The Rest of the Books I Read this Year!

Well, we have reached the end of 2023, which means it is time for the second half of my book round-up! If you missed the first half, you can go read it here. My final total of books read this year was 27, which was 2 more than more than my goal, so I’m pretty stoked about that! If you want to follow along with me and what I am reading throughout the year, feel free to follow me on GoodReads at mermaidmadey for real-time updates and reviews. So without any more rambling, let’s get into it!

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty- I have read many books by the author, and plan to read many more, but this was definitely not my favorite of hers. I didn’t hate it, not by a long shot! But her twits are usually so amazing and catch me off guard in a big way, and even though this twist did catch me off guard, it was a massive letdown and not what I was hoping for at all. This one felt as though maybe she got bored writing it or changed the ending halfway through and the full setup was just left to sit there and not really have a great ending or any kind of crescendo. And what many would call the actual twist of the novel got about a page or less and felt very rushed. Lian Moriarty has written so many novels and I have really enjoyed all the others I have read by her and will continue to read her, but this one didn’t do it for me.

Paybacks a Witch by Lana Harper- This series was a lot of fun! It’s set in the magical town of Thistle Grove (the new place I would like to live forever) where four founding families live and govern the magic of this small town. I really loved the magical systems in this one, the love stories, and the overall idea of this particular world. This is the first novel and while each one follows a different character, definitely read them in order since they do build off each other a little bit. All of them are queer love stories except for the second one, but all are very worthwhile to read.

From Bad to Cursed and Back in a Spell by Lana Harper- These are the second and third ones in the series and I enjoyed both of these just as much as the first. The families are interesting and fun, and the aesthetics that the author creates are such a part of these stories. Each family has a very specific vibe complete with decor and color scheme and I would be lying if I said I didn’t read it for that. These books are very lightly spicy, like a 1 or 2 out of 5, but still, something to consider if that’s not what you’re looking for.

In Charms Way by Lana Harper- I separated this one pout because it is the most recent one and for some reason, this was my least favorite. The actual story of it all was really interesting, and it expanded on how magic functions in this world at large away from Thistel Grove, but for some reason, it just was not the same as the others. It was a decent bit shorter and felt rushed. Still read it since there is going to be more book sin this series, but this was not my favorite.

Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May- This was not what I thought it was going to be at all and I was very pleasantly surprised! It’s a sapphic love story that takes place over a couple of days and definitely gives major Practical Magic vibes, but much darker. It’s hard to give any details without giving away the entire plot, but if you are looking for a dark fantasy, with a touch of romance, this is one you need to read in 2024.

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell- Good book, but predictable and I guessed the twist. I have read others by this author and really enjoyed them which is why I picked this one up, but it was not what it should have been. It’s about a 16-year-old girl who goes missing without a trace and bounces from the mom’s point of view in the present day, and the daughter’s point of view after she was taken. The writing was good and the overall plot was good, but the set up fro the twist was far too obvious and I guessed it about half way through.

A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair- Was I invested in this plot at all? Not really. Was the dialogue kind of cheesy and unbearably cliche at times? Absolutely. But did I read the whole thing just to see the Hades/Persephone love story play out in modern-day Olympus with gods running around creating modern-day chaos? 100%. This book will not change your life or change your view on anything or make you think, but it was an enjoyable read and I will be reading the other three whenever I decide I need a palette cleanser or just want an entertaining read that causes me very little stress.

Fourth Wing and Iron Flame by Rebeca Yarros- I know everyone has been recommending these books no matter where you go, but they really are worth the hype. Fourth Wing is the first novel and follows Violet Sorrengail as she goes through the very dangerous and ruthless dragon riders academy, Basgiath. It’s a college that prepares adults starting at 20 to prepare for the war that is constantly being fought in their lands and has been being fought for several years. There’s dragons, romance, twists, politics, and so much more that made this such a fun read and made the second one even better. Definitely has some spicer scenes so keep that in mind, but read these two so you can prepare for the 3 other books that will be coming out in this series.

The Assasin’s Blade by Sarah J Maas- This is the prequel to the whole series, and I definitely recommend reading it second. It really helps with the flow of the rest of the series, and gives you info good to have for the rest of the series, but not necessarily info you want or should have for the first book.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas- Everyone has a lot of feelings about what order to read this series in but I prefer the order of reading this first, then reading Assassin’s Blade, and then continuing on. It really puts a lot into perspective and honestly just makes it all hurt just a little bit more. This was the toughest one to get through, but it was her first book ever published, and they really do get better after it. The world-building is gorgeous and even though it is a lot of info, it doesn’t feel confusing or overwhelming to have to get through all of it. Plus all of the new additions have maps in the front which really makes it easier to follow. But get through this one and the writing in all of the rest is leaps and bounds better.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas- This is when the series really started to pick up and suck me in. This is the second or third book, depending on how you read the prequel, but the storyline, the relationships, and the suspense starts to build here. This is where i really got invested in these characters and wanted to keep reading, which I have done!

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall- I didn’t hate this one, but it was not as good as I thought it would be. This book was toted as a Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls novel and there really is no Gilmore Girls aspect here except for the small town setting. I did like the way that magic functions in this novel and the way that the main family uses magic, but the over-examining and explaining of every little thing did start to grate on me. The main character, Sadie, owns and runs a coffee shop and bakes all of the pastries for the shop, which are imbued with magic, but the author describes every single ingredient and then also what property of magic it will give the consumer and it was around for every single recipe. It was just a little too much. The love interest was also not someone I could get on board with or root for at all. Definitely not a bad novel by any means, and definitely not a bad first novel! Just was not for me overall.

That’s all for this post and the rest of the year! Let me know what you read this year and what some of your favorites are, and I will see you all next week for a new post in the new year! Have a safe and happy New Year’s Eve everyone:)

Madey

Cover image found here.