When it comes to ranking my favorite reads, 2025 was the year of Asian authors for me. Five books by three Asian authors
made my top ten list. (Cixin Liu and R.F. Kuang each had two books on the list.) Another book by an Asian author (Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland) barely missed the cut. And this doesn't include R.F. Kuang's Katabasis and SenLinYu's Alchemised, both of which I plan to read in 2026. Don't be surprised to see more books by Asian authors on my list of favorite 2026 reads!
Here are my top 10 favorite books read in 2025:
1. Sunrise on the Reaping - Suzanne Collins
The Hunger
Games series is my favorite YA series of all time, and the first book in
the series is one of my all-time favorite books, regardless of genre.
Sunrise on the Reaping comes close to recapturing the magic of that
first book. What I felt from reading the latest installment in the
series took me back to how I felt when I read the first Hunger Games
book. I didn't want the book to end, and I yearned for more when I
finished reading it. All of the accolades heaped upon this book are well-deserved, and I recommend it to everyone, even if you haven't read
the other books in the Hunger Games series.
2. Atmosphere
- Taylor Jenkins Reid
Taylor Jenkins Reid does it again! Atmosphere
is exactly what I expected and worthy of all the hype it received. This
book gets bonus points for taking us inside the life of astronauts in
training and Joan's explanation of the stars, since I was once obsessed
with astronomy and the space program too. Once I started reading this book, I didn't want to
put it down, and the ending was the most emotionally intense last pages
of any book I've read in recent memory. I don't want to give away
anything though. You have to read it for yourself, and you definitely
should.
3. The Poppy War - R.F. Kuang
The Poppy War has been on my TBR list for ages, and I'm so glad I finally read it. Based on Chinese history, in particular the Sino-Japanese War, the novel wrapped me up in its world and characters. It started as an outcast-at-school type of story, which I generally like (e.g., Harry Potter), but the second half quickly moved to a different phase of the protagonist's life. The action never slowed; it only gained momentum until the end. I appreciated the way the characters grew. For example, Rin reached a truce with her greatest rival at school, which is not something I've seen in other stories. I may not have agreed with all of Rin's actions, but she was portrayed realistically as a complex and human protagonist. This book gave me Grace of Kings vibes (possibly because both books were written by Chinese authors and based on Chinese history), which is a high compliment, given how much I love the Dandelion Dynasty series.
4. Wind and Truth -
Brandon Sanderson
What a satisfying conclusion to the first arc of the
Stormlight Archive. Before reading Wind and Truth, I wondered how
Brandon Sanderson would balance resolving major plot lines from the
first four books while leaving enough open for the second arc. I needn't
have worried. Sanderson is a genius. And he wrote a 1,300-page book that
didn't bore me at all. In fact, I found myself more excited and engaged
as the story went on. The only downside to finishing Wind and Truth is
that I will need to wait years for Book 6.
5. The
Dark Forest - Cixin Liu
I read the Remembrance of Earth's Past series
this year (a.k.a., The Three Body Problem series). Even if it wasn't my
goal in 2025 to finish more series books, I'd probably have read all of the books anyway
because The Dark Forest and Death's End were so good. This series has
some of the most imaginative science fiction concepts I've ever read.
Cixin Liu makes bold predictions about the future that are both
plausible yet fantastic. In addition, the story, spanning centuries,
chugs along at a good pace that kept me interested throughout.
6. Death's
End - Cixin Liu
I found the second and third books in the
Remembrance of Earth's Past series to be equally good, so their places
in this ranking can easily be reversed. Like The Dark Forest, the
gripping story in Death's End spans centuries, and the science fiction
was imaginative. Looking back on the series, as impressed as I am with
the creative science, I'm also impressed with Cixin Liu's understanding
of human behavior and how we are likely to act in times of crisis. I
recommend this series to all science fiction fans.
7. My
Salty Mary - Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows
Every book by the Lady Janies (Lady Marys?)
has been great, and My Salty Mary was no exception. I love the brand
of humor that is a hallmark of the Lady Janies books, and this one had
me laughing out loud while I was reading it. I breezed through this book
quickly and when it ended, I wished that it hadn't. If you haven't read any of the Jane
and/or Mary books, I highly recommend them. I can't wait until the next
one!
8. When the Moon Hits
Your Eye - John Scalzi
The moon has turned into cheese. Once I got
past the absurd premise, I was hooked by this book. I thoroughly enjoyed
reading about the ways that such a phenomenon could affect different
people. Some of the stories were funny, some were touching, and some
made me contemplate the current state of our non-cheese-moon world. The result is a highly entertaining book that I'd want
to read again.
9. The
Burning God - R.F. Kuang
After reading this last book in the Poppy War
series, I was sad that I reached the end. I wanted it to continue. In
fact, the reason why this book wasn't ranked higher is because I felt
like R.F. Kuang left me hanging with more left in the story. Maybe it's
because I like my stories to have a happy and tidy ending. Aside from
the final pages, the rest of the book was great, and I highly recommend
the Poppy War series.
10. Blood
Over Bright Haven - M.L. Wang
I started hearing buzz about this book
in late 2024, with some people saying it was the best book they read all
year. I can see why. The themes of sexism, racism, and privilege really
resonated with me, and even if they hadn't, the writing and world
building and characterization would have been enough to win me over.
It's been a while since I've read a novel where such flawed characters
still elicited strong sympathy in me, a testament to M.L. Wang's writing
skills. The main reason I didn't rank this book higher was the ending,
and I won't say more for fear of spoiling it.
