I wanted to read more in 2025, and I smashed my goal of 40 books. So far, as of writing this, I’ve read 50. Some were great, others were good, some were just okay. If I didn’t like it, I stopped reading. I listened to audiobooks. I subscribed to Kindle Unlimited. I devoured more books this year than I have in a while, and it feels good.
I’m still looking for that next fantasy series that I can’t put down. I started a few series this year where book 1 was great and then book 2 dropped the torch.
Here are my favorite books of 2025:
Fantasy/Romantasy:
Shield of Sparrows by Denvey Perry
This book was a breath of fresh air. It was the high fantasy with romantic elements and spice that I’ve been looking for. I’ve read so many books that feel like a reassembled, watered-down ACOTAR, but this book doesn’t. Sure, it’s gone some tropes, and sure, it’s not a literary masterpiece, but did I thoroughly enjoy myself? YES.
I would have jumped into book 2, but OF COURSE it doesn’t come out until February 2026.
The Road of Bones by Demi Winters
This book absolutely took me by surprise. It’s original, it’s fantastic, it’s a slow burn romance, it’s a Viking themed world where magic is illegal and those with it are hunted. This book started out slow, but when it kicked up, IT KICKED UP. I went into book two immediately. I would be reading book three, but IT ISN’T OUT YET. It’s very high on my list for book of 2026.
*I listened to the audiobook of book 1, and definitely recommend it. I would not have pronounced the names correctly otherwise.
If you need a refreshing romantasy with plenty of plot and character – this one.
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgeson
OMG. I read this book because Ali Hazelwood recommended it, and then it happened to be on discount. I’m so glad I did. This book was brilliant and refreshing and all-around amazing. It’s dark academia, but it’s high fantasy with a thread of romance, but it’s also political intrigue, but it’s also trials. It sounds like overkill, but everything in this books works so well together. My expectations were continuously subverted in the most amazing ways, and every chapter and plot twist felt like a cold sip of coke.
The plot! The PLOT!!!!!
The only caveat with this book is the writing style. It took me a bit to get into. It is told in a sort of omniscient POV, but it’s not overwhelming. I still feel like I know the characters.
Blood over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang
This book. THIS BOOK.
I bought this book thinking it was another book with a similar cover, and I almost returned it. I am so glad I didn’t. This book absolutely took me by surprise. This book was so well-paced, so well-plotted, so well-structured, that I am still thinking about it. It’s not a romance –
I have seen BookTokers say that this book should have been a trilogy, and I disagree wholeheartedly. This book did not need more – it did not need the extra pages to explain the sexism, prejudice, racism, and classism that the story explores. It doesn’t tell the reader about these things; M. L. Wang shows the reader these things and allows the reader to them fill in the gaps, to make the assumptions, to fill in what isn’t being said. We don’t need to be spoon-fed the allegory between this fantasy world and our own.
Contemporary Romance:
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
This was another rec from Ali Hazelwood. This book is about a woman who sees ghosts and helps them move on – and I am a sucker for a character with a sixth sense. Generally, there’s horror involved, but this romance was sweet, sad, bittersweet, and utterly delightful. The sad parts center around the main character and her family as they plan their father’s funeral after he dies suddenly. The MC also works in the publishing industry, which was just another bonus.
*I’m not an avid reader of contemporary romance, but this book was an exception. It was romantic without being overly steaming. It built the relationship, then gave us spice.
Horror:
Ghost Station is my favorite book by S. A. Barnes. I’ve read all three. This book had that isolation of deep space, the slippery slope of not knowing who to trust, and all the creepy factors of an abandoned habitat on a distant planet. It was spooky and well-plotted and the characters were fantastic.
The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
A horror BookTuber highly recommended this, and the part that got me was “wooden cutouts of people that move around.” This is a historical horror, set in different timelines in the English countryside. It’s a creepy, well-paced, well-written atmospheric gothic horror.
My 2025 Author Journey:
I published The Blood Enchantress, a vampiric romantic fantasy that was (when published) a standalone but is now part of a trilogy. I’ve outlined book 2 and part of book 3!
When is book 2 coming out? I don’t know.
I also rough drafted that Cinderella (but she’s an assassin) retelling, combined it and three other lonely WIPs into a series.
I finally finished my princess/pauper high fantasy series. Act 3 of Book 4 has been outlined and rough drafted (it’s been sitting half-finished for years).
I drafted that frosty high fantasy romantasy earlier this year, and it might end up being a series or a duology.
In all, 2025 was a decent year from an author/reader standpoint. I have enough WIPs to keep me going for a long time, there are books coming out next year I’m excited about, and I made some pretty good sales – though I’m not quitting my day job anytime soon.
I’m taking all that I’ve learned in 2025 But I’m taking all that I’ve learned in 2025 and moving forward into the new year. If all goes well, this high fantasy quartet will get a rapid release later next year, The Blood Enchantress will get a sequel, and maybe just maybe I will smash through that figurative glass ceiling and become a bestseller and get to write full time.
Probably not, but I can dream!
Beatrice B. Morgan 