We can’t start a new year without recapping what we loved from the last, can we?

In 2025 I read 90 books, and of those 90, there were 7 that I consider to be my top reads from the year, with a further 10 that get an honourable mention. I actually shared a handful of them a couple of days ago in the first LTB post of the year, but today I’m looking at them in a bit more detail.

My Top 7

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao is a beautiful, whimsical book and I loved it so much. It touches on themes of family expectations and loyalty, versus having the freedom to choose what you want your own life to be like. Our main character is Hana, and her first morning in charge of her unique pawnshop starts in disaster. A stranger enters the shop and offers her help, and together they journey through a Ghibli-esq world to find the truth.
Read my review here.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is a thrilling, yet humorous journey through space following one man as he tries to save Earth. I am so glad I gave this book a chance in audio format because it is absolutely fantastic. Ryland Grace awakens on a spaceship to find he is all alone – the rest of the crew dead. He can’t remember what he’s doing in space, but slowly his memories return. He has a host of problems to solve, the least of which is the fact that he is planet Earth’s only hope of survival.
Read my review here.

Gorse by Sam K. Horton is the first book in the Eythin Legacy series. I have also read the sequel, Ragwort, and they are both equally excellent. Dripping with atmosphere and rooted in folklore, we follow Nancy Bligh and Lord Pelagius Hunt, keepers of the moors of Cornwall. Local people are forgetting the fey, the piskies and other folk of the moors and are turning to God instead, thanks to the Reverend Cleaver. Balance between the fey and human worlds must be kept, and Nancy is determined to remind the people of those folk that are being forgotten.
Read my review here.

Falling in a Sea of Stars by Kristen Britain is book 8 of the Green Rider series and I think this might be my cover of the year? As always, Karigan is our lead, and here she is struggling. Over the course of this series, she has faced so many battles and garnered so many accolades. Here though, she is tired. The emotional fallout from her past adventures weighs on her and there is a lot of depth to this part of her story as she tries to navigate her feelings and struggles. It’s not action packed, but it was a fantastic instalment to the series.
Read my review here.

When There Are Wolves Again by E.J. Swift is a climate fiction with a hopeful twist. We look back at the lives of two women who were integral to the climate movement in the United Kingdom in their own ways. At times I felt real fear while reading this book for the scenarios were so believable and honestly felt very close to home, but I also felt joy for there is, ultimately, hope threaded through the pages.
Read my review here.

We Will Not Be Saved by Nemonte Nenquimo is a powerful memoir about an Indigenous woman’s fight to save her homeland. Nemonte was born into the Waorani tribe in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The rainforest is integral to her culture and their way of life, yet the missionaries have come, and with them the oil giants. Tough reading at times, though also inspiring and hopeful, I believe that everyone should read this book.
Read my review here.

The Enduring Universe by Kritika H. Rao is the finale of the Rages Trilogy and what an epic one it is. After the events of book 2, our main characters Ahilya and Iravan are battling with the planet, themselves and each other. This book is a real rollercoaster ride of emotions and action, culminating in an epic final 25% that I truly couldn’t put down. If you’re after a science-fantasy with some incredible, older characters and a truly unique magic system, definitely check this one out.

Honourable Mentions

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett, the first book in the Founders Trilogy, follows Sancia, an escaped slave trying to make her way in The Commons. She’s offered a job to steal an ancient artefact, and things get exciting from there.
Read my review here.

Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd follows Nora Bree, an ex-nun as she searches for her fellow sister, but ends up investigating a murder at the boarding house she finds herself in. Nora is a fantastic character, and the book felt cosy and classic. I am very excited for more in the series.
Read my review here.

And So I Roar by Abi Dare is a powerful book following Adunni as she tries to save both herself and the young girls of her village, Ikati, in Africa. After getting to know Adunni in book 1, she really develops in the sequel, finding her voice and her power. A difficult read at times, but an important one, and a well-deserved winner of the 2025 climate fiction prize.
Read my review here.

Mischief Acts by Zoe Gilbert follows the story of Herne the Hunter from the past to the distant future. A character of legend, Herne pops up in various guises, leaving chaos and enchantment in their wake. This book has such beautiful writing and I’d love to read more from the author.
Read my review here.

The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar is almost a song – it’s written so lyrically. Following sisters who sing to the willows to honour an ancient pact. One becomes enchanted with a fae, and this tests the sisterly bonds, and endangers them too.
Read my review here.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett is the first in a new fantasy mystery series. With some truly enigmatic characters and a really interesting world, I had a lot of fun following Ana and Din as they tried to uncover a complicated web of clues while dancing around political manoeuvring.
Read my review here.

Stay for a Spell by Amy Coombe was by far my favourite fantasy romance of the year. Princess Tanadelle is tired of her royal duties and one day ends up cursed to look after a run-down bookshop until she fulfils her heart’s desire. It was cute and fun and Tandy is fab character to follow. This isn’t out until April 2026, so put it in your baskets!

To Have Or To Hold by Sophie Pavelle is a non-fiction looking at symbiotic relationships in nature. We follow the author around the British Isles as she searches for some of them and it was a truly entertaining, yet urgent read.
Read my review here.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke is a small, yet wonderful read. Piranesi lives in the House. The House is endless, and he tries to explore all of its halls, writing his discoveries in a notebook. He starts finding messages from an unknown person, and Piranesi is determined to find out what they mean and who they are from.

The Salt Oracle by Lorraine Wilson is a haunting, atmospheric read focusing on climate and morality. Set on a floating university we follow Auli, part of a team of researchers studying The Oracle – a young girl who channels ghosts. Auli discovers a secretive, horrifying experiment, and with it, she has to face the truth that the work she has dedicated herself to might be corrupt.
Read my review here.

And that’s it!

These books are in no particular order, just by the way. I have listed them in the order I read them in as beyond choosing one top book, I can’t decide on the rest of them! If I had to choose one book of the year, it would be When There Are Wolves Again by E.J. Swift. I cannot stop thinking about it!

You Tell Me: Do you have a top read from 2025?