This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend. Read the full disclosure here.
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, ten to six. And since it’s the end of the reading year, don’t forget to enter our “12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!” on Instagram!
10. “Shield of Sparrows” by Devney Perry
This one took me completely by surprise! I was vaguely familiar with Devney Perry as a contemporary romance author, but as I don’t read much in that genre, I hadn’t checked out any of her books previously. I was also in a pretty big slump with romantasy and feeling like there was nothing new to be found under that particular genre’s sun. Well, lo and behold, this book arrived to prove that there was still fun and quality to be found in romantasy, without sacrificing plot, world-building, or believable characterization! Sure, there were some familiar aspects with the way the love story progressed, but the overall creativity, especially with the magic and creatures of this world, easily carried this one for me. The only real downside was the massive cliffhanger the book ended on…
9. “A Master of Djinn” by P. Djeli Clark
Believe it or not, I had an ARC copy of this book languishing on my TBR shelf for literally years, acquired from an ALA convention many years ago. And it took a book club prompt to get me to finally get around to it. And more fool me, because I absolutely loved this one! It was pretty much everything I love about several genres all mashed together. We had an intriguing historical setting, a sharp-as-a-tack detective solving a complicated mystery, and a magical reimagining of the world, complete with magical agencies that must oversee crimes that take place in this general arena. I also listened to the audiobook version of this story, and I highly recommend this format of the book for any readers who have access to it! The narrator does a great job capturing the accents and overall feeling of this world!
8. “Upon a Starlit Tide” by Kell Woods
I love situations like what happened with this book. I had read one other book by this author, After the Forest, and didn’t particularly care for it at all. But I wanted to give the author a second chance, and what do you know? I loved this one enough that it made its way onto my Top 10 list! There was a lot to like about this one, including the creative approach to a fairytale retelling where Woods reinterpreted and mashed together both Cinderella and The Little Mermaid. What’s more, I appreciated the tongue-in-cheek approach she took to the traditional love triangle, sorts of characters that often are included, and the general way these romances seem to always play out. Not so here! If you’re wanting a fairytale fantasy that doesn’t simply follow the expected beats, then this one is definitely for you!
Book: “The Thirteenth Child” by Erin A. Craig
Another fairytale fantasy makes the list (what can I say, I have a favorite subgenre). This one is more of an original fairytale, and I loved so much about it! For one thing, Craig deftly balances some incredibly dark and difficult themes alongside some truly funny moments and a sweet, if more reserved, romantic subplot. This was one of those great reading experiences where I blew through the book in only a few days, but spent quite a bit of time thinking about it later. The story doesn’t shy away from the true moral grayness and impossibility behind choices of who lives and who dies, the greater good or individual worth. It also had a surprising dash of true creepiness at times, so definitely check it out if you like darker fairytales!
6. “The House Saphir” by Marissa Meyer
I don’t think I have any fairytale fantasies in my next set of five! It just happened that all three ended up here next to each other! Marissa Meyer is known as one of the greats for fairytale re-tellings, so it’s no surprise that her latest book made its way onto this list! This was a retelling/reimagining of “Bluebeard,” one of the lesser-retold fairytales, and I loved what she did with it! The story technically takes place after the events of the original tale, but I loved how she wove together both the new narrative and the older story. The main character is excellent, flawed but witty, and the romantic subplot was lovely! Definitely check this one out if you enjoy fairytale fantasies!
So that’s ten through six. Next time I will give a countdown of my top five. What have been some of your favorite reads of 2024?
The Library Ladies 