By: Chi Steadman

2025 has had multiple authors and game developers release new projects. “We had a ton of good releases this year,” Bellbrook High School librarian Amanda Brenner said.

Lots of books were released this year, especially in the young adult sphere. Some were continuations of pre-existing series and some were releases from well loved authors.

“If I had to say the biggest, hottest book of the year was Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins,” said Brenner. “Which is set in the Hunger Games world and follows Haymitch’s story.”

Another release Brenner brought up was The Survivor Wants to Die at the End by Adam Silvera. The book is the third part of the They Both Die at the End series and follows two protagonists named Paz and Alano. The book has a lot of suicide ideation, so be advised if it piques your interest. 

Multiple games were released during 2025, including Clair Obscura: Expedition 33, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, and various remasters of older games, including Persona 3: Reload and Gears of War: Reloaded.

“I think that no matter what the genre, whether it’s cozy games, horror games, or sci-fi, MMo, or RPGs or whatever,” Bellbrook art teacher Amanda Newsome said. “The whole game is just a piece of art.”