Incredible New Release Fantasy Books in December 2024!
Best new release fantasy books in December 2024!
Can you believe it’s already time for our December book list? Check out these fantastic fantasy book releases to wrap up the year with a touch of magic!
One of the most anticipated books of the year, Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson, hits shelves on the 6th of December. Don’t miss the fifth installment in The Stormlight Archive series!
Wishing you a wonderful month of reading this December!
*This post contains affiliate links to products I recommend. If you make a purchase through these links I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.
December 1st
1. Norcliff by K.A. Connolly
Fantasy | New Adult | Fantasy Romance
A GREAT LOSS
Erin Hart is devastated when she loses her fiance and parents on her wedding day. To get her parents back, she must choose between bowing to the demands of the neighboring Mortons or gathering what allies she can and fighting to free herself from their clutches.
A POWERFUL FOE
The Mortons hold Erin's parents hostage and won't brook any refusal to comply with their wishes. Ardent Morton has demanded Erin's hand in marriage, and with it, the control of Erin's home, Norcliff.
A LOOMING THREAT
Erin must travel to the capital to seek help from King Ulrich and the nobles at court, but with bandits harrying Arndale from the north, what aid can Erin hope to receive?
December 3rd
2. Rebel Blade (The Burnished City #3) by Davinia Evans
Fantasy | Adult | High Fantasy | Magic | LGBT
From one of the most exciting new voices in fantasy comes the satisfying conclusion to Davinia Evans's wickedly entertaining debut trilogy full of monsters, mayhem, dangerous society ladies, and a dragon who holds the fate of the most famous alchemist of all in her claws.
Siyon Velo has given magic back to the Mundane. But with it, monsters of myth have awoken and begun to cause chaos in Bezim and, of course, Siyon is left to take the blame. Hunted high and low, Siyon struggles against the rising tide of mystery, magic and mayhem threatening the city that's turned its back on him.
In the Flower District, Lady Sable has unleashed chaos. But in the Avenues, Anahid is desperate to keep her sordid secrets hidden just a little longer. Or at least until Zagiri can make her introduction to high society. With scandal stalking the sisters and the threat of a rising revolution on their hands, the best–or worst– they can do may not be enough to save their city...
In the end, the Alchemist must rise, or Bezim will burn.
Read Book #1- Notorious Sorcerer
3. Encanto: Nightmares and Sueños by Alex Segura
Fantasy | Young Adult
Return to Casita where we find seventeen-year-old Bruno from Disney's hit animated film Encanto, where readers will finally learn what happened to make people never want to talk about him.
Fans will love this dark and mysterious young adult novel by Alex Segura, a NYT bestselling author who also wrote Poe Dameron: Free Fall and Araña and Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow.
Seventeen-year-old Bruno has never really fit in with his family—why can’t he be as outgoing as his sister Pepa, or as friendly as his sister Julieta? Does he like being the awkward loaner who never seems to find where he can fit in? But it’s hard to be popular when you have the power to tell the future and people don’t always like what you are telling them. So Bruno devises an act, and begins to model the behavior he feels the town wants to see in a hero.
But is being dishonest to himself and others the right path to walk down in order to make friends, or is Bruno just kidding himself as he hides from his own destiny that threatens to destroy all he holds dear?
4. Queen of Fury (Queens of Fate #2) by Natania Barron
Fantasy | Adult | Historical Fiction | Arthurian
One by one the kings of Braetan kneel before King Arthur under a banner of peace.
Hwyfar, eldest daughter of King Leodegraunce and famed libertine of Carelon, has returned to Avillion to find her father ruined by madness and a usurper poised to take the throne. Reluctantly she takes the mantle of Queen Regent to protect her kingdom, but she’ll need an army—which King Arthur pledges to send her, providing she marries one of his knights and surrenders the crown.
Arthur’s forces arrive under the command of Gawain of Orkney, who Hwyfar remembers as a brute; but she comes to realise he is not the man she thought he was, and finds herself irresistibly drawn to him. But Arthur has plans for her, and has commanded Gawain to keep well away—and in Arthur’s court, without the King’s blessing, love is treason.
Hwyfar and Gawain must navigate both a world of ancient forests and corrupt magic, and the political machinations of two courts, if they have any hope of escaping Arthur’s ever-tightening grasp.
Read Book #1- Queen of None
5. The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt by Chelsea Iversen
Fantasy | Adult | Magical Realism | Historical Fiction
A lush, enchanting story of a woman who must use the magic of the fantastical plants that adorn her crumbling estate in Victorian London to thwart the dark plots of the men around her...
Harriet Hunt is completely alone. Her father disappeared months ago, leaving her to wander the halls of Sunnyside house, dwelling on a past she'd rather keep buried. She doesn't often venture beyond her front gate, instead relishing the feel of dirt under her fingernails and of soft moss beneath her feet. Consequently, she's been deemed a little too peculiar for popular Victorian society. This solitary life suits her fine, though – because, in her garden, magic awaits.
Harriet's garden is special. It's a wild place full of twisting ivy, vibrant plums, and a quiet power that buzzes like bees. Caring for this place, and keeping it from running rampant through the streets of her London suburb, is Harriet's purpose.
When suspicion for her father's disappearance falls on her, she marries a seemingly charming man, the first to see past her peculiarities, in order to protect herself. It's soon clear, however, that her new husband might be worse than her father and that she's integral to a dark plot created by the men around her. To free herself and discover the truth, she must learn to channel the power of her strange, magical garden.
At once enchantingly mesmerizing and fiercely feminist, perfect for fans of The Magician's Daughter and The Once and Future Witches, the vibrant world-building and sinister undertones of The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt make for the perfect modern fairytale about women taking control of their lives—with a little help from the magic within them.
6. Sister Snake by Amanda Lee Koe
Fantasy | Adult | Contemporary | LGBT | Chinese Folklore Retelling |The Legend of the White Snake
A glittering, bold, darkly funny novel about two sisters—one in New York, one in Singapore—who are bound by an ancient secret.
Sisterhood is difficult for Su and Emerald. Su leads a sheltered, moneyed life as the picture-perfect wife of a conservative politician in Singapore. Emerald is a nihilistic sugar baby in New York, living from whim to whim as she freely uses her beauty and charms to make ends meet. But they share a secret; once they were snakes, basking under a full moon in Tang Dynasty China.
A thousand years later, their mysterious history is the only thing still binding them together. When Emerald experiences a violent encounter in Central Park and Su boards the next flight to New York, the two reach a tenuous reconciliation for the first time in decades. Su convinces Emerald to move to Singapore so she can keep an eye on her—but she soon begins to worry that Emerald’s irrepressible behavior will out them both, in a sparkling, affluent city where everything runs like clockwork and any deviation from the norm is automatically suspect.
Razor-sharp, hilarious, and raw in emotion, Sister Snake explores chosen family, queerness, passing, and the struggle against conformity. Reimagining the Chinese folktale “The Legend of the White Snake,” this is a novel about being seen for who you are—and, ultimately, how to live free.
December 6th
7. Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive #5) by Brandon Sanderson
Fantasy | Adult | Epic Fantasy | High Fantasy | Magic
The long-awaited explosive climax to the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive―the iconic epic fantasy masterpiece that has sold more than 10 million copies, from acclaimed bestselling author Brandon Sanderson.
Dalinar Kholin challenged the evil god Odium to a contest of champions with the future of Roshar on the line. The Knights Radiant have only ten days to prepare―and the sudden ascension of the crafty and ruthless Taravangian to take Odium’s place has thrown everything into disarray.
Desperate fighting continues simultaneously worldwide―Adolin in Azimir, Sigzil and Venli at the Shattered Plains, and Jasnah at Thaylen City. The former assassin, Szeth, must cleanse his homeland of Shinovar from the dark influence of the Unmade. He is accompanied by Kaladin, who faces a new battle helping Szeth fight his own demons . . . and who must do the same for the insane Herald of the Almighty, Ishar.
At the same time, Shallan, Renarin, and Rlain work to unravel the mystery behind the Unmade Ba-Ado-Mishram and her involvement in the enslavement of the singer race and in the ancient Knights Radiants killing their spren. And Dalinar and Navani seek an edge against Odium’s champion that can be found only in the Spiritual Realm, where memory and possibility combine in chaos. The fate of the entire Cosmere hangs in the balance.
Read Book #1- The Way of Kings
December 10th
8. I Made It Out of Clay by Beth Kander
Fantasy | Adult | Rom Com | Magical Realism | Contemporary | Jewish
In this darkly funny and surprisingly sweet novel, a woman creates a golem in a desperate attempt to pretend her life is a romantic comedy rather than a disaster.
Nothing’s going well for Eve: She’s single, turning forty, stressed at work and anxious about a recent series of increasingly creepy incidents. Most devastatingly, her beloved father died last year, and her family still won’t acknowledge their sorrow.
With her younger sister’s wedding rapidly approaching, Eve is on the verge of panic. She can’t bear to attend the event alone. That’s when she recalls a strange story her Yiddish grandmother once told her, about a protector forged of desperation… and Eve, to her own shock, manages to create a golem.
At first everything seems great. The golem is indeed protective—and also attractive. But when they head out to a rural summer camp for the family wedding, Eve’s lighthearted rom-com fantasy swiftly mudslides into something much darker.
December 13th
9. Lady Luck: Fate Unbinding (The Infernal Artifacts Collection #4) by Ralynn Kimie
Fantasy | Adult | Demons | Magic Paranormal Romance
Tired of living a life constantly in hiding, a lonely writer must face the sinister consequences of her actions.
The Elven King seeks revenge. A long lost Infernal Artifact caused torment across realms since it first appeared in Chicago in 1903. Its whereabouts were largely unknown until it resurfaced in the body of a young girl nearly one hundred years later. Now on the run with a target on her head, she hopes to destroy it and end her suffering. But when she reunites with a former flame who once betrayed her, secrets are brought to light. In her quest for solitude, she may have freed something so much worse…
THE INFERNAL ARTIFACTS COLLECTION
Facing a threat unlike anything the world has ever seen, three of the universe's most ancient beings—known as Infernals—have given their artifacts a chance at life to not only protect themselves, but the fate of humanity.
The Infernal Artifacts is a collection of interconnected book serieses that take place in a reality where the paranormal has been woven into our history. Timeline order (or publication sequence) is the recommended reading order to avoid all spoilers but each individual series can be read independently of each other.
Read Book #1- Corpse Walker: The Night Parade
December 17th
10. A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya
Fantasy |Young Adult | Historical Fiction | Vampires | Fantasy Romance
A fledgling vampire and a headstrong vampire huntress must work together--against their better judgment—to rid the world of monsters in this irresistible romantic fantasy.
Carolina Fuentes has always wanted to join her family in hunting down the bloodthirsty monsters that plague her pueblo. But these days, her father wants her out of town with a husband of his choosing. That’s not happening. Carolina plans to show everyone that she’d make a better vampire slayer than wife. But when she runs into a sediento that is not only handsome but kind, she questions everything.
Lalo Villalobos doesn’t act on impulses. As the eldest of two, his duties were to carry on the family business, marry, and have children. But then he is turned into a sediento and must flee the city, taking lives as he goes north, where he believes the first vampire was made. Surely, the pueblo there will have the answers to reverse this curse or end sedientos altogether. Another unexpected turn? Lalo runs right into a beautiful young woman who’d gladly stake him.
Fortunately, mostly for him, they share a common enemy. They can stop these evil beasts. Together. And if along the way, Lalo and Fernanda discover what it is to truly live and love, then they’ll have won anyway.
11. A Breathless Sky (The Scorched Earth #2) by Veronica G. Henry
Fantasy | Adult | Nature
As climate disasters wreak havoc, a sister and brother take opposing sides on the fate of the human race.
Syrah Carthan wants to save it. A tour guide for the Sequoia National Park, Syrah has an affinity for the millennia-old Giants that extends to Rhiza, a subterranean world as ancient as Earth itself. Syrah is the reluctant heir apparent as its Keeper. Her duty is to maintain a balance between nature and humans. But Syrah’s greatest adversary has his duty as well.
Romelo, Syrah’s brother, wants humankind to get what it deserves. To protect the forests, he’s already instigated one battle that ended in chaos and death. To reverse the near extinction of the magnificent trees, Romelo’s next move is to conspire with the sequoias themselves. If all goes according to plan, it will leave human beings absolutely breathless.
The siblings are going to battle. In the worlds above and below, only one of them can emerge victorious.
Read Book #1- The Canopy Keepers
12. North is the Night (The Tuonela Duet #1) by Emily Rath
Fantasy | Adult | Fantasy Romance | Historical Fiction | Retelling |LGBT | Sapphic
Two bold young women defy the gods and mortals, living and dead, in this darkly mythical, Finnish folklore-inspired fantasy duology for readers of T. Kingfisher's Nettle & Bone, Danielle L. Jensen, Thea Guanzon, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec.
In the Finnish wilderness, more than wolves roam the dark forests. For Siiri and Aina, summer’s fading light is a harbinger of unwelcome change. Land-hungry Swedes venture north, threatening the peace; a zealous Christian priest denounces the old ways; and young women have begun to disappear.
Siiri vows to protect Aina from danger. But even Siiri cannot stop a death goddess from dragging her friend to Tuonela, the mythical underworld. Determined to save Aina, Siiri braves a dangerous journey north to seek the greatest shaman of legend, the only person to venture to the realm of death and return alive.
In Tuonela, the cruel Witch Queen turns Aina’s every waking moment into a living nightmare. But armed with compassion and cleverness, Aina learns the truth of her capture: the king of the underworld himself has plans for her. To return home, Aina must bargain her heart—as Siiri plots a daring rescue of the woman she loves the most.
In Tuonela, the cruel Witch Queen turns Aina's every waking moment into a living nightmare. But armed with compassion and cleverness, Aina learns the truth of her the king of the underworld himself has plans for her. To return home, Aina must make a costly bargain—even as Siiri plots a daring rescue.
In this sweeping fantasy adventure perfect for fans of Katherine Arden, Naomi Novik, and H.M. Long, hope and love can conquer even death itself.
December 20th
13. The Witch’s Rite by Emberly Wyndham
Fantasy | Adult | Cozy Fantasy | Fantasy Romance | Witches
A knight with a heart of gold, a witch with eyes like summer.
Aurora Silvermoon is head-over-heels for Alden Stonewood, the village carpenter, but she can’t stop herself from getting flushed when she bumps into Rowan Highcliff, the new knight appointed to protect Faunwood. With hair of red and eyes of green, he’d stop any woman in her tracks. And lucky for Aurora, when she gets selected as the May Queen of the Beltane festival, a certain red-haired knight gets picked as her Horned God.
All it took was one chance meeting with a witch in the mercantile, and Rowan is already falling hard. When he gets the opportunity to chase her around the Beltane bonfire in a celebration of summer, something ignites inside him, and he knows he wants her for his own. Until she reveals that she’s already got a lover.
But she claims she wants them both, if only he’s willing. Rowan isn’t sure about it at first—he’s never been with a woman who already has a man—but if that’s what it takes to hold on to his witch, maybe he’s ready to try something new.
MFMCozy Romance w/ SpiceCottagecore SettingSummertime VibesBeltane CelebrationThe Great RiteGardening and Baking
Add Studio Ghibli, Stardew Valley, and a delicious dash of spice into a cauldron, and you’ve got Season of the Witch, a cozy witch romance series for readers who want all the cottagecore witchy vibes with low stakes and low stress. Each book guarantees a short, spicy romance with an HEA and a new love interest added with every novella (why choose?). Content suitable for readers 18+.
Read Book #1- The Witch's Cottage
December 24th
14. A Sky of Emerald Stars (The Golden Court #2) by A.K. Mulford
Fantasy | Adult | Romance | Queer
From the bestselling author of The High Mountain Court A.K. Mulford comes the second enchanting book in the all-new Golden Court romantasy trilogy—A Sky of Emerald Stars continues wolf-shifter Calla’s journey and explores a new story—Sadie’s—as kingdoms clash with war on the horizon and pack politics threatens to disrupt what Calla and Grae have built, both for themselves, and Aotreas.
A secret song. A hidden fortress. A world on the brink of war.
After the long, despotic reign under the evil sorceress, Sawyn, life in the Golden Court is finally rebuilding. New leadership means new beginnings, and Sadie Rauxtide—now a royal guard—has been grappling with how she’ll fit into her new home. But when a rival Wolf king, Nero, kidnaps the Queen’s friend and mentor Ora, any hopes for peace are lost.
The Golden Court springs into action, and Sadie is tasked with an important travel with Navin and Maez to try to win new allies and uncover Nero’s hidden secrets. Yet Navin has secrets of his own, and it’s all Sadie can do to focus on her attachment to him and her loathing for what she discovers inside the man she loves. She has a mission, but the heart wants what it wants. And fate? Fate has its own magic, and it’s one more thing out of her control.
Meanwhile, Queen Calla is forced to seek help from the Ice Wolf pack in order to stop Nero’s prejudicial rule. However, the Queen of Taigos makes Calla’s objectives impossible with their capricious relationship standing in the way—completely unwilling to commit in helping Calla rescue Ora and repeatedly dismissing Calla’s new gender identity. With no true allyship from Taigos Court, Calla battles between diplomacy and being their true self as they realize coming out is only the beginning of their journey of self-discovery.
Tensions rise on both fronts as Sadie and Calla struggle to gain support for the brewing war and realize that the world of Aotreas is more than it seems. Full of high-stakes adventures, self-discovery, and love in all forms, A Sky of Emerald Stars follows the beginning of a revolution and the relentless fight for peace.
Read Book #1- A River of Golden Bones
15. Heavenly Tyrant (Iron Widow #2) by Xiran Jay Zhao
Fantasy | Young Adult | Romance | LGBT
After suffering devastating loss and making drastic decisions, Zetian finds herself at the seat of power in Huaxia. But she has also learned that her world is not as it seems, and revelations about an enemy more daunting than Zetian imagined forces her to share power with a dangerous man she cannot simply depose. Despite having vastly different ideas about how they must deconstruct the corrupt and misogynist system that plagues their country, Zetian must join this man in a dance of truth and lies and perform their roles to perfection in order to take down their common enemy, who seeks to control them as puppets while dangling one of Zetian’s loved ones as a hostage.
With political unrest and perilous forces aiming to undermine Zetian at every turn, can she enact positive changes as a fair and just ruler? Or will she be forced to rely on fear and violence and succumb to her darker instincts in her quest for vengeance?
Read Book #1- Iron Widow
16. Enchantment and Elves ( Spellbrooke Mystery Series) by Renee Marksi
Fantasy | Adult | Paranormal Romance | Mystery | Christmas
Welcome to Spellbrooke, where magic and real life meet!
It's Christmas time in Spellbrooke and Regan thought all she would have to worry about would be what gift to get her new boyfriend, Hank. Until her new employee doesn't show up for work one day. Turns out his mom is missing and he has no idea what to do. Regan dives in to help, Hank joining in. When they discover that several other women from the same apartment complex have gone missing, Regan goes undercover to try to figure out what it going on. Can they find the boy's mom and give him a happy Christmas?
Come to Spellbrooke for Christmas cheer and a mystery!
Read Book #1- Black Cats and Bookshelves
December 26th
17. The Lost Pack by Sophie Davis
Fantasy | Adult | Romance | Wolves | Shifter Romance
A fallen pack. A stolen throne. An Alpha’s daughter with vengeance in her heart.
The twin comets were meant to bring peace to the Ophiuchus Wolf Pack. Instead, they unleashed chaos. Drake Aspen, once the privileged daughter of the Alpha, loses everything in a single night—her family, her freedom, her pack. Now, imprisoned in the Snake Mountains under the rule of a ruthless usurper, Drake is no longer a leader but a pawn.
With Penn Williams, the pack’s enigmatic Beta, assigned to guard her every move, the lines between enemy and ally blur. There's an undeniable spark between them, but Drake knows better than to trust him—he's hiding deadly secrets.
As whispers of an ancient prophecy grow louder, Drake must make a choice: uncover the truth, rally a rebellion, or lose her pack forever. Her fate—and her heart—hang in the balance.
Betrayal is inevitable. Vengeance is close. But will it be enough to save them all?
18. The Losting Fountain by Lora Senf
Fantasy | Young Adult | Horror
“The Losting Fountain is sweet and terrible in the gloriously gutting tradition of Diana Wynne Jones and Richard Adams. A modern fable, this journey through a new, beautifully recognizable landscape of the heart is a quick, compelling read. Highly recommended.”
—Seanan McGuire, award-winning author of the Wayward Children series
Ember, Miles, and Sam have been called home—only home is a place none of them have ever been before. The choices they make will not only determine their own futures but will also have vast and permanent consequences—they will either restore a cosmic balance or destroy the dams that separate two worlds, ending them both. Ember was called because she belonged, Miles because his mother belonged, and Sam . . . well, Sam arranged his own invitation.
The Fountain itself is beautiful and alluring—yet so is the light of an anglerfish. Hidden below the surface, the world of the Fountain is unexplored and unmapped and full of wild things—leviathan and tiny, scuttling things and all manner of creature in between. There are other entities as well, entities that haunt and hunt in the Fountain, because it rewards nearly as often as it punishes, and it has been punishing the greedy and merciless and cruel for a very long time. For those, the Fountain becomes a prison.
The borders between our world and the world of the Fountain are already porous. If the balance between them is upset and control of the Fountain is lost, the consequences will be rapid, merciless, and world-ending. In every timeline that has been or will be, everywhere that water stands in our world will become a passageway for the violent damned to enter ours from the Fountain. For Ember, Miles, and Sam, all from different times, what starts as a journey to take control of their lives quickly becomes a quest to save—or destroy—both worlds, depending on whom you ask.
Rising star and author of multiple-award-nominee The Clackity , Lora Senf has created a gorgeously written, pitch-black fantasy that will transport readers to a world that is as beautiful as it is horrifying and will keep readers on their toes as they devour it page by page.
Make sure you add the ones you like to your TBR pile! Which ones do you like the look of? Let me know in the comments☺️
