I feel like 2022, although a stressful year itself, has been such a good reading year for me! I have slightly changed my rating system over the course of the year, and dived into some bookstagram favourite authors and I have loved so much of what I have read! Don’t get me wrong, there have also been some not so great books… But today I want to talk about some of my favourites of the year, in no particular order because honestly I really love them all for such different reasons that I’m not sure I could rank them! I’ve also automatically eliminated my reread of The Night Circus because although I did love it as it is my favourite book, it isn’t fair to make the others compete against it!
So, the first book I’d like to talk about is the beautifully atmospheric A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross. The title suits it well, because I found it completely enchanting. So much so that I read it twice this year! Once when it first came out and recently when Rebecca Ross held her readalong before the sequel came out, which I am currently waiting for!
A River Enchanted is an adult fantasy novel with completely gorgeous writing about the main characters Jack, Adaira, Sidra and Torin. Jack left the isle of Cadence ten years ago to study music on the mainland. But after a string of young girls go missing, he is recalled to the isle to help find them. The isle itself is in a way a character, carrying gossip across on the wind, changing landscape, the spirits watching on in amusement. As Jack and Adaira, the heiress of the East, appeal to the spirits they begin to realise that there is an older, darker secret lurking beneath the surface…
For me, this was an easy five star read. From the gorgeous atmosphere that Ross creates to the complex characters and genuinely believable relationships, I just adored it. There was never a doubt that I would fall head over heels in love with this book! It is definitely one that I will be buying a paperback copy of so that I can annotate it, even rereading I just wanted to annotate but I won’t annotate my special editions!
I think Rebecca Ross has a real talent in writing characters that feel real and genuine amongst this magical background, and this is especially shown in their relationships with one another. There is a real tenderness to them, that is just beautiful to read. The book is quite slow due to the writing style, which is quite lyrical, however it does pick up towards the end. But that isn’t to say that it is a very slow paced book because you have got those elements of mystery throughout burning away.
From this book I adore the way that Ross writes, so I will definitely be picking up some of her earlier books next year, though I know they are YA instead of adult so they may be written slightly differently! I have actually previously reviewed A River Enchanted so if you would like to check out more of my thoughts on it you can do so here: https://www.fictionalmusings.com/post/review-a-river-enchanted
The next book I’d like to talk about is House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas, part of her Crescent City series. I also loved the second book, but the first massively took me by surprise as it was my first foray into Maas’ work. I’d heard so many people rave about her books before so I decided to give Crescent City a try and once I got into it I just could not put it down!
House of Earth and Blood is an adult fantasy novel, the first in the Crescent City series. Throughout it we follow our half human, half fae main character Bryce Quinlan as she leaves behind her party girl lifestyle after her closest friends are brutally murdered by a demon. When the murders begin again two years later, with the accused behind bars, Bryce is drawn into the investigation, haunted by the memory of that night and her friends. As a key witness, Bryce is pulled in alongside the infamous angel Hunt Athlalar, to track down answers and get to the bottom of the mystery but they discover there is a darker power at work…
I think this is a powerhouse of a book, and definitely shows Maas’ quick paced and addictive writing style. It isn’t a greatly atmospheric read, but it makes you feel deeply. I cried so much during this book, because of how Maas sets up these big showstopping moments and the poignancy of the lines that she writes for her characters, it really draws you into them and feeling for them. House of Earth and Blood definitely takes the title for the book that made me cry the most this year because I SOBBED, and if you’ve read it you’ll know at exactly what point and I don’t think I’ll ever get over it. But even through my sobs, I could not put the book down so I was sat there furiously crying reading on because I needed to know what happened. It truly hurt my heart, but I loved it so if that’s your thing you need to pick this up!
I adored the sequel too, though it didn’t wrench my heart in the same way. It was still incredibly addictive, I don’t quite know what it is about her writing style, but I just find it so easy to read and so hard to put down. I’m really excited for book three too, and for my special editions to arrive, because i have no self control and can’t make decisions I decided to go for both the fairyloot and illumicrate editions, so we’ll see how they look when they get here! I actually forgot I’d written up a review of this but if you’d like to read more of my thoughts you can here: https://www.fictionalmusings.com/post/review-crescent-city-house-of-earth-and-blood
Next is Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola, my favourite romance of all time! Babalola is an incredibly good writer, who manages to bring genuine humour to her writing in a way that isn’t trying too hard, and writes romance that makes you want to squeal and kick your feet! I adored her previous book, Love in Colour, a book of mythological retellings, and I can’t wait to see what she does next in her writing. She has definitely become an autobuy author for me!
Honey & Spice is a New Adult / Adult novel depending on your definition! I’d likely say it is new adult as we’re situated on a university campus following university students. We follow our main character Kiki, a sharp-witted university radio host who is on a mission to get the women at her university to evade players and ‘situationships’ that are all too common. When the women that usually take Kiki’s advice start infighting, Kiki realises that they are being played by the same man and makes it her mission to put an end to it. However, they end up fake dating after getting into some trouble as they aim to save their reputations, but will she take her own advice and not fall for him?
Babalola knows romance, that much is clear to anyone that follows her on twitter, but you feel her passion for it in her writing. Through the pacing of the book, which I feel is done with a real understanding of the genre, but mainly through the electric chemistry between her characters. It is addictive. When I was reading it, I could picture it all in my head as if it were happening on a screen, it felt so real and immersive. I felt like I wanted it, I could recognise what they have in my own relationship so it felt real, and I feel ike that is where Babalola’s writing shines.
This is another one that I would definitely like to reread in the summer because it is just so good! I also really hope that it gets adapted because I feel it would be perfect for TV too, not that it feels intentionally written for it at all, like some books can. If you’d like to read slightly more of my thoughts you can as part of my summer romance revival blog post here: https://www.fictionalmusings.com/post/my-summer-romance-revival
Also very annoyed at myself for forgetting to take a picture of this book on its own before publishing this! I'm so sorry!
Next up we have another Maas work, this time A Court of Silver Flames. I put off the ACOTAR series for ages, I just wasn’t massively interested in it but after reading the Crescent City books I just had to pick them up because I was addicted to her writing style and needed more! And while the rest of the series was okay, ACOSF was the real stand out for me. I just don’t love Feyre and Rhysand okay…
But, A Court of Silver Flames, the fourth book (fifth if you include the novella) in the series doesn’t focus on the series traditional main character Feyre, but instead shifts focus to her sister, Nesta. Still struggling with becoming a fae and the aftermath of the war, Nesta has been drinking to excess and shunning the support of her family. Finally given an ultimatum, she must train with Cassian, a fearsome warrior, who ignites Nesta’s temper more than anyone else… And yet there is a connection between them that neither one has been able to forget. Nesta and Cassian work together to battle monsters, both physical and within to get to a place of healing.
I just adored this, as much as I could find Nesta grating at the start as you go on you uncover the complexity of her character and you really begin to root for her, and I loved the way that Maas allowed that to happen. Nesta’s character arc and development over the series is beautiful, and this book secured her as my favourite character of the series. I think that as excited as I am for the next book, I will be slightly disappointed if it isn’t all about Nesta and the Valkyrie!
Although I loved the relationship between Nesta and Cassian, the best part of the book for me had to be the journey of healing that Nesta goes on. How that message is reinforced throughout, about healing and facing your mountain, and how she pulled others along with her so we get to the brilliant Valkyrie! The group that Nesta forms of women who want to train under Illyrian warriors due to things that have happened in their past, it was deeply emotional at times. I also know that it is so easy to relate to Nesta and her journey in some way for most people in this book, and I definitely found that so I just adored it! You can read more of my thoughts here: https://www.fictionalmusings.com/post/review-a-court-of-silver-flames
And finally, I want to talk about The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa. A work of Japanese fiction, which I have found myself loving recently. It is a deeply thought provoking book with beautiful, still, melancholic writing. Haunting too, this is one that didn’t stray far from my mind for a while after reading it!
The Memory Police follows our main character, a young unnamed woman, living on a peculiar island. On this island things are ‘disappeared’ and change enacted by the draconian Memory Police, who ensure that things are disappeared and those that remember them… When the young woman realises her editor is in danger as he can remember she comes up with a plan to save him. But fear is closing in and more things are beginning to disappear…
I thought this was an incredible idea, and very well executed too! I really liked Ogawa’s writing style, and while the book itself was intriguing the writing made you want to take your time with it which was really the right choice, though at times really hard! The writing was also beautiful, some really atmospheric descriptions. I think this book can be quite confusing, but I leaned into it and loved it, as a philosophy teacher there were definitely a lot of philosophical themes and questions underlying that I loved pondering!
I wrote in my reading journal when I was reading this that the one phrase that really came to mind when I was trying to think of how to describe this book was “still waters run deep” and I stand by that. I think this is a very still book, but it is powerful and poignant and makes you think deeply, it is just beautifully written in so many ways. I found it an immediate five star read, and it has definitely made me want to read more translated fiction!
Before I finish off I want to give some honourable mentions to Belladonna by Adalynn Grace, which I read earlier this month and adored and You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry which I read this summer and loved too! I loved both of these books, and they stayed with me for a long time after reading too but didn’t quite make it to the top though you can read my reviews here: https://www.fictionalmusings.com/post/review-belladonna and here: https://www.fictionalmusings.com/post/review-you-and-me-on-vacation
So those are my top five books of 2022! Although as I write this it is the 8th December so there is still time for another book to make it up here, and I do have some fab books on my TBR this month! I already have a few predictions for my top books of 2023, as I didn’t manage to read some of my most anticipated releases of this year surprisingly so you may see those on my blog then… So stay tuned!
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