Books like Beautiful Demons — picked by fans

Three worlds in one book! There’s the not-so-important world of the Ancelstierre, roughly Edwardian or early-20th-Century-ish, and there’s the Old Kingdom, basically medieval, where Charter Magic wars with Free Magic (and how well Nix thinks through the workings of his forms of magic).

But the third world is the one that takes the cake! An underworld of the dead, with its different levels, gates, and sills. Sabriel discovers her own special inheritance and powers—OK, that’s standard fantasy fare, except that Sabriel’s powers are those of an abhorsen. It’s the Abhorsen’s role to make sure that the dead stay dead, and journey on down into the deeper levels of death. Of course, the dead who keep coming back are the ones who drive the narrative!

Returning was a short and sweet read that I happened on by chance. It’s a prequel novella about a siren who’s searching for her very own ‘The One’. With a romance story at its heart and an edgy tone, it’s a fast-paced urban fantasy that I ate up in a couple of days.

I liked the worldbuilding, the crisp dialogue, and the intriguing premise. The book is a little old-fashioned in theme, but oh-so-satisfying in a nostalgic way as you hustle to survive and fall in love right alongside Mira, the main character of Returning.

I’m giving it bonus points because it’s set, in part, in Canada, which is where I’m from. Any time I see even a smidge of my beautiful home country in fiction, it makes my heart smile.

River of Shadows is a romance-leaning fantasy series starter, but here, the quest story comes first. It’s a fairy tale retelling with a bit of everything: a Beauty & The Beast arc, Hades & Persephone vibes, morbid humor, steamy scenes featuring the hapless Hanna and the God of Death… I could go on!

It’s an adult dark fantasy with horror elements that’s also chock-full of humor, mixing the tragic with the comic in an artful way. What’s not to love?

I will admit, Halle could have made her heroine a little less Mary-Sue, but we can forgive her that because the wondrous worldbuilding, plot, and varied characters more than make up for it. It was fun to read, making me LOL with every turn of the page.

This book is right up there with Sabriel as one of the first female-led fantasy books I read and loved. It’s an epic fantasy for adults, but I can see younger readers enjoying it, too. It’s wholesome and optimistic, with vivid descriptions of the natural world.

Daleina is an academy student learning elemental magic. She partners with Ven, a former champion, to save the land of Renthia from spirits bent on cleansing the land of humans. As you might imagine, that’s no simple feat.

This book resonated with me because I’m a nature child at heart. (Some might say a wild child… LOL). There is a sparkling magic in the great outdoors, and this book captures it beautifully.

There is so much grit and titillation in this book!

What a wicked, wicked imagination–I couldn’t love it more! This story has everything: a smart, brassy, relatable main character; a dangerous, cynical, hot male lead; and Celtic culture, the world of the Fae, so full of magic, mysticism, and elaborate history that the world-building alone weaves a mind-blowing tapestry.    

It’s gripping. It’s entertaining. It’s non-stop excitement, endless fodder for the imagination, and food for the soul. It’s dark. It’s funny. It’s just plain brilliant. 

Wow! Talk about meaty and juicy with substance! I bought this book in paperback and it is the definition of a tome! When I first read it, it reminded me of a good gothic literature tale with a dash of the beautiful world-building of Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire sprinkled with the language of Gabaldon’s Outlander book. It’s another book that deals with life through the paranormal characters’ lives in a human world which I can never get enough of. 

Blood Tears takes place across the centuries throughout the large world wars and other historical events that nicely tie into our real timeline. Every time I cracked open the book to read just a little bit I would find myself entranced in the story and the characters.

The Indigenous male protagonist is portrayed in a way that elevates him beyond what is commonly seen in a historical romance of this era and locale. Set in the southern USA, it is full of historical details and descriptions while celebrating a mixed-race relationship in a time period when such a thing was shunned. It comes from a Christian worldview but is still very respectful of his Indigenous culture and beliefs. We see him for the man he is and without judgment - not just wrapped in a cultural shroud. 

This book takes place at a farmhouse in Massachusetts and the setting is phenomenal. It carries that haunted house vibe and mixes it with the psychic ability element, which hits all my “must-read” feels. The hero and heroine are at odds as a believer/non-believer, laying a realistic backdrop I admire. Kathryn is one of the few romantic suspense/paranormal authors who has a genuine ability to fit in the ghostly niche while still creating a HEA. Her descriptive details put you right there amidst the haunting while rooting for the couple.

The Mighty First series follows Earth’s First Orbital Marine Division’s battles with Grozet’s Storian Empire for planet Earth.

I like how Mark Bordner handles the future military end of his stories, making them as relatable as possible for people who know present-day weapons. In The Mighty First, Episode 4: Minerva Rising, the protagonist, Minerva, receives a premonition of planetary conflict based on the breaking of the seals in Revelations.

This scene struck me as a foreshadowing of the coming conflicts and the destruction of Earth and Storia.

This is the book that got me into reading apocalyptic fiction – I was completely captured by the story of an unfit father stuck at the other end of the country from his family after an apocalyptic event, his only option was running the length of the UK to make it to them.

Edgar’s realisations about the kind of father he’s been and the emotional and physical transformation he undergoes kept me up into the early hours. There are heart-in-mouth moments, bleak landscapes filled with threat, and a sucker punch of an ending – perfect.