I Ranked Every Adult Fantasy I Read in 2025
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
FOUR RUINED REALMS BY MAI CORLAND (5⭐️)
SERIES: The Broken Blades (Book 2 of 3)
WHAT IT’S ABOUT (Book 1 - Five Broken Blades): A mercenary, a thief, a poison maiden, a count’s son, a banished prince, and a spy master must all work together in order to kill the god- king ruling their country.
QUICK REVIEW: This may be a middle book in a trilogy, but it doesn’t feel like a filler novel. Readers get to see and learn so much more of this world. The plot is just as thrilling as the first book, and the ending leaves the reader eager for book three.
THE ENCHANTED GREENHOUSE BY SARAH BETH DURST (4.5⭐️)
SERIES: Spellshop (Book 2 of 3)
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Terlu broke the law by using magic to create a sentient plant and was turned into a statue as punishment. Then she awakens on the island of Belde on which is a massive, enchanted greenhouse and a singular gardener, Yarrow.
QUICK REVIEW: In spite of taking place entirely on a singular island, the setting never feels limited due to the wide variety of whimsical flora and fauna within the greenhouse. Terlu and Yarrow have a smoldering, opposites attract romance. While this is a cozy fantasy, it does deal with some heavy topics like trauma and grief. Throughout the book, as the characters work to heal the greenhouses, they heal themselves, too.
FULL REVIEW: Coming soon to the blog!
THREE SHATTERED SOULS BY MAI CORLAND (4.5⭐️)
SERIES: The Broken Blades (Book 3 of 3)
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: See Four Ruined Realms above.
QUICK REVIEW: The protagonists in this story have always been morally gray, but in this book, they are truly heroes. It’s been an emotional roller coaster watching them grow from reluctant allies willing to betray each other to a found family. The magic in this book feels even more epic than in the previous installments. Some characters’ fates were wrapped up almost too neatly, while others were incomplete/open-ended despite this being the finale.
THE KNIGHT AND THE MOTHER BY RACHEL GILLIG (4⭐️)
SERIES: The Stonewater Kingdom (Book 1 of 2)
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Sibyl is a Diviner who drowns to receive dreams/visions from the Omens (gods). When her fellow Diviners go missing, she joins a heretical knight, Rodrick, and others on a quest to find them.
QUICK REVIEW: This is an enemies to lovers romantasy with the main couple being Sibyl and Rodrick 'Rory' who have opposing worldviews. Gillig has lyrical writing. She constructs worlds and magic systems that are unique and well developed while still being accessible for new fantasy readers. Thematically, the books deals with greed and corruption and how it leads to the subject's downfall.
FULL REVIEW: https://www.haleysbookhaven.com/post/can-the-knight-and-the-moth-live-up-to-rachel-gillig-s-debut-book-review
SHIELD OF SPARROWS BY DEVNEY PERRY (4⭐️)
SERIES: Shield of Sparrows (Book 1 of 3)
WHAT IT"S ABOUT: Princess Odessa lives in a kingdom overrun with monsters. She's married off to a foreign prince and taken to a foreign and deadly land.
QUICK REVIEW: Odessa is a wonderful protagonist. She's no damsel in distress. She's humble and kind but also tough. She has magnetic chemistry with her love interest, the Guardian, but their romance is a little too slowburn for my taste. I enjoyed the plot and world, but the story stretches a little thin at times
THE HALF KING BY MELISSA LANDERS (4⭐️)
SERIES: The Half King (Book 1 of 2)
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Long ago, four noble families rose up against their goddess. As punishment, their descendants were cursed – one family with perilous beauty, one with destructive knowledge, one with insatiable bloodlust, and one to vanish into the shadows. An acolyte named Cerise arrives at court and is determined to break the curses.
QUICK REVIEW: If you’re looking for an easy to read romantasy, then this is a solid pick. Cerise and Kian’s relationship was so profoundly refreshing as Kian was all about healthy communication. The antagonist character was so transparent and could have been written better.
SOMEWHERE BEYOND THE SEA BY TJ KLUNE (4⭐️)
SERIES: Cerulean Chronicles (Book 2 of 2)
WHAT IT’S ABOUT (Book 1- The House in the Cerulean Sea): A caseworker (Linus) is sent to an orphanage for magical children on a distant island to investigate whether the children are a danger to themselves or others.
QUICK REVIEW: Book 1 is one of my favorite books of all time, but this sequel was definitely not needed. Still, when I was talking about this book with one of my parents, she equated it to having dinner with a friend you hadn’t seen in a long time. I can’t think of a more accurate way to describe how reading this book feels. Klune uses magical creatures as a symbol of LGBT+ people and other minorities, and I personally think it’s a brilliant metaphor.
THE DOLLMAKERS BY LYNN BUCHANAN (3⭐️)
SERIES: Standalone
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Shean is a dollmaker, someone who makes dolls which come to life and fight against monsters known as the Shod. However, when evaluated she’s given an artisan license to make dolls that will be toys and servants instead of warriors. Indignant, she travels deep into a forest to a town called Web where she challenges their dollmaker, Ikiisa, for her position.
QUICK REVIEW: Interestingly, this book has a primary protagonist (Shean) and a secondary one (Ikiisa). The story and world building are so unique, but the protagonists are the book’s Achilles heels. Shean needs to be humbled,
whereas Ikiisa needs to learn to stand up for herself.
ONYX STORM BY REBECCA YARROS (3⭐️)
SERIES: The Empyrean (Book 3 of 5)
WHAT IT’S ABOUT (Book 1 - Fourth Wing): Violet Sorrengail has spent her life training to be a scribe, but her general mother forces her to attend Basgiath War College and train to be a dragon rider. There she meets Xaden, the son of a notorious rebel.
QUICK REVIEW: The pacing of this book was very awkward. This either should have been a novella or the series should have been condensed into 4 books instead of the planned 5. There simply wasn’t enough plot to justify its length. The one thing this book really has to offer is its expansion of the world building. That, and a LOT of Violet and Xaden angst.
HONORABLE MENTION:
THE BONES BENEATH BY SKIN BY TJ KLUNE (3.5⭐️)
SERIES: Standalone
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: When his life falls apart, Nate retreats to his family's old cabin. He finds it already inhabited by a man, Alex, and a strange young girl, Artemis Darth Vader.
WHY IT’S AN HONORABLE MENTION: This book is more sci-fi than fantasy, but the author is typically a fantasy author and I consider the genres to be cousins of each other.
QUICK REVIEW: Klune is one of my favorite authors. However, this is my least favorite of his books I’ve read to date. As individuals, I liked Alex but Nate not so much. Art was really the standout character here - she’s both wise but also childlike. The plot is entertaining, but predicable and at times meandering.
FULL REVIEW: https://www.haleysbookhaven.com/post/my-unpopular-opinion-of-the-bones-beneath-my-skin-by-tj-klune-book-review