List

Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2025

A monstrous transformation within your own body.
A sacrificial imprisonment.
A fight to the death against an ancient evil.

These stories showcase disabled characters winning against all odds.

Outsmarting deadly video games, hunting the predatory monster in the woods, rooting out evil within their community, finding love and revenge with their newly turned vampire friend—this anthology upends expectations of the roles disabled people can play in horror. With visibly and invisibly disabled characters whose illnesses include Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Crohn’s disease, diabetes, PTSD, and more, each entry also includes a short essay from the author about the conditions portrayed in their stories to further contextualize their characters’ perspectives. From breaking ancient curses to defying death itself, these 13 horror stories cast disabled characters as heroes we can all root for. 

Contributors include bestselling and award-winning as well as emerging authors: Dana Mele, Lillie Lainoff, Anandi, Soumi Roy, Fin Leary, S.E. Anderson, K. Ancrum, Pintip Dunn, Lily Meade, Mo Netz, P.H. Low, and Carly Nugent.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The first in a new magical young adult romantasy duology from the bestselling author of To Kill a Shadow. A palace darling and a thief join forces after he unwittingly steals a necklace with the power to change their world forever.

In the city of Andalay, the ruling Fates bestow gifts among society’s most favored. When Damien, a cold and hardened thief, is hired to steal one of those gifts—meant for the “princess” of Ward One, Wren Hayes—he finds himself entangled in a web of secrets.

The gift? A locket containing his own photograph.

Once the locket is opened, hidden truths unravel, shedding light on the ruthless ways of the upper class. Yearning for the three Fates and the magical gifts they bestow, the lords of Andalay will go to any length to keep their power—including murder.

Brought together by destiny, and fighting a dangerous temptation that’s becoming harder to resist, Wren and Damien navigate a seedy world where the truth can destroy not only their lives, but the city itself.

Sex Education meets Euphoria in this dark contemporary novel that tackles perfectionism, emotional abuse, and the dark side of social media.

Fallon is a fixer. From planning prom to organizing her college applications, she's got it all figured out...except for when her younger sister comes to her with very basic questions about sex. Shocked that she knows so little--and her fellow classmates even less--Fallon decides some practical education is in order. And Fallon isn't above practicing a little civil disobedience by creating a secret underground off-campus group.

Shelby is a fighter. Having her nose broken is nothing new in her semiprofessional career...but this time it's her boyfriend who threw the punch. Now her phone is blowing up with texts from a new guy who tells her she's perfect, she's special, she's everything he's ever wanted...except for a few small details. Shelby's happy to adjust for him, because isn't that what a healthy relationship is about

Jobie is a failure. She doesn't have enough followers and her posts never go viral, no matter how hard she crushes challenges and applies exactly the right filter. But a friendly DM from a good girl just like her points her in the direction of a whole new audience of admirers. Guys who just want to talk. Guys who give her the attention she's always wanted.

The lives of all three girls intersect in Fallon's secret class, rumors of which have parents up in arms. Fallon needs to keep herself anonymous, Shelby needs to keep her new boyfriend happy, and Jobie needs to keep her followers...who keep asking for more. Each girl finds herself trapped in an inescapable situation--that will leave one of them dead.

From Ali Novak, author of My Life with the Walter Boys, comes the third book in The Heartbreak Chronicles series, perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Kasie West!

Who cares about being a fan favorite when you've found someone who's there just for you? Indigo, AKA "Indie" loves the art of special effects makeup and sometimes wonders if making monsters and zombies could be more than a hobby. But her sister, Violet, is a TV actress whose career has blown up big and become its own kind of monster. It's affected everything: their parents have split, their dad's too busy being Violet's manager, and Indie's on her own as she agonizes over her music school application.

Even worse, she's just been drafted into being her sister's personal assistant for a weekend. Talk about being overshadowed.

But Indie is about to meet someone who can relate: Xander Jones, the boyishly sweet guitarist of the world famous band the Heartbreakers, who constantly plays second fiddle to the band's bigger personalities. At a hectic comic con where she's fetching bottled water for her sister, Indie and Xander meet behind the scenes and hit it off.

Indie knows Xander deserves to step out of the shadows. What if she could find the courage to do the same, by defying others' expectations of her and making a new path for herself? And what if she and Xander could become more than friends?

Perfect for fans of Sawkill Girls, Bone Gap, and Dark and Shallow Lies, this suspenseful contemporary mystery delves into a small town's supernatural, multigenerational curse--and the girl determined to break it.

Mercy was named for her mother's hopes.

Mercy, in the hope that the Sorrowing--the curse that Mercy and her family had lived with for generations--might take pity on them.

But Mercy's name never did her any good, and it certainly didn't save her mother.

The Sorrowing ensures that Mercy, her family, and the core families in Arbor Falls aren't able to grow, dream, or prosper. It makes sure they stay exactly as they are--mired in the mud. Mercy has learned to live with the truth: the only way to escape the Sorrowing is to accept it.

Until the Bowens move back to town.

The Bowens are a cursed family, too, and they should know better than to test the Sorrowing. Instead, their ignorance sets off a wave of fury that promises to destroy everything.

Now, Mercy will have to unearth the horrors that unfolded that terrible night the Sorrowing was born--to face the despicable secrets of her town and break the curse before it breaks everything she has left.

An immersive mystery laced with supernatural dread that's perfect for fans of of Courtney Gould and Kyrie McCauley, Mercy slowly and relentlessly digs into the buried crimes of a small, insular town and provokes questions about the lies we silently allow and the duty current generations have in exposing the harms of the past.

?Perfect for Halloween ReadingIdeal for fans of the supernaturalFor teens who love dark and scary stories
 

To hell with love, this goddess has other plans...

Thousands of years ago, the gods spun a myth based on a lie. They claimed that though Persephone was to be a prize-bride for the most deserving god, Hades kidnapped her for himself. That she was just a pawn in the complicated politics of Olympus. That her mother, Demeter, was so distraught she caused the Earth to start dying. The real story is much more interesting.

Persephone wasn't taken to hell: she jumped. There was no way she was going to be married off to some smug god more in love with himself than her. Now all she has to do is convince the Underworld's annoyingly sexy, arrogant and frankly rude ruler, Hades, to fall in line with her plan. A plan that will shake Mount Olympus to its very core. But consequences can be deadly, especially when you're already in hell . . .

A fierce, fresh and enormously fun YA fantasy re-imagining from a growing TikTok star.

A psychological thriller about a night of babysitting that turns fatal and a girl determined to figure out if the gas leak was an accident, perfect for fans of E. Lockhart's We Were Liars.

“A masterclass in suspenseful storytelling”—Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying

Ella was supposed to be out with friends. But a blinding headache and a twist of fate leave her babysitting instead. 

Only, when she arrives, the house is quiet, the door is wide open—and the air reeks of gas. She manages to call 911, but not everyone survives.

As Ella struggles to recover, cracks begin to form in the investigation. Whispers, memories, and buried motives point to something sinister. The gas leak might not have been an accident after all. And someone might be out to kill Ella next.

The door's open, the gas is leaking, and nothing is what it seems—your next book club obsession starts here.

8 HOURS TO STOP AN EXPLOSION...8 HOURS TO FALL IN LOVE.
From the New York Times bestselling co-author of Illuminae and Aurora Rising comes a high-stakes, high-chemistry, sci-fi romp about a stowaway girl and the richest boy in the galaxy, racing the clock to outwit a gang of mercenaries.

It’s 2067, and the Graves family has transformed Mars from a lifeless rock into a chaotic patch of settlements. You can buy a one-way ticket to a new life--if you're rich.

Enter Hunter Graves, the handsome, ambitious grandson of the man who settled Mars. With spectacularly bad timing, Hunter arrives at the United Nations base just as an emergency evacuation sends everyone scurrying for safety. Except he’s left behind. Uh-oh. 

Also stranded: Cleo, a sharp-tonged stowaway with no intention of dying today, and even less patience for overconfident trust fund boys. But the enemy of your enemy might just help you survive, so here we are.

It turns out the evacuation is just a cover for the mercenaries who come next, and the plan to blow up the base--and every trace of their crime--in eight hours.

Now, Hunter and Cleo have one shot to stop the explosion, escape alive, and deal with the inconvenient fact that they're falling for each other.

The clock is ticking.

A homecoming queen and a bad-boy loner team up to break a generational curse in this YA supernatural horror from a talented Egyptian American voice.

Seventeen-year-old Mina Mansour has always longed to know where she comes from. But anytime she asks her father questions about Egypt--or about her mother's mysterious death--he struggles to open up.

Determined to learn about her roots, Mina secretly travels from the small California town she calls home to the crumbling manor in the outskirts of Alexandria where her mother grew up. But when Mina returns, she doesn’t come back alone.

A sinister entity follows Mina home from Egypt, intent on seeing her dead and capable of turning everyone she knows violently against her. Isolated and fighting for her life, Mina must seek help from an unlikely ally: Jesse Talbot, resident bad boy of the senior class and the only person who proves immune to being possessed. Jesse would rather floss with barbed wire than team up with social butterfly Mina, but he doesn’t exactly have a choice—after all, he’s running from family secrets of his own.

As Mina and Jesse dig deeper into Mina's family lore, they uncover a bloody debt that must be brought to an end if they hope to save their town from the eldritch entity who has laid claim to her soul.

A chilling tale of supernatural possession and generational trauma that culminates in a shocking and unforgettable twist ending!

Count down to Valentine's Day with 14 sealed short stories. Open one each day between February 1st and 14th!

Every romance has to start somewhere...

Meet Cute is an anthology of short stories featuring tales of "how they first met" from some of today's hottest YA authors. Open one story each day from February 1st until Valentine's Day to set the mood for a romantic holiday, Meet Cute is the perfect gift for the romance lover in your life!

Readers will experience Nina LaCour's beautifully written piece about two Bay Area girls meeting via a cranky customer service Tweet, Sara Shepard's glossy tale about a magazine intern and a young rock star, Nicola Yoon's imaginative take on break-ups and make-ups, Katie Cotugno's story of two teens hiding out from the police at a house party, and Huntley Fitzpatrick's charming love story that begins over iced teas at a diner. There's futuristic flirting from Kass Morgan and Katharine McGee, a riveting transgender heroine from Meredith Russo, a subway missed connection moment from Jocelyn Davies, and a girl determined to get out of her small town from Ibi Zoboi. Jennifer Armentrout writes a sweet story about finding love from a missing library book, Emery Lord has a heartwarming and funny tale of two girls stuck in an airport, Dhonielle Clayton takes a thoughtful, speculate approach to pre-destined love, and Julie Murphy dreams up a fun twist on reality dating show contestants.

This incredibly talented group of authors brings us a collection of stories that are at turns romantic and witty, epic and everyday, heartbreaking and real.