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Welcome to the second half of 2025, bookworms! Here are some weird and wonderful books that are coming out in the next six months. Which ones are on your to-be-read list?

Note: Publishing is notorious for changing the release date of books. Don't come for me if the dates in this post are wrong. I'm trying my best! I promise!

Best July - December 2025 Book Releases

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Adult Horror

July 15, 2025

“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches”: That was how Nana Alba always began the stories she told her great-granddaughter Minerva—stories that have stayed with Minerva all her life. Perhaps that’s why Minerva has become a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales.

In the course of assembling her thesis, Minerva uncovers information that reveals that Tremblay’s most famous novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by a true story: Decades earlier, during the Great Depression, Tremblay attended the same university where Minerva is now studying and became obsessed with her beautiful and otherworldly roommate, who then disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

As Minerva descends ever deeper into Tremblay’s manuscript, she begins to sense that the malign force that stalked Tremblay and the missing girl might still walk the halls of the campus. These disturbing events also echo the stories Nana Alba told about her girlhood in 1900s Mexico, where she had a terrifying encounter with a witch.

Minerva suspects that the same shadow that darkened the lives of her great-grandmother and Beatrice Tremblay is now threatening her own in 1990s Massachusetts. An academic career can be a punishing pursuit, but it might turn outright deadly when witchcraft is involved.

Why I want to read it: Multigenerational historical horror. You don't have to say any more than that to make me read the book! I love family sagas. I love history. I love spooky stuff. This book was made for me.

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The Magician Of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar

Adult Fantasy

August 5, 2025

Long ago and far away (and somewhere south of France) lies the kingdom of Esquaveta. There, Princess Tullia is in nearly as much peril as her struggling kingdom. Esquaveta desperately needs to forge an alliance, and to that end, Tullia's father has arranged a marriage between her and an odious prince. However, one month before the "wedding of the century," Tullia falls in love with a lowly apprentice scribe.

The king turns to Anatole, his much-maligned magician. Seventeen years earlier, when Anatole first came to the castle, he was regarded as something of a prodigy. But after a long series of failures—the latest being an attempt to transform sand into gold—he has become the object of contempt and ridicule. The only one who still believes in him is the princess.

When the king orders Anatole to brew a potion that will ensure Tullia agrees to the wedding, Anatole is faced with an impossible choice. With one chance to save the marriage, the kingdom, and, of most importance to him, his reputation, will he betray the princess—or risk ruin?

Why I want to read it: Did you read Holes when you were a kid? I did! I loved that book. This is Louis Sachar's first adult novel. Of course I need to read it.

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Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher

Adult Fantasy

August 19, 2025

Healer Anja regularly drinks poison.

Not to die, but to save—seeking cures for those everyone else has given up on.

But a summons from the King interrupts her quiet, herb-obsessed life. His daughter, Snow, is dying, and he hopes Anja’s unorthodox methods can save her.

Aided by a taciturn guard, a narcissistic cat, and a passion for the scientific method, Anja rushes to treat Snow, but nothing seems to work. That is, until she finds a secret world, hidden inside a magic mirror. This dark realm may hold the key to what is making Snow sick.

Or it might be the thing that kills them all.

Why I want to read it: T. Kingfisher writes way faster than I can read. Someday I'll catch up. I want to read all of her books because they're creepy, creative, and funny. That's a brilliant combination.

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Lady Like by Mackenzi Lee

Adult Historical Romance

September 9, 2025

Harriet Lockhart never planned to marry. The educated daughter of a high-class prostitute, Harry has spent her life playing male roles in bawdy Shakespearean productions on London's seediest stages, pursuing the many women who adore her, and wearing whatever she pleases, so long as it's well tailored—all while being subsidized by her late mother’s trust. When she is contacted out of the blue by her hitherto anonymous father, she finds herself at risk of losing the trust that he actually funds unless she acquiesces to his request that she lead a more respectable life, starting with finding a husband.

Emily Sergeant, on the other hand, has only ever wanted to marry. She is the modest, tea-sipping, soft-spoken Regency bride. And were it not for one mistake in her youth that rendered her a social pariah, she would be appropriately betrothed. Instead, she’s due to wed the only willing man in her small village: the abominable Robert Tweed. Desperate for an alternative, Emily flees to London for the summer to snag a less lecherous fiancé before she's shackled to a scoundrel.

Worlds collide, dramatically and hilariously, when both women decide on the very same duke as their best possible chance at a tolerable husband and the security that he brings. A tongue-in-cheek romp through London's summer season, from balls to brothels, horseraces to duels, Harry and Emily compete for the duke's favor, only to find their true hearts' desires may be more compatible than they ever could have predicted.

Why I want to read it: One of my goals is to read happier books. I read a lot of scary and depressing stuff. Romance isn't really my thing, but this novel sounds delightfully subversive. I'm curious.

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The Experiment by Rebecca Stead

Middle Grade Science Fiction

September 16, 2025

Nathan never understood what was "fun" about secrets, probably because he’s always had to keep a very big one.

Although he appears to be a typical sixth-grader (with parents, homework and a best friend, Victor), Nathan learned at an early age that his family is from another planet. Now, their time on Earth may be coming to an end.

Nathan, his parents and nine other families are part of an experiment that suddenly seems to be going wrong. Some of the experimenters, including Nathan's first crush, Izzy, are disappearing without a word. After his family is called back to the mothership, Nathan begins to question everything he’s been taught to believe about who he is and why he's on Earth.

Why I want to read it: It's a coming-of-age novel . . . with aliens. I love Rebecca Stead's science fiction. It always surprises me.

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Fiend by Alma Katsu

Adult Horror

September 16, 2025

The Berisha family runs one of the largest import-export companies in the world, and they’ve always been lucky. Their rivals suffer strokes. Inconvenient buildings catch on fire. Earthquakes swallow up manufacturing plants, destroying harmful evidence. Things always seem to work out for the Berishas. They’re blessed.

At least that is what Zef, the patriarch, has always told his three children. And each of them knows their place in the family—Dardan, as the only male heir, must prepare to take over as keeper of the Berisha secrets, Maris’s most powerful contribution, much to her dismay, will be to marry strategically, and Nora’s job, as the youngest, is to just stay out of the way. But when things stop going as planned, and the family blessing starts looking more like a curse, the Berishas begin to splinter, each hatching their own secret scheme. They didn’t get to be one of the richest families in the world without spilling a little blood, but this time, it might be their own.

Why I want to read it: Alma Katsu's The Hunger is one of my all-time-favorite horror books. That book will haunt my brain forever. I'll happily read whatever the author writes next.

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Replaceable You: Adventures In Human Anatomy by Mary Roach

Health & Science Nonfiction

September 16, 2025

The body is the most complex machine in the world, and the only one for which you cannot get a replacement part from the manufacturer. For centuries, medicine has reached for what’s available—sculpting noses from brass, borrowing skin from frogs and hearts from pigs, crafting eye parts from jet canopies and breasts from petroleum by-products. Today we’re attempting to grow body parts from scratch using stem cells and 3D printers. How are we doing? Are we there yet?

In Replaceable You, Mary Roach explores the remarkable advances and difficult questions prompted by the human body’s failings. When and how does a person decide they’d be better off with a prosthetic than their existing limb? Can a donated heart be made to beat forever? Can an intestine provide a workable substitute for a vagina?

Roach dives in with her characteristic verve and infectious wit. Her travels take her to the OR at a legendary burn unit in Boston, a “superclean” xeno-pigsty in China, and a stem cell “hair nursery” in the San Diego tech hub. She talks with researchers and surgeons, amputees and ostomates, printers of kidneys and designers of wearable organs. She spends time in a working iron lung from the 1950s, stays up all night with recovery techs as they disassemble and reassemble a tissue donor, and travels across Mongolia with the cataract surgeons of Orbis International.

Why I want to read it: Mary Roach is my favorite nonfiction writer. She chooses fascinating subjects and then asks all the awkward questions. She's also funny, so that's a bonus.

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When We Were Monsters by Jennifer Niven

Young Adult Thriller

September 2, 2025

At an elite boarding school, 8 students are selected for an exclusive program, but only one will walk away with a lifechanging opportunity to realize their creative dreams.

Effy is piecing together a story about the tragic betrayal that led to her mother's death. Arlo hopes to publish a novel—but he's also trying to start a new chapter with Effy after he broke her heart and ghosted 3 years earlier. Everyone has a compelling reason to be there—they all want a big break—but only the most ambitious will prevail as the students are eliminated one by one.

Their mentor is the one and only Meredith Graffam, an enigmatic writer, director and actress, whose unorthodox teaching methods push them past the breaking point. Under Graffam's tutelage, the students reveal their darkest secrets, take unthinkable risks, and slowly start to turn on one another. But Graffam never expected they would turn on her . . .

Why I want to read it: Mostly for the cover. It's very dramatic. The synopsis sounds similar to The Secret History, which is one of my favorite books. I suspect I'd enjoy dark academia if I read more of it.

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Hazelthorn by CG Drews

Young Adult Horror

October 28, 2025

Evander has lived like a ghost in the forgotten corners of the Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in by his reclusive billionaire guardian, Byron Lennox-Hall, when he was a child. For his safety, Evander has been given three ironclad rules to follow:

He can never leave the estate. He can never go into the gardens. And most importantly, he can never again be left alone with Byron's charming, underachieving grandson, Laurie.

That last rule has been in place ever since Laurie tried to kill Evander seven years ago, and yet somehow Evander is still obsessed with him.

But when Byron suddenly dies, Evander inherits Hazelthorn’s immense gothic mansion and acres of sprawling grounds, along with the entirety of the Lennox-Hall family's vast wealth. There’s just one caveat: He must choose a new guardian from amongst Laurie's scheming, backstabbing relatives to help manage the estate until he turns eighteen.

Except Evander's sure his guardian was murdered, and Laurie may be the only one who can help him find the killer before they come for Evander next. Perhaps even more concerning is how the overgrown garden is refusing to stay behind its walls, slipping its vines and spores deeper into the house with each passing day. As the family’s dark secrets unravel alongside the growing horror of their terribly alive, bloodthirsty garden, Evander needs to find out what he’s really inheriting before the garden demands to be fed once more.

Why I want to read it: Another dramatic cover. The author's other book, Don't Let The Forest In, was one of my favorite books of 2024. The body horror in that novel gave me literal nightmares. If a book can make me throw up in my mouth, you know I'm going to enjoy it.

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Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Adult Literary Fiction

November 4, 2025

No man will call your house his home. And if they try, they will not have peace . . .

So goes the family curse, long handed down from generation to generation, ruining families and breaking hearts. And now it's Eniiyi's turn—who, due to her uncanny resemblance to her dead aunt, Monife, is already used to her family's strange beliefs, as well as their insistence that she is a reincarnation. Still, when she falls in love with the handsome boy she saves from drowning, she can no longer run from her family's history. Is she destined to live out the habitual story of love and heartbreak, or can she escape the family curse and the mysterious fate that befell her aunt?

Why I want to read it: Reincarnation and curses? Yes, please! The author's other book, My Sister, The Serial Killer, lives in my head rent free. As someone with sisters, I found it very relatable, even though my sisters aren't serial killers. (Well, I don't think they're serial killers. You can never be sure.)

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Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher

Adult Horror

November 11, 2025

When Selena travels to the remote desert town of Quartz Creek in search of her estranged Aunt Amelia, she is desperate and short of options. Fleeing an unhappy marriage, she has exactly twenty-seven dollars to her name, and her only friend in the world is her dog, Copper.

On arrival, Selena learns Amelia is dead. But the inhabitants of Quartz Creek are only too happy to have a new resident. Out of money and ideas, Selena sees no harm staying in her aunt's lovely house for a few weeks, tending to her garden and enjoying the strange, desolate beauty of the desert. The people are odd, but friendly, and eager to help Selena settle into her new home.

But Quartz Creek's inhabitants share their town with others, old gods and spirits whose claim to the land long predates their human neighbors. Selena finds herself pursued by disturbing apparitions, visitations that come in the night and seem to want something from her.

Aunt Amelia owed a debt. Now her god has come to collect.

Why I want to read it: Another T. Kingfisher book. Someday I will read all of them. This book sounds cultish, and it's set in a desert, which is a setting I can't resist.

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