2022 has been a great reading year for me, I managed to finish a whopping 163 books which I'm soo unbelievably happy about (especially given my reading goal at the start of the year was 50 books.)
Now it's time to share my absolute favourite books of the past twelve months which I reluctantly managed to whittle down —and given how many fantastic books were published this year (as well as several 2023 releases I've been fortunate to read advanced copies of), it was not an easy task!
So without further ado, here is a roundup of my absolute favourite reads of 2022.
This deliciously gothic, contemporary style horror fantasy with dark fairytale visuals that were a literary feast for the senses! I loved every second of this unique (and poignant) tale of motherhood, sacrifice and acceptance and cannot wait to see what Sunyi Dean comes up with next.
It follows Book Eater Devon, a supernatural being who consumes books for sustenance (instead of food) and can retain all of the book’s content after eating it. Devon’s brothers grew up on stories of valor but for Devon—like all Book Eater women, the rarest and most valuable of their kind—was raised on a curated diet of fairytales and cautionary stories, to prepare her for life as a bride mother.
But real life isn’t like fairytales and Devon’s son, Cai is born with a rarer and darker kind of hunger, the urge to feed (Zombie-like) on the minds of humans instead of books. Mind eaters are a perversion of her kind and so, to protect her son Devon flees before he can be turned into a weapon for her family… or something worse.
A uniquely whimsical and humorous enemies to lovers fantasy that immediately grabbed my attention after first hearing it's You Got Mail meets The Walking Dead premise, and easily became one of my favourite rom-coms of 2022—maybe even of all time!
It’s set in a world full of magic and demigods and zombies and follows Mercy, sunshine personified who’s been single-handedly keeping her families’ Undertaking business afloat and Hart, a grumpy demigod Marshall, whose duty involves patrolling the magical wilds of Tanria and protecting people from the Zombie-like drudges who can possess the dead.
Their chosen fields lead Hart and Mercy into constant contact but despite the similarities the pair just despise one another. Until one day, after yet another run-in with Mercy, Hart pens a letter addressed simply to “A Friend”. Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return and a tentative friendship is born.
If only Hart knew he’s been baring his soul to the person who irritates him the most—Mercy. As the dangers in Tanria grow closer so do the unlikely pair, but can their blossoming romance survive the discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmare—each other?
I know this got ALOT of mixed reviews on social media, but Holly Black's adult debut is definitely one you want to check out if you loved the darker tone of her earlier books (the Modern Fairy Tales and Curseworker series spring to mind) and have missed that sense of gritty realism in her writing post The Cruel Prince.
Set in world of shadow magic and magicians who can alter memories and emotions through the manipulation of one's shadow—but it comes at a steep price, taking hours and sometime even days off your life. For shadows contain parts of a person that most prefer to keep hidden—and sometimes they can have a life of their own...
The story itself follows Charlie Hall, a low level con artist who has given up her life of crime to work as a bartender, but when a shady figure from her past returns, Charlie’s new life is thrown into total chaos. And leads to her entanglement in a murder mystery which sees her embarking on a high stakes heist to solve the case and (hopefully) catch the killer.
A beautifully expansive and emotionally charged fantasy that's brimming with Nigerian-Yoruba mythology and high stakes action which had me completely hooked, not to mention Deborah Falaye's exquisitely ferocious prose, endearingly characters and explosively plot twisty ending.
As a Scion and descendant of the Orisha gods, Fifteen year old Sloane can incinerate an enemy at will—but under the brutal Lucis rule, her powers will spell her death (should they be discovered) but after being forcibly conscripted into the Lucis’ army of child soldiers on her fifteenth birthday, Sloane sees this as a new opportunity—to use their own brutal training to destroy them from within.
Rising through the ranks, Sloane begins to gain strength but, in doing so, risks losing herself entirely—becoming the very monster she despises.
Another unputdownable debut of 2022! Vanessa Len's Time travel, Romeo and Juliet-esque YA fantasy masterfully blurs the lines of good and evil in this immersive tale of time travel, forbidden romance and monsters that I absolutely fell in love with when I read the ARC last year—but I couldn't resist giving this a reread once it was finally released and I loved even more the second time around!
When sixteen year old Joan stays with her mother’s eccentric family in London she’s determined to enjoy herself. With a nerdy job at the historic Holland House and a date with the boy she’s been crushing on all summer, things feel like they're falling into place…
But when her attempt at a good deed reveals her mother’s family secret her life quickly starts to unravel. For the Hunts aren’t just eccentric: they’re monsters with terrifying, hidden powers. To make matters worse, Nick (the boy she likes) is a monster slayer whose sole purpose is to hunt her people to extinction.
Forced on the run Joan begrudgingly teams up with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a rival monster family who hates her own.
If she’s to save herself and her family Joan will have to embrace her own monstrousness. Because in this story… she is not the hero.
As a massive fan of witchy books (and witchy YA in particular) I had to grab a copy of this as soo a sit was released (and I managed to snag a gorgeous Waterstones edition too) and with it's swoon-worthy romance, vivid world building and chaotically compelling protagonists (Wren especially) I loved every action-packed, humour filled second!
It follows two sisters separated at birth and raised in completely different worlds.
Rose is a Princess and the next Queen of Eana who has no knowledge that she is a twin. Raised by the Kingsbreath who seeks the destruction of all witches, Rose has always believed that witches murdered her parents.
Wren was raised by the witches, spirited away on the night she was born and has always known that she would one day steal her twin sister’s throne. Trained from birth to avenge the murder of her parents by the Kingsbreath and usurp the princess, she will do anything to rise to power and protect the community of witches she loves so much.
Quite possibly my most anticipated read for 2022 (a book that doesn't really need an introduction) was the incredible second instalment in Sarah J. Maas' adult fantasy series, Cresent City. And it definitely managed to live up to my (exceptionally high) expectations serving up a maelstrom's worth of emotions, addictive world-building and loveable characters, not to mention all the non stop plot twists I never saw coming.
It continues of from House of Earth and Blood and follows Bryce and Hunt months after saving Crescent City from total annihilation. Now they just want to relax and figure out what the future holds for them as a couple.
The Asteri have kept their word for the most part, but when the rebel's start chipping away at the Asteri's power, the threat to the City's bystanders grows exponentially. As Bryce, Hunt, and Co. get pulled into the rebels’ plans, the choice becomes clear: stay silent while others are oppressed, or fight for what’s right.
But Neither Bryce nor Hunt has ever been very good at staying silent.
2022 was the year of retellings and I confess I did find myself gravitating to soo many with intriguing and unique twists on classic literature or fairytale and The Bone Spindle (a gender- switched Sleeping Beauty meets Indiana Jones YA fantasy) was definitely one of my faves.
centred around bookish treasure Hunter Fi who, whilst exploring some old ruins pricks her finger on a bone spindle and ends up stuck with the spirit of Briar Rose, the legendary Prince of Andar, who has been under a sleeping curse for the past 100 years. Now Fi and her axe wielding, business partner Shane must find a way to break the curse and save Briar’s kingdom.
Dark magic, evil witches, witch hunters and even nightmarish beasts (not to mention a curse or two) all stand in their way —as Fi and Shane make the perilous journey to the kingdom where the Prince’s body waits…
Another fairytale retelling, and one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, Marissa Meyer's conclusion to her incredible Rumplestiltskin reimagining was such an atmospheric and refreshingly immersive reimagining that I genuinely loved. And Meyer perfectly captures the deliciously dark essence of the Grimm's original without becoming predictsble or bogged down with overused tropes.
Following the shocking turn of events in Gilded, Serilda now finds herself ensnared in a deadly game with the Erlking, who is determined to propel her deeper into the castle’s lies and secrets.
Determined to free herself—and Gild from the Erlking’s clutches, Serilda works with Gild to help him solve the mystery of his forgotten name and past. But the Erlking’s plans aren’t as clear cut as Serilda first thought, for he doesn’t just want to bring back his dark huntress lover… he also seeks vengeance against the seven gods who (long ago) trapped his court of Dark Ones behind the veil, in a effort to protect the mortal realm.
If the ErlKing succeeds (and Serilda and Gild cannot break the curse that tethers them to the castle, or learn to utilise their unique gifts before the Endless Moon) —then the mortal realm will be forever doomed…
Babel is an impressively complex and ambitious book; a powerfully evocative and unflinchingly honest take on dark academia which is told almost exclusively from the POVs of characters from diasporic communities and their everyday experiences which shine a light the harm that racism, sexism and the legacy of colonialism causes.
It’s an emotional read (and a bit of a slow burn) but R.F Kuang's writing is mesmerisingly poignant and soo intricately crafted that it really does have to be experienced to be truly appreciated.
In 1828, Robin Swift is left orphaned from the spread of Cholera in Canton and finds himself whisked off to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There he spends his days relentlessly studying Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese in preparation for the day he’ll enroll at Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation — also known as Babel.
At first Babel—and the tight knit group of friends he finds there—seem like paradise… but Babel’s pursuit of knowledge is geared solely towards accumulating power—with the help of Silver-working (the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation into enchanted silver bars, to create magic-like effects.) Thus allowing the empire to use its wealth to colonise everything in sight.
For Robin, a Chinese boy raised in Britain, serving Babel means betraying his motherland and, as his studies progress he finds himself caught between Babel and a shadowy rebel organisation dedicated to bringing down the empire.
When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide: Can a powerful institution really be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence? And what is Robin willing to sacrifice to bring Babel down?
The third (and final) instalment of Lynette Noni’s magnificently addictive and plot-twisty The Prison Healer series was a book I had been anticipating since The Gilded Cage's spectacularly shocking ending. As such, I had some pretty high expectations and was throughly surprised by how skillfully Noni managed to surpass them all and cement The Blood Traitor as one of my favourite series conclusions—of all time!
Picking up directly after the magnificently plot twisty events of The Gilded Cage, The Blood Traitor sees Kiva still coming to terms with the events at the palace and desperate to know if Torell, Tipp, Jaren and Caldon are safe and whether Jaren and Co. Can ever forgive her. But the kingdoms are on the brink of war and Kiva—even far away from the conflict—more at risk than just her broken heart. With such a risky quest on the horizon, forcing mortal enemies and uneasy allies to work together is a race against the clock to save (not just Evalon but the entirety of Wenderall).
But with danger striking from all angles, and the lives of everyone she cares about on the line, does she have what it takes to stand, or will she fall?
Another anticipated series conclusion that I absolutely adored in 2023 was Elizabeth Lim's intricately crafted and vibrant tale of identity, family and self acceptance, The Dragon's Promise.
Following immediately on from the events of Six Crimson Cranes, Shiori (in trying to do right by her dying stepmother, Raikama) makes a deathbed promise to return a dragon's pearl to its rightful owner—even if it proves to be more dangerous than she ever imagined.
Journeying into the kingdom of Dragons to navigate political intrigue among humans and dragons alike, fend off thieves who covet the pearl for themselves and deter those who would see her burned to death for the magic in her veins.
But the pearl is cursed, embued with a malevolent power that's strong enough to save the world or destroy it entirely. A power that threatens to shatter her family and sever the thread of fate that binds her to her true love, Takkan. It will take every ounce of strength Shiori has to defend the life (and love) she's fought so hard to win.
A beautifully haunting and gothic infused YA fantasy about a girl (Signa) who confronts death—& her own deadly powers— to solve a murder in this enthralling tale of magic, mystery and betrayal that I couldn't get enough of. Fans of gothic fantasy or Hades and Persephone will absolutely swoon at the lush descriptons, lyrical prose and plot twists to die for!
For as long as Signa Farrow’s has been alive, the people around her have all succumbed to an early grave. Orphaned as a baby, nineteen year old Signa has has a string of guardians, each more interested in her vast inheritance than her well-being—and each has met and untimely death.
Her only remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family who live at the gloomy and imposing Thorn Grove, an estate still steeped in the patriarch’s grief for his late wife—a wife who still haunts its walls and a daughter who suffers a similar ailment.
But when said wife’s spirit appears to Signa claiming she was poisoned, Signa realises the family she depends on could be in grave danger, and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to help hunt down the killer.
Another sumptuously gothic read that I enjoyed this year was V.E Schwab's newest standalone, Gallant. Full of gorgeous prose and imagery that will almost certainly appeal to Coraline fans, this character driven and immersive tale is one you really should check out.
It tells the story of Olivia Prior, an orphaned non-verbal girl raised at Merilance School for girls with only the buildings’ ghouls and her mother’s old Journal (whose passages unravel into madness) for companionship. That is, until a letter arrives inviting Olivia to come home—to Gallant , the place her mother warns of in her journal. Yet when she arrives, no one is expecting her…
Despite her cousin’s hostility and the ghouls haunting the hallways, Olivia has no plans to leave the only place that feels like home. But Gallant has secrets and Olivia is determined to uncover them. When she crosses a ruined wall at the right moment Olivia finds herself in a place like gallant—but not. A darker version where the ghouls are solid and a mysterious figure rules over it.
Now Olivia sees what has unravelled several generations of Priors, and where her father may have come from. Having always wanted a place to belong, Olivia now has a choice; to take up the mantle of past Priors to protect the world from the not Gallant’s master or to take her rightful place beside him…
I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers/rival to lovers romances so when I saw this doing the rounds on literally every social media platform I caved to the FOMO and dived right in. And as one of the funniest and swooniest books I read all year I couldn't Not include it in my favourite books of 2022.
It Follows literary agent Nora and rival editor Charlie who find themselves thrown together during Nora’s month long vacation in a small North Carolina town—with sizzling, chemistry, witty banter and an adorable ensemble of characters (mainly Nora’s perky pregnant little sister) and if your anything like me, you'll speed through this in record time.
A gritty, vengeance filled and spectacularly action packed Sci-Fi fantasy with a badass, (and rather impulsive) protagonist I couldn't help but root for—one of the bloodiest, plot twistiest and addictive books of 2022, if this isn't already in your tbr then you should change that ASAP!
Long ago, the bloody battle between the Republic of Mareen and the armies of the Blood Emperor, resulted in ending all blood magic. Now the republic lives in relative peace, but with it came a strict class system, misogyny, and racism. Her world is not perfect, but Ikenna managed to survive in it. Until now.
After the murder of her grandfather, Ikenna spirals out of control. Though she's an initiate for the Republic’s deadly elite military force, Ikenna has a deadly secret: she possesses the blood magic of the Republic’s enemies.
In order to find her grandfather's killers and avenge him, Ikenna enters herself into the gladiatorial war games at the heart of her martial world. Subjecting herself to abuse from a society that does not value her, a society that cherishes lineage over talent – all while hiding gifts that, if revealed, could get her killed.
But Ikenna is willing to risk it all to find out who murdered her grandfather…
So she can end them
Joya Goffney cemented her spot as one of my favourite contemporary YA authors this year after I absolutely devoured this compelling coming of age story that brilliantly explores body and sex positivity, the toxic views on sex and sex education.
And given what's going on globally with education surrounding women's sexual and reproductive health this will no doubt be an invaluable starting point for readers who might—like Monique—not have access to sexual health services or information.
Monique, a Preacher’s daughter and girlfriend to the town’s golden boy seems to have the perfect life. But, with her parents thoughts on sex before marriage ever present and her boyfriends pressure to get intimate, Monique is torn.
Tired of waiting her boyfriend breaks up with her, spurring Monique into discovering her inability to have sex is caused by a medical condition. To win him back Monique plans to resolve the “issue” with help from the only people she can turn to—frenemy (and fellow church girl) Sasha and the town’s resident bad boy Reggie.
But I’m doing so, she must face some home truths: maybe she shouldn’t be fixing her body to please a boy, maybe Sasha was the friend she’s need all along and maybe Reggie isn’t so bad after all.
A lighthearted and heartwarmingly cosy hug of a book that combines everything I love the most: endearing larger than life characters, an uplifting (Hallmark-worthy) plot and of course witches.
It follows Mika Moon, a witch who (like most witches) lost her parents at a young age and was raised in isolation so as not to draw attention to her magic. Mika has gotten used to her solitary life, only meeting with fellow witches sporadically to limit the risk of detection. But, all that changes when Mika receives a message asking her to travel to Nowhere House and teach three young witches in need of her guidance—a post she readily accepts.
Mika’s arrival at Nowhere house heralds a big change for the young witches, their guardians and for Mika who feels—for the first time in her life—that she can truly belong.
A deliciously addictive and utterly enthralling YA fantasy with one of my absolute favourite tropes—enemies to lovers.
It’s about a morally grey seer and witch, a cursed prince and a deadly prophecy that ties the two together. The cynical, prickly and unapologetically cunning Violet is willing to do anything to survive, even if it means lying about some of her divinations. But crown prince Cyrus has other ideas and plans to strip her of her official role as soon as he's crowned—unless Violet does something about it.
But when the king asks her to falsify a prophecy involving Cyrus's love story, Violet inadvertently awakens a curse, one that will end in either damnation or salvation for the kingdom—depending on the prince’s choice of future bride. Violet faces her own choice: seize an opportunity to control her own destiny or give into the attraction that's growing between her and Cyrus.
Her wits may protect her from the cutthroat nature of the court, but it can't change Violet's fate. And as the boundary between her and Cyrus grow ever thinner, Violet must find a way to untangle the wicked web of deceit if she has any hope of saving herself or the kingdom—for if she doesn't ....she'll doom them all.
Freya Marske’s A Restless Truth continues the of magical downton-esque, Edwardian charm of it predessor, A Marvellous Light (which was one of my favourite reads of 2021) and takes all the action and magic on the open seas as Maud Blythe (Robin’s sister) sets sail aboard the H.M.S Lyric on a mission for Robin and Edwin; solving murders, uncovering magical conspiracies that may threaten the whole of the British Isles and resisting the sizzling sexual tension that draws her to the dazzlingly beautiful (and just a tad scandalous) Violet Debenham.
Stuck on a ship on a ship full of loathsome, aristocratic suspects, Maud (and the ragtag group she's assembled) must solve a murder and untangle a conspiracy that began generations before them.
If you loved Knives out, Downton Abbey or all things Agatha Christie then this is definitely a series you want to check out!
This heartfelt and adorably whimsical romance was actually my last read of 2022 and boy was it a good one. The Dead Romantics is basically Book Lovers meets The Undertaking of Heart and Mercy and my slightly weird, Wednesday Addams loving heart was utterly obsessed.
It follows Florence Day, a disillusioned ghost writer for a prolific romance author who, after a terrible breakup, no longer believes in love. When her new editor refuses to give her another extension on her book's deadline she ready to kiss her career goodbye... until an unexpected phone call leads Florence back to her hometown (for the first time in ten years) to bury her recently deceased father.
For ten years, she’s run from the town that never understood her, and even though she missed her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it.
Until she finds a ghost at the funeral parlor’s front door, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.
Romance may be dead . . . but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business seems to have Florence second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love (or love stories.)
Ones to watch in 2023
This next group of books aren't released until 2023 but I was fortunate enough to read early copies of them and genuiney loved them all. So much in fact that I couldn't wait to share them with you, so here are the books to look out for in 2023:
Agatha Christie loving, murder mystery fans and armchair detectives alike will definitely want to pick up the YA debut in 2023, with twists and turns galore—and an utterly compelling protagonist, you'll definitely be in for a wild (and possibly paranoia-filled) ride.
It's set against the backdrop of an elite boarding school—where a secret society run by students often has more sway than it’s teachers. We follow introverted scholarship student, Jess who finds herself at the centre of a murder investigation when the most popular boy in school—Hugh Henry Van Boren, dies the exact same way as a character in a short story she wrote.
And then Jess receives an anonymous text thanking her for the inspiration…
With her scholarship on the line Jess must now uncover the identity of the murderer before she becomes their next victim.
This enchanting, fantasy debut is perfect for all the God of War and Witcher fans looking for their next action-packed read!
It's fast paced and fiercely addictive; full of gods, demons, disillusioned knights and god-killing mercenaries (with hearts of gold.) If you're anything like me you're gonna adore Kissen and fall head over heels for the mischievous god Skedi (and Inara, the girl Skedi is bound to.)
It follows Kissen whose family was murdered by zealots of a fire god, now makes a living killing gods and enjoys it, that is until she finds a god she can’t kill and the young girl, Inara that it has somehow attached itself to.
Joined by the former knight commander; Kissen, the young noble and the god of white lies all journey towards the ruined city of Blenraden (where the last of the wild gods reside) to each beg a favour.
But with a bloody civil war on the horizon and shadowy demons in pursuit, Kissen and Co. face untold danger for something is rotting at the heart of the kingdom—and only they can stop it…
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