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best recommended books of 2025 (newly published edition)
88
items Escape into worlds of ancient magic, legendary battles, and the love that defies it all.
Genres: romantasy, thriller,dark romance, literary fiction and young adult
Note: all list of sections has a fantasy genre.
Sections
5
Dark romance
Dark academia
Thriller and psychological
Literary and historical fiction
Young adult
Dark romance
Where passion meets peril, and hearts play with fire.
A pulse-pounding romantic thriller about loyalty, redemption, and the courage to let someone in, even when every instinct tells you to run.
The Defender (Deluxe Edition) (B&N Exclusive Edition)|Paperback
A witty, steamy, and emotionally charged romantic comedy that blends science, slow-burn tension, and the wild unpredictability of human connection, proving that even the most logical mind can’t resist the pull of destiny.
Mate (B&N Exclusive Edition)|Paperback
A gothic, atmospheric tale of resurrection, romance, and reckoning. A story about what lingers after death, and the price of being given back your life when you were never meant to have it.
The Second Death of Locke by V. L. Bovalino, Paperback
Imogen Nel hides a deadly truth: she is a siren, hunted by a cruel king whose kingdom fears her kind. When a foreign monarch arrives and offers escape; on the condition she help him face a greater monster, Imogen must forge a blood‑bond with him and ...
In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy, Paperback
Brother Diaz is sent on a holy mission, but his “team” is anything but holy: a vampire, a werewolf, a necromancer, an invisible elf and more, all bound by the church to escort a street‑wise thief who may be the lost heir to a throne.
As war looms, ...
The Devils by Joe Abercrombie, Hardcover
Charlie Hall thought she’d pulled off the ultimate con; stealing a shadow, surviving the underworld of gloamists, and getting tethered to the powerful shadow‑being she loved. But the tie that binds her now erases who he was. When her lover becomes so...
Thief of Night by Holly Black, Hardcover
Terlu Perna, punished for giving her plant a voice, wakes from a statue’s prison on a snowy island full of magical greenhouses, and a grumpy gardener who reluctantly offers help.
As the enchanted greenhouses begin to fail, Terlu must decide whether ...
The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst, Hardcover
Alchemist‑healer Helena Marino wakes up broken, her memories buried and her war lost, now held captive by the very necromancers who crushed her resistance. When she’s sent to the formidable High Reeve to unlock what she doesn’t remember, she discover...
Alchemised|Hardcover
Assassin Osric Mordaunt from the ruthless Fyren Order falls gravely ill, and the only person who can heal him is his sworn enemy: healer Aurienne Fairhrim of the Haelan Order. With their factions at war, the two are forced into a fragile truce to cur...
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy (Dearly Beloathed #1)
Sybil Delling has spent nine years as “Six,” a foundling forced to dream the futures of others in a great cathedral. When her fellow Diviners begin vanishing one by one, she must ally with the reckless knight Rodrick, dismissive of her visions, to ch...
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig, Hardcover
In a kingdom ruled by monsters and deceit, a princess must choose between obedience and her own fierce, untamed power, or risk losing everything.
Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
In a world where her power marks her for death, the only way Wren can survive, and fight is; by falling for her greatest enemy.
Silver Elite by Dani Francis, Hardcover
When sunny‑spirited Evie Sage accidentally becomes the right‑hand to the kingdom’s most feared villain, she finds herself knee‑deep in magical mayhem, crowned frogs, and assassination plots, only to discover that saving the world means surviving her ...
Accomplice to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain #3)
Captured, stripped of power and sold as prey, she must survive the monster who owns her, and uncover whether he is the villain she fears or the ally she needs.
Rose in Chains (Deluxe Limited Edition) - Julie Soto
When destiny claws her into ownership and alliance, she’ll have to pick between a ruthless alpha, a tantalizing enemy, and the fate of two kingdoms.
The Night Prince - Lauren Palphreyman
In a cursed palace where love is the deadliest strategy, one woman must fake devotion; to survive, and to outlast the immortal who taught her the first rule: never trust your heart.
Enchantra (B&N Exclusive Edition) by Kaylie Smith, Paperback
When a silent threat from her past resurfaces, the only person who can catch her is the man she once ran from.
Caught Up (Into Darkness Series #2) by Navessa Allen, Paperback
When a small‑town doctor rescues a circus daredevil with a murderous secret, their collision course might just kill them, or save them.
Scythe & Sparrow (Ruinous Love Trilogy #3)
When she marries the man she resents to save her nephew, she discovers falling for her enemy might be the only way to protect the family she’s trying to keep.
Wild Side (B&N Exclusive Edition) (Rose Hill Series #3)
When Gwen returns to quiet Rose Hill, and under the same roof as gruff fire‑pilot Sebastian Rousseau, who just happens to be her ex‑boyfriend’s dad.
The sparks of a forbidden attraction threaten both their hearts and the rules they’ve sworn to follow...
Wild Card (Rose Hill Series #4) by Elsie Silver
In a realm ruled by ice, only those who bleed for the throne can truly hold it.
Throne of Ice and Blood (Flame and Thorns #2) by Marion Blackwood
Some promises are meant to be kept, others are powerful enough to break the world.
A Promise so Bold and Broken (Compelling Fates Saga #2) by Sophia St Germain
Some creations are too powerful to exist, and too tempting to resist.
A Forbidden Alchemy (Artisan Trilogy #1) by Stacey McEwan
Anja is a skilled healer obsessed with poisons: so comfortable that she even drinks them herself, not to die, but to learn how to save. When the King calls her to his court because his daughter Snow is gravely ill, Anja’s quiet work is thrust into a ...
Hemlock & Silver a book by T. Kingfisher
Ary Gold has lost everything: her father, her brother, her home,
surviving in the bitter North with only memories to cling to. Then whispers of her royal blood and hidden magic drag her into a war she never asked to fight. Promised to a powerful comm...
The Silversmith (The Selvaren #1)
When gods go to war, even love can become a weapon.
A story pulsing with danger, romance, and the haunting cost of power in a realm where love can be as deadly as war.
Terror at the Gates (Blood of Lilith #1) Collectors Edition
In this town, the most dangerous thing isn’t the ocean; it’s who you fall for.
A story that’s as intoxicating as it is unsettling; where every smile hides a motive, and every paradise has its predators.
Tourist Season (The Seasons of Carnage Trilogy #1)
In a world full of predators, she’s done being prey.
A story pulsing with tension, passion, and the thrill of fighting back against those who underestimate you.
Watch Your Back (Standard Edition) a book by Tate James
She’s not running anymore; this time, she’s the one making the hit list.
A story that’s equal parts grit and glamour, where survival isn’t just a choice, it’s payback.
You're Next (Devil’s Backbone #3) by Tate James
Being the good girl was easy, until he made her want everything she shouldn’t.
When a woman known for always doing what’s right crosses paths with someone who tempts her to live without fear, she begins to unravel the version of herself she thought ...
The Good Girl Effect (Salacious Legacy #1) ) by Sara Cate
Under the crescent moon, destiny shines brightest for those brave enough to defy it.
When a defiant heroine uncovers a destiny tied to ancient forces and a rival who burns brighter than the stars, she must decide whether to protect her heart or clai...
Crescent Kingdom a book by Tessa Hale
Some debts can’t be paid in blood; they demand your heart instead.
When a woman seeking justice crosses paths with a man haunted by his own sins, their collision sets off a chain of choices that blur the line between punishment and forgiveness.
Restitution (The Edge of Darkness #3) by Leigh Rivers
Dark academia
Where intellect meets obsession, and beauty hides in the shadows.
When graduate student Holland St. James is told by a legend that she has only hours to live unless she finds a mysterious relic, she plunges into the dark underbelly of Hollywood glamour and myth, and quickly learns the greatest danger may be trustin...
Alchemy of Secrets (Signed B&N Exclusive Edition)
Two brilliant, but bitterly competitive, Cambridge PhD students descend into Hell itself to rescue their infamous advisor, only to discover that the true inferno lies within the halls of academia and their own ambition.
Katabasis (Deluxe Limited Edition): A Novel|Special
Imprisoned for wielding forbidden tarot‑magic, a cunning thief accepts a daring deal to enroll in the elite Arcana Academy as its headmaster’s faux‑fiancée; and finds herself playing a dangerous game of power, secrets, and the heart she swore to keep...
Arcana Academy|Hardcover
When new girl Violet Harper transfers into the prestigious Hart Academy to uncover her best friend’s suspicious death; she delves into a secret society, an ancient curse, and a handsome heir whose loyalties might kill her, in more ways than one.
House of Hearts by Skyla Arndt, Hardcover
At a secluded New England manor, eight ambitious students chase their literary dreams. And when their enigmatic mentor’s methods turn sinister, they discover that sometimes the toughest monsters are the ones wearing human skin.
When We Were Monsters by Jennifer Niven, Hardcover
When Paisley Hallistar finally blooms into her magic and earns a place at the prestigious Weatherstone College, she must choose between the charming-but‑dangerous warlock who comes from her family’s sworn enemy, and the dark power lurking in the scho...
Spellcaster by Jaymin Eve, Paperback
When her sister is abducted by ancient monsters, street‑fighter Meryn Cooper must enter the brutal Bonding Trials of the elite dire‑wolf riders, where she’ll either forge a life‑saving bond or bleed for it.
Dire Bound by Sable Sorensen, Paperback
When celebrated novelist Samantha Mackey shows up for a book tour at her old MFA haunt, her former clique, the sadistically sweet “Bunnies”—kidnap her to force her into hearing their story, and in doing so unleash a twisted odyssey of creation, frien...
We Love You, Bunny: A Novel (Signed B&N Exclusive Edition)
As war rages and alliances shift in the sky, Onyx Storm sees dragon‑rider Violet Sorrengail step from student into saviour; only to discover that even the fiercest storms hide secrets that could bring her and everything she loves crashing down.
Onyx Storm (The Empyrean #3) by Rebecca Yarros
Thriller and psychological
Where every page pulls you deeper into the mind’s shadows.
When a devoted wife and mother vanishes from her upscale condo: leaving behind her car, keys and phone as if she simply walked away, her seemingly perfect family turns into a house of secrets and suspects.
She Didn't See It Coming: A Novel by Shari Lapena, Hardcover
He seems impossible to resist, but what if the perfect man is actually the perfect predator?
Don't Let Him In: A Novel by Lisa Jewell, Hardcover
When two teenage girls vanish during a small‐town Fourth‑of‐July celebration, Deputy Emmy Clifton must face her own past mistakes; silence can be just as guilty as the culprit.
We Are All Guilty Here: A Novel (B&N Exclusive Edition) by Karin Slaughter ...
When a celebrated detective‑turned‑ER doctor is dragged back into the cold case of a missing high‑school volleyball star. And the only thing more dangerous than uncovering the truth; is assuming you know who to trust.
Guess Again by Charlie Donlea, Hardcover
Some divorces are messy, but this one hides a lethal secret, and no one is truly innocent.
The Perfect Divorce (B&N Exclusive Edition) by Jeneva Rose, Hardcover
Sometimes the person moving in next door isn’t just a neighbour, they’re a nightmare waiting to unfold.
The Tenant (B&N Exclusive Edition) by Freida McFadden, Paperback
When bestselling author Grady Green’s wife disappears without a trace, his retreat to a remote Scottish isle to reclaim his career spirals into a nightmare of identity, isolation and revenge.
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney, Hardcover
On the morning that new mother Camilla returns to work and drops off her baby for the first time, she wakes to a note from her husband.
And by the evening she learns he’s no hostage but the gunman in a London warehouse standoff, forcing her to quest...
Famous Last Words: A Novel by Gillian McAllister, Hardcover
When seventeen-year-old Jane flees a self-designed utopia to uncover the truth about her secluded past, she discovers that paradise can be the most deceptive kind of prison.
What Kind of Paradise: A Novel by Janelle Brown, Hardcover
When Casey invites a blood-soaked, knife-wielding young girl into her isolated cabin ahead of a storm, she realises too late that survival depends not just on weathering the elements, but uncovering the deadly secret at her door.
The Intruder by Freida McFadden, Hardcover
When Robert Langdon travels to Prague for a routine lecture only to find his partner vanishing and her groundbreaking manuscript stolen.
He is thrust into a race against time through ancient myth and cutting-edge science, where the secret he uncovers...
The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown, Hardcover
When Sloane Caraway spins a harmless lie in a Brooklyn park and lands as nanny to the wealthy Lockharts, she steps into their polished world, but soon realises the perfect life she covets is built on darker secrets than she could have imagined.
Count My Lies (GMA Book Club Pick)|Hardcover
When an ominous invitation forces five former university housemates back to the site of their friend’s murder.
The truth lurking beneath decades of silence may be far more deadly than they ever bargained for.
Wanting Daisy Dead by Sue Watson, Paperback
On the morning her five-year-old daughter vanishes after boarding the school bus for the first day of kindergarten, a mother realises the nightmare she feared has only just begun.
The Last Morning: A Thriller by Camden Baird, Paperback
In a gripping blend of domestic suspense and psychological thriller, Please Don’t Lie explores how trauma invites deception, how trust can be the deadliest lie of all, and asks: can you ever really start over if you’re running toward someone else’s s...
Please Don't Lie: A Thriller by Christina Baker Kline, Anne Burt, Paperback
When forensic scientist Halley James uncovers evidence that her mother was murdered, not killed in a car crash, and that her father has been lying for years, her search for truth leads her into a perfect-seeming town whose dark secrets refuse to stay...
Last Seen by J. T. Ellison, Paperback
As suspicion spirals and secrets long buried begin to surface, Sloane discovers that the friendship she believed was her lifeline could be entangled in shadows she never saw coming, and the safe-looking neighborhood may be hiding far darker truths th...
You Must Be New Here: A Novel by Katie Sise, Paperback
Combining the visceral gore of crime scenes with the mythic weight of folklore, this novel is a daring, haunting exploration of trauma, identity, racism, and the haunted spaces between living and being forgotten.
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker, Hardcover
When a struggling actress takes in a terrified five-year-old runaway, she unleashes horrors both ancient and unimaginable, and realises the monster chasing them isn’t what either of them expected.
Wild, wrenching and inventive, the novel asks: What ...
When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy, Paperback
Written by Grady Hendrix, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls blends historical horrors with the eerie pulse of occult rebellion, reminding us that when institutions strip away names and selves, sometimes the only magic left is the kind you conjure yourself...
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls (B&N Exclusive Edition)
This is an American Indian revenge story, captured in the vivid voices of the time, by one of the new masters of literary horror, Stephen Graham Jones.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones, Hardcover
A disgraced war journalist returns to his hometown only to uncover a buried evil that feeds on fear itself, and learns that the only way to survive is to face the terror head-on.
When fear becomes the enemy, courage is the only weapon left.
Never Flinch: A Novel by Stephen King, Hardcover
Literary and historical fiction
Yesterday’s stories. Today’s emotions.
When a linguist discovers that the forgotten names in an ancient manuscript can alter reality itself.
The story becomes a haunting exploration of language, identity, and the power of words to create or destroy the world we know.
The Names (A Read with Jenna Pick) by Florence Knapp, Hardcover
Areclusive journalist begins exchanging letters with a stranger whose words unravel a decades-old mystery, and force her to confront the truths she’s spent her life avoiding.
The Correspondent: A Novel by Virginia Evans, Hardcover
When a lifelong friendship begins to crack under the weight of secrets, grief, and growing older.
My Friends by Fredrik Backman becomes a tender, funny, and heart-wrenching reminder that the people who know us best can both save us, and break us in ...
My Friends: A Novel by Fredrik Backman, Hardcover
When a long-buried teenage love returns to a Dorset sheep farm, the quiet life of wife and mother Beth is shattered. And the bullet found in a farmer’s body may reveal the truth she’s fought so hard to forget.
Broken Country (Reese's Book Club) by Clare Leslie Hall, Hardcover
On the edge of the world, a family guarding the last vault of life will find that when nature’s fury meets human secrets. Survival may demand more than just endurance and it may demand trust.
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
On the day the war in Europe ends, a spontaneous kiss in a small Ohio hardware store sets off a ripple of secrets that will bind and unravel two families for decades in the heart of America.
Buckeye (B&N Exclusive Edition)|BN Exclusive
When a college love triangle erupts into a life-long echo of passion, regret and art, the heart you first surrendered might be the one you spend the rest of your life chasing.
Heart the Lover by Lily King, Hardcover
Culpability explores a world newly shaped by chatbots, autonomous cars, drones, and other nonhuman forces in ways that are thrilling, challenging, and unimaginably provocative.
Culpability (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel by Bruce Holsinger, Hardcover
A sharply observed and tender portrait of sisters, love, and ambition, Spectacular Things is a sweeping story about the impossible choices we’re forced to make in pursuit of our dreams.
Spectacular Things (Reese's Book Club) by Beck Dorey-Stein, Hardcover
When a long-buried tragedy resurfaces, one family must follow the river of their past to find where forgiveness begins.
The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb is a sweeping, deeply human novel about grief, redemption, and the way memory bends the curren...
The River Is Waiting (Oprah's Book Club) by Wally Lamb, Hardcover
What if the best years of your life weren’t behind you, but waiting for you to finally notice them?
Witty, warm, and full of second chances, it’s a celebration of the messy, beautiful light that finds us even when we’ve stopped looking for it.
The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff, Hardcover
When a luxury resort becomes the scene of a mysterious disappearance, paradise reveals just how ugly perfection can be.
What Kind of Paradise: A Novel by Janelle Brown, Hardcover
A darkly comic and warm-hearted novel about an old man on a cross-country mission to reunite with his high school crush; bringing together his adult daughter, two orphaned kids, and a cat who can predict death, from the beloved author of Rabbit Cake ...
The Road to Tender Hearts: A Novel by Annie Hartnett, Hardcover
Infused with deadpan wit, zany hijinks, and enormous heart, Run for the Hills is a sibling story like no other; a novel about a family forged under the most unlikely circumstances and united by hope in an unknown future.
Run for the Hills: A Novel by Kevin Wilson, Hardcover
A young woman and her lover are marooned on an island in this epic saga of love, faith, and defiance from the bestselling author of Sam.
Inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century heroine, Isola is the timeless story of a woman fighting for su...
Isola (Reese's Book Club) by Allegra Goodman, Hardcover
The daughter of an affluent Black family pieces together the connection between a childhood tragedy and a beloved heirloom in this moving novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake, a Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Good Dirt: A Novel by Charmaine Wilkerson, Hardcover
Full of love and hope, What Happened to the McCrays? takes an intimate look at both sides of a failed marriage and two people who must finally confront the awful pain of their past or risk being consumed by it.
What Happened to the McCrays?: A Novel by Tracey Lange, Hardcover
Young adult
Because every page feels like growing up again.
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins returns to Panem decades before Katniss Everdeen, on the morning of the 50th Hunger Games; the Second Quarter Quell. As the Capitol tightens its grip and a young victor emerges from the ashes of poverty, alli...
Sunrise on the Reaping (A Hunger Games Novel)|Hardcover
When fate starts glitching, two strangers discover that the universe has been rewriting their love story across countless lifetimes, and this time, it might finally get it right.
Our Infinite Fates (Deluxe Limited Edition)|Hardcover
A sweeping contemporary fantasy that blends martial arts, mysticism, and self-discovery, a story about inheritance, inner strength, and what it means to carry the fire of those who came before you.
Breath of the Dragon: Breathmarked by Shannon Lee, Fonda Lee, Hardcover
On the night the Blood Moon rises, one girl’s college freshman year becomes the battleground of ancient, supernatural rivalries, and her choice will decide whether the legends of her hometown remain myths or become her reality.
Blood Moon by Britney S. Lewis, Hardcover
In a sprawling mansion surrounded by a deadly bog, one sister will infiltrate the place where secrets and powers are locked inside, and discover that some hidden truths demand a terrifying price.
The House of Quiet by Kiersten White, Hardcover
When the girl he once loved becomes the key to saving, or destroying the world he swore to protect, one witch and one witch-hunter must decide if love is their greatest weakness or their only weapon.
Rebel Witch: The Crimson Moth: Book 2 (B&N Exclusive Edition)
When a kingdom teeters between revolution and ruin, only one woman’s courage will decide who survives, and who conquers fear.
Fearless (The Powerless Trilogy #3) by Lauren Roberts
In a kingdom where even Death is a player, one woman returns to witness the throne’s brutal game, and finds that loving too deeply might be the deadliest move of all.
Fearful: A Powerless Story (B&N Exclusive Edition)