Top Ten Tuesday - Most Anticipated Books Releasing In The First Half of 2025

Welcome back to another Top Ten Tuesday. Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by that artsy reader girl since 2018. It was born of a love of lists to bring bookworms together. This week's topic is the most anticipated books releasing in the first half of 2025. I don't read books as soon as they are released so I had to do a little research for this post. Now I've found even more books to add to my TBR.

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This Week's Topic: Most Anticipated Books Releasing In The First Half Of 2025

1. Mystery Royale by Kaitlyn Cavalancia

Release Date: January 7, 2025

Why I want to read it -  Mystery Royale sounded amazing when I read the synopsis. It's being described as a mix between The Inheritance Games and Hotel Magnifique. I loved reading The Inheritance Games last year, so I'm really excited about this book. With a deadly game to uncover the truth behind a murder, a huge inheritance as the prize, and magical powers on the table, I can't wait to get my hands on it!

2. The Forest King's Daughter by Elly Blake

Release Date: 11 February, 2025 

Why I want to read it - With a forest princess, lonely demon boy, enemies-to-lovers forbidden romance, war, and magic, it's unsurprisingly caught my eye.

3. The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor

Release Date: February 25, 2025

Why I want to read it - I saw this book on another blogger's Top Ten Tuesday Post in the past, and the moment I read the synopsis I knew I would love this book. We follow Maeve who has lost everything, even her name because of her father's crimes. She lives under a fake name until she receives a mysterious letter that claims that her father is innocent. To uncover the truth she joins The Otherwhere Post in disguise where she must train in the art of scriptomancy to learn how to enchant letters and deliver them to different worlds. So in other words I'm already obsessed with this idea.

4. Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

Release Date: January 14, 2025

Why I want to read it - So, not only is the cover stunning but the plot sounds amazing. A pawn shop where people sell their regrets, theft and a kidnapping, a charming physicist, and a magical adventure across different worlds, how can I refuse?

5. Lightfall by Ed Crocker

Release Date: January 14, 2025

Why I want to read it - So, I don't read a lot of vampire fiction, but this book sounds amazing. With vampire politics, rebellions and secrets, Lightfall is far from my usual lighter reads but I'm excited to give it a try. Palace maid Sam has had enough of the rules that vampire elites have set up so when the leader's son is murdered and she may be able to solve the murder and blackmail her way to a higher rank. She joins a group of rebels with sorcerers and werewolves to solve the mystery. However, the things they discover might put her life at risk.

6. Breath Of The Dragon by Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee

Release Date: January 7, 2025

Why I want to read it - First of all, the cover is gorgeous! Second, though I've never read Fonda Lee's Jade City I've heard many amazing things about it, so I'm interested in reading this new book from her. Also, I love dragons so This book ending up on my TBR is no surprise. With a martial arts tournament, heart-racing action, dragon scales, high stakes, and magical abilities, I can't wait to read this book!

7. The Vanishing Of Josephine Reynolds by Jennifer Moorman

Release Date: 14 January, 2025

Why I want to read it - A story about time travel and its many unfortunate consequences, what's not to love? Josephine is a 35-year-old widow who has just about given up on life until her sister convinces her to buy their family home. Josephine amazingly finds the house's original door in a salvage yard, but when she installs it and steps through, she finds herself transported to the past. Having made errors that may cause her very existence to be erased, she must race against time and rewrite what she has done before she fades entirely.

8. You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego

Release Date: February 11, 2025

Why I want to read it - I don't read a lot of thrillers, but I love mysteries and this book has enough mystery to keep me guessing. Renowned thriller writers are invited to an exclusive retreat on a private island. However, the festivities are cut short when one of the writers is found murdered in a locked room. Mila was hired by the writer who organized the retreat, and though she planned to stage a murder to generate interest, the murder that occurs is not her doing at all. With the number of bodies rising, Mila must find the killer, who has knowledge of every trick in the book, before she is next. 

9. The Whisperwood Legacy by Jo Schulte

Release Date: May 27, 2025

Why I Want To Read It - A closed amusement park, family secrets, and magic. This book seems like it will be a lot of fun. For years Frankie's family has owned the theme park, Whisperwood. Until eighteen months ago when the family head shuts the doors of the park. When the matriarch goes missing, Frankie fears her family must be involved in something more nefarious than the usual dysfunction. Together with Jeb, the mysterious groundskeeper, Frankie tries to uncover the truth about her family.

10. A Mastery Of Monsters by Liselle Sambury

Release Date: June 3, 2025

Why I want to read it - A missing brother and a sister willing to do anything, even infiltrate a society of monsters, to find him. I love fantasy and this sounds like a great new read for me. With a deadly competition and an even deadlier partnership with the bookish Virgil in her path, will August be able to uncover the truth and find her brother?

Thanks for reading! If you haven't read my review of The Weapon and the Fruit: Four and Twenty Blackboards by L.E. Bendon, you can do so here.