Whether you’re already a fan of all things fantasy or have found yourself wondering what all the hype is about – especially in regard to some of the biggest book releases and trending titles on social media and #BookTok – it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming when deciding which fantasy book to pick up.
“Fantasy has always been a popular genre but, in the past few years, we have seen the genre increase significantly in sales and popularity,” says Jen Barrett, UK Kindle direct publishing lead at Amazon. “A lot of this can be attributed to the influence of BookTok, which is showing no sign of slowing down. For example, romantasy (a specific fantasy sub-genre) has dominated Amazon’s most-sold charts.”
While fantasy has made its way into other genres, such as romance and horror, Barrett adds that fantasy books are also usually part of a wider series, which allows readers to spend more time with characters and the intricate world-building. “Because of this, a stronger connection is made between readers and characters (as well as the authors), which then leads to fans investing into several full series,” she says.
Various fantasy book adaptations for screen over the past few years have also reignited the genre’s popularity, including Suzanne Collins’s young adult dystopian fantasy series The Hunger Games, and Prime Video’s series The Rings of Power, which is set on perhaps one of the most iconic fantasy books, The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien.
That’s just scratching the surface, though, when it comes to the best fantasy books to discover. So, whether you already enjoy fantasies and are looking for your next great read or you don’t really know where to begin, we’ve put together our list of the best fantasy books, while taking into consideration a variety of different sub-genres.
While this list is by no means exhaustive – there are literally thousands of incredible fantasy books to choose from – we’ve done the research, and a whole lot of reading, to take the hassle out of deciding which fantasy to read next.
How we tested
Our reviewer not only picked up some of the most popular reads from the genre but also flipped through hundreds of books to seek out the ones with the best storytelling, world building, characters, sub-genres and tropes, focusing on the ones that kept them engaged the whole way through.
They also assessed how the story flowed as a whole, as well as how accessible the writing was – whether you’ve been reading fantasy fiction for years or are new to the genre.
Most importantly, our bookworm looked for fantasy books and stories that stuck with them long after they had closed the book on the final page.
The best fantasy books for 2025 are:
- Best overall – A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin: £9.19, Amazon.co.uk
- Best budget buy – A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas: £4.27, Amazon.co.uk
- Best high/epic fantasy – The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon: £8.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best contemporary fantasy – The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab: £15.49, Amazon.co.uk
- Best gothic fantasy – Tales of a Monstrous Heart by Jennifer Delaney: £16.99, Waterstones.com
