Hello there! Welcome to the day six, the final day, of Bookmas! I'm a little in shock that I managed to keep up with the posting schedule and this was just a good reminder overall of how much fun blogging can be. Hopefully we'll be able to carry that energy into the new year and stay a little more consistent in 2025.
We're wrapping things up with a favorites list - I was browsing through and found that despite reading a lot of good books, only a handful really stuck out as favorites overall so I'm excited to share the list!
the warm hand of ghosts by katherine arden
This should be a no brainer because I love Katherine Arden's work and Ghosts is no different. This one took longer to hit me in the feels and the story takes you on a journey through two different timelines and POVs as a brother and sister navigate WWII. Through their eyes, we see both the horrors of war but also where hope can be found and small moments where hope might turn into something more sinister. This truly left me feeling breathless after reading and I couldn't stop thinking about the characters after I had finished.
favorite line: We were born together, we died together. I cannot live without you.
the starless sea by erin morgenstern
This book is truly a love letter to storytelling. It's just full of beautiful prose and overlapping storylines that weave themselves together to create such a masterful tapestry that leaves you filled with so much wonder for the world. I read this all the way in the beginning of the year and still find myself thinking and theorizing about the different connections - this is definitely one of those stories that will stick with you for a long time and will present something new every time you reread it.
favorite line: Not all stories speak to all listeners, but all listeners can find a story that does, somewhere, sometime. In one form or another.
the bride of death by f.m. aden
I feel like I've spoken about this book so much but it truly was the most unexpected favorite that left an absolute chokehold on me while I was reading. If I haven't raved about this enough, the story follows Zerryn who finds herself in a competition to become the bride of Erlik Kahn. The story incorporates Turkish mythology into the classic fantasy trope of enemies to lovers with so much gentle yearning I could literally feel my heart crying.
favorite line: Can you imagine what it's like, when an immortal with no perception of care gains an impossible attachment?
when among crows by veronica roth
Tor has been absolutely killing it with their short stories. Last year, I read The Salt Grows Heavy and it became one of my favorites and this year When Among Crows filled that hole in my heart for a macabre fairytale-esque story. Veronica Roth manages to pack so much magical politics and set up an entire society in the Chicago underworld to support our characters as they journey to find Baba Yaga. This also has a soft spot in my heart for the most gentlest of romances between two characters that just makes me want to give them a big hug.
favorite line: Eternity is long. Time enough for hearts to soften.
dragonfruit by makiia lucier
Makiia Lucier has officially solidified herself as one of my comfort YA authors because Dragonfruit has everything I love about YA fantasy. From dragons, a journey, and the sweetest relationship amongst all the characters, this was just a lot of fun to read. There is one particular scene that I'm still not over and feel slightly betrayed by but other than that, this felt like a warmest hug and I just adore it.
favorite line: To the adored child, send them on journeys.
lady macbeth by ava reid
If I read an Ava Reid book, it's pretty much guaranteed to make it on my favorites list. Ava Reid just has a way with storytelling that feels like stepping into a mystical world and this one is no different. I've always loved the play Macbeth and seeing the events unfold through Lady Roscille's eyes as she enters first as an innocent bride to Macbeth and then her journey of self-preservation as he ascends to power felt more empowering and enraging. We get to explore the imbalance of power between the two and how magic and madness weave together to bring about Macbeth's downfall. My only complaint is that this ended too quickly - Ava Reid can I please have a tiny extension, I simply need more time with these characters!!
favorite line: Perhaps it is not cleverness that seeps through the generations but cruelty. One cold creature weaning another.
At first, I was a little surprised to only have six titles that really stood out as favorites for me this year but these really sum up my reading taste and preferences pretty accurately. I do have a bunch of honorable mentions so maybe I'll try to whip up a list for those sometime in January because I did read a bunch of solid 3.5-4 star stories that I still want to spotlight.
I hope everyone has a healthy and happy holiday season! I had a lot of fun with Bookmas this year and will definitely try to continue this momentum of drafting/posting consistently into 2025. Let me know what your favorite reads of the year were, I'd love to know!
