Winter Fantasy Book Recommendations

Fantasy Books with a Wintery Snowy Setting

As a seasonal reader, I always shift my reading to match the season, and winter sends me looking for fantasy drenched in frost and snowfall. These ones deliver the winter vibes I’m always craving. This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of my links, I may earn a very small commission, at no additional cost to you.

This wouldn't be a winter fantasy list without Game of Thrones. Winter is indeed coming.

Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Fey kings, frozen kingdoms, impossible bargains—Novik makes winter feel mythic.

Frozen landscapes, monstrous dangers, and a reluctant partnership make it a perfect winter read.

Russian folklore, frost demons, and a girl who can speak to spirits—winter has never felt more enchanted or more dangerous.

Icy chasms, winged monsters, and a fierce heroine who refuses to die quietly—this is winter survival at its sharpest.

A shield maiden blessed by the gods, an unwanted marriage, and a forbidden romance—all colliding in a Norse-inspired world on the brink of war.

A thief, a witch, and a mission to kill the Snow Queen—an atmospheric, sapphic tale inspired by Scandinavian lore.

A smuggler who walks between worlds and the immortal monster who should be her enemy—danger, desire, and revolution collide.

From shattering storms to the frozen edge of the world, this Jacobean seafaring tale delivers pirates, betrayal, and winter magic.

adult epic fantasy

by George R.R. Martin

adult fantasy

by Naomi Novik

adult romantic fantasy

by Ava Reid

by Katherine Arden

by Stacey McEwan

by Danielle L. Jensen

adult historical fantasy

adult romantasy

adult romantasy

by S.T. Gibson

by S.A. Maclean

by H.M. Long

adult young adult fantasy

adult romantasy

adult romantasy

by Callie Hart

by Krista Street

by Emily Rath

adult romantasy

adult romantasy

adult romantasy

In a fae realm of ice and snow, a desert outlaw becomes the only weapon a coldhearted fae warrior has left—and the only one who can undo him.

A wingless, magicless outcast is stolen by the brutal Winter Prince and forced into an alliance that could ignite a kingdom buried in endless snow.

Two young women defy gods, a cruel Witch Queen, and an underworld King in a Finnish-inspired tale where love refuses to die.

by Christelle Dabos

by Shea Ernshaw

by Sarah Beth Durst

by Eowyn Ivey

by Heather Fawcett

by Maggie Stiefvater

by Eowyn Ivey

by Sable Sorensen

by Susanna Clarke

by Sophia St. Germain

by Joanna Ruth Meyer

by Adrienne Young

by Alexandria Warwick

by Melissa Bashardoust

by C.N. Crawford

adult young adult fantasy

adult cozy romantasy

adult cozy romantasy

adult historical fantasy

adult romantasy

adult fantasy

adult fantasy

adult romantasy

young adult fantasy

young adult fantasy

young adult fantasy

adult romantasy

adult romantasy

adult young adult fantasy

adult young adult fantasy

A timid archivist with extraordinary gifts is thrust into the ruthless northern Ark, where her arranged marriage hides a plot far darker than she ever imagined.

Winter storms, enchanted woods, and a witch who must uncover the truth behind a boy who should’ve died in the snow.

Sentient plants, failing magic, and a grumpy gardener—this cozy fantasy blooms in a wintery, enchanted greenhouse.

In the brutal beauty of 1920s Alaska, a lonely couple’s snow child becomes real—bringing wonder, love, and a heartbreak older than any fairy tale.

A prickly scholar and her charming rival study fae lore in a frostbitten village alive with winter cottagecore enchantment.

A yellow-eyed werewolf, a girl who can’t stop thinking about him, and a love racing against the return of winter.

In this enchanting short story, a girl who speaks to animals meets a mysterious figure in the snowy woods, forever altering her path.

A single mother, a mysterious woodsman, and the Alaskan wilderness collide in a dark fairy tale where love may be as dangerous as the forest.

Forced into lethal Bonding Trials, Meryn must survive direwolves, assassins, and a dangerously charming prince if she hopes to save her sister.

A half-fae with deadly magic is forced to infiltrate human politics, torn between her freedom, a brooding regent, and a kingdom full of secrets.

When Echo trades a year of her life to a mysterious talking wolf, she’s drawn into a wintry enchanted home full of unraveling magic and dangerous secrets.

Betrayal, brutal winters, and Viking fury collide as Eelyn fights to unite rival clans and protect the people she loves.

A mortal girl sacrifices herself to the icy North Wind, sparking a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance in a world trapped in endless winter.

Frozen magic and fractured loyalties shape this feminist Snow White retelling, where two young women are doomed to be rivals from the start.

A drunken insult lands her in a deadly competition to “fake date” the Seelie King—until the fake starts feeling dangerously real.

Nutcracker-Inspired Fantasy Books

For readers who adore The Nutcracker, these fantasy books bring all the festive vibes to your seasonal TBR.

When Natasha is lured into the Kingdom of Sweets, she uncovers dark bargains and a destiny that could reshape both magic and family.

A ballerina is swept from Edwardian London into a dazzling but deadly sugar kingdom, where she must escape a glittering prison before the magic devours her.

Swept into a musical kingdom on Christmas Eve, Clara confronts a sorcerer who casts spells with melodies in this enchanting Nutcracker retelling.

In Belle Époque Paris, a mechanical nutcracker unlocks a shimmering mirror realm, pulling Clara into a battle to protect two worlds of invention and illusion.

Two sisters are pulled into a fae realm of curses, temptation, and looming war in this spicy Nutcracker retelling where desire is as dangerous as the Rat King.

Clara reunites with the Nutcracker Prince for a sweeping adventure across the Realms, where old dreams spark new love and the Mouse King rises again.

by Erika Johansen

by M.A. Kuzniar

by Heather Dixon Wallwork

by Rowenna Miller

by Rebecca F. Kenney

by Jasmine C. Caldwell

adult fantasy

young adult fantasy

young adult fantasy

adult historical fantasy

adult romantasy

adult romantasy