If you’re looking for the most anticipated books of 2026, filled with powerful heroines, lush worldbuilding, sapphic romances, and dramatic high stakes intrigue, you’re in the right place. Even though I might be a little late sharing this on the blog, these are the books that completely defined my 2026 reading excitement. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve already seen my 2025 wrap up where I definitely highlighted these titles, but I had to give them a proper spotlight here too.
Because honestly. Some books deserve more than just a slide in a carousel.
2026 has been such a strong year for fantasy and genre bending stories, and the books in this list are the ones that lived rent free in my head. Whether it’s epic fantasy with political tension, magical retellings, queer romances, or richly layered historical inspired worlds, these are the stories I could not stop thinking about and absolutely had to talk about again.
So yes, I might be fashionably late with this post, but these books are still very much worth the hype.
Let’s get into it.
1. Throne of Nightmares by Kerri Maniscalco
A princewho prefers games of the head to those of the heart.
Prince Sloth hates leaving his enchanted library, but when a forgotten deity threatens the very fabric of the Underworld, he’s thrust into a race against time. He must find the Book of Nightmares – an ancient artifact that has the power to break worlds – before it unleashes a deadly game to free its master, the Goddess of Night. When a betrayal leaves him marked, and desperate, his path collides with a young woman who possesses the legendary Phoenix Tear – a portal stone unlike any other.
A librarian who is all sweet sunshine . . . until she burns.
Lore Brimstone has always loved getting lost in a book – but she never meant literally. Yet, after visiting a traveling caravan, she quickly finds herself transported to a terrifying but oddly familiar world – with a calculating prince at her side. Realizing they are living out her favourite novels one by one, they face off against an increasingly dark magic as they try to survive the story.
A twisted tale that means they can’t trust themselves – or their hearts.
As Lore and Sloth navigate the pages of her beloved novels gone wrong, she must channel her inner main character to defeat the Book of Nightmares before the wall between the gods and mortals comes crashing down, dooming them all.
I already know this one is going to consume me. A reclusive prince, a magical library, a cursed artifact that can break worlds, and a heroine who literally gets pulled into her favorite novels? The concept alone is addictive. I love that it blends dark Underworld politics with that meta story inside a story element. And Sloth being the calculating, head over heart type? Yes please. This feels dramatic, romantic, and just chaotic enough to wreck me in the best way.
2. Enchanting the Fae Queen by Stephanie Burgis
Queen Lorelei is a notorious fae seductress, with a trail of broken hearts in her wake. But behind her glamorous lifestyle and sparkling mask lurks a dangerously intelligent woman who’d do anything to keep her people safe, including kidnap the empire’s most famous hero.
The virtuous high general Gerard de Moireul represents all that is moral and true. He has to, after his parents were executed for treason. The last thing he needs is the Queen of Balravia, who showers glitter and rainbow-colored sparkles everywhere she goes without the slightest regard for good taste, decorum, or royal dignity.
They’re opposites in every way, but when they’re swept up together in a grand–and deadly–fae tournament, they discover all of each other’s most hidden truths–and how perfectly they might be suited for each other after all.
I am already obsessed with this dynamic. A glittering fae queen who is underestimated because of her sparkle and charm, paired with a painfully moral high general who takes everything far too seriously? That tension writes itself. I love that Lorelei is both glamorous and dangerously intelligent. Give me political stakes, forced proximity in a deadly fae tournament, and two complete opposites slowly realizing they might actually be perfect for each other. This feels like it will be witty, romantic, and surprisingly sharp beneath all the glitter.
3. Get Over It, April Evans by Ashley Herring Blake
April Evans’ life is in shambles. She’s had to close her tattoo shop in Clover Lake and she’s subletting her house just to make rent. And her love life? Nonexistent ever since Elena, her ex-fiancée, left her for a younger woman three years ago. When she is asked to teach a summer art class at the town’s new resort called Cloverwild, April jumps at the opportunity, especially since the job comes with boarding. She’s sure that this is the silver lining she needs . . . until she meets her Daphne Love, the woman who stole her ex-fiancée. And even worse, it’s clear Daphne has no idea who April is.
Daphne Love is cursed in, well, love. She thought she’d found the unconditional love she craved in her girlfriend, Elena, but now she’s single again and utterly brokenhearted. When her friend hooks her up with a summer gig as an art instructor at a swanky resort in New Hampshire, Daphne feels optimistic for once. If only she had a roommate and coworker who didn’t seem to hate her on sight.
Their already-tense relationship gets even shakier when April and Daphne find themselves competing for a rare opportunity to showcase their art in a London museum. But slowly, barriers begin to fall, and an inexplicable allure keeps drawing them closer, leaving them to wonder if the perfect picture they’re looking for can only be painted with each other.
Ashley Herring Blake writing messy sapphic tension again? Say less. The fact that April and Daphne are connected through the same ex already screams emotional chaos, and I am here for it. I love stories where two women start off on completely the wrong foot and have to slowly unravel their assumptions about each other. Add art, competition, summer vibes, and that quiet vulnerability Blake always delivers, and I know this one will hurt a little before it heals.
4. The Poet Empress by Shen Tao
In the waning years of the Azalea Dynasty, the emperor is dying, the land consumed by famine, and poetry magic lost to all except the powerful.
Wei Yin is desperate. After the fifth death of a sibling, with her family and village on the brink of starvation, she will do anything to save those she loves.
Even offer herself as concubine to the cruel heir of the beautiful and brutal Azalea House.
But in a twist of fate, the palace stands on the knife-edge of civil war with Wei trapped in its center…at the side of a violent prince.
To survive, Wei must harden her heart, rely on her wit, and become dangerous herself. Even if it means becoming a poet in a world where women are forbidden to read—and composing the most powerful spell of all. A ballad of death…and love.
This one feels powerful just from the premise alone. A girl offering herself as concubine to save her starving family. Poetry as magic. Women forbidden to read in a world where words hold power. I already know this is going to be political, emotional, and sharp. I am especially intrigued by the idea of Wei hardening herself to survive and potentially becoming dangerous in her own right. Stories about women claiming forbidden power always hit for me.
5. The Starseekers by Nicole Glovers
In the 1960s, the world was caught up in reaching beyond our planet and into the cosmos. It felt impossible—but there was nothing science, math…and magic couldn’t make possible. The race to space was on, and the Moon was what everyone had their eyes on.
Including Cynthia Rhodes, a brilliant arcane engineer at NASA’s Ainsworth Research Labs. Talented in math and magic, she hosts a magical educational show… a job she took mostly for a chance to regularly see the dashing Theodore Danner, a professor of arcane archeology.
She is also an amateur sleuth—something that has run in her family for generations.
When a cursed museum curator nearly interrupts a broadcast of their show, Cynthia finds an eager sleuthing partner in Theo. Pairing up, they begin investigating the strange behavior of the curator and a mysterious theft at the arcane history museum—until one of Cynthia’s own coworkers perishes right in front of her in a major lab accident that endangers Ainsworth’s role in the space race.
Certain it was murder instead of an accident, Cynthia sees this as a separate case at first. However the more she and Theo investigate, Cynthia uncovers a surprising link between the two incidents. The museum theft and murder are part of a larger equation—one that includes deadly enchantments, rumored pirate treasure, a peculiar plant, and a dire threat to the space program as well as everything she holds dear.
The Starseekers is another rip-roaring adventure for the Rhodes family, who have been using magic to aid their community and solve mysteries since before the Civil War. The times may have changed, but a Rhodes once again finds themselves thrust into a world of murders, theft, sabotage, and curses, and this time the stakes extend to the stars themselves.
Historical fantasy set during the space race with math, magic, murder, and a family of magical sleuths? This is such a unique blend of genres and I love it. Cynthia being both an arcane engineer and an amateur detective sounds like the perfect combination of brains and bravery. I’m especially drawn to the NASA setting mixed with enchantments and cursed artifacts. It feels adventurous, smart, and a little nostalgic in the best way.
6. Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez
In 15th-century Volterra, sculptress Ravenna Maffei enters a competition hosted by a secretive, immortal family who offer an invaluable boon to the victor. Desperate to win so she can save her brother, Ravenna reveals a rare magical talent–a dangerous act in a city where magic is forbidden. Her revelation makes her a target, and she is kidnapped by the Luni family and taken to Florence, a city of breathtaking beauty and cutthroat ambition.
There, Ravenna is forced into an impossible task where failure means certain death at the hands of Saturnino dei Luni, the family’s enigmatic and merciless heir. But under his cold reserve hides a vulnerability that draws her closer than she ever intended.
Meanwhile, Ravenna’s forbidden magic does not go unnoticed. The Pope, waging war against Florence, the Medici, and magic itself, has his own interest in her abilities, seeing her as a potential weapon in his ruthless campaign.
As alliances shift and war brews on the horizon, Ravenna must navigate the treacherous line between survival and betrayal, between love and duty. With time running out and her every move watched, the choices she makes will determine the fate of not just her own life, but the fragile balance of magic and power that could unravel Florence itself.
Forbidden magic in Renaissance Italy, immortal families, art, ambition, and a morally complicated heir? This is exactly my kind of dramatic fantasy. I love stories where magic is outlawed and the heroine has to decide whether survival is worth betrayal. Ravenna being a sculptress makes it even more compelling. There is something beautiful about art and magic intertwining, especially in a city as politically charged as Florence. I’m expecting romance, tension, and heartbreak.
7. City of Others by Jared Poon
In the sunny city of Singapore, the government takes care of everything – even the weird stuff. Benjamin Toh is a middle manager in the Department for Engagement of Unusual Stakeholders (DEUS), tasked with taking care of the supernatural occurrences and people no one else wants to deal with, from restless ghosts to immortal gods to conniving jinn. Overworked and under-resourced, he has to juggle the demands of senior management, an elderly father, and a new boyfriend, all while trying to keep his team out of trouble.
When an entire block of flats goes missing in the town of Clementi, drowned in an otherworldly wave, the information he needs to prevent another catastrophe lies in the pasar bayang – the shadow markets. But the demigod protector of the markets has neither forgotten nor forgiven their humiliation by the Singapore authorities decades ago. Ben will need to wrestle with the legacy of his government and the whispers of his own insecurities, navigating landscapes both urban and fantastical, both inside the soul and outside the real world, all so he can just do his goddamn job.
Urban fantasy set in Singapore with government departments handling supernatural chaos? I am so intrigued. Benjamin juggling ghosts, gods, jinn, family pressure, and a new relationship feels layered and refreshingly different from typical Western centered fantasy. I love that it mixes bureaucracy with myth and deeply personal insecurities. It sounds thoughtful but also fast paced and slightly chaotic, which is honestly a perfect combination.
8. Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi
YOU KNOW MY NAME.
BUT YOU DO NOT KNOW ME.
Your historians call me seductress, but I was always in love’s thrall.
Your playwrights speak of my witchcraft, but I was gifted my talents by the gods.
Your poets sing of my blood-lust, but I was protecting my children.
They cannot credit that a mere woman could be powerful, strategic, divinely blessed to rule.
Death will silence me no longer.
This is not the story of how I died. But how I lived.
Retellings that reclaim powerful women from history always draw me in. I love the bold voice in the premise alone. This feels like a story about legacy, power, motherhood, and the refusal to be reduced to a stereotype. If this book truly centers Cleopatra’s strategy, intelligence, and divine presence instead of just romance and scandal, I think it’s going to be unforgettable. I’m ready for a fierce, unapologetic portrayal.
9. Witch Queen Rising by Savannah Stephens
A reclusive witch who fled the burden of her bloodline rises to be the greatest among them in this lush and haunting fantasy debut.
For New Orleans witchkin, there is no greater honor than to become the Prime—chosen to rule. But the title is meant to pass between two rival Houses of magic. Not to the prodigal daughter of the former Prime who died under mysterious circumstances.
As a girl, Seraphine Barreau was dubbed the Tick Witch for her ability to feed on magic and make it her own. Even among those who alter fate and manipulate reality, she was a powerful outcast feared and misunderstood by her people. Now dragged back to continue the legacy that nearly destroyed her, Phine has her work cut out for her. She must earn the respect of her people, navigate the politics of the paranormal communities residing in her city, and heal a broken heart all the while battling a parasitic curse poisoning witchkin. Between her werewolf ex, power-hungry vampires, and the skeletons in her family’s closet, Phine must learn to make peace with her past to save her—and all of witchkin’s—future.
New Orleans witches, rival Houses, a misunderstood outcast heroine, and paranormal politics? Yes. Seraphine being feared for her power and forced back into a legacy she tried to escape already makes her such a compelling main character. I love stories where the heroine has to confront both her past and her potential. Add werewolves, vampires, curses, and messy emotions, and this sounds deliciously dramatic.
10. The Tapestry of Fate by Shannon Chakraborty
Amina al-Sirafi thinks she’s struck gold. Tasked with hunting down arcane artifacts for the council of immortal peris, she can savor the occasional rollicking adventure on the high seas with her cherished criminal companions while still returning home to raise her beloved daughter, Marjana. But when Raksh, the spirit of discord with whom she is reluctantly wed, provokes the council’s wrath, Amina is charged with a seemingly impossible quest: steal a spindle capable of rewriting fate from a mysterious sorceress on an island no one can escape.
Forced to leave Marjana—who is increasingly frustrated at being peddled what are clearly lies about her mother’s life and her own past—Amina finds her mission almost immediately thrown into peril. But deadly storms, an erratic poison mistress, and old enemies are the least of her worries. For the peris’ story is unraveling, hinting at a far deadlier game whose rules Amina must swiftly puzzle out. A game that sets her against an adversary more cunning and powerful than she has ever faced.
A game that not everyone on her crew wants her to win.
Amina al Sirafi returning for another impossible quest immediately has my attention. I adore morally complex heroines who are mothers, leaders, and slightly chaotic adventurers all at once. The idea of stealing a spindle that can rewrite fate feels epic and intimate at the same time. I also love that her daughter plays a role in the emotional stakes. This feels like it will balance heart and high stakes fantasy beautifully. And the first one is one of my favourite books ever!
11. Seek the Traitor’s Son by Veronica Roth
Elegy Ahn did not ask for destiny to find her.
She is happy with her life as a soldier, defending her small country from the Talusar, a powerful nation who worships a deadly Fever. A fever that blesses half of its victims with mysterious gifts.
But then she’s summoned to hear a prophecy–her, and the most ruthless of Talusar generals, Rava Vidar. Brought face to face, they learn that one of them will lead their people to victory over the other…but they don’t know which. And at the center of both of their fates: a man. A man that, Elegy is told, she will fall in love with.
In just one day, Elegy’s old life–her job, her purpose, and her future–is over. She and Rava are destined to collide, with the fate of their nations hanging in the balance. And when they do, only one will be left standing.
Elegy intends to make sure it’s her.
Prophecy, rival generals, enemies on opposite sides of a war, and a love story that might determine the fate of entire nations? This is the kind of high tension fantasy I cannot resist. I love that Elegy is a soldier first and refuses to let destiny define her without a fight. The uncertainty of which side will win and whether love will be a weakness or strength makes this feel intense and emotionally charged.
12. The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones by Lex Croucher
Briar always dreamed of attending the Temple School of Thaumaturgy, the elite boarding school that’s produced the most CEOs and Prime Ministers in history, long rumoured to be magical. Briar’s best friend, Seb, just wanted them to stay together forever.
When Seb gets an acceptance letter and Briar doesn’t, their relationship is shattered – until, at eighteen, Briar secures a temp job sorting through the magical junk in Temple’s attic, and discovers that quiet, sensitive Seb, the boy they once loved more than anything else in the world, has become the villain.
This one feels softer but no less powerful. Missing out on a magical school, watching your best friend become the villain, and confronting lost love and broken expectations? That premise alone hurts. I love stories that explore ambition, jealousy, and growing apart in a magical setting. If this leans into emotional depth and messy relationships, I think it could be one of those quiet books that lingers long after you finish.
Which of these books have you read, and what would you add to the list? Let’s celebrate 2026 together!
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