10 enchanting cosy fantasy novels you should read next

Written by Travis Baldree, this story follows Viv, an orc mercenary who decides to abandon her life of violence and adventuring after acquiring a rare piece of magic called a scalvert’s stone. Believing the stone will grant her good fortune, Viv travels to the city of Thune to pursue an unprecedented goal: opening the city’s very first coffee shop. Renting a dilapidated former livery stable, she hires a goblin carpenter named Cal to renovate the space and recruits Tandri, a succubus artist, to manage front-of-house operations and branding. As the business takes shape, Viv introduces espresso and fresh pastries to a population unfamiliar with hot brewed beverages, while navigating local business challenges and threats from former associates.

Set in Kyoto, Hisashi Kashiwai’s novel revolves around Nagare Kamogawa and his daughter, Koishi, who operate a hidden, unadvertised restaurant named the Kamogawa Diner. Aside from serving traditional regional meals, the father-daughter duo offers a specialized service as culinary detectives. Clients who find their way to the diner present memories of specific dishes from their past, such as meals prepared by deceased relatives, lost loved ones, or former partners, which they wish to taste once more. Koishi conducts preliminary interviews to gather details regarding the emotional context and ingredients of the memory, after which Nagare uses his culinary skill and investigative work to track down the precise historical recipes.

TJ Klune follows Linus Baker, a methodical caseworker employed by the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY). Linus strictly adheres to regulations while inspecting government-sanctioned orphanages that house magical children. His routine is disrupted when Extremely Upper Management assigns him to a classified month-long investigation at the Marsyas Island Orphanage. Upon arrival, Linus observes six unique youth, including a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, a shapeshifting Pomeranian, an amorphous blob, and Arthur Pendelton’s charge, Lucy, who is the six-year-old Antichrist. Managed by the enigmatic Arthur Pendelton, the orphanage provides a supportive environment designed to shelter the children from societal prejudice while Linus conducts his official evaluation.

Sangu Mandanna tells the story of Mika Moon, a solitary witch who abides by strict rules designed to keep magic hidden from the non-magical population. To manage her isolation, Mika posts videos online where she pretends to be a witch, assuming no one will take her content seriously. However, her online presence leads to an unexpected job offer at Nowhere House, a secluded estate in the English countryside. Upon arrival, Mika discovers she has been hired to tutor three young, untrained witches whose uncontrolled magical abilities risk exposing them. As Mika establishes a curriculum and builds a structured environment for the children, she interacts with the household staff and prepares the household for an upcoming legal evaluation.

Authored by Heather Fawcett, this narrative takes place in an alternate 1920s Montréal and follows Agnes Aubert, a widow who operates a rescue shelter for unwanted felines. When a destructive duel between powerful sorcerers demolishes her premises right before winter, Agnes is forced to seek new accommodations on a limited budget. She locates an affordable rental property on Rue des Hirondelles, unaware that the shop serves as the clandestine hideout for Havelock Renard, an infamous magician known as the Witch King. Despite Havelock’s allergies and grumpy demeanour, Agnes moves her shelter into the space, leading to an operational partnership involving charmed cats, magical artifacts, and police inquiries.

Reena McCarty’s novel follows Poppy Hill, a former human changeling who spent over a century working as a cook in the realm of the Fae before returning to the human world. Settled in Montana, Poppy utilizes her knowledge of fairy lore to work as a contract analyst, examining magical agreements to identify loopholes and protect human clients from predatory Fae bargains. When a high-stakes negotiation she is handling goes wrong, Poppy is forced to return to the land of the Fae to resolve the contractual dispute. Her journey involves navigating bureaucratic magical laws, avoiding political traps set by fairy nobility, and contending with her former boyfriend while correcting her operational mistake.

Rebecca Thorne’s novel centers on Reyna and Kianthe, two women who choose to abandon their high-stress positions in the capital city to start a new life together. Reyna served as an elite bodyguard to a tyrannical queen, while Kianthe holds the title of the world’s most powerful mage. Fleeing their respective duties, they travel to the remote border town of Tawney to fulfill their shared dream: opening a combination bookstore and tea shop. After securing a building and establishing their new business, they face the practical challenges of renovating the property, sourcing inventory, and serving the local population, all while avoiding detection by the monarch Reyna deserted.

Sarah Beth Durst writes the story of Kiela, a reserved librarian who has spent over a decade maintaining the vast collection of magical texts at the Great Library of Alyssium. When a revolution breaks out in the capital and threatens to destroy the library, Kiela escapes by boat to her childhood home, a remote island called Caldella. Accompanying her is Caz, a sentient plant creature who acts as her companion. Upon returning to the island, Kiela discovers that her local community is suffering from economic hardship. To survive and assist her neighbours, she opens a covert shop selling basic spells and enchanted goods using the preserved knowledge from the capital to restore magical balance.

Samantha Sotto Yambao’s novel introduces Hana Ishikawa, who unexpectedly inherits a hidden pawnshop located behind a Tokyo ramen restaurant. Unlike standard pawnshops, this establishment allows customers who are lost in life to pledge their regrets and past choices in exchange for a fresh start. On her first morning as the official proprietor, Hana discovers the shop has been ransacked, her father is missing, and a critical choice contained within the inventory has been stolen. Joined by a young physicist who enters the store, Hana embarks on a quest across a magical realm to locate her father and retrieve the missing item while navigating floating night markets and paper-crane travel.

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