Fantasy and organized crime
Fantasy that features stories and characters from a criminal underworld. Think rival syndicates, crime lords and gang leaders, thieving crews and elaborate heists, shadowy assassins, and illicit dealings. Feedback and recs welcome!
created by cetra
last updated August, 2026
Comments
Yes. I want all of that please.
you should check out « To Kill a Fae » by Jamie A Waters!! I think it would fit it this list ☺️
cetraOP
hi! i looked into the book and it sounds like a fun read but i didn't see anything relating to an underworld of crime so i opted not to add it, i hope that's ok :') i appreciate you commenting!
Hi, so it’s not in the blurb, and I don’t know how much the plot needs to be in the underworld of crimes, but two of the MC’s main interactions (other than with the her love interest) are with 2 brothers running opposing mafia/gangs :)
if the mafia/gang plot is pretty prominent in the story or has a strong influence on the main character, i would add it! edit: to clarify, i'm just not sure what you mean by main interactions is all! does the mc interact with them briefly? are they recurring characters? etc.
Oh i see, then you’re right, it doesn’t really fit! But it’s a very nice list tho, thank you!!
cetraOP
no worries and thank you for providing more details! i edited the description because i realized saying “a touch of” may be misleading in terms of my intentions with this list. likewise if any book doesn’t really fit then i’d hope someone else may point it out! thanks again 💞
of course! I don’t read a lot about the criminal underworld haha, so that book was my default lol 🥰
I believe Holly Black’s "Curse Workers" and Martha Wells’ "The death of the necromancer" would fit as well))
cetraOP
ahh perfect! can't believe i didn't stumble across Holly Black's Curse Workers series. i remember it being popular! ty for the suggestions :)
Thanks for this list! 🩷
I highly recommend House of Bane and Blood for this list! It's the first book in a fantasy duology with steampunk/elemental magic and rival mafia families 🙌
Also this list is epic and right up my alley, I added almost every single one onto my TBR. Thank you for curating it!!!
cetraOP
amazing, thank you for the rec! and i’m so happy to hear that this list is to your liking!! 🥹 it’s one of my fave fantasy niches
I recommend When They Burned the Butterfly by Wen-yi Lee. It's about magical gangs in 1970s Singapore and centers a girl gang.
cetraOP
that sounds amazing, thank you!
