2025 was an exceptional year for fantasy fiction — new voices broke through alongside established authors delivering some of their best work. Here are the fantasy books that defined 2025, from debut novels to long-awaited sequels.
Schwab's most anticipated 2025 release — a dark, atmospheric fantasy that showcases her talent for emotionally resonant world-building and morally complex characters. Readers of A Darker Shade of Magic and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue will find much to love.
View on Amazon →The second volume in Islington's Hierarchy series continues the story begun in The Will of the Many, one of the most acclaimed fantasy debuts of recent years. Islington's Roman-inspired world, intricate plotting, and morally complex protagonist make this one of 2025's most anticipated fantasy sequels.
View on Amazon →One of 2025's most talked-about fantasy debuts. Oh's novel brings a distinctive voice and setting to epic fantasy, with world-building that draws on underrepresented mythological traditions and characters written with genuine depth.
View on Amazon →Rachel Gillig's Stonewater Kingdom series continues with another dark, character-driven fantasy that builds on the atmospheric world established in One Dark Window. Gillig has established herself as one of fantasy's most compelling new voices.
View on Amazon →Tell the Oracle what you've loved and it finds your perfect next read — including hidden gems you've never heard of.
Try the Fantasy Oracle →The Fourth Wing phenomenon continued into 2025, with Yarros's dragon-rider romantasy series maintaining its grip on bestseller lists. Whatever one thinks of the prose, the series demonstrably delivers what its readers want — dragons, romance, and high stakes — at a scale few fantasy series achieve.
View on Amazon →