As the holidays approach and the year comes to a close, I’ve reviewed my top reads for 2025, a list I’m excited to share with you!
I stumbled upon some amazing finds from Realm Makers alone, others from friends or social media circles.
I discovered some fantastic books through Realm Makers alone, along with others recommended by friends or found through my social media circles.
As a Christian fantasy author, I naturally gravitate toward fantasy and science fiction, but I also enjoy non-fiction on craft, health, lifestyle, and spirituality.
Below are my top reads for 2025, listed in no particular order, along with what each one taught me:
Oathbringer, by Brandon Sanderson
An outstanding addition to the Stormlight Archive. Oathbringer offers rich characters, mind-bending worldbuilding, and an intricate plot that kept me turning pages through its many, many chapters.
I especially appreciated the action beats and Sanderson’s breathtaking dialogue.
Kaladin has grown on me the most—his journey continues to deepen in meaningful ways.
Shallan was decent, though not my favorite; she has improved significantly since book one.
The sheer number of characters can feel overwhelming at times, but that’s expected in any Sanderson epic.
What Oathbringer taught me is how epic storytelling can lift human imagination to new heights—not only through magical systems and worldbuilding, but through the moral and emotional truths woven into the narrative.
The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller, by John Truby
The Anatomy of a Story is an excellent study in storytelling, philosophy, and creative structure.
Truby offers in-depth examples for each of his lessons, and I found them easy to follow.
Structuring my stories has become far more intuitive thanks to this book, and it’s also sharpened my analytical eye as a reader, increasing both my understanding and enjoyment.
As an environmental student, I especially savored the chapters comparing natural environments to the architecture of creative writing—one of the book’s highlights for me.
This book taught me to see stories like the skeleton of a great creature: each bone distinct, each part meaningful, and all of them connecting to form a living whole.
Orphan's Quest, by Terry Ironwood
Orphan’s Quest is a story filled with gripping twists and character arcs that I truly enjoyed.
As an audiobook, the added ambient sounds and effects gave the narrative an entirely different feel from others I’ve listened to.
While the opening starts a bit slow, it builds momentum beautifully in the second half.
Packed with action and adventure, Orphan’s Quest is a shorter tale that still delivers a satisfying punch.
It showed me just how much sound design can elevate a story—and reminded me how vital audiobooks are becoming in the future of storytelling.
The Chronicles of Narnia, by C. S. Lewis
I reread several books from The Chronicles of Narnia this year:
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Magician’s Nephew
The Horse and His Boy
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle
These stories remain cozy, feel-good fantasies with classic character arcs, timeless plot beats, and unforgettable themes of redemption and virtue.
C. S. Lewis crafted a world full of wonder—its creatures, moral lessons, and quiet moments of grace still resonate decades later.
While the pacing felt slow at times, the emotional payoff—especially toward the end—was inspiring and deeply worthwhile.
My favorite of the series was The Horse and His Boy for its rich worldbuilding and a story that struck especially deep for me.
These books taught me how to look for virtue in every story, like a seed growing among the weeds—small at first, but capable of becoming a great tree.
The War of Lost Hearts is an epic fantasy trilogy with high stakes and wonderfully complex, morally gray characters.
The protagonists, Tissanah and Max, share a compelling journey—woven through adventure, suffering, and love.
I especially enjoyed the slow-burn romance and the rich worldbuilding; Carissa Broadbent even crafted fantasy languages, a detail I always appreciate and a respectful nod to Tolkien’s legacy.
The trilogy swept me away from start to finish with its nuanced magic system, epic battles, and sometimes grueling moral dilemmas. I’ve definitely become a Carissa Broadbent fan.
These books taught me how to organically interweave stories across a series—and how true heroes are often the ones who endure hardship after hardship, yet still rise. It also helped me appreciate secular works as a Christian.
Atomic Habits, by James Clear
Atomic Habits is a beautifully written guide to building a better life through small, consistent actions. James Clear breaks down the science of behavior change into practical steps and empowering insights, showing how tiny habits, done daily, can lead to massive transformation over time. His tools are simple, yet the results are profound.
Implementing just a few of his methods has noticeably improved my workflow, time management, and long-term focus. This book taught me how to structure my lifestyle more intentionally around writing and self-care.
Stone and Sky, by Z. S. Diamanti
Stone & Sky is a delightful epic fantasy featuring a ragtag band of heroes taking on dragons, death, and dark magic.
It doesn’t linger long on heavy exposition or deep character studies—which actually gives it a smooth, easy rhythm, like slipping into an adventure you don’t want to put down. Cozy, fun, and engaging, it left me eager to jump into the sequel.
This story helped me understand the balance between worldbuilding exposition and pacing. I also had the chance to speak with Diamanti at Realm Makers, and from him I learned how authors can be more intentional and engaging with their readers.
The Shard of Elan Series, by Laura VanArendonk Baugh
The Shard of Elan is a breathtaking series with rich worldbuilding, constructed languages (yay!), and fully realized cultures (woo!) that deepen with each installment.
Shannan, the protagonist, has a deeply human character arc filled with tribulation, faith, and found-family themes. I found the Duvian race especially intriguing—their characteristics, abilities, and cultural nuances were incredibly well crafted.
This series showed me how to organically weave worldbuilding into a narrative without overwhelming the story, letting the world unfold naturally as the characters grow.
On Writing, by Stephen King
An insightful read on writing and how to navigate its many pitfalls. King’s personal story draws on the many insights that he gained as a developing author─and how to build a career from the depths of depression, drugs and alcohol, and despair.
With a dash of humor, King draws it all together in an enjoyable medium for readers to savor.
This book taught me how becoming an author is its own Hero’s Journey, full of trials, mentors, allies, enemies, and more─most importantly, to never give up.
A pleasant retelling of the Adam and Eve story in Genesis. I loved the biblical references, and the fantasy themes were smooth and easy to understand.
Wheeler does excellent work immersive a reader in a character’s emotions, with sharp dialog that drives the plot.
The cliffhanger at the end of the story has me sold for the sequel. From this story, I learned how to build tension using dialog and immerse a reader into a character’s head.
Dracula, by Bram Stoker
A timeless classic with great tension and a plot that had me hooked. I found myself caring for the characters and the horror and drama was excellently drawn out.
The vampire lore was superb. My biggest gripe: at times, it read more like a too-long essay with far too much philosophy.
Still, the prose was poetic, and I enjoyed the ending. This classic showed me how to build tension over several chapters until the climax, giving the reader a big payoff.
Winter's Maiden, by Morgan L. Busse
A solid story with great characters and an immersive, Nordic story world. I loved the lore that paid tribute to the Nordic people.
The pacing and action was great and mingled well with the tension. Some of the character transitions and revelations felt rushed, but came to a wholesome conclusion.
The classic warrior-and-mage trope worked wonderfully in this story, though more so in the latter half when the main protagonists meet; it still could have used more depth and development.
This story gave me a fresh perspective on Nordic historical fantasy.
Flashpoint: Draxguard Crew Six, by C.M. Banschbach
An enjoyable urban military fantasy read with some shifter romance. The cast feels genuine and relatable, their camaraderie giving the story a strong sense of teamwork and adventure.
While some of the romantic moments come a little quickly and feel slightly rushed, they still add emotional warmth to the plot.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable and satisfying read, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the series goes next!
This book showed me how to write a team of characters that flows seamlessly through the story.
Life-changing Foods, by Anthony William
A lifestyle book, a spiritual reference guide, and a cookbook all in one! Although I haven’t finished this baby yet, it deserves a spot on my top read lists of 2025.
Anthony’s book delivers information on nutrition, healing, and chronic health issues troubling the world today.
Most of his information seems speculative and unbelievable, but thousands have sworn on his book series as healing tools for the modern age.
This book taught me that being a creative is more than craft and networking; it’s also about self-care and nourishing the world within, so that we can better serve God’s creation.
As a creative with chronic health challenges, I’ve seen many of my issues heal with the information Anthony offers.
The year 2025 has been a blast, and creating this list of top reads for 2025 has already inspired a new stack of books on my TBR list for 2026.
If you’d like a deeper look at what I’m currently reading—and what’s fueling my writing journey—be sure to check out the Cosmic Dominion Guild newsletter. You can sign up in the widget below.
Cheers, and happy reading!
