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

Looking for cozy fantasy books? Here are 15 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.

For each book I've included the GoodReads rating, content warnings, positives & negatives and my thoughts.

Let's see the best cozy fantasy books

This post isn't meant to be an exhaustive list of every single cozy fantasy book.  It's meant to be a guide to the cozy fantasy books worth reading depending on what you're looking for. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. That said, I won't recommend a book I haven't personally read and enjoyed.

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

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 cozy fantasy books then you HAVE to read this. The cottagecore imagery makes this so cozy. It also features a Black heroine, supportive same-sex parents and elemental magic. 

2. Cinderella is dead by Kalynn Bayron

What can I say? Kalynn Bayron knows how to write the most insanely cozy fantasy books! A Cinderella retelling with a sapphic romance.  This is another twist on the classic story that features BIPOC characters and a wlw romance.

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.

She decides to flee and decided to take down the king once and for all.

The dystopian twist on the classic Cinderella story makes this book so unique. The romance is a bit insta-lovey but it's so well developed that it's still engaging. 

The plot will keep you hooked throughout.  Women overthrowing a dystopian patriarchy. There is also a lot of cottagecore and woodland imagery. Kalynn Bayron writes cottagecore imagery so well. This book will 100% make you want to live in the forest. 

I also LOVE that it's a standalone. Standalone ya fantasy books are hard to find. Let alone with lesbian representation. If you're looking for a ya lesbian fantasy book then I highly recommend Cinderella is Dead.

3. Ash by Malinda Lo

Ash was so ahead of it's time. It was first published in 2009 and contains a wlw romance. The worldbuilding is really cozy with cottagecore and forest imagery. Perfect if you're looking for cozy fantasy books.

Ash is a book I’m always torn about. But I had to include it because I love the cottagey world-building in this Sapphic retelling.

Ash is a lesbian Cinderella retelling. It follows Ash who is dealing with the grief of losing her parents. She falls in love with the king’s huntress.

I loved the descriptions of the world such as the woods and the fae. And I instantly really loved the King’s Huntress. But, I wish that the romance had been a little better developed.

However, I love that it focuses on Ash recovering from grief. Mental health is a strong theme throughout and the romance feels secondary. This is a really cosy read and offers great escapism. It’s pretty short and you could easily read this in one sitting.

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.

It follows 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.

One day, she is tasked to investigate reports of a white wolf in a nearby forest. She then discovers her childhood best friend,  Tam, fighting a demon werewolf.  Together they investigate the demon and rekindle their feelings towards each other.

This is such a comfort read. The artwork is insanely beautiful. I really loved the illustrations of the magic and magical creatures living in the forest. The romance is also really adorable.

The story isn't fast-paced and action packed. We also don't find out much about the characters background. But it's such a quick, cute and light-hearted read that I don't think it matters. The graphic novel format is perfect for anyone trying to get back into reading. Or if you're recovering from a reading slump.

5. The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill

If you're looking for diverse lgbtq middle grade graphic novels then you need to read some of Kay O'Neill's work. They are insanely cosy and heartwarming. And the artwork is absolutely stunning. 

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. Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking from the kind tea shop owners.

This book is adorable, impossibly cute and heart-warming.  The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and painfully adorable.

  Not only is it a beautiful book with a lovely message. But it stars people of color, people with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ characters. (For more of Kay O'Neill's work you could try Princess Princess Ever After, Aquicorn Cove or The Tea Dragon Tapestry)

6. 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 cozy fantasy book.

7. The Wildseed Witch by Marti Dumas

I first saw this book,  when I was browsing in Afrori Books in Brighton.  I am OBSESSED with this book cover. It's a ya fantasy/ middle grade coming of age story about a girl who discovers she's a witch. It also talks a lot about the dangers of social media.

It follows 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 finished school for talented young ladies with magical powers. 

But while the other girls have always known they were destined to be witches, Hasani is a Wildseed––a stray witch from a family of non-witches, with no background knowledge, no way to control her magic.

Wildseed Witch is an excellent contemporary fantasy  with an all BIPOC cast.   This is a really fun adventure story. The characters are  all engaging and relatable. It also touches on some really important topics such as the dangers of social media, online bullying and being comfortable in your own skin.

8. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

This has a really magical story concept. And the world-building is super whimsical. It features a friendly witch as the main character and it's full of beautiful forest, cottagecore imagery. 

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.

Fyrian the dragon is absolutely adorable. He's small and cute. The humour really made me smile.  

I listened to the audiobook which was incredible. The narrator did a really good job with the voices of the characters and really bought Fyrian, Glerk and Xan to life.

 9. Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

If you're looking for fantasy books with mlm romance - then you should definitely read Silver in the Wood. It's a fantasy book set in a magical forest. And it has an insanely cute grumpy/sunshine friends to lovers mlm romance.  Plus it references mythological creatures such as dryads and faeries.

It follows Tobias who is a 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. Plus they have an adorable mlm romance.

If  you like the cottagecore aesthetic then you'll enjoy this book. The forest imagery is absolute gorgeous. It was filled with imagery about mythical creatures such as dryads in the forest.  And definitely made me want to live in a cottage in the woods. It's really whimsical and enchanting.  

This is also such a short and easy read. I listened to the audiobook. And the whole duology is only 5 hours. So you can easily binge read this in one setting. If you have a long journey this would also be the perfect audiobook to listen to because you can finish it in 5 hours. You can listen to the audiobook on Audible

10. A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

There is so much to love about A Marvellous Light. It's an mlm romance about magic, a mystery to solve and a secret magical society. And it also has serious dark academia vibes.

It follows Robin Blyth. Due to an administrative error, he is named liaison to a secret magical society. So, he is forced to  contend with magic's dangers and a deadly curse while he searches for his missing predecessor.

To do this, he'll need the help of Edwin Courcey. Edwin Courcey is his prickly magical society counterpart but he clearly wishes Robin were anyone else.

I love the secret society of magicians. And the Edwardian setting and mlm romance sets it apart from other books including secret magical societies.

This is ideal if you're looking for cosy fantasy books. Especially if you like historical fiction or dark academia. It's fantastic to read about gay men in an Edwardian setting.

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

If you're looking for cosy fantasy books then I highly recommend T.J Klune's work. The writing is easy to read. While it includes fantasy elements, it reads as more of a YA Contemporary. It also heavily features tea which made it feel really warm and comforting.

 It follows 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. But Wallace isn't ready to abandon the life he barely lived. 

This book deals with so many heavy topics such as death, grief and loss. But despite such heavy topics this is such a light-hearted, comforting read. T.J. Klune uses laughter,  emotions and romance to it. 

If you're looking for fantasy books for beginners, you should definitely pick up some of T.J Klune's work. His writing is fantastic - easy to follow and simplistic with no purple prose.

12. 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 features a diverse lgbtq cast of characters. And 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.

The incredible drawings instantly gave me an emotional connection to the characters in the books. The story is well paced and I love the adventure story.

The first novel opens with a bang and the plot really engaged me. The graphic novel format and short length make them really easy to read. If you’re looking for light-hearted lgbtq books for tweens  then you should pick this up. (For more incredible lgbtq middle grade graphic novels try The Backstagers or Mooncakes.)

You can read this on Scribd.  If you haven't used it before, Scribd is a digital library with  podcasts, books, audiobooks and even sheet music. They offer a free trial for 30 days. And you can read an unlimited amount of books with their subscription - check it out here

This post was all about cozy fantasy books

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