We come to it at last. My favorite genre: Fantasy. I don’t know what it is about magical worlds that so captures my attention, but if I had to choose only one genre to read forevermore, it would be fantasy.

I read a lot of great fantasy books last year. Most of my favorites of the year, in fact.

So in no particular order, here are my favorite fantasy books of 2021:

• The Witness for the Dead (The Goblin Emperor #2)
  by Katherine Addison
  240 pages

Thara Celehar, the Witness for the Dead of the city of Amalo, wants little more than to live a quiet life and fulfill his duties. But his past doesn’t rest easily, and his duties are far from simple- and more controversial than he imagined they would be. Yet his own sense of justice will not allow Celehar to take the easy road, and so he travels a treacherous path that puts him in danger’s path, but will grant him– and the dead– a greater peace, if only he can survive to complete his missions.

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• The Councillor
  by E.J. Beaton
  448 pages

When the assassination of the Iron Queen Sarelin Brey threatens to fracture the realm of Elira, it falls upon the queen’s closest friend, Lysande Prior, to choose the next ruler from four city-leaders, each of whom has their strengths, flaws, and hidden agendas. But for all her intelligence, Lysande has weaknesses of her own- she carries secrets that could get her killed if anyone finds out, and the more time she spends with the city-leaders, the more her taste for power grows.

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• Knot of Shadows (Penric and Desdemona #11)
  by Lois McMaster Bujold
  111 pages

On a gloomy winter’s day, Penric is summoned from his home to investigate a strange occurrence: a body pulled from the harbor is suddenly alive again, but no one can make sense of what it is saying. Penric has an idea of what has happened, but the more he investigates this strange happening, the more twisted– and tragic– the tale grows.

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• Jade Legacy (The Green Bone Saga #3)
  by Fonda Lee
  736 pages

In this brilliant finale to Lee’s Green Bone Saga, the No Peak Clan faces the future– and its destiny– as it faces enemies on all sides. Every member of the Kaul family has their part to play in determining the clan’s fate, but not everyone agrees on how they should deal with societal pressures and the increasing pace of change. But one thing is certain: if they don’t face what’s coming together, the No Peak Clan is doomed.

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• The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle #1)
  by Nghi Vo
  112 pages

A young princess from the far north is sent south to marry the emperor. Alone and reviled, she has only her servants at her side to keep her company- and to help her plot a path to freedom. Her story is told from the perspective of her most beloved handmaiden, a young woman whose secret could bring down the empire.

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• Ring Shout
  by P. Djèlí Clark
  192 pages

In 1915, the racist film Birth of a Nation sweeps across the country and swells the ranks of the Ku Klux Klan, opening its more ardent members to vile possession by demonic Kluxes. Maryse Boudreaux and her group of resistance fighters do what they can to fight back the Kluxes, but when they discover something hellish brewing in Macon, they know they’re fighting a losing battle. Unless, that is, Maryse can dig deep within herself and face a frightening truth about herself she’s spent her life trying to bury.

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• The Fourth Island
  by Sarah Tolmie
  128 pages

Of the western coast of Ireland lie the Aran Islands, three rocky points of land scoured by sea and wind, whose inhabitants are a hardy and insular people. Every once in a while, though, a fourth island, Inis Caillte, appears. Its inhabitants are those who found their way in moments of despair. Believed dead by their friends and families, they work to find hope and healing in their new home. But gone is not forgotten, and the dark emotions that draw people to Inis Caillte are spreading to other lands.

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• The Wolf in the Whale
  by Jordanna Max Brodsky
  544 pages

Born with her father’s courageous spirit, Omat is determined to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps and help keep her family on good terms with the spirits of their Arctic homeland. The spirits have turned their backs on Omat’s people, though, and no matter how far they go or how much they hunt, they cannot find enough food. When a strange ship carrying tall, fiery-haired warriors appears amidst the ice, Omat embarks on a quest to save her brother. When she crosses paths with a strange warrior cast out by the fiery-haired people, they must work together to prevent their worlds from colliding and bringing an end to everything they know and cherish.

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• A Master of Djinn
  by P. Djèlí Clark
  400 pages

Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, and has proved herself more than once– especially by saving the world last summer. So when the members of a secret brotherhood are all murdered, Fatma is called in to investigate. The brotherhood was devoted to Al-Jahiz, the mysterious figure who summoned magic back into the world decades earlier. A charismatic figure appears, claiming to be Al-Jahiz reborn. While Fatma is initially skeptical, more occurrences seem to back up the man’s claims until his followers threaten to bring about a revolution that threatens Cairo– and the rest of the world. With help from a figure from her past, it’s up to Fatma to unravel the webs around this impostor before he upends society as they know it.