My Favorite Fantasy Reads of 2024

by MK French

Here we are in the last few days of 2024 and will feature a few "best of 2024" lists. I'm kicking it off with my favorite reads of 2024. 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site.

My favorites for the year were mostly magical realism ones...

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft 

January started strong for me with this Young Adult fantasy novel. Read my review.

Niamh Ó Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland. (Goodreads)

Buy A Fragile Enchantment at Amazon

(Kindle Unlimited subscribers can read the ebook for free)

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

I read a bunch of fantasy in February but my favorite was The Fox Wife. Read my review (and a few other excellent fantasy novels I read that month).

Manchuria, 1908.

In the last years of the dying Qing Empire, a courtesan is found frozen in a doorway. Her death is clouded by rumors of foxes, which are believed to lure people by transforming themselves into beautiful women and handsome men. Bao, a detective with an uncanny ability to sniff out the truth, is hired to uncover the dead woman’s identity. Since childhood, Bao has been intrigued by the fox gods, yet they’ve remained tantalizingly out of reach—until, perhaps, now. (Goodreads)

Buy The Fox Wife at Amazon

July was a particularly good month for fantasy novels and I had several favorites

The Night Ends with Fire by K. X. Song

The Three Kingdoms are at war, but Meilin’s father refuses to answer the imperial draft. Trapped by his opium addiction, he plans to sell Meilin for her dowry. But when Meilin discovers her husband-to-be is another violent, ill-tempered man, she realizes that nothing will change for her unless she takes matters into her own hands. (Goodreads)

Read my review. A sequel, The Dragon Wakes with Thunder, is slated to come out late next summer. 

Buy The Night Ends with Fire at Amazon

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer

As boys, best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing in a vast West Virginia state forest, only to mysteriously reappear six months later with no explanation for where they’d gone or how they’d survived. (Goodreads)

Read my reviews of The Lost Story as well as the next two books on this list

Buy The Lost Story at Amazon

The Mirror of Beasts by Alexandra Bracken

With the dream of Avalon in ruins, Tamsin and her friends are all that stands in the way of Lord Death's plans to unleash the horrors of Anwnn on the world of the living. As the Wild Hunt carves a bloody path across continents, Tamsin is mustering allies, tracking down powerful artifacts, and traversing into new otherlands in search of a way to stop him. (Goodreads)

As I mentioned in my review of this entertaining fantasy novel, this is the conclusion of the duology and you really need to read Silver in the Bone for maximum enjoyment.

Buy The Mirror of Beasts at Amazon

Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan

Princess Jasalyn has a secret. Armed with an enchanted ring that gives her death’s kiss, Jas has been sneaking away from the palace at night to assassinate her enemies. (Goodreads)

This is book 3 in the These Hollow Vows series. As I mentioned in my review, it ends on a cliffhanger. Book 4 is set to come out in July 2025. 

Buy Beneath These Cursed Stars at Amazon

August was another great month for fantasy. I can't choose which one of these 5 novels is my favorite so I'm including them all on this list.

Strange Folk by Alli Dyer

A woman returns to her estranged, magical family in Appalachia but when a man is found dead in the woods nearby, it seems the family has conjured something sinister in this lush, shimmering, and wildly imaginative debut novel that is perfect for fans of Alice Hoffman, Deborah Harkness, and Sarah Addison Allen. (Goodreads)

As I wrote in my review, folk magic is always fun to read about and Appalachia has its own rich traditions.

Buy Strange Folk at Amason

Rise and Divine by Lana Harper

A magical romantic comedy sparkling with spells and witchcraft.

To save both her town and the woman who loves her against all odds, a witch haunted by loss must reckon with her turbulent past. (Goodreads)

I mentioned in my review that this is book 5 but you don't need to read the previous novels to enjoy this one. There is a bit of romance and mystery in this fantasy novel. 

Buy Rise and Divine at Amazon

The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki

In Japan cats are a symbol of good luck. As the myth goes, if you are kind to them, they’ll one day return the favor. And if you are kind to the right cat, you might just find yourself invited to a mysterious coffee shop under a glittering Kyoto moon. This particular coffee shop is like no other. It has no fixed location, no fixed hours, and seemingly appears at random to adrift young people at crucial junctions in their lives. (Goodreads)

It's a cozy, heartfelt novel, and a joy to read. Read my full review. There are 5 more books in this series and hopefully they will be translated into English.

Buy The Full Moon Coffee Shop at Amazon

Truly Madly Magically by Hazel Beck

Cursed by her own mother to always tell the truth and one of the only half-witches around, Ellowyn Good has never considered herself an equal part of the Riverwood coven. But when the evil ruling coven of the witching world targets her directly, she begins to wonder why they want her gone. (Goodreads)

I was riveted and avoided things I meant to do just to finish it and find out how it ended. This is book 3 in the Witchlore series and as I mentioned in my review, I did read the first two books. Book 4 will be out next fall.

Buy Truly Madly Magically at Amazon

Mysterious Ways by Wendy Wunder

Seventeen-year-old Maya knows things. When she looks at someone, she instantly knows everything about them: their history, their private thoughts, their secret desires, their most tragic failures. She walks around with the weight of the world on her shoulders. (Goodreads)

While fantasy novels are often part of a series, there are also plenty of great single novels and this coming-of-age story is of them. Read my review.

Buy Mysterious Ways at Amazon

While there were also a lot of fun romance stories throughout this year, the fantasy stories were truly standouts for me. They dragged me into the plot, made me really empathize with the characters and usually kept me up late at night to finish the books. 😁 

Have you read any of these or are they in your TBR pile?

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever. 

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us. Get even more book news in your inbox, sign up for our newsletter today! Or Follow Girl Who Reads with Bloglovin. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.