AJ Lancaster

Tag: cosy fantasy

  • Cozy Fantasy Recommendations

    Cozy Fantasy Recommendations

    What is cozy fantasy?

    There’s no strict consensus on what cozy fantasy is, but for me cozy fantasy is what it says on the tin: fantasy that feels cozy. That tends to mean a more intimate, smaller-scale focus than traditional epic fantasy. Bad things will of course happen, but the main characters are decent people, the overall tone is uplifting, and we don’t doubt that good will eventually triumph. Think fantasy with feel-good vibes.

    For me, there’s a natural overlap between cozy fantasy and fantasy-of-manners. I’d call my Stariel books cozy fantasy because the stakes sit more towards the personal end of the scale continuum rather than the ‘saving the world and everyone in it’.

    11 Cozy Fantasy Book Recommendations

    In no particular order:

    1. The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey

    Cover of The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey. It is sparkly aquamarine and shows a beautiful woman in a flower crown with a man on a horse in the background.

    An old favourite of mine, this retelling of Cinderella has a fascinating take on fairytales, where the ominous magic of Tradition forces people to play particular roles. There’s an enemies-to-lovers romance with an arrogant prince and lots of focus on the fairy godmother’s house and the brownies that work there.

    Romance: Yes, medium-heat m/f

    2. Briarley by Aster Glenn Gray

    Cover of Briarley by Aster Glenn Gray. It shows a red rose on a black background.

    What I love most about this World War II-era retelling of Beauty and the Beast is the sheer kindness of the main character, Beauty’s father. In this version, he refuses to hand his daughter over to the beast as payment for the stolen rose and insists on staying in her place instead. His initial suggestion to the beast for finding someone to love him in order to break the curse is for the beast to adopt a puppy – which he does!

    Romance: Yes, low-heat m/m

    3. A Wizard’s Guide To Defensive Baking by T Kingfisher

    Cover of A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T Kingfisher. It features a stylised gingerbread man holding a sword.

    Hilarious, heart-warming, and involving heaps of baked goods.  Fourteen-year-old Mona has baking magic and is called upon to help defend the city when the other alternatives run out. This is one of those books that defies easy categorisation. Is it middle grade? Young adult? Adult? All ages, I say!

    Romance: No

    4. Scales and Sensibility by Stephanie Burgis

    Cover of Scales and Sensibility by Stephanie Burgis. It features a woman in regency dress with a small blue dragon perched on her shoulder.

    Think Jane Austen with the addition of TINY DRAGONS.

    Romance: Yes, low-heat m/f

    5. Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

    Cover of Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree. It shows two women behind the counter in a fantasy inn: a green-skinned orc woman and a pink-skinned woman with horns and a tail.

    DnD meets coffee-shop AU in this tale of an orc warrior retiring from campaigning in order to set up the city’s first-ever cafe. This popular 2022 release has helped raise the profile of the cozy fantasy subgenre this year.

    I strongly recommend reading this with a pastry or baked good of some sort in hand because the descriptions of food will have you salivating.

    Romance: Only a smidge of no-heat f/f

    6. Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews

    Cover of Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews. It shows an illustrated blond woman wearing a blue cloak.

    She sets up a magical inn that she’s magically bonded to and slowly levels it up into a nicer and nicer inn over time. Need I say more!

    Romance: A little bit of low-heat m/f

    7. The Bachelor’s Valet by Arden Powell 

    Cover of The Bachelor's Valet by Arden Powell. It shows an illustration of a garden in rainbow colours, in which two men are embracing.

    The main character is both extremely good-hearted and extremely dim. Watching him cheerfully but haphazardly navigate his way through an arranged marriage towards romance and a happy ending with the help of his faithful valet is both hilarious and wonderful.

    Romance: Yes, low-heat m/m

    8. Paladin’s Grace by T Kingfisher

    Cover of Paladin's Grace by T Kingfisher. It is a stylised purple and green frame design featuring rats and skulls and with a sword in the centre.

    A perfumer and a paladin to a dead god solve a murder mystery and find love at the same time. Extremely cosy, even with all the dead bodies.

    Romance: Yes, medium-heat m/f

    9. How To Get A Girlfriend When You’re A Terrifying Monster by Marie Cardno

    Cover of How To Get A Girlfriend When You're A Terrifying Monster by Marie Cardno. It shows a pink tentacle monster holding a bouquet.

    The sapphic paranormal romcom I didn’t know I needed. I adored Trillin, the world’s most relatable shapeshifting tentacle monster.

    Romance: Yes, low-heat f/f

    10. Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater

    Cover of Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater. It shows two purple feathers on a white background.

    A Good Omens flavoured story about Gadriel, the angel-of-small-miracles turned fallen-angel-of-petty-temptation. It’s funny, sentimental, and extremely satisfying. A little bit of sin aka chocolate is good for the soul.

    Romance: A smidge of low-heat f/? (what gender even are angels?)

    11. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

    Cover of Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. It shows an illustrated faun playing a set of pipes while standing atop a column.

    The cosiness of this one is perhaps more subjective. I find it so because of the boundless kindness and open-heartedness of the main character. Its stakes are definitely intimate / small-scale, as almost the entire book is set within the House, a magical and mysterious realm of endless rooms, tides, and statuary. I adored it.

    However, there is also an undercurrent of horror as we, the reader, become more and more aware of the disconnect between how Piranesi sees the world and what is truly going on.

    Romance: A smidge of low-heat m/f

    Do you like cozy fantasy? Let me know your faves in the comments!

  • Fantasy-of-Manners Books

    Fantasy-of-Manners Books

    I’ve been calling my own books ‘gaslamp fantasy’ since I published them, but more recently, I’ve started calling them by another term as well: fantasy of manners.

    What is fantasy of manners?

    Fantasy-of-manners is a subgenre of fantasy where the societal setting lends itself to intimate, complicated social interactions and (you guessed it) manners. Think ballrooms and manor houses rather than battlefields. The name draws from ‘comedy of manners’, and while fantasy-of-manners books aren’t always humorous, they often do have a whimsical / tongue-in-cheek tone.

    Wait, how is fantasy-of-manners different from gaslamp fantasy?

    I’ve been musing on this (I do love musing on subgenres). I think there is naturally a lot of overlap between gaslamp fantasy and fantasy of manners and that many books (including mine) are both. Gaslamp fantasy describes the world’s technology level / historical time-period feel, and fantasy of manners describes the society and focus of the story’s conflicts.

    Why is fantasy of manners so great?

    • Ridiculous rules and constraints create massive potential for delicious interpersonal drama and / or humorous situations.
    • Aesthetics. There’s just something about balls and men in waistcoats, isn’t there?
    • Intimate focus. Politics, rumours, and clever conversations rather than battles and action sequences.
    • The fun of seeing how something as wild as magic fits into a world of rigid societal rules.

    So what are some examples of fantasy-of-manners books?

    I’m so glad you asked! Here is a list of fantasy-of-manners books I have read and enjoyed. These are all books with strong romantic elements, because that’s how I roll. Please do recommend more in the comments – I love this subgenre, so I’m always happy to find more.

    15 (Romantic) Fantasy-of-Manners Books

    (in no particular order)

    The Lord of Stariel by AJ Lancaster

    Yes, I know. Tacky. But I have to add my own books to this listicle for SEO purposes, and technically I have read and enjoyed them! Marketing shmarketing and the hustle of the self-published author and all that. Anyway, if you like large-extended-family antics, melodramatic fae, and magical sentient estates, you might like my books.

    Self-published: Yes
    Steamy scenes: Not in this book, but some later in the series.

    The Lady Jewel Diviner by Rosalie Oaks

    These books have the spirit of cosy mystery novels combined with Regencies. Plus vampires and selkies. It works wonderfully, I promise. The main character can magically sense gemstones.

    What I particularly adore about this series is how joyful it is. Very much not taking itself too seriously, and I absolutely cackled my way through especially the climax in this book. There’s a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance with the high-handed (but well-meaning) Earl of Beresford.

    Self-published: Yes
    Steamy scenes: No

    Subversive by Colleen Cowley

    Oof, this trilogy was so addictive I read all three in a row. They have an almost thriller vibe to them with lots of politics and secrets. I loved the enemies-to-lovers romance and the fascinating exploration of all the ways that magical oaths might go wrong.

    Self-published: Yes
    Steamy scenes: Yes

    The Midnight Bargain by CL Polk

    My favourite thing about this book is the magic – magicians make bargains with spirits to do their bidding. I choose to imagine them as demonic pokemon.

    Self-published: No
    Steamy scenes: No

    Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

    A whimsical Regency fantasy romance (with capricious fairies) that manages to touch on darker issues whilst remaining overall light in tone.

    Self-published: Yes
    Steamy scenes: No

    Tea & Sympathetic Magic by Tansy Rayner Roberts

    What impresses me most about these cosy novellas is how satisfying they are. Each contains a mystery, furthers the romantic arc, and includes a cast of entertaining secondary characters. I have no idea how Tansy fits so much in to such a short length.

    Self-published: Yes
    Steamy scenes: No

    Sorcerer to the crown by Zen Cho

    This book is so good I can’t actually encapsulate its goodness with words (ironically). Zacharias, the titular Sorcerer to the Crown, is my favourite and I just want an endless amount of nice things for him.

    Self-published: No
    Steamy scenes: No

    Empath’s Lure by Jen Lynning

    A hero who can manipulate emotions (but not sense them) meets a heroine who can sense emotions (but not manipulate them) on opposite sides of the treaty negotiation talks between two nations. Full of courtly intrigue and political shenanigans as well as the burgeoning romance between these enemies-turned-eventual-allies.

    Self-published: Yes
    Steamy scenes: Yes

    A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

    The magic system fascinated me in this one – magicians cast using hand motions based on the cat’s cradle game. I also loved how many scenes are set in libraries and just how much William Morris wallpaper features.

    Self-published: No
    Steamy scenes: Yes

    Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis

    A magical manor-house mystery set in a kind of gender-bent version of Regency England (with added trolls and fae). It’s a novella, and I read it in one go and regret nothing.

    Self-published: Yes
    Steamy scenes: No

    The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles

    This m/m romance has a real gothic feel with the terrifying curse afflicting one of the heroes and the ominous magpie imagery.

    Self-published: Yes
    Steamy scenes: Yes

    Scales and Sensibility by Stephanie Burgis

    Regency romance with pet dragons! The moment I heard about this book, I knew I must read it, and I was right. I inhaled this delightful confection in a single sitting (seems to be something of a trend for me with Stephanie Burgis’ books).

    Self-published: Yes
    Steamy scenes: No

    Witchmark by CL Polk

    m/m and includes fae and magical soulbonds!

    Self-published: No
    Steamy scenes: Fade to black

    Soulless by Gail Carriger 

    My heart will always hold a huge soft spot for Lord Maccon, gruff but well-meaning werewolf alpha.

    Self-published: No
    Steamy scenes: Yes

    Sorcery & Cecelia by Patricia C Wrede & Caroline Stevermer

    This was the first fantasy-of-manners book I ever read, many years ago and before I knew the term for the subgenre. It’s told as letters back and forth between two friends as they each get embroiled in their respective mysteries / shenanigans, and it is pure delight. Maybe time for a re-read, in fact.

    Self-published: No
    Steamy scenes: No