Oaths, Dark Goddesses, and Ghosts Caught with Coffee: This Week's Free Fantasy

by Jonathan Maberry

Kagen Vale is captain of the palace guard, bound by oath to protect the royal children of the Silver Empire, and Maberry sells this as dark epic fantasy. It sits at 3.93 with over 2,600 readers, which tells me it's solid but divisive. If you like grim, sworn-to-protect protagonists and want a series starter that costs nothing, grab it.

by Jennifer Cody

Bishop to Knight One opens the Diviner's Game series, and the blurb is basically a cheerleading section for the chemistry between Deejay and Matt. A 4.2 from nearly 1,400 readers suggests the romance delivers. This one is for readers who want relationship tension to lead the story and the fantasy world to back it up.

by James Russell

This is a middle grade dragon adventure, and the reviewers are parents. One read it aloud to kids aged 3 and 7 and warned that the climax gets a little scary. It's at 4.33 with more than 700 ratings, plus a Publishers Weekly nod for its humor. There's even an AR app that goes with it, which is a nice touch if you have young readers at home.

“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

Be warned, this is Book 5 of the Eli Chronicles, so it's not a place to jump in. But a 4.64 from 458 readers is the highest score on this list by a good margin. Eli is bound to Nyx, the dark goddess who spared his life, and one reviewer called the big turn of events jaw dropping. If you're new, start the series at the beginning and treat this as the payoff.

“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, and her method is catching ghosts with coffee. That is a funny premise, and a new rival ghost hunter plus something sinister stalking her adds some stakes. It's at 3.92 with over 1,300 ratings. One reviewer said they loved coffee by the end but got weary of it, so decide for yourself how much coffee is too much.

“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 L.A. McGinnis

This is Book 2 of the Nocturne Vampire Clan, and it leans hard into spice, with reviewers mentioning feeding scenes, a why-choose setup, and a villain who is far too attractive. The narrator was turned by a ruthless king who wanted to save his kingdom. It holds a 4.4 across 345 ratings, though one reader found it a step down from book one, Fated in Blood. Not for everyone, but it's clearly a hit with its audience.

“3.5 Werewolf Smut Stars ⭐️ Spicy Level:🌶️🌶️.5/5 I really wanted to love this book because Fated in Blood is STILL the best book I’ve read this year. So yes, I had high hopes that this sequel would deliver the same, but unfortunately, while I liked it, I didn’t love it. NOTE: This is the second...”