NotesOnDawn's Q1 2025: The Best & Worst Reads
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Hello, MsBrowns readers, and welcome back to my little corner of the site!
It’s NotesOnDawn, and I’m finally sitting down to take stock of the first reading quarter of 2025. The period from January to March is always an interesting one; the sparkle of Christmas has faded, the nights are still long and dark, and I find myself oscillating wildly between genres, craving both deep, intricate fantasy and short, cosy reads.
This quarter was... a journey.
I tackled nine books in total, and my ratings were truly all over the place. I found some absolute gems that I’m already calling "favourites of the year," and I also hit a couple of incredibly popular books that just... fell flat for me. (Get ready for some hot takes!)
So, grab a biscuit and a hot cup of tea, and let’s get into my Q1 2025 reading wrap-up.
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🌟 The Absolute Must-Reads
I’m starting with the best of the best. These are the books I’d wholeheartedly recommend you pick up immediately.
The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez
My Rating: 4.25 / 5 Stars
Oh, I adored this. As many of you know, I am a complete sucker for magical realism, and Julia Alvarez is a master of the craft. This book is a love letter to storytellers, to families, and to the tales that get left behind.
The premise is just beautiful: a celebrated writer, Alma, decides to retire to her homeland in the Dominican Republic. She inherits a plot of land and decides to build a "cemetery" not for people, but for her unfinished manuscripts—the characters she never gave a life to. But once buried, these characters are not content to stay silent. They start sharing their stories with each other and with the cemetery's groundskeeper.
It's a profound look at intergenerational stories, the weight of unspoken history, and who has the right to tell a story. It’s written with such warmth and wit. If you loved The House of the Spirits or are just looking for a story that feels both magical and deeply human, I cannot recommend this one enough.
The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri
My Rating: 4.25 / 5 Stars
This is the second book in The Burning Kingdoms trilogy (starting with The Jasmine Throne), and I have to say, I enjoyed it even more than the first.
Often, the second book in an epic fantasy trilogy can suffer from "middle book syndrome," but Tasha Suri completely avoids that trap. The pacing is relentless, and the stakes are higher than ever. We follow our two main heroines, Malini and Priya, who are now separated and on seemingly opposing paths. Malini is on a brutal campaign to win her throne, while Priya is in Ahiranya, trying to understand and control the horrifying, god-like plant magic that is consuming the land.
The world-building is just magnificent—rich, complex, and inspired by Indian history and mythology. But the heart of this book is the relationship between Malini and Priya. It is agonising, in the best way. It’s a true sapphic epic, full of yearning, power, and sacrifice. A beautiful, brutal, and brilliant sequel.
Rouge by Mona Awad
My Rating: 4.0 / 5 Stars
From the author of Bunny comes this glittering, dark, and utterly bizarre tale. "Beautiful" is the first word that comes to mind, but in the most unsettling way. Rouge is a gothic horror-satire that retells Snow White through the lens of the modern, cult-like beauty industry.
Our protagonist, Belle, is obsessed with her skincare, a trait inherited from her enigmatic and estranged mother. When her mother dies mysteriously, Belle is drawn into the orbit of a lavish, secretive, and frankly terrifying spa called "La Maison de Méduse."
Mona Awad’s prose is, as always, hypnotic. The book is surreal, disorienting, and it descends into a truly wild and crazy ending that I am still thinking about. It’s a sharp, vicious critique of beauty standards, grief, and the complicated, often painful relationships between mothers and daughters. I definitely recommend this, especially if you enjoy your fairy tales with a side of body horror and surrealism.
The Woods at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke
My Rating: 4.0 / 5 Stars
After the sheer scale of The Oleander Sword and the intensity of Rouge, this short story from the genius mind of Susanna Clarke was the perfect palate cleanser.
I just loved it. This is Clarke at her mythic-folktale best, reminiscent of her work in The Ladies of Grace Adieu. It's a very short, atmospheric piece that feels like a forgotten fable. It follows a man named Merowdis Scot, who is more comfortable in the woods and with animals than he is with people or in the city. The story captures a single, magical moment in a snow-covered wood at midwinter.
It’s quiet, beautiful, and haunting. It's the kind of story that feels like a warm blanket and a ghost story all at once. If you only have an hour or two and want a break from reality, this is a perfect, lovely escape.
☕ The Solid & Cosy Mid-Listers
These books were good, enjoyable reads, even if they didn't quite make it to "all-time favourite" status.
A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland
My Rating: 3.75 / 5 Stars
This was just a lovely, cosy, and comfortable read. It’s a historical fantasy set in 19th-century Nova Scotia, and it’s a queer reimagining of the "Selkie Wife" folktale.
The story follows Jean, a local midwife who is called to a remote cabin to help a mysterious woman, Muirin, give birth. Muirin is the new wife of a taciturn and controlling neighbour, and Jean quickly realises that Muirin is hiding a magical secret—and is in terrible danger.
This book is pure atmosphere. You can practically smell the salt spray from the cold Atlantic. It’s a slow-burn sapphic romance wrapped in a wonderfully folkloric mystery. It didn't blow me away with its plot, but it was the perfect book to curl up with during a rainy March weekend. A very strong and comforting debut.
Cecilia by K-Ming Chang
My Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
I am, for the record, obsessed with K-Ming Chang. Her writing in Bestiary and Gods of Want is just on another level. Her prose is sticky, corporeal, and unlike anything else I’ve ever read. Cecilia is a novella that packs that same unique punch into a very short, very dense package.
It's about the intense, obsessive, and almost violent friendship between two girls. The narrative blurs past and present, desire and disgust, and it absolutely pushes the boundaries from magical realism into full-blown surrealism. The imagery in this book is wild—bodily transformation, myth-making, and queerness are all explored in Chang's signature style.
I gave this 3.5 stars simply because its nature as a novella made it feel almost too compressed. I wanted more! But it is still a potent, vivid, and unforgettable shot of pure literary artistry.
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
My Rating: 3.0 / 5 Stars
I had high hopes for this one, and in many ways, it delivered. As a dark academia, gothic mystery, it ticks a lot of boxes. The world-building is genuinely interesting, set in a Welsh-inspired land haunted by folklore. The central plot intrigued me: Effy, an architecture student, wins a contest to redesign the manor of her favourite (and very dead) author, only to discover his legacy is a dark and dangerous lie.
So why the 3 stars? My main failing with this book was the total isolation of its female characters. Effy is surrounded, suffocated, and constantly gaslit by men. Her only female peer is immediately positioned as a rival, and every other woman is absent or powerless. While I understand this was likely a deliberate critique of institutional misogyny, it made for a frustrating and, at times, claustrophobic read. It felt like her trauma was the only thing that defined her, and the men (including the rival-turned-love-interest) were the only ones given agency.
That said, the gothic atmosphere was fantastic, and I'm intrigued enough about the world to see if there's a sequel.
😒 The Disappointments (Or, "It's Not You, It's Me")
Okay, here we go. Please don’t send me angry letters. These are two wildly popular books that I just could not get on with.
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
My Rating: 3.25 / 5 Stars
I know, I know. A Sanderson book in the disappointment pile. As a huge fantasy fan, I went into this with sky-high expectations. This is often cited as a great entry point to his Cosmere universe, and the magic system (based on "Breath" and colour) sounded fascinating.
But... I found it boring. I’m so sorry! The two princess sisters, Siri and Vivenna, felt like walking tropes for the first half of the book. The plot, which relies heavily on political intrigue and religious mystery, felt sluggish, and the "twists" didn't feel earned. More than anything, I felt no depth in the characters. Lightsong, a god who doesn't believe in his own divinity, was the most interesting part of the novel, but it wasn't enough to save the rest of it for me.
The magic system was cool, but the plot and characters just didn't come through. My high expectations were definitely not met.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
This might be my most controversial take of the year. This book is the definition of beloved "cosy sci-fi." It's won awards. People adore this found family.
And I found it... achingly, profoundly boring.
I tried. I really did. I got about 40% of the way through and realised that absolutely nothing had happened. And nothing was going to happen. This is a book that is 100% vibes and 0% plot. It is, as the synopsis says, about character development. But for me, the characters had no depth to develop!
We follow Rosemary, who joins the crew of the Wayfarer tunnelling ship. And then... they go to a place. They talk. They go to another place. They talk some more. It reads like a series of character-creation worksheets. I understand the appeal—a hopeful, kind, inclusive vision of the future—but I need some kind of narrative tension. A story. A point.
This just wasn't for me. If you love slice-of-life in space, you’ll love this. If you need a plot, maybe give it a miss.
💬 My Q1 Verdict
Overall, it was a strong start to the year, anchored by the brilliance of Julia Alvarez and Tasha Suri. I discovered that I'm still a sucker for magical realism and epic fantasy, and I confirmed that "cosy sci-fi" with no plot is my personal literary kryptonite.
Now, I want to hear from you!
What was your favourite read of the first quarter? And have you read any of these? Please tell me I'm not alone on Warbreaker or The Long Way!
Let me know in the comments.
– NotesOnDawn
