6 Goodreads Choice Fantasy Nominees to Try, Depending on What You Love About Fantasy

The 2026 Goodreads Choice Awards fantasy ballot has room for a cat rescue in 1920s Montréal, a murder investigation that leads to ranches and slaughterhouses, and a pirate trying to steal a spindle that can rewrite fate. If you’re looking for your next read, start with the kind of story you’d be happy to spend a weekend in.

These six books are opening-round nominees in Goodreads’ Readers’ Favorite Fantasy category. A Trade of Blood is the pick for clue hunters, The Poet Empress is for readers who like court politics, and Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter is the coziest choice here.

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For fantasy readers who love a good whodunit — A Trade of Blood

Ana Dolabra and Dinios Kol arrive in a rural canton where a murder looks like the latest tragedy in a feud between powerful families. A man’s life depends on whether they can pull apart that seemingly obvious account. Their investigation takes them from ranches to slaughterhouses and into contact with a kind of magic they have good reason to fear.

Pick this if your favorite part of a mystery is the moment a clue changes what you thought was possible. Bennett’s fantasy setting gives Ana and Din more ways to ask how a crime happened. This is their third case, following The Tainted Cupand A Drop of Corruption. If you’re new to the series, start with our review of The Tainted Cup.

Find A Trade of Blood in hardcover on Amazon.

For fantasy readers who love a crew and a quest — The Tapestry of Fate

Pirate captain Amina al-Sirafi is sent to steal a fate-altering spindle from a sorceress on an island no one can escape. Getting off the island sounds hard enough. Amina also has to reckon with what she’s been keeping from her daughter, Marjana, who has started asking questions about her mother’s life and her own past.

This is the pick if you like a crew that brings years of loyalties and bad decisions aboard with them. Amina has a family to get back to, which makes the temptation to take one more job more interesting than the promise of a magical prize. Start with The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi to get the crew’s history.

Find The Tapestry of Fate in hardcover on Amazon.

For fantasy readers who love court intrigue — The Poet Empress

With her village on the brink of starvation, Wei Yin offers herself as a concubine to the heir of the Azalea Dynasty. She enters a court where civil war is looming and the powerful control poetry magic. Women are forbidden to read, yet becoming a poet might be her best chance of surviving.

Choose this if you like fantasy that makes you pay attention to who is allowed to learn, speak or write. A poem has the power to change Wei’s position at court, which gives the act of writing one a tension all its own. Expect a darker read, with famine and abuse shaping the choices available to her.

Find The Poet Empress in hardcover on Amazon.

For fantasy readers who want something cozy — Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter

Agnes Aubert has a practical problem. Her cat rescue needs a new home, and the only landlord willing to rent to her is an infamous magician operating out of the basement. When trouble follows him to the building, keeping the shelter open means working with the man she might normally cross the street to avoid.

The 1920s Montréal setting, the unlikely partnership and a slow-burn romance make this a good choice when you want a gentler book. The stakes are easy to care about from the start. Agnes has cats to house and a shelter worth protecting. Find more cozy fantasy recommendations.

Explore Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter on Amazon!

For fantasy readers who wish they could step inside a novel — The Book Witch

Rainy March can enter works of fiction to repair stories that someone has tampered with. When her grandfather vanishes and a valuable book is stolen, she enlists the detective from her favorite mystery series. Their search takes them through books including Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Great Gatsby.

This is the pick if you’ve ever wanted to ask a fictional character for help, or wondered how a familiar book would look if you walked in halfway through. Rainy can become part of a story if she eats, drinks or sleeps inside it. That rule gives an ordinary dinner invitation the potential to ruin her life.

Explore The Book Witch on Amazon!

For fantasy readers who love dark folklore — The Red Winter

In Cameron Sullivan’s version of 1785 France, the Beast of Gévaudan returns. Sebastian Grave, who hunted it two decades earlier, is drawn back by a former lover who knows what happened the first time. Sebastian also has a demon to contend with, and its help comes at a steep price.

Choose this for a historical setting where an old legend still has the power to terrify a whole region. The return of the Beast makes the earlier hunt as important as the current one. This is the most horror-forward choice on the list, with graphic violence and a second-chance romance.

Find The Red Winter in hardcover on Amazon.

When can you vote in the 2026 Goodreads Choice Awards?

Goodreads’ opening round runs November 10–22, 2026. The final round runs November 24–29, and winners are scheduled to be announced December 3. Goodreads lists Fantasy and Romantasy as separate categories. See the ballot and official voting dates.

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