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Now that 2023 is officially over (where did the last few years go?) I wanted to review my top 5 favorite books of the year! So let me start off by saying that 2023 was a slim reading year for me. I don’t feel that I read too many GREAT books. But I also just didn’t read a whole lot in general. If you’ve read my other blogs you’ll know that this was a year of growth for me and I’ve been taking time to find my purpose in life. I’ve also discovered comic books this year (thanks to my amazing husband) and I think that ended up being a good portion of my reading.

With that being said, let’s get started! I also want to note that these are in no particular order, they are just a compilation of my favorite reads of 2023.

1. Fourth Wing and Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Starting off strong with Fourth Wing and I’m putting Iron Flame (the second book, after Fourth Wing) in this same category just because. Fourth Wing is the first in a new fantasy series, and if you haven’t heard of it yet, I don’t know where you’ve been. Even my husband, who is not a reader, came to me saying he wanted to read this book because of all the hype. Now if you haven’t heard of it, that’s okay, but I’m excited to tell you all about it and why it made this list. This series is about a dragon rider school. Think of it like a mash up of Harry Potter and Game of Thrones. It has the fantasy school vibes of Hogwarts and then the brutality of Westeros. This book focuses on a character named Violet who unwittingly gets put into Basgiath War College (aka dragon riding school) by her mother, who happens to be one of the biggest generals in the military. She trained her whole life to be a scribe; she was meant for a life sitting at a desk recording the history of their kingdom. Now, she is getting fit, battling for her life, and trying not to piss off a dragon or two. While learning to navigate this new life she meets Xaden, the son of a well known rebel who was killed for his crimes. Being the general’s daughter, Violet knows she is at the top of his kill list. Now not only does she have to survive the brutality of a war college surrounded by dragons, but she has to dodge the attractive shadow-wielder.

I won’t go into any details of the second book since I don’t want to have any spoilers in this review. All I’ll say is that Iron Flame picks up right where Fourth Wing leaves off and is a roller coaster of emotions.

They both made my list this year because of Rebecca Yarros’ incredible talent for world building. I love the unique lore and history for creatures for this new fantasy realm. She also brings in mythical beings that I have not seen used as often in other books.

 I will say Violet irritated me quite a bit, more than I would’ve liked, however, I do love that this author was inclusive by making Violet physically disabled. They don’t discuss her exact diagnosis, but her joints are easily pulled out of place and her bones are especially delicate. She is constantly having to wrap her knees in order to keep them in place. Overall, I love the characters in this series and I can’t wait to see where Rebecca Yarros takes it next.

2. Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

This book! Where has this book been all my life? My best friend, Jordan, introduced me to this book this year and I couldn’t be more grateful. If you thought Dracula was the first ever vampire book, then you’re in for a treat. Because THIS is the first ever vampire story. Carmilla is about a FEMALE vampire who seduces WOMEN in order to drink their blood. I can see why schools didn’t teach us this version, however, I would’ve eaten this up in high school if I had known. I mean how cool is it that the first ever vampire story is about a woman! Not only that but she’s a lesbian vampire? Yea, I’m sold.

3. A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout

A Shadow in the Ember is the first book in a prequel series that is connected to the From Blood and Ash series. I’ve always been a fan of the original series, but it was never my favorite among fantasy books I’ve read. That has completely changed with this prequel series. I haven’t fallen this hard for a set of characters since Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas. 

This series takes place hundreds of years prior to From Blood and Ash, so if you’ve read that series you can start to understand where this is in the timeline. I still highly recommend reading From Blood and Ash first though because they do the most worldbuilding in those books so it’s easier to pick up the lore in the prequel series. I can’t say a whole lot about this book without giving too much away from the other series. What I will say is that this first book follows a love story between Nyktos, the Primal of Life, and his consort Seraphena. Let me tell you, Sera is my girl. This story has easily become one of my favorite love stories I’ve read in a while.

4. A Light in the Flame Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is the second book in the prequel series I mentioned above. And yes I separated the two out because IT WAS JUST THAT GOOD. Again, I can’t say too much, but this book picks up right where the first left off and just hits the ground running and takes us on another wild ride.

5. Broken Bonds by J. Bree

The last, but certainly not least, in this list is the series of Broken Bonds also known as The Bonds That Tie series This whole series put me in a tizzy that I have yet to come out of. I never thought I would be into a very smutty “why choose” story, but boy did I eat this series up! If you’re not familiar, a “why choose” story is when our main character has multiple love interests. So it reads just like that, why choose just one? 

This fantasy series is set in a modern day world, but there are magical beings who are known as the “gifted”. So society is separated into the “gifted” and “non gifted” communities. People in the gifted community either become a central bond or are part of a bond group. If you are the central bond, i.e. our main female character, Oleander, you then have several bonded males. Oleander has five male bonds.

Once she sleeps with each of them their powers get heightened. So you can see, smutty right off the bat. However, I will say the first two books are fairly tame compared to the rest of the series. I came for the smut, but ended up staying for the characters and the story. This whole premise enticed me from beginning to end, which is why it made this list.

While this post was long overdue I hope you enjoyed this list! I’d love to know what books were in your top for 2023 or if you’ve read any of the books I’ve listed above. I also upload videos to YouTube regularly discussing everything above so go check it out over there, I’ve linked the video down below! I’ve also linked all my socials down below if you’re interested in following me! I hope the start to your 2024 is going well!

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