Normally I make one large post per quarter in which I assemble all the book releases I look forward to. However, as I started doing so for the fourth quarter of 2025, I realized there are a ton of October 2025 book releases. There are so many that I decided to devote a separate post to October 2025 book releases. So, here are over a dozen books that I’m interested in, with a very heavy slant toward the fantasy genre. And, in case you missed my earlier new release lists, here are the posts for the first, second, and third quarter of 2025.
- October 2025 Book Releases
- Hollow by Karina Halle
- The Women of Wild Hill by Kirsten Miller
- The Door on the Sea by Caskey Russell
- The Glass Slide World by Carrie Vaughn
- Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World by Mark Waddell
- Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent
- The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs
- A Scar in the Bone by Sophie Jordan
- The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong
- Kill the Beast by Serra Swift
- The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri
- The Changeling Queen by Kimberly Bea
- The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell
- The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
- Spellbound by Georgia Leighton
October 2025 Book Releases
Hollow by Karina Halle
Series: A Gothic Shade of Romance, #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Ace
Publish Date: October 7, 2025
Print Length: 368
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
A sexy, dark fantasy reimagining of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, where Katrina Van Tassel doesn’t have to choose between Brom Bones and Ichabod Crane, and there are worse things haunting them than the Headless Horseman.
Kat Van Tassel’s life was predestined from childhood; she was to marry her best friend, Brom Bones. But Brom vanished from Sleepy Hollow years ago, leaving Kat alone to enroll in Sleepy Hollow Institute, a shadowy university for advanced witchcraft run by her powerful family. And now she finds herself drawn to the school’s enigmatic new teacher, Ichabod Crane, as he delves into dark magic.
When Brom returns, suffering from amnesia and a dark transformation, the trio must confront gruesome murders attributed to a vengeful spirit, The Headless Horseman, while navigating their tangled relationships.
As Kat, Ichabod, and Brom seek answers, their bonds deepen, and forbidden desires take hold. But Sleepy Hollow holds secrets more sinister than they imagined. The Headless Horseman lurks, threatening to claim them, while something even more terrifying looms in the shadows. Embark on a journey of dark mysteries, desire, and danger in the eerie heart of Sleepy Hollow.
The Women of Wild Hill by Kirsten Miller
Series: None
Genre: Literary Fiction
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: William Morrow
Publish Date: October 7, 2025
Print Length: 368
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
A witty, spectacular, and timely tale of modern-day witches waging war on the patriarchy, from fan favorite Kirsten Miller, the author of The Change and Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books.
There are places on earth where nature’s powers gather. Girls raised there are bequeathed strange gifts. A few have powers so dark that they fear to use them. Such a place is Wild Hill, on the tip of Long Island. For centuries, the ghost of a witch murdered by colonists claimed the beautiful and fertile Wild Hill…until a young Scottish woman with strange gifts arrived. Sadie Duncan was allowed to stay.
Five generations of Sadie’s descendants called Wild Hill home, each generation more powerful than the last. Then, in the aftermath of a terrible tragedy, the last of the Duncans, once prophesized to be the most powerful of their kind, abandoned their ancestral home.
One of them, Brigid Laguerre moved to California and turned her dark gift into fame and fortune. Her sister, Phoebe, settled on a ranch in Texas, where women visit in secret for her tonics and cures. Phoebe’s daughter, Sybil, has become a famous chef. Seemingly powerless, Sibyl has never been told of the Duncan bloodline.
Now Brigid, Phoebe, and Sibyl have been brought to Wild Hill to discover their family legacy. The Old One, furious at the path mankind has taken, has chosen three powerful witches to turn the tide. The Duncans will fulfill their destinies—but only if they can set aside their grievances and come together as a family.
The Door on the Sea by Caskey Russell
Series: The Raven and Eagle, #1
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Solaris
Publish Date: October 7, 2025
Print Length: 400
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
An epic quest fantasy debut that is the Tlingit indigenous response to The Lord of the Rings
When Elān trapped a salmon-stealing raven in his cupboard, he never expected it would hold the key to saving his people from the shapeshifting Koosh invaders plaguing their shores. In exchange for its freedom, the raven offers a secret that can save Elān’s home: the Koosh have lost one of their most powerful weapons, and only the raven knows where it is.
Elān is tasked with captaining a canoe crewed by an unlikely team including a human bear-cousin, a massive wolf, and the endlessly vulgar raven. To retrieve the weapon, they will face stormy seas, cannibal giants and a changing world. But Elān is a storyteller, not a warrior.
As their world continues to fall to the Koosh, and alliances are challenged and broken, Elān must choose his role in his own epic story.
The Glass Slide World by Carrie Vaughn
Series: The Naturalist Society, #2
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: 47north
Publish Date: October 7, 2025
Print Length: 284
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
Award-winning author Carrie Vaughn’s sequel to The Naturalist Society follows a young scientist unlocking her magical abilities amid a high-seas adventure filled with international intrigue.
The year is 1902, and the world is changing with the new century. Twenty-one-year-old Ava Stanley, the daughter of two celebrated Arcane Taxonomists, has much to live up to–however scarce her magical abilities may be.
While her parents draw power from spectacular birds and megafauna, Ava’s connection to the natural world is much smaller, stemming from the microscopic. This is useful in her quest to become a doctor, as she studies the burgeoning links between bacteria and disease, but it means Ava’s power itself is also smaller. Even so, she plans to make the most of it when she boards a ship to Nassau, where she’ll continue her research.
But those plans change when pirates take over the ship, bringing with them danger, mystery, and the stirrings of war. Amid the chaos, Ava forges connections with her fellow travelers. And in them, she begins to find that every tiny piece of the world has the power to strengthen it…or shatter it completely.
Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World by Mark Waddell
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy, Humor, LGBTQ+
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Ace
Publish Date: October 7, 2025
Print Length: 384
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
WARNING! Under no circumstances must employees strike a deal with unauthorized personnel on Dark Enterprises property. Such behavior may result in death…or the end of the world.
Colin is a low-level employee at Dark Enterprises, a Hell-like multinational corporation solving the world’s most difficult problems in deeply questionable ways. After years of toiling away in a cubicle, he’s ready to climb the corporate ladder and claim the power he’s never had.
The only problem is, he’s pretty sure he’s about to be terminated. Like, terminated. That’s tough, because his BFF has just set him up with a great guy. In fact, maybe he’s a little too great. And he asks a lot of questions . . .
When Colin meets a shadowy figure promising his deepest desire in return for a small, unspecified favor, he can’t resist the urge to fast-track his goals. He asks for the one thing that will improve his life: a promotion.
But that small favor unleashes an ancient evil. People in New York are disappearing, the world might be ending, and Management is starting to notice. Getting to the top is never easy, and now it’s up to Colin to save the world. It’s the ultimate power move, after all.
Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent
Series: The War of Lost Hearts, #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Bramble
Publish Date: October 14, 2025
Print Length: 512
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
A former slave fighting for justice. A reclusive warrior who no longer believes it exists. And a dark magic that will entangle their fates….fans of romantic fantasy will devour this tale from #1 New York Times bestselling author Carissa Broadbent.
Ripped from a forgotten homeland as a child, Tisaanah learned how to survive with nothing but a sharp wit and a touch of magic. But the night she tries to buy her freedom, she barely escapes with her life.
Desperate to save the best friend she left behind, Tisaanah journeys to the Orders, the most powerful organizations of magic Wielders in the world. To join their ranks, she must complete an apprenticeship with Maxantarius Farlione, a handsome and reclusive fire wielder who despises the Orders. The Orders’ intentions are cryptic, and Tisaanah must prove herself under the threat of looming war. But even more dangerous are her growing feelings for Maxantarius. The bloody past he wants to forget may be the key to her future… or the downfall of them both.
Tisaanah will stop at nothing to save those she abandoned. Even if it means gambling in the Orders’ deadly games. Even if it means sacrificing her heart. Even if it means wielding death itself.
The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQ+
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publish Date: October 14, 2025
Print Length: 512
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
A princess desperate to win back the prince who broke her heart follows him to his kingdom’s prestigious military academy—and in doing so, falls in love, saves the realm, and continues to look fabulous in this delightful debut fantasy.
Domhnall and Clía are an ideal match—or so everyone says. They are prince and princess of neighboring kingdoms. An alliance the gods will smile on. Until Domhnall ruins everything by refusing to propose.
Heartbroken but determined, Clía makes the perfect plan: Follow Domhnall to Caisleán Cósta, the military academy he’s attending. Show she can protect her kingdom. Secure the betrothal. Sure, the castle has a brutal reputation. But how hard can dueling really be?
Warrior Ronan promised himself he’d never lose his focus. He fought and sacrificed for his place at Caisleán Cósta, and he has no time for blonde princesses who waltz into arenas like they’re attending a ball. Even if she and her otter-like pet are…well, cute.
He doesn’t want to be intrigued by Clía. But her hunger to prove herself is something he understands. He tells himself there’s no harm training her. Even if his heart does race around her. Even if Domhnall is his best friend.
But as they say, love is a battlefield—and unfortunately for them all, a very real war is looming on the horizon. It’s a fight that will threaten all their kingdoms…and test all their hearts.
A Scar in the Bone by Sophie Jordan
Series: Fire in the Sky, #2
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Avon
Publish Date: October 14, 2025
Print Length: 360
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
Magic awakens. Darkness swells. A hero rises—and she’s ready to fight… New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan is back with an all-new epic romantasy set in the high-stakes world of A Fire in the Sky.
It’s been a year since Tamsyn transformed. From royal whipping girl in the palace of Penterra to the bride of Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands. From the enemy in the Beast’s bed to the wife he sacrificed himself to save. From an ordinary girl…to a dragon. And not just any dragon—a powerful fire-breather…and the best hope to keep magic from flickering out forever.
With Fell gone, torn from her side in the dangerous swirling mists of the Crags, Tamsyn is heartbroken and alone among the dragon pride. An unwelcome outsider still learning to survive in this fiery skin of hers within a new cutthroat society, she trains in the arena until her muscles burn and her blood spills. Slowly, Tamsyn forges herself into a warrior in the shadow of Fell’s enigmatic brother, Vetr, whose silver eyes track her with distrust…and maybe something more.
But is Fell truly beyond her reach? Their bond pulls at her, as fiercely as the drive to protect both humans and dragonkind from the growing threat posed by Stig, once her closest friend, now a relentless enemy determined to hunt her down and destroy her—and with her, all things magic.
Magic stirs in the darkness, strengthening all who believe in it. But will it be enough to save Tamsyn, the pride, the kingdom…and a fiery love fated to endure for centuries, as deep as a scar in the bone?
The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy, LGBTQ+
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Ace
Publish Date: October 14, 2025
Print Length: 368
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
An almost-mage discovers friendship—and maybe something more—in the unlikeliest of places in this delightfully charming novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Teller of Small Fortunes.
Certainty Bulrush wants to be useful—to the Guild of Mages that took her in as a novice, to the little brother who depends on her, and to anyone else she can help. Unfortunately, her tepid magic hasn’t proven much use to anyone. When Certainty has the chance to earn her magehood via a seemingly straightforward assignment, she takes it. Nevermind that she’ll have to work with Mage Aurelia, the brilliant, unfairly attractive overachiever who’s managed to alienate everyone around her.
The two must transport minorly magical artifacts somewhere safe: Shpelling, the dullest, least magical village around. There, they must fix up an old warehouse, separate the gossipy teapots from the kind-of-flaming swords, corral an unruly little catdragon who has tagged along, and above all, avoid complications. The Guild’s uneasy relationship with citizens is at a tipping point, and the last thing needed is a magical incident.
Still, as mage and novice come to know Shpelling’s residents—and each other—they realize the Guild’s hoarded magic might do more good being shared. Friendships blossom while Certainty and Aurelia work to make Shpelling the haven it could be. But magic is fickle—add attraction and it might spell trouble.
Kill the Beast by Serra Swift
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Tor Books
Publish Date: October 14, 2025
Print Length: 320
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
The Witcher meets Howl’s Moving Castle in this debut original faerie tale of revenge, redemption, and friendship—for fans of T. Kingfisher, Naomi Novik, and cozy fantasy with a dash of gritty adventure.
The night Lyssa Cadogan’s brother was murdered by a faerie-made monster known as the Beast, she made him a promise: she would find a way to destroy the immortal creature and avenge his death. For thirteen years, she has been hunting faeries and the abominations they created. But in all that time, the one Beast she is most desperate to find has never resurfaced.
Until she meets Alderic Casimir de Laurent, a melodramatic dandy with a coin purse bigger than his brain. Somehow, he has found the monster’s lair, and—even more surprising—retrieved one of its claws. A claw Lyssa needs in order to forge a sword that can kill the Beast.
Alderic is ill-equipped for a hunt and almost guaranteed to get himself killed. But as the two of them search for the rest of the materials that will be the Beast’s undoing, Alderic reveals hidden depths: dark secrets that he guards as carefully as Lyssa guards hers. Before long, and against Lyssa’s better judgment, an unlikely friendship begins to bloom—one that will either lead to the culmination of Lyssa’s quest for vengeance, or spell doom for them both.
The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Orbit
Publish Date: October 21, 2025
Print Length: 496
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
From World Fantasy Award-winning author Tasha Suri comes The Isle in the Silver Sea, a heart-shattering standalone romantasy of sapphic longing, medieval folklore and a love that spans the centuries–in a stunning hardcover edition featuring designed endpapers, silver foiling, and a soft matte finish!
★ “Beautifully inevitable and surprising at the same time.” –Kirkus (Starred Review)
★ “A sensuous and haunting story of love beyond time.” –Library Journal (Starred Review)
In an England fuelled by stories, the knight and the witch are fated to fall in love and doom each other over and over, the same tale retold over hundreds of lifetimes.
Simran is a witch of the woods. Vina is a knight of the Queen’s court. When the two women begin to fall for each other, how can they surrender to their desires, when to give in is to destroy each other?
As they seek a way to break the cycle, a mysterious assassin begins targeting tales like theirs. To survive, the two will need to write a story stronger than the one that fate has given to them.
But what tale is stronger than The Knight and the Witch?
The Changeling Queen by Kimberly Bea
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology & Folklore
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Erewhon Books
Publish Date: October 28, 2025
Print Length: 480
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
A lyrical, sensual, feminist retelling of the Scottish “Ballad of Tam Lin,” combining folklore, desire, sacrifice, and nature’s wonder in a tale perfect for fans of Natalie Haynes, Genevieve Gornichec, Holly Black, Quicksilver by Callie Hart, and Outlander.
***DELUXE LIMITED EDITION HARDCOVER with stenciled edges, a beautiful foil-stamped hardcover, lithofoil jacket with embossing, and exclusive interior design with full-color illustrated endpapers!*** Only while supplies last.
“I am Faery and Faery is me.”
On Samhain in medieval Scotland, pregnant Janet rescues her lover Tam Lin from being sacrificed by the Wild Hunt—but the callous Faery Queen is not finished with them yet. Over the span of a single night, the Queen and Janet spar over Tam Lin’s fate. The Queen aims to win, knowing how fickle mortals can be. Long before she was royalty, she was simply Bess, the changeling daughter of a midwife.
Born with magical and mortal blood, Bess feared there was no true place for her on either side of the veil. She found refuge in the arms of the charming Thomas Shepherd, the bastard son of a local noble. While villagers viewed her as a scandal, Bess’s cunning knowledge and secret dark gifts attracted the attention of the elf lord Amadan. Wily and silver-tongued, Amadan led Bess into Faery’s realm of decadence, where her heart warred against her destiny. She fought to keep both—but at what cost?
Inspired by Scotland’s famous “Ballad of Tam Lin” and weaving together mystical folklore and tragic romance, The Changeling Queen’s journey into memory, betrayal, and redemption will leave you spellbound.
The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Science Fiction, Literary Fiction
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Del Rey
Publish Date: October 28, 2025
Print Length: 368
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
Journey to a magical hotel in the Swiss Alps, where two lost souls living in different centuries meet and discover if a second chance awaits them behind its doors.
“Have you travelled a long way?” she asked carefully..
A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. “Well, yes,” he said slowly. “Yes, you could say that. But it was worth the wait.”
London, 2015. When reclusive art appraiser Eve Shaw shakes the hand of a silver-haired gentleman in her office, the warmth of his palm sends a spark through her.
His name is Max Everly—curiously, the same name as Eve’s favorite composer, born one hundred sixteen years prior. And she has the sudden feeling that she’s held his hand before . . . but where, and when?
The White Octopus Hotel, 1935. In this belle époque building high in the snowy mountains, Eve and a young Max wander the winding halls, lost in time.
Each of them has been through the trenches—Eve through a family accident and Max on the battlefields of the Great War—but for an impossible moment, love and healing are just a room away . . . if only they have the courage to step through the door.
The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Tor Books
Publish Date: October 28, 2025
Print Length: 360
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
From Alix E. Harrow, the New York Times bestselling author of Starling House, comes a moving and genre-defying quest about the lady-knight whose legend built a nation, and the cowardly historian sent back through time to make sure she plays her part–even if it breaks his heart.
Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion’s greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs and stories, in children’s books and recruiting posters—but her life as it truly happened has been forgotten.
Centuries later, Owen Mallory—failed soldier, struggling scholar—falls in love with the tale of Una Everlasting. Her story takes him to war, to the archives—and then into the past itself. Una and Owen are tangled together in time, bound to retell the same story over and over again, no matter what it costs.
But that story always ends the same way. If they want to rewrite Una’s legend—if they want to tell a different story–they’ll have to rewrite history itself.
Spellbound by Georgia Leighton
Series: None
Genre: Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publish Date: October 28, 2025
Print Length: 432
Purchase: Bookshop.org
Synopsis
In this “Beautifully written and atmospheric” feminist reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, there’s no prince to save the day and the women at the heart of the story are their own saviors (Sophie Keetch, author of Morgan Is My Name).
In a remote castle perched atop a windswept island, a long-awaited royal heir is born. In accordance with ancient custom, a blessing ceremony takes place to bestow the princess with magical gifts–along with a terrible curse.
Except this is not the love story you may think you know. There is no enchanted sleep for the princess, and no handsome prince to come to her rescue. Just three women, who together concoct a desperate plan of misdirect that changes the course of all their lives.
But dark magic cannot be tricked, and as the end of the curse edges closer, Violanna, Meredyth and Sel have a choice to make. They can wait to find out if the worst will happen, or they can turn to face the coming storm . . .
And that’s a wrap for my October 2025 book releases list! Is there anything here that you’re looking forward to, or that’s not on this list? Let me know!
Last updated on October 1, 2025.


I have three of these on my October plate: The Everlasting, Colin Gets Promoted and The Keeper of Magical Things. And I’m very curious about The Women of Wild Hill. October truly is out of control this year with new releases, I might not survive, lol.
October is definitely out of control this year! I don’t think I’ve ever found so many books that interested me in any given month before! Good luck with that TBR/ARC pile!
I am excited for Daughter of No Worlds! I really like the new cover.
There are so many great October releases. I have a working list of approximately 25 for my recommended releases post. It’s insane.
Yea I’m now realizing i missed a few after posting this. I knew that would happen! I’ll have to go back and update my list.
The new cover is cool, but not gonna lie, I think I like the indie cover better!
I loved Daughter of No Worlds and think I prefer it to all the vampire books that she’s written since. There are so many books in here that I haven’t heard of so I need to go and investigate them
That’s good to know! I don’t really ever read about vampires these days, so glad Daughter of No Worlds has your vote of approval. 🙂
There are so many great books coming out! I have several of these on my TBR!
Sooo many books! So many that I forgot to add a couple more, lol.
October is a crazy month! I’m looking forward to Daughter of No Worlds and The Princess Knight, and I’m currently enjoying The Lost Reliquary, yet ANOTHER October release.
I can’t wait for your review of THE PRINCESS KNIGHT! I was *this* close to preordering it (because that cover is amazing), but saw some mixed early reviews on GR.
I did see a couple mixed reviews, which is why I’ve backburnered it a bit. 😂 But I’m hoping for just a silly fun time!
I did see a couple mixed reviews, which is why I’ve backburnered it a bit. 😂 But I’m hoping for just a silly fun time!
I hadn’t heard of The Changeling Queen before but with fae and folklore its absolutely going on my TBR now!! I have most of the others on my TBR but um especially excited for The Erverlasting. Its different to my usual reads but im very curious about The Princess Knight too though. Something about that one really calls to me. I hope you enjoy all of these. Its definitely an exciting publication month.