Fantasy Books I’m Watching For In 2025
Whether you’re an avid reader yourself, know someone is, or just need an idea for a future Valentine’s Day book bouquet – I’m here to turn you onto some of the Fantasy Books releasing in 2025 that I’m keeping a personal eye on!
Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales (Emily Wilde #3) – Heather Fawcett
Emily WIlde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by is the fae-tastical conclusion to the Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett. Haven’t read the trilogy? If you’re a reader who loves a dash of quaintness, a hint of suspense, and a lot of whimsy, then this fantasy series may be just for you! Having just read the first two (Encycylopaedia of Faeries and Map of the Otherlands) myself this year, I am eager to join along with Emily and Wendell as they embark on the final leg of their journey.”
* This book has released and I am currently awaiting it from the library!
Katabasis – R.F. Kuang (August 26th)
Pitched as “Dante’s Inferno meets Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi”, Katabasis by R.F. Kuang is pitched as a new fantasy that features rivalry, mythology, and every bookstagrammer’s favorite: dark academia. As someone who loves a healthy dose of all three, I’m sure I’m not alone in being incredibly excited for this book. For those who have read Kuang’s works: which one has been your favorite? Yellowface, Babel, The Poppy War? Tell me in a comment below!
The Lord of Demons (The Burning #3) – Evan Winter (May 8th?)
I first read The Rage of Dragons earlier this year and was immediately entranced. Carrying a similar tone to Game of Thrones, this series is a heavy hitter in the best way. Rage of Dragons puts the idea of humanity itself under a microscope and asks the question: what is it that makes a man, a woman, a person … worthy? What is worth? And even further still: is the idea of worthiness worth the risk that comes along with society’s expectations? If you are looking for a world-building series that is rich with character development and nuance, this is one to add to the shelves!
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil – V.E. Schwab (June 10th)
I think excitement for a V.E. Scwhab novel really goes without saying. So in place of words, I will leave one of the more intriguing book descriptions I’ve read recently:
Santo Domingo de la Calzada, 1532. London, 1837. Boston, 2019. Three young women, their bodies planted in the same soil, their stories tangling like roots. One grows high, and one grows deep, and one grows wild. And all of them grow teeth.
Hemlock & Silver – T. Kingfisher (August 19th)
Truth be told, you will almost always have my attention when it comes to a retelling. Positioned as a dark reimagining of “Snow White”, this new read from T. Kingfisher is likely to add an amazing spin to a long lineup of reshaped and reconceived fairytales.
Sunrise on the Reaping – Suzanne Collins (March 18th)
I don’t think I even need to make an argument for this one. A new novel by the Suzanne Collins, “Sunrise” is the story a lot of us have been waiting for – Haymitch Abernathy’s. An incredibly storyteller, I am eager to see more about the life of one of literature’s most prominent mentors.
Oathbound (The Legendborn Cycle #3) – Tracy Deonn (March 4th)
The third book in the Legendborn Cycle, the premise of this trilogy has captured my attention since first hearing about it. Not wanting to be out of the loop, I’m determined to read the first two books so that I can join in the fun for the third. Think I can pull it off? For those who somehow haven’t heard of this series, here’s a piece from Legendborn book #1 that will hopefully intrigue you:
After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.
