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Urban Fantasy Books

Magic walks the same streets you do — it's just better at hiding.

Urban fantasy plants magic firmly in cities you recognize. Subways, alleyways, dive bars, parking garages — all of it secretly populated by witches, vampires, fae diplomats, and the people whose job it is to keep the rest of us from noticing. Readers love the genre because it splits the difference. The familiarity of the modern world makes the supernatural feel sharper, and the supernatural makes the familiar feel strange. It's mythology with cell service.

Urban fantasy lives largely in adult and new-adult territory, though YA versions exist and tend toward lighter stakes. Content levels skew higher than traditional fantasy, with noir-flavored violence, sexual content, and adult themes more common than not. If you're drawn to the modern-magic split, the entries below cover everything from cozy paranormal mysteries to brutal supernatural noir.

What to expect
  • Modern world with hidden magic
  • Noir-tinged investigations
  • Snappy first-person voices
  • Mythology in unexpected places
2416 books
Newest firstMost popular
L. Ron Hubbard presents Writers of the future. Volume 34
L. Ron Hubbard presents Writers of the future. Volume 34
David Farland, L. Ron Hubbard, Orson Scott Card +17 more
PG-13Adult 18+
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
Hank Green
PG-13YA 12-17
Zero sum game
Zero sum game
S. L. Huang
RAdult 18+
Vengeful
Vengeful
V.E. Schwab
RAdult 18+
The Luster of Lost Things
The Luster of Lost Things
Sophie Chen Keller
PGMiddle Grade 8-12
Jade City: Family is duty. Magic is power. Honour is everything.
Jade City: Family is duty. Magic is power. Honour is everything.
Fonda Lee
RAdult 18+
Jade City
Jade City
Fonda Lee
RAdult 18+
The Dark Prophecy
The Dark Prophecy
Rick Riordan
PGMiddle Grade 8-12
Year One
Year One
Nora Roberts
RAdult 18+
Winter tide
Winter tide
Ruthanna Emrys
PG-13Adult 18+
I Am Not Okay With This
I Am Not Okay With This
Charles Forsman, Regina López Muñoz
PG-13YA 12-17
Broken Compass
Broken Compass
Jaymin Eve
RAdult 18+
Dreadnought
Dreadnought
April Daniels
PG-13YA 12-17
Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club
Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club
Alison Goodman
PG-13YA 12-17
Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis
Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis
Anne Rice
RAdult 18+
The Ballad of Black Tom
The Ballad of Black Tom
Victor D. LaValle, Gökçe Çiçek
RAdult 18+
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy
Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy
Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson +1 more
PG-13YA 12-17
Crooked Kingdom
Crooked Kingdom
Leigh Bardugo
PG-13YA 12-17
Tales of the Peculiar
Tales of the Peculiar
Ransom Riggs
PG-13YA 12-17
The Hidden Oracle
The Hidden Oracle
Rick Riordan
PGMiddle Grade 8-12
The Creeping Shadow
The Creeping Shadow
Jonathan Stroud
PG-13YA 12-17
Edgedancer
Edgedancer
Brandon Sanderson
PG-13YA 12-17
Staked: The Iron Druid Chronicles
Staked: The Iron Druid Chronicles
Kevin Hearne
RAdult 18+
The Raven King
The Raven King
Maggie Stiefvater
PG-13YA 12-17
Shifting Shadows
Shifting Shadows
Patricia Briggs
PG-13Adult 18+
Frightmares: A Creepy Collection of Scary Stories (Michael Dahl's Really Scary Stories Book 1)
Frightmares: A Creepy Collection of Scary Stories (Michael Dahl's Really Scary Stories Book 1)
Michael Dahl
PGMiddle Grade 8-12
Working for Bigfoot
Working for Bigfoot
Jim Butcher
PG-13Adult 18+
SUPERPOWERED: Are YOU a Superhero or Supervillain? (Click Your Poison)
SUPERPOWERED: Are YOU a Superhero or Supervillain? (Click Your Poison)
James Schannep
PG-13YA 12-17
Firefight
Firefight
Brandon Sanderson
PG-13YA 12-17
The Darkest Part of the Forest
The Darkest Part of the Forest
Holly Black
PG-13YA 12-17