Mid-Year Book Freak Out 2025

It’s once again time for one of my favorite book tags! I’m posting a little earlier than I usually do but I didn’t want to wait until the end of the month. Surprisingly, I’ve read 38 books as I type this which is fewer than last year but still great considering I had a baby and wasn’t sure I would get to read much at all.

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BEST BOOK YOU’VE READ SO FAR THIS YEAR

This Monster of Mine basically grabbed me and didn’t let go. This was an incredible blend of mystery, fantasy, and romance with a level of darkness that surprised me. In short, I completely adored it.

BEST SEQUEL YOU’VE READ SO FAR THIS YEAR

This was a tough choice, as I’ve read a few excellent sequels this year but ultimately this was my favorite. A Drop of Corruption is another fantasy-mystery hybrid and happened to be even better than the first book!

A NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN’T READ BUT WANT TO

The Knight and the Moth is one of my most anticipated reads for the first half of the year and I actually already have a copy waiting for me. I just really need to finish the audiobook I’m currently listening to before diving into this one. I can’t wait for gargoyles, knights, and magic!

YOUR MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK FOR THE REST OF 2025

I always like to feature a few different books for this prompt. I’m very excited to check out The Second Death of Locke by V.L. Bovalino, The Strength of the Few by James Islington, and Brimstone by Callie Hart!

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT SO FAR

A Circle of Uncommon Witches has been my only DNF (that I can remember anyway) for 2025. It just… wasn’t good. The side characters were awful people, the pace was glacial, and I wasn’t invested in what I can only assume was to be a romantic pairing.

BIGGEST SURPRISE SO FAR

I picked Shield of Sparrows up on a whim after seeing lots of buzz about it online and lo and behold, I completely loved it! I was not expecting such interesting world building or compelling characters and I will most definitely be continuing this series.

NEW FAVORITE AUTHOR

I think it’s fair to say at this point that Matt Dinniman is one of my new favorite authors. The Dungeon Crawler Carl series has been a riot of fun for six books straight! I’ve got the seventh book, This Inevitable Ruin, queued up on Audible because I’ve heard that is actually the superior format for the whole experience, lol.

NEW FAVORITE CHARACTER

Is it cheating to feature a character I’ve loved for two previous books? No? Okay, Aelis de Lenti is fucking fabulous and Advocate only cemented this fact. She’s annoyingly competent, unapologetically uses her wealth and family name to get what she needs if it’s for the greater good, but undoubtedly earned her position as Warden. This book is also a brilliant fantasy-mystery, which you all know I just love! There had better be a fourth installment.

NEW FAVORITE SHIP

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy has one of the funniest slow burn, insta-hate to kind of lovers relationships ever! Osric and Aurienne are total opposites – assassin and healer – and the resulting antics and verbal sparring is simply unparalleled.

A BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY

No tearjerkers thus far in 2025! This is unusual, as I’ve usually read at least one book that was kind of sad.

A BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY

This prompt was a tough one, as there were probably four other books I haven’t featured that would have fit this prompt well. I decided to go with Entreat Me, because not only did the characters and their interactions make me happy, but the ending did as well and it earned a 5 star rating!

MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU’VE BOUGHT THIS YEAR

I just featured these two books in my most recent Stacking the Shelves post, but they are probably my favorite editions I’ve purchased this year. The cover and board art is fabulous, but the sprayed edges and end paper art are quite spectacular. I’ve also thrown in a bonus pic of some of my favorite sprayed edges – mostly from The Broken Binding – can you guess which belong to The Devils and Magician?

BOOKS YOU WANT TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR

I’m definitely going to be reading This Inevitable Ruin ASAP. I’m also planning to read Silverthorn, the third book in the Riftwar saga, and The Incandescent, which is set in a magical school but follows the director rather than some unusually precocious student.