18 Winter Themed Fantasy Books You Need on Your TBR

Saeris Fane, a 24-year-old thief with hidden powers, survives her desert homeland by stealing water from the ruthless Undying Queen. But secrets unravel, and when Saeris crosses paths with Death, she accidentally opens a gateway to Yvelia—a frozen land ruled by the Fae.

Bound to Kingfisher, a brooding Fae warrior with dark motives, Saeris must navigate icy dangers and a centuries-old conflict to harness her Alchemist’s magic and find her way home. In a world where deals carry deadly consequences, Saeris learns that trust may be her most dangerous gamble.

In Spinning Silver, Naomi Novik weaves a stunning tale where the line between wonder and terror is razor-thin. Miryem, the daughter of a struggling moneylender, takes charge of her family’s debts, earning a fearsome reputation for turning silver into gold. But her boldness draws the icy Staryk king’s attention, entangling her in a dangerous bargain.

As two kingdoms teeter on the brink, Miryem must face an impossible challenge. With two unlikely allies, she uncovers a secret that could destroy both human and Staryk lands forever.

As Winter Solstice nears, Feyre, Rhysand, and their friends work to rebuild the Night Court after the war that changed everything. Though the festive season offers a brief reprieve, shadows of the past linger. Feyre, now High Lady, discovers deeper wounds among her loved ones than she realized—scars that may shape their court’s future.

Bridging A Court of Wings and Ruin with later books, A Court of Frost and Starlight explores the aftermath of war and the unbreakable bonds of love and friendship.

Professor Emily Wilde is a genius scholar and the foremost expert on faerie lore, focused on completing the world’s first faerie encyclopaedia. But while she excels at research, she struggles with people, preferring her books, her dog Shadow, and the Fair Folk over human interaction. In the remote village of Hrafnsvik, Emily’s plans to study the elusive Hidden Ones are upended by her charming, frustrating academic rival, Wendell Bambleby.

As secrets of the forest—and Wendell—emerge, Emily must confront an unexpected mystery: the long-guarded depths of her own heart.

In the harsh Russian wilderness, young Vasilisa loves listening to tales of Frost, the winter demon who steals unwary souls. Villagers honor spirits that guard their homes, but when Vasya’s devout stepmother forbids these rituals, misfortune descends on the village. As her stepmother tightens control, pushing Vasya toward marriage or a convent, dark forces from the forest grow stronger.

To save her family and village, Vasya must embrace her hidden gifts and face a chilling threat that seems ripped from her nurse’s most haunting fairy tales.

By the beloved and bestselling grandmaster of fantasy, Sir Terry Pratchett, this is the third in a series of Discworld novels starring the young witch Tiffany Aching.

When the Spirit of Winter takes a fancy to Tiffany Aching, he wants her to stay in his gleaming, frozen world. Forever. It will take all the young witch’s skill and cunning, as well as help from the legendary Granny Weatherwax and the irrepressible Wee Free Men, to survive until Spring.

Because if Tiffany doesn’t make it to Spring, Spring won’t come for anyone.

Eighteen-year-old Liesl has long been captivated by tales of the alluring Goblin King, which fueled her musical dreams. Now stuck running her family’s inn, those dreams feel distant—until her sister is taken by the Goblin King. To save her, Liesl ventures to the Underground, a mesmerizing yet perilous realm ruled by the enigmatic King.

As time runs out and ancient laws tighten their grip, Liesl must confront her deepest desires and uncover her true self before her fate is sealed forever.

Lyra journeys to the far North, where witch clans and armored bears reign, to rescue her friend Roger from the child-stealing Gobblers. There, her uncle Asriel seeks to build a bridge to a parallel world. Fierce, cunning, and brave, Lyra’s actions will shape these great endeavors—but she faces an impossible choice.

To help one is to betray the other, and the stakes are higher than she could ever imagine in this tale of courage, betrayal, and destiny.

Seventeen-year-old Clara Stole is determined to uncover the truth behind her mother’s brutal murder, despite the lack of help from her corrupt, ganglord father. Beneath the empire he controls, something darker—full of vengeance and magic—begins to stir, reminiscent of the tales her godfather once told her.

When her father is abducted and her sister’s life is threatened, Clara frees Nicholas, the rightful prince of Cane, from his prison. Together, they must battle faerie queen Anise’s regime and rescue her family before time runs out.

In a world where gods no longer listen, Omat, a young Inuit shaman, is determined to save her starving people. Guided by the spirit of the Wolf, she embarks on a perilous journey across the icy wastes.

There, she encounters Brandr, a wounded Viking warrior. Despite their differences, they form an uneasy alliance, caught in a conflict that could either shatter or save their worlds. Their forbidden love and shared struggle will determine the fate of a new world, in a tale of warring gods and ancient magic.

The peaceful land of Osten Ard is on the brink of war, with dark sorcery fueling the conflict. When Prester John, the High King, dies, the undead Storm King of the Sithi seeks to reclaim his lost realm through a deadly pact with the new king. The king’s brother joins the League of the Scroll to confront this growing threat.

Simon, a kitchen boy unknowingly apprenticed to a League member, embarks on a dangerous quest to find lost swords of power—Osten Ard’s only hope against destruction.

The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor, exiled from the Imperial Court, suddenly becomes the only surviving heir when his father and three half-brothers die in an “accident.” Unprepared for court politics, he is thrust into a world of deadly intrigue, surrounded by sycophants and constant threats.

With no friends, advisors, or trust, he must navigate plots, arranged marriages, and unknown enemies while adjusting to his new role as emperor—hoping for companionship and romance, yet ever vigilant against those who seek his life and throne.

Reyna and Kianthe dream of opening a cozy bookshop that serves tea—complete with wooden floors, plants, and firelight. But Reyna works as a queen’s private guard, and Kianthe is the most powerful mage alive, making escape difficult.

After an assassin takes Reyna hostage, she decides to quit risking her life for a selfish queen. With Kianthe eager to leave responsibility behind, they flee to Tawney, near dragon country, to start their shop. What follows is a heartwarming tale of mishaps, mysteries, and a vengeful queen.

‘A church is a sort of wood. A wood is a sort of church. They’re the same thing really.’

Nineteen-year-old Merowdis Scot 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.

After her brother’s death and her mother’s breakdown, Laura lives with her strict grandparents on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Troubled and expelled for throwing a record at a bully, Laura faces the prospect of being sent to boarding school. One day, a swan boy with one wing lands on her roof, and Laura hides him, attempting to build him a new wing.

As she struggles, she unknowingly mirrors her grandparents’ own desperate quest for help. Gregory Maguire weaves a poignant story of grief, magic, and growing up.

Sisters Clara and Louisa, restricted from their inheritance, live with their godfather, Drosselmeyer. One night, an accident brings a wooden Nutcracker doll to life, revealing him to be a cursed Fae prince who begs for their help.

As they journey into the Fae realm, Clara is drawn to the alluring Sugarplum Faerie, who offers to fulfill her forbidden fantasies. Meanwhile, Louisa and the Nutcracker Prince clash despite their growing attraction. Amid their turmoil, the Seelie kingdom faces a threat from the ruthless Rat King.

When Gerta’s friend Kay is stolen away by the mysterious Snow Queen, it’s up to Gerta to find him. Her journey will take her through a dangerous land of snow and witchcraft, accompanied only by a bandit and a talking raven. Can she win her friend’s release, or will following her heart take her to unexpected places?

In 1908 Manchuria, the mysterious death of a courtesan found frozen in a doorway sparks rumors of fox spirits, believed to lure people with their beauty. Detective Bao, fascinated by fox gods, is hired to uncover her identity.

Meanwhile, a family cursed by the deaths of their eldest sons before age twenty-four experiences a shift when the servant Snow enters their lives. Snow, seeking vengeance for her lost child, leads Bao on a dangerous journey through myths and spirits, uncovering secrets and facing new dangers.