Sirius’ Best of 2025 List
Hello 2026. I had a decent reading year in 2025 anI have had more books this year that I gave A grade to, this is reflected in my list and of course I never limit myself to A grades, so there are some B+ books here as well. The books are in no particular order.
1. Strange Practice (Dr. Greta Helsing #1) by Vivian Shaw
Greta Helsing inherited the family’s highly specialized, and highly peculiar, medical practice. In her consulting rooms, Dr. Helsing treats the undead for a host of ills – vocal strain in banshees, arthritis in barrow-wights, and entropy in mummies. Although barely making ends meet, this is just the quiet, supernatural-adjacent life Greta’s been groomed for since childhood. Until a sect of murderous monks emerges, killing human and undead Londoners alike. As terror takes hold of the city, Greta must use her unusual skills to stop the cult if she hopes to save her practice, and her life.
Here is the link to my review
I ended up loving the whole trilogy and subsequent novellas. The story of Dr. Greta just grabbed me. I admired her willingness to always go the extra mile for her patients and I loved that eventually the romance developed for her as well.
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2. 
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (Vera Wong #1) by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Put the kettle on, there’s a mystery brewing…
Tea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective? Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet).But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could – because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands – Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer.
Nobody spills the tea like this amateur sleuth.
This is the link to my review. Vera ended up being one of the most memorable characters that I “met’ this year. She’s a Pushy Chinese mom who reminded me of a pushy Jewish mom very much. I love her, I was so happy that she found so many young folks to take care of and investigate them as suspects for the crimes, but when she proves their innocence she feeds them and takes care of them.
Vera is also very funny:
“Well, no matter. Vera is a diligent mother and goes out of her way to give Tilly all the advice he could ever need anyway. Her previous texts are as follows:
Sent today at 4:31 a.m.: Tilly, are you awake? It is 4:31 AM, very late. When I was your age, I wake up at 4AM every morning to cook breakfast for Ah Gong and Ah Ma. Qi lai! Seize the day! Carpe diem! Kind regards, Mama.
Sent yesterday at 7:45 p.m.: Tilly, I notice that this girl @NotChloeBennet has liked TWO of your videos on the TikTok! I think this means she likes you. I look at her profile and she pout a lot, but I think she will make good wife. She went with her mother for manicure last week, this means she is a filial daughter. Perhaps you should slip and slide into her DM. Kind regards, Mama.”
“Vera had been particularly pleased about using the phrase “slip and slide into her DM.” Vera insists on keeping up to date with every trend. She doesn’t believe in getting left behind by the younger generations. Every time she comes across a nonsensical-sounding phrase, she looks it up on the Google and jots down its meaning in her little notebook.”
I graded the book B+, right now I would have graded it an A. Oh and once again I am cheating and saying that second book was a hit for me as well.
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3. The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett.
HUGO AWARD WINNER • WORLD FANTASY AWARD WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A Holmes and Watson–style detective duo take the stage in this fantasy with a mystery twist, from acclaimed author Robert Jackson Bennett
“Like an endearing fantasy version of Knives Out . . . A great murder mystery is hard to pull off but Bennett structures his perfectly, and the fact that it’s in a fantasy setting only makes it better.”—T. J. Klune, The New York Times
LOCUS AWARD FINALIST • EDGAR AWARD NOMINEE
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Elle, BookPage
In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.
Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.
At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.
As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.
By an “endlessly inventive” (Vulture) author with a “wicked sense of humor” (NPR), The Tainted Cup mixes the charms of detective fiction with brilliant world-building to deliver a fiendishly clever mystery that’s at once instantly recognizable and thrillingly new.
I accidentally linked to my review in the title of the book here and I am not changing that :), in fact I will continue that way. Here is an interesting case of a book which certainly made my ‘several of the most memorable ones’ for the year in my head, but I do not want to change my grade to A till this series is complete ;-). This was a great fantasy/ murder mystery. Ana was a great homage to Holmes in my opinion while being her “own person”. Her assistant Din I loved and the world was so well drawn and I do not think I will forget the imagery of the murders committed in this story for a long time, however, I have a purely subjective beef with this writer, so we shall see who will live and who will die at the end :). Usually he kills off my favorites, every single one of them and of course those are his works, but I feel what I feel :)
Oh and second book was very good too.
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The Price of a Thousand Blessings. Volume 1 by Ginn Hale
Cymin’s final tournament representing the East Deity for Lux Temple promises to be thrilling and bittersweet. After it’s done, all his skill and power must feed a Storm Tower to protect the world from fei’lux storms. But before his conscription, he intends to put on a dazzling show and enjoy his last glorious outing.
The streets are thronged with cheering crowds, and the grand procession shimmers with spells. Film stars and government ministers claim the best seats in the stands. And most exciting of all, the legendary Wraiths of Saigrath promise to attend this Spring Exhibition after centuries of absence from the world.
Cymin can’t wait to meet them.But when disaster strikes the celebrations, Cymin risks his own life and destroys a priceless artifact to prevent a massacre. His action not only plunge him into the battle between foreign provocateurs and his own nation’s spies, but captures the attention of the mythical Wraiths–one of whom has been searching for him in secret for hundreds of years.
I have loved the vast majority of this writer’s works so when I saw that she has two new books out (not even two separate stories – these are Volume 1 and Volume 2 of the same title, the Volume 2 does not even start with chapter 1, the count of the chapters continues from the previous book) of course I one clicked.
I have to say that in some ways I was really surprised. I really enjoyed this book, and at the same time at least some parts of the story exhausted me. Basically I think a comparison can be drawn here (not with the story itself but strictly with the writing style) with the series “Grandmaster of a Demonic Cultivation”. In fact when our reading group was doing a buddy read of this book I seriously wondered if “Grandmaster” was one of the inspiration sources.
The book moves slowly and when I say slow I mean *painfully slow* in places. This writer usually builds a great world in her books and this was no exception for me. The descriptions of magic alone made me stop and savor them, it was so beautifully done and I could see how much care and work was put in the worlds described in this story.
“Cymin held the flow of fei’lux steady as he swung the broom handle around. The instant he closed the circle, the smoky haze coalesced into dozens of large translucent lotus blossoms. They hung in the air, shimmering for a moment before bursting apart in a shower of fragrant raindrops. Cymin grinned as the perfumed water pelted his bare chest and shoulders and dribbled down his body. Yes! Did it!””
The first volume does a lot of world building and I thought that there were more adventure in book 2, but again it is the same story and if five books are planned I am even more sure of the inspiration source. It has such a great potential couple at the centre of the story, but it also has real interesting fantasy storyline and I have no idea (besides hoping for the main characters to be together) how everything will end.
The next two books are announced already and I cannot wait.
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5. The Sword of Kaigen: A Theonite War Story by M.L. Wang
On a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice. For hundreds of years, the fighters of the Kusanagi Peninsula have held the Empire’s enemies at bay, earning their frozen spit of land the name ‘The Sword of Kaigen.’ Born into Kusanagi’s legendary Matsuda family, fourteen-year-old Mamoru has always known his purpose: to master his family’s fighting techniques and defend his homeland. But when an outsider arrives and pulls back the curtain on Kaigen’s alleged age of peace, Mamoru realizes that he might not have much time to become the fighter he was bred to be. Worse, the empire he was bred to defend may stand on a foundation of lies.
Misaki told herself that she left the passions of her youth behind when she married into the Matsuda house. Determined to be a good housewife and mother, she hid away her sword, along with everything from her days as a fighter in a faraway country. But with her growing son asking questions about the outside world, the threat of an impending invasion looming across the sea, and her frigid husband grating on her nerves, Misaki finds the fighter in her clawing its way back to the surface.
When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies even reach their shores?
This is a story about a village of warriors and several old families of warriors who live amongst the villagers and whose knowledge of martial arts and manipulation of the elements (yes, you can see some Avatar homage there, but this is not an Avatar retelling, I thought this is what paying homage to the story should look like) makes them capable of defending their empire should the war break out again. These warriors believe it to be true anyway.
Misaki is married to Takeru. She married into the Matsuda family and sort of left a lot of herself behind. I think one of my favorite storylines in the book was her and her husband actually finding their way towards one another even if so much pain was the driving factor in them realizing after fifteen years together that their marriage may actually work.
They both make mistakes, but it was so refreshing to see the characters who act their age and who do act as adults at the end even if what caused them to see their situation clearly would be better to have never happened.
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Who’s got time to think about murder when there’s a wedding to plan?
It’s been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favorite criminal.
But when Elizabeth meets Nick, a wedding guest asking for her help, she finds the thrill of the chase is ignited once again. And when Nick disappears without a trace, his cagey business partner becomes the gang’s next stop. It seems the duo have something valuable—something worth killing for.
Joyce’s daughter, Joanna, jumps into the fray to help the gang as they seek answers: Has someone kidnapped Nick? And what’s this uncrackable code they keep hearing about? Plunged back into action once more, can the four friends solve the puzzle and a murder in time?
So everything I wanted to say about this book I said the first time around. I really missed my favorite detectives, all four of them and the book was a hit for me.
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The pope is dead. Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and eighteen cardinals from all over the globe will gather to cast their votes in the world’s most secretive election. They are holy men. But they are not immune to the human temptations of power and glory. And they are not above the tribalism and factionalism that consumes humanity. When all is said and done, one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on Earth.
I am still in shock trying to figure out what happened to me when I was reading this story, because I found it *gripping*. I could not put it down even despite the fact that any more or less experienced reader would know who will become a Pope the moment this character appears in the story. And I was still so intrigued…
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8. After Hours at Dooryard Books by Cat Sebastian
1968 New York City
News about the war might be keeping Patrick up at night–news in general might be keeping Patrick up at night–but he’s doing fine. He’s sure of it. He gets to spend his days selling books in the gayest neighborhood on the East Coast and his nights merrily sleeping his way through the rare book community. But when he takes in a drifter who seems to be hiding something, and his best friend and her newborn move into the apartment upstairs, his life gets turned on its head.
A sleepy little bookstore should be the perfect place for Nathaniel to lie low, waiting for his past to catch up with him, but it turns out Dooryard Books is full of political radicals and anti-war agitators. If the FBI isn’t actively surveilling this place, it will be. Nathaniel should go anywhere else. The last thing he expects is to like these subversives. There’s a grieving folk musician and her baby–a demon of a child who will only sleep if Nathaniel, of all people, holds her. There’s a pair of rabble-rousing teenagers who, upsettingly, seem to be right about everything. And then there’s Patrick, who can’t walk past anyone who needs his help–and who is perplexingly determined to help Nathaniel.
As the world balances on the precipice of something new and scary and maybe even hopeful, Patrick needs to decide what he’s willing to risk for this chaotic new community he’s accidentally created. And Nathaniel needs to figure out whether he has a place in this messy, flawed world–and whether he can believe he deserves it.
Once again I am just going to refer you to my review :). Another one in Cat Sebastian’s twentieth century m/m romances that I love so much.
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9. The Blind Date with a Werewolf by Patricia Briggs.
When the deadly werewolf Asil is gifted five blind dates by some anonymous “friends,” his reclusive life will never be the same, in this enthralling novel in stories from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series.
Includes two all-new stories as well as three previously published stories.Dear Asil:
We are worried about you. A werewolf alone is a sad thing, especially at Christmastime. So we have a challenge for you: five dates in three weeks. We have taken the work out of it and connected you with five people from online dating sites. You should also know that we have informed the whole pack and instigated a betting pool. Have fun!
Sincerely,
Your Concerned Friends
Technically, this review will run in 2026. I however read the book and wrote the review in 2025. I was not supposed to read this book, because out of the Mercy series, I read exactly one book. I am so glad I did though.
I enjoyed seeing your selections, Sirius, so thank you for sharing. Here’s hoping for many good books in 2026!
I’ve read all of these except Cat Sebastian’s, which I will now rectify. I love how you shared your enjoyment of the next books, too. An excellent list.
@Kareni: Thank you, back at you. @Darlynne: I hope Cat Sebastian will work for you and thank you.
I’m going to have to give Strange Practice another try. When I first tried it, the bad guys creeped me out and I DNFd. Maybe I’ll try skimming those parts.
“I graded the book B+, right now I would have graded it an A.” It’s interesting that you say this. I’ve found lately that with certain books I’ll think back fondly on them, but when I look back on my reading list I gave them only three stars at the time. I might start giving two rating like they do (used to do?) in ice skating – a technical grade and a creativity grade; except, in this case, it’d be an enjoyment grade.
Oh, some of these sound delicious and I’d never heard of them before. Thanks for posting!
@MaryK:
Now that sounds like a good idea.
@Jayne: I did it couple of times, actually. When I knew that the book was technically well written, but I hated something in it so badly that I just could not give it one good grade , so I split my enjoyment and technical grade :).@MaryK: I think if it did not work, it did not work? And as I said to Jayne , I did it before and I like the idea too.@gerund808: Thank you for commenting. Hope at least some of the books will work for you.