Cozy Up with a Cup of Fantasy
by Crystal Hicks, Collection Services Manager
As a youth, I loved high fantasy: expansive worldbuilding, epic storylines, and difficult-to-pronounce imaginary names. Tamora Pierce’s books whet my palate early on, and I tore through series after series, devouring legendary tales and mythic adventures, loving every second.
As an adult, I struggle to read fantasy. Not because I don’t love it (that spark will never go out), but because I don’t have the time to invest in it. On a Friday off, I got halfway through R.F. Kuang’s “Babel”—far enough to appreciate its groundbreaking nature and clever magical schema, but not far enough to finish it before my interest waned over the next two weeks. Between a full-time job and a family, time is fleeting, so when I need a dose of fantasy, instead I turn to cozy fantasy.
Isabella Peralta of Reedsy defines cozy fantasy as “lighter fantasy stories that highlight character journeys over epic adventures,” according to her article “What Is Cozy Fantasy?”. These are light, happily-ever-after stories about relatable characters who happen to live with or around magic, generally with low stakes. Many of these books have a strong sense of community or found family, and they can focus on emotionally-healing journeys. Most of these stories are built in worlds very similar to our own (either historically or currently), or they riff on popular fantasy games and tropes, so minimal time is devoted to worldbuilding and it’s easier to jump into the story. Cozy fantasy books are easier for me to pick up at any time because tensions are low and, frankly, I’m less likely to run into a philosophically-deep thought I need to mull over.
Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde series (begin with “Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries”) got me started on cozy fantasy. In each book, grouchy professor Emily Wilde is working on a new, titular research project with the annoyingly personable Wendell Bambleby in tow. Set in a vaguely Edwardian setting, Emily’s dryadology research takes her to remote locations, where the reader can enjoy Emily’s social awkwardness and deep knowledge of folklore that always manages to save the day. Appropriately, the books are littered with footnotes.
“The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love” by India Holton also takes place in an alternate historical version of England. As may be clear from the title, this book is as much rom-com as it is cozy fantasy, following ornithologists in a competition to see who will be awarded Birder of the Year as they persevere through magical shenanigans and falling in love. Holton writes with tongue firmly in cheek, cheerfully poking fun at Victorian manners and making up the most ridiculous magical birds possible. For more banter and magical adventures, the series continues with “The Geographer’s Map to Romance.”
Finishing my trifecta of Anglophile cozy fantasies is “A Sorceress Comes to Call” by T. Kingfisher, which embraces its Regency romance parallels. The book’s plot? A sorceress, determined to make a good match for herself and her daughter, targets a wealthy old Squire. The heroes? The Squire’s spinster sister and the sorceress’s tween daughter, who do all they can to sabotage the impending marriage proposal. Kingfisher pushes the line of cozy fantasy by braiding together fairy tale, Regency romance, and horror elements, but it was still a refreshing, heartwarming read with just the right amount of magic.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention T.J. Klune’s “The House in the Cerulean Sea,” a book best described as the epitome of a hug. Linus Baker, a downtrodden case worker who inspects orphanages for magical youth, visits the titular house on Marsyas Island. There, he meets a gaggle of magical children and their caretaker, Arthur Parnassus. Despite his fear and skepticism of magical creatures, Linus’s views are slowly broadened, and he falls in love with Arthur, the children, and the island. Klune continues the story from Arthur’s perspective in “Somewhere Beyond the Sea,” and it’s wonderful seeing the couple come into their own as the children’s adoptive parents.
On a different Friday off, I picked up “The River Has Roots” by Amal El-Mohtar, and it delighted me on many fronts. Most excitingly, this was a novella, so I finished it in mere hours! Secondly, it’s a fairy tale retelling, so the story immediately felt familiar, simple and yet complex in its emotions. Finally, the backbone of the narrative is the deep love of two sisters, depicted so beautifully it made me cry as they were separated by love and death, then reunited by magic. I absolutely cannot wait for El-Mohtar’s upcoming short story collection, “Seasons of Glass and Iron.”
Where to settle in next? My to-be-read list has several cozy fantasies on it. First, viral sensation “The Spellshop” by Sarah Beth Durst, where a former librarian sets up a jam shop and surreptitiously sells spells. Next, “Half a Soul” by Olivia Atwater, the first in her Regency Faerie Tales series. Julie Leong’s “The Teller of Small Fortunes” follows Tao, a fortune teller determined to avoid big fortunes, for those come rife with big risks. For those into Dungeons & Dragons, you may want to pick up “Can’t Spell Treason without Tea” by Rebecca Thorne or “Legends & Lattes” by Travis Baldree.
For more recommendations, cozy fantasy or not, feel free to contact us at the Reference Desk, or ask us to fill out a Personalized Reading List with book suggestions just for you and your reading tastes. I wish you a happy fall, with many warm beverages, blankets, and cozy books to read.
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