20 Must-Read Books Releasing in October 2025 By Asian Authors
October is finally here, and (I know we say this every month) this month’s new book releases are destined to be your new favorites!
And the River Drags Her Down by Jihyun Yun
She has always known the rules – never resurrect anything larger than the palm of her hand, but that was before her sister died. A chilling, compulsive exploration of sisterhood, loss, and revenge.
When her older sister is found mysteriously drowned in the river that cuts through their small coastal town, Soojin Han disregards every rule and uses her ancestral magic to bring Mirae back from the dead. At first, the sisters are overjoyed, reveling in late-night escapades and the miracle of being together again, but Mirae grows tired of hiding from the world. She becomes restless and hungry . . .
Driven by an insatiable desire to finish what she started in life, to unravel the truth that crushed her family so many years ago, Mirae is out for revenge.
When their town is engulfed by increasingly destructive rain and a series of harrowing, unusual deaths, Soojin is forced to reckon with the fact that perhaps the sister she brought back isn’t the one she knew.
Publication date: October 7, 2025
Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Fantasy
Pages: 400
The Lucky Ride by Yasushi Kitagawa, Takami Nieda (Translator)
Combining the whimsy and possibility of The Midnight Library with the mystery and revelatory power of The Secret, a heartwarming and inspiring novel about a man on a magical ride who is unexpectedly offered a chance at happiness.
After losing multiple contracts, Shuichi must make restitution to his company. Faced with this large, unanticipated debt, the trip to Paris he and his wife have been planning for a year must be canceled. Traveling to Europe was more than a vacation; it offered the hope of reaching their teenage daughter who has stopped going to school and will not leave her room. Feeling despondent and directionless, Shuichi believes he’s the unluckiest person in Japan.
Then a strange taxi mysteriously appears at his door. The driver promises to take Shuichi not to a destination he needs, but to where his next opportunity will be. With nothing to lose, he settles into the backseat and embarks on a series of magical rides that will teach him surprising life lessons, including how luck is not inherent—it’s an investment built over time and even over generations.
A compassionate and uplifting fable, The Lucky Ride will make you reconsider what’s important, how to be more present in your life, and empower you to create happiness not just for yourself but for those to come. one she knew.
Publication date: October 7, 2025
Genres: Japanese Translated Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism
Pages: 272
Weiwei's Winter Solstice: A Dongzhì Story by Michelle Jing Chan
This captivating picture book introduces the customs and traditions of an important Chinese holiday in a story that bursts with color and light to warm even the darkest days of winter.
It's Dongzhì, the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. Weiwei's family has moved to a new place, where instead of hummingbirds, palm trees, and chrysanthemum bushes, all she sees is a blanket of snow. This frozen place feels nothing like home.
But Dongzhì is all about finding warmth through togetherness, even in the depths of winter. With her family by her side, maybe Weiwei can do more than just endure the cold.
Like the chickadees that sing and the méihua that bloom, can she open her heart and embrace the season?
Publication date: October 7, 2025
Genres: Picture Book, Children’s Book
Pages: 40
Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen
At her lowest point, a teen girl finds solace and a potential crush in her local theater's mascot's DMs, sparking a quest to uncover the true identity of this mysterious figure. From the bestselling author of The Magic Fish comes a new fairy tale romance with a twist.
What do you do when you're the girl who can do it all, and suddenly you can't?
After burning out last year, Angelica is ready to get her life back together. Thankfully she has amazing friends to support her...including Peri the Bear, the mascot of her town's local theater. At her lowest moments, Angelica found comfort in private messaging Peri's social media account, and well, she might have a bit of a crush. Now, Angelica is interning at the local theater in the hopes of finding the person beind the account and thanking them. Who was this mysterious stranger and why did they help her out? Was it just caring for a stranger...or did they feel the same connection that Angelica felt?
Publication date: October 7, 2025
Genres: Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Romance, LGBT
Pages: 224
Zodiac Legacy (Descendants of the Zodiac #2) by Katie Zhao
Return to the hidden world of the cursed Descendants of the Zodiac, where magic intertwines with dark academia at a boarding school dedicated to restoring their glory. In this thrilling sequel, the Descendants must navigate the aftermath of a chaotic heist and rescue a fallen comrade—all while battling dark forces determined to tear them apart.
A vampire on the run. A shapeshifter with a haunting past. A mortal trapped in enemy territory. And a werewolf with a score to settle.
After the heist of a lifetime to reclaim the source of their magic—the twelve Chinese zodiac statues—Evangeline Long and her crew of supernatural beings are on the run. Something—or someone—is working against the Descendants of zodiac from the shadows, and despite Evangeline’s efforts, her people remain cursed as creatures of darkness.
However, not everyone wants to return to life before the curse. As factions begin to tear the Descendants apart, Evangeline must travel to London to finish her mission: break the curse and restore the Descendants to their former glory. But with one of her crew in enemy hands and longtime allies turning on her, Evangeline must barter with lives as she decides who to trust . . . and who to target.
And she’ll have to do it soon. There are whispers of monsters on the loose—longtime foes of the Descendants who have returned for blood—and as long as the Descendants remain cursed, they don’t stand a chance. Now more than ever, Evangeline’s crew must finish their mission and reclaim their powers, before there is nothing left of the Descendants to save. . . .
Publication date: October 7, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Dark Academia
Pages: 384
Female Fantasy by Iman Hariri-Kia
All's fair in love and lore.
Joonie is living in a fantasy—at least that’s what people tell her. Men in the real world have done nothing but disappoint her time and time again, so she keeps her heart reserved for Ryke, the fictional male lead of her favorite romance series, who just happens to be a merman. And so far, her book boyfriend is meeting her needs more than any other “real” man ever has.
But when she learns that Ryke's character is based on a friend of the author, Joonie is determined to track him down and take her shot at a happily ever after.
She’ll need to borrow her brother’s car for the road trip, with the one condition that his annoying (but also hot) best friend can catch a ride to New York with her. But as she makes her way to her male lead, she’ll learn that once you wish fantasy into reality, you have to take all the tropes that come with it—not just the fun ones.
As unhinged as it is brilliant, Female Fantasy is both a self-aware dive into the concept of genre and a wild, steamy romp. Most of all, though, it’s a heartfelt love letter to romance readers everywhere.
Publication date: October 14, 2025
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Contemporary
Pages: 416
The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong
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.
Publication date: October 14, 2025
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Cozy, LGBT
Pages: 368
Intemperance by Sonora Jha
A middle-aged woman starts a firestorm when she holds a contest, based on an ancient Indian ritual, in which men must compete to win her affections.
A woman who has left two husbands announces she will celebrate her 55th birthday by holding a swayamvar. Drawn from an ancient custom in her Indian culture, this is an event in which suitors line up to compete in a feat of wills and strength to win a beautiful princess’s hand in marriage. The woman, a renowned and respected intellectual in an American town who had once declared she was "past such petty matters as love" is setting herself up for widespread societal ridicule. But her self-esteem and sexual libido are off the charts even as her body withers from disability, fading beauty, and an appetite for cake.
Publication date: October 14, 2025
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction
Pages: 304
The Menu of Happiness by Hisashi Kashiwai, Jesse Kirkwood (Translator)
A beloved Japanese bestseller, The Menu of Happiness is for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and asks the question: What’s the one dish you’d do anything to taste just one more time?
Every memory has a flavor. A very special restaurant in Kyoto helps find them . . .
Tucked away down a Kyoto backstreet lies the extraordinary Kamogawa Diner, run by Chef Nagare and his daughter, Koishi. The father-daughter duo have reinvented themselves as “food detectives,” offering a service that goes beyond cooking mouthwatering meals. Through their culinary sleuthing, they harness the power of taste to rekindle forgotten memories.
From the yakisoba holding the memories of precious first love to the dumplings shared between sworn enemies, each client will be forever changed by what they find on the menu, because the Kamogawa Diner doesn’t just serve meals—it’s a door to the past.
Publication date: October 14, 2025
Genres: Japanese Translated Fiction, Contemporary
Pages: 224
All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu
Award winning author Ken Liu returns with his first sci-fi thriller in a brand-new series following former “orphan hacker” Julia Z as she is thrust into a high-stakes adventure where she must use her cybersecurity and hacking skills to unravel a virtual reality mystery, rescue a kidnapped dream artist, and confront the blurred lines between technology, identity, and the power of shared dreams.
Julia Z, a young woman who gained notoriety at fourteen as the “orphan hacker,” is trying to live a life of digital obscurity in a Boston suburb.
But when a lawyer named Piers—whose famous artist wife, Elli, has been kidnapped by dangerous criminals—barges into her life, Julia decides to put the solitary life she has painstakingly created at risk as she can’t walk away from helping Piers and Elli, nor step away from the challenge of this digital puzzle. Elli is an onierofex, a dream artist, who can weave the dreams of an audience together through a shared virtual landscape, live, in a concert-like experience by tapping into each attendee’s waking dream and providing an emotionally resonant and narrative experience. While attendees’ dreams are anonymous, Julia discovers that Elli was also providing a one-on-one dream experience for the head of an international criminal enterprise, and he’s demanding his dreams in return for Elli.
Unraveling the real and unreal leads Julia on an adventure that takes her across the country and deep into the shadows of her psyche.
Publication date: October 14, 2025
Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller, Mystery
Pages: 416
Red City (The New Alchemists #1) by Marie Lu
The Godfather meets The Magicians in the sweeping adult debut from #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu. Perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab, Red City is a dark and deadly contemporary fantasy of magical warfare, star-crossed ambition, and the pursuit of perfection at any cost, set in a glittering alternate Los Angeles.
Alchemy is the hidden art of transformation. An exclusive power wielded by crime syndicates that market it to the world’s elites in the form of sand, a drug that enhances those who take it into a more perfect version of more beautiful, more charismatic, simply more.
Among the gleaming skyscrapers and rolling foothills of Angel City, alchemy is controlled by two rival syndicates. For years, Grand Central and Lumines have been balanced on a razor’s edge between polite negotiation and outright violence. But when two childhood friends step into that delicate equation, the city—and the paths of their lives—will be irrevocably transformed.
The daughter of a poor single mother, Sam would do anything to claw her way into the ranks of Grand Central in search of a better life. Plucked away from his family as a boy to become a Lumines apprentice, Ari is one of the syndicates' brightest rising stars. Once, they might have loved each other. But as the two alchemists face off across opposite sides of an ever-escalating conflict, ambition becomes power, loyalty becomes lies, and no transformation may be perfect enough for them both to survive the coming war.
Publication date: October 14, 2025
Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 418
Local Heavens by K.M. Fajardo
A corporate hacker. An elusive billionaire. A society trying to survive the American Nightmare.
New York City, 2075. Filipino American Nick Carraway has just moved to the heart of the fractured New Americas, where he’s struck by the city’s contradictions—shining corporate towers casting bleak shadows over the slums of a crumbling middle class.
When Nick meets alluring, new-money Jay Gatsby, he falls for Gatsby’s frank charm and confident aura. But in a city where the wealthy flaunt tech-enhanced bodies to cheat death, surfaces aren’t all they seem—and as a corporate-sanctioned cyberspace hacker, Nick knows that no secret can stay buried forever. He’s the reason they don’t. And his latest assignment? Investigate Gatsby himself.
As Nick becomes entangled in the dark affairs of the elite—and the devastating fallout of their actions on the city’s most vulnerable—he must reckon with the limits of compassion and accountability across class and status. What takes Love or truth? Heart or soul?
A brilliant reimagining of Fitzgerald’s classic tale of glamour, desire, and desperation, Local Heavens examines the guardrails of morality . . . and the price of desire
Publication date: October 14, 2025
Genres: Science Fiction, Retellings, LGBT
Pages: 455
The Demon and the Light (The Floating World #2) by Axie Oh
Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in The Demon and the Light, the hotly anticipated follow-up to Axie Oh's The Floating World.
The battle is over, but the war is just beginning...
With the help of her friends and allies, Ren managed to topple the General's insurrection, but the Floating World and its territories are still under threat of attack from the rival Volmaran Empire. And far worse, she was powerless to save Sunho from being overcome by the monstrous power in his blood. Now he's gone, transformed into a feral, deadly creature that doesn't even recognize her anymore, and her heart aches for the sweet boy she's grown to love.
But the escalating war will not pause for her grief. Seen by some as a heavenly savior and others merely a figurehead to be manipulated, Ren must use all her courage and cunning to survive the royal court's game long enough to find Sunho and bring him home before he loses himself to the Demon forever.
Publication date: October 21, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Mythology
Pages: 400
Bad Bad Girl by Gish Jen
The award-winning author of The Resisters returns with an engrossing, blisteringly funny-sad autobiographical novel tracing a tumultuous mother-daughter relationship.
My mother had died, but still I heard her voice. . .
Gish’s mother—Loo Shu-hsin—is born in 1925 to a wealthy Shanghai family where girls are expected to behave and be quiet. Every act of disobedience prompts the same “Bad bad girl! You don’t know how to talk!” She gets sent to Catholic school, where she is baptized, re-named for St. Agnes, and, unusually for a girl, given an internationally minded education. Still, her father would say, "Too bad. If you were a boy, you could accomplish a lot." Aggie finds solace in books, reading every night with a flashlight and an English-Chinese dictionary, before announcing her intention to pursue a Ph.D. in America. It is 1947, and with the forces of Communist revolution on the horizon, she leaves—never to return.
Lonely and adrift in Manhattan, Aggie begins dating Chao-Pei, an engineering student also from Shanghai. While news of their country and their families grows increasingly dire, they set out to make a new life marriage, a number one son, a small house in the suburbs. By the time Gish is born, her parents’ marriage is unraveling, and her mother, struggling to understand her strong-willed American daughter, is repeating the refrain that punctuated her own “Bad bad girl! You don’t know how to talk!”
Bad Bad Girl is a novel about a mother and a daughter forced to reckon with each other across decades of curiosity and ambition, elation and disappointment, intense intimacy and misunderstanding. Spanning continents and generations, this is a rich, heartbreaking portrait of two fierce women locked in a complicated lifelong embrace.
Publication date: October 21, 2025
Genres: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Pages: 352
For the Love of Kewpie (The Kewpie Mayo Cookbook): A Cookbook and Celebration by Kewpie Corporation, Elyse Inamine, Jessie YuChen
Kewpie, the joyful cult-favorite mayonnaise, is celebrated with stories, history, and ephemera plus 55 must-have recipes that teach Kewpie fans how to use it in everything from classic a American mac and cheese and apple gallette to Japanese-style spicy tuna bowls.
For 100 years, Kewpie mayonnaise has captured hearts and taste buds alike with its cherubic baby mascot and unparalleled flavor and texture. Now, in the first official cookbook, Kewpie teaches how mayonnaise can take your cooking to the next level and offers an inside look into all that makes Kewpie, well, Kewpie—from the secret to their unique formula (it’s all about the eggs!) to the story behind their iconic bottle design and how Kewpie ended up with its own museum and holiday.
Kewpie is the ultimate secret ingredient in 55 inventive recipes, all improved by the addition of this Japanese mayonnaise. While no spicy salmon bowl is complete without a drizzle of Kewpie, nor can any grilled cheese achieve a perfect crust without a Kewpie coating, this kitchen workhorse is an endlessly versatile ingredient that can bring depth of flavor to dishes like potato salad or carbonara pasta, bind and moisten meatballs, emulsify ranch and green goddess dressings, plus act as the nonstick coating for baby back ribs or miso-grilled fish. With such versatility and impact, its no wonder Kewpie has been a kitchen must-have for 100 years.
Publication date: October 21, 2025
Genres: Cookbook
Pages: 176
The Deadly Book Club by Lyn Liao Butler
A virtual book club listens in horror when the screen freezes and one of their members is murdered in this twisty and delicious thriller from the author of Someone Else’s Life, perfect for fans of First Lie Wins and The Writing Retreat.
Five of the most prominent book influencers in the US make up an exclusive virtual book club that’s the envy of the online book world. Once a month, they get on a video call to sip cocktails, chat about social media campaigns and book events, and discuss their monthly book club pick.
Until one meeting, when all of their screens freeze and they listen to gut wrenching screams as one of them is brutally attacked. It feels like an eternity before the video call drops—and thus begins the frantic texts and phone calls as they try to figure out who was murdered and why.
As the investigation unearths secrets each of them need to keep buried, the jealousies, hidden resentments, and trouble in their personal lives begin to surface. The remaining four women are suspicious of each other, pointing fingers to take the heat off their own indiscretions. But if they want to figure out who killed their friend, they need to band together and put past hurts behind them. Or one of them will be next.
Publication date: October 21, 2025
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction
Pages: 320
The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri
From World Fantasy Award-winning author Tasha Suri comes The Isle in the Silver Sea, a heart-shattering romantasy of sapphic longing, medieval folklore and a love that spans the centuries.
In a Britain 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?
Publication date: October 21, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, LGBT, Romance
Pages: 384
The Defender (Gods of the Game #2) by Ana Huang
Book two in the Gods of the Game series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Ana Huang.
As the captain of Blackcastle Football Club and one of the highest-paid athletes in the game, Vincent DuBois should be on top of the world.
But when his fame brings danger to his doorstep, he finds himself in a nightmare scenario―sharing a flat with his coach’s daughter, knowing full well she’s far too big a temptation for him to resist.
When his new living arrangements escalate into a bet that throws them even closer together, he realizes he’s in deeper trouble than he thought.
He’s always played to win―but for her, he might just risk it all.
***
As a sports nutritionist and the daughter of a legendary coach, Brooklyn Armstrong is used to dealing with hotshot athletes.
However, no player gets under her skin like Vincent, her best friend’s infuriatingly cocky (and gorgeous) brother. She left California hoping for a fresh start, and he’s the kind of distraction she doesn’t need.
Now, he’s sleeping in the room next to hers while her career is up in the air and her defenses are crumbling.
But no matter how many sparks fly between them, a relationship between the captain and the coach’s daughter could never work…could it?
Publication date: October 28, 2025
Genres: Romance, Sports Romance
Pages: 464
Never Ever After (Never Ever After #1) by Sue Lynn Tan
Not all fairy tales end happily ever after in this Cinderella-inspired fantasy by the bestselling author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess—for fans of Renée Ahdieh, Tahereh Mafi, and Stephanie Garber.
Life in the Iron Mountains is harsh and unforgiving. After the death of her beloved uncle, Yining has survived by becoming a skilled thief and an even better liar. When she acquires an enchanted ring that holds the key to a brighter future, it is stolen by her step-aunt, and Yining must venture into the imperial heart of the kingdom to seize it back.
Amid the grandeur of the palace, Yining catches the eye of the ruthless and ambitious prince, who tempts her with a world she’s never imagined. But nothing is as it seems, for she’s soon trapped in a tangle of power, treachery, and greed—her only ally the cunning advisor from a rival court who keeps dangerous secrets of his own. To break free, she must unravel the mystery of her past and fight for a future that both frightens and calls to her.
This sweeping fantasy romance inspired by Cinderella and a Chinese fairy tale is the first in a breathtaking new series by the acclaimed author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess.
Publication date: October 28, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romantasy
Pages: 368
Julia Song Is Undateable by Susan Lee
CEO seeks dating coach
Critically acclaimed and reader-favorite author Susan Lee’s hilarious adult debut is a shimmering and joyful look at the magnificent—and sometimes suffocating—weight of family, the ways we limit ourselves, and the irresistible power of love.
Julia Song, CEO of Starlight Cosmetics, is at the height of her career. Then why does she feel like such a failure? Maybe because she’s thirty and single, with a terrible track record at dating. And in the eyes of her Korean family, that is just unacceptable. It never really bothered her—that is until her beloved grandmother drops the bomb that she is sick and her dying wish is for Julia to get married. Impossible. So in a moment of weakness, Julia asks her family for help. Set her up on three dates to help her find The One. But it will never work—Julia is undateable. If only there was a coach for that…
Tae Kim knows about the weight of familial expectation. He’s currently unemployed, living in his parents’ basement to care for his ill father. Sure, he’s become somewhat of a fix-it man for the Korean community around town, but that’s not a real job. And the pressure to get his life together is getting to be too much. So when the Julia Song—his childhood crush—asks for his help, it may be just the distraction he needs. He’ll do whatever it takes, even coach her for these three dates. Problem is, the more time they spend together and the closer they get, the more Tae wonders if anyone is good enough for Julia…including him.
Publication date: October 28, 2025
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Adult
Pages: 336
