Most Anticipated Releases for 2025’s First Quarter & My Planned Reads
There are a lot of wonderful books releasing this year, and I know that I’ve only heard of a fraction of them so far. That’s why I thought I’d start doing a roundup of books I can’t wait to release in the coming quarter!
After spending a few years in a pretty big reading slump with limited reading time, I’m excited to dive into reading a lot of different books this year—and I’m definitely keeping my eye on those releasing this year.
For the Fantasy Fans:
Darkfell
His is a life of books and peace…
Until a dying warrior’s touch ignites an ancient magic within his blood.
For years, Thom Darkfell has used his cartography skills to advise Lomair’s king of the country’s shifting borders. A valued academic, Thom is excluded from the military drafts until whispers of dark abominations and mass casualties reach the king’s ears. The resulting conscription thrusts Thom into Lomair’s losing army. A realist, Thom ignores the wild myths circling through the ranks—until a monster’s jaws snap through the folds of reality and crush a man before Thom’s eyes. With his dying breath, the Realm Walker passes an impossible task to Thom.
Hours later, the visions begin. The Creator, a deity Thom knows only from rituals spoken over meals and graves, appears to him while a girl with starlight in her blood calls from beyond the veil.
Armed with a cryptic map, a biscuit-loving tutor, and the brawn of his best friend, Thom sets out to find the star daughter and lock the barrier to bind the dark realm of Zakar.
If he fails, it will be the end of all.
📜 Releasing January 28, 2025 from Quill & Flame Publishing House
I’ll admit I haven’t known about this one long, but it sounds amazing.
The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine (The Rivenlea Sphere | Book 1)
A shattered heart, a fate foretold.
The world undone by tales of old.
Emlyn DuLaine just wants to know what happened to her sister, Camille, seven years ago on the fateful day she vanished—literally. Emlyn witnessed Camille unravel and disappear, but no one believes her. Since they think she’s crazy, the least the cops could do is solve Camille’s case. Is a little closure too much to ask?
But Emlyn’s life is upended when she is pulled through a portal into the fantasyland of her childhood imaginings—a magical library holding the storyworlds of every story ever published. And trouble is brewing in the land of Rivenlea. Rogue characters threaten their plot lines, and broken classics are beginning to crumble, but Emlyn only wants to find Camille.
As she searches for her sister, Emlyn begins to learn the reality of Rivenlea and her own origins. A nefarious plot is afoot, and the line between fact and fiction is becoming hopelessly blurred. The truth threatens the storyworlds, Rivenlea, and Earth—the fabric of creation, itself.
📜 Releasing February 4, 2025 from Enclave Publishing
I’m dying for this book to release. I’ve read the first couple of chapters, and let me just say it’s going to be a wild and fun ride! Plus, I loved Franklin’s Weaver Trilogy, so I fully expect this one to be just as good, if not better!
Truth Cursed
Speaking the truth can be a dangerous thing.
Cressida Hoth is alone in the world. Orphaned and unwanted, she is inflicted with a peculiar curse by her mischievous aunts and banished to a finishing school in the secluded kingdom of Dernmont. Students train in every accomplishment suitable for young ladies: music, dancing, etiquette . . . and strangely, poison-making, fencing, and lock-picking.
The school is a front for a rebel spy ring, and when her training is complete, Cressida is selected to join a mission to infiltrate the kingdom’s royal court. She has been thrown unceremoniously into a world of ball gowns and espionage, but she is still under a curse, and it threatens to expose them all.
Defending her teammates and her secret, Cressida discovers that the kingdom’s buried history and the truth behind her curse run far deeper than she imagined.
📜 Releasing February 18, 2025 from Enclave Publishing
This is another one I haven’t known about long, but the entire premise in conjunction with the title is super intriguing. I can’t wait to see how exactly the title and the curse tie in together.
Embergold
Fire dreamed of water, but the first sip would be its last.
Gilde has spent her life isolated in the wild marshlands, a place too wet for the dragon to go. She’s safe there, according to her father. So why is he asking her to leave with him now that she has come of age? There is more to Gilde’s family than she knows, and debts need to be paid.
Betrayed and shattered, she wakes in a crumbling mountain castle with the beast of her nightmares. Except this dragon speaks like a man and reads books. His kindness confuses her and opens a forgotten longing in her heart, all while Gilde plans her escape from a mountain full of secrets.
This place can unveil her past and why she was sacrificed to the beast—truths that may put both their lives in danger if they can’t learn to trust each other. But how can Gilde ever trust again? Especially after she discovers what dragons truly are.
📜 Releasing March 18, 2025 from Enclave Publishing
This one has a dragon, so I was sold pretty early on. 😂 I also love the title of this one, which is a big part of the draw for me.
Conduit (Drax Guard: Crew Six | Book 3)
Warlock Specialist Remy Kalama will do anything to protect his four-year-old son. And that includes never telling him or anyone else about the fae ex who wrecked his life and violated his sense of self and trust. But secrets never stay hidden, and when his ex, Maeve Ballagh, resurfaces as part of a magic trafficking ring, he and Crew Six are called to bring her in. The kicker? Remy's the bait.
He and his fire magic are ready this time. He just wishes he could trust the Crew's new partners.
Half-elf Agent Sara Alder would prefer to stay a data analyst for the Bureau of Magical Affairs, but her boss has other ideas. Her trial run as a field agent shoves her onto the trail of a dangerous fae targeting men with magical abilities. Her job? Solve the mystery and keep Remy's son safe while he and his team take down Ballagh.
When Ballagh gets the drop on the team and vanishes with Sara and the kid, Remy and his team will stop at nothing to get them back. Fae magic is powerful, but he's not alone this time, and it won't take his son.
📜 Releases February 4, 2025 from Campitor Press
This is another series I haven’t had the chance to read, but I love Banschbach’s books so much. The Drax Guard: Crew Six series is definitely going (somewhere) on the TBR.
For the Science Fiction Fans:
Xerus Galaxy Saga | Book 3
HIS LOYALTY HAS SHIFTED. HER TRUE COLORS ARE SHOWING. THE FIGHT FOR THE GALAXY IS ON.
Forced to face the reality of the corruption overtaking the galaxy, The Soldier sheds his true purpose in order to join the Rising. There's only one problem. He's forced to work with an old flame who broke his heart cycles ago.
Rising operative Rin is pushed to her limits as the fast-approaching war becomes a reality and her rightful place is demanded of her. Fighting not only for the good of the galaxy but against her attraction to the young man she's forced to partner with, Rin must make difficult choices between her heart and her duty.
Across the Black, Talie and Renner fight to win over the Outlier Rim to the Rising's side while Leef and Merritt face a great unknown that lies behind a deadly space storm in hopes of finding aid.
With King Praxin's armies reaching into every aspect of the galaxy, the Rising is quickly running out of time as they fight to replace corrupt leaders on the high council. Will their numbers be a match for the bot army and military presence spreading like space dust to every corner? And can they find the help they need in unlikely allies? Or will the galaxy descend into chaos and corruption at the hands of an evil dictator?
📜 Xerus Galaxy Saga Book 3 - Kickstarter opens March 2025
We don’t have a cover or title for Book 3 yet. I’ve had my eye on this series for a while, but haven’t gotten around to checking them out quite yet (thanks to my very long reading slump). Looking forward to reading these all this year!
Into the Abyss (Into the Churn | Book 3)
It was never just a race…
Four months after dark syndicate interference in Crion’s inaugural race royale, Ezren and Foster have settled into their roles as ambassadors on the BRR council.
Though begrudgingly working beside their would-be murderer, Ezren and Foster have struck an uneasy truce as Calderon mentors them in Casollan politics for the upcoming BRR. While Foster counts down the days until they can walk away from the council, Ezren is conflicted as she weighs their ever-growing positive impact.
However, when a high-profile murder upends the whole system, Casolla’s fragile peace balances on a knife blade of disaster. As the deadly conspiracy unfurls, a new race begins, and blood spills among the stars. With both their lives and Casolla’s future hanging in the balance, Foster and Ezren will have to decide who they’re meant to be or risk losing their world to the darkness forever.
Run. Drive. Fight. Rise.
📜 Releases March 18, 2025 from Whimsical Publishing
This is another series I’ve been meaning to read, but haven’t gotten to yet. The Into the Churn series sounds so fantastic, and I’m excited we have another book before I’ve even started reading!
For the Writers:
The Happy Writer
If you aren’t suffering, you aren’t creating. Right?
Wrong!
Writing can and should be joyful, fulfilling… even fun! Applicable to writers in all genres and disciplines―from screenwriters to novelists, journalists to picture book authors, aspiring to many-times published―The Happy Writer is a heartfelt and optimistic guide that will show you the way to a happier writing journey.
Part craft guide, part writing coach, and part cheerleader, this book offers useful advice on a slew of common writing and publishing ailments, such as how to end procrastination, how to build a social media platform that reflects your personality, how to get your imagination to overflow with new ideas, how to listen to your intuition when receiving a critique on your work, how to overcome impostor syndrome, what to do when you’re stuck in the query trenches, and so much more.
No matter where a writer might be on their creative journey, Meyer encourages them to tap into their own personal sources of joy and to celebrate every milestone, all while confronting challenges (writer’s block! rejection! burnout!) with a reservoir of resources for every temperament, budget, and career.
Known in writers’ circles as a generous mentor, Meyer shares stories from her own writing path to help every writer discover the ultimate joys of living their best writing life.
📜 Releases January 28, 2025 from Fiewel & Friends
I’ve been seeing a lot about this one on socials, and the tidbits @marissameyerauthor has been sharing on her Instagram page prompted me to pre-order it. It sounds like just the kind of book I need as I head back into a big writing season. 💙
In addition to these wonderful books releasing, I’m severely behind on my TBR, so I thought I’d list a few of the books I’m looking forward to (finally) reading in the next few months!
For the Fantasy Fans:
Wind and Truth (The Stormlight Archive | Book 5)
This is book 5 in the Stormlight Archive, which I started reading and got through for the first time last year. I finally got my copy of the book from the library, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Ignite (The Phoenix Flame | Book 1)
I’ll admit I’ve been dying to read this one for a while—but have held off partly because I wanted to be able to really enjoy it, and partly because I’m sure I’ll be impatiently awaiting book 2 by the time I’ve finished. 😅
The Gingerbread Queen (The Gingerbread Legacy | Book 1)
I picked this one up at the Realm Makers Conference last year, and I’m so excited for a cozy, fun retelling. I’ve read Noble’s The Mermaid’s Sister and absolutely loved that book, so I’m very much looking forward to this one.
For the Science Fiction Fans:
War of Torment (The Droseran Saga | Book 4)
I’ve been meaning to read this one for a long, long time now, since it’s the conclusion to the amazingly written Droseran Saga. However, as I’ve read most of the other books via audiobook, I kept waiting for this one to be available through my library. Alas, it never did, so I think I’m going to buckle down and read the ebook version.
For the Writers:
Dear Writer, Are You Intuitive? (Quitbooks for Writers | Book 6)
I’ve already started this one, and I’m loving it so far. It’s definitely an interesting look at the connection between my writing style and how my brain works.
The Storyteller's Weekly Journal
I’ve also started on this one, mapping out my current WIP as much as possible. I’m not too far in yet, but I already know for sure I’ll be utilizing this book with every new book I write. If you’re curious about the authors behind the book (and their love for community among writers), check out The Writer’s Sanctuary and the Red Herrings Society (I’m a big fan of both).
These are by no means the only books I’ll be reading over the next few months, but they are the ones currently at the top of my TBR. What’s at the top of your TBR for the beginning of a new year?