Today I would like to show you my Top Five Reads of 2025! So let's get into it!
These are in no particular order by the way. I've already narrowed down my favourites of the year to five, and you can't make me put them in order!
http://rebeckaomalley.com/2026/01/03/fanciful-feature-my-top-five-reads-of-2025/
I was lucky enough to be able to read an ARC of this book, and I am pleased to report that I absolutely adored it! Everly was a wonderful character, the setting was awesome, and the entire novella oozed atmosphere. It went in a direction I wasn't expecting, which upped this from four to five stars for me!
http://rebeckaomalley.com/2025/08/29/fanciful-review-the-cold-house-by-a-g-slatter/
Yet another fantastic fairytale retelling from Erin A. Craig! I loved this story. While it wasn't my favourite of hers, she is such a fantastic author that it still ended up a five stars. Hazel was such a sympathetic character who always does her best to make the most of any situation she ends up in. The Dreaded End, aka Merrick, was also extremely endearing. The worldbuilding was good, and the setting felt unique to me.
http://rebeckaomalley.com/2025/08/12/fanciful-review-the-thirteenth-child-by-erin-a-craig/
I know I am older than the target demographic for this book, but I still quite liked it. I never read it as a child, so this isn't a nostalgic reread for me, I just found it on Libby while I was between books and decided to give it a go, and I am really glad I did. Meggie is a headstrong character that was fun to read. Her father, Mo, was so whimsical and loving. The thing I really liked was how much the characters talked about books and what they meant to them.
http://rebeckaomalley.com/2025/07/29/fanciful-review-inkheart-by-cornelia-funke/
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls. Once again, Grady Hendrix has written a book that is able to take a dark/deep subject matter and keep its importance while making it entertaining to read. Thus, we can look at the topic with a certain amount of emotional distance.
http://rebeckaomalley.com/2025/07/23/fanciful-review-witchcraft-for-wayward-girls-by-grady-hendrix/
The House That Horror Built was such a joy to read. As a fan of horror film (who is trying to catch up on some of the classics), gothic mansions, compelling characters, and ghost stories, I feel like I was the target audience for this novel!
I really enjoyed this novella. Helpmeet was reminiscent of the gothic horror of the 19th century, with a strong dose of body horror mixed in for good measure.
http://thefancifulreader.com/2024/05/14/fanciful-review-helpmeet-by-naben-ruthnum/
I really enjoyed Devolution by Max Brooks. I love mixed media novels, and here we have another. The setting of Greenloop was an resting one, and the disaster that falls upon them fascinating.
http://thefancifulreader.com/2023/08/22/fanciful-review-devolution-by-max-brooks/
Fanciful Sister and I read this as a buddy read this month. The story is told in a mixed media format, which I think worked especially well for telling this tale, and the characters sell it even more.
http://thefancifulreader.com/2023/08/15/fanciful-review-episode-thirteen-by-craig-dilouie/
