This year has been insanely busy – I bought my first house and started a new job! But I still managed to write 33 book reviews so I’m quite proud of that. Here are the books I most enjoyed reviewing this year:
‘Heart of the Sun Warrior’ by Sue Lynn Tan
The first book in this series made it onto last year’s list and the sequel was definitely worth the anticipation. Sue Lynn Tan built beautifully on the characters and world building which she had begun to establish in ‘Daughter of the Moon Goddess. I found it near impossible to put this book down – and when I was forced to, I found it impossible not to daydream about.
‘The Half Life of Valery K’ by Natasha Pulley
Going by the blurb, this is not a book that I would normally pick up. However, it’s by Natasha Pulley so I knew it had to worth a go and I wasn’t wrong. As usual she manages to create a complex web of intrigue filled with an unbelievably loveable cast of characters.
‘The Golden Enclaves’ by Naomi Novik
I didn’t actually manage to review this book as I was too busy and because it took me a while to emotionally recover from reading it. Suffice to say that the cliff-hangers left by the first two books were worth it for this spectacular conclusion. It’s the first in the trilogy to be set outside of the Scholomance, which gave it a much greater scope that Naomi Novik expertly used to its full potential.
‘The Witch and the Tsar’ by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
This is the first book since Katherine Arden’s ‘Winternight’ trilogy that has successfully satisfied my craving for Russian mythology in fantasy. Olesya Salkinova Gilmore has bought the enigma of Baba Yaga fully to life with an engaging backstory, a full depth of emotions and hopes, and a perfectly quirky personality.
I actually enjoyed this more than the first book in the series – the tension built in the first book fully came to life in its sequel. I was really rooting for the characters and I loved how everything got turned just a little bit upside down. I had already worked out the answer to some of the mysteries and it was really interesting to see the characters unravelling it all for themselves in this book.
‘The Book of Gothel’ by Mary McMyne
I love the trope of fairy tales being turned on their heads and this book does it brilliantly. Mary McMyne has turned Mother Gothel from an evil villain without motives or heart into a tortured woman with a heart of gold. The twist ending was just perfect and made sure that I will never view the story of Rapunzel in the same way again.
‘The House with the Golden Door’ by Elodie Harper
Another sequel, this book took an already colourful cast of characters and pushed them to new heights. Amara’s transformation in this book was, at times, painful to read yet I never lost faith in her. Elodie Harper brings the past to life in the most gritty way and with more emotion than seems possible to cram into one book.
Escape to the Bookshelf 