Lizzy's Favourite Standalone Fantasy and Romantasy Reads

Katabasis

'Katabasis is a formidable, timeless work, destined to be a modern classic' OLIVIE BLAKE 'Katabasis is more than a novel to savor. This book is an experience. I envy those who get to read it for the first time' REBECCA ROSS 'A witty, gory, harrowing ride' LEIGH BARDUGO Katabasis, noun, Ancient Greek. The story of a hero's descent to the underworld. Grad student Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become the brightest mind in the field of analytic magick. But the only person who can make her dream come true is dead and – inconveniently – in Hell. And Alice, along with her biggest rival Peter Murdoch, is going after him. But Hell is not as the philosophers claim, its rules are upside-down, and if she’s going to get out...

Babel

Babel by R.F. Kuang is a thought-provoking fantasy that explores the power of language and translation against the backdrop of an alternate 19th-century Oxford. It follows a young translator who gets embroiled in the secretive workings of a magical institution. The narrative delves into themes of colonialism, identity, and the struggle for liberation, creating a rich tapestry of intrigue and intellectual adventure.

The Everlasting

From Alix E. Harrow, the Sunday Times bestselling author of Starling House, comes a moving and genre-defying quest. A legend. A lie. A love story. A lady-knight whose legend built a nation meets a retiring historian in awe of her fame. He's sent back through time to make sure she plays her part... even if it breaks his heart. Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion’s greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs and stories, in children’s books and recruiting posters - but her life as it truly happened has been forgotten. Centuries later, Owen Mallory - failed soldier, struggling scholar - falls in love with the tale of Una Everlasting. Her story takes him to...

The Poet Empress

Tress of the Emerald Sea

#1 New York Times Bestselling author Brandon Sanderson brings us deeper into the Cosmere Universe with a standalone adventure that will appeal to fans of The Princess Bride. The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of...

Blood Over Bright Haven

A riveting dark academia fantasy about the limits of truth and power, from the author of The Sword of Kaigen. TRUTH OVER DELUSION For twenty years, Sciona has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic. When she finally achieves her ambition to become the first woman admitted to the High Magistry at the University of Magics and Industry, she finds herself undermined at every turn. Instead of a lab assistant, she's paired with a janitor, putting her crucial research at risk. But Thomil wasn't always a janitor. Once a nomadic hunter from the wild plains outside the city, he now sees a chance to understand the forces that decimated his tribe and drove him from his homeland. Together they will uncover an ancient secret that could...

The Girl with a Thousand Faces

A haunting dark urban fantasy set in historical Hong Kong, where ancient myths and local legends combine in a story of ghosts, grief and women who will not forgive. ‘Bound to be an immediate classic’ – Hannah Kaner, Sunday Times bestselling author of Godkiller ‘Will tear out your heart and heal it in the same breath’ – Eliza Chan, Sunday Times bestselling author of Fathomfolk ‘Richly imagined and transportive’ – Olivie Blake, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six ‘A haunting story of loneliness, love and loss’ – Gareth Brown, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book of Doors Mercy Chan is a triad exorcist with a mysterious past. After washing up on the shores of Hong Kong with no memory during World War II, she found...

Vow of Eternal Night

Vow of Eternal Night is a gothic romantasy 'Beauty and the Beast' retelling about a vampire prince and the captive bride who will do anything to break his curse. It's perfect for fans of Naomi Novik, Heather Fawcett, and Howl's Moving Castle. The gorgeous first edition features stunning printed edges. Clara Wagner has always known that monsters are real, and that the worst of them is Prince Raleigh of Rostenburg. For years, the prince has treated his people as livestock to sate his thirst for blood. But when he decides it's time to marry, Clara inadvertently finds herself at the centre of his attention. Abducted and forced into a betrothal against her will, Clara would do anything to escape her fate. And so she is given an ultimatum:...

A Dark Forgetting

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Crimson Moth (published as Heartless Hunter in North America) weaves an epic love story of a magical girl, the boy she left behind, and a deadly curse. 'Lush, dark, and romantic. I could have remained lost in the woods forever.' Isabel Ibañez, #1 New York Times bestselling author of What the River Knows 'A tale comprised of deep emotion, sizzling romance, and a gripping mystery.' Tricia Levenseller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Shadows Between Us Sing us a song of the forest, of the Wood King who rules there, and the tithe he demands… No matter how far Emeline Lark runs, the song of the forest reaches her, luring her away from her dreams of the...

The Maiden and Her Monster

The forest eats the girls who wander out after dark . . . An atmospheric dark fantasy rooted in fairytales, folklore, and sapphic romance. The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez is perfect for fans of Katherine Arden, Ava Reid, and Naomi Novik. As the healer's daughter, Malka has seen how the forest's curse has plagued her village. But the Ozmini Church only comes to collect its tithe, not to listen to heretics with false tales of monsters in the trees. When a clergy girl wanders too close to the woods and Malka's mother is accused of her murder, Malka strikes an impossible bargain with a zealot Ozmini priest. If she brings him the monster, he will spare her mother from execution. When she ventures into the...

The Swan's Daughter

Prince Arris knows that marriage means murder. After poorly wording a wish to a sea witch, all one needs to rule the Isle of Malys is the heart and hand in marriage of the kingdom's heir. Thus, Arris expects that the day of his marriage will be the one of his murdering. His only chance at a long life is finding true and lasting love. When Arris's parents announce a tournament of brides to compete for the throne, a slew of eligible, lovely and possibly murderous bachelorettes make their way to Rathe Castle. But Arris cannot tell who is here out of love for him or lust for power. Until he meets Demelza. As a veritas swan, Demelza's song wrings out the truth. Forced into hiding, Demelza strikes...

Alchemised

In this standalone dark fantasy debut, a woman with missing memories fights to survive a war-torn world of necromancy and alchemy, while navigating a complex relationship with the man tasked to unearth the deepest secrets of her past. “What is it you think you’re protecting in that brain of yours? The war is over. Holdfast is dead. The Eternal Flame extinguished. There’s no one left for you to save.” Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner—of war and of her own mind. Her Resistance friends and allies have been brutally murdered, her abilities suppressed, and the world she knew destroyed. In the aftermath of a long war, Paladia’s new ruling class of corrupt guild families and depraved necromancers, whose vile, undead creatures helped bring about...

Under the Whispering Door

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune is a heartwarming fantasy novel about Wallace Price, a man who discovers new dimensions of life and death when he arrives at a peculiar tea shop in the afterlife. Guided by the enigmatic tea shop owner, Wallace embarks on an emotional journey of self-discovery, growth, and redemption.

The Honey Witch

Reading The Honey Witch is like dreaming in a fragrant sunlit garden while bees sing around you. It's a gorgeous book, with a lovely cottagecore ambience and a heart-warming sapphic romance intertwined with unique magic that enchants the imagination. - India Holton, internationally bestselling author The Honey Witch of Innisfree can never find true love. That is her curse to bear. But when a young woman who doesn't believe in magic arrives on her island, sparks fly in this deliciously sweet debut novel of magic, hope, and love overcoming all. Twenty-one-year-old Marigold Claude has always preferred the company of the spirits of the meadow to any of the suitors who've tried to woo her. So when her grandmother whisks her away to the family cottage on the tiny...