Oaths, Debts, and Ghost-Catching Coffee: This Week's Free Fantasy

by Jonathan Maberry

Kagen Vale is the feared captain of the palace guard, sworn to protect the royal children of the Silver Empire, and the blurb makes clear that one night goes very wrong. This is dark epic fantasy and the first in a series, so it's a good fit if you like your heroes grim and your worlds big. It sits at 3.93 with over 2,600 ratings, which tells me it's a solid read that won't land for everyone.

by Jennifer Cody

Bishop to Knight One starts the Diviner's Game series, and it leans hard on the chemistry between Deejay and Matt. The blurb is mostly a rave from Nora Phoenix about how hot they are together, so go in expecting romance first and worldbuilding as the hook. At 4.2 with nearly 1,400 ratings, readers seem happy enough to want book two.

by James Russell

This is a middle grade dragon adventure, and one reader read it aloud to kids aged 3 and 7. They called it quick-paced, with a climax that's mildly scary. There's also an accompanying AR app, which is a fun extra for younger readers. It has a 4.33 from over 700 readers plus a Publishers Weekly nod, so it's a safe pick for family read-aloud time.

“3.5 Stars ✨ Fun and exciting start to this middle grade dragon series. I picked this up to check out for my kids and I think they’ll really enjoy it. It has a Swiss Family Robinson feel to it but with dragons! Love the family dynamic- looking forward to checking out more books in this series. Would ”

by Marc Alan Edelheit

Heads up, this is book five of the Eli Chronicles, so don't start here. If you're already following Eli, Mae and their ranger-in-training Kora, the setup is juicy: Eli is bound to Nyx, the dark goddess who spared his life, and she's calling in the debt. It has a 4.64 from 458 readers, the highest on this list, and one reviewer called the turn of events jaw dropping.

“After their escape from the goblins and their dark god; Eli, Mae and their Ranger-in-Training Kora have to divert their pursuit of Mik'Las. Eli'Far has a debt to pay, and Nyx means to extract her payment. Sending Eli (and his friends) north into hostile territory, Eli finds opportunities to get that”

by Charity Tahmaseb

Katy takes over her grandmother's ghost-hunting business after her passing, and her method involves catching ghosts with coffee. It's a fun hook, though one reviewer admitted they got a bit weary of the coffee by the end of the books. It's at 3.92 with more than 1,300 ratings, so I'd call it cozy and quirky, but not for everyone.

“This collection is strange. It is the story of a young woman who catches ghosts with coffee, I love coffee by the end of the book(s) I was weary of the words Kona and the 3 black, 3 sugar only, 3 cream only and 3 extra sweet and light. WEARY! I was also tired of her getting burned, scalded, scarred ”

by Dave Dobson

Lady Isovar is a supremely confident knight errant who leaps into every adventure, and her long-suffering squire Chevson, a former stone magic student, spends his days cleaning up the enthusiasm-related damage. If you like your fantasy funny and your duos mismatched, this is the one to grab. It has a 4.41 from 200 ratings, a small crowd, but a happy one.