42 Insanely cozy fantasy books you’ll want to snuggle up with

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Recently updated on June 21st, 2024 at 02:32 pm

Looking for cozy fantasy books? Here are 42 insanely cozy fantasy books you’ll want to read over and over again.

This post contains affiliate links. That said, I won’t ever recommend a book I haven’t read and loved myself.

Cozy fantasy books are my latest obsession. While epic battles and high stakes quests are incredible. Sometimes, there is nothing better than curling up with a low stakes, light-hearted fantasy book.

It can be hard to find out which books are low stakes, light hearted fantasy books. So, I’ve compiled a list of the absolute best cozy fantasy books.

Let’s see the best cozy fantasy books

What is a cozy fantasy book?

A cozy fantasy book is a light-hearted fantasy book. They are comfortable to read and don’t have high stakes battles, violence and tension.

In a hurry? Here are my top picks

Best magical finishing school – The Wildseed Witch

The Best cozy graphic novel – The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill

The Best cozy fantasy romance – This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

Best cozy book with witches – The Girl who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

Best cozy fantasy books

1. This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

This Poison Heart is a cozy fantasy with cottagecore imagery and plant magic. The supportive parents and cute sapphic romance make this a comforting read.

This Poison Heart follows Briseis. She has a magic gift where she can magic tiny seeds grow into rich blooms with a single touch. Her aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York. And it’s there she must uncover her family’s heritage and secrets.

2. Cinderella is dead by Kalynn Bayron

Kalynn Bayron writes the best cozy fantasy books. This is a twist on the classic Cinderella retelling with a sapphic romance and BIPOC characters.

The premise is that teen girls are now required to appear at an annual ball where men select wives. But Sophia wants to marry her childhood best friend Erin. And isn’t a fan of the whole parade in front of suitors thing.

3. Ash by Malinda Lo

Ash was ahead of it’s time. This sapphic romance was published in 2009. The worldbuilding has cozy cottagecore and forest imagery. Perfect if you’re looking for cozy fantasy books.

Ash is a Sapphic Cinderella retelling. Ash deals with the grief of losing her parents. She falls in love with the king’s huntress.

4. Mooncakes by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker

This is such a cosy read! If you’re looking for cozy fantasy books then this is a great choice. It’s a LGBTQ+ YA graphic novel with a lighthearted romance between a witch and a non-binary werewolf.

We follow teen witch Nova. She works at her Nana’s magical bookshop. And she helps them loan out spell books. But she also investigates supernatural occurrences in her local town.

5. The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill

Kay O’Neill’s writes the coziest stories with stunning artwork. Tea Dragon Society is a heartwarming book with beautiful imagery and a lovely message.

The Tea Dragon Society is about dragons who grow leaves you can make tea from. But the tea is infused with memories. We follow Greta a blacksmith apprentice. One day she finds a lost tea dragon in the marketplace.

6. These Witches Don’t burn by Isabel Sterling

Witches in Salem. This urban fantasy has a mystery to solve and cozy worldbuilding.

We follow Hannah, a witch living in Salem. A dark blood ritual interrupts her end of school bonfire. And she investigates with her ex-girlfriend Veronica.She also meets Morgan. But trying to date in the middle of a supernatural crisis is not easy and will test Hannah’s limits.

7. The Wildseed Witch by Marti Dumas

This is a ya fantasycoming of age story about a girl who discovers she’s a witch. It also talks a lot about the dangers of social media. A fun adventure story.

We follow Hasani. She plans on using her summer holidays to grow her YouTube following. But then, an emotional outburst sparks magical ability in her. So Hasani goes to Les Belles Demoiselles. A finishing school for talented young ladies with magical powers.

8. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

This has a magical story concept, whimsical world-building and a friendly witch as the main character.

Every year the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope to keep her from terrorizing the town. But the witch Xan is kind. She rescues the abandoned children. And delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest.

 9. Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

A fantasy book set in a magical forest. And it has an adorable grumpy/sunshine mlm romance.  Plus it references mythological creatures such as dryads and faeries.

We follow Tobias, forest guardian. He is tasked to look after the forest. One day Henry Silver moves into Greenhollow Hall and everything changes. Silver starts to dig up old secrets that are best left forgotten.

10. The LumberJanes by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Brooklyn A. Allen and Noelle Stevenson

The Lumberjanes  series is an adorable lgbtq middle grade graphic novel. It’s set at a summer camp and is filled with beautiful forest imagery.

The graphic comic book series follows five pals at a summer camp. They are determined to have an incredible summer and not let supernatural critters or quests get in their way.

11. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Howl’s Moving Castle is the perfect cozy fantasy book to read if you’re after cottagecore vibes. A magical, atmospheric and heartwarming read.

Howl’s Moving Castle follows Sophie. One day she attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste. The Witch transforms Sophie into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking the spell? The ever moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl’s castle.

12. Emily Wilde’s Encylopedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett

A cute cozy fantasy with a romance and cottagecore vibes. It features academic rivals, fairies and a remote town.

It follows Emily Wilde – a curmudgeonly academic and Cambridge professor. She is compiling world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. She travels to a tiny, remote town in the far North to study fairies. But she’s joined by her academic rival – the endlessly charming Wendell Bambleby.

13. The House Witch by Delemhach

Searching for low stakes, cozy cottagecore books? Then you must read this.  A charming read with mouth-watering food imagery and a kitten companion.

The House Witch is set in a medieval world where witches can command a different form of elemental magic – fire, air, water or earth. Finlay, a mutant, is a House Witch. And he becomes Royal Cook in a castle. And his magic means he can cook the most incredible meals. 

 14. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldtree

Legends & Lattes is the cosiest, low-stakes, slice-of-life fantasy book. And it also features an adorable wlw romance. This is the perfect book to enjoy with a hot drink, as the coffee imagery is excellent.

Legends & Lattes follows Viv – an orc barbarian.  She leaves her life as a warrior and opens the first coffee shop in Thune. 

15. Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

A cozy fantasy with a sapphic romance and a mystery too solve. This includes a mystery to solve and adorable tea imagery.

We follow Reyna and Kianthe. All they want is to open a bookshop that serves tea. Think wooden floors, plants and firelight drifting between the rafters… all complemented by love and good company. But Reyna works as one of the Queen’s private guards and Kianthe is a powerful mage. And leaving their lives isn’t easy.

16. Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris tea Shop by Rochelle Lim

Searching for books with mouthwatering food imagery? Then Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Teashop is the book for you. 

Vanessa Yu can see people’s fortunes at the bottom of their teacups.  To avoid blurting out their fortunes, she converts to coffee. But somehow fortunes escape and find a way to complicate her life.   To add to this plight, her romance life is nonexistent. And her parents enlist the services of a matchmaking expert from Shanghai.

17. A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T Kingfisher

A ya fantasy with magic and baking imagery.  The baking imagery makes this a comforting read.

We follow fourteen year old Mona.  She isn’t like the wizards charged with defending the city.  Her magic only works on bread. And Mona leads a comfortable life in her aunt’s bakery making gingerbread men dance.But Mona’s life is turned upside down when she finds a dead body on the bakery floor.

18. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

An uplifting, cozy fantasy book. This would be perfect for fans of T.J Klune.

Mika Moon is isolated witch, she hides her magic. With one exception. Mika posts videos on her online account pretending to be a witch. An unexpected messages begs her to travel to the remote Nowhere House to teach three young witches to control their magic.

19. So this is ever after by F.T. Lukens

Are you a fan of the tv series, Merlin? But did you want Merlin and Arthur to become a couple? Then you need to read this book.

We follow Arek, he’s completed the prophecy to save the Kingdom of Ere from an evil King. But now he is at a loss for what to do next. Now Arek is stuck as king, a role that comes with a magical catch: choose a spouse by your eighteenth birthday, or wither away into nothing.

20. The Girl from the Sea by Molly Ostertag

A heartwarming tale of a romance with a selkie. It also touches on friendship and environmental activism.

We follow fifteen-year-old Morgan. She can’t wait to escape the little Island where she lives. She’s desperate to finish high school and escape. Morgan’s biggest secret is that she has a lot of secrets, including the one about wanting to kiss another girl. Then one night, Morgan is saved from drowning by a mysterious girl named Keltie.

21. The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

The Ex Hex is an adorable romance. And it makes the perfect autumnal read. 

Nine years ago, Vivienne Jones nursed her broken heart like any young witch would: vodka, weepy music, bubble baths…and a curse on the horrible boyfriend. She isn’t worried it will cause him anything more than a bad hair day or two. That is until Rhys Penhallow, returns to Graves Glen, Georgia.

22. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

As a child, first reading this I was transported to the magical world of Narnia. The snow, ice and cozy imagery inside Mr Tumnus’ cottage made this such a cosy read.

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is an endearing children’s classic with a magical concept. A Magical wintery world in a wardrobe. Four children are evacuated to a country house. And they find a magical kingdom called Narnia at the back of a wardrobe.

23. A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers

A Psalm for the Wild Build is more science-fiction. But she writes the most comforting and inclusive books.

Centuries before, robots of Panga gained self-awareness, laid down their tools, wandered, en masse into the wilderness, never to be seen again. They faded into myth and urban legend. Now the life of the tea monk who tells this story is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. 

24. Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

Are you a fan of historical fantasy? This cozy fantasy is a historical fantasy romance with fae.

Finding a husband in Regency England is difficult when you’re a young lady with only half a soul. We follow Theodora Ettings. Cursed by a faerie, she has no sense of fear or embarrassment. A condition making her prone to scandal.

25. Under the whispering door by T.J. Klune

Under the Whispering Door is a warm and comforting read. It features a reaper but this is still low stakes. Plus it is filled with lovely teashop imagery.

We follow Wallace Price. A reaper comes to collect him from his own funeral. But instead of taking him directly to the afterlife, leads him to a tea shop in a small village. Hugo runs the teashop but is also the ferryman to souls who need to cross over.

26. The Bookshop and the Barbarian by Morgan Stang

You can’t beat books about bookshops. Book imagery makes a fantasy book feel super cozy. This is a low stakes, slice of life fantasy with a sapphic romance.

Running from strife in her homeland, Maribella Waters becomes the new owner of the fabled Cozy Quill. After finding squatters on her property, she employs Asteria Helsdottir, a giant, barbarian warrior woman more accustomed to swinging an axe than opening a book.

27. Garlic the Vampire by Bree Paulson

Garlic the Vampire is a cozy graphic novel. Perfect for all ages, the stunning artwork is perfect for Autumn.

Garlic feels as though she’s always doing something wrong. Garlic is happy to just tend her garden, where it’s nice and safe. But when her village of vegetable folk learns that a bloodthirsty vampire has moved into the nearby castle, they all agree that, in spite of her fear and self-doubt, Garlic is the obvious choice to confront him.

28. Flowerheart by Katharine Blakewell

A beautiful cozy fantasy full of cottagecore imagery. The magic in this book is manifested in flowers.

We follow Clara, a girl with flower magic. Her magic has always been wild, but never dangerous. Then one day she accidentally causes poisonous flowers to bloom in her father’s chest. The only way to heal him is to cast a difficult spell requiring perfect control. And the only person willing to help is her former best friend, Xavier.

29. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

A whimsical and wonderful ya cozy fantasy. This is lighthearted and humorous with an excellent plot.

We follow Tress. She lives a simple life on her island home in an emerald-green ocean. Full of simple pleasures, such as listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes. Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea.

30. The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta

Fans of bakery and food imagery will love this cozy fantasy book. This queer fantasy features romance, magic and baking.

Teenage baker Syd sends ripples of heartbreak through Austin’s queer community when a batch of post-being-dumped brownies turns out to be magical—and makes everyone who eats them break up.

31. A Rival Most Vial by R.K. Ashwick

Are you a fan of Legends & Lattes? You need to read this cozy mystery. Magical and whimsical with a unique setting. Plus the characters are excellent.

Any adventurer worth their sword knows about Ambrose Beake. The proud, quiet half-elf sells the best, and only, potions in the city—until a handsome new shopkeeper named Eli opens another potion shop across the street, throwing Ambrose’s peace and ledgers far off balance.

32. The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

Funny, witty and entertaining. This cozy fantasy is a blend of regency romance, fairytale fantasy and sarcasm.

Cecilia Bassingwaite is the ideal Victorian lady. She’s also a thief. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means.  Cecilia must save her aunt from a crazed pirate and his charming henchman.

33. That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming

Searching for a fantasy with humour? While this has higher stakes, it has an excellent plot, smut and easy-to-read writing.

We follow Cinnamon. She wants to live her life in peace. But then she runs into a demon, Fallon, and he informs her that she’s been worshipping an evil goddess. Together, they set off to hunt her down.

34. The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

This is perfect for fans of Howl’s Moving Castle or the classic rom-com, You’ve Got Mail. A captivating fantasy with an enemies to lovers romance.

Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the magical wilds of Tanria. Mercy never has a moment to herself. She’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat. After yet another exasperating run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed to “A Friend”. Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return.

35. Cemetary Boys by Aiden Thomas

This does have higher stakes and a sense of danger. But the autumnal imagery is so cozy. And I had to include it. Plus it has excellent queer representation with a transgender main character and mlm romance.

Cemetery Boys follows Yadriel whose traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender. To prove himself, he performs a ritual. And sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin.

36. The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkein

The Hobbit does have some sense of danger and stakes. But this has the coziest cottageore and food imagery. I want to eat seven meals a day much like a hobbit. And hobbit holes sound adorable.

The Hobbit is a charming adventure story set in Middle Earth. The novel follows Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit living in The Shire. One day he meets the wizard Gandalf and goes on an adventure.

37. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

A fantasy graphic novel recommendation. This is a cozy fantasy with villains and charming artwork.

We follow Nimona and Lord Ballister Blackheart. Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter who becomes a sidekick to Lord Blackheart. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. Their mission is to prove that Sir Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren’t the heroes everyone thinks they are.

38. Cursed Cocktails by S.L Rowland

A lovely cozy fantasy with an intriguing mystery. It also features an adorable queer romance.

We follow Rhoren. After 20 years defending the north, he has earned his retirement. But chronic pain remains and he learns that a warmer climate will help. In the warm and relaxing atmosphere of Eastborne, the umbral elf finds a new purpose. And he brings along his most prized possession—a book of drink recipes inherited from his father.

39. Asiri and the Amaru by Natalia Hernandez

This is a charming cozy fantasy inspired by Peruvian folklore and mythology.

Asiri has a gift – she has the ability to speak to animals. But, when she feels her talents are being abused in her home, she escapes to a delightful coastal village. She plans to hide her gift and live a “normal” life. This proves difficult as her path keeps crossing with Dario, the village’s charming and handsome animal healer.

40. Witchful Thinking by Celestine Martin

A cute and cozy fantasy romance with fake dating. This is low stakes and set in an adorable small town.

We follow Lucinda Caraway. She lives in Freya Grove, a mystic seaside town where magic is the norm. She spends her days teaching but can’t stop wishing for more. One night, that wish turns into a spell and suddenly she can’t say no

41. The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais

This comforting fantasy features witches and a magical heist. It features older witches in their eighties. And the characters make this story magical.

We follow five octogenarian witches. An angry mob threatens to demolish Moonshyne Manor. Queenie confesses they’ve fallen far behind on their mortgage payments. The witches are determined to save their home and themselves.

42. Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson

This is a cozy fantasy with Halloweentown vibes. Set in a magical inn, this is the perfect comforting read for spooky season.

We follow thirteen-year-old Annabella Ballinkay. She’s never been normal.  Every generation uses their abilities to help run the Ravenfall Inn, a sprawling, magical B&B at the crossroads of the human world and the Otherworld. But it’s hard to contribute when your only power is foreseeing death.

This post was all about cozy fantasy books

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