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hello world!
The time has come. It is the end of another year. As I get older, it seems that time passes more quickly. I remember yearning for the moment I turned 18, and now I am 35. Moments pass by in a blur, and you blink, and you’re the mother of 8-year-old twins. I read more now than I ever have. Perhaps it is because I need an escape from the demands of life. I read to escape the pain of my chronic illness (complex regional pain syndrome). Reading is an escape and a means to travel while staying put. I’ve always wanted to escape and be in a world that isn’t here. I want to read about the fae and the mythic creatures that don’t exist in this world. So fantasy is the genre that I always reach for.
Without further ado, here are my favorite books that I read in 2023.
A school where you learn to be the best warrior that you can be. The school system seems to be like an adult version of the Harry Potter school. Yet, there is a lot more murder and violence. A young man attends this school and promises his life to the Republic. But no one truly knows that he is the last remaining person alive of the royal family. He is called Vis Telimus. He goes behind the backs of the hierarchy to discover the secrets that can take down the empire that has destroyed his family.
I could not put this down! I was a bit hesitant at first because of all the names and words that come with reading a fantasy novel. It takes a bit to understand the world. It didn’t take long, though, and soon those pages were turning and couldn’t be stopped. I loved the political intrigue, the brief romance, the violent battle scenes, and the lush descriptions of the land and the school. The relationships and friendships were excellent. This book was a gem, and I cannot wait until book 2 comes out.
If you haven’t heard of this book, I think you’ve been living under a rock. Divine Rivals has become a TikTok sensation. Rebecca Ross has always been an author I’ve loved. Her writing is poetic and full of prose. It’s not the empty prose just there to be pretty. Her writing is magical, and she just knows how to use the words to create a beautiful world and characters that become close to your heart. Talented is just one word beyond many that I would choose.
Divine Rivals pulls from "You've Got Mail". A great movie where two people write emails to each other but have no idea who they are. Iris and Roman work at the Gazette, a newspaper company that has given them the opportunity to become the head columnist. They are in competition from the start. Iris comes from a family that has practically nothing, while Roman comes from new money. They compete against each other and write the best articles they can. Iris and Roman both have typewriters that are extremely rare. Iris writes letters to her brother that has gone off to war, but he hasn’t been replying. One night she writes a letter and slips it under her closet door, and magically a letter comes back but it isn’t from her brother Forest.
Divine Rivals is full of romance and angst. Rebecca Ross writes of the gods of the past and the urban world. It’s a world full of the mundane and the ancient magic. You will not regret picking this up, and lucky for you, book 2 just came out. I’m assuming it will be on my top ten books of 2024. We shall see.
Another book full of political intrigue, mysterious characters, and a world full of magic and murder. The Empire used to be an authority to respect, but as time passes, the respected become corrupt, and the power of good becomes the power that drives those to surrender their souls to dark magical forces.
Sir Konrad Vonvalt serves the Empire. His power to use the Emperor’s Voice and his power of necromancy is used to serve justice on those who have broken laws and have made choices to serve their selfish desire. As a Justice to dish out the punishments of the Empire, Konrad travels the world and uses his power to uphold the righteous world of the Empire.
This was another book where the pages seemed to turn themselves. Number one in the series, I was lucky enough to have book 2 to reach for as soon as I had turned the last pages of this one. And, even more lucky I was given a chance to read an ARC of book 3 that will be out in 2024.
If you like to read about kingdoms, and the dead brought back to life, pick this up. You won’t be disappointed. The characters and their complex situations and decisions they make will pull you in and spit you out with a gasp on your face.
I don’t think this book needs any explanation. Another book that has become a TikTok sensation. There’s a lot of strong opinions on this one. Some people take this as a book that was written quickly and therefore lacks substance.
Others were obsessed…I’ve fallen into the obsessed group. Daddy Xaden. That’s all I gotta say. This takes place at a school called Basgiath. It’s a school for dragon riders, where you go and you’re trained to ride a dragon and fight. It’s brutal and full of violence and death. The initial task that you do to even get in kills over a fourth of applicants. The dragon riders are the toughest of the toughest. So imagine Violet’s surprise when she is told that instead of working on being a scribe, she will be going to study being a dragon rider.
Her petite frame and her illness of weak ligaments and an easy-to-injure body make her a horrible candidate. But regardless, she presses on. She tries her hardest and doesn’t give up. Xaden is part of the children of the resistance that attend Basgiath as penance. Everyone knows his one goal is to kill Violet, the daughter of the mother who sentenced his parents to death.
In a school that is meant to kill those who don’t have it in them, the dragons choose those they seem worthy. I could go on and on about this one. Just pick it up. I read it twice in one year. That’s saying something.
One Dark Window has mysterious magic. The magic comes on after the child becomes sick. The king has declared that those who were infected must be put down. The magic obtained after the illness is unpredictable and dangerous. Those who have been sickened were marked. Elspeth was one of those children. Her father hid her sickness, and Elspeth stayed alive. She lived with her aunt.
The power that was “granted” allowed Elspeth to absorb the power of a certain Nightmare card. But this power is not for free, and Elspeth has to fight against the time remaining to obtain the Providence cards to free the land from the dark magic mist that endangers the citizens of it.
Dark and mysterious I just was so absorbed into this one. I had it on my shelf for quite some time. I made the mistake of waiting too long to pick it up. It’s rich and descriptive in scenery. Sometimes you feel as if you are Elspeth herself and the Providence cards are almost within your reach. I loved it.
Sequel to Fourth Wing, I really can’t say much without giving away some spoilers. The book takes place at Basgiath War College. It spreads its wings, and you learn more about the characters. The world-building is interesting, and the storyline is enticing! I’ve heard mixed reviews on this one. Some say that the outside stories aren’t needed; it made the book drag. They wish that the plot was more upfront and center.
Personally, I loved reading about all the characters and the “side quests” of the book. I didn’t mind the length and all the extra information that came with it. Many readers say that this book was published way too quickly. The first one came out in May, and this one was out in November. Yet, mostly everyone was frothing at the mouth to get it. So either you're satisfied and happy it came out and you got to read it, or you don’t read it. You can’t complain when you got something you wanted in a very quick manner.
I enjoyed it. The ending had me gaping, and I look forward to reading the rest of the books as they come out.
Again, another sequel. The second book to the duology was out this year. Rachel has quickly become an auto-buy author. I cannot wait to see what she writes next. Her writing is mysterious and eerie. She can draw you into her characters' minds, and yet it feels like you’re watching them on the big screen at the same time. If that even makes sense.
Elspeth is still on her journey to find the Providence cards. The monster inside guiding her path. Yet, time cannot be taken for granted. The path to all twelve cards is full of perils and terror. The terror in Elspeth isn’t enough to achieve the goals, but without the monster and without the evil, good cannot prevail.
Read this to see what the end brings to Elspeth and her loved ones. A found family is always something I love, and you’ll get this in the story told in these pages.
The story of June Farrow is a time travel one. I’ve heard that some readers were very confused. Those were the ones who chose to listen to this story instead of read it. I think the method of reading this book is preferable since time travel can be a bit confusing. I myself was a bit confused at times. The constant back and forth between times and the travel. But if you stay true and keep turning the pages, all will make sense. It’s very mysterious.
Farrow’s family is cursed. They seem to forget their memories and themselves. They hallucinate, and everyone in the town knows what to look out for. June lives with her grandma and a friend of her grandma’s named Anne. Unfortunately, the book starts off with the passing of her grandmother because of the curse. Anne makes June promise to tell her once she starts having the hallucinations and or memory issues. June knows that the curse has already started.
June has never met her mother but has made it a mission to do so. You’ll follow along June and her discoveries to find her mom and to stop the curse.
Like I said, this could be a confusing timeline to follow. But if you can digest it and stick to it, the reward is the ending, and I promise it’s worth it. Adrienne Young never ceases to disappoint, and this one is another win for her.
Starling House takes place in a town of Eden, Kentucky. Opal and her brother are down on their luck. They live in a hotel room, and Opal has taken any job she can to make ends meet. She wants the best for her extremely intelligent brother. So when the chance comes to take a job that pays more than she’s ever been offered or seen, she takes it. It just happens that this job is at a house called Starling House.
Starling House was built from an author’s royalties. E. Starling wrote a children’s book of nightmares, and every Starling has lived in this house. Arthur Starling seems to be the last heir. Yet, the house has a mind of its own. Like a children’s story, Starling House has a mind of its own. Dangerous and intriguing, Opal can’t stay away. She works as a maid and cleans the house that seems to have a personality. Arthur tries over and over to scare her away from this house, but no one can seem to make the right choice. The house seems to always get what it wants.
There’s a lot more to this book than that. But it would take pages to describe it. I was enchanted and engrossed in this story. The characters aren’t beautiful, and the story isn’t a happy ever after that you get in the Disney movies. Yet, the tone and poetic writing of this novel grab you and pull you in. It won’t let go until you’ve turned the last page, and even then you’re left wanting more. If you love haunting, gothic tales of love and woe, then pick this up.
Another novel with the house being a character. Effy is studying archaeology at school. Effy has always been obsessed with a book called Angharad, a story of the fairy king who falls in love with a girl who learns how to destroy him. Her obsession with this book has brought her through the difficulties in her life. One day, a competition is put on by the owner of the house where the author of Angharad lived. It is a competition for one person to redesign the house that has fallen in tatters. Effy applies immediately. Surprisingly, she is chosen as the one to go live at the house and see her designs brought to life.
However, nothing is ever as it seems. The story she grew up with and the life she is living seem to blur together. Effy must use her wits to survive in this dark and creepy house.
What is it with gothic houses and tales of love and woe that just grab you by the teeth and don’t let go? Dark academia and gothic works of art will always be a preferred genre. The je ne sais pas of things is addicting, and the creepy what lurks beneath the bed makes you jump. It brings you awareness and wakes you up. I always love books that keep your eyes open even when you’re meant to be sleeping and it’s 2 am.
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