The 10 absolute best books with elemental magic that you’ll obsess over

Searching for books with elemental magic? Here are 10 books with elemental magic that 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

Elemental magic is one of my absolute favourite magic systems! There is something so unique about used to manipulate the four base aspects of the natural world (Fire, Water, Earth and Air). 

However, while elemental magic systems are common in videogames - it can be difficult to find books with elemental magic. 

If you're looking for books with an elemental magic system you're in luck. I've compiled the absolute best books about elemental magic. 

This post is all about books with elemental magic

In a hurry? Here are my top picks

I browsed the r/suggestabook subreddit, Facebook groups and polled Instagram users to round up a list of the absolute best fantasy books with slow burn romance.  I've also read and loved each of the books recommended on this list! Here are the top books like fantasy books with elemental magic

• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
• This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron
• These Witches Don't Burn by Usabel Sterling
• Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan
• The House Witch by Delemhach
• Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Keep reading for more in depth information on each book. Plus for each book I've included a rating, a summary and positives & negatives

But if you want a quick summary scroll down to find a handy comparison chart ( includes content warnings for each book)

Best fantasy books with elemental magic

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Say what you want - Sarah J Maas KNOWS how to write a super satisfying slow burn romance. While all of her books contain excellent romances - my top pick for slow burn fantasy romance would be the ' A Court of Thorns and Roses' series.

A Court of Thorns and Roses is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. It follows Feyre. She is really poor and lives with her father and two sisters. She has to hunt to care for the family.

One day she sees a deer and can’t resist killing it to sell. But it was actually a faerie she murdered. And the owner comes to kidnap her to live at the castle as punishment.

It is a bit slow. Sarah J Maas does dump a lot of information about the fantasy world on you. But stay with it – I promise you it gets so much better. The second book is definitely the best in the series where many of my favourite characters are introduced.

If you enjoy slow burn romance then you'll love this trilogy. It has one of the best fantasy slow burn enemies to lovers romances. (Check out this blog post for books similar to A Court of Thorns and Roses)

2. Throne of Glass – Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas

I couldn't start a post about books like Crescent City without recommend Sarah J Maas' other books.  If you enjoyed  the writing style in Crescent City then I highly recommend Throne of Glass. 

While it's aimed at a younger audience, there is a lot in common with Crescent City. And it becomes more grown up later in the series.

 It follows Celaena Sardothien who is imprisoned in a horrific prison called Endovier. She is an assassin. And one day she is summoned by the Prince to fight in a competition. The winner will become the king’s personal assassin.

Celaena is a sassy, badass main character. Perfect if you liked Bryce. It also  features an incredible slow burn, enemies to lovers romance later in the series.  If you're looking for a long fantasy book series to get into - then this is the book series  for you. (If you loved Throne of Glass check out The Cruel Prince, A Curse so Dark and Lonely or Lore)

3. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Children of Blood and Bone combines a fast-paced, action-packed plot with magical West Africa inspired world-building. The book opens in a world where magic has disappeared.

There used to be magic in Orïsha. Zélie remembers how powerful her reaper mother was. But one-night magic disappears and Zelie is left without hope.

She now has to bring back the magic with the help of a runaway princess. Orïsha is full of danger everywhere. But Zeéie’s greatest danger is herself.

Children of Blook and Bone has much in common with Legendborn – A strong female lead and magic. I loved Zélie instantly and the world building is enchanting.

But Children of Blood and Bone also explores much darker themes such as racially charged violence. And that makes it a really powerful read.

4. This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

Kalynn Bayron writes some of the best contemporary fantasy books out there! This Poison Heart is an Urban Fantasy book. It opens in the city before the main characters move to a small town. There is also strong plant and cottagecore imagery throughout.

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.

 This is a quick, fast-paced and easy read. You could easily pick this up and binge read it in one setting. Kalynn Bayron writes plant imagery beautifully. And I absolutely adored the plant and forest imagery.  

My only complaint with this book is that the romance was very insta-lovey. And I found it difficult to be invested in the romance. 

If you 're searching for books like Legendborn then you HAVE to read this book. The way mythology is woven into the plot reminds me of how Deonn incorporates Arthurian legends into Legendborn.  It also features a Black heroine, supportive same-sex parents and elemental magic.

 5. These Witches Don't burn by Isabel Sterling

I was sold on this book as soon as I heard Sapphic witches!  These Witches Don't Burn contains lesbian witches, a mystery to solve and a the found family trope. Plus it's an urban fantasy book set in Salem.

These Witches Don’t Burn follows Hannah. She is 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.

This is one of my favourite ya fantasy  duologies. There are seriously not enough ya fantasy duologies. So this is an easy series to binge read and finish.

 Don't get me wrong - it's not hard hitting. But I'm a simple girl  and sometimes I want a warm, cozy lesbian book to read. The LGBTQ+ characters are so well incorporated that they are just part of life.  This makes it such a comforting  fantasy book about witches

6. Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson is an insanely popular series that got many bookworms into reading. And for good reason. It has a fast paced plot full of action and plot twists. The writing style is easy to read and you'll seriously want to stay in all day reading it. 

The concept is that the Greek Gods are real. And they occasionally fall in love with mortals. They have children who become demigods. The  world of Greek Mythology is kept a secret from humans.

The book follows Percy Jackson. He is having trouble focusing on his schoolwork. When one day his maths teacher turns into a monster.

And so mum decides it’s time to tell him the truth. His father is a Greek God. And she sends him to camp Half blood – a summer camp for demigods.

Greek Mythology is woven seamlessly into this book. And it balanced Greek Mythology with urban fantasy elements perfectly. Disney Plus are adapting this book series into a fantasy book series. So if you haven't read it - then you seriously should.

7. The House Witch by Delemhach

This is a recent read and I am absolutely obsessed! If you're looking for a low stakes, cozy fantasy book then you need to read this.

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

This is the most perfect cosy read. It's filled with beautiful food imagery, courtly intrigue and magical hijinks. Plus there is a slow burn romance and an adorable kitten companion.

This is also quite light on the romance and fantasy elements. But the beautiful, cosy food imagery more than made up for it. It's also really refreshing to read a fantasy book with a male protagonist. If you're looking for books with elemental magic then I highly recommend this.

8. Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera Series) by Jim Butcher

I discovered the Codex Alera when browsing the r/suggestabook subreddit for book recommendations.  It's a high fantasy book series where the magic system revolves around furies - elementals of earth, air, fire, water, wood, and metal.

Furies of Calderon is set in the Calderon Valley.   Tavi struggles with furycrafting and has no furies to help him. But  as a savage enemy returns to the Valley, Tavi's courage and resourcefulness will be a power greater than any fury, one that could turn the tides of war .

This is a high stakes, high fantasy epic filled with elemental magic. And it's so underrated! I was worried the unique concept of this book would make it heavy on worldbuilding and hard to get into. But I found this pretty easy to read. 

If you're looking for books with elemental magic then this is a great choice. Especially if you like Lord of the Rings or Avatar.

9. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

I can't write any post about fantasy books with magic without mentioning the Grishaverse.  The Grishaverse features an excellent and unique magic system based around the elements. The Etherealki in particular specialise in the elements and there are 3 types - Inferni (firebenders ), Tidemaker (waterbenders) and Squaller (airbenders).  Plus  there are Grisha who specialize in the human body.

Six of Crows follows six teenagers living in Ketterdam. Kaz Brekker, a criminal prodigy, is one of the teens. He is offered a deadly heist for a huge payout.

But it’s an impossible heist. And Kaz will need all the help he can get to pull it off. So he assembles five other teens to help him.

Six of Crows is like a fantasy version of Oceans Eleven. And there is so much to love about Six of Crows – magic found family and super sassy banter. 

People rave about this fantasy duology online and it's for a good reason. It features a fast paced plot, a diverse cast and hilarious banter. I love a good morally grey character. If you're looking for books with morally grey characters then I have a blog post full of book recommendations.  You can read my blog post on fantasy books with morally grey characters here

10. Air Awakens by Elise Kova

It follows Vhalla, a library apprentice.  She lives in The Solaris Empire. They're one conquest away from uniting the continent. 

Vhalla has always been taught to fear the Tower of Sorcerers  - a mysterious magic society. She's been happy in her quiet world of books (same). But she unknowingly saves the life of a powerful sorcerer and the crown prince. 

Vhalla discovers  a powerful elemental magic lurking within her. A magic that could shift the tides of war. Now she must decide her future, embrace sorcery and leave the life she's known. Or remain as she's always been.

I can understand why book lovers enjoyed this series. It has a great enemies to lovers romance. Vhalla is a great female character and she has fantastic character development throughout the book.

Other posts you might like...

Books like A Court of Thorns and Roses

Books like Crescent City

Fantasy books about witches