and mouse, especially when an undeniable fire still burns between them, and the power to destroy her enemies has a price. As Dania falls deeper into her web of traps and lies, she risks losing her humanity to her fight for vengeance–and her heart to the only boy she’s ever loved.

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

Release Date: October 29 from Del Ray

Why You’ll Love It: The buzzy comparisons to R.F. Kuang’s Babel would have been enough to get me to pick up this new magical dark academia title. But Blood Over Bright Haven, which follows the story of the first woman ever admitted to a prestigious order of mages who discovers a secret conspiracy that might just change magic forever, has an appealing enough premise all on its own.

Publisher’s Description: For twenty years, Sciona has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry at the University of Magics and Industry.

When Sciona finally passes the qualifying exam and becomes a highmage, she finds her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues are determined to make her feel unwelcome—and, instead of a qualified lab assistant, they give her a janitor.

What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was not always a janitor. Ten years ago, he was a nomadic hunter who lost his family on their perilous journey from the wild plains to the city. But now he sees the opportunity to understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the privileged in power.

At first, mage and outsider have a fractious relationship. But working together, they uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever—if it doesn’t get them killed first.

Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco

Release Date: October 29 from Little, Brown, and Company

Why You’ll Love It: This follow-up to Throne of the Fallen shifts its focus to another member of author Kerri Maniscalco’s infamous demon court: The Prince of Gluttony. 

Publisher’s Description: Gabriel Axton—infamous as the Prince of Gluttony, the self-proclaimed rake of rakes—has always lived for indulgence: in delicious food, in tantalizing women, and most of all, in the thrill of the hunt, where his love of danger can take over. But when his favorite adventure takes a deadly turn, he realizes something is very wrong in his demon court. With the clock ticking, he must turn to the only one who might uncover the truth: a journalist he has spent a decade avoiding…

Adriana Saint Lucent has been on the hunt for years—if she could just report something damning enough about that no-good scoundrel Gabriel Axton, she knows others would finally see the demon as she does. But she never expected to turn up a rumor too terrifying to be believed: could the ice dragons to the north be growing restless? Drawn into the secrets of the Underworld, Adriana’s investigation leads her into the place she dreads most…Axton’s infamous court. 

To stop darkness from falling over their kingdom, Axton and Adriana will have to unite against an escalating danger. But with each holding tight to their own secrets, can they find the truth before it’s too late? And what will they do with an equally troubling rumor: that they might not actually hate one another, after all?

Lacy Baugher Milas is the Books Editor at Paste Magazine, but loves nerding out about all sorts of pop culture. You can find her on Twitter @LacyMB