After a terrible reading year in 2023, I was determined to read as much as possible in 2024. I set my Goodreads reading challenge at 50 and I managed to read 61 books. Though I wish I could read hundreds of books every year, I’m pretty proud of that number. A lot of those books I didn’t review here but I did review them over on Goodreads and you can check them out here. Of the 61 I read, I’m going to talk about 11 of them today. I know that’s a very small amount compared to what I read but I wanted to narrow it down to the very best, the very worst or the most disappointing. With that, let’s talk about some books!
The Best of the Best:
The year started off strong with The Cruel Dark and its companion novella, Lover, by Bea Northwick. This is a historical fiction romance set in the late 1920’s with spooky, Gothic vibes. That time period combined with a crumbling mansion and a swoon worthy romance? *Chef’s kiss* You can read my reviews for The Cruel Dark here and for Lover here.
For this next one, just hear me out😅 Manacled by SenLinYu is a Dramione fanfiction… I’m not even a Harry Potter fan but this book made me sob. It’s the Harry Potter world meets The Handmaids Tale and it’s just perfect. The author is currently rewriting this story to make it her own original work. The title has been revealed, Alchemised, but I’m not sure when the book will be released. You better believe I will be buying it immediately when it does, though. You can read my review for Manacled here.
Deerskin by Robin McKinley is one of my all time favorite books and while Beauty isn’t quite as good, it’s still such a magical read. This is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and while I’ve read quite a few of them, this one is my favorite. It holds true to the original while still being its own unique story. You can read my review here.
I absolutely love Melanie Karsak and her first book in The Vinland to Vahalla series, Heart of a Valkyrie, may just be my favorite by her. This is a Norse historical fiction story with a healthy dose of fantasy. You can read my review here.
I’ve read quite a few books by Rebecca F. Kenney but her novella The Horseman of Sleepy Hollow has been my favorite, so far. This story is a blend of historical fiction, fantasy, romance and spooky goodness. You can read my review here.
The Most Disappointing:
I haven’t read much pure historical fiction this year so I was very excited for Blood & Beauty: The Borgias by Sarah Dunant. I do feel like I know more about the infamous Borgia family after reading this but it was so dull. This reads like a textbook and I need my historical fiction to have… well, more fiction. You can read my review here.
No Child of Mine by Nichelle Giraldes seemed like the perfect spooky read about haunted houses and haunted people. I had such high hopes and enjoyed it very much… until the ending. This book has one of the most random and rushed endings that I have ever encountered. You can read my review here.
My most disappointing read of the year was The Thirteenth Child by Erin. A Craig. Her books tend to be very hit or miss for me. This one had a lot of the things I love, like excellent word building and a unique fantasy plot. However, this book was completely lacking the spooky aspect that I enjoy most from Craig. I also felt the story in general was a bit dull. You can read my review here.
The Worst of the Worst:
Honestly, I’m not surprised that I didn’t enjoy House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas. It’s been a very long time since one of her releases impressed me and I felt that the Crescent City series as a whole was a flop. You can read my review here.
The Girl From Rawblood by Catriona Ward was torture to get through. Is that dramatic? Yes, but it’s also accurate. This book is supposed to be spooky, Gothic historical fiction but it’s so, so boring. You can read my review here.
Final Thoughts:
That is all of the notable books, for better or worse, that I read in 2024! I’d love to know if we share any opinions or if you feel differently! Thanks for reading and have a great day!
The Book and Beauty Blog 