Favorite Reads from 2025

 

I wanted to show you our absolute favorite reads of 2025 before trying to get back in regularly reviewing. (I've got a backlog of books I need to review still, so enough to review for the next few weeks.)

I did leave out rereads, so in months where a reread was my favorite book I picked the next best read.

In January A Sorceress Comes to Call by T, Kingfisher was my absolute favorite read.

In February it was more difficult to say which was my favorite, so I'm just listing both The Spellshop and The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst.

The Naturalist Society by Carrie Vaughn blew me away in March.

April was a tie again:

Enchantra by Kaylie Smith and The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher.

We didn't read a lot in May, so Resisting the Wicked Orc by Chloe Graves won from the two other books in the same series Voodoo Bride read that month. (Vexing the Grumpy Orc is her favorite, btw, but she read that one in March.)

Never the Roses by Jennifer K. Lambert won by miles in June!

(I will confess to having read earlier versions before June, but in June I finally got to hold and read the real thing, so it counts!)

Love is a Warsong by Danica Nava was our favorite read in July.

The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo was probably our favorite read in August, but it might be Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher, which I think I finished at the end of August, but as I might have finished it in September, and had a slow month in September I listed it as the September favorite.

In October it was The Glass Slide World by Carrie Vaughn.

A Court of Sugar and Spice by Rebecca F. Kenney was our favorite read in November. Voodoo Bride might have gone on a bit of a binge and read 4 other books by Kenney after finishing A Court of Sugar and Spice.

For December it was difficult to pick again, so I will list both Paladin's Hope and Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher.

And I'm leaving out lots of other cool books, but to list all 76 books we read is a bit too much work.

Happy reading, everyone! 

My 2025 reading according to Goodreads

 First let me wish you all a wonderful 2026 filled with good books!

On this first day of the new year I want to share some of the graphics from Goodreads recap of my reading in 2026 just for fun.

All in all I had a great 2025 when it comes to reading.

Here's to lots more 5 star reads in 2026.

TBR Orphans Update

 

I don't think I will read any more Orphaned books this year, so here's my end of year update.

I read 9 books that had been on my shelves for more than 3 months.

Most were from 2024 or 2025, so recently orphaned, but Nine Goblins had been lingering on my digital TBR for a long long time. 

As you can see if you peer closely at the picture, 4 books are by T. Kingfisher. Not surprising as with 12 books total (and counting) she appears on my 2025 list of books read the most.

I might do a post of my favorite 2025 books soon,

For next year I'm again setting my TBR Orphans goal on 12 books.

Books Galore

 

I received lots of bookish mail, so let me show everything off.

I received these wonderful early Christmas/Birthday books from Melliane.

Thanks, Melliane!

I received beautiful art prints and stickers from Rebecca F. Kenney.

We have just discovered her books and were just in time to enter a giveaway and were among the winners!

Thanks, Rebecca!

There was more awesomeness, but first it's story time!

The ever amazing Jeffe told me she sent us a package, so of course we were on the lookout for its arrival. Instead of it arriving, we received a message on Facebook from someone asking if we were expecting a package from the US...

It turned out the delivery people mistook the address and delivered it somewhere else!

Luckily the people who got the package managed to find and contact us on Facebook. They turned out to live close by, so they dropped the package off within 10 minutes after confirming it was our package!

We are totally grateful they took the time to find us instead of just sending the package back.

So behold the awesomeness that nearly didn't reach us:

There were lots of books by T. Kingfisher in the package.

Two of them I asked Jeffe to buy for me (paid for them myself), because I wanted that particular version of the book, but the others were given to Jeffe by T. Kingfisher/Ursula Vernon herself as they are friends and Jeffe told her I'm a big fan. They're either ARCs or difficult to get special editions. How awesome is that?!

Just look at these gorgeous sprayed edges.

Just have to show off this absolutely stunning edition of Nettle & Bone.

Thanks, Ursula!

But there was even more in the package

A signed copy of The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst.

Jeffe got it for me when she met up with Sarah Beth Durst on her book tour. (It has got a personal message that makes me love Sarah Beth Durst even more than I already did.)

I'm forever struggling to get US covers when there's also a UK version, so Jeffe got me the US ARC of this book!

And yet another book!

Last but not least a Christmas present we're not allowed to open yet, so it is next to our snow globe, guarded by the Santa Matryoshka dolls.

Thanks, Jeffe!!! 

The Glass Slide World - Book Review

 

The Glass Slide World (The Naturalist Society #2)

by Carrie Vaughn

What is it about:

Award-winning author Carrie Vaughn’s sequel to The Naturalist Society follows a young scientist unlocking her magical abilities amid a high-seas adventure filled with international intrigue.

The year is 1902, and the world is changing with the new century. Twenty-one-year-old Ava Stanley, the daughter of two celebrated Arcane Taxonomists, has much to live up to—however scarce her magical abilities may be.

While her parents draw power from spectacular birds and megafauna, Ava’s connection to the natural world is much smaller, stemming from the microscopic. This is useful in her quest to become a doctor, as she studies the burgeoning links between bacteria and disease, but it means Ava’s power itself is also smaller. Even so, she plans to make the most of it when she boards a ship to Nassau, where she’ll continue her research.

But those plans change when pirates take over the ship, bringing with them danger, mystery, and the stirrings of war. Amid the chaos, Ava forges connections with her fellow travelers. And in them, she begins to find that every tiny piece of the world has the power to strengthen it…or shatter it completely.

What did I think of it:

I absolutely fell in love with The Naturalist Society so you bet I preordered The Glass Slide World.

And it didn't disappoint even though it's a very different sort story although still set in the same intriguing world.

For a big part this is an adventure where Ava has to survive and figure out who's to be trusted. There are some really exciting events. On the other hand it was a story about discovery, of self and the world. I was absolutely invested in Ava figuring out all the things! 

There were some other characters I really liked and with all the things going on I really was rooting for my favorite characters to not turn alliances and disappointing me.

All in all a wonderful book. I really hope there will be at least a third book in this series.

Why should you read it:

It's a wonderful adventure!

The Rose Bargain - Book Review

 

The Rose Bargain (The Rose Bargain #1)

by Sasha Peyton Smith

What is it about:

London, 1848—For four hundred years, England has been under the control of an immortal fae queen who tricked her way onto the throne. To maintain an illusion of benevolence, Queen Mor grants each of her subjects one opportunity to bargain for their deepest desire.

As Ivy Benton prepares to make her debut, she knows that not even a deal with the queen could fix what has gone wrong: Her family’s social standing is in shambles, her sister is a shadow of her former self, and Ivy’s marriage prospects are nonexistent. So when the queen announces a competition for Prince Bram’s hand, Ivy is the first to sign her name in blood. What a bargain can’t fix, a crown certainly could.

Ivy soon finds herself a surprising front-runner—with the help of an unexpected ally: Prince Bram’s brother, the rakish Prince Emmett, who promises to help Ivy win his brother’s heart…for a price. But as the season sweeps Ivy away, with glittering balls veiling the queen’s increasingly vicious trials, Ivy realizes there’s more at stake than just a wedding. Because all faerie bargains come with a cost, and Ivy may have discovered hers too late.

What did I think of it:

I bought this book back in May because the hardcover was just 5 Euro and it sounded like it might be an entertaining read. I finally picked it up in October, making it an Orphan if only for a short while.

And this was a fun read.

I liked the alternate history/world in this book, where a fae queen takes over England. And there were trials, fae and humans with hidden agendas, unwise bargains, and more.

I wasn't sure if I liked Ivy, but I did like Emmett so I was invested in the story, which is very entertaining and enjoyable.

The events in the last part of the book were... interesting to say the least. I will have to read the next book once released to see what will happen next.

Why should you read it:

It's a very entertaining Fantasy read.

The Half King - Book Review

 

The Half King (The Half King #1)

by Melissa Landers

What is it about:

The Great Betrayal changed everything for the Allied Realm. Long ago, the kingdom’s noble houses rose up against the goddess... and for their treachery, the firstborn of each noble family was cursed.

One with perilous beauty.

One with destructive knowledge.

One with insatiable bloodlust.

But the royal house Mortara received the worst affliction of all. For while the king exists during the day, he fades into nothingness at night...until his twenty-first birthday, when he will be lost to the shadows forever.

Now an acolyte has arrived at court. Like all the second-born children of the Allied Realm, she’s destined to serve the goddess and become a Seer...only Cerise Solon has no gift of foretelling. In fact, she has no magical gift at all.

Instead, she’s surrounded by courtiers and priests—smiling sycophants whose hearts are filled with secrets and lies. And at the center of it all sits His Majesty Kian Hannibal Mortara, with his haunting eyes, sharp tongue, and an unerring ability to send her pulse skittering at the worst possible moments.

Falling for him is unthinkable. Because the king is the last of his line, and as the specter of his twenty-first birthday—and the full force of his curse—approaches, the kingdom holds its breath.

But there’s only one way to save a dying king... and it lies with the one person who’s hiding the biggest secret of all. Cerise.

What did I think of it:

I've read several of Landers' YA books and really enjoyed those, so I decided to give this (New Adult) Fantasy Romance a try.

And this was a very enjoyable read.

There were some things in the worldbuilding that didn't seem very practical to me, but they were not world breaking, so I decided to go with where the story led me.

I really liked Cerise so I was invested in seeing her thrive and get on top of things. Kian and his best friend were both really fun characters as well. The story itself entertaining with some interesting twists. Landers has a writing voice I really enjoy, so I flew through this book in a day, eager to see if things would turn out how I wanted them to. 

All in all a fun read. I will keep an eye on future releases by Landers for sure.

Why should you read it:

It's a very enjoyable Fantasy Romance