Editing Openai/6929e828-f3f8-8003-be69-a1460cac99e2 (section)

===== 📚 Why these stand out =====
* No Gods for Drowning — A dark, genre-blending novel mixing mythic gods, monsters rising from the sea, serial killings, detective noir, and existential dread. It’s an intense, atmospheric read where fantasy and horror combine to disorient and thrill. haileypiper.com<ref>{{cite web|title=haileypiper.com|url=https://haileypiper.com/no-gods-for-drowning/|publisher=haileypiper.com|access-date=2025-11-28}}</ref>
* House of Leaves — Often described as a horror-fantasy / psychological horror classic. The house at the center is larger on the inside than the outside, and as characters explore it, reality begins to warp. The novel plays with layout, narrative layers, footnotes, multiple narrators — all to create deep psychological dread and a sense of disorientation. Wikipedia<ref>{{cite web|title=Wikipedia|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Leaves|publisher=en.wikipedia.org|access-date=2025-11-28}}</ref>
* Sorcery of Thorns — If you want some magic + tension but with less horror, this standalone fantasy has dark magical themes, a bit of thriller-style pacing, and a richly atmospheric world. It’s lighter than the previous two but can scratch the “fantasy with stakes and mystery” itch.
* The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides — Not strictly “fantasy,” but as a psychological thriller it’s masterful — if you’re flexible about the “fantasy” requirement, this is a top-tier standalone psychological thriller with intense character work and shocking twists.