Fifteen Favorite Fantasy Reads 2023
It’s time for me to reveal my Fifteen Favorite Fantasy reads of the past year!
How is it the end of the year already? How is 2023 already over? I’m not ready!
But I’m also excited, because this is honestly one of my favorite posts to write every year.
It’s so fun to take a minute at the end of the year and peruse over what books I read, reminiscing about which ones I really enjoyed. It’s also always highly entertaining to me to see which books I meant to read versus which books I actually read. Last January, I posted a reel on instagram with 11 books I fully intended to finally get around to reading… 11 books that have been sitting on my bookshelf in paper version for an embarrassingly long amount of time…
And I got to four of them.
That’s a really bad grade if we’re going by percentages. I am failing the class: “Books I Meant to Read.”
I meant to read all of them. I really did.
But new books came out. I was part of a 9-book multi-author series and I got completely hooked on the other books in that series…
There’s always something. So, 7 of those books from last year are now on my 2024 TBR. (Alongside a bunch of new ones, of course).
There will always be too many books. And that is good.
Let’s start with the stats:
I don’t have fancy pie-charts like my dear friend Deborah usually makes, but for those who like stats, here are some un-pie-charted fun things of note.
I originally set myself a super small goal for my Goodreads reading challenge this year, but I blew past it by May 1st, so I kept re-setting it. I ended up reading 83 books this year, which is right around my usual number.
Pages read:
Goodreads says I read 22,213 pages… that seems like a lot.
The shortest book I counted was 10 pages long, the longest was 912 pages long.
Average Rating:
It was a good reading year, as my average review/rating was 4.7, so clearly I enjoyed much of what I read.
Non-fantasy reads:
21. I read a higher-than-usual number of non-fantasy books, as I went on a Louisa May Alcott kick over the summer and read all four (three?) of her books. Goodreads counted it as 4, so I’m counting it as four, even if Little Women and Good Wives are usually bound together in a single volume.
My favorite non-fantasy read of the year was:
Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman
Re-reads:
I always feel like I should be re-reading more books, but I had a ton of re-reads this year. 25 of my books read this year were re-reads.
I also re-read the entire Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn, as well as his follow-on duology.
I listened to 8 audiobooks, most of them re-reads.
New to me:
I read 12 new-to-me authors this year, all of them indie or small press.
Not in the stats:
I also read a bunch of short stories that I couldn’t put on Goodreads because they were pieces of anthologies or part of Havok’s library, so they aren’t counted in my Goodreads Challenge or in my “Your Year in Books” which you can go peruse if you want to see ALL the books I read this year.
On to the favorites!
As usual, there aren’t a ton of rules for picking my favorites… and what rules exist are there to help me narrow it down.
Books must be speculative fiction. Sci-fi is allowed, even though the title of the post clearly states “fifteen favorite fantasy reads” <—that is because: alliteration is nice.
Books must be full-length to make the list.
Books must be new-to-me reads. Because otherwise the list would constantly be dominated every year by Tolkien, Lewis, Zahn, Lawhead, and the like.
This year, I had to add a small extra rule and decided I couldn’t pick any of the A Classic Retold books. I enjoyed all 9 of these books so very much and they all more than deserve to be on this list. However, since I can’t put them all at number 1 and since I would hate to inadvertently hurt one of my dear ACR Sister's feelings with a ranking of any kind, I am refraining from including any of them on this list for the same reason I do not put any of my own books on this list: conflict of interest. I do recommend all 9 of them as highly as possible, they are fun, beautiful reads filled with the bright threads of hope — they were definitely among my top favorite reads of the year, and you can find them all by clicking the button below.
For each of the books below, if you’d like more information or something in my mini review makes you desperate to read it right now, clicking on the title or the picture will take you to the amazon page for that book where you can make a purchase. A lot of these are also in Kindle Unlimited, most of them have paperback or hardcover options, and a few are available in audio!
And it’s me, so right off the bat we have at least one exception to the above rules!
Short Story honorable mention: The Wolf’s Daughter by Kendra E. Ardnek
At only 10 pages long, this Once Upon a Twisted Time tale is such a fun re-imagining of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale. I really did not see the ending coming, and quite enjoyed this flipped-around tale.
15
A Matter of Blood by Lauren H. Salisbury
Really enjoyed this steampunk retelling of the Prodigal Son parable. I loved the twist at the end and the brotherly vibes and themes. Jake and Nathan are new favorites.
I also loved the themes of belonging and family and redemption. I did not see the end coming, which is impressive for a retelling of such a familiar story!
14
The Star Clock Chronicles by E.J. Kitchens
Okay, you might think this is kind of cheating again, as I’m including the whole series, however… This five-book series really reads like one long, cohesive story. While each book follows a different set of characters, there is enough weaving together of all the stories that it really ends up being a singular tale. A lot of fun steampunk vibes with plenty of political intrigue, adventure vibes, and some sweet romance running throughout.
13
Summertime Circus by S.L. Dooley
Enter a world that is full of magic and mystery...
This was a delightfully intriguing story and I mightily enjoyed it. It has so many things to love: adult siblings, grumpy mentor tropes, mystery, revenge, sweet romance, twisty turny plots, and a lot of fun and intrigue along the way! Read my full review here!
12
The Eternity Gate by Katherine Briggs
Some books suck you inside their pages in the first couple of lines and won't let you go until you've turned the last page and finished the book. This was one of those books for me.
Some characters seize your soul and make you care about them immediately, and Seyo was one of those characters for me.
The stakes are high. The mystery is epic. The times my heart was wrenched out of my chest were numerous. Read my full review here!
11
Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer
Truly gorgeous retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon with other bits of similar fairy tales mixed in.
It's rare that I fall in love with a book told in first person, as I'm picky about first person. But I really loved Echo. Her love of books, her determination, her honest desire to do the right thing, and her honesty about her own fears and failings was lovely and refreshing. Full review here.
10
I truly adored this sweet tale of trials, curses, romance, and perseverance through it all. So many times, the characters could have just given up, accepted their fate, and moved on... but they kept persevering.
I think one of my favorite things was how much the characters leaned on and believed in each other. They provided the strength the other needed. When Laidra was ready to give up on herself, Calen was right there, believing in her sweetness and goodness and inner beauty for her. And when it seemed like the curse had conquered all, Laidra stuck right by Calen's side, determined to do all she could for him.
If you're looking for a fantasy romance with plenty of Greek-myth-feel to it, then this is your story. Reminiscent of favorites like Till We Have Faces and Labyrinth of Shadows, this story is a fun mythical romp through familiar landscape.
9
Accidentally a Supervillain by H.L. Burke
I actually almost kept up with HL Burke this year in terms of reading as fast as she can write! (just kidding, she writes faster than I can read… and that’s actually saying rather a lot). However, I did read FIVE books by this author this year, and am fairly proud of myself. I really enjoy her superhero/supervillain universe, and just kind of devoured the books in the series I hadn’t read yet. I could easily put all of them on this list, but I’m trying to be sorta fair here, so I’m including my tippy-top favorites here.
I really enjoyed this particular story as it has a lot of fun action sequences, plus a character whose powers sort of erupt way later than they usually do as she’s spent her entire life suppressing her own powers and has convinced herself she doesn’t have any, even though her dad and two siblings do. It was a neat look at a character who gets superpowers and doesn’t actually want them that was also believable… because really… usually you’d think, “Of course anyone would want super powers!”
8
Engaged to a Supervillain by H.L. Burke
Ah, the culmination of Jake’s story… and all the feelz that go with it. It’s hard to review a final book in a series, and when I went to see what I had said on Goodreads, all I had written was, “Jake is my favorite.” Which is true… but wildly unhelpful when it comes to writing a blog post about it.
Poor Jake has been through a lot in his life, and in this story we see him struggling with some PTSD, enduring the fact that the brother of the woman he wants to marry doesn’t trust him, wrestling with his faith and what it means on the other side of trauma, making a massive mistake in the middle of all of this, and if that’s not enough: villains show up and make rather a mess.
But Jake is epic and I love him to bits. And the conclusion of this book and his arc is satisfying… though I hope he at least cameos in future installments and I’m still hoping the author continues to write in this series and we get to see “the next generation” of sables and follow their adventures!
7
A Whisker Behind by WR Gingell
Oh, Athelas. Another favorite character of mine, though I’m not certain he deserves it… some of you might remember that it took rather a lot to get him out of my house after the Silmaril Awards a few years ago. But he continues to steal my heart, the twisty old fae.
Watching him try to be better than he is… getting lazy and thinking it’s impossible and he’s probably better off not even trying, and then seeing someone call him on it…. that was the best. I still have high hopes for this character to get a true and right redemption story, but it looks like it might take 5 books to do it. It’s weird reading about Athelas without Pet and Zero and Jin-yeong right there alongside him… makes my heart hurt a bit. But it’s also very intriguing watching him try to figure out whether or not redemption is possible.
As a side-note, I would not recommend reading this book before reading the entire City Between series. There is a lot in here that I think would leave you scratching your head in confusion if you hadn’t read that series first. However, if you have read City Between (various books of which have made it into other annual Fav. 15 posts), then this is a delightful continuation in that world.
6
This epic science fiction story is stunningly beautiful, and thought-provoking. The things that Princess Firebird has to wrestle with: her beliefs, her culture, and her own desire to live and thrive despite a world and a family that has always taught her that her only worth can be found in dying to preserve the purity of the royal line from power grabs… I can’t wait to read the rest of the series! If you enjoy space battles and deep questions about life, then this story is one you’ll want to dive into!
5
Mercury on Guard by Steve Rzasa
Possibly the most purely FUN book I read all year. A tad reminiscent of Dresden Files, but clean. I loved Mercury and Loredana and Ramos and Teget. The story is full of heart-pumping thrilling action and edge-of-my-seat "what's gonna happen?!?!" I am excited to follow Mercury throughout the rest of the series. I love his snarky wit.
4
The Herbwitch’s Apprentice by Ireen Chau
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one, but I fell in love with it so fast. At first it seemed like it might be a sort of Cinderella retelling, then it seemed like it might be some sort of Jane Austen retelling…. and then it shattered all my expectations and just was it’s own thing that was part fairy tale, part regency romance, all fantasy and I just adore it to pieces.
Book 2, The Herbwitch Princess was also highly enjoyable and delightful, and even though it follows a different main character (one whom I absolutely hated in book 1) I loved it to pieces as well.
3
Greywolf’s Heart by CM Banschbach
Of course I didn’t actually write reviews for any of my top three favorite books of the year. That’s how it always seems to happen… the ones that stay with me the longest, the ones that affect me the most… are the ones I have the hardest time writing my thoughts out about.
Greywolf’s Heart sucked me in from the first page, the first line. It’s a story about estranged half-brothers, sons of the village chief, who have grown up wary of one another and yet also each secretly longing for that brother relationship, that brotherly bond. When the time comes for the chief to choose which son will be the leader and which son will be the warrior, everyone is surprised by his choice. Now the two brothers must work together and learn what all of this means for them, for their village, and for their very survival against warring clans.
This story is beautiful and poignant and I loved how much it focused on brotherhood. Also, giant cats that men ride into battle… I’m a big fan of that.
2
Another truly fantastic, epic journey from DJ Edwardson. I cannot recommend this series highly enough. It is so epic and adventurous and fun. Kion, Zinder, Tiryn, and Kythian continue their quest, now with the single-minded purpose of finding and rescuing Kion and Tiryn's mother.
There were more truly heart-stopping moments in this installment, and I wasn't sure anyone was safe as the characters plunged into deeper and deeper danger by the page.
The world-building continues to be breath-takingly intricate as Kion and his companions traverse across the miles of landscape, taking you as the reader along with them around the map. DJ always puts such a delightful amount of thought and work into his world-building and this story continues that trend.
If you enjoy heart-stopping adventure, coming of age, epic quests, and old-school style fantasy, then you should definitely be reading this series!
1
Through a Shattered Glass by Sarah Pennington
My story for how I picked this book up is kind of humorous, actually. I didn’t really do any investigation into what this book was about before I snatched it up and read it. You see, I’ve loved pretty much everything Sarah Pennington has written since I first got to read Blood in the Snow, and so when I saw that she had a new book out, I bought it and immediately started reading.
And in the first few pages, I very nearly just stopped.
You see… unlike everyone else on the planet… I just don’t really get the appeal of Alice in Wonderland. It’s not my favorite story. I’ve read both of Alice and Through the Looking Glass, and I would be lying if I said I enjoyed either of them. So when it became immediately apparent that this was an Alice in Wonderland retelling, it gave me pause, as I wasn’t really in the mood. (I’m rarely in the mood for Alice in Wonderland, to be honest).
However, Ms. Pennington’s writing swept me away and pulled me into the story, and I quickly found that I couldn’t put it down, and I’m glad I didn’t, because inside the pages I found that this was not just an Alice in Wonderland retelling… but also a Snow Queen retelling… and a far more faithful Snow Queen retelling than others that might be super popular but can’t really be called retellings because they bear almost no resemblance to the original, cough Frozen cough. Ahem.
Now, while Alice in Wonderland is one of my least favorite stories… The Snow Queen has always been one of my favorite fairy tales. So I was instantly intrigued to see how she would weave these two stories together… and I kept reading.
Anyway, I’m so glad I kept reading, because as you can see by where this story falls on my Favorite Fantasy Reads of 2023 list… I absolutely loved this gorgeous story. Not only is it a marvelously brilliant retelling of The Snow Queen, but it does that thing that Sarah tends to do, and blends it so seamlessly with Alice in Wonderland that it makes you believe the two stories were always meant to go together. Not only did I get a faithful and darling retelling of one of my favorite stories, it also made me like one of my least favorites… and a story that can do that can plan my castle onslaught any day!
And there you have it! My Fifteen Favorite Fantasy Reads of 2023!
Let’s chat!
What were YOUR favorite fantasy reads this year, dear Reader? I’d love to hear all about them!
Have you read any of the books on my favorites list? What did you think of them?
Are there any on my list that you definitely want to read ASAP now? Which ones intrigue you the most?
Did you have a happy Christmas?