Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Best Books I Read in 2025
Top Ten Tuesday [16]

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together!

This week's topic: Best Books I Read in 2025

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (Maggie the Undying, #1) by Ilona Andrews (review)
Your Knife, My Heart (Dark Forces, #1) by K.M. Moronova (review)
Lights Out (Into Darkness, #1) by Navessa Allen (review)
Murder at Haven's Rock (Haven's Rock, #1) by Kelley Armstrong (review)
Assistant to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain, #1) by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor (review)
Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods (review)
His Face is the Sun (Throne of Khetara, #1) by Michelle Jabès Corpora (review)
The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan, #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett (review)

Onyx Storm (Part 1 of 2) [Dramatized Adaptation] (The Empyrean, #3) by Rebecca Yarros
House of Flame and Shadow (Part 2 of 2) [Dramatized Adaptation] (Crescent City, #3) by Sarah J. Maas

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me was my favorite read of 2025! I can’t wait for its release in March so everyone can experience how incredible it is. ❤️ Your Knife, My Heart and Lights Out were both excellent audiobooks, while Murder at Haven’s Rock delivered a solid mystery with wonderful characters. Assistant to the Villain made me laugh a lot, and I plan on reviewing it and Apprentice to the Villain soon.

The second set is made up of very different books, and I loved all of them. I think their variety is exactly why they stood out to me so much—each one feels uniquely its own, unlike anything else I’ve read before (aside from A Sorceress Comes to Call, which is based on The Goose Girl).

Onyx Storm and House of Flame and Shadow were also two I really enjoyed listening to. Their dramatized, full-cast versions are absolutely amazing!

I didn't read a lot of books in 2025, but I definitely read some good ones. Happy reading!

43 comments:

  1. Ooh nice! I still need to bring myself to read Iron Flame! I figured it would have a killer cliffhanger and I know Onyx Storm has one as well and I fear the wait for the unknown sequel as it's all unknown at this point! Lol. I still need to read that Maas book as well. I have too many 500+ page books to read and the plus is really PLUS some are like 600+ bordering on 700+ and it's just soooo overwhelming! I need to get caught up on Kelley Armstrong too. I have wayyy too many of hers piled up to read. I think I'm only 1 book behind in this series but it's almost 2 with the new one coming out soonish! Lol. Great selection of books here!


    Here's my Tuesday Post

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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    1. It's a never-ending list! I will definitely get to part 2 of Onyx Storm this year, and will hopefully start the Rockton series by Armstrong. 🤞🏼 I do love really big books (This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is almost 500), but know they take longer to read and get through. I love all the time for world-building and character development though! What 700+ page book do you have???

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  2. I am so excited for the new Ilona Andrews book!! *_* March is soooooo far away!!
    And Assistaint to the Villain is sooo much fun! I have the third book waiting for me and I can't believe I haven't already read it, because this series is sooo good!! *_*

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    1. So far! However, it's definitely worth the wait! They FINALLY kissed in Apprentice to the Villain, and I'm curious how their relationship will progress from here. I'm also glad book three is already out so I can jump right in!

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  3. Lights Out made my list of 2025 favorites too! I'm currently reading Assistant to the Villain and I'm really enjoying it so far :) Happy 2026!

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    1. It's such a fun read! The slow burn almost got me in Apprentice to the Villain, lol. I also started Caught Up and I'm enjoying it just as much as Lights Out!

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  4. I love Kelley Armstrong's Rockton and Haven Rock series! They are two of my favs. And I thought Roll for Romance was a really fun read. Fun list. :D

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    1. I loved how unique Roll for Romance was, and getting to see their characters play out a campaign alongside what they were doing in real life was so fun. I'm hoping to make time for the Rockton series this year!

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  5. I haven't read any of these but I'm glad they were good.

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    1. Thank you, Mary! It was a good reading year for sure.

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  6. I cannot wait for This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me. I also have Robert Jackson Bennett on my wish list.

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    1. I honestly want to re-read it because it was so good! I feel like I will definitely pick up on stuff I missed the first time around (clues that fit together now that I know certain things), and I want to see how the two experiences compare. I'm hoping to get to the second book in Bennett's series this year!

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  7. This is the first list where I actually read some of the books. Alright! Glad you were able to find so many gems.

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    1. Haha, nice! I know my books fluctuate depending on my mood. Glad we have some in common. :)

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  8. OK now I am intrigued by Your Knife My Heart!

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    1. Oh, it is GOOD. I definitely think it's one you'll love.

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  9. Great list! I keep hearing how amazing Assistant to the Villain is. Hopefully I can read it this year. :D

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    1. It's such a fun one! I love the banter and sarcasm. I find myself laughing a lot.

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  10. Lovely list, I have read a couple of your favourites and really enjoyed them too. The Kingfisher and Robert Bennett. Happy reading in 2026
    Lynn :D

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    1. I definitely want to read more Kingfisher this year! I have another one I was supposed to review ages ago, so I'll probably start with it. I'm also hoping to read the second book in Bennett's series this year. 🤞🏼

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  11. It sounds like you really enjoyed your reading life in 2025. I hope 2026 is as good!

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    1. It did! I didn't read as many as I wanted to, but I enjoyed the ones I did manage to fit in. :)

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  12. You had a nice reading year, I want to read Lights Out and I just added This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me to my TBR since you loved it so much. Happy reading in 2026!

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    1. I think you will love This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me! Have you read any of their other books? Lights Out was fun and I'm enjoying Caught Up (the second one). ❤️

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  13. You are the second blogger I saw mention A Sorceress Comes to Call today. I too read it this year and enjoyed it.

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    1. Have you read any of Kingfishers other books? I'm hoping to this year!

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  14. I love your list! I plan to start Kelley Armstrong's Rockton series this year, I'm excited😁

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    1. Me too! I want to read it so I can see how the MCs got where they are in Murder at Haven's Rock. I hope we both love it. ❤️

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  15. Four of those were on my best of list in 2024 :D

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    1. Nice! I need to hop over to your blog and see which ones made your list.

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  16. I really enjoyed Lights Out as well!

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    1. I need to finish Caught Up (my hold lapsed and the wait is LONG)! I also saw there's a book three coming out this year??

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  17. There's so many books I still need to read eeps! I loved Fourth Wing but haven't read the second and third books yet. And I've also been wanting to read Assistant to the Villain and Kingfisher's books! I'm hoping I'll stick with my plan to accept a lot less arcs in 2026, I'm excited to read all the other books I've been meaning too ♥. Great list!

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    1. I'm also trying to accept fewer ARCs, but it's so hard! There are so many books I want to read, lol. However, I know there are books on my shelves and on NetGalley that I was excited about and never got around to reading. I really need to make time for those. Good luck!

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  18. I started This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me while on vacation in Italy but too many distraction to really tuck in! I will get to it soon and I can't wait! I also loved The Tainted Cup and Murder at Haven's Rock! Both so good!

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    1. This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me needs ALL of your attention! There are a lot of characters, and sooo many things happen. I want to go back and re-read it to make sure I didn't miss anything, and to see if I notice things that are revealed later on. :)

      I hope you enjoyed Italy! I want to go one day. ❤️

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  19. Good list, a lot of varieties. I'm interested in reading The Tainted Cup but the wait list at my library is ridiculously long so I'm going to wait a couple of years and maybe I could read it then but it's series so who knows how many books there might be.

    Have a lovely day.

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    1. I would do that, but I'd probably forget about the book by then. 😅 I just go ahead and put myself on hold and impatiently wait.

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  20. Looks like some great books here. I will check them out.

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    1. So many good ones! I hope you find some you love. ❤️

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  21. The Tainted Cup was one of my favourite reads of 2025 too. I can't wait to carry on with the series. His Face Is The Sun sounds like an incredible fantasy series and a short story by the author has left me eager to pick that Villians series up. How exciting that your favourite read was a 2026 too!! Seeing other readers fall for it in the future will be lovely, I'm sure 😊

    Here's hoping 2026 brings even more fantastic books your way.

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    1. I've heard good things about the sequel, so I hope we both love it! His Face Is the Sun really surprised me and I cannot wait to see what happens next! Assistant to the Villain was so much fun. I didn't like the second book as much as the first, but I still want to continue the series.

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    2. Yes here's hoping we both love it 🤞 I hope the future installments of those other series are hits for you too 🥰

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