rainwaterspark (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rainwaterspark) wrote2024-02-03 09:45 am
rainwaterspark) wrote2024-02-03 09:45 am
Favorite Books of 2023 & 2024 Book Reviews
Well...I was hoping, after having a bad reading year last year, this year would be better. But so far, all but one of the books I've read/been reading have been duds, including ARCs I've been able to get from NetGalley. (It almost feels like I should give up being hyped for books and just hope that a book I have no expectations for will end up blowing me away...)
Since 2023 had such slim pickings, here are my favorite books of 2023:
1. This Book Kills and Catch Your Death by Ravena Guron
Okay, I'm biased here because this author is actually a friend, BUT I genuinely do love her twisty thrillers. I binged Catch Your Death in like a day.
2. She Started It by Sian Gilbert
I love isolation thrillers, and this is probably my favorite execution of that trope. The author masterfully keeps the tension high and perfectly balances withholding information and revealing twists at the right moments. I loved this.
3. Generation Ship by Michael Mammay
An incredibly smart book, using a futuristic sci-fi scenario to reflect the political realities of 2023. I know it's also no mean feat to balance five interweaving plotlines and still have the pacing move at a quick clip.
4. Bonesmith by Nicki Pau Preto
I haven't read a satisfying fantasy with an enemies-to-lovers relationship in a while, and this book aboslutely delivered. While I had a few quibbles with it, the worldbuilding was cool and Wren and Julian were compelling characters, both individually and as a couple, and it's rare for me to feel that way while reading these days.
And now for a couple of early 2024 book reviews:
The Blighted Stars by Megan O'Keefe
Genre: Science fiction, romance
I had the weirdest reading experience with this book.
For the first 300+ pages, I was entranced. I binged the book. The multiple mysteries running through the plot were so intriguing, and the pace of the reveals so satisfying.
But then...once all the mysteries were solved, I paused. And then I didn't pick the book back up for several months.
My biggest issue was with the ending. Look, I didn't read the book because of the romance, but without getting into details, the romance sort of ends up getting a reset at the end of the book. And that was so disappointing to me, because it made me feel like the slow-burn enemies-to-lovers arc we'd been following the entire time was for nothing.
The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley
The best way I can describe this book is "military sci-fi/time-traveling thriller."
It took me a while to get into it, but once Dietz finished her basic training around the 20% point and the time-traveling aspect was introduced, I was hooked, riveted by the question of what was happening to Dietz and how all the time-traveling would be resolved. The book also did a good job of showing both a capitalist dystopia and the dangers of being controlled through propaganda and fake news (a very real danger we're facing even now).
My biggest issue with this book, though, was with the ending. I wasn't sure what to make of it, and that cooled my enthusiasm for the story.
Since 2023 had such slim pickings, here are my favorite books of 2023:
1. This Book Kills and Catch Your Death by Ravena Guron
Okay, I'm biased here because this author is actually a friend, BUT I genuinely do love her twisty thrillers. I binged Catch Your Death in like a day.
2. She Started It by Sian Gilbert
I love isolation thrillers, and this is probably my favorite execution of that trope. The author masterfully keeps the tension high and perfectly balances withholding information and revealing twists at the right moments. I loved this.
3. Generation Ship by Michael Mammay
An incredibly smart book, using a futuristic sci-fi scenario to reflect the political realities of 2023. I know it's also no mean feat to balance five interweaving plotlines and still have the pacing move at a quick clip.
4. Bonesmith by Nicki Pau Preto
I haven't read a satisfying fantasy with an enemies-to-lovers relationship in a while, and this book aboslutely delivered. While I had a few quibbles with it, the worldbuilding was cool and Wren and Julian were compelling characters, both individually and as a couple, and it's rare for me to feel that way while reading these days.
And now for a couple of early 2024 book reviews:
The Blighted Stars by Megan O'Keefe
Genre: Science fiction, romance
I had the weirdest reading experience with this book.
For the first 300+ pages, I was entranced. I binged the book. The multiple mysteries running through the plot were so intriguing, and the pace of the reveals so satisfying.
But then...once all the mysteries were solved, I paused. And then I didn't pick the book back up for several months.
My biggest issue was with the ending. Look, I didn't read the book because of the romance, but without getting into details, the romance sort of ends up getting a reset at the end of the book. And that was so disappointing to me, because it made me feel like the slow-burn enemies-to-lovers arc we'd been following the entire time was for nothing.
The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley
The best way I can describe this book is "military sci-fi/time-traveling thriller."
It took me a while to get into it, but once Dietz finished her basic training around the 20% point and the time-traveling aspect was introduced, I was hooked, riveted by the question of what was happening to Dietz and how all the time-traveling would be resolved. The book also did a good job of showing both a capitalist dystopia and the dangers of being controlled through propaganda and fake news (a very real danger we're facing even now).
My biggest issue with this book, though, was with the ending. I wasn't sure what to make of it, and that cooled my enthusiasm for the story.