I am a debut author and avid reader of Urban Fantasy. Renewing the Arbors is my first published work, but I have many more planned to come. Like some of my recommendations, all of my works take place in the same urban fantasy world. Different characters have their own problems to solve and adventures to have. That’s why I love books with big, richly developed worlds. An open world leaves room for new characters and new adventures without becoming stale or overused. I hope the books on my recommendation list keep you as invested as they have kept me.
The world has not seen druids for two hundred years. The demon lord, Mathias, has hunted them to extinction in pursuit of vengeance, leaving their cities and magical groves empty and unattended. Alia is ready to take the last step in her training, but Declan has been dragging his feet in fear of losing another apprentice. Also, Galvin has arrived unexpectedly on their doorstep, seeking Declan’s help to escape a life where his greatest expectation is to do as he’s told.
After Declan is captured, the two discover a spell that could protect Declan and the long empty groves from Mathias, but the spell is more advanced than either of them. Only too late will they discover that it has altered them both forever.
Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series is one of my absolute favorites. A quirky wizard detective working on a shoestring budget and always getting into trouble is always a fun read for me. The characters and the world building are well crafted with many depths and facets. These books are what really started my love for urban fantasy.
In the first novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files series, Harry Dresden’s investigation of a grisly double murder pulls him into the darkest depths of magical Chicago…
As a professional wizard, Harry Dresden knows firsthand that the “everyday” world is actually full of strange and magical things—and most of them don’t play well with humans. And those that do enjoy playing with humans far too much. He also knows he’s the best at what he does. Technically, he’s the only at what he does. But even though Harry is the only game in town, business—to put…
I have always had a love for historical fiction, but not time travel. Gabaldon does both splendidly in her Outlander series. She had done some thorough research to fill her world with historical events and people and it shows. This series really shows that the best magic systems and world building come from the legends and myths we already think we know.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The first book in Diana Gabaldon’s acclaimed Outlander saga, the basis for the Starz original series.
One of the top ten best-loved novels in America, as seen on PBS’s The Great American Read!
Unrivaled storytelling. Unforgettable characters. Rich historical detail. These are the hallmarks of Diana Gabaldon’s work. Her New York Times bestselling Outlander novels have earned the praise of critics and captured the hearts of millions of fans. Here is the story that started it all, introducing two remarkable characters, Claire Beauchamp Randall and Jamie Fraser, in a spellbinding novel of passion and…
This book is an absolute five-star read. Maas has built such a beautiful and rich fae world with its own history and intricacies that really make the setting come alive. The characters are also artfully crafted with deep and rich relationships. This series has really rekindled my love for true fantasy with all new worlds to explore.
Experience Feyre Archeron's journey all over again with the beautiful collector's edition of A Court of Thorns and Roses, the seductive first book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series by Sarah J. Maas, featuring a deluxe new package, an updated map, ribbon pull, and more!
When nineteen-year-old Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin-one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.
As she…
A good story is not exclusive to adult fiction. Riordan proves that with his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Good books are for everyone. Riordan has built a huge urban fantasy world based on the ancient mythology we already know and has breathed new life into it. I love how the different series all exist in the same world. Sometimes they cross over and meet one another, but it’s not a forced meeting.
The Lightning Thief: the First book in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series.
The first bestselling book in Rick Riordan's phenomenally successful Percy Jackson series.
Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood. I never asked to be the son of a Greek God. I was just a normal kid, going to school, playing basketball, skateboarding. The usual. Until I accidentally vaporized my maths teacher. That's when things started really going wrong. Now I spend my time fighting with swords, battling monsters with my friends, and generally trying to stay alive.
I love the richness of this fantasy world within our own. The magic system follows rules, but, like life, those rules are not absolute. The characters, as highly intelligent people, do a lot of research and experimenting to discover how to work around these non-absolute rules to, what else? Defeat evil of course.
In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont.
Enjoy this Persuasion-inspired historical romance!
Six years ago, Amy decided *not* to elope with Captain Nate Preston. Now, he is back in the neighborhood, and he is shocked to discover that Amy is unmarried. Even more surprising, she is clearly battling some unnamed illness. Thrown together by circumstances outside their control, Nate and Amy try to be friends. Soon, it becomes clear that their feelings for each other never died. Has anything changed, or are they destined for heartbreak once more?
Six years ago, Amy Lamplugh decided not to elope with Nate Preston. Ever since, she has been working hard to convince herself she was right to choose her family over Nate.
Now, Nate is back. After an illustrious career as a naval captain, he faces a court martial for disobeying orders while fighting the slave trade. He accepts an invitation to await the trial at a country estate outside of Portsmouth - and discovers he is suddenly neighbors with Amy.
Nate is shocked to find that Amy didn’t end up marrying someone rich…
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