16 BookTok creators whose SFF recommendations will shake up your reading list
It can be overwhelming to figure out what to read next, especially with the number of excellent science fiction and fantasy books that come out every year. But dozens of BookTokers — TikTokers who focus on books, from sharing favorites to critiquing classics — are here to help.
We’ve made a list of some of our favorite BookTokers who either focus on SFF or have a broad taste that includes many speculative books. Do not be afraid; this list goes beyond the much hyped books like Olivie Blake’s The Atlas Six or the numerous fantasy titles of Sarah J. Maas. This is not an exhaustive list either; the wide world of BookTok is full of creators doing excellent work. Since publishing this list, we have updated it with new BookTokers on the scene, and have removed some BookTokers who have since stopped posting to the platform.
@torithnerd
Tori reads a lot of science fiction and fantasy and does everything from hyping specific books to recommending books based on the video games you may like. I’m extremely jealous of the bookshelf that forms the backdrop in most of her videos.
@griekkoor
Bailey is a fan of fantasy and science fiction, and her biography specifically expresses her love of dark academic stories. Although her recommendations are wide-ranging, she is also a linguist, and I especially enjoy her list of best SFF books with great world building around language. She also has a great list of standalone fantasy shots – which feels like a rarity considering how many excellent fantasy series there are with countless entries.
@fictionalfates
Joel is a content creator on other platforms but eventually joined TikTok in 2023. They are more than a booktoker, as their fantastic book reviews collaborate with cozy lifestyle content, such as bookshelf decoration, cozy desk setupsAnd skin care routines – while we talk about books.
@book_reviews_kill
Evan’s focus is on SFF, although his tastes lean toward fantasy. His TikToks range from thoughtful analyzes of individual titles, such as VE Schwabs The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue And by Adrian Tchaikovsky Older breed, to the best books of the year, all-time favorites and book collections. His videos may lean toward the longer side as they contain a lot of analysis, but they are very accessible and a great choice for those just getting started with SFF or seasoned readers who want to dig deeper.
@areslees
Ares recommends numerous SFF, such as big fantasy series, graphic novels and comics (such as Saga And Sample), as well as manga. Ares also shares resources to help readers diversify the authors on their shelves. (And when I see someone who likes Ken Liu’s Dandelion DynastyI to have to show them.)
@drereads
Drea recommends science fiction and fantasy books, shares her thoughts on favorite nerdy movies and TV shows, such as House of the DragonStar Wars or, more recently, The miracles — and also creates fun content around things like throwing Pokémon launch parties. She also creates numerous recs lists for books written by queer authors in the SFF space.
@dachtensontomes_
If you love SFF styles and want to add something to that to-read pile, you’ve come to the right place. Sam makes many specific recommendations based on tropes and themes such as female anger, hero to villainor dark academia – along with sharing strange readings from SFF.
@chaptersofchi
Adannia’s tastes are broad and quite omnivorous, including literary fiction By Yaa Gyasi Transcendent kingdom as well as romance and YA. Of course it also contains a lot of science fiction and fantasy, with an emphasis on an inclusive reading offering – featuring many SFF heavy hitters like Octavia E. Butler and Nnedi Okorafor. Adannia’s TikToks also cover topics like anti-blackness in BookTok (And when publishing and criticism in a broader sense).
@boeken.met.lee
Lee’s tastes are also very broad, but with a focus on international authors – especially with her 2022 challenge ‘Reading Across Africa’ and 2023’s ‘Reading Across Asia’. Throughout the year she also recommends speculative fiction among many other genres. She also started a trend where BookTokers share images of their favorite books in the thumbnail – browsing these is a great way to quickly find other creators to follow.
@melissas.boekenplank
Melissa Blair, who is also the author of A broken kniferecommends a wide range of books, including science fiction and fantasy, often emphasizing native authors (like Karen McBride, who wrote Crow Winter, a speculative work of literary fiction). I would recommend watching her tour of her local bookstorewhere she points out great books by indigenous authors in Canada and the United States.
@limmadi8
Madi Lim recommends books from different genres, but science fiction and fantasy alternate regularly. She also makes “BookTok news‘ TikToks dedicated to news – and BookTok tea – from movie adaptation announcements to convention failures. Some of her recommendations are those of Sue Lynn Tan Daughter of the moon goddess and Aiden Thomas’ Cemetery Boys.
@asthebookends
If you’re in the mood for lots of SFF lists to browse through, mostly focused on detailed themes – like urban fantasy or fallen heroes – or just books with a certain level of “spice” (BookTok speaks for how explicit or titled a book is) is), Erin Fehres’ account is for you. Peppered with lists and individual recommendations, there is a lot to choose from.
@amivireads
Amivi runs a book club called ‘Sapphic and Proud’ featuring queer favorites from a variety of genres, including science fiction and fantasy. They share tons of sapphic must-reads and fantasy recommendations from black writerswith favorites including By Ayana Gray Predators and NE Davenport’s The blood tests.
@boekenwormbullet
Ayushi favors some books that have not yet become very popular on BookTok, but still deserve the love and attention of readers. She also emphasizes YA fantasies written by women of color, and represents many Desi authors – both SFF and outside the genre. (If you’re also a romance reader, Ayushi has the solution for you.)
@libraryvanclaire
If you were looking strange recommendations, you’ve come to the right place. Claire champions books from a variety of genres – with a frequent focus on science fiction – but they do an excellent job of highlighting both queer SFF and sapphic books of all kinds. (Hello, Gideon the Ninth.) They have an excellent list of them too books to read if you like D&D.
@johannametboeken
If you’re looking to add more Latinx authors to your shelf, you can’t go wrong with Johanna’s recommendations. This book collection alone has a lot of excellent books to dive into (Fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Gods of Jade and Shadow stand up!!!).