The Biggest Fantasy Books of 2025

There’s never been a better time to curl up with a book that can transport you someplace more wondrous, strange, or exciting. This year will see some big releases from established bestsellers, like a Cosmere short story collection from Brandon Sanderson, and V.E. Schwab’s Sapphic vampire epic Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. There are also a few rumors swirling about, but no confirmed release dates for some hotly anticipated sequels and prequels, including James Islington’s second Hierarchy novel and and a Witcher prequel from Andrzej Sapkowski featuring a teenaged Geralt, already published in Poland late last year.*  

Fantastical mysteries are having a moment, whether you like them gritty or cozy, including Emily Paxman’s Death on the Caldera. But perhaps your preferred flavor of fantasy is much darker. There are some incredible, creepy gothic fantasies coming this year from masters of the dark fiction, including Cassandra Khaw’s The Library at Hellebore (in a gorgeous deluxe edition, no less) and Leech author Hiron Ennes’ rat-infested, unhinged latest, The Works of Vermin.

Romantasy is still producing the biggest bestsellers with the most gorgeous covers and decorative edges and shows no signs of going away. Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing sequel Onyx Storm was definitely 2025’s most anticipated release, but, as it came out in January… the wait is over. But Den of Geek has a list of more upcoming fantasy books that shouldn’t be missed.

*Note: No, no confirmed Winds of Winter update from George R. R. Martin, but we admire your optimism!

The River Has Roots by Amal Al-Mohtar

March 4, Tordotcom

Fans of the bestselling Hugo Award-winning novella This is How You Lose the Time War have been dying to read Amal Al-Mohtar’s debut solo novel, and with good reason. This fantasy novel is just as compulsively readable, tender, and lyrical as one would hope. The small village of Thistleford sits on the river Liss and on the edge of Faerie. Two sisters, Esther and Ysabel, tend enchanted willow trees and share a powerful bond, until their world gets upended by a Fae lover. Al-Mohtar is a true poet and this enthralling story of sisterhood, song, and riddles will cast a spell over fans of Holly Black and Alix E. Harrow. And can we spare a moment to swoon for that cover?

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

April 1, Del Rey

Likely the most popular detective-fantasy mash-up in some time, A Drop of Corruption can stand on its own or be read as a follow-up to 2024’s The Tainted Cup. Ana Dolabra is a clever and tenacious investigator called to unravel a locked room mystery at the behest of the Empire. The Empire itself is crumbling at the seams and Ana may have backed into the jaws of a plot to control the true power behind the Empire, stopping its magic altogether. At Ana’s side, as ever, is the Watson to her Sherlock: the skeptical and loveable disaster bisexual, Dinios Koll. Ana and Din are immensely entertaining and Bennett keeps the surprises and laughs frequent. Expect lots of twists and turns, and you’ll likely be among the fans salivating for the next installment, too. 

Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou

April 1st, Tin House

Is it fantasy or is it horror? Theodoridou’s distressing retelling of the famous French folktale Bluebeard straddles that line and does so in the good company of writers like Kelly Link and Angela Carter. This is definitely on the more literary side of the spectrum, too. (Dialogue without quotation marks isn’t for everyone, but it’s really not that hard to grow accustomed to, we swear.) A little boy from a grand manor house grows up under a horrible curse. Everything in his path dies, including all of his wives – many of whom are left in his wake as a chorus of the dead. Hearing about their brief lives is a particularly heartbreaking element. Theodoridou examines domestic violence, the excuses society makes for abusive men, and generational trauma made quite literal. This is a vicious, beautiful piece of work that will cling to you like a ghost.

When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley

April 29th, Erewhon

Set in 1911 New York, this debut novel from illustrator Kelley is about as close to contemporary as any of the other books on this list. Benny Caldera is an orphaned blacksmith from Puerto Rico who is working on a very special, very secret project at Coney Island. A sideshow proprietor has commissioned the lonely young man to make an exhibit case for Río, a merman caught in the East River. What man and merman find in each other is love and a hope for building a real life together… or perhaps Benny is selfish to want to keep Río in easy reach. This sweet, tear-jerking love story is perfect for fans of T.J. Klune’s The House by the Cerulean Sea and for anyone who cried over The Shape of Water (of course.) The first edition hardcover also contains delicately beautiful illustrations by the author. 

The Devils by Joe Abercrombie

May 13, Tor

British author Joe Abercrombie (The First Law Trilogy and Red Country) is getting some fantastic early praise from bestselling authors including Pierce Brown and Anthony Ryan. Set in a fantastical alternate Europe, where a Vatican-like City contains court intrigue and, you guessed it, devils, Abercromie has crafted his biggest story yet. Tasked with putting a thief on the throne and ripping the powerful church apart, a priest is given a flock of convicted murderers, insane necromancers, demons, and… new best friends? It’s a grimdark fantasy Suicide Squad full of clever jokes, characters who make a lot of bloody mistakes, and a jewelbox’s worth of gems about making a bitter world a better home. Fans of First Law know Abercrombie is great at keeping a plot moving and he levels up here by keeping such a large ensemble cast both memorable and clear in purpose. Expect this to be getting a lot of excited fan discussions going all summer. 

The Knight & the Moth by Rachel Gillig

May 20, Orbit

Another book to judge by its absolutely gorgeous cover, this romantasy from a bestselling BookTok author is full of atmosphere, commitment to its lore of Diviner prophetesses and heretics, and full of twists and sexual tension. When her sister Diviners go missing from their shadowy cloister, Sibyl must team up with a blasphemous and frustratingly handsome knight to get to the bottom of the mystery. You only think you know what’ll happen between the two, and the ending will have you begging for more. Also: there’s a snarky gargoyle sidekick that really brings the laughs to some very heavy scenes. If you think you don’t like romantasy, Gillig’s skill with characters, world-building, and conflict are more foregrounded here than in her previous books, and can make even the most cynical fantasy fan grin. And, yeah, maybe even swoon. 

A Song of Legends Lost by M.H. Ayinde

June 3, Saga

London-born author Ayinde makes her novel debut with this truly epic fantasy, the kind that has a map and a large cast of characters in the front. Buckle up and get on this hype train early. The basics: The Kingdom of Nine Lands had a rebellion of greyblood servants that was squashed by a warrior king millennia ago. But the greybloods still exist in their Feverlands and now the warrior king’s descendants can call upon their ancestors to go into battle with them. Temi, a young commoner, accidentally summons something that could help her people end this war for good… or this spirit could have its own plans. Ayinde keeps deft control of a very large cast, multiple narrative points of view, and a ton of meaty world-building – perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive and the dazzling combat of the Final Fantasy games.

The Secret Market of The Dead by Giovanni De Feo

July 8th, Saga

The realms of Day and Night share a hazy border in Naples, Italy in this buzzy fantasy debut. Oriana lives in a city of Day, controlled by seven immortals who wield fate like a weapon. She waits for the day she can become a smith like her father, but her father has given the business to her twin brother instead. In this border town, men tell tales of Night’s beasts – and men – traveling unchecked after dark. But few know that Oriana has been to Night herself, when she accidentally ended up in the titular secret market of the dead. Determined to take charge of her own destiny, she challenges her siblings to outwit her for her father’s forge and must call on the denizens of Night to help her seal her own fate… or die trying. This is De Feo’s English language debut, having previously written comic books in Italy, including Dylan Dog, the source for 90s cult horror film fave, Cemetery Man.

Red City by Marie Lu

October 14th, Tor

Lu might be familiar to fans of her work on the Batman: Nightwalker comics and her bestselling young adult Legends series. Those YA legions of fans are certainly screaming for Lu’s adult fantasy debut. Set in a Los Angeles full of alchemy and an escalating gang war, two old friends find themselves on opposite sides. Sam, a girl from the lower rungs of society, dreams of becoming a major player in Grand Central, while Ari apprentices for the rival Lumines. Both will become alchemists and transform in ways beyond their wildest imaginings, but the costs will be heavy and Angel City could very well fall from grace. Hyped as The Magicians meets The Godfather, expect to get lost in grit and glamor, and struggle to pick a side in a battle where every soldier can be your favorite. 

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