A Holiday Reading List for Dreamers, Adventurers, and Lovers of Otherworldly Escapes

There’s something undeniably enchanting about the holiday season- the twinkling lights, the cozy nights in, and the feeling that anything is possible. For fantasy book lovers, it’s the perfect time to slip into a world of magic, mystery, and adventure.

To help make your season even more spellbinding, we’ve curated five fantasy books that promise a truly magical Christmas reading experience. Whether you're gifting a bookish friend or treating yourself to your next unforgettable read, these titles are sure to whisk you far beyond reality.

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1. Into the Attic of the World by Joseph Mazerac

Captain Kid Is Looking for a Few Brave Recruits

Book 1 of the Castatine Chronicles. In the summer of 1990, thirteen-year-old Charles Miller lives in a lake-side townhouse in Florida. He has good friends, reasonable parents, and no school for another two months. Life is good, but when a strange boy glides across the lake on a homemade raft, Charles’s dreams of leisure are shaken awake by the promise of adventure.

The stranger, introducing himself as “Captain Kid,” claims to be from another dimension. With a winsome personality and infectious enthusiasm, he explains he has come to Charles’s world on an important quest to find a missing princess known as the Patch Fairy. This can hardly be believed, but when Charles witnesses too many unexplainable events, he tingles with the understanding that something truly extraordinary is about to happen.

Captain Kid proposes a rescue mission which involves leaving not only the neighborhood Charles grew up in but his entire plane of reality. Also, the captain speaks of monsters. Charles is interested but he’s not crazy! The mission is too dangerous. However, when his friends eagerly join the quest, Charles is left with an all-important choice: be responsible and stay home or follow Captain Kid up the Reality Deck and into the Attic of the World.

 

1. The Druids Queen by Abigail Henson

The Winds of Éiliria - Book 1

1. Arcane Assassin: Path of Annihilation by R.A Fischer

The Raven Naelo Saga - Book 1

Raven Naelo, a half-elf rogue, dreams of following in her father’s footsteps and becoming a realm guardian. Her dreams move closer to reality when she proves herself against half-orcs in a local tavern. Impressed by her skills yet wary, her father, the King of Omlett, agrees to send her to the Mortal Realm Guardian’s camp, where she’ll join four other trainees: Avalann, a short-tempered elf archer; Jarz, an attractive human sword mage; Izarra, a flirtatious water half-nymph discovering her inner strengths; and Shorte, a loveable dwarf cleric. Together, they will be cast into a world of advanced magic by Gideon and learn the importance of teamwork as they face off against bugbears, kobolds, and other dangerous foes.

But a confrontation with a corrupt wizard unleashes Raven’s unique abilities as she struggles to overcome the trauma. While focusing on herself, she takes a surprise visit to the forbidden Fey Realm with Gideon. Admiring the beauty of the perfect realm, Celeste, the Fey Guardian, interrupts them with unwelcome news. When Gideon fails to return from the High Council after being summoned there, Raven discovers a war has begun and leaves immediately for Omlett.

Little does she know that a succubus from the Abyss is collaborating with a human necromancer to destroy the cities of Western Euphrasia. Using an ancient artifact, they collected the souls of the dead. Will Raven find the others in time to fight as one to repel the attacks, or will the living and the dead never find peace?

 

1. The Cup in the Shadows by R. Kane Maurer

As summer ends, young Jonny reluctantly agrees to explore a local cave, expecting to find nothing more than bugs and dirt. But his quiet life is changed forever when he is inexplicably transported to a strange world filled with trolls, dragons, and powerful magic. While scrambling to discern friend from foe, he learns that dark forces threaten to spill beyond the limits of the magical realm into his own world. Alongside a group of legendary heroes, Jonny must race to save the realm from a growing horde of enemies as he uncovers more about an ancient villain who will stop at nothing for the power of a god.

 

1. Skadi by Steven Grier Williams

There is no end in sight.

In Midgard, towns are meant to be sanctuaries for humans, and the outskirts are roaming grounds for powerful Norse creatures. But in Fensalir, a centuries-old jötunn has been killing children—a parade of death that has lasted for years. 

That is—until a witch named Frija steps forward. She knows even with seidr magic, she cannot do it alone, so she recruits a newcomer named Skadi Hervor to go on a quest for the power of the World Tree—that which connects the nine realms. Though Skadi is reluctant at first, wishing only to protect her son from the violence of Midgard, she relents and ventures into the world that exists between towns.

Skadi is a skilled warrior, but to be successful, she must overcome beasts large and small; must travel the length of the realms; must learn to care for people beyond herself; and most importantly, must mend her tattered relationship with her young son Bjorn, along for the ride.

With a rich cast of characters whose struggles are rooted in real-world issues, intense action, and page-turning adventure, Skadi plunges the reader into a world of Norse Mythology to tell a story of overcoming extreme challenges while dealing with loss.

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Why Fantasy Makes the Holidays Even More Magical

Fantasy stories invite us to wonder- to believe in things unseen, to root for impossible heroes, and to journey through worlds where courage, friendship, and destiny intertwine. During the holiday season, when the world already feels touched by a little sparkle, these stories hit differently.

So pour yourself something warm, curl up under your coziest blanket, and let these books transport you.

Want More Holiday Reads?

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