Sometimes I forget myself that I am a big fantasy fan because I’m trying to read books from every genre. That is why I decided to look back and list the best fantasy books I read in 2025! So, keep reading to find out what books made the list!
A big reason why I haven’t read as many fantasy books as I would have liked is that I have been going through my to-read list. I am still working on reading books released in 2024 as well as classic novels.
That doesn’t even account for the random book I’ll pick up or when I’m trying to read every Agatha Christie novel. Yes, there is a lot going on but I prefer it this way because I always have something to read.
But now, we will be looking at some of my favorite fantasy reads of 2025. I did have to leave a couple off because the sequels weren’t up to par in my opinions. You can see the full list below!
The Best Fantasy Books I Read in 2025
- Heir by Sabaa Tahir
- The Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin
- Godkiller by Hannah Kaner
- The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson
I heard good things about Heir by Sabaa Tahir and knew I had to read it and I was glad that I did. The plot is fun and the cast of characters are likable and feel like your everyday friends. Authors that can write great characters will always be able to writr a great novel.
Heir is not your typical fantasy novel and is character driven and uses great techniques to surprise the reader. Tahir weaves a beautiful fantasty novel that has me eager to read the next book in the series. This is easily one of my favorite fantasy books of 2025 so far.
2025 was a weird year because I kept finding myself reading fantasy novels centered around gods. The Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin is brilliant and showcases everything I love about fantasy novels. Jemisin is reinventing the fantasy genre and I am all for it.
In this trilogy, Gods are forced to serve humans and they plan to overthrow their captors and need the help of Yeine Darr, an outcast and one of the heirs to the king. Jemisin’s cast of characters are unique and have a lot of personality while also having defining traits.
It would have been easy for Jemisin to be lazy with her characters but instead, she builds them out and you often wonder who the protagonist at times. I can’t wait to see what Jemisin writes next and will read her next work blindly.
The other novel about gods that I enjoyed a lot was Godkiller by Hannah Kaner. The protagonist is likable and this novel is witty and entertaining. The magic system as creative and I enjoyed the creativity of this book.
While I didn’t enjoy the second book as much as the first, I was excited about this world and loved Kaner’s ideas. And as more and more people discovered this novel, they have been vouching for this book to be listed as one of the best fantasy books ever written. While I wouldn’t go that far, I enjoyed this series a lot.
Over the past decade, Brandon Sanderson has reignited my love for fantasy novels. And his novel The Sunlit Man is a must read in my opinion. This is a standalone novel and has a fantastic plot and ensemble of characters.
The magic system that Sanderson creates for this novel is fantastic and easy to follow. Sanderson makes sure to give you information slowly while telling the story and he does it easily. I loved every second of this novel and wished it wasn’t a standalone novel.
Conclusion
These are the best fantasy books I read in 2025 that I wanted to share with everyone. I have read around 7 fantasy series and these are the ones I enjoyed the most. If you love fantasy novels and need new recommendations, these are worth checking out. Happy reading!
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Reading all of the Agatha Christie novels is an amazing challenge. I’m doing the same with Animorphs by K. A. Applegate. I loved the series as a kid but never read them in order. Reading challenges are fun.
They are and gives you a lot of books to read as a result!
A good one. I also love reading from various genre
Thank you for the recommendations! I might give the Agatha Christie challenge a go, once I get through the ten books I have going now. ^^ I just finished all the Sherlock Stories (audio, 76 hours). I liked several very much. Do you like sci-fi too? It’s my favorite genre next to fantasy. I’m reading Pierce Brown’s Red Rising series. So good. Also, check out Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown. It blew me away. I read it first for the story, then again to try to understand the science, and now for the third time with my husband so he can help me understand the science. XD