Here is a list May 2025 book releases across the sci-fi and fantasy genres, including a short publisher synopsis for each book as well as my thoughts + ratings of the ones I've already read (tagged to this post). As I read more of these throughout the month, I'll update this list with additional reviews. Happy reading! :)
MAY 6TH:
Silver Elite (Dani Francis)
In the first book of a sizzling dystopian romance series, psychic gifts are a death sentence and there are rules to survival: Trust no one. Lie to everyone. And whatever you do, don’t fall for your greatest enemy.
My Thoughts & Rating:
⭐ 3.75 - This book was A LOT of fun (especially in the first 50%), and reminded me of Tris and Four from Divergent (the banter was ON POINT). Unfortunately, the characters continued to feel one-dimensional as the story progressed, and the plot armor got a little too thick for my liking. That said, if you’re just looking for a good time, this may still be for you! I also feel like this will be the next big "booktok book" given how commercial it is so I'm curious to see if it does blow up after its release... 👀
His Face is the Sun (Michelle Jabès Corpora)
A new reign is coming...romance, magic, adventure, and horror collide in the start to this lush, epic, Ancient Egyptian inspired trilogy. Four strangers—a princess, a young priestess, a rebel, and a tomb robber—are ripped from their lives and thrown into the conflict. Amid murder and betrayal, magic and monsters, gods and visions, love and war, these four unlikely heroes find themselves connected by a forgotten oracle that whispers insistently across the land. Only together can they save the kingdom from destruction, but when the bloodshed is done, who of Khetara’s children will sit on the throne?
The Lost Queen (Aimee Phan)
A heroine like no other, ancient magic unleashed, a fated epic battle–the first book in an enchanting YA fantasy duology inspired by Vietnamese lore, weaving magic, sisterhood, and self-discovery.
Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame (Neon Yang)
With an armored, oath-bound hero reminiscent of The Mandalorian and the Asian-inspired epic fantasy of She Who Became the Sun, Brighter than Scale, Swifter than Flame is a stunning queer novella about a dragon hunter finding home with a dragon queen.
The Survivor Wants to Die at the End (Adam Silvera)
In this third book of the They Both Die at the End series, two strangers—each with their own complicated relationship to Death-Cast—help each other learn to live.
For Whom the Bell Tolls (Jaysea Lynn)
A hotter-than-hell romantasy about forbidden love, dark magic, and a young woman’s fiery adventure in the Afterlife, perfect for fans of Sarah A. Parker and Callie Hart.
Shield of Sparrows (Devney Perry)
A slow-burn, high-stakes romantasy where enemies become lovers, monsters stalk a cursed realm, and a forgotten princess finds the strength to tear off her crown and become the warrior she was never meant to be.
A Letter from the Lonesome Shore (Sylvie Cathrall)
The charming conclusion to the Sunken Archive duology, a heart-warming magical academia fantasy filled with underwater cities, romance of manners and found family, perfect for fans of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries.
MAY 13TH:
The Devils (Joe Abercrombie)
An epic fantasy featuring a notorious band of anti-heroes on a delightfully bloody and raucous journey…holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds.
My Thoughts & Rating
⭐ 4.50 - The Devils by Joe Abercrombie features what I now consider to be one of the best chapters written in fantasy ("A War in Miniature") and somehow manages to be tragic, hilarious, and thought-provoking all at once. It’s grimdark fantasy, so yes, there is the violence, the brutality, the futility, but something Abercrombie does well, especially in this book, is amp up the humor and wit without losing the core of the story, which in The Devils, is about finding self, belonging, purpose in a cruel and chaotic world. It’s also about the hypocrisy of the Church, the blurred lines of good and evil, damnation and redemption, and is overall a highly entertaining, rambunctious adventure that also had some really moving moments of found family.
The Incandescent (Emily Tesh)
A razor-sharp sapphic dark academia fantasy told through the eyes of the faculty in a story of self, belonging, and power.
My Thoughts & Rating
⭐ 4.00 - The Incandescent features an older FMC (late 30’s), a highly detailed and well-developed magic system, and sapphic relationships all tied together in a story of self-discovery, belonging, and power. I have never read a dark academia fantasy book told from the perspective of the faculty, rather than the students, and I really enjoyed this fresh perspective - if you're a teacher, I think you will particularly love this book! I listened to an advanced listener copy (ALC) of this book on Netgalley and thought the audiobook narrator, Zara Ramm, was wonderful - would highly recommend the audio version of this book if you’re interested in it!
Anji Kills a King (Evan Leikam)
An unlikely assassin struggles to escape a legendary bounty hunter in this breakneck fantasy debut that will grab you by the throat—perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie, R.F. Kuang, and Christopher Buehlman.
A Curse Carved in Bone (Danielle L. Jensen)
A shield maiden fights to break the shackles of prophecy—and to overcome the betrayal of the man who broke her heart—in this searing conclusion to the Norse-inspired fantasy romance duology that began with the bestselling A Fate Inked in Blood.
MAY 20TH:
The Knight and the Moth (Rachel Gillig)
A gothic, mist-cloaked tale of a young prophetess who is forced on an impossible quest with the one infuriating knight whose future is beyond her sight.
My Thoughts & Rating:
⭐ 4.25 - I loved the atmospheric setting, lyrical, prose, and unique magic system (based on six magical objects that grant users a specific set of abilities), and thought this was a well-paced story with clear stakes and defined conflicts. I wasn’t totally convinced by the romance of the two main characters, but overall, I really enjoyed my time with this one!
Behooved (M. Stevenson)
A charming slow-burn fantasy featuring a duty-bound noblewoman with a chronic illness, a prince who would rather be in a library than on a throne, and a magical ride through a world of cozy enchantment.
[ON MY MAY TBR]
The Starving Saints (Caitlin Starling)
A transfixing fever dream of medieval horror following three women in a besieged castle that descends ravenously into madness under the spell of mysterious, godlike visitors.
Cruel is the Light (Sophie Clark)
A star-crossed, enemies-to-lovers saga about a war between demons and exorcists . . . and the forbidden love that could change the course of history.
MAY 27TH:
Written on the Dark (Guy Gavriel Kay)
Both sweeping and intimate, a majestic novel of love and war that brilliantly evokes the drama and turbulence of medieval France.
A Fate Forged in Fire (Hazel McBride)
To become the first queen in centuries, a powerfully blessed blacksmith must use her wits and fire magic to overthrow the corrupt powers ruling her kingdom—while also fighting her growing desire for one of her dragon-riding adversaries—in the first book of a sizzling Celtic-inspired fantasy romance duology.
The South Wind (Alexandria Warwick)
A sizzling standalone fantasy of second-chance love inspired by Sleeping Beauty and the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur from the author of The North Wind.
When Devils Sing (Xan Kaur)
Four unlikely allies in a small town investigate a local teen's disappearance, and what they discover festering at the core of their community is far more sinister and ancient than they could’ve ever imagined. For fans of She is a Haunting, True Detective, Mexican Gothic, and Midsommar.
Harmattan Season (Tochi Onyebuchi)
A new standalone novel that is hard boiled fantasy Raymond Chandler meets P. Djèlí Clark in a postcolonial West Africa…”Fortune always left whatever room I walked into, which is why I don’t leave my place much these days.”
The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association (Caitlin Rozakis)
Two parents and their recently-bitten-werewolf daughter try to fit into a privileged New England society of magic aristocracy. But deadly terrors await them – ancient prophecies, remorseless magical trials, hidden conspiracies and the PTA bake sale.
