This year has really been the year for cosy fantasy, so I guess it won’t surprise anyone that two of the three books on my list are in that genre!

My first favourite, chronologically speaking, was The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen. While this one was kind of cosy, it was also just… so difficult to describe, in a good way? It’s like a mish-mash of You’ve Got Mail and The Princess Bride and, uh… zombies? Look, this book defies description, but it had a fantastic setting and I really enjoyed it.

One of my other favourites was Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans, which is probably less on the cosy side but also fantastic on the worldbuilding. This book really catered to my geekiness about historical occultism, given that it’s basically “what if alchemy was both metaphorical and literal at the same time”. It also had some great class divides woven into the setting, with upper-class alchemists facing very different challenges from lower-class alchemists, who aren’t technically allowed to practice.

Lastly, I had the chance to read Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, which technically came out before this year, but has just been republished by Tor. This book was the most adorable, low-stakes fantasy, with all kinds of nods to people who play Dungeons & Dragons. The best way I can describe it, I think, is if your tabletop character finished their last quest and then immediately started a game of the Sims in order to build a nice coffee shop with all their loot. It was basically stress-free and incredibly cute.

So, this may be cheating a little bit, since this is a fantasy blog and not a romance blog? But I think my most anticipated read at the moment is probably Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade. I’m going to count it anyway, because all of her romances fall squarely within the geek-o-sphere, even if they’re not technically fantasy. Anyone who watches fantasy television will probably enjoy her fandom jokes and cringeworthy satirical scripts.

In a more traditional fantasy vein, I suppose I’m waiting on Brandon Sanderson’s mystery novels like just about everyone else? (Yes, I did that Kickstarter.)

Olivia Atwater writes whimsical historical fantasy with a hint of satire. She lives in Montreal, Quebec with her fantastic, prose-inspiring husband and her two cats. When she told her second-grade history teacher that she wanted to work with history someday, she is fairly certain this isn't what either party had in mind. She has been, at various times, a historical re-enactor, a professional witch at a metaphysical supply store, a web developer, and a vending machine repairperson.