Liberty Hardy is an unrepentant velocireader, writer, bitey mad lady, and tattoo canvas. Turn-ons include books, books and books. Her favorite exclamation is “Holy cats!” Liberty reads more than should be legal, sleeps very little, frequently writes on her belly with Sharpie markers, and when she dies, she’s leaving her body to library science. Until then, she lives with her three cats, Millay, Farrokh, and Zevon, in Maine. She is also right behind you. Just kidding! She’s too busy reading.
Twitter: @MissLiberty
We’ve reached the halfway mark of 2025, so it’s time to pause and reflect for a moment on some of the best sci-fi and fantasy books of the year so far. As you know, I have a terrible time choosing, because I love so many, but I think this is a great representation of this year’s amazing offerings. I’ve included three of my favorites for the year as well as a couple of SFF books on Book Riot’s Best Books of 2025 (So Far) list.
There’s a fantasy based on English lore about a lake monster, siblings in the near-future working to solve a mystery, an ethereal sapphic vampire novel, a woman helping her elderly neighbor in a San Francisco destroyed by climate disaster, and an author who turns the world upside down with her latest novel.
I also want to shout out my favorite book of the year, the deliciously disturbing Old Soul by Susan Barker. It has a bit of a sci-fi element, but it leans more heavily into horror and mystery, so I didn’t list it here. But oh em gee, you should read it! And the SFF book that came out that I really still want to read is The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson. I have heard nothing but great things about it, but whew, it’s 700 pages! I will get to it eventually (she says, staring at her mile-long TBR list).
3 of My Favorite Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of 2025
Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill
Inspired by the mythic figure of English folklore, this debut fantasy follows a lake monster who learns that maybe she doesn’t need to be alone. Jenny Greenteeth has lived underwater in her lake for hundreds of years, feeding on the animals who get too close, and observing the humans from afar. But when a reverend attempts to drown a witch in her lake (HOW DARE), Jenny chooses to save her and help her get back to her family. It’s a charming novel with lots of fantastical beings, found family, and humor. But what really makes the novel is Jenny and her many rows of teeth and her begrudging interest in helping. She’s like Murderbot, but green and soaking wet.
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Luminous by Silvia Park
This is an exciting genre-blending debut! It’s about siblings—two humans and a robot—set in a unified Korea. Jun and Morgan have been estranged for years, and their robot brother Yoyo, who their father built, has been missing for longer than that. He disappeared when they were still children. Now, Jun is a robot crimes detective, and Morgan makes robots for a living. When young Ruijie finds something unusual while digging through junkyard scraps, it will bring Jun and Morgan back together to solve a mystery.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab
V. E. Schwab breathes new life (teehee) into the undead with this opulent sapphic vampire tale. Following three women from three different centuries, it’s a story of hunger, feminism, and ferociousness. To say more would almost spoil its magic, so just know that it’s a vampire novel unlike any other, spanning hundreds of years, with monsters who will dazzle and horrify you. These women are not satisfied being bit players in their own lives, and their thirst for more leads them down dark paths. Like many of Schwab’s novels, it has lush writing and entrancing storytelling, and the results are mesmerizing. I’ll continue to follow her anywhere.
Book Rioters’ Favorite Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of 2025
For all our picks in every genre, check out Book Riot’s Best Books of 2025 (So Far)!
Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan
In a not-so-distant future where chaotic weather and continuous rain have triggered devastating impacts on Earth, Chinese American artist Bo lives in a flooded San Francisco in a high-rise connected to other high rises by bridges. While many have left the city and its deteriorating conditions, Bo remains, grieving the loss of her mother in a flood and losing her passion for art and for life. But when Bo picks up work caring for an elderly woman in her building named Mia, she finds hope and purpose in her life again. Kwan’s writing is beautiful, and Bo’s poignant character journey set against the backdrop of such an awe-inspiring and haunting future world makes for an unforgettable read. —Megan Mabee
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
Zelu is a disabled Nigerian American professor and novelist. The novel shows how her disability, ethnicity, and family shape her personality. After her sci-fi novel, Rusted Robots, makes her famous, strangers judge her personal choices, including walking with bionic legs. She’s disappointed with Rusted Robots’ film adaptation, which Americanizes the robot characters’ Nigerian names. Okorafor’s novel is metafictional, and Zelu’s narrative is intertwined with Rusted Robots in surprising ways. Death of the Author explores its themes in depth, from creativity to bodily autonomy. —Grace Lapointe
Okay, star bits, now take the knowledge you have learned here today and use it for good, not evil. If you want to know more about books, I talk about books pretty much nonstop (when I’m not reading them), and you can hear me say lots of adjectives about them on the BR podcast All the Books! and on Instagram.
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