The best fantasy books of 2025, and all time

The new book from V. E. Schwab, the No. 1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, is a triumph: dark, lovely and utterly bewitching. We move from Santo Domingo de la Calzada, 1532, to London, 1837, and Boston, 2019, following three young women, their bodies planted in the same soil, their stories tangling like roots. One grows high, one grows deep, one grows wild and all of them grow teeth in this fierce new take on the immortality tale.

Set in an epic world of dark magic, monsters, vampires and gods, The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk is the latest heart-stopping romantasy in the bestelling Crowns of Nyaxia series from BookTok sensation Carissa Broadbent.

Imprisoned by the gods and obsessed with revenge, Asar is desperate to find Mische within the collapsing underworld. When a goddess offers them a final path to redemption – and back to each other – Asar and Mische embark on an extraordinary mission. Together, they must seize the power of the god of death so Asar may do the impossible: ascend to true divinity.

This is the epic follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Sword Catcher (which you can find more about below if you're yet to read it). Lin and Kel once again find themselves entangled with the ruler of Castellane’s criminal underworld. As the simmering tensions in their city-state reach a fever pitch, they must decide who to trust when any false move means death – or worse.

Helen Scheuerer, author of the Legends of Thezmarr series, brings us her new enemies-to-lovers romantasy, set five years later. Wren Embervale wants to concentrate on her main interest: vengeance. But when a new poison is used in an attack on a king, she is offered a place at an ancient academy to try to find an antidote – and she must conquer a gruelling series of deadly trials to get in. Even more deadly may be the man supposedly protecting her, Torj Elderbrock, whose last charge was a victim of Wren's previous life as an assassin. . .

Your new favourite romantasy trilogy starts here. Disguised as a wizard, an archduke hides from his enemies in plain sight as a librarian in Queen Saskia's chaotic library of magic. Feared across the realm, Saskia is holed up in her laboratory experimenting with new spells to keep her people safe from the empire next door. Although she is getting a bit distracted by her new librarian. When she finally discovers the truth, will their love save them – or be their doom?

Such is the excitement around YouTube star Lucy Jane Wood's cosy fantasy, that when she announced it, it flew to number one on the Amazon book chart on pre-orders alone. Balancing work at her beloved Lunar Books and concealing her witchcraft from the non-witches around her has left Belle burnt out. But when her thirtieth birthday brings a summons from her coven, Belle risks losing her magic forever. With the month of October to fix things, and signs that dark forces may be working against her, Belle will need all the help she can get – from the women in her life, from an unlikely mentor figure, and even an (infuriating) watchman who’s sworn to protect her.

The first book in a new duology, if you like witches, dark academia and a bit of cosiness, Modern Divination is for you. Aurelia is twenty-three, and a witch. Not that her human friends would know. But having won a coveted place at Cambridge, the rules that she lives by to keep the balance between the two sides of her life are about to be severely tested. Someone is hunting witches, and Aurelia must seek the help of a fellow witch (and awful classmate) Theodore to keep safe.

Ninety-nine suitors have died trying to win Princess Mariama's hand in marriage, and she has had enough. Her new servant, Amie, has been framed for a crime and lost everything, including her childhood sweetheart. Forced together by circumstance, the two girls begin to work together to try to end the secretive, murderous trial that takes place behind palace walls as part of the competition for Mariama. But will Amie choose to stay with the Princess to help her fight, or run away with the boy she loves? This YA fantasy debut has an unforgettable romance at its heart. 

Two teenagers try to break out of the system that has them trapped in this dark YA fantasy. Mancella has a strange and violent magic that can summon an army of animals (as long as she kills them first). Silver is charming and manipulative, and wants to use Mancella in his latest scheme. Even worse, it turns out, is her father, who wants her to use her powers to create a human spirit army, with all the murder this entails. Mancella find herself forced to make choices that will change her world forever. 

Ropa Moyo, a Scottish wannabe magician who can speak to the dead, decides to leave her life as an intern behind to work for the English sorcerer, Royal. But just as she settles in, an old enemy resurfaces with news that threatens to rip Ropa’s new life apart: her grandmother has been murdered in cold blood and with no killer in sight, she is the prime suspect. In the race to find the true culprit, Ropa gets caught up with a dark cult wanting to resurrect an ancient power. Will Ropa be able to use her magic to stop the ritual and clear her name? 

Locked in a cage and trapped on a foreign ship by warriors, thousands of miles from her people and her homeland, Zélie is forced to confront her enemies once more. Facing King Baldur, the man who has destroyed everything in his path in search of her, Zélie, Amari, and Tzain set off in search of new allies to their cause to help the maji rise once and for all. With Baldur and the Skulls closing in, will Zélie save her people? The epic conclusion to Tomi Adeyemi’s Legacy of Orïsha trilogy, Children of Anguish and Anarchy was one of the most anticipated fantasy novels of 2024, and is coming to paperback in 2025.

For Arthur Parnassus, now a devoted headmaster at an orphanage for magical children and happily in love with Linus Baker, things finally seem to be in their right place. But when he is forced to confront a past he thought was long buried while welcoming a child determined to sabotage himself, everything Arthur has built to protect the children in his care comes under threat. A story of courage, love, and found family, this hugely anticipated sequel to TJ Klune’s beloved The House in the Cerulean Sea is a must-read for fans of cosy fantasy.

Librarian Kiela is quite happy with her solitary life, looking after the dusty tomes in the Great Library of Alyssium with Caz, her sentient spider plant, in tow. When the library erupts in flames and the pair are forced to flee from the empire’s vicious takeover, they find themselves on a faraway island and in the company of a handsome and overfriendly new neighbour. Will Kiela be able to make a new life for herself, or will she find it too difficult to let down her guard? Magical mysteries, unlikely friendships, and spellbinding romances are abundant in The Spellshop, Sarah Beth Durst’s cosy, cottagecore fantasy novel.

She's had her tea, now she's out for blood. A Steeping of Blood is the epic conclusion to the number one bestselling A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal; the gritty fantasy duology about an orphan girl and her crew who get tangled in a heist with vampires. In this deliciously twisty and seductive sequel, White Roaring is sharpening its fangs after the deadly night that left the city in shambles. Still reeling from the bloodshed, Arthie Casimir has no time to mourn the death of anyone, let alone her own. She has no time for love, either, but it had saved her life. As Arthie navigates new emotions and new allies, she must reassemble her scrambled crew and scrape what little they have left to fight one last time – and she will need to face the ghosts of her past to do it . . .

In this lovers-to-enemies fantasy debut from Emily Varga, Dania seeks revenge after being betrayed by her ex and falsely imprisoned. When a fellow prisoner grants her forbidden Jinn magic, Dania seizes her chance to escape, determined to protect her family and confront those who wronged her. But her one chance at retribution is hindered by the very man who signed her life away. As Dania falls deeper into her web of lies, will she let her anger consume her or will she give in to the undeniable fire still burning between her and the only boy she has ever loved?

Mattinesh Jay’s family is in trouble, and his promise of an arranged marriage is the only thing sure to help them restore their fortunes. For Matti, the biggest challenge lies in making it to the altar and putting a ring on his future bride’s finger without being challenged to a swordfight, so he hires Lucca, a roguish young con artist, to help him train. As the pair soon realise that they’re both hiding secrets that could tear them apart, will they be able to stand up for the truth, even if they risk losing everything? This steamy queer romantasy novel is the perfect cosy read to curl up with.

Loosely based on the story of Beauty and the Beast, deliciously dark and full of romance, The Wren in the Holly Library tells the story of Kierse, a street thief who, when caught in the act, agrees to join a risky heist. Set in a world where monsters and humans walk the same New York streets, this is a must-read for fans of V.E. Schwab and Leigh Bardugo.

If you're looking for a gloriously cosy sapphic fantasy series, Rebecca Thorne's bestselling Tomes & Tea series is for you. In the fourth book, and conclusion to the series, Reyna didn’t expect to be kidnapped and locked in a hidden cell, but she’ll just have to adapt. She’s faced worse before . . . hasn’t she? Yet there’s another, more worrying, problem: Reyna’s cell contains a mysterious alchemical circle. But what does a radical alchemist want with her? What's more, Kianthe and Reyna’s hometown is having its own problems, could closing their beloved bookshop be the only way to save their town?

Anahrod has long dreamt of a life without the threat of dragon regent Neveranimas and her thirst for vengeance looming over her. When she is rescued from the hands of a local warlord by an adventuring party, Anahrod is ready to thank them and be on her way. However, the party insists she repay her debt, leading her into Neveranimas’ lair and face to face with her enemy. With dragon-ruled cities in the sky, kidnappings, rescue missions, and a little bit of heat, The Sky on Fire is a thrilling and daring fantasy adventure novel for fans of Dragonriders of Pern.

In The Atlas Complex Olivie Blake offers a riveting conclusion to the internationally acclaimed The Atlas Six trilogy. Following a dramatic incident at the library, the Alexandrians must navigate their dangerous recruitment terms. With alliances crumbling and ethical dilemmas concerning their exceptional abilities, the initiates are split. Meanwhile, global forces are plotting their downfall, and Atlas Blakely, their Caretaker, might be planning something catastrophic. As they face decisions about power and betrayal, everyone is in a desperate race for survival.

If you found yourself accidentally in possession of the world’s biggest secret, what would you do? For Avra Helvaçi, former loyal servant of the Arashti Ministry of Intelligence, the answer is to flee to the open sea on his ex, pirate Captain Teveri az-Haffar’s galleon. Will the pair be able to sell the secret and secure a lifetime of wealth and their place in the history books? A queer pirate adventure fantasy from the author of A Taste of Gold and Iron, Running Close to the Wind is a story of betrayal, lust, secrets, and riches beyond belief.

Jingwen lives two lives. While the sun is up, she delivers the bones of the dead to the doctor of the city’s most feared gangster family. In darkness, she charms the city’s wealthiest patrons at a decadent cabaret club. When hidden attackers start stealing the faces of the women who dance at the club, Jingwen must become something she has always feared if she is to survive the Shanghai underworld. A dark fantasy set amidst the glittering glamour, gangsters, and gods of 1930s Shanghai, Rosalie M. Lin’s debut novel is sure to sweep you up and transport you to her reimagined historical setting.

From the author of From Blood and Ash, Fall of Ruin and Wrath is a scorching romance with high stakes, breathtaking magic and a searing enemies-to-lovers romance. In a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by vengeful gods, nine surviving cities thrive under pleasure-seeking rulers. Calista, possessing infallible intuition, hides as a courtesan. She rescues a prince, triggering warnings of joy and doom. As the prince and her protector vie for power, she navigates rebellion, danger, and desire, torn between intuition's safety and heart's risk. Fall of Ruin and Wrath is a captivating romantic fantasy from a mega bestselling author and global sensation.

The sole mortal raised in a family of gods, Medusa lives with an urgency that her family will never know, and is alone in her ability to experience change and to be hurt. Then, when the sea god Poseidon commits an unforgivable act in the temple of Athene, the goddess takes her revenge where she can. Writhing snakes replace her hair, and her gaze now turns any living creature to stone. Unable to control her new power, she is condemned to a life of shadows and darkness. Until Perseus embarks upon a quest. Shorlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023, this retelling of the famed myth of Medusa asks who the real monsters are, after all.

In Carissa Broadbent's series opener, a human-vampire survival game akin to The Hunger Games, unfolds. Oraya, an adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, battles for more than mere survival in the Kejari, a legendary contest run by the goddess of death. To win, Oraya must ally with perilous Raihn, a deadly vampire and fierce competitor. Despite being an enemy to her father's reign, Oraya is irresistibly drawn to Raihn. In the merciless Kejari, compassion is scarce, and love could prove fatal.

Kadou, the modest prince of Arasht, has no plans to wrestle for imperial control with his sister, the queen. Yet he is in conflict with the father of queen's new child, who is a powerful ambassador at the court. Then a hunting expedition goes badly wrong, and Kadou finds himself accused of murder. This sensual tale of courtly intrigue, backstabbing politics and romance set against the backdrop of an Ottoman Empire-inspired world, is a must-read.

Drawing inspiration from Asian myth and folklore, Zen Cho's short story collection combines magic, joy, humour and tenderness. We’ll meet an elderly ex-member of parliament, who recalls her youthful romance with an orang bunian. Then a teenage vampire struggles to balance homework, bossy aunties, first love . . . and eating people. A mischievous matriarch returns from the dead to disrupt her own funeral rites and Chang E, the Chinese moon goddess, spins off into outer space – the ultimate metaphor for diaspora. Enjoy this journey into magical new worlds, each with its own meaning. 

Ghostalker Ropa Moyo and her rag-tag team of magicians are back in The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle, the third book in the spellbinding Edinburgh Nights series. Ropa Moyo is no stranger to magic or mysteries. But she’s still stuck in an irksomely unpaid internship. So she’s thrilled to attend a magical convention at Dunvegan Castle, on the Isle of Skye, where she’ll rub elbows with eminent magicians. For Ropa, it’s the perfect opportunity to finally prove her worth. Then a librarian is murdered and a precious scroll stolen. Suddenly, every magician is a suspect, and Ropa and her allies investigate.

In the kingdom of Talin, the deadly games held in the capital twin cities of San-Er attract thousands, offering unimaginable riches to those skilled enough to jump between bodies and enter the fight to the death. Princess Calla Tuoleimi seeks to take down her tyrannical uncle, King Kasa. To achieve her goal, she must win the games, where Anton Makusa, desperate to save his comatose childhood love, enters to secure the prize money. An unexpected alliance between Calla and Anton forms, leading to a consuming partnership. As the games near their end, Calla faces a crucial choice: her lover or her kingdom.

In a world where anyone can cast a life-destroying curse, only one person has the power to unravel them. Kellen does not fully understand his unique gift, but helps those who are cursed, like his friend Nettle who was trapped in the body of a bird for years. She is now Kellen's constant companion and his closest ally. But the Unraveller carries a curse himself and, unless he and Nettle can remove it, Kellen is a danger to everything – and everyone – around him . . .

When Ox Matheson was twelve his father taught him that he was worthless, destined to be misunderstood, and then he left him. Four years later, the energetic Bennett family moved in next door, harbouring a secret that would change his life forever: they are shapeshifters, and can transform into wolves at will. Drawn into an unimaginable new world, Ox found a friend in Joe, the youngest Bennett brother, but when the pack was pulled apart by tragedy and murder, Joe left town . But now, he has returned, and Ox can no longer ignore the song that howls between them.

Dark-academia fantasy novel The Atlas Six was originally self-published by Olivie Blake, and was then snapped up for re-publication after it shot to fame on TikTok. The story follows six young magical practitioners as they compete to join the secretive Alexandrian Society, whose custodians guard lost knowledge from ancient civilizations. Yet each decade, only six practitioners are invited – to fill five places. Following recruitment by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they travel to the Society’s London headquarters. Here, each must study and innovate within esoteric subject areas. And if they can prove themselves, over the course of a year, they’ll survive. Most of them.

After decades of adventuring, Viv the orc barbarian is finally hanging up her sword for good to open the first coffee shop in the city of Thune. Even though no one there knows what coffee actually is. But old rivals and new stand in the way of success, and Thune’s shady underbelly could make it all too easy for Viv to take up the blade once more. If you've already read Legends & Lattes then Bookshops & Bonedust, the highly anticipated prequel, is available to pre-order now. 

The Invisible Library is the astounding debut fantasy book by Genevieve Cogman, and the first novel in The Invisible Library series. Professional spy Irene works for the mysterious Library, along with her enigmatic assistant Kai. Their mission is to steal a dangerous book from an alternative London. But when they arrive, it's already been stolen. And to make things more complicated, this alternative world is infested with chaos, full of supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic.

For fans of Bridgerton who'd like to welcome magic into their lives. Set in an alternative Edwardian England, this is a comedy of manners, manor houses, and hedge mazes: including a magic-infused murder mystery and a delightful queer romance. Young baronet Robin Blyth thought he was taking up a minor governmental post. However, he's actually been appointed parliamentary liaison to a secret magical society, and he’ll need the help of Edwin Courcey, his adversarial magical-society counterpart, as together they discover a plot that threatens every magician in the British Isles.

This epic fantasy novel is the first book in Adrian Tchaikovsky’s critically acclaimed fantasy series The Shadows of the Apt. The Lowlands have lived in peace and prosperity for decades, but now an ancient Empire is conquering city after city, and the Lowlands are next . . . Stenwold Maker, spymaster, artificer and statesman, sees the threat, but can he convince his people of the danger that is coming? 

In Brian Naslund's must-read debut fantasy novel we meet Bershad, an adventurer sentenced to kill dragons for a living after being caught trying to assassinate a fellow noble. When the king who sentenced Bershad offers him a way out of his forced occupation and exile, Bershad sees a way to earn redemption, but it won't be easy. Blood of an Exile, the first book in the Dragons of Terra series is packed with adventure and of course, lots of dragons.

The third and final instalment in Brian Naslund's Dragons of Terra trilogy has come to paperback this year. Osyrus Ward has subdued most of Terra, but to finish the job and annihilate the dragons he must add to his huge army of skyships and create a machine that possesses unheard-of power. Rebels Bershad and Ashlyn are doing every everything they can to prevent this, but they have been captured in Dainwood by Ward's mercenaries. Ashlyn employs her dark magic against the terrifying forces massing around them, and Bershad summons his history of victory in battle. But will their combined energies be enough to save the world?

In the first book in Brian Staveley's epic fantasy trilogy, Ashes of the Unhewn, the great Annurian Empire is on its last legs, and its elite soldiers – the Kettral – are dwindling. Kettral soldier Gwenna Sharpe is given a quest, in order to restore the hawk-riding battalion. She must travel beyond the known world, to the place where the mighty war hawks nest. She will face obstacles along the way, from poisoned land to a monk turned conman to sinister forces massing against the empire. Gwenna's quest to save it is fraught with danger, but full of potential for recovery and renewal.

Maya's world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges her marriage for political advantage. She becomes the Queen of Akaran and the wife of Amar despite a horoscope that promised a marriage of death and destruction. As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire. But Akaran has its own secrets. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger, but who besides her husband can she trust? Steeped in Indian folklore and mythology The Star-Touched Queen is an enthralling fantasy read.

The Fifth Season is the first fantasy novel in N. K. Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy. In a far-future Earth, a continent known as the Stillness is plagued by apocalyptic natural disasters known as Seasons, that can last for generations. Book one follows the story of Essun, a woman living an unremarkable life in a quiet town until three tragedies strike in one day. Her husband murders their beloved son in cold blood and kidnaps their daughter, a world-spanning empire falls, and a great rift has been torn into the Stillness throwing ash into the sky and blocking the sun's light for years to come. And so Essun's fight to save her daughters in this dying land, begins . . .

Sorcerer to the Crown is the first book in Hugo Award-winning author Zen Cho’s fantasy series. In Regency London, Zacharias Wythe is England's first African Sorcerer Royal. He leads the Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers, whose duty it is to keep the levels of magic stable   – but they're failing. The supply of magic is being disrupted by the Fairy Court, and war with France means the government wants to drain this scarce resource even further. When Zacharias meets ambitious orphan Prunella Gentleman they find that her recent magical discovery might just change the nature of sorcery forever.  

Malice is the first book in John Gwynne’s The Faithful and the Fallen series, from bestselling author Conn Iggulden. Set in the Banished Lands where armies of men and giants clash in battle, Young Corban watches enviously as boys become warriors, learning the art of war. He yearns to wield his sword and spear to protect his king’s realm. But that day will come all too soon. Only when he loses those he loves will he learn the true price of courage.

The hugely anticipated debut by Jenn Lyons is the first fantasy book in the A Chorus of Dragons series. Brim-full of big ideas – body-swapping, prophecy, rich worldbuilding and grim commentaries on many aspects of empire – to name but a few, this is the tale of Kihrin, a young prince cursed with bad luck and worse prophecy. The Ruin of Kings is a fantastically complex and multi-layered fantasy book, and characters like Doc and Galen, alongside Kihrin's own well-balanced set of talents and flaws make this a promising new fantasy series. 

Tomi Adeyemi’s YA fantasy book is the first in her West African-inspired fantasy fiction series Legacy of Orisha. Zélie remembers when Orisha was full of magic. When different clans ruled with unique powers, including her Reaper mother who could summon forth souls. But everything changed when the ruthless king had anyone with powers killed. Now only a few people still have the power to use magic, and they must stay hidden. Zélie is one of those people, but now she has the chance to bring magic back to her people and strike against the monarchy . . . Tomi Adeyemi is the author of some on the best fantasy books for YA readers in recent years.

A Number One Sunday Times Bestseller, this absorbing historical fantasy novel from Shelley Parker-Chan reimagines the rise to power of the Ming Dynasty’s founding emperor. In 1345, China lies restless under harsh Mongol rule, and when a bandit raid wipes out her home and her brother perishes, Zhu resolves to overcome her destiny by taking her dead brother’s identity. Can Zhu escape what’s written in the stars, as rebellion sweeps the land? Or can she claim her brother’s greatness – and rise as high as she can dream?

Black Leopard, Red Wolf is the first fantasy novel in Marlon James's Dark Star Trilogy. A New York Times bestseller, National Book Award finalist and Ray Bradbury Prize winner, it's no stranger to accolades. Set in an African-inspired fantasy world, the first book in the series follows Tracker, a mercenary with an extraordinary ability to follow scents, as he hunts down a missing boy. On his journey Tracker's crosses paths with strange companions, from shapeshifters to giants, who seek the same child and hide their own secrets . . .

Booker Prize-winning author Kazou Ishiguro does not disappoint in his first fantasy book, The Buried Giant. The book begins as a couple, Axl and Beatrice, set off across a troubled land of mist and rain in the hope of finding a son they have not seen for years. They expect to face many hazards - some strange and other-worldly - but they cannot yet foresee how their journey will reveal to them dark and forgotten corners of their love for one another. Sometimes savage, often intensely moving, this is a novel about lost memories, love, revenge and war.