Liberty Hardy is an unrepentant velocireader, writer, bitey mad lady, and tattoo canvas. Turn-ons include books, books and books. Her favorite exclamation is “Holy cats!” Liberty reads more than should be legal, sleeps very little, frequently writes on her belly with Sharpie markers, and when she dies, she’s leaving her body to library science. Until then, she lives with her three cats, Millay, Farrokh, and Zevon, in Maine. She is also right behind you. Just kidding! She’s too busy reading.
Twitter: @MissLiberty
It’s nearing the end of the year, and I have discovered once again that the majority of my favorite books are of the science fiction and fantasy flavors. There are far too many to list here, although I will add that my most recent favorite SFF read of 2025 is The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow, which I have mentioned a lot lately. Below you’ll find five more fantastic books from earlier in the year for you to add to your TBR, including picks from my fellow Book Riot writers! Mystery, fairy tales, vampires, fae, and time-hopping await you!
Be sure to check out Book Riot’s full Best Books of 2025 list, which includes a ton more sci-fi and fantasy picks!
2 of My Favorite Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of 2025
A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan) by Robert Jackson Bennett
I cannot stress enough how much I love this series. This is the second book, which I am telling you about in the hopes that you’ll pick up the first one, The Tainted Cup. These are funny, wildly inventive fantasy-mysteries set in a plant-magicked world, featuring a Holmes and Watson-ish duo. Dinios Kol recently became an assistant to the brilliant, unruly detective Ana Dolabra, and as they investigate crimes, he has learned that the biggest mystery might be Ana herself. (And for eager fans, the third book, A Trade of Blood, will be out June 9, 2026!)
Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher
I loved this new fairy tale inspired by Snow White, because it does the things that I love about T. Kingfisher novels: entertains me, makes me laugh, and also scares me a little bit. Anja is a healer who specializes in poisons (and mostly uses herself as a test subject.) But when the king brings her to his estate to help his sick daughter, Snow, after no one else can, will she be able to solve the mystery? Soon, Anja finds the key to Snow’s illness has to do with an unusual mirror in the house, and she also gets help from a handsome guard and a talking cat.
Swords and Spaceships
Sign up to Swords and Spaceships to receive news and recommendations from the world of science fiction and fantasy.
3 of Book Rioters’ Favorite Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of 2025
Here are more amazing SFF books from this year recommended by other Book Riot writers that I have also read and fully endorse! You can browse our full list of the Best Books of 2025 by genre for more sci-fi and (especially) fantasy favorites.
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
This book became an instant favorite for me as soon as I read it, and it’s still my favorite read of 2025. It’s the story of two sisters living near a river, a boundary between our world and another, more magical one. When a terrible tragedy befalls one sister, the other is determined to find justice. To get it, she’ll need to traverse liminal worlds, face down magical threats, and try to retain some semblance of who she is. —Chris M. Arnone
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab
Maria, in 1532 Spain, latches on to a rebellious marriage to try and get her freedom from all the restrictions placed on her; Alice, in 2019, hopes college will be a fresh start, and is thrilled to meet the mysterious Lottie. The three women unspool into a centuries-long story about how far these women will go in the name of their rage and their desire for freedom. Playing on the same fears and dramas of Interview With the Vampire with a brush of her hit The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Schwab’s newest gives readers richly painted, queer vampires caught in a multi-century web of obsession, immortality, and longing. —Leah Rachel von Essen
Down in the Sea of Angels by Khan Wong
This blending of science fiction and fantasy takes place in San Francisco along three timelines—two in the past and one in the not-too-distant future. The oldest timeline is in 1906 with Li Nuan, a teen who was sold to a San Francisco Chinatown mob boss to settle her father’s debts. Then in 2006 is a queer, Chinese American named Nathan, who works in tech and is a Burning Man devotee. Finally, the year 2106 is woven in with Maida Sun, a woman with psionic abilities. It’s a beautifully written and thought-provoking examination of our connections and obligations to each other through time. —Patricia Elzie-Tuttle
Okay, star bits, now take the knowledge you have learned here today and use it for good, not evil. If you want to know more about books, I talk about books pretty much nonstop (when I’m not reading them), and you can hear me say lots of adjectives about them on the BR podcast All the Books! and on Instagram.
English (US) · 