I read 300 books last year, and I thought I’d share some standouts. Some
caveats: This NOT a Best Of list because these are books that *I* read last year,
not necessarily ones first published last year. (My hardcover budget is limited
and I often wait a year for the paperback.) I also don’t really believe in Best Of lists—not
only is it physically impossible to read all the books published even in one
genre in one year, but personal tastes are wildly different. I like SFF and
romance, especially books that combine them. I favour pacing and plotting over
lyrical writing. I love happy endings.
URBAN FANTASY
Karen Chance’s Cassandra Palmer and Dorina Basarab series dominated
my reading this year. Between the two series and various related novellas I
read 21 of her books. Awesome action sequences, humour, and plenty of steam.
Otherwise I mostly kept up on the latest book in my favourite
series: Mercedes Thompson by Patricia Briggs, InCryptid and October Daye by
Seanan McGuire. Soulwood and Jane Yellowrock by Faith Hunter. Rivers of London,
by Ben Aaronovich, Magicfall by Diana Pharaoh Francis. Elemental Assassin by
Jennifer Estep.
EPIC FANTASY
1/ Brent Weeks’ Lightbringer series. I reread this massive series before
reading the final volume Burning White. Great action. So many secrets and
reveals and Moments of Awesome!
2/ The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons. Very impressed by the layered timelines in this novel.
3/ The Poppy War
by R.F. Kuang (Book two is on my ereader!)
4/ City of Brass and Kingdom of
Copper by S.A. Chakraborty. Excellent world-building + a rogue heroine.
5/ The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie. Such a new and interesting angle to
take with the point of view.
SCIENCE FICTION
1/ The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling. Caving, alone, in the dark
with monsters. Claustrophobic and outstanding.
2/ Quantum Magician by Derek
Kunsken. Clever heist by a genetically engineered genius and, dear lord, the Puppets
were chilling.
PARANORMAL ROMANCE
1/ Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrew. Greatly anticipated new book in
their Hidden Legacy series, switching over from Nevada to Catalina POV. Did NOT
disappoint.
2/ American Witch by Thea Harrison. Grabbed me in the first chapter
and did not let go.
3/ Jeaniene Frost. I glommed large portions of her backlist.
My favourite was the Vlad Tepes’ Night Prince series.
SFR (SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE)
1/ Polaris Rising and Aurora Blazing by Jessie Mihalik. Polaris
opens with an action scene and the pacing is fabulous. Alpha hero.
HISTORICAL ROMANCE
1/ Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare.
2/ Devil’s Daughter by Lisa
Kleypas. Enemies to lovers—at least on Phoebe’s side.
3&4/ Continued gloms
of K.J. Charles and Courtney Milan’s backlists. I’m running out of Milan’s ☹, but still have
plenty of K.J. Charles left š
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
1/ The Kissing Quotient by Helen
Hoang. Autistic heroine and a reverse Pretty Woman plot, both steamy and
tender. Just wonderful.
2/ Fatal series by Marie Force. I get such a kick out
of Sam. Great banter.
YOUNG ADULT
1/ Maggie Stiefvatar’s The Raven Cycle. I. Love. This. Series. Great
characters: doomed rich-boy Gansey with his obsession for ancient kings,
public-school Blue who is the only non-psychic in a family of psychics, abused
Adam who works so hard to lift himself out of poverty, and angry, abrasive, grieving Ronan who can
create real things out of dreams. Even the villains are fascinating. (And yesterday I read Call Down the Hawk,
first in the sequel series The Dreamer Trilogy, also awesome.)
2/ Smoke & Iron from the Great Library series by Rachel Caine. The
plotting and pacing is so good, it's like a master class on writing.
3/ Court of Fives by Kate Elliott. An athlete
heroine.
4/ Purple Hearts by Michael Grant, final book in his alternate-history
What-if-girls-were-drafted-in-WWII? series.
5/ Deathcaster, final book in the
Shattered Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima.
MIDDLE GRADE
1/ Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus. All three of my kids have read
these, but I didn’t get around to trying them until this year myself. Great
pacing and humour to go with the magic.One book still to go.
2/ Django Wexler’s The Forbidden Library. I read this series to my
11-year-old daughter. Alice is a wonderfully competent heroine and I enjoyed the magic
system.
What were your favourites? I'd love some recommendations.
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