My Top Books of 2025

This was a year mainly dominated by romantasy because I'm basic and will go wherever the BookTok hype wave takes me... but also because my two favourite genres are fantasy and romance so a romantasy obsession is pretty much a given.

I read a total of 40 books this year which I'm super happy with. I tend to get distracted but writing or TV shows so sometimes reading can fall a little down my priority list. There were so many books I rated five stars this year so whittling down my top reads was tricky but here we go...

The Hurricane Wars - Thea Guanzon

I'm a sucker for slow burn and enemies-to-lovers - honestly, who isn't? - so I fell pretty hard for this series. I thought the world and magic system was super cool and the romance was sizzling. I really loved that it didn't feel rushed or an unrealistic dynamic where the characters 'hate' each other for like ten pages before they start kissing. There was a lot more angst and morally conflicted goodness which made everything so much more entertaining I can't wait for the next installment in the series!

The Knight and the Moth - Rachel Gillig

And while we're on the topic of romantasy? This book!!!!! It felt a little predictable at times and the plot twist at the end didn't really hit me hard as I saw it coming but it was still such a great book. I fell head first for the characters and I thought the concept was so cool and well executed. This is another book where I'll be eagerly awaiting the sequel.

One Dark Window - Rachel Gillig

If it wasn't obvious, I was introduced to the genius of Rachel Gillig this year and I'm forever grateful for BookTok for throwing me in her direction.

I loved the dark gothic vibes of this duology and the romance was *chef's kiss.* The magic system was so fascinating and I love when the world and magic is given a lot of thought and logic. It made for a really satisfying read.

The Jade War - Fonda Lee

I gravitated towards this series because I've also seen a lot of comparisons to The Poppy War and that is my favourite fantasy series of all time so it was only natural I wanted to give this series a try and I'm so so glad I did.

I've never really read many martial-arts mafia inspired books so I wasn't sure how much I was going to gel with the genre but this series is so freaking cool. I haven't finished the final book in the trilogy yet but I couldn't exclude the series from the list.

The second book in the series, The Jade War, was particularly extraordinary for me. There are so many characters and different dynamics and plot twists and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I laughed and I cried and I fell more and more in love with this set of complex and fascinating characters.

Katabasis - R. F. Kuang

R. F. Kuang can truly do no wrong in my eyes. Katabasis was probably my most-anticipated book release this year and it didn't disappoint. I don't read dark academia too often but I instantly fell in love with this world and these characters. Kuang is such an intelligent and eloquent person and it's really reflected in this book. Honestly, I feel like every Kuang book I read makes me smarter.

The Crimson Moth - Kristen Ciccarelli

This was another romantasy that had me from the very first page. Enemies-to-lovers, amirite?

This book just had such a classic and well-loved concept (witch and witch hunter fall for each other) but I eat it up every single time. I also like that the series was a duology - sometimes trilogies or series can drag out the story for no reason. I like a short and concise story sometimes.

Deep End - Ali Hazelwood

Ali Hazelwood loves to keep us fed and, while I didn't love Problematic Summer Romance or Mate as much as some of her other books, I really loved Deep End. It was gripping and sexy and a treat to read.

Sunrise on the Reaping - Suzanne Collins

This book broke me and I'm terrified of the movie because it will probably do the exact same thing all over again.

I love that Suzanne Collins only writes when she has something to say and, boy, did she have some stuff to say!! I loved the reappearance of some fan-favourite characters and how devastating this instalment was.

There were so many other amazing books I read this year but these were definitely at the top of my list! What books did you love this year?