I love a dark fantasy. But I’m not always primed for a DARK fantasy, especially not multiple ones back-to-back. I need some sunshine in my life (and in my books).
My solution? Books that flirt with the dark without being completely steeped in it. The aesthetic, the story, the characters … sometimes darkness makes a story feel more real, and that realness speaks to us as readers. I adore whimsical writing, but I, too, like to flirt with the dark, as I do with my upcoming novel The Shattered King, where dark elements flavor my characters’ pasts, presents, and futures.
If you’re ready to swipe right on some similar reads, I’m happy to suggest five fantasy novels with that rich, dark flavor we love.
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Literally one of my favorite novels, this YA-crossover fantasy is so real, you forget you’re reading fantasy. Things seem mostly normal on the fictional island of Thisby, except for the murderous kelpie-like water horses called capaill uisce. These beasts live among the waves, and if you’re daring enough to catch one, they’ll race faster and fiercer than any other land animal. They’ll also kill you in an instant, without warning. You know, since they feed on blood, and you’re full of it.
But there’s glory and money in the racing of these beasts, and some are willing to risk everything to win.
The Scorpio Races is a beautiful story of family, discovery, and finding one’s own way in life, even if it tows the line with death. You won’t be the same after reading this one.
The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
Definitely brushing against horror, this book will take you on a historical and psychological adventure, especially if you’re literary-minded. After a smartly arranged marriage, Jane finds herself in a sort of haunted house with a dashing husband who is not only deeply affected by its shadows, but seemingly part of them as well.
This book has a fascinating take on magic and will leave you questioning what is real and what isn’t. It’s a perfect way to get the thrill of a horror novel while still being able to go to bed at night.
Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones
I love a stolen-by-goblins bride story, but this one is a level above. Liesl is a woman musically gifted and driven, but because of her sex, she’s overlooked in the musical world. All this passion and want, and it has nowhere to go. Nowhere but the dark, winding tunnels of the Goblin kingdom, that is.
The Goblin King is black and white, hot and cold, good and evil, a captivating creature surrounded by demonic beings. He pushes Liesl to dig into the most painful parts of herself to give him what he truly wants, and it’s not what she expects.
The setting alone in the book flirts with darkness, but it also weaves through the relationship between Liesl and the Goblin King in a fascinating and enticing way. Definitely worth the read.
Lord of Secrets by Breanna Teintze
A seriously underrated book, Lord of Secrets by Breanna Teintze checks all the boxes for darkness: corruption, torture, necromancy, slavery. Not to mention magic is toxic and has some unfortunate side effects.
Wizard Corcoran Gray is very good with runes; he just uses them illegally. And Brix? She’s a slave forced to take on the magical poison from her masters’ spellwork. Together they seek freedom and family, and boy, are there some interesting and macabre twists to this story.
Truly loveable characters against stark odds and a landscape bordering on epic? Sign me up (or sign you up, since I already read it).
The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin
A truly epic fantasy, The Fifth Season flirts with the dark on all fronts. This story (and BOY is it a story) follows three separate characters and their experiences as orogenes, or people who can use magic through the earth. Orogenes are hated and feared, unless they’re the “tame” ones captured and brutalized into government control. Throw in a breeding program, murder, and the end of the world (again), and you have the start to an amazing trilogy.
Truthfully, this is a terrible summary of a prodigious tale, so read it for yourself. And that twist at the end? It will blow. Your. Mind.
