10 Fantasy Books With Music-based Magic
Where spells are sung, harmonies conjure wonder, and melodies wield power beyond words.
There is something undeniably enchanting about magic spun from music. Unlike arcane words or glowing sigils, this kind of sorcery comes alive with rhythm, tone, and soul. Music-based magic pulses with emotion, shaping the world through song, symphony, and sound. It’s not just about casting spells—it’s about feeling them resonate through your bones.
These ten fantasy books take the elemental power of music and turn it into something deeply magical, often lyrical, sometimes dangerous, always unforgettable.
1. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
🎻 Magic is music, and music is memory.
Kvothe is a bard, a magician, and a living legend. His lute isn’t just an instrument—it’s his soul. Rothfuss weaves a tale where music and magic blur, where naming and understanding the world require rhythm as much as intellect.
✨ Why it sings: Every note Kvothe plays is rich with meaning, shaping not only his story, but the very magic of his world.
2. Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones
🎼 A love song beneath the earth.
Set in a world of dark fae and hidden music, Wintersong follows Liesl, a gifted composer, as she’s drawn into the Underworld by the Goblin King. Her magic is bound to music, desire, and the wildness of untamed creativity.
🌒 Why it sings: Lush, romantic, and haunting, this book is a fairy tale fueled by longing—and every song opens a door.
3. A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
🎤 Sirens in a modern world.
Tavia hides a dangerous secret—she’s a siren in a world that fears her voice. Alongside her best friend Effie, she fights against a society that seeks to silence her. Here, the magic of music is defiance, resistance, and identity.
🌊 Why it sings: A fierce blend of myth and social commentary, this book proves the voice is the most powerful spell of all.
4. The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
🎶 Songs that whisper secrets of the future.
While the music magic here is subtle, the series is threaded with ballads and oral histories that carry hidden power. The past—and its songs—shape destinies in ways the characters barely understand.
🗡️ Why it sings: The narrative unfolds like a ballad itself: layered, melancholic, and impossible to forget.
5. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
🕯️ Melodies in a world of silence.
In a world overrun by the Unconsecrated, silence is survival. But when Mary dreams of the ocean and of lost songs, we feel how music becomes a symbol of hope. The lullabies she remembers aren’t just comforting—they’re sacred relics of a forgotten world.
🩸 Why it sings: In the absence of magic, music becomes magic.
6. The Bone Harp by Jennifer Horn
🪕 A harp carved from bone, echoing with the dead.
In this lesser-known but atmospheric tale, a young musician discovers a harp made from human bone. Each string sings with sorrow—and power. As she plays, the boundary between life and death grows thin.
💀 Why it sings: Creepy and haunting, this one is for fans of eerie, folklore-tinged fantasy.
7. Lirael by Garth Nix
🎵 Magic piped through bells and song.
Though primarily known for its Charter Magic, the Old Kingdom series gives us the magical art of the Clayr, who see visions—and in later books, we meet necromancers who use bells to bind and banish the dead. The sound is everything.
📖 Why it sings: Bells, like notes in a symphony, are wielded with ritual and precision—beautiful and terrifying.
8. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
🎻 He doesn’t want to be a monster—but his song makes him one.
August is a monster who can steal souls with his violin. In a divided city overrun by violence and shadow creatures, his music is his curse and his truth. He wants to be human. But the music inside him says otherwise.
🖤 Why it sings: Schwab crafts a dark, beautiful world where every note has a cost—and every performance, a price.
9. The Music of Razors by Cameron Rogers
🩸 Melody as madness, music as magic.
A surreal and gothic story about angels, serial killers, and haunted instruments. It’s a fever dream of music, memory, and otherworldly beings. Strange, lyrical, and utterly unforgettable.
🎭 Why it sings: This is music-as-magic in its most unhinged and operatic form.
10. The Harp of Kings by Juliet Marillier
🎶 An ancient harp, a missing heir, and songs with the power to crown—or curse.
Three warriors must recover a sacred harp to ensure a new ruler is chosen. But the harp’s power lies in its music, and it will only sing for those who are worthy. Politics, prophecy, and ancient song combine in this lyrical adventure.
👑 Why it sings: Elegantly written, emotionally rich, and steeped in Celtic myth, this is high fantasy with harmony at its core.
Final Chord 🎼
These books prove that music doesn’t just move us—it changes us. In fantasy, where imagination reigns, music becomes more than art. It becomes alchemy, transformation, revolution. Whether you’re drawn to sirens, spell-singers, or bardic warriors, each of these stories offers a soundtrack to a world unlike our own.
Which melody will you follow into magic?
