Hello, everyone! Today I have another year-end list of top books, my favorite books of 2025. I managed to narrow the list down to ten books this year despite most of my reading being new releases. So, the ones I’ve chosen are definitely the best of the best. 🙂 These are all 2025 releases that I’ve managed to read this year. You can find my favorite backlist books in another post here. So, be sure to check it out, as well. All of the covers link to Goodreads in case anything catches your eye…

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett – This was such a great ending to the Emily Wilde trilogy. I loved getting to explore more of Wendell’s realm, and of course I just adore these characters. Hopefully, one day the author will return to this world for more stories. I know that I’d definitely be chomping at the bit to read them.

The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley – I’m not quite sure how to describe this book. The whole thing just sort of felt like a fever dream. I’m always down for a good retelling of myth, and this one exceeded my expectations.

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett – This series is shaping up to be one of my favorites. The story was brilliant. Great detail was added to the world-building but all in service to the riveting mystery. I was hooked from start to finish and can’t recommend this series enough.

The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson – This was my biggest surprise of the year. This book had so many twists and turns, a brilliant animal companion, fascinating world-building, and a world-altering competition at its heart. I honestly can’t believe it was a debut. It was that good!

Exquisite Things by Abdi Nazemian – This was yet another emotional tale from Nazemian. It was a story of two immortals searching for the perfect time to live out their love. The narrative was drenched in a longing for a better world, one where everyone can live authentically without ridicule. Although, I think the most moving part of this story for me was seeing the queer joy and the determination of so many in this community to make today meaningful despite not being perfect.

All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles – A locked mansion mystery about a horrible family who might want to all kill each other to get a huge inheritance? Plus a MM second-chance romance written by one of my favorite romance writers? Yeah. There was no hope of me not loving this one. lol.

Hazelthorn by CG Drews – I enjoyed this book even more than the last one I read by Drews, Don’t Let the Forest In. If you’ve ever wanted to fall in love with a rotting house and garden, this one is for you. It was mysterious and kept me in a chokehold until the very end. The autistic representation was also really great. What are you waiting for? Inject the rot into your veins and pick this one up ASAP.

As Many Souls as Stars by Natasha Siegel – I’m not surprised Siegel made it onto this list again this year. After last year’s The Phoenix Bride, I’d follow the author anywhere. lol. This book actually made me love the reincarnated lovers trope, which is rare for me. The relationship was also super toxic but in an entertaining way. I can’t wait to see what Siegel does next.

Cinder House by Freya Marske – I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did. Marske is already a favorite author of mine because of The Last Binding trilogy, but I wasn’t sold on the idea of a Cinderella retelling. Ella as a ghost really worked, though. It was such an intriguing take on the familiar story, and the writing made it easy to gobble up. The end was a bit rushed, but I did like how the story was resolved. If you are looking for a quick read, this would be a great novella to pick up if you like new takes on fairy tales.

The Incandescent by Emily Tesh – This was my first book by Tesh, but it won’t be my last. I always love a good story set in academia. This one had the fun twist of being from the teacher/administrator POV. The sapphic romance subplot was just the cherry on top.

There you have it. My favorite books of 2025! Do we share any top books in common? What were your favorite books of the year? Let me know in the comments!