I cannot believe it has been six months of 2025 already, but one more turn around the sun just means I now get to do one of my favorite blog tags: The Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag! For those unfamiliar, this tag is just a fun way for bloggers and book creators alike to reflect back on these six months as we look to the remainder of the year. I had THE best time doing this tag last summer (albeit a bit late), and I eagerly awaited getting to do it again the coming June. To me, this tag is my Oscar’s. I pour over the hundred or so books I’ve read with the audacity of the academy, but with a scathing unrivaled and conversely, many, many tears. I will cut one book off without a second thought, and cry when choosing between two books like I’m choosing between my children, there is no in between. I’m honestly just so excited to share these books with you all because somehow the books this year are even more stacked than the previous one. So let’s dive right in (pun very much intended, particularly with my first choice).
BEST BOOK OF 2025
If you’re surprised by this one you’ve either been living under a rock or you have not been privy to me yelling about this book at every opportunity. Kalie Cassidy’s debut is a glorious rageful song concerning one siren’s ambitions for freedom, not to be curtailed by the man she binds herself to to secure it, nor the forbidden feelings running beneath their siren bond. Kalie Cassidy has reenlivened the intersection of romance and fantasy, with an emphasis on romantic yearning, much to my delight. Whether you consider this romantasy, romantic fantasy, you name it, Cassidy excels at it all and yearning is very much the reason why. Imogen and Theo had me struck dumb at times with their arguing, misunderstanding, and achingly romantic interactions. One of the hardest things to do as a romance author is to build and maintain that tension to move the story and the relationship forward. Add in fantasy and it’s a whole other ball game. Kalie Cassidy’s, In the Veins of the Drowning is a masterclass on how to develop romantic tension while integrating that romance with plot within a fantasy world. This should be on your TBR. It should be on everyone’s TBR. The world is not ready! Read my review.
BEST SEQUEL OF 2025
Yeah uhhh we gotta get a book on here that tore the heart from my chest with zero remorse, or it’s just not accurate. Sara Hashem said “Hi that’s me” with the sequel and finale to her Scorched Kingdoms duology, The Jasad Crown. This one picks up right after the events of the first novel with hidden identities revealed, a violent showdown, and Kitmer’s taking flight in the melee of the broken citadel. Few series have embodied true enemies to lovers quite like Sara Hashem, who makes a point to start her characters Sylvia and Arin on completely opposing sides of a war on magic and a scourge against the Jasadi magic wielders—initiating a reluctant alliance and eventually a romance between them. Of course this would not be possible without bringing an end to Arin’s world view, a veil which Hashem gradually brings down into disillusionment and then finally decisive action. This duology does an incredible job depicting the violence of colonization and in growing up in hiding in the land of your oppressors. Identity is a huge theme for this novel—how we are shaped by our surroundings & upbringings and what it takes to truly change. From the magic, the world building, the character arcs, to the romance, The Scorched Kingdoms duology is extraordinary. Prepare yourself for plenty of angst, yearning, and an epilogue that will destroy your emotions. Read my review.
NEW RELEASE I HAVEN’T READ YET
So it’s pride month which means I have a huge TBR right now and no way of actually getting to them all. One of my most anticipated books from 2025 was certainly the new Ashley Herring Blake, Dream On, Ramona Riley. This kicks off her brand new small town romance series, Clover Lake. Following Ramona Riley, an aspiring costume designer stuck in her dead end town and Dylan Monroe, an actress and her first kiss as they reunite and spark a romance. I’ve been excited for this one since it was first announced and it is a crime that I haven’t picked it up yet. You can blame my Libby hold which has yet to make it into my library. All of Ashley Herring Blake’s former romances have been hits for me, so I have high hopes this will deliver. Whether I manage to read this in Pride Month or beyond, tune back in later for my thoughts.
MOST EXCITED FOR IN THE SECOND HALF OF 2025
2025 is the year of the lady knight and we have been blessed by the queen of sapphic fantasy herself, Tasha Suri. The Isle in the Silver Sea follows a knight and a witch doomed to destroy each other in every lifetime who try to break the cycle when a deadly assassin begins to target similar tales like theirs. Can they break the cycle, or are they doomed forever to the same fate that haunts them? Suri describes this as her exploration into British folklore, Arthurian legend, monarchy, myths, in one queer reincarnation love story and I can safely say I am obsessed with all of it. If there is one thing I am, it’s a reader obsessed with tales about breaking the cycle, or attempting to do so. Characters standing against the cycles of generations, or even time, is a compelling center of focus for any tale, and I know Tasha Suri will make it a worthwhile if not heartbreaking read. Sapphic knights and reincarnation is a combination I did not know I needed, but now I’m not sure if I can live without it. I already know Suri’s propensity for morally grey sapphics from The Burning Kingdoms trilogy, so it is actually impossible that this will not serve. I will even go as far as to say this is shaping up to be the best of the lady knight books being published in 2025.
BOOK THAT SURPRISED ME
One of the best books of 2025 certainly, but I have a rule about featuring a book more than once, so “a book that surprised me” is what is the most fitting for Antonia Hodgson’s, The Raven Scholar. Heavy on the mystery, intrigue, and fantasy, The Raven Scholar features a deadly series of trials to determine the empire of Orun’s new leader and a central mystery running underneath it all. Neema Kraa, our main character, unexpectedly finds herself as a contestant when a murder leaves the raven house without a contender and she steps in to take their place—all while trying to solve the murder herself. This book is a whopping 700 pages but every single page is so well thought out I never felt I was reading such a large tome. Perfectly paced, plotted, and expertly crafted in all, The Raven Scholar is unlike anything I have ever read before and deserves its spot on the best books of this year. What made this one so surprising is the content, yes, but also the myriad layers Hodgson weaves beneath her narrative that make themselves known at key moments of the text. Just when you think you’re getting the hang of the story or even the overarching whodunit, Antonia Hodgson will appear to show you just how wrong you are. I actually pictured her as a specter at certain points in the novel because some of these reveals were actually so diabolical. With the addition of an unhinged animal companion named Sol and a bunch of omniscient ravens observing the events of the book to round it out there is so much to love about this book. Everything about The Raven Scholar points to it being a fresh new type of fantasy novel, one I hope will take flight in the coming year. Read my review.
NEW FAVORITE AUTHOR
Harper St. George is a new to me author as of the past few months but I can safely say she is an unrivaled talent in the historical romance space. Focusing mostly on the Gilded Age era and following a series of American heiresses who travel to England, Harper St. George carves out a new arena through which she constructs her romances. I sped through her Gilded Age Heiresses and the first in her Doves of New York series after I saw Lydia Lloyd recommend The Stranger I Wed on her Instagram. That one was marriage of convenience excellence and just so so fun. But as a lover of the yearning, the aching for something that can never be, my favorite is decidedly, Eliza and the Duke, coming out next week! From the longing, the tension filled carriage rides (seriously youre not ready), every part of this novel felt written for me specifically. Harper St. George knows how to balance her romance, history, and external plot and the result is an exquisite historical romance. Whether you are a seasoned hist-rom reader or new to the genre, Harper St. George is a great author to try. I’ll be reviewing Eliza and the Duke soon so be sure to keep an eye out for that.
NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH
Me, Sybil, Rory, and a gargoyle named Bartholomew (a match made in heaven). In true bisexual form I am here to say my new fictional crushes are both Rory and Sybil from Rachel Gillig’s, The Knight and the Moth. Draped in divination and drowned in the fetid spring upon the tor, this gothic romantic fantasy brings new meaning to the cycle of power and religious subservience through Gillig’s two main characters Sybil Delling and Rory Myndacious. I love to see two characters at odds, especially when they are narrative foils for one another. It’s giving: you hate me because you can see yourself reflected in me, and that is rife for romantic yearning and conflict. Though we only get Sybil’s perspective across this story, I really loved following Rory, her love interest, who is on his own journey alongside hers. The devotion Rory has to Sybil is unparalleled and I promise you won’t leave this book without being completely obsessed with these two and their dynamic. Gillig had me from the moment Sybil tackled Rory (to his complete surprise). Anyway I love both of them deeply and the fact that Rory is based on one of my favorite singers, Tamino, just further proves he is worthy of half of my favorite fictional crush status. I’ll also file this under the lady knight books of 2025 for good measure. Read my review.
FAVORITE FICTIONAL COUPLE
When you have a man fighting a woman, who leaves him completely bloody with a broken nose and all he can do is smile? Oh we had a hit on our hands. The winner of my favorite fictional couple is without a doubt Sarah Hawley’s, Princess of Blood. Specifically her main pairing Kenna, princess of the newly established blood house, and Kallen, a former executioner and spy. This was going head to head with The Knight and the Moth for a good while, but given that Princess of Blood is a sequel it ultimately won out. That’s to say that I have spent more time in this world with these two characters and their dynamic has been able to grow substantially across two books. The character arcs of our duo really have the chance to blossom in this sequel after a coup leaves the throne empty and the fae houses divided. Princess of Blood questions leadership and if we can build a better world without violence, and Kenna and Kallen are at the center of this. As they are given the chance to become something, somebody other than what they were forced to be, the two find solace in their friendship that eventually develops into a romance. Kallen is giving that pathetic (affectionate) brooding love interest and Kenna is a powerful, yet somewhat frightened young woman thrust into a position she never expected. These two fight (verbally and physically), they comfort one another, and they lend each other a hand when they need it. Devotion and longing are always going to be sexy to me and Kenna and Kallen know nothing else than complete and utter devotion for each other. Don’t just trust my word, read The Shards of Magic series for yourself and find out! Read my review.
NEWEST FAVORITE CHARACTER
Do you want dark fantasy romance centered around two feral bisexuals? Well S.A. Maclean’s, Voidwalker is here to answer the call. When I first sat down to run my list for this tag, I immediately knew Fionamara Kolbeck was going to win the title of Newest Favorite Character. A smuggler who traverses a shattered world to make a living, Fionamara becomes embroiled in a coup to oust the ruling daeyari—a monstrous species that must consume human flesh to survive. After a bomb is detonated in the capital, Fi comes face to face with Antal, the overthrown Daeyari who insists she join him to make things right. Even when she is caught between a rock and a hard place, Fionamara still manages to get back up and fight for her survival, and the survival of those around her. Not only that, but she still has time to apply her cracking eyeliner, carry a powerful void blade, and look incredible. I admire her even more for falling in love with a pathetic freak (not a) man who hangs from the rafters in a bathrobe and hides inside a snowbank as not to bother her. Yes she romances a monster but she never compromises her principles and that is what’s important y’all! This book is all that I crave from fantasy and its main character easily the best I have read about this year! Read my review.
BOOK THAT MADE ME CRY
Never in my life have I cried at a book like this. If you want a book that makes you bawl with zero remorse, then may I present Jenn McKinlay’s, Love at First Book. When she is given the opportunity to assist her favorite writer from childhood in finishing her final manuscript, librarian Emily Allen uproots her life from Martha’s Vineyard and travels to Ireland. Once there, she meets Siobhan Riordan, beloved children’s author who has yet to complete the tenth book in her acclaimed fantasy series, and Kieran Murphy, her son and manager of the local bookstore. The last thing Kieran wants is another crazed fan following his mother around and enabling her unending writers block, but that won’t stop Emily from getting the job done, and worming into his heart in the process. On the surface, Love at First Book appears to be your classic small town romance, but it is that and so much more. This book is about old and new beginnings as we follow a young librarian fleeing her narcissistic mother to a new life, a terminally ill writer trying to complete the final book in a series that was a love letter to her son, and a bookstore owner desperate to keep his life intact. Love at First Book showcases the power in the written word in bringing unlikely people together, to better themselves and find community. It’s romantic, tragic, and an aching portrayal of loss. If you’re in need of a good cry look no further.
BOOK THAT MADE ME HAPPY
Sophie Kim’s sequel in her Fates Thread series, The God and the Gwisin, recently published this year and it has the honor of being dubbed, the book that made me happiest. For those of you who have read this series it may be a funny category to give the second book, but after such a tragic end to book one, the only way to go was up. Seokga, a fallen trickster god lost the love of his life, Hani, after she helped him destroy a demon of darkness. Yet, all was not lost as Seokga was promised the chance to reunite with Hani when she reincarnates to her next life. Searching for years in vain, Seokga’s fellow godly beings vote to send him on vacation—a cruise to be more specific, one that traverses the river in the underworld with the spirits of the recently departed. On board, Seokga meets Yoo Kisa, a deceased Gwisin working off a life debt, and Hani reincarnated. Only problem: she doesn’t remember him. Sophie Kim had a lot to live up to in this sequel and somehow she managed to outdo herself entirely. The God and the Gwisin is a phenomenal fantasy romance that manages to pose some intriguing questions alongside it’s overarching murder mystery and reincarnated lovers plot. I spent the entire time worried something terrible was going to happen to our main couple, but by the end I was so so happy. Seokga and Kisa are given the loveliest ending and I really could not ask for more. Read my review
BOOK TO READ BEFORE THE END OF 2025
When I think of a series that has been a complete and utter delight to read, Erica Ridley’s The Wild Wynchester’s comes to mind. In this chaotic historical romance series we follow an unconventional family, the Wynchesters, a set of orphan’s adopted by an eccentric Baron who in adulthood, use their combined powers to fight injustice and aid the working class. Each of these siblings is unique and given their chance to shine in their own romance, but I have been eagerly awaiting Jacob Wynchester’s book since the series began. Jacob charmed me with his beloved, if not inappropriate, animal companions and his proclivity for poetry. What I love about this series is how Ridley makes each novel a reflection of who these siblings are at their core and this one is primed to be a reluctant allies to lovers romance between Jacob Wynchester and the advice columnist who hates him. If this is anything like the other five, it’s sure to be a wild ride.
PRETTIEST BOOK BOUGHT
Am I breaking a rule by featuring a book that is not yet published? Maybe. But I preordered this so I am counting it towards my “Prettiest book bought” category. Alix E. Harrow needs no introduction. After her devastating 31 page short story, The Six Deaths of the Saint, was revealed to be a test for her greater story concept in her upcoming novel, I knew I was in danger. The Everlasting is on the list of lady knight books for 2025, featuring a lady knight doomed to a time loop and the determined historian attempting to change their fates. I don’t know much else about this novel and that’s kind of the way I like it with Alix E. Harrow. I snagged an advance copy of this novel and will be reading it in the next month or so. But in the meantime let’s admire that cover. I mean come on!!
Literaryrobin 