First Look: My Favorite Books I read in 2025

I did a little less novel reading this year than I would have liked due to job stressors, but I still have a ton to recommend, so let's dig in!

The Twelve Kingdoms: Shadow of the Moon, Shadow of the Sea Books One and Two by Fuyumi Ono

Youko Nakajima, a sixteen-year-old girl who lives to please those around her, is suddenly approached by a strange man who vows his loyalty. Demons attack, and he gives her a sword to fight with and helps her flee into world of the Twelve Kingdoms. Youko is immediately separated from her mysterious protector and stranded. Now this meek schoolgirl who built her life around placating others now has only herself to count on is going to have to find out who she is and what she’s really made of if she wants to survive.

The Twelve Kingdoms is one of my favorite fantasy novel series of all time, and it’s truly a masterclass in worldbuilding and character development. The English release has been out-of-print for years, but now it’s been rereleased in English.

Youko is a fantastic protagonist, and the intense moral conflicts she faces and the way she truly has to struggle and transform herself makes her so compelling. On top of that, the worldbuilding, mythology, and social consciousness of The Twelve Kingdoms make it a very rich story. The narrative has a lot of truly creative concepts. For instance, Kings in this world are divinely chosen by the gods from among the common people and immortal as long as they rule or until they swerve off the path of righteousness in the people’s and Gods’ eyes, which will actively cause natural disasters and the ruler’s eventual death.

The story excels at conflicted characters (and a lot of really awesome female characters) and presenting quandaries that have no easy answer. Abuse of power, oppression, complacency in injustice, uneven hierarchies and social responsibility are huge themes that are explored wonderfully. I go into what makes the narrative great more in this article but there are a lot of spoilers. 

It's a good translation, though I do have a slight preference for the old Tokyopop translation (and Eugene Woodbury’s) as I think they flow a bit better. Also, the release following the Part 1 and Part 2 structure means the first volume has a grim, abrupt cutoff, so please get both novels together and treat it as one novel.

There are a lot more books to come, and I heartily recommend the whole series!

Dear Azula: I Have a Crush on Danny Phantom by Azura Tyabji and Jackson Neal

A short poetry collection that uses cartoons from the early 2000s as a lens to explore adolescence and queerness. Featuring Teen Titans, Kim Possible, The Emporer’s New Groove and, obviously, Avatar the Last Airbender and Danny Phantom.

Obviously the premise was pretty novel and it tickled my nostalgia—a lot of these animated shows were formative for me. The poems are from various characters points of views but done as if they’re facets of the poets’ experiences as well. It highlights how the common themes in these shows of conflict with family, feeling othered, and being at war with oneself really do tap into the teenage experience and can even resonate with us as adults. And also, how sometimes you want Shego from Kim Possible to step on you.

Mythos: The Greek Myths Reimagined by Stephen Fry

A witty retelling of several Greek myths that had some laugh out loud funny quips while being pretty accurate to various versions and laying out the mythology in a very comprehensible way. It covers a lot while remaining entertaining throughout. I don’t have much else to say about it, it’s just a good read.

Otherside Picnic Volume 9: The Fourth Kind's Summer Holiday by Iori Miyazawa

Another year, another great installment of one of my favorite series ever: Lovable disaster lesbians meet creepypasta monsters. You can see my breakdown of why Otherside Picnic is great in my first review here. (I also wrote a whole article on it here, but it does have spoilers). This one wasn’t quite as perfect as volume 8 but was still good stuff. There was some more exploration on Sorawo’s feelings about romance and not wanting to categorize her relationship with Toriko with traditional labels, and some more spooky tales as well.

Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings

Late Bloomer is a lesbian romance set in my hometown (Asheville, North Carolina) and I picked it up for the novelty of that, but found it a very enjoyable romp. Opal buys a failing flower farm and arrives to find Pepper, the owner, didn’t give her mother permission to sell it. The two cohabitate as they try to figure things out, clashing a lot because they’re very different people, but of course, sparks start to fly…

This is basically just a sweet, fun, breezy romance, though it also touches on things like trying to cut off an emotionally abusive mother, opening one’s self up after being hurt, and healing. I wish it had included more Asheville stuff (there’s just the Biltmore Hotel, really), but it was a nice read. One of the pair had the exact same taste in media and music as my partner does to the point it cracked me up, so it does understand lesbian culture.

Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson

A novella about a woman named Ro who falls in love with Ash, a vendor at the farmer’s market. She’s sooo cottagecore and self sufficient! But Ash’s adorable, folksy exterior might hide something very sinister, and Ro better notice those red flags soon…

Listen, we need our fascinating fictional lesbian serial killers too, and Bloom is short read that offers a good one. The oncoming reveal is very obvious, but that makes the anticipation stronger. It does drag a little at times in building up for that reveal, but it does do a fine job showing how Ash can manipulate Ro psychologically. And the ending is extremely gut churning. Lesbians don’t get more toxic than this, and women’s wrongs don’t get much wronger. But Ash is enjoyable, and we can all respect a sustainable gal.

Batman: No Man’s Land novel by Greg Rucka

I have been dragged back into Batman Hell this year, and that included reading a novelization of what’s probably the best Bat-crossover in the comics. After several disasters hit Gotham (and because of its general absurdly high crime rate and overall cursedness), the federal government decides to declare it a “No Man’s Land” and withdraws. Everyone who didn’t evacuate is stuck in Gotham and no longer a US citizen. Now there’s not real law, supervillains are having a ball and Batman’s team is left scrambling to try to keep Gotham from imploding, especially since the Dark Knight himself is mysteriously absent. 

Greg Rucka is one of my favorite writers and this is one of my favorite Batman stories. It involves some of my favorite characters in fiction period. It introduces Cassandra Cain, an endlessly fascinating and badass former child assassin who was taught to read movement in place of language by her father, and the main narrator is Barbara Gordon, the acerbic master hacker who still manages to take charge and organize a team despite internet problems and Gotham not being very wheelchair-friendly right now. And then there’s Helena Bertinelli, stepping in to fill the void Bruce left, and Renee Montoya having to deal with Two-face’s ill-fated crush on her. The women of the Batfam get their due for once. Gotham’s overall struggle is also interesting, and seems lot more believable these days.

Rucka does a good job trimming things down to the important plotlines and creating a tighter, more focused narrative than the original, and he does well explaining who everyone is in the massive cast. I think a non-comic reader wouldn’t be too lost, but I can’t say for sure, since I obviously do read comics.

This novel is out of print, and since it isn’t anywhere else. I have no problem mentioning the Internet Archive has a copy if you google (I did buy it second hand myself, but it was slightly pricey). You can also just read the No Man’s Land comics, the novelization is, well, novel and does a good job trimming plots while keeping a focused narrative, but the comics do have a lot of great extra content too.

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

This is the story of Katniss’ mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, who’s picked for the Hunger Games (where children must fight to death for the entertainment of the rich. As you probably know). Haymitch is being set up to fail from the beginning, so there’s a lot to overcome.

I don’t feel like I have to say much about the Hunger Games, but I’ve always found them solid books, and while this book wasn’t necessary, it was nice to learn a little more about Haymitch. Well, “nice”. You know from the beginning it’s going to be pure tragedy, and man, is it. It shows how thoroughly an authoritarian government can crush someone even if that someone does all he can, and spin the situation for propaganda. Haymitch never had a chance. Haymitch is an easy protagonist to root for and al of the  characters are likeable and you feel their loss. Thankfully Katniss is in Haymitch’s future, but it is a downer. But a well-executed, entertaining one.

Hekate by Nikita Gil

A poetic reimagining of the life of the Greek Goddess of witchcraft, Hekate. When the Titans are overthrown and Hekate’s father is enslaved, Hekate’s mother flees and leaves her in Hades for her perspective. From there, Hekate must figure out what kind of goddess she is.

This was a nice little read. Greek mythology retellings can be hit or miss, and this does mold Hekate’s story into a classic YA finding yourself narrative, but there’s a focus on family, and how it can be flawed but still important. The style being reminiscent of epic poems was a nice touch, and it flowed well. Hekate was an easy protagonist to like and follow. And I have a fondness for magic and journeys through the underworld.

Princess Floralinda by Tamsyn Muir

Princess Floralinda is captured by a witch and placed on the top floor of a forty-floor tower, with monsters on every level for the brave young man who comes to her rescue to fight. The trouble is, all the brave young men are getting eaten by the dragon on the first floor. And after a while they stop coming. Now Floralinda, a very proper princess with not combat experience, must figure out how to get through thirty nine floors of monsters if she wants to escape.

A delightful little story full of Muir’s trademark razor-sharp wit and propensity for wonderfully unhinged, entertaining female characters. There’s definitely a lot of satire in this, from Floralinda’s snarky companion fairy Cobweb (who has a very scientific mind and couldn’t care less whether Floralinda lives and dies) to Floralinda’s fairytale princess sensibilities getting worn down the more morally questionable acts she commits in fighting tooth and nail for survival.

The conversation Floralinda and Cobweb have about Gender-- with Floralinda insisting it’s very important and Cobweb being like “I’ve never heard of a Gender in my life and it sounds really bothersome”-- seriously cracked me up.. Cobweb is a delight throughout honestly, and I love Muir’s messy characters and absurd situtations.

Undercover by Tamsyn Muir

This is a long short story about a woman who’s tasked by a gang leader to bodyguard a ghoul (basically a zombie) who is being made to work as showgirl, But this ghoul seems more selfp-aware than most, and her identity is mysterious…

This story has some good twists, and Muir’s take on both noir and zombie tropes is inventive and entertaining. It’s especially nice to see middle-aged queer woman with an ex-wife being a classic (but complex and interesting!) mean mob boss, and the world presented is fascinating. It felt a bit too short, but I had a good time.

Hungerstone by Kat Dunn

A very loose Carmilla retelling set during the industrial revolution. Lenore is the wife of a steel magnate, but he’s neglectful and constantly hits her with unreasonable demands. But Lenore still considers them a partnership and takes pride in her duties. But then a mysterious stranger named Carmilla arrives and starts awakening some feelings in Lenore and she finds a strange hunger is stirring within her…

This was one of my favorite reads of the year. Lenore is a well-realized character, determined not to end up with destitute like her parents, feeling she must make concessions to live a life of security. She knows how this works, she knows her marriage with Henry is transactional, that they have social roles to fulfill, but she takes pride in fulfilling hers well—because even for a wealthy woman, managing an estate and supporting Henry is a huge amount of work. Work that Henry takes for granted.

This book slowly unravels Lenore’s worldview, because when your “security” inherently rests on pleasing a man, and he has so much more power than you and you have so many less options, well, it isn’t actually very secure at all, is it? Lenore thinks of herself and Henry as partners but it comes increasingly obvious he doesn’t see it that way. And it just gets worse as the secrets he hides unravel.

The sensuality that crackles between Lenore and Carmilla and the way Carmilla pushes her buttons is also great. Lenore extremely repressed, but deep down she's hungry for freedom, hungry for revenge, hungry for more than the meager crumbs she’s given. And now, with Carmilla to encourage her to break free of her restraints, this hunger is becoming impossible to ignore.

The pacing could have been tighter, and I think the ending could have had a little more punch, but on the whole, it was a scrumptious book.

Miss Martin’s Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan

Elderly lesbians! Senior citizens Bertrice and Violetta have a problem, and that is Bertrice’s terrible nephew. Violetta wants him out her boarding house. Bertrice wants him to stop spending her money. They team up to take on the terrible nephew, and while they’re raising hell, they find they’re falling in love too.

This is a simple, fun narrative. Bertrice is a delight, full of vivacity and brazenness. She is too old to take any man’s shit, and she will speak her mind. The catharsis of Terrible Nephew’s comeuppance is also nice.

 There’s also some actual sensuality between Bertrice and Violetta. I realized reading this I have never read a sex scene between women over 65 before. I had to confront with my own socially ingrained biases when I felt awkward imagining it. I’m going to be that age someday, but society presents old women as inherently sexless and undesirable, and there’s incredible lack of representation of older lesbians in fiction. This book pushes back on that, and that alone makes this a really valuable read.