As the year comes to a close, the days are short, the nights are still long, and the chill might be creeping into your bones. This is the perfect time of year to grab a blanket, a hot cup of your favorite beverage, and a good book to snuggle up with. Bonus points if you have a fireplace (but if not, you can stream one on Netflix).
While some folks might like spine tinglers for their year’s end, for others, it’s better to curl up with a feel-good tale that leaves you with hope and happiness. This roundup brings together nine books from 2024 that you can finish with a smile.
Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree
Travis Baldree’s debut novel Legends and Lattes marked him as one of the leading voices in cozy fantasy—tales that focus as much on the relationships and day-to-day lives of fantasy characters as they do on traditional fantasy plots. In Bookshops and Bonedust, Baldree revisits his main character, an orc adventurer named Viv, but at a much, much earlier point in her career.
After charging headlong into battle against an undead army, Viv’s injured, and her company leaves her in a small port town to recover while they pursue the bad guy. Annoyed and impatient, Viv ends up making the best of her stay by getting involved with some of the locals—she befriends ratkin bookshop proprietor, Fern, and decides to help get Fern’s business off its feet. She also embarks on a romance with Maylee, a retired dwarf adventurer who has started a bakery in town, even though both of them know they have an expiration date. The sense of found family (and the perils of small business ownership) that made Legends and Lattes so fun are both here in spades, but a more traditional fantasy subplot weaves together this adventure with the Viv readers met in the first book, and gives Viv something concrete to triumph over. Definitely keep this one on hand for a cloudy day (and make sure to smell the pages of the book for full immersion).
A Market of Dreams and Destiny by Trip Galey
Deri, an indentured servant in the Goblin Market, is trying to conduct enough of his own dealings (without his mysterer, Maurlocke, knowing) to buy himself out of his contract. He dreams of getting his own stall in the market, as well, becoming a true merchant, since the Goblin Market is the only life he’s ever known. Two chance meetings set him on a new path: first, he encounters Owain, a mortal also locked in an indentured contract—to unscrupulous human merchants in the above world; second, he meets the princess of an alternate Victorian England, and persuades her to sell her destiny for one that’s more her own liking.
But while the destiny of the heir to the throne is by far the most valuable thing Deri’s ever managed to acquire, it’s impossible to sell, especially when he has to keep it secret from Maurlocke. He’s given three tasks that will put him back on course—one of which throws him back into Owain’s path, and gives Deri pause. How could he get rid of not just his own contract, but those of Owain and his friends as well? Plans beget plans in a whirl of wheeling and dealing, populated by a cast of characters that include Aurelia, a lady knight searching for the runaway princess; Silvestra, an alchemist who has a preternatural gift for spotting flaws; Vimukti, a firebrand indentured servant willing to make her own deals for the cause; and the Graspars, a pair of Dickensian villains who run the workhouse. While there are some darker themes here—indentured servitude is certainly not a lighthearted theme—the sweet growing romance between Deri and Owain, and the overarching plot to take down a system of abuse, will leave readers with a glow of feel-good hopefulness. If you liked Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, this is a solid pick for your evening read.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan
For Percy Jackson fans, picking up this newest, supposedly stand-alone installment, set between the Heroes of Olympus and the Trials of Apollo series, is like getting a warm hug. Instead of having to save the world, this time Percy just has to convince several gods to write recommendation letters so that he can get into college at New Rome University (and live happily ever after with his girlfriend, Annabeth). This, inevitably, involves a quest: Percy has to track down the chalice of the gods for the cupbearer, Ganymede, before Zeus’s next banquet. The question is, who would take a cup that grants those who drink from it immortal life?
Narrowing down the list of suspects is a challenge, but Percy, Annabeth, and their satyr pal Grover are more than up for it. Getting the three central heroes from the original Percy Jackson series on a smaller, minor quest offers a huge dose of feel-good nostalgia for readers who grew up with the characters. But the inclusions aren’t fan service—Riordan brings together favorite elements in service of a larger plot, one that centers the value of time with those you love. While the book ends with a firm conclusion, it also leaves open the door for more of these short, minor-quest vibe installments from Percy’s senior year. Pick this one up between episodes of the new Percy Jackson and the Olympians series on Disney+.
A Bright Heart by Kate Chenli
How does a revenge fantasy end up on a feel-good list like this? When that revenge is so well deserved, it certainly feels good to see the bad guy go down! Kate Chenli’s debut novel starts off with Mingshin at her lowest note: she’s been betrayed by the man she loves and the woman she looked to as her sister. When she’s executed, however, the gods give her a second chance, and she’s launched back, far earlier in her story, but with all the knowledge she gained the first time around.
Now, she knows not to trust the power-hungry Ren on his bid for the throne. She’s determined to see him face consequences for the betrayal she’ll never allow him to perform—but to do so, and to protect her country from the designs of a diabolical dignitary with evil magic, she has to team up with Jieh, another contender for the throne. Despite declaring she’ll never fall in love again, the romance between her and Jieh doesn’t come as a surprise—but her choices, and the way she outsmarts everyone all over again, will have readers rooting for her. For lovers of manhua and C-dramas, this adventure promises satisfaction when the enemies get what’s coming to them.
A Stroke of the Pen by Terry Pratchett
One of the worst things about the death of a beloved author is knowing that there will never be a new book waiting for you. Except in cases where these books are discovered! A Stroke of the Pen is a brand new collection that brings together short stories that the late Terry Pratchett, who passed away in 2015, wrote under the pen name Patrick Kearns, and published in the Western Daily Press.
These stories are from far earlier in his career, and they’re not the satire that readers know and love, but they are a glimpse into that earlier author, and each tale brings something new to the table. Several stories circle around a Christmas theme as well (a particularly good one about Father Christmas looking for a new job has a delightful ending), making it just the perfect read for the holiday season.
Murtagh by Christopher Paolini
It’s almost equally a delight when an author returns to revisit an old series, especially after more than a decade away from its world! With Murtagh Christopher Paolini returns to the land of Alagaësia when the last battle has been won, and those who were on the evil king’s side, however reluctantly, find themselves outcast. One such character is fan-favorite Murtagh, the Dragon Rider, along with his dragon Thorn. But though he’s in exile, when a threat comes to Alagaësia, Murtagh is determined to stand between that danger and the people who consider him an enemy.
Though this book tallies in at a whopping 665 pages, it’s still a novel geared for the same middle-grade audience who would connect with Eragon—and the adult audience who grew up loving a young boy who hatched a dragon from an egg and became a hero.
When in Doubt, Play Dead: Life Advice from an Unexpected Source by Ally Burguieres
If you just don’t have time to tackle a doorstopper before the end of the year, take a moment to look at life from the possum point of view.
Ally Burguieres, who owns the always uplifting @ItsMeSesame Instagram account, is a wildlife rehabber and the author of Possums Are Not Cute!: And Other Myths about Nature’s Most Misunderstood Critter. Here, she compiles short sentences of advice—“Let yourself be wild and curious”—accompanied by adorable watercolor illustrations of possums on each two-page spread.
The book is full of affirmations designed to make readers feel good about themselves, with a hefty dose of cuteness to help sell the message.
The Endless Vessel by Charles Soule
When Charles Soule was first promoting The Endless Vessel, he promised readers, “The secret to happiness is within the pages of this book.” What more could a person need to hook them on reading a novel?
The story, divided into three parts, begins with scientist Lily Barnes, who lives in a world where a plague of depression (the Grey) has made many people unable to function at all. A select number of victims of the Grey, however, become zealots, determined to wipe out both past and future, because only by ending the world will it be saved. When Lily is presented with a strange device that scrubs carbon from the atmosphere, she’s mesmerized, and she’s determined to find out where this futuristic equipment actually came from.
As the book progresses, readers are swept back into the past, where Molly Calder is determined to find a way to resurrect her dead husband, Apollo. She and a group of scientists sail the Lazerene, a ship that keeps their work out of public view. As the stories twine together, Soule does indeed reveal at least one answer to the secret to happiness, elevating this SFF dystopian novel to a book filled with hope.
The Crimson Fortress by Akshaya Raman
This sequel to Akshaya Raman’s The Ivory Key brings readers back to the world of Ashoka and the four royal siblings who came together in the first novel, trying to overcome their differences to save their kingdom. After discovering the key, they realize the cipher that came along with it will be much harder to solve, especially when they’ve had to go on their own separate missions to keep the peace.
As in the first novel, The Crimson Fortress is a true sibling-focused fantasy, where success can only come through teamwork and togetherness. With puzzles and ciphers that readers are welcome to try to solve along with the characters (it’s harder than it looks), this conclusion to the duology makes for an epic conclusion to 2023—or a delightful binge-read of the duology to welcome in the new year.
Alana Joli Abbott is a reviewer and game writer, whose multiple-choice novels, including Choice of the Pirate and Blackstone Academy for Magical Beginners, are published by Choice of Games. She is the author of three novels, several short stories, and many role-playing game supplements. She also edits fantasy anthologies for Outland Entertainment, including Bridge to Elsewhere and Never Too Old to Save the World. You can find her online at VirgilandBeatrice.com.