What to Read Next Based on Your Favorite Mythological Creature

Emily Wilde is a Cambridge professor who has spent her entire life researching on faerie folklore, though she’s yet to encounter them in real life—or so she thinks. Determined to collect some first-hand evidence, she travels to a remote village in the far north and tries to get closer to the Fair Folk. But the townsfolk are full of secrets and her research is upended by the arrival of her charming academic rival Wendell Bambleby. 

Written in the form of diary entries, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries (now a series) is a cozy and light-hearted novel filled with fey shenanigans, fairytales and an unexpectedly sweet romance, that provides an academic insight into British folklore while also bewitching the readers with an entertaining and memorable story. 

There are so many wonderful books on dragons that it’s hard to pick a single one for this list. But if you’re in the mood for a traditional high-fantasy novel where characters can bond with dragons and wield magic, you can try Crown of Vengeance by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory. Thrilling and action-packed, the book depicts elven politics, high-stakes intrigue, and of course, dragons—written in a slow and ornate style.

One of Robin McKinley’s more underrated but equally amazing novels, Pegasus imagines a fantastical world where humans and Pegasi live in peace, each with their distinct civilizations, cultures and modes of communication. The complexities of the two different societies are vividly rendered, and the underlying story of the young princess Sylviianel and her ceremonial bonding to the Pegasus Ebon is utterly mesmerizing. 

It’s a near-perfect book marred only by the sudden, cliffhanger ending—with no signs of a sequel (yet). But if you’re in the mood for a book that actually paints a picture of what a civilization of mythical flying horses can look like, you’ll find this one to be a captivating read.  

If I had to pick a favorite mythological creature, I’d go with the phoenix. And if I had to pick a single book about phoenixes, I’d go with Nicki Pau Preto’s Crown of Feathers—a lush and beautiful YA fantasy where characters can ride phoenixes to battle. It’s a fierce story about sisterhood, justice, and warrior women that will keep you turning the pages. 

And if you thought dragon riders were cool … just wait until you encounter the Phoenix Riders.  

You may know of trolls from the stories about them living under bridges or turning into stone when exposed to sunlight. In folklore, they’re often depicted as dimwitted monsters with enormous strength that the protagonists manage to outwit by hook or by crook. And if these stereotypes about trolls frustrate you, you should pick up a copy of Steven Harper’s Blood Storm. 

The book follows the exploits of Danr, the half-troll, who is tired of the endless fighting, longs for a quiet life with his wife, and wishes to become human—but, of course, the fates have other plans for him. It’s an engrossing novel that explores what happens after the heroes save the world.

Along with vampires, the paranormal romance market is also saturated with werewolves. And if that’s your jam, you may have heard of Shiver, the first entry in author Maggie Stiefvater’s The Wolves of Mercy Falls series, perfect for fans of paranormal romance novels aimed at a YA audience. It’s often compared to Twilight but with werewolves, but Shiver is more introspective and tragic with achingly poetic prose, depicting the poignant relationship that blossoms between Grace, a teenage girl, and Sam, a werewolf trying to hold onto his humanity.

My all-time favorite vampire novel (perhaps second-only to its sequel, The Vampire Lestat), turned into a hit '90s movie starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt by Neil Jordan, and now adapted into a hit television series by AMC Networks, Interview with the Vampire continues to be a cult classic. 

As the title suggests, the story unfolds in the form of an interview, wherein the brooding vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac narrates his life story to Daniel, a young reporter—from his early human days as a plantation owner in New Orleans, the vampiric seduction by the charming yet villainous Lestat, his enduring friendship with Claudia, a child vampire, their escape to Europe and more. It’s Gothic, atmospheric, poetic and tinged with melancholy—a heartbreaking fictional memoir (with plenty of gay subtext) that will surely stay with you for a long time.