These are the books I've read and recommend in 2026!
Sections
5
Fantasy
Mystery/Thriller
Romance
Sci-Fi
Historical Fiction
Fantasy
YA Fantasy about dragons. I originally read this in high school. Such a rich fantasy world!
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Adult fantasy about Vampires. Book 1 of the Crowns of Nyaxia series. Absolutely devoured this book!
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
Adult fantasy, book 1 in the Eternal Path Trilogy. I'm obsessed with this book. Such a creative idea and I loved every second of it
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
Adult fantasy, book 1 of the Shield of Sparrows series. Such a unique idea, lots of twists, and the romance was so good
Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
Adult fantasy, book 5 in the Bridge Kingdom series. My favorite of this series, the story was so captivating
The Twisted Throne by Danielle L. Jensen
YA fantasy, book 1 in the Shepherd King duology. Very fascinating tarot card magic system
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
Adult fantasy with vampires, book 1.5 in the Crowns of Nyaxia series. This is a short little novella, it was cute
Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent
Adult romantasy, book 1 in the Moonfall series. This book was incredible, such a rich fantasy world with deep characters.
When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker
Adult fantasy, book 2 of Era 1 of Mistborn. I'm obsessed with this series, the magic system is so interesting, the characters are incredible
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
Adult fantasy with wolves, book 1 of the Wolves of Ruin series. Fun fantasy, not super unique in plot, but I enjoyed it
Dire Bound by Sable Sorenson
Adult fantasy, book 1 of the Kingdom of Lies series. This was so fun! The plot twist at the end was incredible
A Court This Cruel & Lovely by Stacia Stark
Adult fantasy, book 1 of The Broken Kingdoms series. Loved this one! The romance was great, the plot was fun, the twists were good
Curse of Shadows and Thorns (The Broken Kingdoms, #1)
Adult fantasy, book 2 of the Shield of Sparrows series. Not as much of the romance that I loved about book 1, but the worldbuilding was really great
Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry
Adult fantasy, book 1 in the Maggie the Undying series. I'm actually obsessed with this book. The plot is incredible, the characters have so much depth, I loved the romance
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
Adult fantasy, book 1 in the Married to Magic series. This was fun! I loved the romance and the worldbuilding aspect of it
A Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova
Adult fantasy, book 1 of the Fire & Metal series. The worldbuilding and magic system in this book is so cool
Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider
Adult fantasy, book 6 in the Bridge Kingdom series. The conclusion to the Bridge Kingdom series, it was action-packed and so much fun
The Tempest Blade by Danielle L. Jensen
Cozy adult fantasy, book 1 in the Spellshop series. This was so cute! I'm not usually a cozy fantasy person but I loved this one
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Adult fantasy, book 1 of the Shadows and Crowns series. Loved this book so much, the plot twist at the end was crazy
The Song of the Marked by S.M. Gaither
Adult fantasy, book 2 in the Married to Magic series. I loved this one, the romance was excellent
A Dance with the Fae Prince by Elise Kova
Adult fantasy, book 3 of Era 1 of Mistborn. I sobbed at the ending, this was such an amazing book. The twists he writes are incredible
The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
Adult fantasy, short story from Era 1 of Mistborn contained in Arcanum Unbounded
Mistborn - The Eleventh Metal
Adult romantasy with wolves, book 1 in the Wolf King series. I'm obsessed with this one. The wolf characters were giving Outlander vibes in the best way
The Wolf King - Lauren Palphreyman
Adult fantasy with tarot card magic system, book 2 of the Arcana Academy series. I'm obsessed with this book, I haven't stopped thinking about the ending since I finished it
Prince of Swords by Elise Kova
YA fantasy, book 1 in the Prison Healer series. This one was so good, I loved the premise, and there was a twist at the end that made me put my book down and stare at a wall for a minute
The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
YA fantasy, book 1 in the Caraval trilogy. This book was so fun and whimsical! So many twists and the romance was so cute
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Mystery/Thriller
Fast-paced thriller. Very good, lots of twists!
What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
YA mystery, book 2 in the Inheritance Games series. Very fun! Lots of puzzles
The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
A really twisty and dark mystery
The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers
Thriller novel about cults. I loved this one. Dark and a little gory
How Bad Things Can Get by Darcy Coates
A haunted house thriller. Leaves you questioning what you know throughout
The September House by Carissa Orlando
This was my first Riley Sager and it did not disappoint! Twisty thriller with a supposedly haunted house
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
YA mystery, book 1 of the A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series. This is a great book for young adults, very interesting mystery and fast-paced writing style
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
Another good Riley Sager thriller. A lot of characters in this one, so it can get a little confusing at times
With a Vengeance by Riley Sager
This was a super interesting thriller where you're told up front what happens. Very dark and twisty
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
Romance
Hockey romance, book 1 in the Off-Campus series. The book that the show is based off of! I absolutely flew through this book, loved every minute of it
The Deal by Elle Kennedy
Sapphic astronaut romance. Loved the astronaut side as well as the romance side in this one. Ending had me in tears
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Adult hockey romance, book 2 of the Off-Campus series. I loved this one, absolutely devoured it
The Mistake - Elle Kennedy
Adult hockey romance, book 3 of the Off-Campus series. This one was my favorite so far, love this story
The Score: Now an Original Series on Amazon Prime (Off- ...
Sci-Fi
Such a fun book! The humor was amazing and the story was so good
The Martian by Andy Weir
Adult dystopian, book 1 of the Silver Elite series. This was so fun to read, very reminiscent of Divergent/Hunger Games type books
Silver Elite by Dani Francis
YA dystopian, book 1 of the Verdant Cage series. I really loved this one, it was very unique and the worldbuilding was done very well. It gave me Divergent vibes, and also Attack on Titan vibes for part of it
The Verdant Cage by Jess Lourey
Historical Fiction
WWII historical fiction. Very heavy topic, but so good. The end had me sobbing
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
WWII historical fiction, set in Lithuania. This was such a good book, covered a side of the war that isn't as prevalent in historical fiction
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
I loved this one! Has a little bit of mystery too it as well, and the characters are great
The Secret Library of Hanna Reeves: A Novel
This one was so good! I loved reading about Jackson Pollock and both stories were so interesting
Pollock's Last Lover by Stephen P. Kiernan
WWII historical fiction, not as dark as some others in this genre but it does have its moments. I absolutely loved this one
The Three Lives of Alix St Pierre by Natasha Lester
