These are five backlist books that I had every intention of reading this year but somehow time got away from me and unfortunately it didn’t happen… I will definitely try to prioritise these books for 2023 though!!
Jade City by Fonda Lee
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Finley Donovan is Killing It by Elle Casimano
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
This is five books I read this year that disappointed me for one reason or another. These aren’t necessarily books I hated, I just might have been underwhelmed by them or they didn’t live up to the hype.
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
I had high expectations because of how hyped this book was but it was sooo boring!
Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson
This felt like a filler book in this series, I liked the novellas better!
Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller
I still liked this book but I thought it was going to be even better than the first and it wasn’t.
Well Matched by Jen DeLuca
I was expecting so much more this was slow and not spicy enough for me!
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
Wasn’t bad but everything you think is going to happen happens.
It’s the end of the year and time to check in on the diverse books I was trying to prioritise! I have read one more of the books I had on the list since my last update which was Vicious Spirits by Kat Cho but I didn’t end up getting to the other two. I’m moving away from YA contemporary so The Wicker King isn’t really on my radar anymore and I do still want to read The Rage of Dragons so hopefully I can get around to it in 2023!
My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones – I don’t know whether it’s Stephen Graham Jones’ writing style or just Jade’s perspective in particular but I was confused as to what was happening for the majority of the story. Where she was and what she was doing and also who she was talking to, it was framed in a way that was a bit too chaotic for me. She was kind of devolving slowly but also as people kept dying she was become more assured of her predictions. It was very much a stream of consciousness style of writing and I couldn’t really follow along and appreciate it as much as others seem to. ⭐️2/5 stars
We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry – The concept was something I found to be super intriguing, but the way the connection between them all is created was a touch on the ridiculous side. Emilio being the overseer that these girls need to appease and power up to beat their opponents and get to state was just so over the top and kept me invested. ⭐️3/5 stars
Vicious Spirits by Kat Cho – I still quite enjoy the lore and myths surrounding the Dokkaebi and learning all about Junu’s background and how he became one. Also learning about the Sansin and the Reapers were also really interesting to find out about. There just wasn’t enough action to keep me entertained throughout the book. The pacing was up and down and there were periods of time where all the characters were just sitting around waiting and it wasn’t very enjoyable. ⭐️2/5 stars
It’s Top Ten Tuesday time friends and this week’s prompt is cozy reads!
When I think cozy I think of wrapping myself up in a blanket on the couch or in my bed and when I’m nice and warm I want to read cold, spooky, atmospheric book so these are the 10 that come in mind:
Every year it seems that I’ve read less and less of the nominees for the Goodreads Choice Awards in the fantasy categories even though it is my favourite genre. This year in the adult category I’ve read 3 of the 20 which makes sense since I haven’t been prioritizing a lot of the fantasy books on my TBR which I want to change in the coming year. I think in the next month I want to try and get to at least two more of the nominees that are on my TBR and I would love to try and complete at least the top 10 books that are announced next year! For the full list of the nominees click HERE!
Amy Leigh Reads 