First Quarter Report: Favorite Reads from Q1 2025 that Every Fantasy Lover Should Add to Their TBR
I know we’re all wondering how it’s possible an entire quarter of the year is gone (especially when January felt like the longest month of all time). Unfortunately, it’s been a pretty mixed bag of read so far this year, but there have been some standouts. So I thought it’d be fun to do a Q1 recap of my favorite reads I would absolutely recommend picking up. There’s a mix of older reads and new, and of course, the majority are all fantasy reads. No one is surprised. The bad reads? Well, we don’t need to talk about that here…but my Goodreads tells another tale (if you must know). These aren’t in any particular order, so no definitive ranking yet, but let me know if any of these reads are your favorite or if you’re adding them to your TBR. As many of you know, I’m on an unhaul journey this year to tackle more of my physical TBR and unhaul and DNF any reads that aren’t bringing me joy. I have a goal to unhaul 200 books, and I’m already at 41, so I feel like I’m on track so far. However, I still don’t have room for all the books in my home library, so that unhaul number may have to be inched a bit higher, or a new bookshelf. One can never have too many, right? We’ll see. But here are the favorites of 2025 so far!
Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang
This was the first book I read in 2025, and my first five star read of the year, so we started off with a bang. I was totally worried the hype around it would make my expectations too high, but I loved it. The magic system is incredible, the characters super complex, and the ending impossibly tragic. The first chapter is absolutely gripping, and it’s one of those books where you put together the ‘mystery’ before some of the characters. I know this book won’t be for everyone, and I mention in my full review that I think you need to be in a good place mentally before reading this book because it does tackle a lot of tough topics. But Wang does it with such care and mastery, and I couldn’t put it down.
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
She can do no wrong in my book. I’ve literally given every single Hunger Games book five stars. I love them so much, they absolutely emotionally destroy me in the best possible way, and this book was no exception. I actually sobbed. SOBBED. It’s crazy to me because we thought we knew what happened in Haymitch’s Games, but Collins has a way of weaving together a story so seamlessly and yet bring so many new things to light. This book was everything, and made me want to stop everything and read The Hunger Games yet again.
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
I still cannot believe this gem of a book was sitting on my shelf for multiple years before I FINALLY picked it up. Having finished it recently, it’s still fresh in my mind, and the writing! My gosh, the writing is so incredibly beautiful. I loved the dual POVs, and was fully invested in the story, which felt like a fairytale, part lost city of Atlantis, and part El Dorado. This book feels like a waking dream, and I will be recommending it to everyone who loves books like The Night Circus, The City of Stardust, and The Ten Thousand Doors of January. You can check my full review here.
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
People can hate all they want, but the Fourth Wing series is like crack. You just can’t stop reading. I personally loved this third installment a lot more than Iron Flame, and I cannot wait for book four. She had me cackling and kicking my feet up one second, gasping the next, and then sobbing over fictional characters. I love an author who can bring out the feels. Plus, we all know I’m a sucker for snarky dragons, and the dragons are FULL of snark in this one. Ridoc is the best comical relief, and nothing better happen to him. P.S. The officially licensed Onyx Storm 001 collection drops at Valor & Lore on 4.12.25. Don’t miss it!
Honorable Mention:
Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
The only non-fiction and non-fantasy book on the list, but I finished this recently have seeing all the hype around trying to suppress it. Having lived in SF for 13 years, and worked in tech, so much of this book resonated with me, and made me think, “Dang, I could write a book,” about all my experiences being a woman in tech and dealing with all the crappy things that happen. Nothing in this book really shocked me, which I realize is sad. I mean, there are some explosive accusations towards the end that, if true, are egregious indeed. I’ll be curious to see how this all plays out. Sarah just testified to Congress this week, I believe. But overall, this is a solid audiobook for anyone wanting a peek under the hood of what it’s like to work at a pre IPO tech company and what can happen as it grows, and what those in leadership are willing to do to succeed at any cost.
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