Innamorata

Enemies, lovers, traitors and spies: this year’s crop of science fiction and fantasy books sent readers to new realms, galaxies and more. From the new Dungeon Crawler Carl installment to the exhilarating Ninth House finale, from the highly anticipated Baldur’s Gate novel and the latest ACOTAR story, here are the sci-fi and fantasy adventures readers couldn’t stop raving about this year.

Heroes with fangs or fur, heroines who can singe your eyebrows off with a wicked fireball, and evil villains bent on world domination are the markings of many paranormal romances, where the action is often larger than life. If you’re looking for an out-of-the-ordinary escape or a pulse-pounding romantasy, these books have everything from light and fluffy witchy romantic comedies to cursed ancient castles and heroines who know what they want and how to get it.