I Ranked Every YA Fantasy I Read in 2025

 1. A STUDY IN DROWNING BY AVA REID (5⭐️)

SERIES:  A Study in Drowning (Book 1 of 2)

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Effy has grown up as a super fan of the famous fairy tale book Angharad. As she studies architecture in college, she applies for the position to update the seaside home of Angharad's author. When she gets there, though, sinister things begin to happen.

QUICK REVIEW: This novel is an ode to the art of storytelling. It uses fairy tale symbolism to convey its message of female empowerment. It’s a low plot, heavy atmosphere book. As a reader, writer, and fairy tale lover, this is a book that feels like it was crafted perfectly for me.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.haleysbookhaven.com/post/spoiler-review-a-study-in-drowning-by-ava-reid

 

2. THE WILD HUNTRESS BY EMILY LLOYD-JONES (5⭐️)

SERIES: Standalone

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Every five years the mortal king of Dyfed and the immortal fairy Otherking jointly host the Wild Hunt. Whoever wins will be granted a wish by the Otherking. Branwen, Gwydion, and Pryderi all enter the hunt with different motives.

QUICK REVIEW: Inspired by Welsh mythology, this novel is brimming with magic that leads to scenes that are a masterful blend of enchanting and frightening. The novel doesn’t really have a set antagonist, nor does it have a high stakes conflict like a war at its heart. Instead, it’s the main characters’ individual stakes that give the novel its beating heart. You come to care for the three both as individuals and as a unit.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.haleysbookhaven.com/post/the-wild-huntress-by-emily-lloyd-jones-book-review

 

3. THE SCARLET ALCHEMIST BY KYLIE LEE BAKER (5⭐️)

SERIES: The Scarlet Alchemist (Book 1 of 2)

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Fan Zilan and her cousins travel to China’s capital where Zilan competes to become the next alchemist to the royal family. While there, she discovers the royal family’s dark secrets.

QUICK REVIEW: This novel has a good balance of fantasy and historical inspirations. Zilan is a morally complex protagonist, and the strongest part of the novel. Her romance with crown prince Li Hong is a cute first love story set amongst a high stakes plot. The writing very flowery and poetic.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.haleysbookhaven.com/post/the-scarlet-alchemist-by-kylie-lee-baker-book-review

 

4. THE BLOOD ORCHID BY KYLIE LEE BAKER (4.5⭐️)

SERIES: The Scarlet Alchemist (Book 2 of 2)

WHAT IT’S ABOUT (Book 1): See above.

QUICK REVIEW: As with The Scarlet Alchemist (book 1), The Blood Orchid has very lyrical writing. The first book had more romance - between Zilan and Hong - but this book focuses more on Zilan and Wenshu's brother/sister bond (they're actually cousins raised together). The story is pretty fast paced. There's a lot of action, and Zilan faces off against multiple powerful alchemists. I do feel the plot was a little too bloated.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7915910072

 

5. SISTERS OF SWORD AND SONG BY REBECCA ROSS 4.25⭐️)

SERIES: Standalone

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Halcyon, who had been serving in the queen’s army, is on the run being hunted by her commander and charged with murder. At her trial, her sister Evadne ‘Eva’ volunteers to take part of her sentence.

QUICK REVIEW: Ross is a masterful writer. She proves it in this book by managing to balance character development, pacing, world building, and plot in a standalone all without having to sacrifice anything. If you liked Frozen for the sisterly bond between Elsa and Anna, then you’ll love the relationship between Evadne and Halcyon here.

FULL REVIEW: Coming soon to the blog!

 

6. OUR INFINITE FATES BY LAURA STEVEN (4.25⭐️)

SERIES: Standalone

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Branwen/Evelyn (henceforward called Evelyn) and Arden have been reincarnated again and again over the past thousand years. In each lifetime, they fall in love, and in each lifetime Arden must kill Evelyn before her eighteenth birthday - though he won't reveal why to her.

QUICK REVIEW: This novel is genre-bending. It incorporates fantasy elements, romance, mystery, and historical fiction. Steven’s writing is very lyrical/poetic, and the story gives a unique twist to a classic trope.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.haleysbookhaven.com/post/our-infinite-fates-by-laura-steven-book-review

 

7. THE LAST TIGER BY JULIA AND BRAD RIEW (4.25⭐️)

SERIES Standalone

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Seung and Eunji come from very different backgrounds, yet both seek the same thing – freedom - Seung from his family’s poverty and Eunji from her forced marriage. The two befriend each other and fall in love. Things become complicated when they discover the last tiger and find themselves on opposing sides.

QUICK REVIEW: This novel does a wonderful job of weaving together folklore and history in a way that actually made me want to learn more about its inspirations. The characters as individuals are all very strong and well written. I just wish Seung and Eunji had more romantic chemistry, especially as they're based on the authors’ grandparents' love story.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.haleysbookhaven.com/post/the-last-tiger-by-julia-and-brad-riew-weaves-history-and-folklore-in-a-beautiful-tapestry

 

8. ONCE A VILLAIN BY VANESSA LEN (4⭐️)

SERIES: Monsters (Book 3 of 3)

WHAT IT’S ABOUT (Book 1): Joan is a half-human, half-monster and her monster family is massacred by a legendary human hero. She is forced to team up with Aaron, a fellow monster whose family doesn't like her own, in order to find a way to save her family and stop the hero.

QUICK REVIEW: The trilogy has never shied away from darkness and gore, but this one is by far the bleakest of the three. This is a fantasy series, but the finale leans more into the horror and dystopian genres. There were so many twists and reveals in this new world so that you never knew what to expect. The frenetic pacing matches perfectly with the plot and it keeps you reading.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.haleysbookhaven.com/post/our-infinite-fates-by-laura-steven-book-review

 

9. MASTER OF IRON BY TRICIA LEVENSELLER (3.75⭐️)

SERIES: Bladesmith (Book 2 of 2)

WHAT IT’S ABOUT (Book 1): Ziva is a bladesmith who can make magical weapons. She receives a commission from a warlord and makes a sword capable of revealing the secrets of those it cuts. When Ziva learns the warlord seeks to use it to take over the world she, her sister, their hired mercenary, and a scholar of magic go on the run.

QUICK REVIEW: This novel is better than Blade of Secrets (book 1) by a hair. The pacing is improved, and Ziva’s character has good growth. The magic system is cool and unique, but underdeveloped. As someone with a diagnosed anxiety disorder, this series will always hold a special place in my heart has Ziva has social anxiety. It’s rare I get to see myself reflected in books like this.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.haleysbookhaven.com/post/master-of-iron-by-tricia-levenseller-book-review

 

HONORARY MENTION

 

1. WHERE THE LIBRARY HIDES BY ISABEL IBAÑEZ (4⭐️)

SERIES Secrets of the Nile (Book 2 of 2)

WHAT IT’S ABOUT (Book 1 - What the River Knows): Inez Olivera's parents go missing in Egypt and she travels there to uncover the truth about what happened to them.

WHY IT'S AN HONORARY MENTION: The book is really a historical novel with just a small touch of fantasy. I wouldn't recommend it to someone looking for a fantasy book specifically.

QUICK REVIEW: This is another genre bending novel. Compared to the first book, this one reads a lot more like a thriller than just a historical adventure novel. Inez frustrated me in this novel as it seemed she learned nothing from her lessons in book one. Her love interest, Whit, is morally dubious and I believe readers will be torn on their opinions of him in this book.

FULL REVIEW: https://www.haleysbookhaven.com/post/where-the-library-hides-by-isabel-iba%C3%B1ez-book-review