Reality Bites: 11 Awesome New Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of November 2025

The King Must Die by Kemi Ashing-Giwa (S&S/Saga Press, November 4)

Here’s an exciting new sci-fi novel from the author of The Splinter in the Sky! On a failing planet, the daughter of executed rebel instigators joins a group of underground insurgents. But are the dangerous rebels the planet’s greatest hope, or will they prove to be its downfall?

Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree (Tor Books, November 11)

This funny fantasy is a follow-up to Bookshops & Bonedust, featuring everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed talking rat, Fern. After decades of selling books in Murk, Fern decides to move to Thune, where her friend Viv has a coffee shop. But as she travels toward Thune, Fern encounters all kinds of new friends and foes. (More f-words!)

The Amberglow Candy Store by Hiyoko Kurisu, translated by Matt Treyvaud (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, November 11)

Continuing the trend of magical establishments in books from the last few years is this entry about a candy store. Each of the treats inside the store can allegedly cure what ails you, and the whole place is run by a mysterious fox spirit.

The Glowing Life of Leeann Wu by Mindy Hung (Alcove Press, November 18)

New changes have started happening now that Leeann Wu has entered middle age. Her daughter is off to college, and she’s dating a much younger man. Weird things are occurring, as well. Accidents and insomnia plague her whole town, and her hands have started to glow with light. With clues left behind by a great aunt, Leeann will have to figure out how to use her new magical talent to save the town.

Slow Gods by Claire North (Orbit, November 18)

From the award-winning author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August comes an epic space opera about the pilot of a spacecraft who dies and is reborn, who becomes central to the saving of the galaxy.

The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers (Redhook, November 18)

When the magical bookshops hidden below the streets of London start to disappear, it’s up to a disgraced bookseller to solve the mystery. Cassandra Fairfax has been barely scraping by since being fired as a bookseller, but when her former boss dies mysteriously, and the shops start to disappear, she sees her chance to clear her name and save the day.

As Many Souls as Stars by Natasha Siegel (William Morrow,‎ November 25)

A witch and a demon are reunited by a Faustian bargain in every lifetime in this queer romantasy. To get out of her wretched, cursed life, Cybil Harding makes a deal with demon Miriam Richter: she can have Cybil’s soul in return for reincarnation. And in every life, Miriam is there to claim her reward, drawing them closer together each time Cybil is reborn.

Deadly Ever After by Brittany Johnson (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, November 4)

This magical queer romantasy debut is about princesses who need true love’s kiss to save them. But it’s not your ordinary fairytale. Amala and Kha’dasia meet when they wake up in the cursed forest. They have both died, but the gods of the forest promise them a second chance, if they can get a kiss from their true love. As the princesses work to meet the challenge, well…you can see where this is going, right?

The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer (Feiwel & Friends, November 4)

This is also a YA romantasy, but this time, it’s a murder mystery, too! In this Bluebeard retelling, a witch with the ability to see spirits is asked by the handsome great-great-grandson of a murderous count to rid his estate of the count’s ghost.

The Firefly Crown by Yxavel Magno Diño (Bloomsbury Children’s Books,‎ November 11)

In an empire where the citizens’ fate is determined by their magical abilities, a girl named Yumi strives to achieve greater powers than she has. But when she is accused of theft at the princess’s coronation, she must use what magic she does have to find the real thief and save her life and her kingdom.

I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends by Kylie Lee Baker (Feiwel & Friends, November 18)

Kylie Lee Baker started the year by releasing one of the best adult horror novels (Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng), and now she’s ending the year with a wonderful YA fantasy romance! It involves the teen descendant of a Japanese dragon god with the ability to time travel. Mina is looking for her missing sister, whose existence has ended due to a corrupt timeline. Now, with the help of a handsome mysterious agent, Mina must try and find a way to bring her sister back into their world.

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