"I think that genre-defying fantasy books have two main characteristics. First, they have a strong fantasy element. Even if they dip into sci-fi or horror for example. Second, it's difficult to put them inside a single box. You know when someone pitches you a book as fantasy meets this or that, with a bit of this other thing sprinkled in? Yep, that's a genre-defying fantasy book.
I'd say all of the books I picked for this list are pretty unique. They have different degrees of magical/fantasy elements — but they're always important to the story. Putting that aside, I tried to pick a wide array of books so that anyone can find something to love. Whether that's a space fantasy, a darkly magical horror novel, or a speculative short story collection." - Rey Rowland/Book Riot
