Why not start the new year with a little (literary) magic? The best fantasy books of January 2025 are great additions to any 2025 TBR!
No matter which subgenre is your favorite, we’ve got something you’ll love to read. If you’re a romantasy fan, check out buzzy new releases by Amalie Howard, Sue Lynn Tan, and — of course — Rebecca Yarros’s next Fourth Wing book. If you’re more of a cozy fan, try books by Samantha Sotto Yambao or You Yeong-Gwang. And that’s just the beginning! Keep reading below for all our recommendations for the best fantasy books of January 2025.
The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard
Release date: January 7
Read it if: You love secret identities, hidden magic, and court politics. A bladesmith receives a summons to court, only to find the royals have a surprising agenda.
Publisher’s synopsis: “His Imperial Majesty, King Zarek requests your presence as his esteemed guest.”
When the gold-dusted court invitation arrives at Suraya Saab’s forge, she believes it’s a joke. Nobles might seek her skills as a bladesmith—one of few who can imbue her work with precious jadu, the last source of magic in the realm—but she has no qualifications as a potential bride for the crown prince. Still, the invitation is the chance at adventure, and the means to finally visit the capital city her late mother loved.
But what awaits her in Kaldari is nothing she could have imagined—and fraught with danger. It’s not the crown prince, but his impossibly handsome, illegitimate half-brother, Roshan, who captures her interest…and her ire. The invitation isn’t a quest to find a suitable bride, but a veiled hunt for the Starkeeper—a girl rumored to hold the magic of the stars in her blood. And across the city, unrest is brewing between the noble houses and the rebel militia.
When the rebels attack, Suraya and Roshan find themselves on the run, trying to deny their simmering attraction and the knowledge that Suraya herself might be the Starkeeper. But Roshan is guarding secrets of his own. And with no control over the power stirring within her, Suraya has drawn the attention of a dark god, an immortal whose interest might be the biggest threat of all.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
A Language of Dragons by S. F. Williamson
Release date: January 7
Read it if: You’d love a little alt-history among the best fantasy books of January 2025. The Bletchley Park codebreakers get a fantastical spin in a world where dragons and humans collide.
Publisher’s synopsis: Dragons soar through the skies and protests erupt on the streets, but Vivien Featherswallow isn’t worried. She’s going to follow the rules, get a summer internship studying dragon languages, be smart, be sweet, and make sure her little sister never, ever has to risk growing up Third Class. She just has to free one dragon.
By midnight, Viv has started a civil war.
With her parents and cousin arrested and her sister missing, Viv is brought to Bletchley Park as a codebreaker—if she succeeds, she and her family can all go home again. If she doesn’t, they’ll all die.
As Viv begins to discover the secrets of a hidden dragon language, she realizes that the fragile peace treaty that holds human and dragon societies together is corrupt, and the dangerous work Viv is doing could be the thread that unravels it.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan
Release date: January 7
Read it if: You love forbidden romantasy — or you just can’t take your eyes off this cover art! A young queen forms a tentative alliance with a ruthless immortal to protect her people.
Publisher’s synopsis: The young heir to a mortal crown, Liyen ascends a precarious throne when her grandfather dies, vowing to end her kingdom’s obligation to the immortals and take vengeance against those she feels responsible for his death. When she is summoned to the Immortal Realm, she seizes the opportunity to learn their secrets and to form a tenuous alliance to safeguard her people, all with the one she should fear and mistrust the most: the ruthless God of War. As they are drawn together, a treacherous attraction ignites between them—one she has to resist, to not endanger all she is fighting for.
But with darker forces closing in around them, and her kingdom plunged into peril, Liyen must risk everything to save her people from an unspeakable fate, even if it means forging a dangerous bond with the immortal… even if it means losing her heart.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire
Release date: January 7
Read it if: You love the folklore/fairytale vibe of McGuire’s award-winning Wayward Children series. A Drowned girl finds a family (maybe) in the mysterious world beneath a lake.
Publisher’s synopsis: Nadya had three mothers: the one who bore her, the country that poisoned her, and the one who adopted her.
Nadya never considered herself less than whole. Not until her adoptive parents fitted her with a prosthetic arm against her will, seeking to replace the one she’d been missing from birth.
It was cumbersome; it was uncomfortable; it was wrong.
It wasn’t her.
Frustrated and unable to express why, Nadya began to wander, until the day she fell through a door into Belyrreka, the Land Beneath the Lake–and found herself in a world of water, filled with child-eating amphibians, majestic giant turtles, and impossible ships that sailed as happily beneath the surface as on top. In Belyyreka, she found herself understood for who she was: a Drowned Girl, who had made her way to her real home, accepted by the river and its people.
But even in Belyyreka, there are dangers, and trials. Nadya would soon find herself fighting to keep hold of everything she had come to treasure.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
Release date: January 14
Read it if: You want a touch of whimsy in the best fantasy books of January 2025. A woman inherits a pawnshop where people can sell their regrets and choices, then embarks on an unexpected quest.
Publisher’s synopsis: On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. Most will see a cozy ramen restaurant. And only the chosen ones—those who are lost—will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets.
Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop’s new owner to find it ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen, and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger, quite unlike its other customers, for he offers help instead of seeking it.
Together, they must journey through a mystical world to find Hana’s father and the stolen choice—by way of rain puddles, rides on paper cranes, the bridge between midnight and morning, and a night market in the clouds.
But as they get closer to the truth, Hana must reveal a secret of her own—and risk making a choice that she will never be able to take back.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Daughter of Chaos by A.S. Webb
Release date: January 14
Read it if: You can’t get enough of Greek mythology retellings among the best fantasy books of January 2025. A band of mortal heroes hope to free humanity from the gods’ tyranny.
Publisher’s synopsis: In ancient Greece, mortals suffer under the tyranny of the gods—forced to sacrifice the food they depend on, their worldly possessions and even each other at the whims of the Twelve. But an ancient prophecy speaks of hope, of one who will set humankind free.
On the island of Naxos, Danae, a fisherman’s daughter, develops strange powers tied to a mysterious tree bearing golden fruit. Driven from her home, she seeks guidance from the oracle but finds only more questions…and whispers of a secret network of believers who have long been awaiting her arrival.
Determined to learn more, Danae joins forces with the legendary Heracles and his crew. Together they battle monsters and gods alike on a quest to the end of the world as Danae seeks the one who holds the key to her destiny.
But a terrifying truth is yet to be unlocked. A truth that could destroy the world as she knows it. Danae must choose to follow her destiny or her heart, while the fate of humanity rests on her shoulders.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang (translated by Slin Jung)
Release date: January 21
Read it if: You’d prefer your best fantasy books of January 2025 to feel a little cozier. A mystical market offers people the chance to change their lives forever.
Publisher’s synopsis: On the outskirts of Rainbow Town, there is an old, abandoned house. They say that if you send a letter detailing your misfortunes there, you could receive a ticket. If you bring this ticket to the house on the first day of the rainy season, you’ll be granted entrance into the mysterious Rainfall Market—where you can choose to completely change your life.
No one is more surprised than Serin when she receives a ticket. Lonely and with no real prospects for a future, Serin ventures to the market, determined to create a better life for herself.
There, she meets a magical cat companion named Issha and they search through bookstores, perfumeries, and fantastical realms while Serin tries to determine what her perfect life will look like.
The catch? Serin only has one week to find her happiness or be doomed to vanish into the market forever.
And all the while, a shadow follows quietly behind them…
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
Release date: January 21
Read it if: You already knew the best fantasy books of January 2025 would include this! The next installment in the Empyrean series features even more secrets, romance, rebellion, and (of course) dragons.
Publisher’s synopsis: After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty.
Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.
Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength. But she will do anything to save what she loves―her dragons, her family, her home, and him.
Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything.
They need an army. They need power — they need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find―the truth.
But a storm is coming…and not everyone can survive its wrath.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
A Crown So Silver by Lyra Selene
Release date: January 21
Read it if: You love stories of dark heroes, tricky fae, and family battling family. Preparing to fight her sister, a former spy and her fae husband become embroiled in ever-shifting magical politics.
Publisher’s synopsis: After her sacrifice on the Ember Moon, Fia is flush with powerful magic and eager to rush into battle against her murderous sister, Eala. However, Fia’s new husband Irian suggests they bide their time and retreat to the Silver Isle, a snowy island at the edge of the fae world.
Ruled by the cunning smith-king, the Silver Isle proves far from a safe haven. Fia and Irian become embroiled in the Tournament of Kings competing for a magical forging of immense power. Their relationship will be put to the test as they navigate their conflicting motivations, shifting allegiances, and ancient magic.
With the end of the tournament looming and Eala’s threat growing, Fia must decide just how much she’s willing to sacrifice to defeat her sister.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
The Outcast Mage by Annabel Campbell
Release date: January 28
Read it if: You’re hoping the best fantasy book of January 2025 include some high fantasy! A failing mage must learn to harness her powers or stand by while her city falls into war.
Publisher’s synopsis: In the glass city of Amoria, magic is everything. And Naila, student at the city’s legendary academy, is running out of time to prove she can control hers. If she fails, she’ll be forced into exile, relegated to a life of persecution with the other magicless hollows. Or worse, be consumed by her own power.
When a tragic incident further threatens her place at the Academy, Naila is saved by Haelius Akana, the most powerful living mage. Finding Naila a kindred spirit, Haelius stakes his position at the Academy on teaching her to harness her abilities. But Haelius has many enemies, and they would love nothing more than to see Naila fail. Trapped in the deadly schemes of Amoria’s elite, Naila must dig deep to discover the truth of her powers or watch the city she loves descend into civil war.
For there is violence brewing on the wind, and greater powers at work. Ones who could use her powers for good… or destroy everything she’s ever known.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Carving Shadows into Gold by Brigid Kemmerer
Release date: January 28
Read it if: You love epic, sprawling fantasy, or you already loved Forging Silver into Stars. A trio of magic-wielding heroes must make dangerous decisions as war looms and no one can be trusted.
Publisher’s synopsis: The King’s Courier Tycho has made a treacherous bargain. Now beholden to the magical scraver who saved King Gray’s life, one false move could end everything.
Jax escaped his life in Briarlock and traveled with Tycho to Emberfall. But life outside his small village brings unexpected challenges–and unlikely adversaries.
After years of hating the royal family and their magic, Callyn never expected to be at the Queen’s side, with magic on her fingertips. But at the royal court, she can’t trust anyone–including the man she thought she loved.
Cast apart, Tycho, Jax, and Callyn must learn to wield the magic that is dividing their kingdom. As the magical scravers attack from the north and the king’s rivals gain strength, time is running out.
War is looming. Love is tested. And magic could be the only answer. . .
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
