Top Reads of 2023
2023 was a wild and wacky year.
While my personal life was all over the place, I read some really amazing books this year. They helped keep me grounded in the chaos. It also helped that I was being sent a new Brandon Sanderson novel every quarter. I had the time of my life with that.
I went through my Goodreads and saw that I only read thirty-five books this year. Not a ton, but still a decent amount. Out of those thirty-five, I only rated five books five stars. These five books just had that feeling that captured my soul and tickled my brain. I’ll list them here. And then, I’ll bring up some honorable mentions that came close to being five stars, but fell short.
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
Dates read: January 1st – January 2nd
I adore this book. It means so much to me.
Tress is a girl with messy hair and an affinity for cups. When the man she loves is kidnapped by an evil sorceress that lives in a perilous ocean, she braves the seas to rescue him. On the way there, she falls in with a group of pirates and a rat named Huck, and finds pieces of herself she never knew existed.
It is fairy tale-esque with a sweet ending. The characters are dynamic and diverse. The setting is stunning. This was the perfect way to start the year.
Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Dates read: May 25th – May 25th
I devoured this book. V.E. Schwab is one of those authors where I buy the book before I even know what it’s about. I love her writing. I trust her with my life.
Victor and Eli were old college buddies who shared the same obsession with near-death experiences. They did research on adrenaline for their senior project, but it turned from academic to experimental. they discovered that under the right conditions, people can become ExtraOrdinary. They can develop powers. Ten years later, when Victor breaks out of prison, he tries to hunt down his friend, now foe, and get the revenge he wants.
In this book, gaining powers does not automatically make you a hero or a good person. In fact, this book is morally gray. I loved this. There was no clear right or wrong.
Also, Victor is a delectable protagonist.
The girls who get it, get it.
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson
Dates Read: July 1st – July 9th and November 13th – 25th
Yeah, I read this book twice this year.
Yumi and Painter wake up one day in each other’s bodies and have to figure out how to save their respective worlds. Along the way, they reflect and face their own traumas and learn to respect another person’s craft. This book has a lot of asian influence, pulling from Final Fantasy X and Your Name by Makato Shinkai.
This book is a love letter to creative expression and working through trauma. How do you rediscover your passion after you’ve failed? How do you learn to stand up for yourself and what you know is right? How do you fight against generational trauma?
It’s complex, dark, and romantic. I adore it.
Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archives, #2) by Brandon Sanderson
Dates read: August 31st – September 9th
I read this book so fast I had a headache. I was reading the ebook on my phone, which was not great. The pain from reading this book on my phone is actually what inspired me to ask for a Kindle for my birthday in October.
I can’t say much about this book without completely spoiling Way of Kings, the first book of the series. This series is going to be ten books long, split into two five book arcs. The fifth book, the final book of this arc, is coming out this November. I’m simply terrified. This is an epic fantasy series of massive proportions that I simply cannot get enough of. I know they’re lengthy, but they’re worth the read if you can stick with it. I promise.
Here’s a little about book one. Kaladin, a bridgeman, who wants better for his life. Shallan, a woman determined to save her family by hunting down the renowned scholar, Jasnah. And lastly, Dalinar, a man plagued with visions that set him apart from the rest of the royal family.
Words of Radiance was fast-paced and impossible to put down for over a thousand pages.
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
Dates read: November 7th – November 10th
If you paid any attention to the reading world last year, you have heard about Fourth Wing.
Violet Sorrengail, daughter of General Sorrengail, is forced to attend Basgiath where she has to fight for her life every day. She is training to become a rider, to bond with a dragon and fight for her country. She finds enemies, friends, and crosses path with the strongest Wingleader Basgiath has seen: a shadow wielder named Xaden.
Iron Flame is the sequel to that. I can’t say much more without spoiling it. Here are the general vibes: enemies to lovers, sassy dragons, supportive best friends, etc. I loved it.
I will say that Violet is a little insufferable in this book. But Ridoc? He’s my favorite.
Honorable Mentions
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Elizabeth is an unwed mother and a scientist navigating her grief in the 60s. She’s left with her daughter, Mad, and a tangled mess of emotions. During all of this, she’s having to fight for her right to be taking seriously. Not as an administrative assistant, or as another pretty face, but as a scientist.
I adored this story. It made me take a moment and reflect on everything that I have access to that she didn’t. Feminism has come a long way since the 60s.
The reason this book is not a five star read is because I felt as though the daughter, Mad, was a little too… Well, I found it hard to tell what her age was throughout the book. In addition to this, religion is seen only as a bad thing. I’m not the most religious, I consider myself more spiritual than I do religious, but this seemed unfair. The book included the perspective of the Reverend, which could have been a beautiful opportunity to tie in more perspectives of this multi-faceted topic, but it was turned black and white.
A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
I have a soft spot for this book because I took it with me on my first solo trip. I flew to Maine, all by myself, scared out of my mind, and found comfort in the pages of this incredibly dark read.
Wren, a sixteen-year old kid, is at a reproductive health services clinic looking to get on birth control. Other women are there for cancer screenings, some for abortions. It seems like a routine visit, until a man enters with a gun, and demands reparations for what happened to his daughter.
This book tackles a complex and divisive topic with confidence. The structure is unique, the POVs are intriguing, and it was impossible to put down. The characters are rich and the plot is gripping.
The reason it isn’t a five star read is because there were so many different POVs that I found it hard to keep track of them at first. It was overwhelming.
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Those were my top reads of 2023. I know most of them were by Brandon Sanderson, but he released so many books this year! I read several books of his. I adore his writing.
I discovered a new love for romantasy, which was exciting. I had read A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas when it first came out, but I didn’t realize romantasy would capture my whole soul years later.
I am eager to see what makes this list at the end of 2024.
Have you read any of these books? What books are you looking forward to in 2024? Leave a comment and let me know!
Happy New Year!