New York City is no stranger to magic. Sure, it’s known for its yellow cabs, bagels, and Broadway lights, but it’s a great place to place ghosts, secret wizard societies, shapeshifting gods, and the occasional drunken fairy. In urban fantasy, NYC becomes a living, breathing character with its own moods, shadows, and secrets.
There’s something about the city’s energy—its mix of grit, glamour, history, and chaos—that makes it the perfect setting for stories that blur the line between the real and the unreal.
Whether we’re chasing demons through Brooklyn’s alleyways, stepping into a magical speakeasy in 1920s Harlem, or watching the Chrysler Building sprout wings (yes, that happens), these books show us a New York that’s strange, dangerous, and totally irresistible.
If you’re a fan of urban fantasy, or just want to see your favourite city through a supernatural lens, this list is for you. These ten books offer wildly different visions of New York, from mythic and sweeping to gritty and weird.
Let’s take a stroll through the magical side of the Big Apple.
10 Must-Read Urban Fantasy Novels Set in New York City
Looking for magic in the middle of Manhattan? These ten urban fantasy novels don’t just take place in New York—they transform it. Some dive into its multicultural history, others twist its landmarks into battlegrounds, and a few imagine the city itself as a sentient being. Here’s your must-read list:
1. The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin (2020)
What if New York City had a soul—and each borough had a champion to protect it?
That’s the premise of this mind-bending novel where five ordinary New Yorkers discover they’re the living embodiments of their boroughs.
Together, they must fight off a Lovecraftian cosmic threat trying to erase the city from existence. It’s fast-paced, funny, furious—and deeply in love with NYC’s messy, diverse brilliance.
How it uses NYC: Each borough has its own avatar, personality, and power.
This book is New York at its loudest, proudest, weirdest best.
Available on Amazon.com | Goodreads
2. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (2013)
This one’s for lovers of historical fantasy with heart.
Set in 1899, it follows Chava, a golem built to serve a man who dies on the voyage to America, and Ahmad, a jinni accidentally released from a bottle in Little Syria.
As they try to blend in among immigrant communities, they form a moving, unlikely friendship.
Think The Night Circus meets The Immigrant.
How it uses NYC: Wecker brings early 20th-century New York to life, from crowded tenements to bakery counters, infusing the city’s immigrant tapestry with genuine magic.
Available on Amazon.com | Goodreads
3. Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin (1983)
Epic, lyrical, and just plain strange—in the best way.
Winter’s Tale follows Peter Lake, a burglar who falls in love with a dying heiress in a version of New York that feels like it’s caught between a snow globe and a dream.
There’s a flying horse. There’s a mysterious cloud wall. And there’s a timeless love story at its core.
How it uses NYC: Helprin reimagines a mythic Manhattan, full of snowy nights, timeless romance, and supernatural forces just under the surface. It’s more fable than fantasy, but unforgettable.
Available on Amazon.com | Goodreads
4. The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar (1992)
Ever wondered what would happen if two drunk Scottish fairies crash-landed in the East Village?
This cult classic is punk rock chaos wrapped in fairy wings. Heather and Morag, two tiny anarchist fairies, arrive in Manhattan, disrupt a few lives, and accidentally kick off a fairy war. It’s messy, hilarious, and surprisingly heartfelt.
How it uses NYC: Imagine New York through a fairy’s (slightly inebriated) eyes—grimy, multicultural, alive with art and weirdness.
Think CBGB’s meets A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Available on Amazon.com | Goodreads
5. An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard (2017)
Magic, but make it high society and dangerously cutthroat.
In modern-day Manhattan, secret magical Houses control everything from behind the scenes.
Every few decades, they battle it out in a deadly magical tournament called the Turning.
Enter Sydney, a mysterious outsider with serious power and a score to settle.
How it uses NYC: Think duels in Central Park, spell-cast skyscrapers, and magic so old it seeps into the city’s bones. Sleek, stylish, and sharp.
Available on Amazon.com | Goodreads
6. A City Dreaming by Daniel Polansky (2016)
Low-key magic, high-key weirdness.
This episodic novel follows M, a laid-back magician who drifts through New York just trying to avoid trouble (and sometimes failing).
Along the way, he gets pulled into magical turf wars, surreal subway journeys, and strange quests across the boroughs.
How it uses NYC: Equal parts Brooklyn dive bars and metaphysical chaos.
It’s not about big battles—it’s about wandering the city and stumbling into magic when you’re just trying to get a coffee.
Available on Amazon.com | Goodreads
7. The Shambling Guide to New York City by Mur Lafferty (2013)
New York has tourists, and then it has monster tourists.
Zoe gets a job writing a travel guide for supernatural creatures. Turns out vampires, zombies, and demons have their own favourite hangouts—and some seriously dangerous politics.
It’s quirky, clever, and delightfully meta.
How it uses NYC: The city becomes a playground for the undead, with hidden layers of nightlife, danger, and weirdness tucked behind every deli and museum.
A love letter to monster-kind New York.
Available on Amazon.com | Goodreads
8. Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older (2015)
Art, ancestry, and power collide in Brooklyn.
Sierra Santiago thought her summer would be all murals and music. Then her paintings started crying, her abuelo fell into a coma, and she discovered she’s part of a secret legacy of Afro-Caribbean spirit magic.
Now she’s got to fight to protect her community—and her magic.
How it uses NYC: This is Brooklyn from the inside out—vibrant, proud, and battling gentrification.
The city’s culture and art become literal sources of power.
Available on Amazon.com | Goodreads
9. The Diviners by Libba Bray (2012)
Flappers, speakeasies… and supernatural serial killers.
Set in 1920s Manhattan, this YA fantasy follows Evie, a sassy party girl with a hidden psychic gift. She joins her uncle’s occult investigations and gets drawn into a dark murder mystery that could spell the end of the world.
It’s jazzy, spooky, and rich with historical flavour.
How it uses NYC: Harlem, Greenwich Village, and Prohibition nightlife all sparkle with charm and danger.
You’ll want to dance—then run for your life.
Available on Amazon.com | Goodreads
10. So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane (1983)
The OG urban fantasy for YA readers.
When Nita finds a magical how-to book in the library, she accidentally becomes a wizard—and discovers that NYC is a whole lot weirder than she thought.
Alongside fellow wizard Kit, she travels through a shadow version of the city where sentient cars, dark forces, and magical libraries await.
How it uses NYC: It’s the New York of the ’80s with a magical twist.
Subways are dangerous, skyscrapers hold secrets, and every street might lead to another world.
Available on Amazon.com | Goodreads
New York City has always felt like a place where anything can happen—and in these stories, it absolutely does. Whether it’s fairies setting up shop in the East Village, magicians duelling in Central Park, or ancient spirits whispering through Brooklyn murals, these books reimagine the city as a place where the magical and the mundane exist side by side. Each one offers a different lens on what makes NYC so compelling: its diversity, its contradictions, its grit, its pulse.
So if you’re craving fantasy rooted in the real world, with subways, bodegas, skyscrapers, and spells, this list is your perfect jumping-off point. Because in the world of urban fantasy, New York isn’t just a backdrop—it’s the main character.
D.P. Martinez is a contemporary fantasy author specialising in urban fantasy and magical realism. He holds an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Greenwich, where he focused on Literary London. His research explored metaphorical representations of London in urban fantasy. He has written hundreds of articles and several books across both fiction and non-fiction.