New To Me Authors I’ve Read in 2025 – Part 1

Last week I attended my YA Book Club, which we read to prompts rather than reading the same book. Last week’s prompt was to read a ‘new-to-you’ author and it had me thinking about all the new to me authors I’ve read so far this year. At the time of writing this post at the beginning of August I have read 18 new-to-me authors, so I thought I’d share with you the new to me authors (and their books) I have read so far this year, and my very general thoughts.

• Penn Cole – I have really loved the Kindred’s Curse saga so far so Penn Cole is a definite must-read for me.
• Sasha Peyton-Smith – I loved The Rose Bargain. What a fantastic book and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book.
• Polly Holmes – This one wasn’t for me unfortunately, so unless she releases something in a genre a bit more ‘me’ I won’t be picking up any more of her cosy mystery books.
• Brynne Weaver – This one was way, way out of my comfort zone, but I actually really enjoyed it. Will I continue the series? Probably not, but I’m really glad I gave it a go.
• Jenna Levine – My Roommate Was A Vampire was adorable and so much fun. I will definitely be continuing this series, and looking out for more books by Jenna in the future.

• AJ Flowers – Dragonrider Academy is a series of novellas, which unfortunately weren’t for me. So this is another one I won’t be continuing.
• Charlie N Holmberg – Another one that just wasn’t for me. I usually love magical realism and whimsical reads but this one was a just too out there and odd for me.
• Ivy Fairbanks – One of the standouts for me so far. I adored Morbidly Yours and can’t wait for her next book, which is out this week! Hurray!
• Eden Eaves – A fantastic start to a new dragon shifter series. I loved this one and can’t wait to continue the series.
• Meg Shaffer – This is one of the standouts for me. Absolutely loved this magical realism inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. A must read.
• Catherine Cowles – I liked Fragile Sanctuary but it’s not my favourite suspense romance I’ve read so I’m on the fence as to whether I will continue to read the series.

• Seanan McGuire – A little bit of a cheat for me, as I have read this author’s Newflesh series that she published under Mira Grant… BUT this was my first forray into the books published under her real name, and I loved them. I’ll definitely be continuing the Weyward Children series.
• Chloe C Penaranda – Adored every moment of An Heir Comes To Rise and I can’t wait to read Chloe’s other works.
• AB Poranek – This one was a mixed bag for me. Parts of it were great, but there was some major pacing issues for me. I’ll try her next book, but will be waiting for it to release in paperback.
• Ashley Poston – I really enjoyed The Seven Year Slip. I love this whole romance + magical realism, so will definitely be reading her other books.

• Kate Francis – I really wish I’d liked Circle of Liars more but I’d found it really disappointing, so I don’t think I’d pick up another YA Thriller from this author.
• Lauren Wilson – Absolutely loved everything about The Goldens. It was fantastic! A definite must-buy author.
• EV Woods – Another standout for me. This is one of the best YA Fantasy books I’ve read in a long time. Highly recommend and I can’t wait to see what she publishes next.

Have you read any of these authors? I will definitely be doing a part 2 towards the end of the year!