A running tally of the books that I have reviewed this year, updated and reranked after each book that I finish. Explore the latest reviews and discover hidden gems with insights from BarlinsBooks, your literary companion for top new releases.

Amazon's Top 100 Books of 2025. How do they compare to Barlin's Books rankings for the year? Where did they get things right, and where did they miss the boat?

★★★★★ A time-traveling tale that dissects the most famous legend in the land, Harrow once again creates a binge-worthy blend of fantasy and creativity.

★★★★★ A worthy continuation of what started with The Silverblood Promise, Book 2 is filled with heists, mini quests, and more of everything you loved in Book 1.

★★★★★ A strong start to a new fantasy series that can also be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel, a roguish young man travels to a distant city to solve the mystery of his father's death.

★★★☆☆ A woman tries to break a curse which causes the women in her family to transform into a tree forever if they stay in a place too long.

★★★★★ The most anticipated book of 2025 mostly delivers, as author Yarros continues the Empyrean series and Violet Sorrengail's evolution.

★★★★★ A truly excellent start to a trilogy about an orphan who infiltrates an Academy for societal elites in order to uncover a conspiracy.

★★★★★ Yarros gives us a rarity -- a sequel to a force-of-nature debut that's just as good as the original, and in some ways possibly better.

★★★★☆ After a bit of a slow and clunky start, the story of a young human woman imprisoned in faerie lands barrels to an excellent climax.

★★★☆☆ The first book in a series with plenty of potential, it establishes characters and foundation but fails to deliver a full story arc.

Inspired by an underwhelming list from Goodreads, this counts down a far superior list of the Top 50 books of the last 5 years (2020-2024).

★★★★☆ A mostly average offering from an author I normally enjoy, which follows the next generation of her "An Ember in the Ashes" heroes.

★★★☆☆ A continuation of the "Cerulean Chronicles", but lacking the sweetness, joy and novelty that made the first book delightful & special.

★★★☆☆ A sweet little story about friendship and starting over, focused on an orc who tries to leave violence behind and open a coffee shop.

★★★★☆ McGuire's unparalleled creativity is again on display as she explores Lunar deities working to solve a murder of one of their own.

★★★★☆ A uniquely creative fantasy novel, it's ultimately a struggle between those in power and those powerful enough to overthrow them.

★★★★☆ A memorable novella, inspired by Polish folklore, that follows a guilt-ridden hero's journey through the magical underbelly of Chicago

★★★☆☆ A rare ho-hum effort from an author I enjoy, Bardugo's novel of 16th century Spain struggles to blend history, fantasy, and romance.

★★★★☆ An inventive concept suffers a bit when the inevitable potential plot holes that come with time travel emerge. Entertaining but flawed