6 Fantasy Books I Read in January

For the second half of 2025 I was in a major reading slump and haven’t been able to find many books that have kept my attention. When I did read books, I stuck mostly with romance even though my favorite genre is fantasy. I wasn’t really drawn or in the head space to jump into another fantasy world and the ones I tried didn’t hold my attention much. Over the holidays though I decided to do a Throne of Glass reread and it totally brought me back to what I love so much about the fantasy genre. After my reread I wanted to find another world as fun and immersive as that. Since then, I’ve spent January reading all fantasy books and have had a great time.

1. The Book of Azrael

This book has been recommending so much across all of Tiktok and I’ve always planned to get around to reading it, but wanted to wait until more books in the series were out. This book follows Dianna, who is 1000 years old and extremely powerful. I think is the main draw of this book because the fmc in fantasy books are often the young and inexperienced. At the beginning of the book we learn that she is bound to Kaden due to a deal she struck with him 1000 years ago to save her dying sister. She is his executioner and does his bidding and the start of the main book revolves around Kaden seeking out an ancient artifact. Through the search it draws out The World Ender, a King and God who has been gone so long he is though of more as myth.

Overall I really enjoyed the book. I thought the pacing was good and it definitely drew me in. The concept was unique and I love the world created. The one aspect that prevented this from being a book I was obsessed with was we were told often how strong and powerful the two main characters were but when it came to the thoughts and decisions made by the characters I was often left confused and unimpressed. I’m not saying you shouldn’t read this book, many people are obsessed with Dianna and Liam. The book definitely kept my attention and I was excited to pick it up each time I read it.

Interested in hearing more of my thoughts on The Book of Azrael? Find my full reading review here.

2. Direbound

Direbound is a new book that has been really popping off on booktok recently. Many people are loving it, but I have seen some criticism due to its similarity to Fourth Wing. I decided to give it a chance this month and while there is definitely similarities in the premise of the book I do think it stands on its own and has enough unique aspects that it’s definitely worth the read. I also see it going in a different direction than Fourth Wing and I’m really excited to see what happens next.

For those who may not have heard of Direbound before, this book follows our fmc Meryn whose younger sister is kidnapped by the vampires who are her countries enemies that they have been stuck in a centuries long war with. This leads Meryn to joining the army to be able to go to the front and save her sister. This ends up putting her into the Bonding Trials, where she bonds with a direwolf and must survive till the end so she is able to complete her task of finding her sister. Now for people who have read Fourth Wing, the trials of bonding with an ancient beast definitely seems reminiscent and it is but I really wouldn’t count this book out. The overall plot and places I can see the author taking this book are unique. Additionally, I find it hard to be surprised anymore by many fantasy romance books and while I throughout the book could tell something seemed off I was actually pleasantly surprised of where the book went and how things unfolded.

3-6. This Woven Kingdom Series

The last 4 books I read so far in January were part of This Woven Kingdom series. There are 4 books currently out and the last book in the series is expected to come out in September of this year. I stumbled upon this book from a tiktoker that was promoting it as a criminally underrated series and I have to admit I hadn’t heard much of this series until now. This book is about Alizeh who is currently working as a servant, but is truly the long lost heir to a Jinn kingdom. Within the book we learn about the prophecy that foretells her leading to the current kings death, which has put a large target on her back.

I loved reading a book inspired by Persian mythology and folklore. I haven’t read many books about the Jinn before so this was super fun to jump into. Tahereh Mafi’s writing is very descriptive and beautifully woven together which I found to be interesting and unique to other books I have read this month. I loved how capable and quick witted our fmc was. I had a hard time getting into the first book but once I was in I was engaged through the rest of the series. My only complaint was I feel like the pacing was a little off and took away from the overall experience. Tahereh is a very descriptive writer but at times I think it becomes too wordy and takes away from the overall plot of the book. For instance, the second book took place within 24 hours. This made it hard to believe some of the transformation, feelings, and growth of some of the characters because I just kept thinking back to how little time has actually passed. One thing that I think Tahereh does phenomenally well though is writing our mmc’s. The dialogue and the way in which she represents our leading men pulls you in instantly in a way I haven’t felt since I read about Slade Ravinger or Rhysand. I would definitely recommend picking it up for anyone looks for a new fantasy series to dive into.

What fantasy book should I read next? Put your recommendation below and if you give any of these book a try let me know what you think!

amx