The New York Times’ 2025 list of bestsellers was released in the close of 2025. Based on their descriptions and reader reviews, I will be rating its top five fiction books— but, since I have not read them, it will be based on how likely I am to read them in 2026.
Quicksilver
First on the list, “Quicksilver” by Callie Hart, ranks at number five on the New York Times best-sellers list as of Dec. 14.
This book follows 24-year-old Saeris, a criminal who conceals her magical skills while struggling to survive in a terrible desert. Her existence changes when she unintentionally opens a portal to the long-warring Kingdom of the Fae— a place previously believed to exist only in legend. There, Saeris is connected to a Fae warrior who seeks to use her abilities.
A young woman with powers she has kept hidden, up until finding herself bound to a Fae who will likely force her to hone her power? That sounds like a recipe for the enemies-to-lovers trope.
Since I despise enemies-to-lovers, I am going to rate this at a 1/10.
Alchemised
Coming in at number four on the New York Times is “Alchemised” by SenLinYu.
“Alchemised” is about a world— just coming out of a devastating war— with villains on top. Helena is a prisoner of war and has memory loss. Though she is thought to be an insignificant healer of the defeated resistance, her enemies are less sure, with her memory loss being of the months before her capture. They send her to the High Reeve, an infamous necromancer, to uncover what she hides.
At first, I was intrigued, but I have been burned too many times with books now to go off just the synopsis, so I cross-referenced with Goodreads. This book is described as dark fantasy, with an emphasis on the “dark” part. Many reviews warn of sexual assault within the book, and one provided a breakdown of what to expect.
A Review by Angie gave a list, writing: “Trigger Warnings: wartime violence, religious abuse, depictions of complex trauma, suicidal ideation, self-harm, PTSD, medical torture, eugenics, cannibalism, sexual assault, rape and allusion to necrophilia. *These last four items are not heavily shown in the story and are more one-off situations.”
Angie also mentions this is an enemies-to-lovers book, which has me worried about the assault between the two characters and how well it will be handled. Because of these factors, I am going to rate it as a 0/10. Some topics should be handled gently, and I fear this one does not seem to. When choosing books, it is always important to protect one's peace.
The Secret of Secrets
Number three on the list, “The Secret of Secrets” by Dan Brown is the sixth book of the Robert Langdon series.
Robert Langdon accompanies Katherine Solomon to a lecture in Prague. When she disappears without a trace, Robert finds himself thrust into a mystery that will require all his wit to save Katherine.
Brown’s first book in eight years, and since he is the author of “The Da Vinci Code,” this book sounds promising to me. However, I would want to read all the prior books before starting. From the reviews on Goodreads, the people’s opinions seem all over the place; many mention that the story is similar to previous books.
Taufiq Yves, Goodreads user, wrote, “As the sixth book in the Langdon series, Dan Brown sticks to the same storytelling formula as before,” Yves said. “In the end, the ordinary man uses his intelligence to defeat the big boss and win the girl.”
This review reminded me of Indiana Jones, and based on this, I just might have to give it a try, so I rate this one 6/10.
The Widow
Placed at second place on Dec. 14, John Grisham’s “The Widow” is a mystery thriller.
Simon Latch, a lawyer, is approached by an elderly woman in need of a new will, as her husband had left her a small fortune that no one knows about. Simon works to keep this under wraps, but when the widow ends up in the hospital after a car accident, and Simon is a suspect of murder, he must find the real killer and clear his name.
Going solely off the synopsis, this does a good job of piquing the reader’s interest. I will say I do not fully see how this lawyer could be a suspect in the murder of this woman if there was no connection prior to her first coming to him. I do not think I would pick this up unless someone I know told me that I should read this, so I rate it 4/10.
Brimstone
“Brimstone” by Callie Hart is the second book to “Quicksilver,” but was the first on this New York Times' best seller list.
Saeris has been named queen of the Blood Court, and now her brother needs her. Having undergone changes that make it impossible to get to him without risking death, Saeris must send the Fae warrior in her place.
What irked me the most with this summary was the use of “male” as a derogatory term. For example, “but traveling back to Zilvaren with Carrion Swift might just be the death of him. The male just will not shut up”
This unnecessary use of “male” reminds me too much of the way some use “female” in a degrading way. I feel that if we see this in the summary it will more than likely be in the writing, too, so I can only rate it a 1/10.
