Fantasy

Morgan Ashton-Drake came home to Yorkshire to shut down his family's crumbling hotel. He did not plan on the sunshine receptionist, the ready-made found family, or the ghosts who've decided his love life is their next big project. The Haunted Hotel is grumpy/sunshine comfort reading at its coziest—funny, sweet, and impossible to put down. Check in. You won't want to leave.

Hiro sees dead people—and they will not stop heckling him. Pair that with a grumpy homicide detective who doesn't believe in ghosts and you get Medium Trouble: creative, fast, and gleefully unserious paranormal mysteries that know exactly how ridiculous they are. Realism is not the point. Fun is.

Rain Christiansen sees dead people, and it cost him his FBI career and the man he loved. Five books of solid cold-case mysteries, razor-sharp banter, and a second-chance romance that earns every beat. The Spectral Files is paranormal procedural done right.

If you're looking for fun, magical, romantic historical fantasy with characters you'll want to spend time with and dialogue that'll make you smile, pick up The Magpie Lord. You'll be glad you did.

Morally gray criminals pull off an impossible heist, enact messy revenge, and fall for each other along the way—and the gayness is just part of the world, no commentary needed. Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows duology is propulsive, emotionally satisfying, and features one of the best ensemble casts in fantasy. If you're looking for sharp characters and ambitious plotting, this one's a solid B+.

Engaging, binge-worthy urban fantasy that knows exactly what it is and gives us comfort-food fantasy with heart.