Serena’s Favorite Reads of 2023: Picks 5-1

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Another a year, another almost impossible task trying to each choose our Top 10 Reads of the year! For me, the word “favorite” is an important part of this list. As I go through the last year’s worth of reading, I often found that some books would strike particular chords within me more deeply than others, even if, quality-wise, another book might be stronger. Of course, this just makes it all that much harder to put them in any order. But here it goes! Today I’m going to countdown my favorites reads, five through 1. And since it’s the end of the reading year, don’t forget to enter our “12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!”

5. “The Serpent and the Wings of Night” by Carissa Broadbent

“The Serpent and the Wings of Night” Review

This was one of those funny years where I was putting together this list and found that I had multiple entries for books that I had just read in the month of December! I featured “The Witchwood Knot” on my 10-6 list, and here we are again with a book that I only finished reviewing a few weeks ago! But like “Witchwood,” I particularly wanted to focus on this book as it was originally self-published and only recently picked up by Bramble. And man, did this book restore my faith in the potential of romantasy! All too often, I think this genre can get bogged down in tropes and fairly low-quality writing. Not so, here. Yes, it has a nice romance, but it also stands perfectly fine as a straight-forward fantasy title! There’s complex world-building and lore. Solid characters with meaningful character arcs. And original and exciting action scenes! I had such a blast with this book and can’t wait to check out the sequel when it comes out in a few months.

4. “The Fragile Threads of Power” by V.E. Schwab

“The Fragile Threads of Power” Review

And now for a pick that won’t surprise anyone! This was probably the most welcome news I can remember seeing in the book world since…I don’t know when! Not only is it a return to a beloved world, but it is the return of the same beloved cast of characters, several years later. I was definitely concerned, as well, wondering how well the balancing act would work between our familiar characters and the new ones introduced. As it turns out, it worked out really well! I was pleased to see that the majority of the story still belonged to our main characters, but I was also interested enough in the new ones to not resent them when the story changed to their POVs. It was also just such a fun, nostalgic trip to be back in this world. Now, however, we’re back to waiting on sequels! Best problem to have, though, I say.

3. The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem

“The Jasad Heir” Review

This book took me completely by surprise. In many ways, it sounded like a fairly generic fantasy story, what with an heir to the throne in hiding , a magical, deadly competition, and an enemies-to-lovers romance. But instead of becoming bogged down in tired concepts, it rose beyond all of these tropes to prove that there is a reason why many of these go-toes are popular to begin with! I also liked that our main character was a bit of an unreliable narrator, with truths about her past slowly coming to light. I was also most impressed by romance. There are a metric ton “enemies to lovers” love stories out there, especially right now, but this book shows the importance of the often over-looked slow-burn aspect of it all. Natural enemies don’t just flip switches in their brain and suddenly fall in love with one another. I also liked the subtle nature of the love story, with them coming together slowly over very small moments of humanity and care. Here’s another one where I’m eagerly awaiting the next book the series, though I’m not sure when it will be coming out!

2. “Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries” by Heather Fawcett

“Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries” Review

For most of the year, this book was solidly in the #1 position for this list. And honestly, I’ve gone back and forth several times. So, really, maybe read this as two #1 picks! I hadn’t read anything by Heather Fawcett before picking up this book, but man, she’s now an insta-read author for me! This book seems like it was made in a factory specifically for me. I love historical fantasy fiction, two of my favorite genres in one! And, most importantly, Emily Wilde’s prickly, stubborn, supremely confident if a bit socially awkward type of character is one of my all-time favorite character types. She’s very much in line with characters like “Amelia Peabody” and the like. I also really loved the Fae in this book, especially the late-book twist that the story took, veering off in a direction I had never expected. On top of all of this, there’s a lovely, lowkey romance with the grumpy/sunshine trope being gender swapped between Emily and Wendell. Definitely check this one out if you enjoy historical fantasy fiction and lowkey love stories.

1. “Starling House” by Alix E. Harrow

“Starling House” Review

And, finally, my top pick for 2023! While I enjoyed Harrow’s “Ten Thousand Doors of January,” I didn’t expect to love this book quite as much as I did. For one thing, it’s a contemporary fantasy novel, a subgenre that I often struggle with. But man, did this book prove me wrong! I loved everything about it, from the way the classic gothic haunted house story was twisted around on itself, to the exploration of stories and who tells them. But most of all, I loved the voice of the main character, Opal. Another character, Arthur, has his own chapters, but Opal’s are the majority and this is truly her story. She’s a perfect example of how to pull off an unreliable narrator and the voice of a character who, to many, could come across as unlikable. I was instantly charmed by her and whipped through this book in a matter of days. I can’t recommend this one highly enough!

What were some of your favorite reads of 2023?