Robyn’s Favourite Reads Of 2023…
…so far.
We’re in month six of twelve, and as with every year, I wonder how we’ve managed to get halfway through so quickly, but here we are. I wanted to share with you my favourite reads of this year so far. Firstly, I’ve listed all the books I’ve read so far in 2023. Some of them I didn’t finish and I’ve added DNF next to them. I’ve only added them to the list if I got more than 50% of the way through before I DNF’d. There’s a shame pile much longer of barely started books! So, in chronological order of reading, here’s what I’ve read:
Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
Oath Taker by Audrey Grey
The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch DNF
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
Feather by Olivia Wildenstein
The Serpent And The Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
Broken Bonds by J. Bree
Before The Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair
A Touch of Ruin by Scarlett St. Clair
The Ashes And The Star Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent
The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson DNF
How To Kill Men And Get Away With It by Katy Brent
The Stolen Heir by Holly Black
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus DNF
A Witches Guide To Fake Dating A Demon by Sarah Hawley
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson DNF
I feel like since having the bookshop, I expect more from books and now I’m quite hard to please. Only three of these have been five star reads, but I’m going to add a fourth book that wasn’t quite five stars, but still worth a read because I was surprised by it. Lets start with that one.
How To Kill Men And Get Away With It by Katy Brent:
What’s it about?
This is is the only non-fantasy on this list, and is the story of Kitty, a influencer with a dark secret. Kitty is wealthy, and spends time partying and going to bars and restaurants with her friends, making content for Instagram. On a night out, she notices a man following her and kills him. Accidently. But she seems to get away with it. This is the start of a compulsion that has far reaching consequences and affects her relationships in irreparable ways.
Why did I like it?
Initially I was put off. Influencers aren’t my thing and all the main characters seemed quite vapid, but as you keep reading new layers to each of the characters comes out. You realise that instead of an attention hungry social media star that Kitty was initially portrayed as, she’s putting on a huge act and actually doesn’t really like her friends. As she starts murdering people (men), we see more of her back story and understand her reasonings. Reasons that go much deeper than her victims being awful human beings. There’s a level of dark humour in it that is engaging and although you know murder is wrong, you can’t help but root for Kitty the whole way through.
Anything of note?
This was a surprising read. I feel like the cover does it a disservice, which is why we should never judge a book by its cover. Which we all do, regardless of the old adage. This book also has strong content warnings for the following: Murder (obviously), Sexual Assault, Suicidal Ideation, Self Harm (in various forms), Eating Disorders, Drug and Alcohol use.
My rating?
I gave this book 4.5 stars ****
The Serpent And The Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent:
What’s it about?
This is a fantasy book set in a war torn world where vampires rule and humans are lower class citizens. Oraya is the adopted, human, daughter of the vampire king and has been raised in a ruthless and merciless manner, is there any other way when everyone around you wants to kill you? In a bid to lose her human weakness, she joins participants in battle of games to be within the chance of winning a gift from the goddess that will link her to her vampire father and make her immortal. But nothing ever runs smoothly and deception is there at every turn. Who can Oraya trust? Her father who’s kept her weak? The handsome stranger who she’ll have to kill if she wants to win?
Why did i like it?
This was fun. First of all, Oraya is in her mid twenties, which is refreshing after the slew of YA (young adult) fantasy that’s been published recently. I loved Oraya’s dry sense of humour, and her badass dedication to winning in a world where she’s constantly the under dog. As the book unfolds, we’re shown more of the world she lives in, and the horrors that literally everyone has created and endured. There’s also a slow burn romance woven through out, and even though there’s the cliche “he’s 200 years old, she’s much younger” it didn’t feel creepy.
I enjoyed the touch of politics and the adventure, the intrigue of the “games” and the pure narcissistic nature of the gods in this world. The end of the book was a shock and I struggled to wait the two months for the next installment.
Anything of note?
As I write this, I wonder if this book brings us anything new in the fantasy genre, and it probably doesn’t. But it was a well written, fun, escapist book. There’s a mild content warning for sexual assault alluded to. This is part of a 6 book series, written as three duologies. The first two have been published. As this is an American publication without trading rights here, you may pay a higher price for the physical books; as such we don’t have them in the shop, but can order them if you’d like.
My rating?
I gave this book 5 stars. *****
Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson:
What’s it about?
A branch of the British Government is unlike any other. It’s full of witches. This division of the governments purpose is to protect Queen and Country from magical evil and other-worldliness. HMRC is an Urban Fantasy and centres around a group of childhood friends as they’ve gone their separate ways in adulthood, but still connected by the magic they posses. When a prophecy states there’s an imminent evil coming, Helena, the high priestess, calls on her girlhood friends for help. The books follows their relationships as they differ on their understanding of evil.
Why did i like it?
Its set in modern Manchester, so there’s not heaps of world building, which means there’s more time to get to know the characters. The characters in this book are brilliant, diverse and I loved getting to know them all. This is first time in a long while that I felt like the characters were real people, rather than fictional. I also loved the huge dose of social commentary. Theo is a teenager who was born male but identifies as female, and in the book there’s a debate about whether Theo should be allowed in a coven, and whether she is a witch or a warlock, but this “debate” clouds the bigger issues at play.
Every aspect of this book felt real. Like there really could be a division of witches protecting the country. I also liked that although aspects are set in London, most of the book takes place up north (which is pretty much everywhere for us in Lymington). It was refreshing to have a different landscape to discover.
Anything of note?
This is part of a trilogy. The second book The Shadow Cabinet has just been released in Hardback.
My rating?
I rated this 5 stars. *****
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros:
What’s it about?
This fantasy book follows twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail, who has just found out that her mother, the ruthless General Sorrengail, is forcing her to become a dragon rider, even though Violet has been studying for years to join the Scribe Quadrant. Violet isn’t thrilled with that idea, especially since she was born with a disease that affects her bones and ligaments. Riders are expected to be tough fighters, especially when the chances of dying are extremely high, and Violet understands her physical limitations and knows she isn’t cut out to be a rider. But opposing the general is even worse than the threat of dying, so Violet reluctantly agrees.
We see her struggle to meet the expectations, make friends in unlikely places and a hatred turning into something else. There’s a lot to learn about the lore around dragons and Violet uses her scribe knowledge to get a head start over her classmates.
Why did i like it?
This had everything I’ve ever wanted from a fantasy books, danger, likable characters, action, romance and dragons. This was easy and fun to read, I couldn’t wait to find out what happened. I apologise to anyone who may have come into the shop while I was reading it, you probably got a distracted service. I loved the inclusion of a disability and rather than there being a “fix”, things are adapted for her. Another brilliant aspect was that Violet wasn’t innately good at the fighting, she had to practice and work hard to beat her competitors, and quite often used brain over brawn. Some things were predictable, but there were a few surprises and I can’t wait to find out what happens.
Anything of note?
This is the first book in a five book series. The second book will be out in November.
My rating?
I give this book 6 stars out of five - because I LOVED it. ******
What I love about reading, is the potential for anything to happen. Only one of these books was on my to be read list (Her Majesty’s Royal Coven) and I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did. Despite being in the book industry, I had no idea that the other three were being published and stumbled upon them either by recommendation or when purchasing stock for the shop.
If the books I read in the next half of the year are as good as these ones, I’ll finish 2023 a happy reader!