Upcoming Fantasy Books in 2025 to Add to Your TBR Stat!
2024 was a stellar year for new fantasy book releases, and the trend of top-tier fantasy continues for 2025. Over the course of the next 12 months, some of my most anticipated upcoming fantasy books will be hitting the shelves.
I’ve compiled a list of the top picks that I am most excited about. You can bet I have given my credit card a workout with all the preorders!
If you need to top off your TBR with some fresh fantasy, you might want to do the same.
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The Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson – Jan 7th
It’s difficult for me to resist buying any fantasy book that has dragons in it, and I have heard nothing but good things about this debut novel by S.F. Williamson. I’m especially excited because for fans of Fourth Wing and Babel.
Set in an alternate version of 1923, this story follows Vivien as she gets an internship studying dragon languages. Then her family gets arrested and her sister goes missing, and she is brought to Bletchley Park as a codebreaker, where she can save everyone if she succeeds.
But as she uncovers the secrets of the dragon language, so does she uncover the dangerous truth behind the societies that bind human and dragons.
I don’t typically read many YA books anymore, but I’m digging the dark academia premise and am excited to get my hands on a copy!
The Floating World by Axie Oh – Apr 29th
Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone? YES Please! I admit, I have not read anything by this author before (an oversight I intend to fix this year) but I grew up with Final Fantasy and it was a cornerstone obsession of mine for many years.
Ren is a traveling acrobat whose adoptive family is attacked by a demon during ga village performance. She uses her hidden power to defeat it before setting off across the mountains to hunt it down. She soon crosses paths with Snho, an ex-solider with a clouded memory. (I already see the FFVII inspo here!)
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig – May 20th
Rachel Gillig has been one of my “auto-buy” authors ever since I read The Shepherd King duology. If she writes it, she reads it. She’s one of the only romantasy authors who manage to create stories that can stand on its own and romances that feel fresh without having to resort to tired tropes or over-the-top amounts of spice.
Sybill Delling is a Diviner in the great cathedral who dreams vision from six unearthly figures. This power allows her to predict awful things in advance, and so her powers are caught after by all the people across the kingdom of Traum.
When other Diviners start to disappear, Sybill seeks the help of a rude (if handsome) knight, Rodrick.
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao – Jan 14th
This low fantasy romance is set in Tokyo and follows Hana, the new owner of a magical pawnshop – a place where only certain people can come to pawn their regrets. Hana awakes one day to find it has been ransacked. When an unlikely customer stumbles in and offers help, Hana takes him up on the offer and together, they journey through a mysterious world to find Hana’s father and the stolen choice.
It’s billed as a cozy fantasy romance reminiscent of The Starless Sea, and I am totally here for it. Also, the dustjacket can be turned into an origami paper boat – I love when an author finds innovative ways to make a book interactive for their readers!
Swordheart – T. Kingfisher
I adored Nettle & Bone and am currently reading and loving A Sorceress Comes to Call, so you can get your bottom I will be reading Swordheart when it comes out in February.
Described as The Princess Bride meets From Blood and Ash, this story follows Halla, who has just inherited the estate of her wealthy uncle – as well as the ill intent of her greedy relatives who plan to take the inheritance away.
She finds an ancient sword in her bedroom and when she draws it in a moment of desperation, a man named Sarkis appears. Turns out this dude has been trapped in the sword this whole time. He is sworn to protect whoever holds the sword – but it turns out the biggest threat is the sword itself.
Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales – Feb 11th
This is the third installment to the Emily Wilde series, and I cannot wait to read it. Emily Wilde is a grumpy, neurospicy scholar of dryadology (the study of faeries) and these books follow her adventures as she studies faeries alongside her rival (and love interest), the incorrigible Wendle Bramelby.
This latest installment follows Emily and Wendle as they enter the dangerous Faerie world to take the throne of Wendell’s rightful kingdom. Emily has little time to wrestle with the implications of being queen of such a kingdom for Wendell’s horrible stepmother has placed a curse on the land that will take all of Emily’s knowledge to overcome.
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros – Jan 21, 2025
I’m going to be honest; The Empyrean series is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. It’s not the most compelling writing you’ll ever read, but it’s a satisfying romantasy that’s perfect for the beach or summer vacation.
Plus, it features a large grumpy dragon, so it’s hard to say no.
It also has a gorgeous cover! This third installment comes out on January 21, 2025 and the first print edition comes with gorgeous sprayed edges.
The Strength of the Few by James Islington – TBD 2025
I have no cover and no pre-order button for you. I don’t even have a release date. But I’m so excited for this second installment to James Islington’s Hierarchy series that I had to write about it. When the pre-order does become available, I’ll update this post!
As of June 2024, the book was submitted for editing according to Islington’s website, and he expects it will be released sometime in 2025.
This is the follow-up book to The Will of the Many, which is one of the best high fantasies I’ve read this year. Inspired by the Roman Empire and featuring a unique magic system where a network of people’s “will” or life force power the leaders of the world. It’s one of those stories where you never know who to trust and the plot twist at the end of the first book has left me dying for this release!
Katabasis by R.F. Kuang – Aug 26 2025
R.F. Kuang is one of my “insta-buy” authors; if she writes it, I’m reading it. Babel, in particular, absolutely floored me and so I’m especially excited to read this new fantasy about two academic rivals who must rescue their advisor from the underworld.
It’s also a love story, which will be interesting since romance has always been notably absent from Kuang’s other works – but I am here for it!
I already have this baby on pre-order and August 2025 can’t come soon enough!
Final Thoughts
Pre-ordering the most anticipated fantasy books of the year is exciting, but it’s also a little bit frustrating because how can you contain your excitement for these books when some of them aren’t out for over a year?
The answer is to distract yourself with other fantastic books that are already out! If you need some book recs, check out my recommendations page here and I just about guarantee your TB/R will overfloweth with great fantasy reads!
