Looking for a riveting, magical story without the need to commit to a full series? In this article, you’ll find the 20 best stand-alone fantasy books I’ve read.
Sometimes, you want just one book to get you out of a reading slump. Other times, you’re in the need of a comforting novel to binge on a rainy day. Whatever the case may be, stand-alone fantasy books can be like a balm for the reader (particularly, the worn-out reader).
I’ve never been able to nail down whether I prefer a series versus a stand-alone, but I have to admit that there are so many favorites on this list that I’m beginning to believe that I have my answer after all. Several of these titles are ones that I read in one sitting, a few of them are ones that I’ve read more than one time, and still others are novels that I find myself constantly recommending to get back into reading! My hope is that by sharing this list, you’ll find a new favorite.
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50+ Books With Badass Female Leads // How The Darkling Changed My Perspective on Fantasy Villains // 6 Magical Books to Read When You Need an Escape
20 Stand-Alone Fantasy Books You Should Add to Your Reading List
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Into the Heartless Wood
by Joanna Ruth Meyer
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
by V.E. Schwab
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Starless Sea
by Erin Morgenstern
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Nature of Witches
by Rachel Griffin
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Bone Houses
by Emily Lloyd-Jones
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Heartless
by Marissa Meyer
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Ten Thousand Doors of January
by Alix E. Harrow
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Girl, Serpent, Thorn
by Melissa Bashardoust
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Winterwood
by Shea Ernshaw
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Barnes & Noble
Lost in the Never Woods
by Aiden Thomas
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Gallant
by V.E. Schwab
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Afterlife of Holly Chase
by Cynthia Hand
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Wild is the Witch
by Rachel Griffin
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Drowned Woods
by Emily Lloyd-Jones
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
In the Shadow Garden
by Liz Parker
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking
by T. Kingfisher
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Bring Me Your Midnight
by Rachel Griffin
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Wicked Deep
by Shea Ernshaw
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Barnes & Noble
Illuminations
by T. Kingfisher
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Do you have a favorite stand-alone fantasy book?
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So many books from this list are on my TBR and I just need to get to them! I especially want to read Into the Heartless Wood. Another book on my radar is For The Wolf. I haven’t been in a fantasy mood lately so my fantasy TBR is growing rapidly, sadly.
It makes me SO happy to hear that you want to read Into the Heartless Wood! I hope you love it as much as I do
And so much YES to For the Wolf. The Wilderwood duology is one of my forever favorites!
Great post! I love theses Best of post from someone very familiar with the genre. You’ve given me lots of amazing ideas for books for those in my life who love Fantasy. Thanks for sharing!
Haha! It’s definitely the genre I’ve been reading for the longest amount of time. I sure hope it sounds like I know what I’m talking about
I love that these are all stand alone. Wonderful list!
They really are so excellent and they pack such a huge punch in just one book!
Wow so many wonderful books on the list, I have never read a fantasy book. Sounds interesting and thank you for sharing your recommendations and reviews on which book to read or not to read. Will have to check it out!
My best friend is part of a book club and she was looking for some suggestions. I will let her know your recommendations for her group. Thanks!
We haven’t read any of these, but we’ve heard great things about Winterwood.
I’ve only read 4 of the books on your list, but I LOVED all 4. That means that most of these just got added to my TBR!
Fantasy books are among my favorite!! SO many of these sound amazing! I swear, my book list grows every time I read your posts lol.
Lizzie
http://www.lizzieinlace.com
I’m thrilled to see some of my favorite books on this list. I love love love The Drowned Woods!!!
Great list! So many of these are among my favorites, Heartless in particular is such an amazing read!
I’ve read a few of these and out of the list here, I love that VE Schwab is mentioned twice (both books are amazing).
I would add my favorite stand alone of all time is “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.
It is a beautifully written novel with brilliant interweaving of characters and highly poetic and relatable descriptions…best fantasy book, of all time.
I’ve heard excellent things about Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell as well as Piranesi by the same author. I plan to try them out in the future!
Piranesi is awesome. Not quite to that the level of JS&Mr.N but as a standalone novella it is full of rich details and an intriguing plot.
That’s great to know! I look forward to giving them both a read at some point
Thank you so much for the fantastic book list! I’ve read about half of the ones on your list and loved every single one. Erin Morgenstern in particular is my favorite standalone author. From the first two lines of The Night Circus I was hooked. I would also suggest The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, a wonderful standalone book that transports you through a story within a story.
I’ve never heard of The Thirteenth Tale, but I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for the suggestion!
I am SO grateful to you for this AMAZING list. I thought no one ever would compile a list like that, the list that this girl needs, thank you!!! Off to the library!
PS one fabulous stand alone fantasy book that will leave you breathless is Uprooted by Naomi Novik
I love a good stand alone book. If feels like everything is a series, and I can only handle being in the middle of a few series while waiting to get my hands on the next book. I haven’t read any of these so I have a ton added to my list. One of my favorite fantasy authors is Brandon Sanderson. Most of his books are series, but Elantris is a great stand alone book. Or if you want a great short story that seems to fit this list better you could try “Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell.”
I had never been to this blog, nor know anything about the author, but when I read what you said about The heartless wood, I immediately went and got a copy from the library. And you were right! It is an amazing read and now I’m telling everyone about it. Thank you so much for sharing!