10 Beginner Fantasy Books

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These beginner fantasy books are perfect for dipping your toes into a new genre. Young adult romance, magical realism, and some great time travel women’s fiction all help introduce fantasy to a new reader.

The photo collage shows four young adult fantasy novels.

In my opinion, a great beach read falls into one of three categories:

  1. A light and breezy beach read that takes place near the ocean or a lake:
    Check out my list of light beach reads here.
  2. A story that takes place in a foreign land I want to travel to someday.
  3. A dark and magical story that transports my imagination far, far away.

If you’ve never tried reading a fantasy book in the summer, you’re totally missing out.

When I’m deep into reading my book near the pool, I want to look up from the page and have to blink my eyes for a few moments to remember where I am.

What Is a “Fantasy” Book?

If you’re a newbie to this fun genre, a fantasy book is one that creates an imaginary universe that is not bound by traditional scientific rules or nature.

There is often a magical element to the story. Sometimes the characters include fairies or wizards but not always.

Magical Realism is a more gentle form of fantasy and includes a realistic setting but the characters may have just a subtle bit of magic power. For beginner fantasy readers, this is the perfect place to start.

However, I’ve included all different kinds of fantasy novels on this list for you to sample. I think you’ll love them because they include:

  • Plenty of Romance: Some are steamier than others. I’ve noted which ones are more mature.
  • Fun and Whimsical: The level of magic varies from very tame to all-encompassing.
  • Perfect Sampling: Not every book on this list includes fairies, but there are some that do. No matter where you are on your introduction to fantasy, there’s something here for you.

I’ve read and loved every book on this list. I hope they are just the escape you need this summer.

Beginner Fantasy Books

The photo collage shows four young adult fantasy novels.

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