I love long fantasy series that allow me to live in magical worlds for long, long, long periods of time. But once in a while, usually when those stories leave me emotionally devastated (I’m looking at you, Red Rising), I feel the need to take a little break. For that, I like to dive into a shorter story (and by shorter, I mean a standalone that starts and finishes in 500–600 pages).
If you are like me and are in search of a fantasy standalone after finishing a long series (or maybe looking for something to cure your reading slump) here are my top five favorite fantasy standalones and why I love them.
5. The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
As someone who grew up obsessed with the ’90s movie The Craft, The Invocations quickly became one of my favorite new obsessions. Set in modern-day UK, this urban fantasy follows three young women, Jude, Emer, and Zara, whose lives collide as they begin investigating a series of murders involving women and magic.
The story is fast-paced and straightforward, very quick and easy to read, with endearing characters, and it will keep you on the edge of your seat for most of the time. Is this a super deep, life-changing book? Not at all, but it is sooo much fun. My fifteen-year-old self would have made this book her entire personality (and thank god I didn’t find it until my frontal lobe was fully developed, otherwise I would have ended up with a very strange tattoo in a very random spot of my body😅 … when you read this book, you’ll know what I mean).
I have a review of this book with all my thoughts on it and you can read it right here.
4. Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang
If you love stories about strong women breaking the glass ceiling, Blood Over Bright Haven will not disappoint you. The story follows Sciona, a fiercely intelligent mage who claws her way into an elite magical institution, only to uncover the brutal cost of its power—and must decide how much blood she’s willing to accept in exchange for success.
This dark academia novel is soul-crushing and unapologetically feminist, with a very unique magic system, a very unlikeable-but-I-like-her main female character, and lovable side characters that will keep you rooting for them until the very end.
It’s not a perfect story, but it is beautifully written—and if it doesn’t make you cry even a little bit, I think it probably means you don’t have a soul.
3. The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
If Interview with the Vampire and The Handmaid’s Tale had a child, I think it would look like The Book Eaters. It’s a dark, gothic feminist fantasy about motherhood, control, and survival that asks: what would you do to protect your child?
The story follows Devon, a woman from a secret society of people who eat books for sustenance and absorb their knowledge. When she gives birth to a son who craves human minds instead of books, she escapes her household and goes into hiding while searching for people with access to a medicine that could help her son control his cravings.
As a dark gothic girly myself, this book quickly became one of my all-time favorites. It is fast-paced and exciting, a little bit creepy at times, and it will make you cry for sure… unless you don’t have a soul.
2. Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
Another feminist tear-jerker (I think I’m starting to see a pattern here), Kaikeyi is a fantasy novel inspired by The Ramayana. It retells the story of one of Hindu mythology’s most vilified women, reframing her not as a villain but as a fiercely ambitious queen fighting for agency in a world designed to silence her (is like an Indian Maleficent)
The book is beautifully written, with a style so descriptive it stimulates all your senses without being overwhelming, something I haven’t experienced with many other books. I recommend this book 1000%.
1. The Sword of Kaigen by M. L. Wang
If you are in the mood for a brutal and devastating story, The Sword of Kaigen will absolutely do the trick. This epic fantasy is set in a remote, tradition-bound mountain town inspired by Japan, where generations of warriors defend their homeland with elemental magic. When long-buried truths surface and an enemy nation attacks, Misaki and her son, Mamoru, are forced to confront war, family loyalty, and the cost of the world they were raised to protect.
The Sword of Kaigen is a slow-paced narrative, but it is beautifully written and features some of the most incredible action sequences I’ve ever read. My biggest criticism is that it feels like it was originally part of a larger story the reader is expected to have already read, which means we’re thrown into a complex world without much in-depth explanation of why things are the way they are. This was confusing and frustrating at first. However, once you get to the meat of the story and realize it’s more focused on characters than plot, most of those missing details become insignificant.
This book had me crying almost from the beginning chapters till the end, and by the time I finished it, I was completely devastated… and yet, I LOVE IT!!! I would put myself through that emotional damage again just for the high I got from reading this story.
This list may change if I encounter another masterpiece in 2026, but for now, these are my top five all-time favorite books I’ve read. What are yours? Let me know in the comments.
