Cosy fantasy favourites
Do you associate fantasy with epic wizard battles, dragons breathing walls of fire, and hazardous quests through dangerous lands? Then you need to discover cosy fantasy – where the stakes are low, the worlds are whimsical and the stories are sweet.
Cosy fantasy is an increasingly popular genre, with more and more new books focusing on feel-good stories rather than grand (and sometimes torturous) epics. This collection of cosy favourites includes stories of self-discovery, romance, fresh starts and found family; whether you're new to the genre or are already a convert and just looking for a new recommendation, there's something worth trying!
So distract yourself from the winter chill by curling up with one of these books, ready to be whisked away on a gentle adventure.
Sometimes learning witchcraft is the first step to figuring out who you are . . .
Euphoria Kids by Alison Evans
Babs is a child of fire; Iris sprouted from the moss in their mothers’ backyard. Babs has been cursed by a witch, which makes her often invisible, unnoticed by others, but one day Iris finally sees her and their friendship takes off.
When a new boy comes to the school, lost and uncertain, they befriend him too. The three have a connection to the magic of the world around them, but Magic can be dangerous, and witches can be cruel. When the witch that cursed Babs returns to the forest nearby, the three friends want to confront her but are terrified. Something is happening in the other realm, and despite being warned to stay away, the three friends have to figure out how to deal with it on their own terms.
Think Mary Poppins, in a small Australian town . . .
Eliza Vanda's Button Box by Emily Rodda
No one saw Eliza Vanda arrive in Tidgy Bay that rainy winter afternoon. The sign advertising ‘Cabins for Rent’ was almost hidden by a pile of builder’s rubble, but Eliza Vanda didn’t seem at all put out by the mess.
Life hasn’t been much fun for Milly Dynes lately. There seem to be problems everywhere she looks. She’s always loved her home in Tidgy Bay, but at the moment she wishes she was somewhere – anywhere – else.
Then Eliza Vanda turns up – and magic comes with her . . .
Join Milly as she travels to magical worlds, meets witches (good and wicked) and helps save a royal wedding, in this gentle fantasy adventure.
For found-family, magical tea and healing your inner child . . .
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Mika Moon follows three rules: hide your magic, keep your head down, and stay away from other witches. Mika is good at being alone, and she doesn't mind it . . . mostly.
But when an unexpected invitation arrives to teach three young witches at the mysterious Nowhere House, Mika jumps at the chance for a different life. As she comes to care for the house's quirky inhabitants – and Jamie, the handsome but prickly librarian – finally belonging somewhere feels like a real possibility.
But magic isn't the only danger in the world – is it worth risking everything to protect the found family Mika didn't know she was looking for?
For anyone who's played Dungeons and Dragons, or loves a 'Coffee Shop AU' fanfic . . .
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
After decades of adventuring, Viv the orc barbarian is finally hanging up her sword for good. Now she has her sights set on a new dream – to open the first coffee shop in the city of Thune. Even though no one there actually knows what coffee is . . .
Legends & Lattes is a cosy, heartwarming slice-of-life fantasy about found families and fresh starts. And to fulfill the wishes of all booklovers, there's also a prequel where Viv takes a break from her mercenary life to work in a small town bookshop!
High fantasy, low stakes and enemies-to-lovers romance . . .
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Emily Wilde is good at many things: she is the foremost expert on the study of faeries; she is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world's first encylopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people . . .
So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival, Wendell Bambleby.
You're sure to fall in love with Emily, and fortunately there's a second installment already out, so you can enjoy this cosy and enthralling world for even longer.
Sci-fi and fantasy intertwine in this short, cosy novel . . .
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend.
One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor an old promise to check in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered.
But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They're going to need to ask it a lot . . .
Sometimes your found family might just include the Antichrist . . .
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Linus Baker leads a quiet life. At forty, he has a tiny house with a devious cat and his beloved records for company. And working for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, he’s spent many dull years monitoring orphanages.
Then one day, Linus is summoned by Extremely Upper Management and given a highly classified assignment. He must travel to an orphanage where six dangerous children reside, including the Antichrist. There, Linus must somehow determine if they could bring on the end of days. But their guardian, charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, will do anything to protect his wards. As Arthur and Linus grow ever closer, Linus must choose between duty and his dreams.
For everyone who thought BBC's Merlin wasn't queer enough . . .
So This Is Ever After by F.T. Lukens
Arek hadn’t thought much about what would happen after he fulfilled the prophecy that said he was destined to save the Kingdom of Ere from its evil ruler. So now that he’s finally managed to behead the evil king, he and his rag-tag group of quest companions are at a bit of a loss for what to do next.
Arek’s best friend and mage, Matt, convinces him to assume the throne – temporarily – until the true heir can be rescued from her tower. Except it turns out that she’s dead... Now Arek is stuck as king, a role that comes with a magical catch: choose a spouse by your eighteenth birthday, or wither away into nothing.
With his eighteenth birthday only three months away, and only Matt in on the secret, Arek embarks on a desperate bid to find a spouse to save his life. But maybe love has been in front of him all along?
For when the world outside your garden feels a little too frightening . . .
Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen
An enchanting, farm-fresh debut graphic novel starring an unusual heroine who is braver than she realises.
Garlic feels as though she’s always doing something wrong. At least with her friend Carrot by her side and the kindly Witch Agnes encouraging her, Garlic is happy to tending her garden, where it’s nice and safe.
But when her village of vegetable folk learn that a bloodthirsty vampire has moved into the nearby castle, they all agree that Garlic is the obvious choice to confront him. And with everyone counting on her, Garlic reluctantly agrees to face the mysterious vampire, hoping she has what it takes.
