Best Fantasy Books of 2023

The Fantasy Novels of 2023 That Won Awards and Readers' Votes

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Which fantasy novels defined 2023? This list ranks the year's books by how many independent signals back them: the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy and Locus awards, and the Goodreads Choice Awards, where readers vote.

Books that won or were shortlisted for several awards come first, followed by the books readers voted for most.

The ranking

1

Witch King

by Wells, Martha

After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai's magic to his own advantage. That w...

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2

The Saint of Bright Doors

by Chandrasekera, Vajra

Fetter's mother trained him from birth to be a weapon against his father, the Perfect and Kind. In the city of Luriat he turns away from revenge and joins a support group for people who are almost chosen, while studying...

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3

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi

by Chakraborty, S. A.

Shannon Chakraborty, the bestselling author of The City of Brass, launches a new trilogy of magic and mayhem with this tale of pirates and sorcerers, forbidden artefacts and ancient mysteries, and one woman's quest to se...

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4

Starling House

by Harrow, Alix E.

I dream sometimes about a house I’ve never seen…Opal is a lot of things—orphan, high school dropout, full-time cynic and part-time cashier—but above all, she's determined to find a better life for her younger brother Jas...

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5

Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon

by Talabi, Wole

Shigidi is a nightmare god of the Yoruba pantheon, tired and without purpose, who keeps going by answering the prayers of the few people who still believe in him. When he meets Nneoma, a succubus with a secretive past, t...

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6

Hell Bent

by Bardugo, Leigh

Find a gateway to the underworld. Steal a soul out of hell. A simple plan, except people who make this particular journey rarely come back. But Galaxy “Alex” Stern is determined to break Darlington out of purgatory—even...

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7

Tress of the Emerald Sea

by Sanderson, Brandon

\#1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson expands his Cosmere universe shared by The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn with a new standalone novel for everyone who loved The Princess Bride. Narrated by Michae...

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8

A Day of Fallen Night

by Shannon, Samantha

Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrms – but none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory's purpose.To the north...

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9

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

by Fawcett, Heather

A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love in the start of a heartwarming and enchanting new fantasy series.Cambridge pr...

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10

Bookshops & Bonedust

by Baldree, Travis

When an injury throws a young, battle-hungry orc off her chosen path, she may find that what we need isn't always what we seek.In Bookshops & Bonedust, a prequel to Legends & Lattes, author Travis Baldree takes us on a j...

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11

The Fragile Threads of Power

by Schwab, V. E.

Seven years after the Shades of Magic trilogy, Kell has learned to fight without magic, because using it now causes him pain, and Lila has become a ship's captain who sometimes spies for the Crown. Rhy rules Red London,...

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12

Sword Catcher

by Clare, Cassandra

In the port city of Castellane, a ten-year-old orphan, Kel, is taken from the orphanage and trained to be the double of Crown Prince Conor, wearing a magical amulet that makes the crowd see the prince. He is the prince's...

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13

The Will of the Many

by Islington, James

The Catenan Republic—the Hierarchy—may rule the world, but they do not know everything.I tell them my name is Vis Telimus. I tell them I was orphaned three years ago, and that only good fortune has got me into their most...

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14

The Book That Wouldn't Burn

by Lawrence, Mark

A boy has lived his whole life trapped within a vast library, older than empires and larger than cities.A girl has spent hers in a tiny settlement out on the Dust where nightmares stalk and no one goes.The world has neve...

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15

Stone Blind

by Haynes, Natalie

Medusa is the mortal youngest sister of the Gorgons, immortal and winged, who raise her on the shore of Libya. She is quiet and beautiful and unafraid of anyone, until Poseidon assaults her in a temple of Athene and the...

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16

The Unmaking of June Farrow

by Young, Adrienne

In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm—and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line. Th...

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17

Victory City

by Rushdie, Salman

Pampa Kampana, a 247-year-old demi-god, chronicles the birth and death of Bisnaga, a city she created and occasionally ruled.

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18

Ink Blood Sister Scribe

by Törzs, Emma

Joanna lives alone in Vermont, guarding her late father's collection of magical books and performing nightly rituals to keep the house hidden. Her half-sister Esther has spent years on the move, unable to stay anywhere f...

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19

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride

by Chokshi, Roshani

A sumptuous, gothic-infused story about a marriage that is unraveled by dark secrets, a friendship cursed to end in tragedy, and the danger of believing in fairy tales—the breathtaking adult debut from New York Times bes...

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20

Clytemnestra

by Casati, Costanza

Clytemnestra is a princess of Sparta, and she is a fighter who would rather ride and train with the soldiers than marry. Her family gives her to a king, and she builds a life for herself, until the marriage ends in grief...

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Trending Books in Best Fantasy Books of 2023

Clytemnestra

Casati, Costanza

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Stone Blind

Haynes, Natalie

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The Will of the Many

Islington, James

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Starling House

Harrow, Alix E.

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Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon

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Hell Bent

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Tress of the Emerald Sea

Sanderson, Brandon

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A Day of Fallen Night

Shannon, Samantha

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The Unmaking of June Farrow

Young, Adrienne

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The Book That Wouldn't Burn

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