Fantasy and Sci-Fi Fanatics

Spectacular by Stephanie Garber

The popular author of the Caraval series is back with a lovely, you’ll-want-a-copy-for-yourself novella filled with our favorite characters, Scarlett, Donatella, Julian, and Legend.

As the Great Holiday dances closer, everyone is looking forward to the city’s celebration planned by Scarlett. Everyone, that is, except Legend. Tella’s looking for the best gift to change his mind.

Here, even holidays aren’t what they seem…

Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw

The Walker women have always shared a special connection with the woods. In the middle of a snowstorm, Nora happens upon a boy who should be dead. Secrets abound, and the wood is not happy.

The Wide Starlight by Nicole Lesperance

A beautiful magical realism book about love and loss that will linger with you long after the last page.

After receiving a note from her mother who disappeared years ago, Eline Davis travels from her home in Cape Cod to Svalbard, where her mother first vanished.

Greywolf’s Heart by C.M. Banschbach

Giant wolves, saber tooth tigers and lynxes? Count me in!

This Indie-published fantasy book about two half-brothers must overcome their inner demons and fight for their brotherhood before the Greywolves fall to their worst enemies.

This book is perfect for you if you love large, fuzzy animals, sibling relationships, and don’t mind a slow start (the action at the end is worth it!).

P.S. This book could be called New Adult too.

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

This fairy tale retelling of Snow White follows two girls: one who’s heart is made of glass and one crafted out of snow in her mother’s image. Who will win the throne?

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

Adrienne Young is one of my favorite fantasy authors, both in the adult and YA spheres, and this one doesn’t disappoint!

It has all the winter fantasy Viking vibes as Eelyn joins her Aska clansmen in fighting their ancient enemies every five years. That is, until she spends a winter with her enemies and learns about a darker enemy that can only be defeated if the clans fight together.

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long

In this winter fantasy book, Sena lives on a frozen planet and must cross the treacherous tundra in a sled race to get off-world.

This one also has a wolf companion! 🐺

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

One of my all-time favorite fantasy books. Based on the fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin, Miryem must ‘spin’ silver into gold for an icy fey creature. Torn between deadly choices, she’s taken to the limits of sacrifice, power, and love.

The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick

An enemies-to-lovers slow-burn romantasy, the first in a series sprinkled with Greek mythology. And there’s plenty of winter fantasy vibes because, for three hundred years, the land surrounding Edgewood has been encased in ice.

The Bright and the Pale by Jessica Rubinkowski

Travel to an icy, cursed mountain with Valeria and her friends and (kind-of) boyfriend as they try to break the mountain and its cursed townsfolk from their curse. But be careful, for something sinister lies in wait in the middle of the mountain to be released.

The Gift of Dragons by Rachel A. Greco

An encounter with a man who turns out to be a prince during the Fire Festival takes Adelaide on a journey she’ll never forget.

A quest to start a rebellion to avenge her dead sister.

But Prince Elias is on a quest too: to find the person who will help him save the legendary dragons.

In this YA enemies-to-lovers dragon fantasy, you’ll find a fierce female character, cozy fires in caves during snowstorms, a prince in disguise, a hawk companion, and yes, dragons.

(Yes, this book was written by me 😊).

Winter, White and Wicked by Shannon Dittemore

On an island cursed by eternal winter, Sylvi must team up with smugglers to find her friend. On the way, she’ll have to choose safety, anonymity, and the favor of Winter, the spirit that protects her—or the future of the island that she calls home.

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

All her life, Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, dangerous Goblin king. But when her sister is taken by the king, Liesl travels underground and finds herself in a strange, captivating world and must make an impossible choice.

Seasons of the Storm by Elle Cosimano

This YA winter fantasy book has one of the most unique plot concepts I’ve read in a long time, and the execution was just as good!

Instead of dying, Jack chose to live according to the magical rules of Gaia and in exchange, he became a Winter—an immortal physical embodiment of the season on Earth. Every year, he must hunt the Season who comes before him.

But he falls in love with Fleur, a Spring, and to be together, they’ll have to escape the cycle that’s been forcing them apart.

Iron Rose by Abigail O’Bryan

Lydia must find a royal heir to unite their kingdom before the Crimson Lord destroys their kingdom under his tyrannical rule. Meanwhile, Adam’s humanity is slipping away as he watches his kingdom collapse.

A lovely Beauty and the Beast retelling with characters who have teeth and all the wintery, cozy vibes.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

An enchanting historical fantasy based off a Russian world where myth and magic are alive. Vasilisa must use all her ability to see the forest and household creatures to protect her family and village from fear and those who would destroy them.

Winter by Marissa Meyer

In this fourth and final book of the popular Cinder series, you’ll find a retelling of Snow White, a beautiful, intense scenes, a fun ragtag team, and the coolness of the season in the character Winter herself. Of course, read the first books in the series first. They are a must-read for any YA fantasy lover!

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

In Alaska, 1920, Jack and Mabel create a child out of snow. To their shock, it becomes a real child. Jack and Mable begin to love her as their own, but in this dangerous world, things are not often what they seem.

To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey

In this historical fantasy novel, Colonel Allen Forrester receives the commission of a lifetime when he is charged to navigate Alaska’s hitherto impassable Wolverine River, with only a small group of men. But, he must leave behind his newly married Sophie, who’s pregnant with their first child.

This is great if you love your fantasy with just a hint of magic and if you enjoyed Ivey’s The Snow Child.

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

What could be more wintery than tales of Odin, Thor, Loki, and dwarves and giants in this land cloaked in snow and ice most of the year?

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Don’t let those flowers and cute little mushrooms on the cover fool you! This book takes place in a snow-clad village and is the perfect winter fantasy book with its cozy cottage, romps in the snowy woods, and some fairies as beautiful as ice and just as dangerous.

The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke

Nineteen-year-old Merowdis Scott is an unusual girl. She can talk to animals and trees—and she is only ever happy when she is walking in the woods.

One snowy afternoon, out with her dogs and Apple the pig, Merowdis encounters a blackbird and a fox. As darkness falls, a strange figure enters in their midst—and the path of her life is changed forever.

Winterfrost Market by Jenny Sandiford

A light-hearted whimsical read that’s perfect if you like cozy fantasy, tea-loving main characters, sweet romance, mystery, and fae princes.

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

Folklore and history mingle in this story that takes place in Northeastern China. A slow-paced, character-driven novel in which a woman searches for the man responsible for the death of her daughter and if or how fox spirits could be involved.

The House of Frost and Feathers by Lauren Wiesebron

If want like hot-off-the press winter fantasy books, then check this one out. The House of Frost and Feathers releases supposedly Jan. 16, 2025 and follows Marisha who must accept a job as apprentice to the notorious sorceress Baba Zima.

Accompanying the current apprentice, Olena, on an increasingly dangerous, seemingly impossible search for a cure, Marisha finds hidden connections between the sleeping plague, her own family’s history, and her bizarre, recurring dreams of a masked ball where the deep sleepers are trapped endlessly dancing—and a monstrous beaked man who haunts her every step.