Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together
Happy first Tuesday of the new year y’all! It’s been a long time since I’ve actively participated in TTT, but I wanted to jump in and kick this year off with one of my favorite topics: “Favorite Books of 2022.” I love seeing everyone’s lists for this topic, mainly because I find books I haven’t heard of and throw them onto my own TBR pile 😉 2022 wasn’t the best year reading wise for me. At first, I was really down on myself for reading less than I ever have since I started tracking my reading with Goodreads….but then I decided to try out Storygraph at the recommendation of Stephanie from Once Upon a Chapter and I perked up. While I did technically read less books, I also read nearly 1200 pages more than I normally do. So I take that as a win 😀 Below are the top ten books I enjoyed this year in no particular order. As always, covers/titles link to blog review/Goodreads/Amazon (affiliate).
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas
5 stars all the way! If you are a fan of ACOTAR and TOG, you want to read this series. I caught so many easter eggs hidden in book one that I was looking for them in this one and I was NOT disappointed. I cannot wait for CC3…whenever that may be. Also if you like audiobooks, highly recommend this one!
The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken
If there was a book that was going to make me cry and laugh and feel all the emotions under the sun, it was this one. I’m a new fan of this author as this is only the second book I’ve read, but I can promise you I’m hooked. If you enjoyed the Katherine Heigl movie Life as We Know It, I highly recommend this one with a box of tissues and bottle of wine.
Rise of the Vicious Princess by CJ Redwine
This was a book I didn’t know I needed in my life until I read it. It was fantastic from start to finish. I loved the budding romance, the world building, the magic system, all of it. And now I’m eagerly waiting on book two 😉
Forbidden Legacy by Theresa Kay
I devoured this one. I was one of the lucky few to beta read this one prior to its release. I had planned to read a little a day (I spend a longer time analyzing when I’m beta reading), but the story sucked me in and I finished it in one sitting with zero regrets….and then promptly read it a second time….and a third time when it hit shelves. If you are a fan of portal fantasy, fae, and urban fantasy, you are in for a treat.
Of Thieves and Shadows by Elle Madison & Robin D. Mahle
Twisted Pages is one of my favorite fairy tale retelling series to date. It doesn’t hurt that my favorite duo are the writers either 😉 This one lived up to and exceeded all my expectations. Think Aelin crossed with Cinderella and you’ve close to our fire loving Aika.
Full Flight by Ashley Schumacher
This book broke me into a million pieces. It shattered my heart and left me sobbing. Not pretty little sniffles, like full on hyperventilating sobs. I was not prepared for this one to evoke those kinds of feelings. It is a beautiful reminder of what it is like to fall in love, find your person, and living your life in the present. Highly recommend!
The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber
Jacks is back 😀 I made no effort to hide my love for the Prince of Hearts when reading Caraval, so it should come as no surprise that I adore his spin off series. The imagery and writing alone are enough to pull me in, but the character growth and world-building make this a top-tier read.
This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede
I can honestly say that this book is nothing like anything I’ve ever read. I absolutely loved the world-building, the desperation of impending doom that haunts every page, and the flickers of hope that flash when we need it. Forbidden love, broken magic, and a pending apocalyptic war drive the story at a break neck pace. Highly recommend for fans of fantasy….if I had to pick a number one book of the year, this would be it.
I enjoyed the heck out of this series this year. I read the first two books at the beginning of the year for COYER book club and immediately pre-ordered this one. I knew before I ever even started the book that I was going to love Peter and Maria’s story, and I was right. I’m such a sucker for friends-to-lovers, but y’all this one is SO much more. This is a second chance, instant chemistry, then enemies, to friends and partners, to lovers. And it is beautifully written!
This debut book is the first in a dark fantasy series about the daughter of failed revolutionaries and a prince fearful of his destiny. All the things I love about fantasy are present in this one: experimental magic, a cursed storm, royal love interest, a rebel in disguise, and a city on the verge of ruin. Highly recommend to fans of the Grisha series.
Your turn! What was your favorite book last year? What are you looking forward to this year? Share below
Welcome back to Top Ten Tuesday!
Sarah J. Mass’ books have been popular picks this week.
Lydia recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Books of 2022
Ship Wrecked is on my list to read this year. This Vicious Grace and Full Flight sound like books I should check out. Happy new year!
CurlyGeek recently posted…Top Ten Books I Read in 2022
Ship Wrecked was fantastic! I hope you enjoy it when you get to it. Highly recommend both Full Flight and This Vicious Grace. Happy New Year to you too 🥳
Shipwrecked! So good! I listened to that one and loved it. Glad to see it made your list.
Deanna @ A Novel Glimpse recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Books of 2022
I listened too! I loved the narrators 💗
Great list! This Vicious Grace was so good. I still need to read House of Sky and Breath!
My Top Ten!
Leslie @ Books Are The New Black recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Best of 2022!
If you enjoy audio, highly recommend both Crescent City books in that format. Hope you enjoy when you are able to read it!
Ooh nice picks! I still need to read HOSAB and Redwine’s–though I planned ahead to wait and binge this one since it’s a duology! So much better for my sanity if I do that! TBONA naturally made my list too! Lol!
Thanks for visiting my TTT!
I wish I would have done that too with Redwine’s! I didn’t realize it was a duology til I was about halfway through 😅
You have some absolutely gorgeous covers in your top ten this week! Definitely adding some of these books to my list to look out for.
Katie @Just Another Girl and Her Books recently posted…Review: Little Detectives: Dinosaurs by Karina Dupuis
I haven’t read any of your books, but This Vicious Grace is a popular choice worth looking into. And Full Flight has a lovely cover!
Happy New Year and thanks for the visit!
If you enjoy fantasy, highly recommend This Vicious Grace. It was fantastic!
I’ve not read any of these, but I do have both Once Upon A Broken Heart and The Ballad of Never After sitting on my shelves waiting to be read!
Jo recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday #401
They are both so good! Though I wish I’d known before starting book two that there would be a book three 😅 Garber likes cliffhangers!
Of Thieves and Shadows sound interesting. Nice list.
Have a great week.
Snapdragon recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Graphic Novels of 2022
It’s a great read. The whole series really. 💗 Thanks for stopping by!
I loved The Ballad of Never After and hope to read the next installment soon. I also still need to read House of Sky and Breath. The first book was so good!
Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra recently posted…Can’t Wait Wednesday – PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT by Sarah Adams
I recently signed up for Story Graph too. I haven’t had much opportunity to play with it, but it does seem to give good recommendations. I’m glad you read so many good books last year!
Aj @ Read All The Things! recently posted…2022 Reading Statistics
I’m really enjoying playing around with StoryGraph. Agree that the recs are great! I also love that I can filter my TBR by mood. I’m such a mood reader 😂