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by MC Smitherman

Ever since the first stories were told, we’ve been finding ways to make them our own and bring them to new mediums. There’s fan fiction, fan art, fan films, and something that’s been blowing up the convention track for the past twenty years. That’s right, today we’re talking about cosplaying.

One of the best genres to take inspiration from for cosplays or ren faire outfits is the sparkling (or perhaps grimdark) worlds of fantasy. Here at CamCat, we love our fantasy books with a fervor that nearly rivals Gollum’s obsession with the One Ring. Nearly. If you’re reading this blog post, chances are that you’re looking for your next costume inspiration. 

Perhaps you’re a fan of tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons who will find a myriad of colorful cloth garments and arcane trinkets in Elijah Menchaca’s They Split the Party. Or maybe you’re more a fan of regency balls with splashes of vibrant colors from charming con women and spunky thieves that will have you falling in love with Brielle D. Porter’s Jester. Or better yet, you’ve been a fan of steampunk ever since you first laid eyes on a bowler hat sitting next to a pile of gears and will find steamy delight in The Brass Queen by Elizabeth Chatsworth.

Whether you’re prepping for your next con, or fervently sewing your next ren faire outfit, we’ve got your content needs covered.

They Split the Party

It sucks being someone's unfinished business. 

The Starbreakers were heroes, until a tragedy broke them apart. Only now, years later, have they begun to make peace with each other. The rest of the world is a different story.

There has been a breakout in the prison known as Oblivion, and now the worst of the worst have been turned loose on an unsuspecting world. Desperate to contain the crisis, the right hand of the king has called the disgraced Starbreakers back into service. After all, they were the ones who put most of these villains away in the first place.

As the Starbreakers scatter to face friends and foes of the past, it's a fight for peace in the kingdom they call home, and a fight to protect the legacy they left behind. It's also exactly the opportunity their enemies have been waiting for.

Jester

What happens in Oasis, stays in Oasis.

Lisette’s father killed the King. His execution leaves Lisette alone, disgraced, and without the magic he intended to pass on to her. In Oasis, that’s a problem. Glutted with enchanted performers, Oasis is a sin city where courtiers pay in gold to drink, gamble, and above all, be entertained. To survive on its competitive streets, Lisette peddles paltry illusions in place of magic.

Desperate to prove herself, Lisette enters into a deadly competition to be chosen as the highest-ranked magician in the world, the Queen’s Jester. But her rival, the irritatingly handsome Luc, possesses the one thing Lisette does not—real magic. Lisette will do anything to win, but when evidence implicating the Queen in her husband’s murder surfaces, Lisette must choose between redeeming her family name, or seizing the fame she’s hungered for her entire life.

The Brass Queen

She knows a liar when she sees one. He knows a fraud when he meets one. 

In a steam-powered world, Miss Constance Haltwhistle is the last in a line of blue-blooded rogues. Selling firearms under her alias, the “Brass Queen,” she has kept her baronial estate’s coffers full. But when US spy J. F. Trusdale saves her from assassins, she’s pulled into a search for a scientist with an invisibility serum. As royal foes create an invisible army to start a global war, Constance and Trusdale must learn to trust each other. If they don’t, the world as they know it will disappear before their eyes.

Thank you so much for checking out our recommendations. We think no matter which books you choose, each one on this list will give you plenty of concepts for your next cosplay. 

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