Q1 2025: The Best & Worst Reads
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Hey everyone
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; I have a stock load of books to get through from Christmas and my birthday, the days are getting lighter but winter stills seems in stone and I usually find myself jumping widley between books and genres, craving something homely and cozy but also wanting to dig my teeth into something a bit more complex and dark.
This first quarter was... okay. I managed to read nine books in total, and my ratings were truly all over the place. I found some absolute gems that I think will probably make the favourites lists at the end of the year and I also read a couple of incredibly popular books that just... fell flat for me. (Get ready for some hot takes!)
So, grab a hot cup of something, and let’s get into my Q1 2025 reading wrap-up.
The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez
My Rating: 4.25 / 5 Stars
Oh, I adored this novel. 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 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 moving 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, that it felt like you were being told the story by the author themself. 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 it blew me away. The first book was incredible, it was such a different type of fantasy / plot than what has been churned up recently that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it around more.
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 magnificently 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 - without reducing both the characters to their relationship or having the plot hinge on their connection to each other. I am already desperate to start reading the finale!!
Rouge by Mona Awad
My Rating: 4.0 / 5 Stars
From the author of Bunny comes this glittering, dark, and utterly bizarre tale. Haunting is the first word that comes to mind, I don’t think I can ever look in the mirror the same way again.
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 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. While I enjoyed Bunny, I found that the ending and bits of the plot felt weak and not as strong as the overall vibes and atmosphere Awad was creating. However this book manages to maintain such a brilliant plot and keeps the reader hooked in. It is slow paced at times and sometimes I found the descriptions on beauty quite repitive but I guess thats the point. 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.
It was a very cute and quick read. 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 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.
A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland
My Rating: 3.75 / 5 Stars
This was a dark, atmospheric and cosy read. It’s a historical fantasy set in 19th-century Nova Scotia, and it’s a queer reimagining of the "Selkie Wife" folktale. Did I mainly pick it up because it was another sapphic fantasy book and didn’t really know anything about the book? Yes, yes I did.
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 really nails down the atmosphere of both the time period and the folk tale. You can practically smell the salt spray from the cold Atlantic. It’s a slow-burn romance wrapped in a more dark and honest reimagining of the folk lore. While it didn't neccesarily blow me away with its plot, it was a great book to curl up with during a rainy weekend.
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 on another level. Her prose is sticky, etheral and unlike anything else I’ve ever read. Cecilia is a novella that packs that same Chang punch into a very short, very dense package. It's about the intense and obsessive friendship between two girls, where their relationship explores that almost violent boundary of when you are friends and when you become in love. 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 was a lot more full on and heavy than Changs previous books. And I would say that at times it became a bit too much and felt like it was taking away from the core images. I also felt like she could have blended themes and imagery a bit better, because where in her other books the language works because she is exploring myths and stories this one was set a lot more in reality and I think needed that grounding in order for the story to truly flourish.
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. Like it sounds delicious right?
So why the 3 stars? My main failing with this book was the total isolation of its female characters, something I have been noticing again and again with Reids books to the points it a bit laughable. Effy is surrounded and suffacted by men, which when you know some of her character background makes the developement of the main relationship feel tacky. 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. I also wasn’t too pleased with how the world building was dealt with in terms of politics and I know a lot of readers have been side eyeing Reids handling of a country that is two states where one is characterised more violent and war driven than the other. I am hoping that the sequel rights all the wrongs in this book, but I am not hopeful. If this was a debut I would have been a bit more sympathetic.
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
My Rating: 3.00 / 5 Stars
I know, I know. A Sanderson book with a rating this low (its not even that low!) 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. A LOT of people recommended me this book.
But... I found it really mid. 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 gags 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... fustratingly, achingly 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.
Overall, it was a strong start to the year, anchored by the brilliance of Julia Alvarez and Tasha Suri. I realised that I'm still a big sucker for magical realism and epic fantasy, and I feel like I need to trust my gut instincts more on books I know I won’t enjoy!
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
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