Books like Rom — picked by fans

I read Peretti when I need my prayer life to feel urgent again.

He dramatizes the unseen war around institutions—media, politics, schools, churches—and that lens has helped me imagine how power can be more than policy; it can become principality. What sticks with me is the sense that intercession is not decorative—it’s an act of resistance.

And even where I might nuance his framework, the novel jolts me awake to the idea that spiritual warfare has a social footprint: it shows up in what a community tolerates.

This is another one I have re-read because I love the fantasy aspect. I didn’t come across C.S. Lewis’ books until I was a young adult, and then it was his adult writings. Now, I’m loving catching up on his Narnia series.

Written in 1950, this classic tale lives on, never becoming out of date, and I love that it is currently a stage production.

As a Christian, I also love a classic tale of good versus evil, with the drama between the white witch and the lion hero, Aslan, who overcomes death to save Narnia from the witch’s evil spell. For me, it’s a truly inspirational allegorical tale that stands the test of time.

I love this book because Tolkien took the fantasy genre to a new, unprecedented level, resurrecting ancient legends of old, with countless mythical creatures.

His magnificent characters defined their races, occupations, and even their languages, later inspiring the game, Dungeons and Dragons, of which I was once a Dungeon Master. Many of The Fellowship serve messianic roles. Gandalf, for example, conquers death following his battle with a demon, and Stryder, an obscure ranger, turns out to be Aragorn, heir of the fallen kingdom.

Tolkien captures keen insight into the human condition regarding the struggle against sin. He also whispers a mystery; while an evil wizard created the One Ring to rule them all, a hidden, even more powerful force is clearly behind the ring’s eventual destruction.

For all you fantasy and sci-fi fans like me who are aspiring or veteran writers looking for good characters of magical supernatural or beings of legend, look no further. It is full of different types of beasts of yore from mythology, monsters and beasts from the ancient world and modern fantasy characters.

It was such a good resource to have when developing a storyline with creatures that will be part of your world-building. The art and illustrations are perfect, along with the descriptions/bios of the creatures, and were an invaluable resource for me to expand my ideas for my books. I absolutely loved it. If you are doing research for your world-building that is entertaining and useful, this is it!

No list of magic would be complete without Nimona. Everyone’s talking about the Netflix adaptation, but if you ask me, the original graphic novel is not to be missed. A wonderfully quirky romp that somehow achieves moments of intense poignancy and beauty, this is a book for everyone.

I read this straight through the day I found it, staying up way past my 13-year-old bedtime. The next day I sweet-talked my grandmother into taking me back to the bookstore to get the sequels. Morgon is an unlikely hero, gentle, practical, a farmer, and a master of riddles…wait a second.

Maybe he’s not so unlikely after all. The book begins with a family argument about the crown under his bed. It turns out Morgon won it in a murderous riddle game with a dead king. He's a man who can't stop asking questions and seeking the answers, no matter the cost, and that very bad habit leads him across the realm in a wild and deadly game of riddles against unknown and ancient enemies. McKillip's prose is witty and beautiful, and so is this book.

This is one of my all-time favorites because of the banter and the fierce independence of the female lead.

I love how Suzanne Wright balances the primal, "feral" instincts of the wolves with sharp, witty dialogue that made me laugh out loud. For me, the chemistry between Taryn and Trey is the gold standard for werewolf romance.

I found the pack politics fascinating, but it was the undeniable heat and the "us against the world" mentality that truly captured my heart.

Once upon a time, the gorgeous covers of the Mercy Thompson series caught my eye and tempted me to taste urban fantasy. The stories turned me into an insatiable glutton. Night Broken is the eighth book in the series, and the way it handles a relationship under stress from a manipulative ex who plays the victim is chef’s kiss perfection. No silly miscommunication tropes here, thank you very much. It’s a solid story about two shifters who are confident enough in their relationship and themselves to deal not only with ex and pack drama, but also a terrifying magical foe. Talk about relationship goals. 

This is fantasy right up to date: for 8 to 12-year-olds, it was published in 2021. Its castle setting immediately defines it as fantasy: "Beyond the castle’s moat, the deep, dark forest was shot through with trails of sunlight, tracing golden paths of possibility…. The dark-haired girl… sat, bare feet dangling against stone, on the windowsill of her tower bedroom." It’s a vivid picture, instantly engaging us in a world where family is very important. The heroine, Cordelia, is one of three triplets. Their task is to use their magical powers to find and mend the Raven Crown so that the parched land beyond the forest can be healed of the fighting that rampages across it, and people and the natural world live in peace—themes I feel very much in sympathy with.

Lawlor’s novel gave me the best gift a book can offer: it changed my mind halfway through.

I had been so intrigued by the premise of a shapeshifting character who can change their gender at will, that I forced myself to read on even though I wasn’t enjoying the emphasis on sex, especially as conquest, and I was sorely disappointed the story didn’t seem to go deeper.

But as I continued, I was happy to be proven wrong. By the end of the novel, I was checking my own biases and prejudices and empathizing deeply with Paul and his/her/their struggles. Reading this novel was an emotional experience unlike any I’ve had with a book.