5 hand-picked fantasy, dark fantasy, and found family books curated by NextBookAfter.
For fans of Wicked's sympathetic villain origin story and moral complexity, Malice offers a queer retelling of Sleeping Beauty that flips the script on fairy tale tropes, exploring prejudice, power, and forbidden love through the eyes of a misunderstood enchantress.
For fans of Nesta's trauma-fueled empowerment and steamy enemies-to-lovers tension, this gothic romantasy delivers a fierce heroine battling inner demons in a mist-shrouded world, blending dark magic with intimate healing and found family bonds.
For fans of Oraya's fierce determination and slow-burn romance amid deadly trials, this delivers a haunting dark fantasy with a resilient heroine battling inner demons and external curses, blending emotional depth with high-stakes magical quests.
For fans of Mort's witty take on death and apprenticeship, this book offers a darkly humorous exploration of god-like mentorship and the bizarre bureaucracy of ultimate power, blending satire with surreal fantasy elements.
This book delivers the same intoxicating mix of high-stakes fantasy, slow-burn romance, and intricate worldbuilding that fans of House of Sky and Breath crave, with a fierce female protagonist navigating rebellion and supernatural intrigue in a fresh, dragon-filled realm.