Hello! I'm looking for novels to read where there's little to no romance. I don't mind any other genres, but I'd prefer if it's something dark/gothic like, fantasy or sci-fi. Thank you. <3

I'm a huge fan of mature darker fantasy and I dislike romance as well.

My number one recommendation would be The Dresden Files book series by Jim Butcher. It's action packed and full of mystery. The books only get better. It's about a modern day wizard who lives in Chicago and works as a detective and solves magical murder mysteries. As the series progresses, the stakes begin to get higher until it's clear that the world itself is in peril.

The Magicians Trilogy by Lev Grossman is like Harry Potter for adults. It tackles darker themes such as death and depression. It has been made into a TV show but I haven't watched the TV adaption.

I received American Gods by Neil Gaiman for Christmas last year and finished it within a day. It's set in modern times where the protagonist interacts with a lot 'modern' gods as well as the gods from ancient mythology (like Odin, Loki, etc). The protagonist has a criminal background and has a wife who recently died. The focus is more on exploring emotions/character development than actual action though. The book has also been made into a TV show which I also haven't watched.

Thank you so much for the recommendations!

The Stormbreaker Archive by Brandon Sanderson, IIRC, has little romance. What romance there is, is an arranged marriage (Shallan and Adolin, IIRC) and a pair of middle aged people (Dalinar and Navani, IIRC-it's... kind of a slow burn, because they were taking their time with each other). The series focuses more on friendships, parent/child relationships, sibling relationships, etc. (I'd suggest reading Warbreaker before Words of Radiance though. Worldhopping is a thing in The Stormlight Archive, and some of the characters in Warbreaker show up in Words of Radiance. Hoid... is a special case, because he shows up in Elantris, most of the Mistborn books, and Warbreaker too-he's a sign they're all interconnected.)

The Twisted Ones and The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher; the main relationships in these books are the friendships the MC develops and Found Family, basically. 0 romance. Simon from The Hollow Places is a riot.

Thank you so much!

I see theres Butcher and Sanderson rep already, love to see that.

Though its not in the genres you mention, Alice Oseman's YA Contemporary novel Radio Silence is an entirely platonic friendship. I personally am not a fan of YA anymore, but I think it does a good job representing fan-culture and the relationship development of the friendships.

Thank you! :)