Weekly Book Recs 33-2025: Fantasy
- Apollo Imperium
- Aug 15
- 8 min read
WEEKLY BOOK RECS: 12 book suggestions every week
This week, we've got a mix of different types of fantasy novels––all books that were sent to us by authors! From this week forward, we'll mainly be featuring submissions by smaller or indie authors. Because the book-market is getting increasingly filled up by AI "books", we try to only feature real authors in these recs. And this week, the theme is fantasy! We've included some urban fantasies, some fantasy retellings, and even paranormal fantasy!
“The Raven Moonstone: A fantasy adventure series: Book 1” by V.J. Garske
Tropes/Genre: Fantasy
When Noah discovers a wizard’s journal, he accidentally turns the town librarian into a goat. Naturally, he hides her at his uncle’s farm. Now ominous ravens lurk in the shadows, watching his every move.
Noah is determined to reverse his magical mishaps. To do that, he must find a powerful arcane artifact—the Raven Moonstone. With the help of his friends, Sara and Jesse, he sets out to solve the mystery behind the missing heirloom.
With unexpected magic, an evil witch, and a herd of feisty goats, Noah’s journey is about to spiral wildly out of control.
“Oleander – Poison Garden 1” by Jennifer Allis Provost
Tropes/Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Eli tried to leave the supernatural life behind. Problem is, it won't let her go.
Eliza “Eli” Moore may have been born a seer, but she didn’t want to live like one. That was why she became a private detective, and opened Nine Lives Investigations. Being able to talk to the dead gives her an undeniable edge in solving cases, and she figured it was all for the greater good. Then Eli is forced to exorcise a demon, the local witch elder ends up dead, and Eli fears she’s in over her head.
Throughout it all, Eli has one dedicated ally: Dan, mortal police detective who isn’t scared of things that go bump in the night, and who hints he wants to be more than friends. But mortals and seers don’t mix…do they?
Before Eli can sort out how she feels about Dan, an enemy from her past resurfaces and threatens everything she hold dear. Eli is forced to take on the title inherited from her grandmother, and become the Mistress of Seers—but just because leading the seer community is her birthright doesn’t mean anyone will follow her.
“Dust and Crown” by Havelah McLat
Tropes/Genre: Fantasy Retelling
Nastia, a young fairy with no memory, is haunted by the shadowy recollections of a life she once knew. Rescued from a snowstorm and nursed back to health by a fairy named Ira, she is devastated when her new friend goes missing. She’s left with just one clue about her friend’s disappearance- and that clue points her to Paris.
Nastia journeys from Russia to Paris, meeting two outcast fairies along the way, Fyodar and Igor, who join her mission- which becomes something far greater than she imagined.
The ancient dust tree that sustains the fairy kingdom is dying, and Fyodar believes Nastia is the only one who can save it. But while Fyodar and Igor help her search for the truth, the fairy king’s men haunt their steps.
Will they survive the dangerous quest and will Nastia rediscover her identity? If so, what will it cost her?
“Blood and Silver” by J.D. Goland
Tropes/Genre: Dark Fantasy
“Blood and Silver” introduces Avalon, a young man from Haven whose peaceful life is shattered by a mysterious dark event that adults deny ever happened. Years later, as he and his childhood friend Clariss embark on a journey to join the king’s army, they encounter dangerous creatures, forcing them to confront the hidden truths of their world.
“How to steal a demon's heart and get away with it” by Devi Letalis
Tropes/Genre: Dark Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Dante, a battle-hardened demon hunter and single father, has faced everything from lowly fiends to undead sheep on his bizarre quests. But when a new job forces him to cross paths with the dangerously alluring vampiress Lariza and her enigmatic companion Layla, his buried past resurfaces—along with estranged family members who stir up conflicts he never imagined. Thrust into a deadly conflict with powerful demons, Dante's sole focus is protecting his son—even if it means descending into hell itself.
In this gripping dark urban fantasy thriller, ancient laws collide with modern-day horrors. Packed with relentless action, dark humour, and spine-tingling suspense, the novel explores a world where Dante's long forgotten past —and complicated family ties—may become his greatest enemies.
“The Sorrow of the Wise Man” by Bella Dunn
Tropes/Genre: Epic Fantasy
WHAT WOULD YOU SACRIFICE FOR GLORY?
Taerlys Eileerean, the powerful Queen of Gaelyr, nurtures a dangerous dream and will sacrifice anything to turn it into reality, even those she loves. Driven by greed and arrogance, her actions will seed the war between her two daughters, Daelyn and Haewyn. Daelyn will inherit two Queendoms united by a lie and divided by mistrust. To keep her crown, she will fight enemies in the battlefield, but the most treacherous are those dwelling in the shadows of her own court.
Ambition, madness and greed, grief and love will give birth to an unfathomable darkness. It is a dangerous thing to meddle with fate.
Warning: Contains Mature language, Intense Violence, Graphic Sexual Situations. There will be brief references to miscarriage. There will be scenes describing narcissistic behaviour which may be a trigger for some readers. Expect magic, intrigue and murder.
“Galyndys: A Story Thru the Eons” by Joey Pesa
Tropes/Genre: Epic Fantasy
A Story Thru the Eons is a sweeping epic of myth and magic where generations collide, destinies awaken, and the fate of a timeless world hinges on a mysterious force that may redeem or destroy all—an unforgettable odyssey for fans of classic fantasy reborn.
“The Great West Wood” by Philip Palmer
Tropes/Genre: Fantasy
The Great West Wood is a magic realist novel set in the South London suburb of Westwood. A vibrant urban village set upon a hilltop, looking out across London, in an area once covered by an ancient forest. This is a place where magic is taken for granted; where trees can talk; and children can float; and where a long-dead peat body can be resurrected.
Welcome to Westwood.
“Promise of Sirens” by V.L. Barycz
Tropes/Genre: Urban Fantasy
Brigitte Fitzpatrick Laveau is about 99% sure she's cursed. As Senior Pilgrim of Detroit, she's supposed to be keeping humanity—and magic folks—safe from each other. Instead, she's babysitting fallen gods, dodging djinn trying to con her, and finding homes for orphaned seers. Why is it her job to keep Detroit running smoothly? Oh, right: It's the family business.
So now—because she's a good daughter, thank you very much—she has accepted her fate to become the next Divine Arbiter. With more magic come more problems. Problems like sirens being murdered across Detroit, problems that feel a little too personal and a whole lot bloodier than she bargained for. It's going to take more than a shot of luck in her latte to bring them justice.
“In the Pines” by Mariah Stillbrook
Tropes/Genre: Urban Fantasy
Two witches, two secrets, and a curse that could tear a family apart.
Olivia and Ellie have lived their lives knowing a dark entity is stalking their family, determined to kill them all. After the death of Olivia’s son, she abandons her magic and her family, leaving Ellie in a nightmare of heartbreak, her marriage crumbling and her sister gone. Determined to save their mother Arianna from a spell that left her comatose, the two sisters must come together to unravel the riddle of the curse that has haunted their family for generations.
But as they delve into the past, the truth they uncover is more twisted and treacherous than they ever could have imagined. Will they be able to break the curse, or will it consume them all?
“False Tidings” by Stephen Grant
Tropes/Genre: Urban Fantasy
William Grey is in a lot of trouble. He just doesn’t know it yet.
Raised by monks, he’s never left his village, and couldn’t tell a long sword from a loofah. He thinks magic is just stuff we don’t understand yet, but he’s in for a rude awakening. In a strange twist, William is knighted and sent on a life-altering quest for a magical crystal in faraway Sardonica, an island close to the land of Italica.
But this quest is no straightforward jaunt. As rival witches flex their mystical muscles, William soon discovers that he’s a pawn in a grander scheme orchestrated by Feydor, a eunuch jester with a flair for manipulation. The questions on everyone’s lips: Will he peel back the layers of deception in time to unravel the true meaning of his quest and outwit Feydor? Will he solve the eternal enigma of the two headed cat? Will he gain the love of the mysterious Helena? And will his inaugural quest also be his swan song?
False Tidings is a tale of witches, a jester, a king, a queen, a deadly pet monkey, a matriarchal goblin-like race, a reluctant hero, an evil priesthood, a love affair that ranges over a continent, and a magical crystal.
“Applied Leverage” by Aaron Sher
Tropes/Genre: Urban Fantasy
Connor Rourke is one of the little people, supernaturally speaking: a psionic in a world of mages. He's happy being the top—okay, just about the only—supernatural locksmith in the Boston area. He doesn't aspire to adventure or heroism, but he's about to get pulled in whether he likes it or not (spoiler: he doesn't).
When he stumbles across a secret that was never meant to be known, he gets in trouble with forces far beyond him. Mixed up in a conflict between factions he can't match or understand, he'll have to find a way to survive for himself and those he loves. Along the way, Connor will learn secrets hidden for centuries, face and defeat threats to his life, and ultimately tackle an enemy who could annihilate him with a thought—and wants to.
Applied Leverage is an award-winning urban fantasy novel set in an innovative world full of action and vivid characters. It’s a first-person story with a side of snark, on paperback, Kindle, KU, and Audible.
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