Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from A Treason of Magic by Melissa Marr, which releases on June 23rd 2026.

Two young women. Heirs to altogether different hereditary burdens. Yet bound by a monstrous threat to their village.

Gabrielle is the first woman in Alveus to carry the mantle of Hunter, which comes with an obligation to kill the faery beasts murdering travelers in Brimmond Wood. Wary of the power she wields as guardian of her people, Gabrielle is summoned by her first love, a seductress who shattered her heart into pieces a decade ago.

Isabeau is the rarest of nobility―a lady duke. She is also afflicted by a curse that leaves her in a deep sleep between the gloaming and daylight. How can she begin her tenure as protector when she can’t keep her village safe from whatever stalks its darkest hours? For that, she needs the help of the Hunter.

Against her will, Gabrielle is falling in love all over again. But what new threats will arise when Gabrielle and Isabeau’s star-crossed destinies collide with the beast of Brimmond Wood?

EXCERPT

Her raven-wing-dark hair is cut short enough that the unruly curls threaten to rebel; one seems to be wrapping around the curve of her ear, not unlike the feathers of the raven that comes to mind every time I see her.

Her beauty is the only excuse I have for sounding so cutting as I say, “No, Isabeau, most people find your future title and your proximity to the queen charming.” I pull off my sodden-wet hat. My two thick braids drop like serpents, heavy and twisting down my back. “I am not impressed by either title or lineage, unlike most of your paramours.”

At first, I fear she’s changed too much as she simply stares at me. Then the quick temper I remember fills her charcoal-dark eyes, and she drawls, “Most of my paramours?”

I swallow several replies. I was not intending to imply that I was still in their number, and according to court gossip, her sheets are never cold. Once, I thought she was mine. Now, I have been replaced by countless lovers.

Isabeau’s eyes are fixed on me as she lowers her voice and asks, “So you agree to be my paramour again, then? I would certainly be willing to resume kissing you.”

“That is your reply to me?” I force a scoffing noise to hide the laugh that threatens to escape. Verbally sparring with her does good things for my mood.

I bet exchanging sword strikes would be better, temptation whispers.

Isabeau steps closer than I am prepared to accept, and I stumble away hastily, awkwardly, embarrassingly all but falling until she grips my wrists to steady me.

In a low voice she demands, “Is that blood?”

“Probably.” I look down, hoping upon hope that it’s not faery blood. I could swear there was none. The dead man was mostly drained of his own blood. There was a little, though, in the pool on the ground.

I spot the wet mark; thankfully it’s human blood.

I hike up my skirt’s hem and pull out a dagger. Without a word, I sever the fabric above the blood. Trying to not seem as incredibly bizarre as I’m sure I must, I scour it with my eyes, trying to assure that no faery blood is there.

Contaminants!

I fumble around in a pocket for salt, fill my hand with it, and turn my back to her as if I’m embarrassed. Quickly, I toss salt on the marble floor, but not so quickly that she doesn’t notice.

“Did you salt my floor?”

“Never too careful,” I say, as if that answer is anywhere near truth.

She looks at me again, but this time her gaze rakes over me as if I’m vulnerable and precious to her. “Are you injured?”

“No,” I whisper. I forgot how much I liked her protective side, perhaps because it was coupled with a possessive streak that was sometimes less alluring.

“Not your blood?” she presses.

“Not mine.” Carefully, I fold the blood into the fabric and transfer it to the hand still coated with coarse salt. “Would you escort me to a fireplace?”

Isabeau offers her arm to me as if we are at a ball or something, as if I am not dressed in attire that will be sentenced to a fire when I return home, as if she did not shatter my heart into pieces a decade ago. A lump that might be my heart chokes me, and I sound like a weathered old woman as I manage to scratch out, “I’d rather not ruin your hem if there are other . . . fluids on my dress.”

Isabeau removes her houppelande, tosses the extravagant garment onto a table, and again offers her arm. I try not to stare at the shape of her revealed without the massive houppelande. I fail instantly. Debauched and drunk are the rumors I hear, but what I see is strength and beauty. If she were intoxicated as often as society swears, her face would not be so bright and beautiful. Alcohol poisons health, and Isabeau looks healthy.

The pause has stretched too long. Seeing no other option, I rest my hand on her elbow, tentatively, as if she might sear me.

From A TREASON OF MAGIC by Melissa Marr, Text copyright © 2026 by Melissa Marr, Published by 47 North

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Every promise has its price…

Annethe Tavery fell in love with a god. Now, he hunts her in a twisted game of cat and mouse. If she so much as thinks of him, her past, or even her real name, it will call him like a beacon to her. So she runs—straight to a port town, where a failed pickpocketing attempt leaves her with a nasty curse. 

There’s only one way to free herself: do the bidding of the nobleman she tried to rob. Annethe soon finds herself embroiled in a murder plot amongst the dangerous world of godbound—nobles whose pacts with gods have twisted them in horrifying ways. If Annethe doesn’t complete the nobleman’s task, the curse will rot her from the inside out. But the longer she stays, the more chance there is that her god will find her—and he isn’t the only one looking. 

Before him, before all the death and pain and running, there was a woman Annethe loved—and who her god killed. Now, the scraps of Calika Korska’s body are held together by her own pact with an unstable god. And both of them are broken, angry, and hell-bent on revenge.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rowan Skye is a debut adult fantasy author who was born and raised in the chilly part of California. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with an English degree, a love for the middle ages, and too many bear-themed sweatshirts. Since then, she’s balanced a corporate job during the day and writing the rest of the time She loves unreliable narrators, complex romance, and heroines who create their own problems. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her cats or relaxing in the desert.

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Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from The Verdant Cage by Jess Lourey, which is out now.

For as long as seventeen-year-old apothecary Rose Allgood can remember, the towering stone Wall surrounding Noah’s Valley has protected her people. No one leaves. No one fights. And no one questions why.

But their paradise has been hiding its thorns. When Rose’s mother becomes the Valley’s first murder victim and her twin brother is swiftly condemned, she alone is searching for the real killer. Determined to find the truth, she follows a trail of hidden messages, forbidden knowledge, and whispers of a past no one dares to remember.

The deeper she digs, the more certain Rose becomes that her mother’s death was no accident. That the Wall isn’t just keeping something out.

It’s keeping something in.

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Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Paranormal Payback, a collection of short stories edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes, which is out now!

In this short story collection, our heroes get what’s due to them—with a supernatural flair.

But the injustices that have been holding them back might cost them more than they realized. . . . 

In “Mister Petty,” a brand-new Dresden Files story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher, a woman hires Goodman Grey to get back at her cheating husband. She’s about to find out that Grey isn’t your ordinary detective—he’s a professional monster. And he’s going to balance the scales.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, “Dying Isn’t Just for the Young” follows an elderly widow reckoning with family scheming to take away her independence in a world infected by a disease of vampirism.

New York Times bestselling author Faith Hunter’s “Razors and Revenge” finds the vampire bounty hunter Shiloh awaiting her judgement at the hands of the Dark Queen, fresh off a brutal werewolf attack and the loss of a dear friend. But Shiloh’s not just a vampire anymore—and the wolfish instincts growing inside her are howling for blood.

And Kim Harrison takes us to the #1 New York Times bestselling series of the Hollows in her story “Dog-eared.” The demon Algaliarept makes a bargain with the dangerously insane Newt, the last female demon, to punish an arrogant wizard for abusing his precious magical texts—but how ruthless is Al willing to be to get his petty vengeance?

ALSO INCLUDES STORIES BY Jennifer Blackstream * Maurice Broaddus * Delilah S. Dawson * Kevin Hearne * Tanya Huff * Kerrie L. Hughes * R. L. King * R.R. Virdi

EXCERPT
DYING ISN’T JUST FOR THE YOUNG by Holly Black

Excerpted from the diary of Beryl Finch. Published with the permission of Nora Lee Amin, executor of Ms. Finch’s literary estate.

March 3, 2004

I sat by Nigel’s bedside at Mount Sinai Hospital all today, his papery hand in mine. His lungs were bad for years, then got much worse overnight. When he inhaled, I could hear them crackle, as though someone were wadding up a piece of wax paper. When he exhaled, there was a sound like a dog pouncing on a squeak toy. I told him we were going home in just a few more days.

Our marriage has always been full of polite lies, but this might be the final one.

March 4, 2004

“Beryl,” Nigel wheezed tonight, awake and conscious enough to want to talk. “What would you do differently if you had a chance to live your life over again?”

A dangerous question. Before I could even begin to answer it, he cut me off, his gaze on the screen above us.

“That can’t be real, can it?”

The news anchor was desperately trying to explain some outbreak of a new disease in Springfield, Massachusetts. There’s a Springfield in every state, isn’t there? Wasn’t that some kind of joke on The Simpsons?

Going Cold, they called the illness, because chilly skin is an early symptom. Another is wanting to bite people. That’s how they think it spreads, like rabies.

The night nurse believes it has something to do with drugs. There was that whole thing with people becoming like zombies from doing something—snorting? smoking?—bath salts, so maybe she has a point.

I went and looked online and it wasn’t really bath salts, but some kind of drug nicknamed “bath salts,” which is very confusing. I feel foolish, but in my defense, in my day when people said they were sniffing glue, they were actually, for real, sniffing glue.

March 7, 2004

No new insight into Nigel’s condition, but the news is full of this Cold thing. They’re saying infected people die, but somehow don’t stay dead. The president of the United States addressed the nation using words like “undead” and “vampires” with complete seriousness.

Nigel and I watched together, then he dozed off again. Nigel was always a force of nature. It seems impossible to me that he can’t find a way to wriggle out of death when he’s managed to wriggle out of a bankruptcy, two heart attacks, and at least three scathing reviews of his plays in The New York Times.

The world is upside down and ridiculous, and I want to stomp my feet like a child until it stops.

March 23, 2004

I am left with the news as my companion most nights in the hospital.

The infection seems to be spreading. The National Guard is in Springfield, but instead of helping, they’re erecting a barricade around the outside. It’s awful. There are people inside taking video of what’s happening in there, and there is so much terror and heartbreak. And blood. There’s a lot of blood.

Although I shouldn’t admit it, the screams on the screen are still preferable to the bagpipes of Nigel’s lungs. That’s one of the terrible paradoxes of humanity. The suffering of one person can be inexpressibly painful to us, while we can feel so much less than we should about the collective suffering of thousands.

Nurses and doctors come through the hospital room and try to reassure us that the outbreak of whatever-it-really-was can be contained and will certainly never make it to New York. They prescribe new medicine for Nigel and reassure us about that too. Oh, and one of the doctors finally explained how this Cold thing works. If you’re bitten by a vampire (yes, they’re calling them that officially now), you become infected, your temperature drops, and you crave blood. Biting someone in that infected state doesn’t spread the infection—but it’s the trigger for the infected person to die and then be reborn as a vampire (again, yes, really, a vampire, like Dracula or Sesame Street’s Count). Then they can spread the Cold.

There is a growing belief that the body can shake off the infection, though, if blood is unavailable for long enough. Maybe there is a way to stem the tide of horror after all. Despite the efforts to wall off Springfield, new cases were discovered in Texas and Seattle just this week. Someone has to do something, and soon.

April 3, 2004

Alarm bells rang through the hospital tonight.

Nigel woke up disoriented, and while I was trying to quiet him down, a nurse rushed into the room and locked the door behind her.

“Get down,” she said.

I am ashamed to say that I just stared at her. It was only when she hit the floor that I understood and slowly got to my knees. At my age that’s not easy.

“What’s going on?” Nigel complained.

“One of them got loose,” the nurse said. “Shhhhh.”

“What are you talking about? What got loose?” I demanded, trying out all the possibilities running through my head. A lion. A serial killer. One of the monsters from the television.

Nigel began coughing.

I could see the tension in the nurse’s expression. She clearly wanted to tell him to stop but was enough of a professional to understand that would be useless. He couldn’t.

“One of the infected ones,” she told me, now that quiet was off the table.

“Why would one be here?” I hissed at her.

She made a gesture of exasperation. “Because some of them have money. A lot of money. They put her in a coma and—”

I heard the crash of a door opening so hard it hit the wall. Footsteps. Our doorknob turned before catching on the lock. I caught my breath. Nigel coughed harder, tears leaking out of his eyes. His hand covered his mouth, trying to muffle the sound. The nurse moved toward the attached bathroom, and I could tell that bitch was clearly planning on locking herself inside if our door opened.

From “Dying Isn’t Just for the Young” by Holly Black copyright 2026 by Holly Black from PARANORMAL PAYBACK edited by Jim Butcher and Kerry Hughes with permission of Ace, an imprint of Penguin Random House copyright 2026 by Jim Butcher and Kerry Hughes

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About The Sea Spinner: Blazing with reawakened magic, a young woman challenges the tides of fate in this highly anticipated sequel to the #1 Sunday Times bestseller The Wind Weaver. Out April 28th 2026.

Whenever the real world feels inescapably heavy, I like to slip into a fictional one instead. Is there any greater escape than an all-consuming fantasy novel? Or, better yet, a series? Some of my personal favorites draw influence from the myths and legends of old, where fae are more monster than man, stakes are deadly high, and tragedy is tightly interwoven with even the sweetest victory…

Here are six fantasy series recommendations (some contemporary, some classic) that incorporate Irish, Welsh, or Norse mythology.

Daughter of the Forest (The Sevenwaters Series, #1) by Juliet Marillier

Marillier weaves a spellbinding tale of sacrifice and sorcery in this retelling of the Celtic legend of “The Six Swans” where a young woman risks everything to save her brothers from a deadly enchantment. With lush writing and wholly immersive worldbuilding, this classic fantasy seamlessly blends history and mythology. Read it as a standalone or continue on with the other books in the Sevenwaters saga, which follows future generations of the same family through various perils and passions.

Darkfever (The Fever Series, #1) by Karen Marie Moning

Celtic legend collides with the contemporary world in The Fever Series, which follows plucky heroine Mackayla Lane through fae-infested streets of modern Dublin in a quest to track down her sister’s killer. The series draws heavily from Irish mythology throughout all five books (and their later spin-offs), and never shies away from dark subject matter. The monsters are genuinely horrifying, the romance is torturously slow burn, and, the heroine’s steady character development shines through even the grimmest plot twists.

Broken Souls and Bones (Stonegate, #1) by LJ Andrews

The first in a duology, this Norse-inspired fantasy immediately draws you into an intricately penned world full of pulse-pounding danger and devilish plots. It also features one of the most interesting magic systems I’ve come across lately, where practitioners employ different “crafts” of blood, bone, soul, and melding. Andrews’ characters are carefully penned throughout, facing both internal and external struggles as the story progresses. But beware the cliffhanger! You’ll want to dive straight into book two. (Which, luckily, is already available.)

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1) by Holly Black

In this first installment of a young adult trilogy, Black tosses her human heroine into the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Infused equally with family drama and fae politics, heartwarming scenes and heart-wrenching twists, it’s difficult to put this book down once you start reading. The lore is rich, the pacing well-penned. The tension never lets up (and I’m not just talking about the delicious enemies-to-lovers dynamic). Don’t let the “young adult” classification scare you off. There’s plenty for grown-ups to enjoy here, too.

A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated Series, #1) by Danielle L. Jensen

This Norse-inspired duology starter serves up an equal portion of romance and fantasy, perfectly balancing sizzling chemistry with magic and action. Between the atmospheric setting and strong cast of side characters, you’ll feel you’re right alongside shield-maiden heroine Freya as she battles to control both her destiny and her goddess-granted powers.

The Wren in the Holly Library (The Oak and Holly Cycle, #1) by K.A. Linde

According to the author’s note at the start of the book, this unique contemporary spin on Celtic mythology was inspired by Linde’s own trip to Ireland, and a particularly formative visit to the library at Trinity College. Here, a post-apocalyptic New York City serves as a playground for fae, druids, monsters, nymphs, vampires, werewolves, and more mythological creatures. Linde’s skillful worldbuilding really shines through, beautifully layered without ever feeling bogged down. (Trolls in the subway? That’s pure fantasy fun!)

PS: My own fantasy trilogy begins with The Wind Weaver, a tale inspired by the Welsh goddess Rhiannon. (And the Fleetwood Mac song of the same name.) The rich folklore found in the Mabinogion collection of Welsh stories helped me immensely in shaping the world of Anwyvn and its fraught political structures. Page one drops you into a huge, war-ravaged realm where the fae have been hunted down and possessing magic is punishable by death… 

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Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from The Violently Departed by Sarah J. Daley, which releases on April 28th 2026.

A missing nun found murdered, a school built on secrets, a haunted town. A new case for Hero Viridian: half-demon, disgraced ex-nun-turned-investigator.

With the stink of demonic involvement surrounding the murder, who better to deal with it than a woman with something to prove, eyes of literal flame and a direct connection to hell?

However, when those who sought her help turn against her, a vulnerable Hero must rely on an unlikely partner, Oleander Keen – a Demonhunter who has already tried to kill her.

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Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos by Seanan McGuire, which is out now.

Eula Blue was supposed to be a mage. That was before the war came—before the fight for the Multiverse devastated Eula’s home, and with it her hopes for a magical education.

But the destruction of the war also brought something new: the ability to travel to other planes. And when Eula receives an invitation to study magic at a distant school called Strixhaven, she leaps to take it.

Eula’s journey brings her closer than she ever thought possible to her fellow students, including the mysterious Segante, a boy whose secrets Eula longs to share. But not everyone is thrilled by the arrival of the new class, and Eula and her new friends quickly become targets.

To make it through their first semester, they’ll have to fight for their place in this new world—or else they’ll be dead before their final exams.

This special first edition hardcover includes a Command Tower Magic: The Gathering card with all-new Strixhaven artwork—while supplies last!

EXCERPT

Even getting to Strixhaven is no easy matter. Three of Strixhaven’s new interplanar students journey across a treacherous Omen Path on their way to the university. Soon after departing from their home planes, Eula and Alandra receive a swift lesson on the cutthroat reality of Segante’s world of Fiora.

Someone outside the carriage yells. Eula moves, pushing Segante out of the way to look out the window herself. A barricade has been set up across the road, and four men are there, swords in hand, menacing the driver. He’s still seated at the front of the carriage, and their pegasus doesn’t appear to have been hurt, but there’s no going forward.

“He needs to just pay them and we can get on with it,” mur­murs Segante, so close to Eula’s ear that she jerks away, turning to stare at him. He shrugs. “They’re highwaymen. You pay them and they let you by. If you protest too much, they decide you have something worth protecting, and they get curious. That’s when people get hurt.”

Their driver doesn’t appear to have been informed about the customs of Fioran highwaymen. He’s continuing to protest, and as Eula watches, two of the men advance on him, swords aimed low. The other two turn toward the carriage door. Segante grabs her, pulling her away from the window.

“Blue girl,” he snaps at Alandra. “Can you not be blue?”

“Excuse me?” asks the merfolk girl.

“We don’t have anyone who looks like you around here. They’re likely to decide you’re someone important—daughter of a noble household or dignitary from another city-state—and try to take you for ransom. Even if they don’t, that little pet of yours is going to be nigh irresistible. Lots of fine ladies in the high city who’d pay well for something as unique as that.”

Alandra’s eyes darken, literally, sunny yellow trending toward orange, like sunlight filtered through heavy cloud cover. She clutches Orestes more tightly to her chest.

Eula glances back out the window. The men are moving slowly, unhurried and unconcerned, but they’re almost to the door.

Can’t open a door you can’t touch. She raises her hands, hold­ing the dimensions of the carriage in her mind, and throws a shield away from herself, covering the side of the carriage in a shimmering film of white shot through with inky black. The win­dow goes hazy, distorted by the shining dome of the shield.

Segante blinks, then moves to peer through the thickened window. “They’ve stopped,” he reports. “They’re looking confused. Can you make this thing cover the whole carriage?”

“No,” says Eula, voice strained and tightly clipped off. “I can’t hold this forever, either.”

“No stamina, huh?”

“I don’t see you helping,” she snaps.

“I’m not the one who provoked the brigands. All the driver had to do was pay them,” he says. “Highwaymen are a normal part of travel. You can’t just go around killing them because you don’t like them doing their jobs.”

Alandra screams.

It’s less like the shriek of a frightened teenage girl and more like the wail of a seagull: loud, wild, and undulating up and down the scale of what sound can be, impossibly shrill, going on and on and on, long past the point where she should have run out of air. Eula stares at her in disbelief. The sound goes on, getting bigger and bigger in the close confines of the carriage. She claps her hands over her ears, fighting to maintain her concentration and hold on the shield. The highwaymen have reached it now: she can feel them banging their fists against it, testing its limitations.

Holding it intact while Alandra screams is getting harder by the second.

“What is she doing?” demands Segante. “Blue girl! What are you doing?”

Alandra continues screaming.

A peal of thunder announces the arrival of a sudden storm. A crack of lightning splits the sky, and torrents of rain crash down across the plains. It sounds like a wave the size of a city park slamming into the ground around them. Around them, but not—Eula sneaks another glance out the hazy window—not directly on top of them. The rain appears to be falling everywhere except for where the carriage sits, leaving it dry and undisturbed.

The hammering on the door gets stronger, hands beating at Eula’s shield until it feels like they’re hammering against her body. She moans and drops to her knees. Segante steps around her.

“Let it go,” he says, his voice surprisingly soft.

She gives him a startled glance. He looks back at her, expres­sion surprisingly gentle, and nods.

Eula releases the shield. It collapses from the outside in, un­raveling like a lace doily, until the final strands dissolve and the magic snaps back on her, leaving her gasping and unsteady. She braces her hands against the carriage floor as she struggles to catch her breath, and so she misses what happens next, as Se­gante opens the door and steps out into the rain-drenched after­noon.

He closes the door behind himself as he says something, his tone quiet and reasonable, but his words are taken by the storm. A minute or so later, the carriage door opens again, and Segante climbs back inside, dripping wet and perfectly calm.

“They’re gone,” he says, simply enough. “Alandra, if you could shut down the monsoon long enough for our driver to get us out of here, I’m sure he’d appreciate it.”

Alandra stops screaming and blinks at him, the orange bleed­ing out of her eyes and leaving them bright yellow once again.

“What did you do?” she asks as she holds Orestes close against her chest.

“Nothing,” he says.

He retakes his seat. The carriage rolls on, gathering speed as their driver resumes his journey toward the omenpath, and as there’s no window in the back of the carriage, none of them looks back.

None of them see the bodies.

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Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and a sneak peek from To Dance The Moon and Stars by Tasia M S and Barbara Perez Marquez, which releases on July 14th 2026 and is available now for preorder.

Eighteen-year-old Myra has spent her entire life training to replace her grandmother as High Priestess. But with the day of her ascension rapidly approaching, she’s not sure if she’s meant for this path. How can she become the herald of the god Alrun when he forbids the thing she loves most: dancing?

Her kingdom can’t afford her hesitation though. Not only is the emperor looking for Alrun’s wisdom ahead of a peace treaty, but forces of darkness are seeping through the barrier between worlds. The only source of light Myra has is her childhood best friend, the crown prince. Without his support and…love, she may not be able to stop what’s coming.

To save her people, Myra must delve into her kingdom’s forgotten history, even if it means defying the laws of the land. But the key to salvation may just require her to make the biggest sacrifice of all.

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About The Geomagician: When a Victorian fossil hunter discovers a baby pterodactyl, she vows to protect him, with the help of a fellow scholar—her former fiancé—in this enchanting and transporting historical fantasy. Out March 31st 2026.

I went on a quest when I was eight. I wrapped an apple, string cheese, and a piece of bread into a tea towel, tossed it over my shoulder, and called for Sammy the cat to follow.

Sammy, scrappy and thin, with short, black fur, trotted gamely after me. Together we walked, oh, about twenty feet from the house, sat under the kumquat tree, and ate our victuals. I felt wild and brave, venturing away from home all on my own. But it was even sweeter because I wasn’t really alone. I had Sammy to share the adventure with me.

The animal companion trope is as much a staple of fantasy as that bundle of apple, cheese, and bread. They can be non-speaking, telepathic, or capable of speech. Mundane or magical. Scaled, furred, winged, pawed, or hooved. And just like pets in the real world, fictional animal friends tend to bring out the best in their humans, helping characters grow kinder and braver than if they were alone.

I’m sure you will likely have a list of your own favorites, but here are seven of my favorite animal companions, plus one adorable pterodactyl you’ll meet in my historical fantasy, THE GEOMAGICIAN.  

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

Talat (Horse)

I imprinted deeply on this lyrical story of a girl-and-her-horse hunting dragons. Talat is an aggressive, retired warhorse who slowly comes to trust the outcast princess who seeks to ride him. Talat and Aerin were the blueprint for fantasy horse girlies born in the 80s and 90s.

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Nighteyes (Wolf)

In Robin Hobb’s epic Realm of the Elderlings series some people possess a magic called ‘Wit’ that allows them to bond with animals. The main character, Fitz, bonds to a wolf named Nighteyes, and their relationship is genuinely one of the most moving depictions of friendship I’ve ever read. But prepare yourself if you pick this one up—you’re going to cry.

His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik

Temeraire (Dragon)

This delightful series by Naomi Novik reimagines the Napoleonic Wars—with dragons. After Temeraire imprints on Captain Will Laurence, an English naval officer, the pair join the ranks of the British Aerial Corps. Clever and inquisitive, Temeraire the dragon slowly breaks down Laurence’s defenses, as the pair get themselves in and out of various military, interpersonal, and political hijinks.

Emily Wilde Series by Heather Fawcett

Shadow (Dog?)

Emily Wilde is a no-nonsense scholar researching the fae. She is accompanied (and protected) on fieldwork by her enormous gentle giant of a dog named Shadow. Shadow doesn’t speak, but he is a steady, constant friend to Emily, and I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say he is more than he appears. As a bonus, you also get to meet Orga—a cat who is also more than meets the eye—as the series continues.

The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart

Mephi (Ossalen)

When Jovis, a smuggler, sees a tiny, fluffy animal swimming behind his ship, he pulls the creature aboard. Mephi, described as something like an otter-kitten, grows rapidly into an otter-dragon called an ossalen and learns to speak. If an otter-dragon companion isn’t enough to sell you on it, this series has one of my favorite magic systems in which coding on pieces of bone can control animal constructs.   

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

Bone Dog (Bone dog)

It was difficult to choose my favorite T. Kingfisher animal because she often includes pets or animal friends in her work and they’re all wonderful (honorable mention to the sarcastic armadillo from Minor Mage.) But Bone Dog stole my heart from the first ghost lick he gives heroine Mara after she assembles him in a charnel pit. Bone Dog becomes Mara’s loyal companion as she sets out to kill a prince and save her sister in this funny, dark, sweet fairytale.

The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgkins

Sol (Not-Quite-A-Raven)

Admittedly Sol—short for Solitary Raven—is more of a metaphysical concept than an animal, but he is the reluctant companion of Neema, a scribe forced to compete to become Emperor. Sol is as histrionic as Neema is practical, but I adored watching their unwanted bond transform into mutual respect and friendship.

The Geomagician by Jennifer Mandula

Ajax (Pterosaur)

When a fossilized egg miraculously hatches in her hands to reveal a baby pterodactyl, fossil hunter Mary Anning names him Ajax. She immediately starts scheming how to use him to further her career and become a geomagician, a magical paleontologist. But spirited little Ajax—who looks like a puffin if it were also a gargoyle—slowly thaws her heart, and will hopefully win yours, too.  

The post Seven Fantasy Books with Animal Companions appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from The Dead Man’s Empire by W.P. Wiles, which releases on March 24th 2026.

Two in the eye of the storm. Two in touch with the end.

Syzenne. A princess? Or a mere bargaining chip in a contest between two powers?

Duna. A teenage girl dragged into a war by a fanatical priest? Or a child who can break mountains?

As blood-thirsty elves sweep the land, as religions crumble and rumours spread of an empire of the dead revived it is two young women who hold the key. As the world spirals down into war, The Last Blade Priest must face the fear and wonder of The Dead Man’s Empire. In The Holy Mountain, W.P. Wiles has created an epic fantasy of incredible richness and originality. A celebration of the genre and breath of fresh air.

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The post Read An Excerpt From ‘The Dead Man’s Empire’ by W.P. Wiles appeared first on The Nerd Daily.