Trying to read more fantasy books in 2026? Here are three you’re bound to love

These were three of the best fantasy books of 2025

One genre we've never given quite enough attention to is fantasy, but it's one of the most-talked-about genres in recent years. If you're wondering where you should start, then look no further. Our friends at Penguin revealed the three biggest fantasy books of 2025, and we've added them all to our reading list.

Dire Bound by Sable Sorenson

This was one of the biggest romantasy sensations on TikTok in 2025. Dire Bound follows Maryn Cooper as she fights for her life after entering the Bonding Trials to save her sister, who has been kidnapped by the immortal vampiric monsters her country has spent centuries fighting. She is bound to a feral direwolf who refuses to communicate with her. Meryn is ostracised by her classmates for coming from a poor, untrained background, and her cold and beautiful instructor, Stark Therion, is more than eager to punish any weakness. She has a permanent target on her back from day one, with everyone out to get her except for the handsome guard Lee. Dire Bound has everything you could want from a romantasy; battles, sentient wolves, a love triangle, twists and turns, and a generous heaping of spice.

Alchemised by SenLin Yu

Alchemised is much darker than the other books on this list. Falling more into the dark fantasy with a romance subplot genre. Helena Marino was a promising alchemist in Paladia before the war. Now her resistance friends and colleagues have all been brutally murdered, and Helena has been captured. With no memories of anything that happened to her during the war, she is sent to the High Reeve so he may attempt to recover any information Helena might have hidden away in her head. Told through a series of flashbacks, Alchemised is utterly heartbreaking and a grim portrayal of war. The author gained inspiration from accounts of women during WW2 whose perspective helped form Helena's story.

Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry

When Princess Odessa is married off to the prince of the rival Turah Kingdom, she knows what she must do. Spy for her father and discover the hidden city of Allesaria. All before the migration of the terrifying monsters - The Crux - who could destroy both kingdoms forever. This is an epic adventure across land and sea with a searing romance and an unlikely hero at the helm. Devney Perry is a NYT bestselling romance author. This is her first romantasy novel.