Fresh fantasy worlds bloom this spring. March through May brings epic quests, slow-burn romantasy, and bold heroines. Magic systems feel rich and immersive. Stakes are high and love stories simmer beneath the action. Clear your weekend because these sagas demand attention. If you enjoy fantasy, romantasy, magic and the supernatural, explore our hand-picked recommendations for our Dragon Slayer reader type.
Best Fantasy Books May 2026:
Death's Daughter
by S. A. Barnes
DELUXE EDITION--a beautiful hardcover featuring sprayed edges, a foil case stamp and designed endpapers.
"Action-packed and scorching, Death's Daughter is a rollicking good time from start to finish. Paranormal lovers rejoice, your new obsession has arrived!"--Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of The Foxglove King
The steamy mythology of Neon Gods meets the dark academia of Ninth House in this contemporary romance from USA Today bestselling author S.A. Barnes.
After a lifetime of chaos, Jocasta has finally found her home with good friends, great classes, even a messy situationship with her former TA--a normal life.
Well, as normal a life as the only child of Death can have.
She's always refused to embrace her father's legacy. Instead of taking lives, she feeds on her classmates' disappointments, failures, and rejections. Finals week has her feasting, and all is good.
Until Death ruins her life. Again.
Without warning, Death names Jocasta as his sole successor, making her a powerful ally... and a massive target. Devon, a descendant of Lust, claims to want to help her--for a price.
Jo will do anything to protect the people she loves and the life she's worked so hard for.
Even if it means becoming a monster.
A Parade of Horribles
by Matt Dinniman
It's off to the races in the explosive eighth book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series--featuring bonus material exclusive to this print edition.
As chaos and mass panic spread outside the dungeon in the wake of Faction Wars, Carl and Donut find themselves on the tenth floor, where they're forced to compete in a surprisingly normal set of tasks. Well, normal for the dungeon.
Races. Get from point A to point B, and don't come in last. After each race, they pick an upgrade for their vehicle and the track gets more challenging. It all seems a little too normal, a little too simple.
Ignore those strange glitches that are occurring with increasing frequency. Don't listen to those whispers about what's happening on the mysterious eleventh floor, something the system AI calls A Parade of Horribles. Nobody, not even the showrunners, knows what that means. Just that the AI has ominously dubbed it "a coming-out party for the ages."
Everything is fine, Crawler. I repeat, everything is fine.
Carl hates that it's business as usual. The rules of this floor have taken away his agency. That just will not do.
So Carl is planning a party of his own. It's a plan so dangerous, so insane, he can't even consult his friends lest the AI put a stop to it. Because if it goes wrong, it's not just the end of Carl and Donut. No. The stakes are higher than they've ever been.
Includes part eight of the exclusive bonus story "Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret."
Seek the Traitor's Son
by Veronica Roth
DELUXE EDITION--a beautiful hardcover edition featuring a map, designed endpapers and black sprayed edges.
An epic, romantic dystopian fantasy begins in Seek the Traitor's Son, from #1 New York Times bestselling author 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.
Verity Guild: An Enemies-To-Lovers Romantasy
by Mai Corland
STARRED Kirkus Review
STARRED Library Journal Review
"A breath of romantasy fresh air! Mai Corland is such a skilled storyteller, weaving together layered world-building, tense political intrigue, an engrossing mystery, and, of course, steamy romance teeming with yearning. Verity Guild is absolutely riveting, and I loved it!" --Carissa Broadbent
"Fans of romantasy will appreciate the slow-burning steaminess and world-building. With her political astuteness, along with her ability to tell a good story, Corland has created a romantasy with the suspense of Lucy Foley's books and the tongue-in-cheek moments of Knives Out." --Library Journal, Starred Review
"Absolutely spellbinding."―#1 New York Times bestselling author Karen M. McManus
Secrets built this republic; one truth could burn it down.
High Priestess Kerasea Vestal has spent her life hiding the truth--that she's the last surviving heir of the magical bloodline the republic slaughtered. One wrong step could be fatal. But when a senator is brutally killed and a temple blade is found at the scene, all eyes turn to her.
Praetorian Torren Morvane has made a career of dragging liars into the light, and Kerasea is the one person he's vowed to ruin. But locked on a mountain with a murderer, scheming senators, and a prophecy of death, he's forced to work at her side. The closer he gets, the more dangerous the truth--and their attraction--becomes.
With traitors closing in and a nation on the verge of shattering, Kerasea and Torren must risk everything to uncover the real killer...even if it means trusting their sworn enemy.
Don't miss out on the stunning DELUXE LIMITED EDITION while supplies last. This breathtaking collectible is only available on a limited first print run in the U.S. and Canada, a must-have for any book lover.
Clara & the Devil, Volume 1
by Olivie Blake - Little Chmura
The devil has come to town. And he wants a library card. Star author Olivie Blake and artist Little Chmura kick off a deliciously dark graphic novel romance series with Clara & the Devil, Volume 1.
Clara has the rest of her life figured out. She'll graduate college with the support of her best friend, Jonah; marry her adoring boyfriend; take a full-time job at her local library; and settle down in her small seaside hometown. But when an unusual tourist--tall, dark, and infernal--comes to town, Clara's careful plans quickly start to unravel.
And even while the stranger, who openly calls himself the devil, strikes up a situationship with Jonah, he continues to tempt Clara with reckless talk of power, ambition, and lust. Over the course of one sultry summer, tensions between Clara, Jonah, and the devil mount to an intolerable degree, and Clara is forced to confront the desires she's kept secret her whole life, even from herself.
This deliciously dark tale of Faustian bargains and seduction from New York Times-bestselling author Olivie Blake and fan-favorite artist Little Chmura kicks off a series that explores artistry and power through the temptation of the seven deadly sins.
Dungeon Crawler Carl, Vol. 1 (Graphic Novel)
by Matt Dinniman - Aethon Aethon - Matt Dinniman - Laurel Pursuit Studios Laurel Pursuit Studios - Tevagah Tevagah - Actus Actus
The LitRPG fantasy smash hit phenomenon and New York Times bestseller, DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL, is now a graphic novel for the very first time!
The Apocalypse WILL be televised!
You know what's worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Getting stuck on a sadistic alien game show with her cat. Join Carl and Princess Donut as they try to survive the end of the world -- or just get to the next level of a trap-filled fantasy dungeon.
With vibrant art done by Laurel Pursuit to bring action-packed battles to life, join as Carl fights his way through the dungeon in heart-speckled underwear.
And of course, the grizzly scenes are only balanced with the incredibly fluffy, wide-eyed stare of its main character, Princess Donut.
A ton of heart and effort was poured in creating a series with a script and style that would both appeal to WEBTOON readers and also lovers of DCC, all while consulting author Matt Dinniman the entire way about character designs, story, - EVERYTHING!
We couldn't resist taking the apocalyptic awesomeness of the DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL WEBTOON and adapting it into the FIRST EVER graphic novel series!
Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the Dungeon. Survival is optional. Keeping the viewers entertained is not.
This volume collects episodes 1-13 of the WEBTOON edition.
Praise for DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL, Vol. 1 (WEBTOON Graphic Novel):
"...incredibly entertaining" -- Screenrant
"...one of the most unique new stories on Webtoon" -- Screenrant
Dungeon Crawler Carl ranked #1 best new series on WEBTOON by Screenrant
Praise for DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL (eBook/Print):
"Fresh. Creative. Hilarious. I'm obsessed...Princess Donut is my queen." - Actor, producer and New York Times bestselling author Felicia Day
"I don't always say nice things about a book just because the writer has compromising pictures of me engaging in some very complicated international crimes, but when I do, I say them about Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl! Also, this series has no goddamn business burying so much depth and emotion and complexity under its bawdy, gory surface, but it does so anyway. What a wild-ass and unexpected delight." - New York Times bestselling author Scott Lynch
"[A] comically cosmic adventure series...often laugh-out-loud funny...Grind your way to dungeon mastery alongside Carl and Princess Donut." - The Wall Street Journal
"This is the book for anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to be a role player in a game with the best game master ever. Also for anyone who wants to read a good book. Or maybe anyone who has been outside at night--in their underwear--looking for their cat and wondering 'What's the worst thing that could happen?' Once you start, you won't put it down." - Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series
"One of the most bananapants, funny, inventive books I have read in a while." - Book Riot
"If there's a better LitRPG than Dungeon Crawler Carl, I haven't read it." - Travis Deverell a.k.a. Shirtaloon, author of He Who Fights With Monsters
"Dungeon Crawler Carl is just one big smile all the way through. Put on your best pair of boxer shorts and sit back for a truly fun and enjoyable read."--New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson
"Dungeon Crawler Carl is the best start to a series I've read this year. I wish I'd tried it sooner." - Will Wight, author of the Cradle series
"To describe the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, and the first book in particular, one must blend the darkest, grittiest science fiction with the humour of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It mixes fun, whimsical absurdity, and serious, dark themes with dire consequences...it is so spectacularly good that I cannot recommend it high enough." - Grimdark Magazine
"Dinniman's Douglas-Adams-but-playing-D&D romp was so much fun that I immediately went out and got the next two books...genuinely joyful." - LitHub.com
Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi, Vol. 1
by Shoichi Usui
Meet the strongest exorcist the world's ever known!
Kiyoshi Harai is the world's strongest exorcist--and its most awkward one! Equally afraid of fighting demons, making new friends, and talking to girls, this so-called ultimate exorcist has still got a lot to learn before he can reach his full potential!
Having recently graduated as one of the most singular talents the Exorcist Academy has ever seen, Kiyoshi Harai is ready for his first mission-- exorcising a demon-possessed girl! The only problem? He's terrified of demons! While he might be able to find a sympathetic ear in the demon possessing the girl, will he be able to hold his ground when a far more sinister--and deadly--enemy arrives?
April Books:
We Burned So Bright
by Tj Klune
A heart-wrenching standalone novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune, We Burned So Bright follows an elder gay couple on an end-of-the-world road-trip.
The road stretched out before them. No other cars, just the headlights on the blacktop. Above, the cracked moon in a kaleidoscope sky....
Husbands Don and Rodney have lived a good long life. Together they've experienced the highest highs of love and family, and lows so low that they felt like the end of the world.
Now, the world is ending for real. A rogue black hole is coming for Earth and in a month everything and everyone they've ever known will be gone.
Suddenly, after 40 years together, Don and Rodney are out of time. They're in a race against the clock to make it from Maine to Washington State to take care of some unfinished business before it's all over.
On the road they meet those who refuse to believe death is coming and those who rush to meet it. But there are also people living their final days as best they know how--impromptu weddings, bright burning bonfires, shared meals, and new friends.
And as the black hole draws near, among ball lightning and under a cracked moon in a kaleidoscope sky, Don and Rodney will look back on their lives and ask if their best was good enough.
Is it enough to burn bright if nothing comes from the ashes?
Stay for a Spell
by Amy Coombe
A cursed princess must discover what her heart truly longs for in this charmingly cozy romantic fantasy for everyone who's ever lost - or found - themselves in a bookshop.
Princess Tanadelle of the Widdenmar is disillusioned with life as a princess. She longs for real conversation, the chance to build a life of her own making, and uninterrupted reading time.
During a routine royal visit to the town of Little Pepperidge, Tandy's dream comes true when she finds herself cursed to remain in a run-down bookshop until she unlocks her heart's desire. Certain that someone will figure out how to break the curse eventually, and delighted by the prospect of an entire bookstore of her own, Tandy settles into life among the stacks. She finds it easy to exchange balls and endless state dinners for teetering piles of books and an irritatingly handsome pirate who seems bent on stealing her stock.
She even starts to believe she's stumbled into her very own happily ever after.
There's just one, minor problem: as Tandy's royal duties go unfulfilled, her frantic parents start sending princes to woo her, each one of them certain their kiss will break the curse. After all, what more could a princess want but a prince?
Thistlemarsh
by Moorea Corrigan
"The perfect escape for A Court of Thorns and Roses and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue fans.... Thistlemarsh is perfect for all genre lovers."--Parade
Faeries disappeared over one hundred years ago, as suddenly as slipping through a doorway. It was only the very foolish, or the very determined, who held out hope for their return.
Welcome to Thistlemarsh--a ramshackle estate where an impoverished orphan and a beguiling Faerie collide in an enchanting novel of love, revenge, and ruin.
In the wake of The Great War, the world is a decidedly unmagical place for Mouse Dunne. She once dreamed of becoming a Faerie anthropologist, but with one telegram, her world shattered. At the Battle of the Somme, her cousin's body disappeared into the mud, and her brother was left with debilitating shell shock. It was time, she knew, to put aside childish dreams.
When Mouse receives news that her uncle has left her the Faerie-blessed Thistlemarsh Hall, a dilapidated manor in the English countryside, she must leave her brother's side and return to her childhood home to claim her birthright. But there is a catch in her uncle's offer: If Mouse does not rehabilitate the crumbling house in one month's time, she will forfeit her inheritance and any hope of caring for her brother.
It quickly becomes clear it's impossible to repair the manor in the allotted time, until a mysterious Faerie appears with a proposition. He offers to restore Thistlemarsh...for a price. Mouse knows better than to trust a Faerie--especially one so insufferably handsome and arrogant--but she is out of options. There are dark and magical forces at work in the house, and Mouse must confront the ghosts of her past and the secrets of her heart or lose Thistlemarsh, and herself, in the process.
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me
by Ilona Andrews
The page-turning politics of Game of Thrones meets the worlds-spanning romance of Outlander in this blockbuster new epic fantasy series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author duo Ilona Andrews.
DELUXE EDITION--featuring gorgeous sky blue sprayed edges!
When Maggie wakes up cold, filthy, and naked in a gutter, it doesn't take her long to recognize Kair Toren, a city she knows intimately from the pages of the famously unfinished dark fantasy series she's been obsessively reading and re-reading while waiting years for the final novel.
Her only tools for navigating this gritty world of rival warlords, magic, and mayhem? Her encyclopedic knowledge of the plot, the setting, and the characters' ambitions and fates. But while she quickly discovers she cannot be killed (though many will try!), the same cannot be said for the living, breathing characters she's coming to love--a motley band that includes a former lady's maid, a deadly assassin, various outrageous magical creatures, and a dangerously appealing soldier. Soon, instead of trying to get home, she finds herself enmeshed in the schemes--and attentions--of dueling princes, dukes, and villains, all while trying to save them and the kingdom of Rellas from the way she knows their stories will end: in a cataclysmic war.
For fans of Samantha Shannon, Danielle L. Jensen, Sarah J. Maas, and isekai and portal fantasy, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is the beginning of the most epic adventure yet from genre powerhouse author duo Ilona Andrews.
An Arcane Study of Stars
by Sydney J Shields
From Sydney J. Shields, the breakout author of The Honey Witch, comes An Arcane Study of Stars, a historical dark academia fantasy filled with ancient secret societies, a swoon-worthy rivals-to-lovers romance, and dangerous deals made after dark. Perfect for fans of The Atlas Six and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
When Claudia Jolicoeur is rejected from Cygnus University, a devilish stranger named Dorian appears in her nightmares and offers her a bargain: he will get her into Cygnus if she learns how to free him from a prison of stars. He takes a bite of her soul to seal the deal, and Claudia wakes to a letter from the High Sage of Cygnus stating she will take the place of Odette Dufort, a Rhetoric student who passed away.
Her arrival raises suspicions, rumors that she had a hand in Odette's death spread like wildfire, and Cassius MacLeod, the High Sage's apprentice and Claudia's fellow Rhetoric student, seems hellbent on humiliating her. Determined to clear her name, she searches for any evidence that could prove her innocence. When someone--or something--starts slipping her pieces of Odette's diary, Claudia uncovers a horrifying truth: over the last century, celestial witches at Cygnus have been murdered. Odette was one of them, and Claudia could be next. For her own protection, Claudia needs to free Dorian--and fast.
By night, she studies the stars, slowly unraveling the mystery of Dorian's prison. By day, she and Cassius wage rhetorical war as debate partners in class. What begins as a fierce rivalry devolves into something deeper, darker, and dangerously sensual. As Claudia inches closer to the truth, she must decide: would trusting Cassius be the last mistake she ever makes?
Nothing Tastes as Good
by Luke Dumas
He finally got the body he wanted. Now he's hungry for something worse.
The nationally bestselling author of The Paleontologist and A History of Fear returns with a spine-tingling new thriller about a weight loss treatment with terrifying side effects.
Retail worker Emmett Truesdale has never fit the Southern California mold of six-pack, suntanned masculinity. Over three hundred pounds, he carries the weight of his childhood trauma and millennial ennui around his waist and in his soul. After trying every diet under the sun, he remains stuck--in his dead-end job, in love, and in his body.
Desperate for help, he enrolls in a clinical trial for a new weight loss product called Obexity. The treatment is as horrifying as the results are miraculous and as Emmett sheds pounds at superhuman speed, every part of his life improves overnight.
Unfortunately, Obexity comes with some killer side effects, including lost stretches of time and overwhelming cravings. Worse, people who were cruel to him have started disappearing and when the police warn of a cannibalistic killer on the loose, he fears that Obexity is turning him into a monster. But how can he give it up now that people are finally starting to treat him like he's human?
Nerve-racking, sinister, and at times surreal, Nothing Tastes as Good is an unputdownable thriller that combines the body horror and social commentary of The Substance with the best of Stephen King and keeps you guessing until the final page.
The Book Witch
by Meg Shaffer
She can hop into any novel, but she just can't stay there.
Come along with the Book Witch in this magical and inspiring love letter to reading from the USA Today bestselling author of The Wishing Game.
This hardcover edition includes gorgeously designed endpapers!
"Meg Shaffer continues to surprise and delight me with each book she writes."--Laurie Gilmore, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Pumpkin Spice Café
Rainy March is a proud, third-generation Book Witch, sworn to defend works of fiction from all foes real and imaginary. With her magical umbrella and feline familiar, she jumps in and out of novels to fix malicious alterations and rogue heroes like a modern-day magical Nancy Drew.
Book Witches live by a strict code: Real people belong in the real world; fictional characters belong in works of fiction. Do not eat, drink, or sleep inside a fictional world, lest you become part of the story. Falling in love with a fictional character? Don't even think about it.
Which is why Rainy has been forbidden from seeing the Duke of Chicago, the dashing British detective who stars in her favorite mystery series. If she's ever caught with him again, she'll be expelled from her book coven--and forced to give up the magical gifts that are as much a part of her as her own name.
But when her beloved grandfather disappears and a priceless book is stolen, there's only one person she trusts to help her solve the case: the Duke. Their quest takes them through the worlds of Alice in Wonderland, King Arthur, and other classics that will reveal hidden enemies and long-buried family secrets.
March Books:
Honeysuckle
by Bar Fridman-Tell
The Bear and the Nightingale meets Weyward in this enchanting, deeply compelling debut about love and power, autonomy and consent.
Once upon a time, on the edge between meadow and forest, there was a lonely child with only his older sister for company. In exchange for being left in peace, his sister made him a playmate-Daye, a girl woven from flowers and words. And for the first time, this boy, Rory, had a friend.
Rory couldn't be happier, until he learns that Daye is a short-lived creature. At the end of each season, she must be woven back together or fall gruesomely apart. And every time Daye falls apart might be her last.
The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale
by C M Waggoner
A practical witch must sabotage her beloved son's ascension to the throne in order to keep the kingdom from ruin, in this delightful cozy fantasy from the author of The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry.
Once upon a time, a somewhat wicked witch named Gretsella lived in a cozy little cottage in the Dark Forest of Brigandale. She dispensed herbs and tinctures at reasonable prices, met with her slightly oddball coven on a regular basis, and had absolutely no need of any further company whatsoever, thank you very much. But then one afternoon, Gretsella came home to find a screaming infant on her doorstep.
Against all her better judgement, she took the baby in. She named him Bradley.
The Fountain
by Casey Scieszka
"Casey Scieszka's debut novel is absolutely delicious, like Tuck Everlasting for grown-ups. The premise is so good--an immortal woman's search for the fountain of youth--that the writing, crisp and funny, feels like an extra treat. An excellent debut."--Emma Straub, bestselling author of This Time Tomorrow
"A small-town mystery with a dash of historical fiction and romance, this book is perfect for readers of V. E. Schwab's The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue." --Booklist
A propulsive and deeply moving novel about eternity and mortality that asks what it would mean to live forever.
Vera Van Valkenburgh hasn't been home in one hundred and eighty-eight years. But now Vera, forever twenty-six and able to heal from any wound, has returned to the Catskills. Whatever made her family immortal happened here, and if she can uncover it, maybe she can reverse it. After nearly two centuries--an endless sequence of unnoticed, meaningless lives and a soul-shaking incident in the desert--she longs to be released.
No Friend to This House
by Natalie Haynes
A Best Book of the Year from The Observer
No Friend to This House is an extraordinary reimagining of the myth of Medea from the New York Times bestselling author of Stone Blind, Natalie Haynes.
This is what no one tells you, in the songs sung about Jason and the Argo. This part of his quest has been forgotten, by everyone but me . . .
Jason and his Argonauts set sail to find the Golden Fleece. The journey is filled with danger, for him and everyone he meets. But if he ever reaches the distant land he seeks, he faces almost certain death.
Medea--priestess, witch, and daughter of a brutal king--has the power to save the life of a stranger. Will she betray her family and her home, and what will she demand in return?
Medea and Jason seize their one chance of a life together, as the gods intend. But their love is steeped in vengeance from the beginning, and no one--not even those closest to them--will be safe.
Based on the classic tragedy by Euripides, this is Medea as you've never seen her before . . .
Related: If you enjoy fantastical fiction, check out our Galactic Guru book recommendations for more out-of-this-world adventures and sci-fi novels.