Be it the high fantasy you have waited five years to read, or the enemy-to-lovers slow-burn romance you saw last week on BookTok, December is the time to crack open the coziest, most heart-melting worlds of magic.
If your TBR for the month isn't yet ready, feel free to pick from one of these incredible books, which I believe are perfectly tailored for this weather.
1. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Naomi Novik spins a beautiful tale of love, family, survival, and politics in this perfect wintertime fantasy set in the fictional country of Lithvas, heavily inspired by Russian and Slavic influences. The story follows three women—Miryem, a moneylender’s daughter forced to step up for her family’s sake, Wanda, an abusive man’s daughter with two brothers to take care of, and Irina, a Duke’s daughter being set up to marry the Tsar. And then there’s the Staryk lord, who is hell-bent on keeping his hastily-made promise of marriage to Miryem.
Novik’s writing always has a touch of something beautifully raw and unadorned, like listening to your grandmother tell a story in front of a fire. Even with the icy fae kings and evil fire demons abound, Spinning Silver remains fundamentally about the human heart, and what one character is willing to do, or suffer, for another. There’s a lot of ice and snow in this book, but it fills you with a distinct warmth. Also, there are two well-fleshed-out enemies-to-lovers stories, which is such a rare phenomenon in YA.
2. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
This one is like a warm hug and an exciting adventure at the same time. Mika Moon, a 30-something witch raised as an orphan, is recruited by another magic-user to teach witchcraft to three young girls, Rosette, Terracotta, and Altamira, to avoid an impending disaster. However, the prospect comes with high risks, as witches are not supposed to co-exist in proximity.
Here you’ll find yet another mild enemies-to-lovers situation with the grumpy-sunshine kind of pairing. But the romance is not the main point of the story. It is a character-driven, low-stakes, heartwarming fantasy that centers around secrets, found-family ties, and a looming threat tied to her own past. The plot is pretty straightforward, so if you enjoy that over too much tension or complication, this one would be a great pick.
3. The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
The Fox Wife is a beautiful blend of historical fiction, mythology, and magical realism rooted in transcendental connections with the fox spirits. Set in the wintry landscape of early 20th-century Manchuria during the last years of the Qing dynasty, the book follows a mother, Snow, as she seeks justice for her daughter’s death, and an elderly detective, Bao, who investigates a murder. Their dual narratives gradually converge across a story of epic scales steeped in folklore.
It is best not to know much about the story before reading it, as discovering the connections between the characters and their individual narratives is a primary element of the book. You can expect Bao’s perspective to be deep and insightful, while Snow’s to be vivid and evocative. Then there are the nuggets of wisdom by the fox spirits, with a nice dollop of humor at times. If you love tales that are long-winded yet poignant about grief and shifting identities, you'll likely love this one.
4. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Katherine Arden’s debut novel feels like a slice of Russian winter served to you on a platter. The book revolves around Vasilisa, the daughter of the lord of Lesnaya Zemlya, a forest village in medieval Russia. We see little Vasya grow up through her mother’s death, her favorite brother’s departure, and the slow obsolescence of the spirits she knew after the arrival of the new priest.
She is also marked by a mysterious stranger, who left a talisman to be given to her when she was only a child. The Bear and the Nightingale is not your usual, fast-paced fantasy novel where stakes rise and fall within chapters. The pace is slow at times, but the story engulfs you like a blanket on a cold winter night. The book doesn’t really end on a cliffhanger, but it does hint at a potential immortal/mortal romance to be further explored in the following two books.
5. The Lies Of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
If cozy does not always mean light-hearted and cheery for you, and you prefer your fantasy with a healthy dose of grimdark, The Lies of Locke Lamora is an ideal choice for the month. A grittier version of an Oliver Twist-meets-Six of Crows story, the book follows Locke Lamora as he leads his crew of con artists, the Gentleman Bastards, and runs elaborate schemes in the Venetian-style city of Camorr.
Things start falling apart when their latest heist spirals out of control after a ruthless criminal warlord upends the underworld hierarchy. It has clever character arcs, witty banters, and visceral stakes that put the protagonists’ backs against the wall, making the book a top-tier pick for those who love brooding antiheroes and intricate crime-fantasy overlap. There are two more books in the series, and a total of seven planned to be released, in case you want to continue them.
6. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Scholar Emily Wilde travels to the remote village of Hrafnsvik to research the local faerie folk while enduring the unexpected arrival of her charismatic academic rival, Wendell Bambleby. Through journal entries, she documents the everyday lives and occasional dangerous whimsies of the fae, especially the elusive Hidden Ones, when she stumbles across a secret about Bambleby.
The book is delightfully charming, blending academia, folklore, and slow-burning romance set against a Scandinavian backdrop. The dry sense of humor of the lovable, prickly protagonist works just right for the story. If you like strong character chemistry and lush world-building, you may find yourself coming back to Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries as a comfort read.
7. Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
Hogfather is not much of an expansion of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, but more like a perfect little Christmas story set within the universe. When the Hogfather, the Discworld version of Santa Claus, goes missing, Death steps into his role to preserve humanity's belief in things that, in the bigger scheme of things, make us human.
Susan, Death’s granddaughter, investigates the plot threatening the very nature of myth. The story explores how stories, rituals, and imagination shape reality in a world where narrative literally has power. It’s absurd, clever, and philosophical beneath its comedic surface, and one of Pratchett’s most emotionally resonant novels. Its chaotic structure and rapid tonal shifts may seem unnerving if you are a newcomer to Discworld, but it should not be a dealbreaker either.
8. The Golden Compass / Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
I cannot emphasize how perfect Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy is for winter. If you have read the first book but never finished the series, this is your time to do so. And if you have never started it, get started right away. Northern Lights, titled The Golden Compass in the US and some other countries, follows Lyra Belacqua, an adventurous orphan in an alternate universe set in Oxford.
She uncovers a conspiracy involving stolen children and the mysterious particle known as Dust. Her journey north leads her through political intrigue, armored bears, witches, and parallel religious power structures, all while she unravels truths about her own identity. It’s a wintry adventure with a strong coming-of-age core. It is very much a young-adult fiction book, and there are no 18+ elements. However, you can enjoy the intellectually daring and thematically rich elements much more as a grown-up, as the book pushes beyond the typical children’s fantasy into territories of questioning authority and matters of morality.
9. To The Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey
Eowyn Levy brings back her signature Alaskan landscape in her second book (after her debut, The Snow Child), with an even deeper shade of magic teetering in the vast Tundra. Told through journals, letters, and sketches, the book follows Colonel Allen Forrester’s 1885 expedition into Alaska, where mythic and supernatural forces blur with the harsh reality of the icy wilderness. However, there are other things to worry about as well.
Forrester’s newly married wife, Sophie, is pregnant with their first child. She is naturally worried about the expedition, as well as being apart from her husband during such a time. Richly atmospheric and beautifully written, the book feels like opening a historical archive holding within its pages some ancient magic. Its fragmented format and slow pacing may not appeal to everyone, but if you enjoy lyrical, emotional narrative, you should find this quite stunning.
10. The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
To be honest, neither the summary nor the actual story of The Tainted Cup is what comes to mind when you think cozy, wintry fantasy. Yet, somehow, once you start reading, the vibe does not miss a beat, especially if you love a good detective thriller. Narrated by Dinios Kol, the assistant of a veteran investigator, Anagosa Dolabra, the book opens with the murder of a high-ranking engineer of the empire. We then follow the two characters as they unravel a deep-rooted political and socio-economic conspiracy, all the while the impending crisis of a titan breach looms over their lives.
The book has been compared to a Sherlock Holmes-John Watson story, but I feel like the parallel doesn’t go beyond Ana’s eccentricity, terrific eye for detail (a necessity for any detective), and recreational drug use. Her relationship with Din, which is my favorite thing about the book, is not quite like that of Holmes and Dr. Watson either. Although it is the first book of the Shadow of the Leviathan series, the book can be read as a standalone. However, I think you would be reaching for the second book soon enough—it is really that good.